There has been very little from the world-wide muslim community condemning the violence, death, torture and carnage being perpetrated through-out the world in the name of islam.
Many of us have wondered why.
Associated Press writer Scheherezade Faramarzi has interviewed some muslims ‘on the streets’ in Europe to get their reaction to the growing frustration on the part of many Westerners that they are not speaking out.
“Van Gogh was a crazy man, but no one has the right to kill anyone who says bad things about the Quran,” said Mohammed Azahaf, a 23-year-old student who runs a youth center in Amsterdam. “If you kill one, it’s like killing the whole of mankind,” he said, quoting a line from the Muslim holy book.
“If you kill one, it’s like killing the whole of mankind.” That could be taken a couple of ways. Either it could mean that Westerners react to one death as though all of mankind had been killed. That would reflect Osama Bendover’s assertion that islam worships death while the West worships life.
It could also be taken to mean that the death of one man is as significant as the death of mankind.
I don’t know which it is or how mohammad meant it or how this young man meant it.
Dutch Muslim rapper Yassine SB wrote a song about his anger over Van Gogh’s murder but scrapped plans to perform it out of fear of being ostracized by the Islamic community. He also turned down requests by a popular Amsterdam radio station to sing a song against terrorism.
“If you sing that, it’s like you choose the Dutch, not Muslims,” said Yassine SB _ the initials stand for his surname Sahsah Bahida _ who is popular among Dutch North African youths like himself for his songs against racism.
“People will say ‘you are a traitor,’” said the 20-year-old musician.
The writer of this article spends some time explaining how the muslim community is just trying to make a living and don’t want to be labeled as responsible for the acts of a few radicals. He spends some time attempting to illicit sympathy for the average muslim in Europe saying they have little time for protests desire to draw attention to themselves.
He asserts that the overriding reason is that they are not responsible for the actions of other muslims.
Many find the very idea of being asked or expected to denounce such acts “extremely offensive and insulting,” said Khurshid Drabu, a senior member of the Muslim Council of Britain.
“I’m British,” said Tuhina Ahmed, 24, a British-born Muslim in London whose family came from Gujarat in India. “I could have been blown up as well.” Why, she asked, should she have to make a public statement to prove her objection to terrorism?
And, of course, it’s Bush’s fault:
To many, the pressure to denounce acts of terror smacks of President Bush’s warning that ‘you are either with us or against us.’
I highly doubt their fear of Bush is nearly as intense as their fear of islam. The message sent by slashing Van Gogh’s throat was very clear:
In the Netherlands, Somali-born Dutch politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali _ who wrote the script for Van Gogh’s movie “Submission” _ went into hiding after receiving death threats for her condemnations of Islam. And in the United States, Syrian-born psychologist Wafa Sultan’s calls for Islamic reform also earned her death threats.
The muslim leaders’ defense:
Muslim leaders say they and other Muslims have marched in a number of anti-terrorism rallies in Europe _ the largest was held on the first anniversary of Madrid’s 2004 bombings _ and Muslims can’t be expected to pour into the streets every day. They also say they have condemned the attacks in the media.
Yes, I see them everywhere condemning it ….. [/sarcasm]. The one’s that do are condemned to death.
Many Europeans blame the Continent’s Muslim leadership, which they accuse of making ambiguous and qualified condemnations that give the impression they are making excuses for the bombers: grievances over the war in Iraq or the West’s support for Israel.
There is a portion of the European muslim community that supports the terrorists, another larger portion that don’t approve of their actions but have sympathy for them. And, of course, there are those that are just plain scared and want to be ‘invisible’.
Lamia Hamdoun, 33, a teacher at a boys’ school, emigrated to England from Tunisia 12 years ago. Last year’s London bombings were so overwhelming for her, she says, that she prefers to remain invisible.
“When these incidents happen, I’m always scared. … I shrink,” said Hamdoun, who lives in a tiny apartment in north London with her Egyptian husband, Mohammed, and 9-month old-son, Sammy _ whose name was chosen because it’s common both in the Muslim world and the West.
She said she fears that her husband may be arrested in a police sweep just because of his looks or name. “I wish we could change his name so people don’t know.
“I just don’t want to think about it, I want to just get on with my life, deal with my personal problems. It’s something I can’t deal with.”
And then there are those that have assimilated into the Western culture to which they migrated and don’t feel any connection with the actions of the terrorists.
Kdeih said she will not go into the streets to condemn the attacks even though she’s appalled by them _ pointing out that her identity is not defined by Islam.
So, it seems to me, it boils down to those who have chosen to define themselves as muslim to the exclusion of whatever society to which they have migrated, those who are conflicted as to how to maintain their muslim identity AND their cultural identity, and those who have integrated their muslim roots with their Western identity.
For anyone who reads this blog at all you might be surprised to read me write that I do have sympathy for their dilemma.
It is sad that their leadership demands these sorts of choices. And demands it on penalty of death.
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Open posts: Outside the Beltway, Jo’s Cafe, TMH’s Bacon Bits, Adams Blog, The Dumb Ox, Third World County, Is It Just Me?, Assorted Babble of Suzie, Stop the ACLU , 123Beta
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