Not in the
Name of Islam
By Dr Ghulam M. Haniff
US
Terrorism and Islam have become so inextricably
linked in the minds of the American public that
Muslims are openly viewed with suspicion. Indeed,
terrorism has become an albatross around the neck
of the Muslims setting them apart from others.
From airports to shopping malls to crowds out
in the open Muslims are eyed suspiciously as though
another 9/11 were in the making.
Nationwide, Muslims have embarked on projects
including, interfaith dialogue, political and
civic activism, lobbying, fundraising for political
candidates and educating the general public, to
wipe off the blot that stigmatizes them. These
efforts are a novel experience for the generally
passive community. However, engagement with the
larger society may have long-term positive effects.
However, Muslims continue to be the targets of
the Patriot Act, telephone surveillance, Homeland
Security detentions, on-going immigration sweeps,
and many other measures carried out in the name
of national security. In almost every community
law enforcement authorities raid Muslim homes
and seize private property. No one knows how many
people have been picked up randomly and detained.
At the last count, according to newspaper reports,
there were 80,000 names on the no-fly list. Almost
every day some Muslim is detained at the airport.
Recently, two British Muslims coming for an MPAC
conference were detained at the Los Angeles airport.
Every Muslim is considered to be a potential terrorist.
Charges are frequently leveled that Muslims have
not sincerely apologized for the acts of terrorism.
The Muslim claims that these acts were carried
out by a handful of individuals with their own
agenda falls on deaf ears. Numerous organizations
representing Islamic communities have issued statements
of condemnation. The prominent Muslim organization,
CAIR, routinely condemns every act of violence
anywhere in the world and yet the message does
not get through that the majority of Muslims abhor
violence.
Muslim leaders not only in America but worldwide
including Pervez Musharraf, Husni Mubarak, Tariq
Ramadan, Hasan Qaradhawi and countless others
have condemned violence and terrorism and yet
suspicion lingers on.
Muslims are among the few people in modern times
where collective guilt has been placed on their
shoulders for the actions of a few. The principle
that perpetrators of a crime ought to be picked
up as individuals and prosecuted to the full extent
of the law apparently applies to all except when
it comes to the Muslims. In the case of the Muslims
everyone is considered culpable in the commission
of terrorism.
In order to de-link Islam from terrorism CAIR
currently is circulating a petition to be signed
by Muslims worldwide. It seeks to convey the message
that the religion of Islam is so fundamentally
opposed to violence that terrorism cannot be associated
with it. Can one engage in terrorism? Not in the
name of Islam.
In an age of individualism and in a country where
everyone is thought to be judged individually
it is odd that Muslims are held collectively responsible
for the actions of a handful.
No other group has been similarly held accountable
for the actions of a few. Even though almost all
of the following were undertaken at the behest
of some state no collective group is seen as responsible
for the atrocities perpetrated. These include
the Crusades against the Muslims, the Inquisition
targeting of the Muslims, the colonial conquest
of Muslims, the occupation of their lands and
the destruction of their societies. Each of these
tragedies resulted in countless deaths and enormous
suffering and yet no group has been targeted as
being responsible.
Further, no one is held responsible for the genocide
of the Indians (the “native” peoples
of the Americas) or the kidnappings, killings
and enslavement of the African peoples or for
colonialism that made three-quarters of the world
the private property of the whites.
Injustices of these types are legion and could
be made into issues if Muslims had the intellectual
ware-withal to do so. Unfortunately, among 1.3
billion Muslims there are only handful of scholars
and hardly any journalists/writers who command
international attention that can make the case.
Similarly, there are hardly any Muslim leaders
of global repute to stand up for the rights of
the Muslims.
However, it was refreshing when PBS News Hour
recently tried to introduce a little balance on
the issue of terrorism and Islam by inviting a
number of Muslims to air their views. Not surprisingly
the discussion took on an air of defensiveness
from the start. Only one of the panelists, Sheikh
Shakir El-Sayed, was fully versed in the scriptural
basis of the religion and the history of Islam
to tackle the complex topic undertaken. The most
disappointing was the person from Canada who saw
nothing but violence in Islam.
The following day C-SPAN aired a program with
a panel discussion at a celebration on the campus
of Notre Dame University. Two Muslims appeared
at this gathering, both highly trained academics,
Feisal Abdul Rauf and Asma Afsaruddin, who brilliantly
dealt with the topic of terrorism from an Islamic
point of view.
The Western media continues to be a powerful instrument
in painting a negative picture of Islam. To quote
one source the media “reports a few extremist
Muslims’ acts of violence far more often
than ‘mainstream’ Muslims’ acts
of peace.” Consider the Barbara Walters’
recent story about concepts of heaven and hell.
She interviewed a rabbi and a Catholic priest
but to represent Islam she showed only a would-be
suicide bomber. This type of skewed reporting
is typical when it comes to the subject of Islam.
Is terrorism legitimate? Not in the name of Islam.
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