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“Muslims want to take over the West” or “Muslims do not condemn terrorism”.
If I am not holding a loudspeaker, it means I am a supporter or initiator of terrorism.
Let me start with the standard roll call:
As a Muslim, I condemn all violence in the name of religion. Terrorism has no religion and Islam is no exception. Is that clear enough?
Islam condemns all forms of religious violence and terrorism. Because even after one condemns, you still receive comments or remarks that the condemnation wasn't "loud enough" or "clear enough" or passionate enough."
I'm sure all you will read is blah blah blah blah blah.
I know there will be a barrage of comments and replies.
Violence is not the answer
Here's the deal.
It is a shame and utter travesty that we have certain groups within religion who resort to violence.
Who destroy lives, and kill senselessly. The same way, we look at wars in countries which cost billions in revenue, just to prove a point, not to mention the high cost of civilian deaths vs. the actual people who were targeted in the first place, the “terrorists”.
Since when is terrorism a problem of the entire Muslim population collectively?
It’s dangerous to put everyone in the same basket, because of one ideology, religion or race.
It’s actually bigotry and offensive.
Are people expecting us to send up smoke signals or send messages to the “criminal Muslims”, saying ‘stop what you're doing fellow Muslims’ and they will actually heed our words and stop?
If every one of us had such power and clout, imagine the utopia we would be living in.
Do we put the same expectations on other religious, ethnic, or ideological group?
Do we generalise and associate all Hispanics with the drug trade?
Wouldn’t it be unfair to “direct” my anger towards Pedro, who has never even touched drugs; let alone met a drug lord?
Pedro’s non-activity and abstinence from anything related to drugs or people associated with it should be a clear message that he is different, and condemns the use or sale of it.
Do we generalise and associate every practicing Catholic of paedophilia because a few priests chose to abuse altar boys?
Do we verbally attack every Catholic person, because he hasn’t denounced that 1% of the priest? Does that mean he condones this behaviour and is guilty by just being a Catholic?
There are myriad of examples.
There is a crisis, politically, culturally, by sect, by level of fundamentalism and by the efforts to deal with modernity.
The easiest is to blame religion; it’s just easier for some to digest.
There have been several shootings in the US, not once has the perpetrators religion been attacked, it’s called a senseless act of violence.
Why then every time some person/s decides to carry out an act of violence and he just so happens to be a Muslim, it’s seen as terrorism and not violence.
Why should every single Muslim go under the microscope?
If you want a Muslim to condemn terrorism, realise first that he has done so by not engaging in it, not associating with people who promote this; has distanced himself from any kind of cowardly act.
Why are Muslims expected to first demonstrate that they are not with the “enemy”?
On social networks I see the question: "Do Muslims condemn terror?"
What?!Are you ignorant? Do you not engage your brain before you text your thoughts?
Try this thing called "Google." Search "Muslims condemn terror."
I assure you, there will be many hits you won’t have to social network for a while, and you can spare our sanity for a while.
Condemnations of terrorism have been communicated over and over.
Maybe you have not been paying attention to the majority of Muslims because you are too focused on the minority Muslims who perpetrate the terrorism.
If most people are expecting a gathering of Muslims in a big public setting, unarmed, with women and children in tow, with placards, screaming out against suicide bombers and cold hearted murderers, then that demand is rather stupid.
We don’t see that in SA, with our crime stats climbing the walls.
Muslims do speak out
We write, you are reading, we hear it at Friday congregational prayers. Muslims speak out against violence; guess it’s ignored by media. If you expecting a public display of our condemnation, that is not going to happen.
There is no “collective Muslim” just as there is no “collective Christian” or “collective Jew”.
If we as a society are going to make collective demands on a group, then we are no better than the criminals who are segregating and killing.
We cannot judge race and religion on a collective. Until we remain aware of our ignorance, we won’t ever get to ripping out the heart of extremism, nor can we realize the things we ourselves have done to help Muslim extremists.
We definitely don’t hold a gun to your head and ask you what religion you are and then proceed to pull the trigger.
That’s definitely not what my religion or the Quran teaches me, ignorance breeds contempt and those who carry out senseless and violent acts need to go back to the drawing board.
Even scarier, witness accounts of the shooting stated that even Muslims were shot dead.
They were asked to prove they were Muslims, but that was not sufficient, they were shot for not wearing the proper attire. It seems misogyny and patriarchy trumps religion. It’s blatant violence and terror for other agendas.
After all this; anyone with a functioning cerebrum could comprehend that these terrorists represent only themselves.
The world is not under threat from radical Islam, but it is under threat from radical ignorance. This ignorance is a far more powerful and far more destructive force than any act of terror.
We should be engaging each other in more intelligent discussion about Islam and Muslims, interfaith discussions, and realising that our holy book is being misquoted, misused and abused.
Most peoples’ brains shut down when the slightest indication exists that the perpetrators could possibly be Muslim?
Islam means Peace! When we greet you, we say, Peace be upon you!
Check out Saffiya's blog and follow her on Twitter
Follow Women24 on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
If I am not holding a loudspeaker, it means I am a supporter or initiator of terrorism.
Let me start with the standard roll call:
As a Muslim, I condemn all violence in the name of religion. Terrorism has no religion and Islam is no exception. Is that clear enough?
Islam condemns all forms of religious violence and terrorism. Because even after one condemns, you still receive comments or remarks that the condemnation wasn't "loud enough" or "clear enough" or passionate enough."
I'm sure all you will read is blah blah blah blah blah.
I know there will be a barrage of comments and replies.
Violence is not the answer
Here's the deal.
It is a shame and utter travesty that we have certain groups within religion who resort to violence.
Who destroy lives, and kill senselessly. The same way, we look at wars in countries which cost billions in revenue, just to prove a point, not to mention the high cost of civilian deaths vs. the actual people who were targeted in the first place, the “terrorists”.
Since when is terrorism a problem of the entire Muslim population collectively?
It’s dangerous to put everyone in the same basket, because of one ideology, religion or race.
It’s actually bigotry and offensive.
Are people expecting us to send up smoke signals or send messages to the “criminal Muslims”, saying ‘stop what you're doing fellow Muslims’ and they will actually heed our words and stop?
If every one of us had such power and clout, imagine the utopia we would be living in.
Do we put the same expectations on other religious, ethnic, or ideological group?
Do we generalise and associate all Hispanics with the drug trade?
Wouldn’t it be unfair to “direct” my anger towards Pedro, who has never even touched drugs; let alone met a drug lord?
Pedro’s non-activity and abstinence from anything related to drugs or people associated with it should be a clear message that he is different, and condemns the use or sale of it.
Do we generalise and associate every practicing Catholic of paedophilia because a few priests chose to abuse altar boys?
Do we verbally attack every Catholic person, because he hasn’t denounced that 1% of the priest? Does that mean he condones this behaviour and is guilty by just being a Catholic?
There are myriad of examples.
There is a crisis, politically, culturally, by sect, by level of fundamentalism and by the efforts to deal with modernity.
The easiest is to blame religion; it’s just easier for some to digest.
There have been several shootings in the US, not once has the perpetrators religion been attacked, it’s called a senseless act of violence.
Why then every time some person/s decides to carry out an act of violence and he just so happens to be a Muslim, it’s seen as terrorism and not violence.
Why should every single Muslim go under the microscope?
If you want a Muslim to condemn terrorism, realise first that he has done so by not engaging in it, not associating with people who promote this; has distanced himself from any kind of cowardly act.
Why are Muslims expected to first demonstrate that they are not with the “enemy”?
On social networks I see the question: "Do Muslims condemn terror?"
What?!Are you ignorant? Do you not engage your brain before you text your thoughts?
Try this thing called "Google." Search "Muslims condemn terror."
I assure you, there will be many hits you won’t have to social network for a while, and you can spare our sanity for a while.
Condemnations of terrorism have been communicated over and over.
Maybe you have not been paying attention to the majority of Muslims because you are too focused on the minority Muslims who perpetrate the terrorism.
If most people are expecting a gathering of Muslims in a big public setting, unarmed, with women and children in tow, with placards, screaming out against suicide bombers and cold hearted murderers, then that demand is rather stupid.
We don’t see that in SA, with our crime stats climbing the walls.
Muslims do speak out
We write, you are reading, we hear it at Friday congregational prayers. Muslims speak out against violence; guess it’s ignored by media. If you expecting a public display of our condemnation, that is not going to happen.
There is no “collective Muslim” just as there is no “collective Christian” or “collective Jew”.
If we as a society are going to make collective demands on a group, then we are no better than the criminals who are segregating and killing.
We cannot judge race and religion on a collective. Until we remain aware of our ignorance, we won’t ever get to ripping out the heart of extremism, nor can we realize the things we ourselves have done to help Muslim extremists.
We definitely don’t hold a gun to your head and ask you what religion you are and then proceed to pull the trigger.
That’s definitely not what my religion or the Quran teaches me, ignorance breeds contempt and those who carry out senseless and violent acts need to go back to the drawing board.
Even scarier, witness accounts of the shooting stated that even Muslims were shot dead.
They were asked to prove they were Muslims, but that was not sufficient, they were shot for not wearing the proper attire. It seems misogyny and patriarchy trumps religion. It’s blatant violence and terror for other agendas.
After all this; anyone with a functioning cerebrum could comprehend that these terrorists represent only themselves.
The world is not under threat from radical Islam, but it is under threat from radical ignorance. This ignorance is a far more powerful and far more destructive force than any act of terror.
We should be engaging each other in more intelligent discussion about Islam and Muslims, interfaith discussions, and realising that our holy book is being misquoted, misused and abused.
Most peoples’ brains shut down when the slightest indication exists that the perpetrators could possibly be Muslim?
Islam means Peace! When we greet you, we say, Peace be upon you!
Check out Saffiya's blog and follow her on Twitter
Follow Women24 on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
