2008 4
Moderate Muslims, please unite
Published by MartinVarsavsky.net in International with No Comments
I am still surprised that moderate Muslims around the world don´t rally in protests against radical Muslims who commit horrendous atrocities in the name of Islam. Why don´t moderate Muslims stage demonstrations in London after the terrorist attacks of July 7th as moderate basques do against ETA after ETA assassinates? I am Jewish and when the State of Israel attacks Lebanon in what I consider a disproportionate response to the kidnapping of soldiers by Hezbollah I protest and explain my views in such a way as creating a site known as Jews For Lebanon, that obtains donations from like minded Jews for organizations that rebuild Lebanon. Why don´t I see similar gestures or organizations on the Muslim side?
What happened in Mumbai is pure hatred. Muslim terrorists targeting British and US nationals and the only Jewish center in this Indian city and killing and injuring hundreds of innocent people. Now, how can the Muslim world rally so effectively into massive demonstration over such incidents as some offensive Danish cartoons, and moderate Muslims cannot organize in horror over the current Mumbai massacre?
Think of what would happen if the opposite were true. Imagine a group of racists, anti Muslim militias who would go around London asking people if they were Muslim and shooting them or randomly taking them hostage. Wouldn´t all of European society stand by Muslims everywhere and strongly condemn this act? Why can´t Muslims everywhere demonstrate against the Mumbai massacre? Why couldn’t the hundreds of thousands of Spanish Muslims condemn the Atocha massacre?
In my view, until moderate Muslims, who are the majority of Muslims, mobilize against terrorists, and not only against some Danish cartoons I don´t think things will change.
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Alexis on December 4, 2008 ·
Maybe oppression against moderate people speaking about peace and collaboration is moderate too in the Jewish or Basque communities. The comment above, the 10s of Muslim bloggers that have been in prison or those that blog, but anonymously proves that it isn’t easy to protest against your system in the Muslim world. Check what happened to Yaghoob Mehrnehad: First executed Iranian blogger
I am revolted, but not surprised.
Max Caceres on December 8, 2008 ·
Some muslims are already rallying against terrorism: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/08/world/asia/08muslims.html
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A Nonimous on December 4, 2008 ·
http://irshadmanji.com/
A moderate Muslim who is not silent, despite death threats.