Muslim Leaders in Call for Action (BBC)

[alarcojon]

Britain's top Muslims have branded the London suicide bombings "utterly criminal, totally reprehensible, and absolutely un-Islamic".

A joint statement of condemnation came as 22 leaders and scholars met at the Islamic Cultural Centre, in London.


...snip

At the meeting in London, Muslim leaders said there could never be any excuse for taking an innocent life, it said.

Earlier, the head of the Muslim Council of Britain said he wanted "concrete steps" to make sure such atrocities were never repeated.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4684885.stm


Fellow DUers, I ask you to consider this article when countering the endless negative representations of Muslims forced upon all Americans by Limpballs, InsHannity, O'Shithead and the rest of their digraceful ilk.

[cliss]

1. I think they did a good job of stating their position.

I believe they are getting together in the next few days to make some kind of unified statement about the bombing.

The most recent statement was clear: they deplore the bombings. But they also mentioned that "Christians and Jews have also committed crimes".

It's a tough position to be in: to sympathize with the obvious rancor against muslims, and keeping the solidarity with their own ranks.

[alarcojon]

2. I would be happy to see a unified statement involving world

groups. This came up in a discussion where I sided with Walt Starr - that while Muslim groups shouldn't, in a just world, have to reassure Westerners that they oppose acts such as suicide bombings; it is prudent on political grounds. Given the widespread hatred, let it be known that you condemn these acts and consider them "absolutely un-Islamic." Then try to get these messages out to two important groups - that vastly diverse region we like to conveniently lump as the Middle East, and the 65% or so of the American public who can at least listen to a critical word about Bush and process it to some degree. The other 35% are lost to Terra, War, fear, Pigboy and the whole miserable lot of them.

[seriousstan]

3. Sorry. I want a call for all good Muslims to report these criminals.

I have too much faith in Muslim unity, before others, to see statements and declarations of condemnation as "concrete steps". Enunciate the steps! One of them has to be my subject line.

[alarcojon]

4. Why is the statement not strong enough for you?

They called the acts "utterly criminal, totally reprehensible, and absolutely un-Islamic." A clear, complete condemnation.

Then there is this:

Islam prohibits both anger and desperation. Anger and desperation are haram (forbidden) and may lead to some people being targeted by people with a sinister and violent agenda.

There is, therefore, a great deal of positive work to be done with everyone in our own and wider community in order to channel the energy and talent of our youth, particularly into constructive avenues, serving God and society for the common good.

and this:

The Koran clearly declares that killing an innocent person was tantamount to killing all mankind and likewise saving a single life was as if one had saved the life of all mankind.

I ask that you consider the potential importance of these statements in undercutting a major right-wing talking point.

This is both a principle and a command ... Those who carried out the bombing, the statement said: "Should in no sense be regarded as martyrs.

and you certainly must have missed this one:

The pursuit of justice for the victims of last week's attacks is an obligation under the faith of Islam.

[TomClash]

5. What about Christians and Jews then?

I don't see similar statements from Christian and Jewish Groups unequivocally condemning the killing in Palestine and Iraq.

[alarcojon]

6. I'd like to see that too

although to be fair, I'm sure there are liberal Christian (think Unitarian) and Jewish groups doing this. But mainstream groups are silent.

There is not a large anti-Christian or anti-Jewish sentiment in this country. That is not to deny the existence of anti-Semitism, but the anti-Muslim sentiment is of a significantly greater order. Thus there is the greater political need for these sorts of statements from our Muslim brothers and sisters.

Another thing I would like to see is greater education about Islam. For one thing, not all Middle Easterners are Muslims and not all Muslims are Middle Eastern. And you CANNOT racially profile an Islamic fundamentalist terrorist.

[TomClash]

10. I agree with everything in your post except

there should not be a greater political need for muslims to denounce these hideous acts when Christians and Jews are murdering muslims daily. That's nothing but dsicrimination.

[barb162]

11. Pope John Pasul condemned the Iraq War

[TomClash]

15. And he pushed that opposition far less than other issues nt

[Centered]

12. Considerring these are acts of a government's Military

and not a religion... why would Christian or Jewish groups have to say anything? But if you need an actual account I think the pope was against Iraq and he stated several times for peace in the middle east... you don't get much higher than that in some circles.

The fact is you just don't see too many Isreali civilians going into the Palestinean areas blowing up buses and night clubs. But if there were on a large scale or even every few days I'm sure there would be massive outrage.

[TomClash]

14. The fact is Israeli civilians don't have to be suicide bombers

they have the IDF to kill Palestinians for them. They simply announce that the homes they destroy are "terrorist enclaves" and the dead civilians are "collateral damage." No one weeps for the Palestinian civilians who are dead. But a terrorist bomb blows up a bus in Tel Aviv and we all must grieve for the poor dead civilians. There's a word for that - racism.

"Acts of a Government's military?" So if Palestine were a state and Al Aksa were hitting targets in Israel that included children, that would be a permissible act of warfare?

Yes, the Christians and Jews are so much better, so innocent. What a crock.

[barb162]

9. Though I am glad they made this statement, I don't think it's

enough. Arafat was great for making statements in English to the western press making him look peace-loving but then he'd turn to his supporters and say things in his native language that were just the opposite.

[Igel]

7. It's a decent statement.

Although having read a number of such statements from various groups and leaders--some of which contradict both prior and later statements by the same people--I've taken to parsing the language carefully.

As for the gratuitious "but others do it, too" language, that's expected. However, I'd also point out, that trying to minimize the impact by spreading guilt, while human, isn't always included in such statements.

Link to the entire document in Word format is here:

http://www.mcb.org.uk/

[Seeking Serenity]

8. Now these Muslim leaders need to take the next step

and start cracking down on those few radical imams that are preaching hate and violence and fillings young men's minds full of notions.

Words are only words. I'd like to see more than a mere "tsk tsk."

[ElectricHermit]

13. Too little, too late

I fear a rising storm.....