insomnomaniac

The "Moderate" Muslim silence is deafening!

Yesterday, we heard from the ghost of Osama Bin Laden again--extolling the virtues of suicide bombing, admonishing "all Muslims" to attack Americans, their allies, and Jews, wherever they might be, and once again calling for "holy Jihad" even if it means temporarily allying with "secular" Muslim governments.

Since the tape was released, we've heard from so-called "experts" of every stripe, anti and pro-war alike. We've even seen the Pope's emissary show up in Iraq to plead with Saddam to cooperate in the name of peace.

But where are the American Muslims? Why have they not stepped up, in public, to denounce OBL's calls for violence and death? Whether they oppose or support the war isn't the issue, they must surely oppose bin Laden's position, right?

If that's true, let's hear it! Or perhaps you think they don't "owe" their fellow Americans vocal support? Why not? Put another way, if Ariel Sharon went completely postal and started calling for Jews everywhere to rise up and kill Americans, and had hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of Jews all over the world rallying and chanting his name, carrying his photo, and elevating him to "God-like" status, would you not expect American Jews to stand up and say "NO FUCKING WAY does this man speak for us!"

I would, and I'm a JEW! But I'm an American FIRST, and no matter how much I support Israel, and no matter how much I care deeply about Jews around the world, if someone decided to turn my religion into a death cult bent on the wanton murder and destruction of all non-Jews, you wouldn't be able to shut me up I'd be so busy speaking out against that person.

So where are they? Forget "they," how about ONE prominent Muslim for a start? What do we hear instead? We hear all about how worried they are about themselves--about becoming victims of "backlash." But I've counted fewer than half a dozen violent cases of backlash against Muslims in America since 9/11. To be sure, all of those were abhorrent and the perpetrators have been rightly punished, but in a nation of 200+Million people, I'd hardly call this evidence of "backlash." I'd call it a few demented racists, period.

We've heard--ad nauseum it seems--how we have to be sensitive to Muslims, and how theirs is the "religion of peace." We've heard that "Jihad" is a struggle of the heart and mind, and that to say otherwise is "offensive." I have personally witnessed--not once, but twice--Arab males waltz through airport security without so much as a second glance, while I--a 5'2" white 30-something female who looks more Irish than Jewish--have had my bags taken apart, my shoes examined and my whereabouts prior to travel questioned. I have no proof, but I am convinced that the security workers were afraid to question the Arab/Muslim passengers, perhaps because they were trying to be "sensitive" to their cultural differences.

And even if we had racial profiling, would it not still behoove the Muslim community to denounce bin Laden publicly? They are in this country, they aren't going to be hauled away in their sleep by militants and never heard from again. If they disagree, and think they are in danger even here, then all the more reason they should come forward and help in the fight to uncover terrorist cells in America!

Even Japanese internment--horrible as it was--didn't stop Japanese Americans from speaking out against the Emperor of Japan, nor did it stop them from volunteering to fight alongside those whose culture was persecuting them.

I don't buy any of their arguments. I don't think non-Muslims should just know that Muslims are loyal because they live here. Mohammed Atta was living here too, so were most of the other 9/11 terrorists. There are radical mosques right here at home, are non-muslims supposed to ignore the hate spewing from their Imams' mouths every Friday?

I am 100% certain that Jews would never get away with this--in America or anywhere else. Shit, we're accused of worse just because Israel has the "gall" to defend herself against constant attack by Muslims bent on her destruction.

Enough is enough. It's time to start telling the Muslim community in this country that they need to put up or shut up. If they are so keen to have their "civil rights" protected, then perhaps it's about fucking time they said something--anything--other than "Well, yes, Osama is a dangerous man, BUT..."

He either IS or he ISN'T speaking for them. If he is, then I cordially invite them to leave. If not, then I'd like to hear it. I certainly can't--as a non-muslim--be expected to defend Islam if they won't, that's for sure.

Posted by insomnomaniac at February 12, 2003 4:29 PM | TrackBack