Muslims are condemning terrorism. But is anyone listening?

[Violet_Crumble]

It is offensive to suggest Australian Muslims have stayed silent in the face of evil, writes Waleed Aly.

It should come as no surprise that Australian Muslims have found the tragic events of the past few weeks in Russia and Jakarta deeply galling. Muslims are people, too. Like all people with a shred of decency, we are coping with debilitating grief.

But if we are to believe Shahram Akbarzadeh ("Muslims must condemn the evil", on this page last Friday), the response of Australian Muslims to the recent spate of terrorism ends there, with negligible public expression.

Reducing the sum total of Australian Muslims' public reaction to one SBS-TV interview, he asserts that "the vast majority of non-SBS-watching Australians have been left in the dark as to how Australian Muslims react to this blatant disregard for basic human decency".

Proceeding from this assumption, Akbarzadeh explains that, owing to some "warped sense of loyalty", Australian Muslims find it difficult to condemn perpetrators of terrorist atrocities such as the world saw in Beslan. It is, apparently, a symptom of a siege mentality. We have, apparently, closed ranks.

http://theage.com.au/articles/2004/09/20/1095651245879.html

[Djinn]

1. I've been banging my head over this for a while

Many Muslim leaders (in Australia and elsewhere) HAVE repeatedly condemned terrorism and religious fascism. Yet I keep hearing people bleating on about "moderate" Muslims needing to come out against terror?? I don't know whether it's an ignorance of the fact that there is no "head" of Islam, there's no Pope or Archbishop or if it's just a case of reality not conforming to people's prejudices and therefore being ignored.

[geek tragedy]

2. They're supposed to wear big signs that say

"I'm a Muslim and I condemn terrorism."

When they answer the phone, they're supposed to say "Hello, this is a Muslim opposed to terrorism speaking."

[Djinn]

3. lol