CAIR's declarations "for Western consumption only"

Submitted by Nonie Darwish (United States), Jul 14, 2004 at 11:59

CAIR should take its fight against terrorism to the Muslim sources of terror propaganda and to the Muslim World and end useless "for Western consumption only" declarations.
I want to see CAIR post its anti-terror and hate message inside Mosques all over the USA and place large one page adds with its condemnation of terrorism and how it is hurting Muslims and Islam's reputation around the world. They should name names on the pages of Arab media outlets such as Al Ahram newspaper, Al Jazira and others. Muslims who support and finance terrorism, directly or indirectly, should be condemned and not defended. I want to see them put their substantial resources and energy in engaging extremist radical Islamists in dialogue to spread their supposed anti-terror views on Arab TV and radio stations. Arabs and Muslim Americans speak against terrorism mostly to Western audience for western consumption. I want to hear what they tell each other and not what they tell the West. I want to see more Arab to Arab conferences, dialogues and passionate arguments to combat the causes of terrorism and cleans Islam from terror.
After 9/11 many Muslims in the West reinterpreted the meaning of Jihad into "an inner struggle for self improvement." Jihad as we learned it. is a religious holy war against infidels. It is a fight for Allah's cause. After 9/11 I heard of a new mystical interpretation to the meaning of Jihad that was designed to be more acceptable to Western culture. To the non-Arab world it was now defined as an inner struggle. Defining Jihad to make it more acceptable for Western consumption is misleading.

However, I kind of like the new mystical meaning of Jihad. CAIR should perhaps take the lead in spreading that new meaning among the Muslim masses who are convinced by their religious leaders that the only way to heaven is by dying while killing Jews and infidels.
Most objections to terrorism by Arab organisations so far has been motivated by saving face after 9/11 and not genuine reformation of Islam's teachings from within and standing up to the areas in Muslim culture that encourage terror. They refuse to take responsibility on how their own culture and its dynamics produces and encourages terrorism. They always distance themselves from the causes of terrorism as though it is an alien culture from just a few. Tell that to the majority of Arabs in Saudi Arabia and Egypt who think that Bin Laden is their savior.
Living in denial and taking responsibility for terrorism will never bring results but is wasted energy to cover up the years of breading terrorism. After 9/11 we do not want to hear useless declarations to please and fool the naive West. We need to see genuine action against terrorism within the Muslim World. Terrorism cannot only be fought by Western countries alone or its infidel victims. It has to be fought by Muslims if they want to have any credibility.

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