What else can they expect?

Submitted by Prashant (United States), Nov 21, 2015 at 12:07

Dear Dr Pipes,

A news Item on CNN says that some Muslim Americans feel that political climate against them today in the country has become worse than it has ever been. They say that it is worse than the political climate right after 9/11. Most of us Americans completely believe that no individual should ever be discriminated against for what his/her community does or does not do. We stand by that but we have to be realistic. What else could be expected? I am not surprised that the political climate is worse for Muslims.

Rather than being humble and repentent over 9/11, 9/11 became an advertising opportunity for the Islamic community. It was proudly reported that conversions to Islam increased since 9/11. It was very proudly stated that perpetrators of 9/11 were not "true" Muslims. The demands for accommodation for Islamic beliefs in public life--like not serving alcohol to passengers by Muslim flight attendants-- increased rather than dicreasing. Rather than humility, we saw more of in-your-face attitude.

While this was going on, the murders and mayhem around the world only kept increasing. Till 9/11 incidences of violence were localized in few places in the world. Incidences like Munich Olympic incidennce of 1972, Bombay blasts of 1992, attacks on the US targets in Lebanon, Somalia etc were bad but they were hardly as frequent as the daily murders of today. 9/11 should have been a time of serious soul searching for Muslim intellectuals but all we got was they-are-not-true-muslims rhetoric. In the current times killing people by wanton bomb blasts and deliberate shootings has become a routine occurrence. Not a week passes when somewhere in the world a bomb blast by Islamists does not kill tens of people (or is it a day?). And, those videos of beheadings! Depraity has hit its nadir.

No one should doubt the sincerity of "they are not true Muslims" rhetoric. But that is not enough. Islamic world needs a massive push for peace. If Dr Martin Luther King could assemble millions of people in marches around the USA in practice of peace, and if Mahatma Gandhi could lead millions of Indians over a century ago in his salt-marches, I see no reason why we should not see millions of Muslims marching for peace in Istanbul, Islamabad, Cairo, Tripoli, Jakarta, Tehran and Ryadh. It must happen and soon. And we want to see no Kalashnikov in any shape or forms during these marches. And then the political climate will improve.

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