Sanna Ahmed, we need your help

Submitted by Pat (United States), Aug 15, 2006 at 19:06

Your post fills me with hope. The question is: why aren't Muslims doing more to stop this insanity? We had an act of terrorism committed by an American named Timothy McVeigh in 1995. He blew up a federal building in Oklahoma. He was not lionized. His actions delegitimized his cause. What are Muslims doing in response to those who claim Islam gives them the right to murder others? Here in the US we hear groups like CAIR whine about racial profiling if someone looks at them the wrong way. I accept that Islam forbids the killing of innocents, but the question is : WHO is innocent?

After the negative reaction to the killing of innocent civilians on 9/11, Osama bin Laden said that the people who worked in those office towers were not innocent because they "were supporting the American system". This suggests that Islamic doctrine is totally flexible and that it can be used to justify almost anything.

Would you report a fellow Muslim who was planning to blow up a train? Would you shun the British Muslim who supposedly first alerted the British authorities to the existence of a plot against civilians, or would you praise him? Are weapons stored in London's mosques? Do you walk out of the mosque if the Imam preaches the death of Jews and Christians?

Are you a Wahhabist? I recently read a book on Islam (The Life and Religion of Mohammad) that was written over ninety years ago, before the breakup of the Ottoman Empire. Its author said Wahhabism was a force in the 1700s, but had since been put down. At the time he wrote his book, he said Wahhabism was confined to Riyadh and an area in India. Today Wahhabism seems to be the dominant sect in Sunni Islam. It is also the most repressive. Are Wahhabists willing to coexist with others? If so, then why are non-Muslims barred from Mecca? If they don't seek coexistence, what ARE they seeking? If most Muslims don't share their views then why hasn't the Muslim community discredited them and withdrawn support from mosques which preach violence? Why aren't Muslims actively volunteering to infiltrate jihadist groups? Why do Muslims view themselves as a world community whose people have no loyalty to the country they live in?

If you can show me where I am wrong, it would be appreciated. Thank you.

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