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Images
of atrocities against Iraqis further alienate Muslim youth in the
West
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LONDON,
April 13 (IslamOnline.net) - "Muslims are being asked to answer,
'Are you with us or are you with them?'. The British Government is
pushing me to make a choice. No one has defined what 'us' means. Does
it stand for George Bush and his military aggression?" a British
Muslim youth was quoted as saying in a lengthy article by the Independent
on Tuesday, April 13.
The
article sheds light on reasons why Muslim communities in the West feel
more attached to Islam than ever and why many tend to join groups
classified as "terrorist", "extremist" or at best
"fundamentalist".
The
article goes on: "Aged just eight, he (Abdul Muhid- British
Muslim of Bangladeshi origins) was deeply affected by the harrowing
images of the Gulf war on television in 1990 and 1991.
"It
was one of the turning points of my life. I saw people who believed
what I believed, being killed. I drew a poster in class which said
'Stop the war' and I remember the teacher telling me not to get
involved in politics because it was a dirty business."
Abdul
Muhid then recalls… "My past was awakened with the second Gulf
war and I joined Al Muhajiroun".
The
same paper ran another article Monday, April 12, touching almost on
the same topic, but in a deeper and more comprehensive manner.
Entitled
"Islamic pride and prejudice", the article – a round-up by
broadcaster Aminul Hoque – revealed attitudes ranging from "the
inspiring to the deeply troubling".
"For
the most part, this country's two-million-strong Islamic community
expresses that pride in a wholly positive way. But as I walked the
streets talking to hundreds of 15- to 30-year-old Muslims for a BBC
radio documentary, it became all too apparent that there is a tiny -
and I must reiterate, tiny - minority who are taking the religion of
Islam to a sinister new level.
"And
this small fringe element, which includes the radical al-Muhajiroun
organization, is making its presence felt more strongly than ever.
They openly advocate terror, regard Osama Bin Laden as a "scholar
of Islam" and their radical and militant views strike a chord
with the impressionable, angry and frustrated youth of East London and
other urban centers".
