|
Petition
is “Not in the Name of Islam”
This
is an open response to the recent petition by the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
For
those who have not done so, please read the petition
prior to reading the rest of this article.
Do
you have an opinion to share on this issue? Join
our ongoing discussion.
 |
|
Were
the thousands killed in Iraq and Afghanistan
undeserving of a petition?
|
CAIR’s
claims of prominence and representation of Muslims warrants a
response that aims to work towards remedying the matter or at least
clarifying their position. This response is not being stated with
malice. The mission is to maintain an air of brotherhood and
reconciliation with each other, Muslim and Muslim as well as Muslim
and non-Muslim.
“Not
in the Name of Islam” Petition
CAIR’s
message has gone beyond being politically correct. It has manifested
in what we were warned about in the Qur’an of not being accepted
by non-Muslims until we have abandoned our religion and become like
them.
At
the end of the CAIR “Action Alert” on the petition, CAIR
Chairman Omar Ahmad is quoted as saying “We hope this effort will
demonstrate once and for all that Muslims in America
and throughout the Islamic world reject violence committed in the
name of Islam.” The intentions of this message are loud and clear,
and reflect a lack of wisdom, assertiveness, steadfastness and
loyalty to Muslims, and especially to Allah.
When
was the last lecture that spoke of Jihad as anything other
than an internal struggle?. |
|
The
petition was drawn up in response to the release of a video of the
alleged beheading of an American Jew, Nick Berg. I say alleged
because that is what it is up to now — alleged.
Jumping
to conclusions against Muslims, without proof, with inadequate
evidence, amounts to a mindset that is consistent with an infamous
statement made by a certain rabbi that “One million Arabs are not
worth a Jewish fingernail.”
Petition
Misread
The
petition appears to be a double-blinded message which, on the one
hand, attempts to appease the non-Muslim movers and shakers in the
US who constantly call for Muslims to apologize for acts committed
against American people and interests, even before a proper
investigation determines whether or not any fault lies with a Muslim
individual or the Muslim population as a whole — and worse yet, in
defiance of the words taught to us in the Qur’an.
On
the other hand, it promotes a message of pacifism to Muslims in the
US
and around the world, disregarding Islam’s instructions to fight
oppression and invasion. This is suggested when the term reject
violence
is used.
Violence
and all its forms are subjectively interpreted. To non-Muslims, the
desired interpretation would be “Drop all of your beliefs in
fighting against our oppression.” Another possible connotation
would be that Muslims should not support the death penalty or
corporal punishment. The death penalty, whether by stoning, hanging
or beheading, is considered a violent act by many.
Desperate
to curry favor with non-Muslims, CAIR has successfully been trapped
in a catch-22. Now that we’ve suggested that Muslims do not
believe in violence, non-Muslims will tear us up in their writings
by accusing us of hypocrisy for daring to take up arms against an
occupying force.
Although
the petition appeals to the world after the horrific death of one
American, a petition to recognize the horrors inflicted on thousands
upon thousands of Iraqi men, women and children, is never made –
unless of course, they’re asking for money to improve relations
with the Americans.
We
basically gave in to those demanding that Muslims bow down to them.
It will take a lot of work and mercy from Allah to reverse this
subjugation of many Muslim nations.
Non-Muslims
will no doubt use this as a means to further pacify Muslims. Many
Muslims, through the influence of previous petitions and requests,
are already under the impression that being a Muslim means that we
have to renounce all forms of violence, even to protect our own
lives. In fact, when was the last lecture anyone went to in the
US
that spoke of Jihad as anything other than an internal struggle?
The
petition has further threatened the credibility of the substance of
CAIR’s message, which will inevitably undermine future efforts of
assertively lobbying and debating the US Administration.
The
irony of this is that voices like mine have received violent threats
by those who claim the pacifist approach... go figure. Not only
that, the people that CAIR is pleasing (rightwing warmongers and
their supporters) with this “once and for all” statement are the
same people who preemptively and violently
attacked
Afghanistan
and
Iraq
for something neither country did.
Non-Muslims
will now accuse us of hypocrisy for taking up arms against
an occupying force. |
|
Another
irony is that we, as American Muslims, are taking an overly passive
and politically correct approach, while many non-Muslim Americans
(especially Democrats and Liberals) have actually been far more
critical of the establishment. Many American politicians (like
Cynthia McKinney), activists and whistleblowers who have voiced
their opinions are actually more inline with the Islamic stance on
fighting oppression than we are with this petition.
CAIR’s
“once and for all” seems to admit their frustration. In doing
so, they jam down our throats what others dictate our religion
should be. What they should do is send a message to them as to the
ideals that Islam really does stand for: justice and fairness, and
to be assertive, not squeamish in the process. And please don’t
insult Muslims around the world by claiming that this message is
just that.
A
Comparative Defense
Recently,
Conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh and others have actually
belittled the atrocities of the Abu Ghraib prison by suggesting that
it was the only place where Iraqis were subjected to maltreatment,
and that it was only a handful of people who have done wrong. He
called for the
US
public to put those individuals through the system, move on and get
over it because it was an isolated incident.
 |
|
Non-Muslims
won’t just apply the petition to Nick Berg’s killing,
but to the whole “War on Terror”
|
But
it was not an isolated incident. What about the slaughter of tens of
thousands in
Afghanistan
and
Iraq
?
What about other “isolated” incidents, such as the over 1,000
Muslims and Arabs being detained in the
US
along with their families? Some of these detentions resulted in
overt torture and deaths. What about the hundreds of
Guantanamo
Bay
detainees?
If,
as CAIR’s petition suggests, they're only a few criminals, let's
deal with them accordingly and appropriately. However, even if
CAIR’s statement is inaccurate, as we are taught that some Muslims
will take their religion to an extreme, who gets to define what is
extreme? In this case, it’s the non-Muslim. In either case, we are
incorrect in our political correctness.
How
do we explain to a pacifist that the Qur’an states “…Say:
‘Fighting therein is a grave (offence); but graver is it in the
sight of God to prevent access to the path of God, to deny Him, to
prevent access to the Sacred Mosque, and drive out its members.’
Tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter,”
(2:217)?
While
I know that CAIR’s statement applied to the Nick Berg issue,
non-Muslims didn’t get that message. They want it to apply to the
whole “War on Terror.”
Not
the First Time
This
is not the first time many American Muslims jump to conclusions
which later prove to be false. These Muslims would do better seeking
a just analysis, tempered by patience, rather than trusting the very
same media that the Republicans, Democrats or other Americans claim
they don’t trust.
Everything
from the anthrax attacks to the
Oklahoma City
bombing was
falsely blamed on Muslims. Even if the wars on
Afghanistan
and
Iraq
were handled
in a properly conventional manner, without prisoner abuse and the
like, they’re still daily attacks and violence. And at least one
of them was a war which CAIR and others originally fully supported.
Some
Islamic organizations in the
US
have in the past, during this same “War on Terror,” taken public
positions in support of the pre-emptive attacks on Muslim countries.
This was done against my advice and the advice of other
insignificant bodies, like the United Nations, European Union,
Organization of Islamic Countries, Arab League, the Pope and a host
of other groups interested in the protection of human rights.
Actually, I don’t recall a single country headed by a Muslim that
called for the
US
to take this action. Yet we find ourselves championing the cause
when it suits us.
Many
Americans who voiced their opinions are more inline with
Islam on fighting oppression than us. |
|
The
sincerity of groups who claim to represent Muslims in
America
is hard to
prove when they actually work to stifle assertive positions such as
this. While the image of American Islamic organizations is
prominent, it is my humble assessment that Allah is more concerned
with the prominence of our convictions, intentions and actions,
rather than by how popular we are.
The
hapless state of affairs that exist for Muslims in the
US
is a result
of a series of individuals and groups who have ignored what has been
taught by our imams. There is not a Shura [consultative] council of
knowledgeable leaders willing to lay it all on the line. We are
comfortable behind our tax-exempt, non-profit organizations that
call the non-Muslims our friends in public and shun the advice of
Muslim leaders or others who are seeking to steadfastly maintain our
message and way of life.
An
Open Invitation
I
recommend that there be a debate, whether in the mosques or in
public, on this very topic of being politically correct, and who it
benefits, to be conducted with the mannerisms taught to and expected
of Muslims. I also recommend an exploration of how Islamic
organizations in the
US
can be held
to a system of accountability, since these same organizations are
promoting the essence of democracy, transparency and the like.
I
call for knowledgeable people to speak out and challenge this
“politically correct” approach. If none care to, only then will
I throw my name into the hat, as Alhumdulillah, before the war my
public statements were consistent, and I have maintained every
position since then.
Writing
to the mosques to “pressure” them to spread the message of the
petition warrants a response from anyone who challenges this as
being anti-Islamic. The Quranic verse that was used in promoting the
petition [“Oh you who believe, stand up firmly for justice, as
witnesses to God, even if it be against yourselves, or your parents,
or your kin, and whether it be against rich or poor; for God can
best protect both. Do not follow any passion, lest you not be just.
And if you distort or decline to do justice, verily God is
well-acquainted with all that you do.” (Quran 4:135)] applies here
as well. Therefore, it is hoped that this message will be taken with
a bit more than a grain of salt and in the spirit of brotherhood.
Samir
Jerez is Executive Director and certified Islamic Chaplain
of the 5-Pillar Foundation, Inc. of South Florida, as well as Vice
President of Operations for the National Islamic Chaplains
Organization in Portland, Oregon. You can reach him at 5pillar@adelphia.net.
|
