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Images of atrocities against Iraqis further alienate Muslim youth in the West |
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".
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