Washington D.C. - After every terrorist attack allegedly committed by a Muslim, the fingers are pointed at ordinary Muslims to condemn terrorism. We are automatically assumed to be morally responsible for the actions of a few Muslims who happen to share some of our beliefs. This isn’t fair!
Islam is so rich and diverse that it allows many interpretations to flourish. There are so many schools of jurisprudence and theology that sometimes contradict or go beyond some of the original teachings of Islam. The interpretations adopted by the Jihadists, for example, take the verses of the Qu’ran out of context. Many of these verses, which instruct Muslims to fight, were revealed at a time when the early Muslims were forcibly expelled from their homes and God gave them permission to fight back in order to return to their city.
Most battles at the prophet’s time were part of a defensive effort to protect the newly created community. The Jihadists use these very verses and early Hadiths to justify waging unjust war on Muslims and on non-Muslims. They completely ignore the historical context! Why should we apologize for how they decided to interpret our religious scriptures?
Also, we are usually asked or expected to apologize for the actions of Jihadists after an attack takes place. If people pay a little more attention between terrorist incidents, they might notice that Imams at many mosques and intellectuals in many media outlets condemn terrorism and criticize terrorists. Unfortunately, the condemnation is so common that no one cares to pay attention to it anymore...
On the other hand, many Muslims are so disgusted by terrorist activities that they treat them as if they don’t exist. It is so common for Muslims these days to consider terrorists non-Muslims that they no longer care to condemn their actions as they are, in fact, out of the Islamic faith!
Finally, many Muslims are sick and tired of the killing that’s taking place across the globe. People --Muslims and non-Muslims-- are dying every day because of war or some other form of political violence. It isn’t just Muslim terrorists who engage in causing bloodshed. Why should people care only when the victims are from a particular country or belong to a particular group? Why should acts of terrorism be treated any differently from any other act of political violence?
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