A copy of this cartoon appeared in this morning's Chicago Tribune on the Editorial page:
The cartoon is funny.
But it speaks to a serious issue: Whether there exists a vast, silent majority of observant Muslims who resent the hijacking of their religion by terrorists and murderers. It is, you will pardon the expression, an article of faith among Western leaders that such a majority exists.
Because if it were not so -- if the true majority of Muslims, those living in Dar al-Islam and those living among us in the West -- support or at least condone the extremists then Osama bin Laden is right: We must be at war with Islam... because all Islam is at war with us.
I believe Osama is wrong.
I believe that there is a majority of Muslims who reject murder in the name of religion.
That is why the post I ran yesterday afternoon is so important to me. I don't know who is behind Muslims United; I don't know who paid for the ads in British newspapers or who is funding that web site. It may be that some people who claim to support their position are doing so only to deflect popular pressure and police investigation -- but I can not believe that all the people behind these ads have such impure motives.
So the cartoon above is funny... but not entirely correct.
Thank heaven.
We must listen for the voices condemning violence that emanate from the Muslim community. We must engage them in conversation. We must make certain they are heard, in our community and in their own. Because Christians, Muslims and Jews must learn to live in peace and harmony -- and here's the true sticking point, I realize -- not just with each other but also with those who believe in other things or in nothing at all.
Still, our human father, Abraham, would want nothing less for his family. What father doesn't want his descendants to get along? It surely must be what Our Father wants also.
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Our regular, frivolous programming will resume next week. I get uncomfortable standing on a soapbox like this.
9 comments:
I agree totally. This is what happens when PC runs amok, where most Judeo-Christian values are tossed aside and Islamist values are allowed to flourise. Nowhere in the New Testament did Jusus say to kill the blasphemer, kill the infidel, convert to this faith at the sword, etc. I agree that we need to hear the moderates condemn the evil actions of the few...I am going to roll my wheelchair of the soapbox now :>)
"All we are saying is give peace a chance..."
I also totally agree. We all must learn to live in peace and harmony. Unfortunately, I my lifetime we never will.
On another note, you may find the article from today's St.Petersburg times interesting - http://www.sptimes.com/2007/07/07/Hillsborough/Makings_of_a_major_le.shtml#rants
The Beach Bum
OOPS!
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/07/07/
Hillsborough/
Makings_of_a_major_le.shtml
Cur, thanks for the courage to stand in the middle of the road. It is not an easy place to be. I think many people of good will are just frightened. There is a case here where a young Muslim man is suing for 150,000£ for injury to his reputation.
The story as best I can reconstruct it:
He hurried into a Home Base store in traditional dress to buy wood for his aunt's funeral. He receives a cell phone call saying it was not needed and to hurry back for funeral.
He says: someone made racist allegations involving suicide bomber and terrorist and that his wallet and keys were detained.
Home Base store folks say: no one said any such thing. He left his wallet and keys behind in his hurry and was reminded of them by staff. And they say they have CCTV footage to prove it.
How did we lose our way so badly? Grieving people do weird things like change their minds and forget things and leave quickly. They also misremember things.
But from the middle of this road how do we begin to build (re-build? did it ever exist?) the people on both isdes of the road.
Amen. That's all.
I think most religons have extremist,that perform acts in the name of Religon...maybe in my naievity I want to believe that that doesn't include killing....
"We must listen for the voices condemning violence that emanate from the Muslim community. We must engage them in conversation. We must make certain they are heard..."
Amen. Thank you for the reminder to listen.
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