Today I had to refute yet again the Big Lie that hounds the Muslim community -- that we fail to speak out and condemn terrorism.
I was being interviewed by the wonderful radio host Dr. Alvin Augustus Jones about my new novel Mother of the Believers. Dr. Jones is a deeply spiritual man whose show always features uplifting themes and speakers. And he went out of his way to make me feel welcome.
But as a good journalist, he had to ask the question he felt his audience wanted answered -- "Why do mainstream Muslims fail to speak out against terrorism?
It is a question that I get almost every single day, and it leaves me flabbergasted. I often respond to that question with one of my own -- "Why does the media fail to report on Muslims who condemn terrorism?"
Since before 2001, every single major Muslim group in the United States has been outspoken in their condemnation of terrorism and the murder of innocent people in the name of Islam. And yet the media ignores it. Every single time.
Don't believe me?
Go here
That site lists links to dozens of major Muslims group and Islamic scholars who have condemned terrorism as a violation of the fundamental moral precepts of Islam.
Want more?
Here's a compilation of Islamic fatwas against terrorism by Juan Cole
, scholar of the Middle East and author of Engaging the Muslim World.
Cole's list was compiled after Thomas Friedman wrote an outrageous column in The New York Times claiming that "no major Muslim cleric or religious body has ever issued a fatwa condemning Osama Bin Laden."
Friedman knew (or should have known as an alleged Middle East expert) that what he was saying was a lie. But he chose to publish this garbage anyway, giving it the full credibility of the Times.
What was so shocking was that Friedman's column was published on July 8, 2005. But three months before, on March 11, 2005, a group of Spanish imams issued a fatwa against Osama Bin Laden:
So what is going on here?
As one of the few Muslims who has worked inside Hollywood for the past 7 years as a writer and producer, I can only explain this shocking lie that has become a national meme as the product of an intentional media agenda.
There is a real political agenda inside the media itself to keep Islam as the enemy, and to portray mainstream Muslims as a fifth column inside America. The idea that your Muslim neighbors are silently supporting Bin Laden sells newspapers. It captures the attention of viewers of the nightly news. And it furthers the ambitions of politicians who need a rallying point to get votes.
As a Muslim and a patriot I don't know what more to do except continue telling the truth every time I get the opportunity.
But I ask my non-Muslim friends this question. How would you feel if your community was being falsely portrayed as being sympathetic to murderers by the media? How would you feel if every single thing you do to condemn and fight such criminals is intentionally ignored? What would you conclude about the character and motivation of people that continue to spread a lie against millions of your fellow human beings?
If you can take a moment to consider, you might get a sense of the true burden your Muslim neighbors carry. The world wants us to be the monsters. When we condemn and fight the monsters, no one notices or cares. It's like the army telling a soldier who has just survived a hellish firefight that he was never in the war in the first place, and condemning him for his cowardice.
It would be a formula for despair for most people. And yet what is remarkable is that Muslim groups continue to patiently work against terrorism in accordance with their faith, even though they receive no credit for their deeds. They are secure that everything is in the hands of God. And, as the Holy Qur'an says, that the light of truth will never be put out by the mouths of liars.
Last year, I attended the Pilgrimage to Mecca, a powerful, life-changing event that I chronicled on my personal blog at blog.kamranpasha.com
One of the most remarkable stories that I heard when I was there was the tale of Abraham, who Muslims believe founded the first settlement at Mecca with his son Ishmael. The Angel Gabriel appeared to him and told Abraham to climb a mountain and call mankind to God.
Abraham was incredulous, and responded that there was no one in the barren desert valley except him and his family. Who would hear the call?
And Gabriel smiled and said: "Just call mankind to the truth. God will make sure it is heard."
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ADDENDUM:
In response to this article, the new meme is being promulgated: "Muslims condemn terrorism, but it's all talk! Sure, Muslims say they condemn terrorism, but there's no action!"
Where do I begin to respond to this kind of nonsense? There are 1. 5 billion Muslims living their lives in peace, trying to put food on the table for their families. Over six million of them live here in America as patriotic citizens. They work hard, pay their taxes, and have ZERO contact with the criminal underworld where these terrorists breed.
I have never, ever met a terrorist in real life (it is ridiculous that I even have to say this). If I met one, I would turn him in to the authorities, as would every other Muslim I know. Since I don't have access to this shadowy underworld, I live my life on the surface in broad daylight, working in my community to promote interfaith cooperation, peace and prosperity. It is that grassroots effort that Muslims do to promote good in this world that receives ZERO coverage in the media. I could list every single good thing I and other Muslims have ever done to make the world a better, safer place, but people who hold this attitude don't care. It will never be enough. If I listed 1 million positive things Muslims are doing in their daily lives today on this planet, they would respond: "Why can't you name a billion things you've done? See, you're not doing enough!"
So I ask those who are outraged at this supposed Muslim inaction: "What have YOU done to defeat racism in this world?" List every single thing you have ever done to fight the Ku Klux Klan. List it here, right now. Times, dates and hyperlinks please. The response would be that I am crazy -- average Americans have nothing to do with the KKK, and don't need to justify their daily actions in support of righteousness to me or anyone else. But that same common sense response is rejected when a Muslim uses it.
The terrorists are a few thousand criminals (less than 0.01% of the Muslim population). They act in secret, in a shadowy underworld that is more like the Mafia than a public organization that holds meetings and takes minutes. Asking Muslims to list how they are fighting Al-Qaeda is like asking a pizza store owner what he is doing to destroy the Mafia.
Muslims fight these monsters by publicly denouncing them, leading lives as law-abiding citizens, helping their communities, and trying to educate people about the loving and harmonious values of true Islam.
It is what I am doing here, every single day.
But for some people, it will never be enough,
So I respond in the way the Holy Qur'an teaches Muslims when they encounter ignorant people. I say to them: "Peace."
Kamran Pasha is a Hollywood filmmaker and the author of Mother of the Believers, a novel on the birth of Islam as told by Prophet Muhammad's wife Aisha (Atria Books; April 2009). For more information please visit: http://www.kamranpasha.com
Follow Kamran Pasha on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kamranpasha
Yes, i am Jewish, but the truth is the truth...
Israel is doing to the Palistinians(sp) what the Nazi's did to them 60 yrs ago.
Evil is Evil, no matter what your culture.. Israel is evil and corrupted. Maybe not all the people, but the govt is, and they are ruining all that is good and pure..
It would seem that the root of all this is the white, christian race of Idiots who blame everything on everyone else...
I was one of those in your last post who asked the very question: "Muslims condemn terrorism, but it's all talk! Sure, Muslims say they condemn terrorism, but there's no action!"
Suffice it to say that we are both in a position to do better. Me, at investigating the exact actions you describe, and you, at keeping up the drum beat that calls attention to those actions.
As a moderate Muslim with a far reaching soap box, it may be your destiny to bring this to full light for the good of our nation and for Islam.
Good luck!
Well, I take it you were not Serbian in the 90s, Russian in the 80s , Irish in the 70s
Heck, Japanese or German in the 30s and 40s
Jewish for like...well...a really long time.
Look, right now a lot of current events involve islamic movements. So......hollywood will reflect that.
What, is someone going to make a movie about a Swedish sleeper cell in LA?
Come on man.
I'm just sick of hearing how everything is the fault of some mythical "media"
You know, as well as I do, that there IS a problem right now with Islam. There are a lot of fanatics who are getting more fanatical. That is just a fact, that needs to be addressed and looked at and challenged.
We all know that "muslims" are not a monolithic group, we get that, but lets be frank...... Islam has some issues.
Not all southerners are racists, that does not mean that we shoudlnt make stories like "a time to kill"
Not all christians are retarded creationists, that doesnt mean that " Inherit the Wind" is not relevant.
The author was responding to (frequently-heard) criticism that no mainstream muslims stand up and denounce terrorism...which isn't true, as Mr Pasha was endeavouring to point out. It's that the media gives no voice to these denunciations because it muddies the waters - there's nothing the big news networks like more than a clear-cut bad guy. This situation is nowhere near that simple, that's all.
The point is that extremists do not and SHOULD NOT represent a whole religious community, eg. those Westboro Baptist crazies by no means represent all Christians.
thing is, as long as religion inspires the oppression of homosexuals, I'm going to fight it
as artists are oppressed and blasphemy is a crime, as long as apostates are arrested, as long as lovers are stoned to death...I'm going to speak out. I'm going to criticize.
And yes, anytime some preacher gets all huffy about gays being evil...I throw it back at the christian, because it comes from their religion
Go to Iran go to Pakistan go to Malaysia even
the Abrahamic religions are ideologies of oppression, destruction, slavery, and misery
I have no problem calling them out on it.
And to be honest, anyone who still clings to these books of desert brutality needs to take a long hard look at what they are representing.
I must correct you here. No, it's not even "the west wants us to be the monsters;" the MEDIA wants you to be monsters because the NeoCons that control them need an enemy to rally the scared to act against their own best interests.
If you look at media ownership in the USA, you'll find that it's a shell game and if you were to ferret out the true ownership - as at least one Progressive group and at least one ultra-right group do - you'd find that over 90 percent of our media - magazines, radio, TV, newspaper, etc - is in the hands of just FIVE people. (It has oscillated between 5 and 6 the last few years.) This has been done through consolidations of unprecedented scale...
ALL OF US should hold OUTRAGE at our media and DEMAND IMMEDIATE DIVESTITURE!
It can be done but it will take political will. We _can_ do it, but first enough of us must know how consolidation of US media is harming our entire world.
.
http://www.mpac.org/
I myself am a member of New Ground, a Los Angeles based group that seeks to bring about reconciliation between Muslims and Jews. Here is their website if you would like to get involved:
http://www.newgroundproject.org/
I know, I know, that's still "not enough" since I and my fellow Muslims are supposed be some kind of superhuman beings that can organize 1.5 billion people without any central church or structure and fight all forms of evil overnight.
But, heck, its a start.
Under Islamic law what is the status of homosexuals (left alone, equal rights / or punished with death)?
Is Islamic law good?
1.) Remember the response to the 11/2005 Jordan hotel attacks? 100,000 protested in Amman. Remember the 9/11 response ? Iran, Syria, and other Muslim countries offered us support to hunt down al-Qaeda. Then our President called them "evil".
2) Muslim leaders ARE condemning terrorist acts; but that doesn't make the evening news.
3) Muslims do not want to be "free" like us. Not everyone wants to live like an American. They want rule of law and to live their lives--but amidst corrupt governments, how do you acheive that?
4) Read the history of the modern state of Israel (or go there and see it) you may empathize with their cause. While I fully condemn terrorist actions, the Palestinians need a place to live --and the conditions Israel keeps them in are absoutely deplorable (I've been there and seen it).
5) Isreal does not accept the 2 state solution--the Palestinians do.
6) Why would Muslims accept our demands without reciprocation?
7) Terrorist acts are condemned. That is Mr. Pasha's point.
8) Will you also demand the fundamentalist Christian groups tone down their hate advocasy against homosexuals? Muslims?
I am an American of Irish Catholic descent; I know the history of Irish persecution here. How is this different than how we are currently treating Muslims in this country and abroad? When will WE learn?
Numerous other countries in africa and asia also became independent after the end of colonialism. But non one Arab country has given its non Muslim citizens equal rights as we have seen in so many other 3rd world countries.
This is yet another stupid anti-Muslim meme -- the "dhimmi" bogeyman, the idea that Muslims want to impose medieval laws on modern Western societies. That is the topic for another lengthy post, but suffice it to say that the concept of "dhimmis" (ie - non-Muslims who have different legal status) evolved in the Middle Ages as part of imperial politics of that world. In the original Constitution of Medina established by Prophet Muhammad, the non-Muslim (specifically, Jewish) tribes of Arabia were equal with their Arab neighbors and had freedom of religion and livelihood. if you want to learn more about life in that early Islamic community and its relationship with other religions, read my novel "Mother of the Believers" which relies heavily on early historical sources.
But the final point is -- what does your comment have to do with my post? Is it that you cannot respond to my post with any intellectual honesty that you must resort to obfuscation and changing the subject?
And sorry to say I have seen Muslims imposing their sharia on us on a personal level in Europe. I am gay and have seen numerous gays being bashed or mur dered in Europe at the hands of Mus lims. similarly I have seen a huge rise in anti semi tism as a consequence of rising immigration from Muslim countries. So in a sense they are imposing their culture and religion upon us
have equal rights to Muslims in Palestine but not in Israel
As for the topic at hand I have yet to do a radio interview in which I didn't condemn terrorism.....
Reducing energy consumption, family values, housing, etc. American issues are American issues.
http://www.america.gov/st/business-english/2009/April/20090416174259KSetihw0.2852747.html?CP.rss=true
But none of my Christian, Jewish or Hindu friends are ever asked what they are actually doing to stop those that have hijacked their faith and done violence against others. I know lots of people that condemn the KKK's actions and say that their quotations of the bible to justify their racism is embarrassing. All of my Jewish friends condemn the loss of innocent Palestinian life in Israel but none of them are asked to go on a plane and fight in Gaza. And my Hindu friends are horrified by the massacres that have taken place in India against Muslims but no one asks them to prove what they are doing to show that they truly disagree with terrorism. Muslims take part in secular humanitarian causes every day and support mainstream political candidates with both votes and donations. To imply that we don't is insulting and shows how narrow minded and racist American society is. Kudos to Mr. Pasha.
terrorism".
we want the Muslims to stand up - a BILLION strong - and do more than denounce the suicide
bombers, and schools teaching this hatred, and put an end to it. - SOMEHOW. but the question
is what do you replace that hatred with? Is there anything worth LIVING for? We know what these
young men are willing to die for. what does their future hold? Are there other educational opportunities? Jobs with real wages? Is there any Arab or Middleastern entitiies that are
willing to fund an infrastructure for these isolated villages? running water, electricity, roads,
sewage treatment? what could the investors funding the fantasy land of Dubai have done
with that money if invested in iraq or pakistan............can you tell me that the amount of money
funding an indoor ski slope was a worthwhile investment, when villages a few hundred miles
away are dying from lack of water? this is a long term - re-education project. we would be
happy to pay high prices for gasoline if the petro-dollars were actually improving the daily
lives of these young people
If you wish to donate to the school, here's a link:
http://www.jerrahi.org/afghan/afghan_school_project2.htm
It's just that white people DON'T want to listen to our condemnations of Islam. They only listen when they feel like it.
A bigotted statement to challenge bigotry. Nice.