LONDON ATTACK - Part 3; The Muslim response
Last night the Police moved in on houses in Leeds as CCTV evidence and leads from the public has helped Police ascertain the identity of the London bombers, all four of whom are now confirmed as Britains first suicide bombers. The most shocking thing about this positive turn of events is that all four of the bombers were "clean skins" in that they were all British born Muslims living in West Yorkshire with no previous criminal record or connection to known terrorist groups whose families had no idea was intending such horrendous acts. This has precipitated serious concerns this morning of a backlash against British Muslims and a rise in "Islamophobia":
http://www.guardian.co.uk/attackonlondon/story/0,16132,1527699,00.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/attackonlondon/story/0,16132,1527344,00.html
In response the Muslim Council of Britain has announced that it intends to hold a series of protest marches in Britains major cities protesting the bombing and vocally denouncing terrorism. Though I have a difference of opinion with the Council on many issues, I intend to be involved with the London march in any way possible and I hope to see as many members of different faith and non-faith groups as well as ordinary Londoners doing the same. At the very least I am encouraging my friends at the British Humanist Association and National Secular Society to offer their support by reminding them (if need be) that political secularisation was brought about in the first place by an alliance between non-theists and liberal believers as a response to the outrages perpetrated by religions in the West.
I would like to see more Muslims moving beyond the defensive dismissal of Islamic terrorists as simply murderers who act in a manner which is not in line with Islam. While this is true it is also undeniable that these terrorists come from within Muslim communities and families and call themselves Muslims and therefore it is not enough to simply wash their hands of the terrorists and deny they are really Muslims, I think they have to actively name and shame those sections of the Muslim community who forment hate and then cynically manipulate young, angry Muslims into carrying out these acts. They have to actively engage in a very public hearts and minds campaign to take these young muslims by the metaphorical scruff of the neck and remind them of why their parents came to live in this country in the first place as well as tell them that those imams that preach violence are twisting and perverting the true meaning of Islam and therefore must be rejected. It is my hope that this march that the Muslim Council of Britain is intending is the beginning of that sort of coming out by the British Muslim community in a much stronger stance that moves beyond crying out against Islamophobia or burying their heads when challenged on this issue.
A Labour Muslim MP speaking on Breakfast this morning said that this problem was primarily a Muslim problem that needed to be sorted out by Muslims in the same way that the BNP (British Nationalist Party aka the ex-National Front) is the white community's problem that needs to be addressed by the white community. I agree and would go further than he did by saying that if the BNP committed an atrocity in an area that I live in, I would take it upon myself as my duty and obligation, to organise against them and publicly denounce them and everything they stand for, saying they do not stand for the majority of white people and that their intepretation of white culture, what it is, where it comes from, what it desires for itself and where it is heading, is wrong - pure and simple. An example of their mindset is how they are already attempting to exploit the bombings in an upcoming by-election:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/attackonlondon/story/0,16132,1527627,00.html
Although I was not around at the time I do remember the stance against the BNP that was taken by the likes of the white members of the Anti-Fascist league that joined non-white Britains in actively opposing the BNP through-out Britain. They made an important contribution to increased acceptance of multi-cultural immigrants coming to Britain for better opportunities and showed that in the face of sustained violence, hatred and prejudice perpetrated by a minority who act in your name... passive opposition is not enough.
Every British Muslim I know fears a backlash and increased Islamophobia since last Thursday, my response is that "in their place I would not hide or keep a low profile, I would take a very strong stance against the terrorists and make positive claims both for the true nature of my faith and for the tolerant, secular, liberal democracy that I find myself living in (as a British Muslim)." I appreciate that that is not easy thing to do and so I will stand behind them 100%.
Moderate muslims now more than ever need our support at this time to reassure them that (a) we don't blame them and (b) to back them in taking the brave decision to speak act out loudly and clearly against Islamic terrorism who are, it must be remembered, their fellow muslims, and as the arrests show today, live amongst them as friends, neighbours and relatives here in Britain.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/attackonlondon/story/0,16132,1527699,00.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/attackonlondon/story/0,16132,1527344,00.html
In response the Muslim Council of Britain has announced that it intends to hold a series of protest marches in Britains major cities protesting the bombing and vocally denouncing terrorism. Though I have a difference of opinion with the Council on many issues, I intend to be involved with the London march in any way possible and I hope to see as many members of different faith and non-faith groups as well as ordinary Londoners doing the same. At the very least I am encouraging my friends at the British Humanist Association and National Secular Society to offer their support by reminding them (if need be) that political secularisation was brought about in the first place by an alliance between non-theists and liberal believers as a response to the outrages perpetrated by religions in the West.
I would like to see more Muslims moving beyond the defensive dismissal of Islamic terrorists as simply murderers who act in a manner which is not in line with Islam. While this is true it is also undeniable that these terrorists come from within Muslim communities and families and call themselves Muslims and therefore it is not enough to simply wash their hands of the terrorists and deny they are really Muslims, I think they have to actively name and shame those sections of the Muslim community who forment hate and then cynically manipulate young, angry Muslims into carrying out these acts. They have to actively engage in a very public hearts and minds campaign to take these young muslims by the metaphorical scruff of the neck and remind them of why their parents came to live in this country in the first place as well as tell them that those imams that preach violence are twisting and perverting the true meaning of Islam and therefore must be rejected. It is my hope that this march that the Muslim Council of Britain is intending is the beginning of that sort of coming out by the British Muslim community in a much stronger stance that moves beyond crying out against Islamophobia or burying their heads when challenged on this issue.
A Labour Muslim MP speaking on Breakfast this morning said that this problem was primarily a Muslim problem that needed to be sorted out by Muslims in the same way that the BNP (British Nationalist Party aka the ex-National Front) is the white community's problem that needs to be addressed by the white community. I agree and would go further than he did by saying that if the BNP committed an atrocity in an area that I live in, I would take it upon myself as my duty and obligation, to organise against them and publicly denounce them and everything they stand for, saying they do not stand for the majority of white people and that their intepretation of white culture, what it is, where it comes from, what it desires for itself and where it is heading, is wrong - pure and simple. An example of their mindset is how they are already attempting to exploit the bombings in an upcoming by-election:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/attackonlondon/story/0,16132,1527627,00.html
Although I was not around at the time I do remember the stance against the BNP that was taken by the likes of the white members of the Anti-Fascist league that joined non-white Britains in actively opposing the BNP through-out Britain. They made an important contribution to increased acceptance of multi-cultural immigrants coming to Britain for better opportunities and showed that in the face of sustained violence, hatred and prejudice perpetrated by a minority who act in your name... passive opposition is not enough.
Every British Muslim I know fears a backlash and increased Islamophobia since last Thursday, my response is that "in their place I would not hide or keep a low profile, I would take a very strong stance against the terrorists and make positive claims both for the true nature of my faith and for the tolerant, secular, liberal democracy that I find myself living in (as a British Muslim)." I appreciate that that is not easy thing to do and so I will stand behind them 100%.
Moderate muslims now more than ever need our support at this time to reassure them that (a) we don't blame them and (b) to back them in taking the brave decision to speak act out loudly and clearly against Islamic terrorism who are, it must be remembered, their fellow muslims, and as the arrests show today, live amongst them as friends, neighbours and relatives here in Britain.
posted by Anthony Burn at 2:55 pm
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