By Aziz A Mubaraki,
It is although strange, but a fact. Almost a ritual that after every incident of violence involving a Muslim perpetrator, each and every one of the world’s billion-plus Muslims, especially those living in Asian sub continent (read India), is expected to issue a public condemnation denouncing it in strongest terms.
Perhaps, here is what Muslims and Muslim organizations are expected to say: “As a Muslim, I condemn this attack and terrorism in any form.” This expectation placed on Muslims, to be absolutely clear, is Islamophobic and bigoted!
A Muslim gathering at Patna (File photo)
The denunciation is a form of apology: an apology for Islam and for Muslims. Although pathetic but the implication is that every Muslim is under suspicion of being “sympathetic to terrorism” unless he or she explicitly and boldly says otherwise! The assumption is thus that any crime committed by a Muslim is the responsibility of Muslims as a community simply by virtue of their shared religion.
This sort of thinking – blaming an entire ‘ummah’ for the actions of a few individuals, assuming the worst about a person just because of their belief and religious identity – is certainly the very definition of bigotry.
It is time for the world to grow up that may help this ritual to end. It is evidently important for non-Muslims in all countries, especially in Indian sub continent, to realize and finally take on the correct guesstimate that Muslims hate terrorism just as much as they do, and cease expecting Muslims to prove their innocence or patriotism towards the nation (read India) just because of their faith.
This obstinate & chauvinistic conjecture is the only plausible reason for this ritual communion to exist, which means that maintaining the ritual is maintaining malapropism.
Otherwise, we wouldn’t expect Muslims to condemn Dawood Ibrahim – who is clearly a history-sheeter, a smuggler, an underworld don who has no affiliations with formal religious groups – any more than we would expect Hindus to condemn the people behind Samjhauta Express, Mecca Masjid, Ajmer Dargah or even Malegaon blasts. Or, Christians for the ill-activities of Timothy McVeigh.
Similarly, if someone blames all Jews for the act of, say, extremist Israeli settlers in the West Bank, we immediately and correctly reject that position as impractical and biased. We understand that such an accusation is abhorrent and wrong – but not when it is applied to Muslims!!
There is, quite literally, a different set of standards that the world applies only to Muslims; whereas we tend to forget that the people who helped allied forces in Afghanistan, Iraq or other war-torn nations are all Muslims.
It time for the world to wake up and mend their biased opinion towards the most peace loving people on earth.
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(Aziz A Mubaraki is the founder and chairman of Sawaab Foundation (India), national secretary, South Asia Ullema Council, All India Majlis Falah ul Muslimeen and Muslims Development Council)