I like this letter in today’s Times. It made me think that this is the time for Muslims to show their Britishness:
As a Muslim myself, I believe that it should not be unreasonable to expect the British Muslim communities to come out and march under the banner of “not in my name�, openly renouncing such acts of terrorism as a repudiation to the true Islamic faith. It seemed possible to mobilise over the Danish cartoons and each time the faith or cultural traditions comes under scrutiny.
In the absence of willingness by British Muslims to expurgate the criminal elements lurking within, they should likewise forgo the right to protest against any reaction from the wider community and actions taken by the security apparatus performing an extremely vital task of keeping everyone safe.
DR SHAAZ MAHBOOB, Hillingdon, Middlesex
I’m not quite sure what the writer means in that second sentence: is he saying that there were counter-demonstrations at the time of the Danish cartoons?
Elle, just as for two thousand years Christianity sought to reach the farthest corners of the earth, and become the universal religion – or the one faith …
so in the minds of many uneducated and educated muslims, Islam is the True Faith – and Islam will become the world religion.
Ironically claiming to be a muslim, never made anyone a better person – or more right – than claiming to be a Christian.
People working as doctors for the nhs, plotting to maim and murder people – either earn too much money or have too much free time, or have some tragic family links to Iraq, or have a very ‘distorted’ view of Islam.
But hey, at the end of the they is their view of the world and life anymore distorted that those of other faiths or those of no faith?
Doctors and a £90 billion NHS who try to tell us (with their lies) that we cannot heal ALL the sick, therefore we should concentrate on those who can afford their inflated ‘private’ fees and private medicine. So is God a Capitalist – or is the US and the uk Health system really Satan’s foot stool.
Illness and disease doesn’t seem to discriminate between those of faith and those of no faith, or between those of one faith or another. Nor does ability to pay or the belief that medicine should only be made available to those who can PAY.
Ultimately we all die – life is fast becoming a matter of how much you can pay to hang on to life or to stay alive for another day? hmmmm
Excuse me, but what if one cannot pay? is one worth less in the eyes of society, especially in the eyes of the medical society or medical profession. Life is Cheap – It is living and medicine that iis becoming increasingly unaffordable for a growing number of people.
The next set of terrorism will not be about oil, religion or Islam – but about those who see their loved ones die because they were denied access to treatment or surgery by a privatised NHS, foundation hospitals and privatised GP clinics. THink of the anger bubbling over the poor standards of NHS dentistry and refusal o treat nhs patients by ‘Privatised’ Dental Surgeries. This is only the tip of the iceberg of the resentment and bitterness that is to come (and to come soon).
Who cares about those losing their homes to floods – especially if they are dentists, or doctors and surgeons who have caused so much unnecessary misery to their fellow man by their selfish greed.
The problem is that the Islamists have a case, based on Islam’s scriptures. Its not just a few places that their view hold sway. C4’s documentary undercover Mosque and Panorama’s about a charity providing money for Hamas should have woken people up.
If they had a big enough army – they would wage conventional war to rule the world, but they don’t, so they use what is to hand.
They are at war with us – even if we try to pretend we are at war with terror. Part of that war is to mislead and misdirect. To complain of foreign policy when its just to distract. If they cared for their fellow Muslims they would stop Darfur.
The facts are that their view have wide spread sympathy – if not support – in the so called communities. They are attempting to set up a parallel state with its own courts, laws and schools. We already abandon young girls to forced marriages and various honour retributions due to our fear of being called racist – which is really racism and cowardice combined on our part. I heard from a young woman in Church a few weeks ago who had to go into hiding from her Father as she refused to be flown to Pakistan and married – she says there are people receiving similar protection today in the town where I live. Some in fear of their lives.
The question of why don’t the Muslims protest is a good one – its just many people are not ready for the answer.
I know how un-PC this comment is. I have know many Muslims, some I counted as my friends, but I have also attended an Islamist event at University about 10 years ago and my blood ran cold. (The most chilling individual was the English convert.)
Islam should be judged by the fruit it bears and the results it brings to the world. Do not be mislead by cheap word.
A heartening letter, but I must agree with Man in a Shed, that actions speak louder than mere words.
Ian
I’m not sure about anything said above. There’s nothing wrong with Islamic civislation, providing it is kept in the Islamic world. As a Christian civilisation we should treat Muslims as our equals. In Saudi Arabia they treat workers from Bangladesh and Pakistan like slaves. As Christians and influencial commonwealth members we should continue to condemn the Saudi’s for doing this.
Dr Mahboob says in his letter ‘they should likewise forgo the right to protest against any reaction from the wider community…’ this is nonsense, a British citizen should never forgo the right to protest peacefully.
What gets me is that these dodgy doctors were from the Middle-East, as this is a war we should suspend their human rights in relation to the death penalty and extradite tyem to their country of origin, along with the evidence that they were part of Al-Qaeda. They will then be executed under Sharia law.
Problem solved.
‘So is God a Capitalist’ (Quasar9)
No, God is God. Capitalism gives us a system with rules in which human civilisation can integrate, be free, cohesive and progress. ‘…”Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and God what is God’s”‘ (Matthew 22:21)
Would you rather the world revolved around money or a religious ideology? What about a politcal ideology like Marxism? Democracy, capitalism and the rule of law allow us to live in freedom.
If these foreign terrorists want Sharia law so much we should send them home to receive it.
Hi Steven L,
my point is that fundamentalist Capitalism is like any other false religion
It is a set of rules written by men, and often almost accredited (if not credited) to God.
“Thou shall not be healed (or treated) lest thou can pay” comes from which Scripture?
“Thou shall be treated if thou can pay” – enables the likes of Idi Amin, Dick Cheney, Mugabe or even Saddam (when he was alive) to be treated by the ‘best’ doctors & surgeons(?)
But hell what do I care, if one could buy immortality one would probably pay – and doctors wouldn’t care where one got the money from or how one got the money – would they
here, here. I am in their country and i follow their rules and customs; I see that I should ask no less when they are in my country.
I feel we have reached an attitude turning point. No longer can we assume that terrorists are angry young men with a chip on their shoulder. They could be a NHS doctor treating you one day, bombing you the next.
“Thou shall not be healed (or treated) lest thou can pay� (Quasar9)
Democracy allows collectives of people to organise systems of universal healthcare whereby we all for for each other to be treated regardless of means. Capitalism co-exists with democracy – and it works.
Ellee, I read something by a British Muslim leader bitterly denouncing terrorism. I think “not in our name” were his exact words.
There is no central authority in Islam. There is no pope. Theology varies from Muslim to Muslim vastly. There are decidedly moderate, peaceful Muslims who are protesting terrorism in the name of Islam, but they’re not being heard.
Many of them, I suspect, are:
A. Afraid of retribution from extremists, and
B. Tired of being the stigma, so they remain silent.
After the Danish cartoon controversy last year, I interviewed a very lovely young Muslim woman at my university who was the head of the Muslim Students Association. She was frustrated and angry, almost to the point of tears, and she said something like, “The people who are rioting and killing are not Muslims. Islam is a peaceful religion.”
There is a virulent strain of Islam that is dangerous and violent. But I am VERY wary of making sweeping generalizations, because it never leads anywhere good. If you give in to fear, fear owns you. I have heard extremely ignorant people arguing for internment camps and special prosecution against Western Muslims– this is a horrible idea that would make the problem worse, not better. The last thing we need is more resentment. We are better than this.
The denunciation of the bombings by British Muslim groups is getting big play in the States today. And — I just looked — here is the link to the story about the denunciations that is posted on Al Jazeera.
The article links to this page on Muslims United a web site whose address indicates its British origin.
People like me fret about the supposed ‘vast majority’ of Muslims who supposedly reject terror and violence in the disguise of religion… but never seem to say or do anything about it.
These folks appear to be saying something. It is appropriate that we take note.