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Another “terrorist”
crisis hits the United Kingdom and media starts scrambling to
find “moderate” Muslims for what I now call ‘voice pops’.
I too had my share of phone calls right here in Toronto but
refused to give sound bites. For
the record that there isn’t much more we can say that varies
from what I said a few years ago, and we are certainly not going
to stand as apologists for the actions of a few radicals. Let me
assure worried and suspicious Canadians that we are just as
concerned as they are about the safety of our country and more
so about our credibility in the eyes of the world.
Remaining “moderate”
was never such a challenge as it is today. (For those who
critique use of the term “moderate”, we are required by our
faith to instill balance (moderation) into our lives in
everything we do. I believe to be Muslim, we have to be
moderate.)
We are fighting a battle at
two levels: one within our own ranks with radical Muslims who
wish to silence us and another with bigots who seize any
opportunity to use our struggle to malign Islam.
Next time ordinary
Canadians think about Muslims in their midst, remember we are
willing and eager to take practical steps to alleviate the
problem of extremism within our communities. However I don’t
envision us going door-to-door doing ‘damage control’! Also
remember it was Pakistan who tipped off the British government
about the potential attack on flights across the Atlantic which
is a breakthrough in acknowledging that there is a problem.
I’ve reached a point
where I’ve reiterated the cause and reason for radicalism too
many times for comfort. Having condemned violence against
civilians verbally and in writing, I
believe we have very little time left for extensive analysis and
diagnosis. While people are name calling and blaming the West,
our youth are in danger of becoming victims of fanaticism. We
urgently need to work together as Canadians to battle this
scourge.
Let me explain in detail.
My family frequents a mosque in Brampton where we were part of
the fundraising to build the place. This mosque is a serene and
beautiful place of worship and social activities for the entire
family, offering meeting spaces, as well as a sports complex.
There is a plaque with donor names listed, which empowers all of
us as being involved. By making this commitment, we are
communally responsible for the messages given and all activities
taking place in this mosque. If one of the congregants were to
find the messages incompatible with Islam, they could take the
mosque committee to task. (By the way, this is open to the
public and I’ve arranged visits for non-Muslims)
Contrary to this, there’s
a mosque in Scarborough where flyers promoting hate were being
distributed in the parking lot, but no one took responsibility.
Similarly there are some mosques and Muslim organizations which
are totally funded by foreign aid so they spout the ideology of
those governments or individuals who give them
the money.
What we need is immediate
accountability and transparency. If this means my bank account
will be checked, so be it. Since I have nothing to hide, why
should I worry? We seem to be losing precious freedoms daily to
gain security, so I’ll vote on the side of security any day.
After all it’s the security of our home that is at stake.
However it’s not my job to do this.
One solution lies in
monitoring the funds of mosques and Muslim organizations in
Canada.
Let me reiterate.
The problem of hate mongering and violence in our midst
has to be solved by both Canadian Muslims and the Canadian
government. In England this process has already started where
the Government has acknowledged that they might have been
meeting with the wrong people. At the same time Muslims have
acknowledged that radicalization of their youth has to be fought
with help from the government. They have set up a “Preventing
Extremism Taskforce” which includes women and grass roots
Muslims and non-Muslims. Dialogue at a high level has begun with
discussions about British foreign policy.
Contrary to this, there’s
a mosque in Scarborough where flyers promoting hate were being
distributed in the parking lot, but no one took responsibility.
Similarly there are some mosques and Muslim organizations which
are totally funded by foreign aid so they spout the ideology of
those governments or individuals who give them
the money.
What we need is immediate
accountability and transparency. If this means my bank account
will be checked, so be it. Since I have nothing to hide, why
should I worry? We seem to be losing precious freedoms daily to
gain security, so I’ll vote on the side of security any day.
After all it’s the security of our home that is at stake.
However it’s not my job to do this.
One solution lies in
monitoring the funds of mosques and Muslim organizations in
Canada.
Let me reiterate.
The problem of hate mongering and violence in our midst
has to be solved by both Canadian Muslims and the Canadian
government. In England this process has already started where
the Government has acknowledged that they might have been
meeting with the wrong people. At the same time Muslims have
acknowledged that radicalization of their youth has to be fought
with help from the government. They have set up a “Preventing
Extremism Taskforce” which includes women and grass roots
Muslims and non-Muslims. Dialogue at a high level has begun with
discussions about British foreign policy.
Contrary to this, there’s
a mosque in Scarborough where flyers promoting hate were being
distributed in the parking lot, but no one took responsibility.
Similarly there are some mosques and Muslim organizations which
are totally funded by foreign aid so they spout the ideology of
those governments or individuals who give them
the money.
What we need is immediate
accountability and transparency. If this means my bank account
will be checked, so be it. Since I have nothing to hide, why
should I worry? We seem to be losing precious freedoms daily to
gain security, so I’ll vote on the side of security any day.
After all it’s the security of our home that is at stake.
However it’s not my job to do this.
One solution lies in
monitoring the funds of mosques and Muslim organizations in
Canada.
Let me reiterate.
The problem of hate mongering and violence in our midst
has to be solved by both Canadian Muslims and the Canadian
government. In England this process has already started where
the Government has acknowledged that they might have been
meeting with the wrong people. At the same time Muslims have
acknowledged that radicalization of their youth has to be fought
with help from the government. They have set up a “Preventing
Extremism Taskforce” which includes women and grass roots
Muslims and non-Muslims. Dialogue at a high level has begun with
discussions about British foreign policy.
Contrary to this, there’s
a mosque in Scarborough where flyers promoting hate were being
distributed in the parking lot, but no one took responsibility.
Similarly there are some mosques and Muslim organizations which
are totally funded by foreign aid so they spout the ideology of
those governments or individuals who give them
the money.
What we need is immediate
accountability and transparency. If this means my bank account
will be checked, so be it. Since I have nothing to hide, why
should I worry? We seem to be losing precious freedoms daily to
gain security, so I’ll vote on the side of security any day.
After all it’s the security of our home that is at stake.
However it’s not my job to do this.
One solution lies in
monitoring the funds of mosques and Muslim organizations in
Canada.
Let me reiterate.
The problem of hate mongering and violence in our midst
has to be solved by both Canadian Muslims and the Canadian
government. In England this process has already started where
the Government has acknowledged that they might have been
meeting with the wrong people. At the same time Muslims have
acknowledged that radicalization of their youth has to be fought
with help from the government. They have set up a “Preventing
Extremism Taskforce” which includes women and grass roots
Muslims and non-Muslims. Dialogue at a high level has begun with
discussions about British foreign policy.
When will we take similar
action in Canada? We’ve
given a green light to the government and offered our insights
and assistance. When Prime Minister Harper met with a group of
Muslims in June and we gave him similar recommendations, we
thought the next action would be a task force. All I got was a
letter of thanks. No thank you
Prime Minister.
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