Toronto
Star
July 15, 2005
The heart-rending loss of
humanity in the wake of the London bombings is a tragedy that affects
all, Muslim and non-Muslim alike.
Despite the
cause-and-effect theories trotted out extensively by commentators, the
atrocity was a homegrown problem. It can be solved only within the
community that allowed it to grow. That community is not necessarily a
religious one, but a multicultural community like the one we have here
in Canada.
I say this with feeling
because I am a Pakistani Muslim woman with two sons, the same age as
some of the suicide bombers in London. The difference is, my sons are
secular in public and knowledgeable and religious in private. They have
grown up in an environment of respect for other faiths and of life. More
important, they know how to balance both.
Early this year, my
20-year-old son, Saif, went to Birmingham, England to visit a friend.
When he returned, he was quite troubled. He confessed he was disturbed
by the religious ideology of his English counterparts. And at Friday
prayer in a mosque, he was shocked at the fire-and-brimstone spouted
from the pulpit.
Later, he took a drive
with his friend. The vehicle they were in developed a flat tire. My son
suggested they take the vehicle to be fixed at a gas station they had
just passed. To his surprise and dismay, the three British-Muslim boys
with him said they would rather walk than take their business to a
non-Muslim. They proceeded to try and indoctrinate my son about the ills
of the West and how important it was not to integrate with locals.
Saif says he was alarmed
at their attitude. He found their views dishonest and disconnected from
the reality of living in the West.
I've seen this trend on
visits to Britain. There is a growing sense of frustration among young
people and it's dangerous.
Last week's events are
symbolic of this malaise. Granted, there are many political, economic
and social factors that come into play when we talk about terrorism
today. Anyone with half a brain is aware that the war in Iraq and U.S.
foreign policy plays a strong role in any reaction to the West. But it
does not, and never will, justify the death of innocents.
Can this happen in
Canada? Perhaps, unless we wake up and smell the coffee. I don't mean
only Muslims, although public opinion would like to treat this as an
exclusively Islamic problem.
When the bubble bursts, it
affects all of us. Before we are left blaming each other, let's find
solutions. I don't believe surveillance, airport checks, limiting
immigration and picking up bearded Muslim men at random is the answer.
Targeting one community won't solve anything either.
The solution lies with
parents and guardians, peers and advisers, teachers and religious
institutions. All of us need to be more vigilant about the kind of
rhetoric being spouted, about the ideology of hate being exported to
Canada, about Muslim youth becoming targets for Al Qaeda recruiters in
places of education and worship.
Most important, perhaps,
is teaching our youth to raise their voices in condemning all acts of
violence and being aware about what is going on around them.
Last month, two of the
largest centres of Islamic learning, Al Azhar, in Egypt and Qum, in
Iran, issued a joint fatwa calling suicide bombing a sin that is
unacceptable under any circumstance.
In Amman, Jordan, more
than 170 Muslim scholars who gathered for an International Islamic
conference agreed to forbid labelling anyone with apostasy, condemning
extremists who used hatred to fire up sentiments against others.
To those who want to know
where moderate Muslims are hiding, we are alive and well and working
around the clock to undo the damage done by 30 years of indoctrination
by an ideology of hate. We work hard to get our voices heard above the
babble of the extremists.
Last week's bombing in
London struck close to home. My brother-in-law was on a train just ahead
of one that was bombed. Like hundreds of others going through the same
experience in Britain, we worried ourselves sick until we knew he was
safe. Today, many families mourn their dead and so
do we.
However, our loss is
greater. We mourn not only the dead and wounded, we also mourn the
living who have lost their souls.
Before the souls of our
youth are sucked away by the devil in disguise, let's join hands for the
greatest of all jihads — the struggle to respect the dignity of human
life.
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