How we misunderstand Islam, and react in ways that often help extremists recruit: - 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 we place on Muslims, to be absolutely clear, is Islamophobic and bigoted. The denunciation is a form of apology: an apology for Islam and for Muslims. The implication is that every Muslim is under suspicion of being sympathetic to terrorism unless he or she explicitly says otherwise. The implication is also that any crime committed by a Muslim is the responsibility of all Muslims simply by virtue of their shared religion. - This sort of thinking — blaming an entire group for the actions of a few individuals, assuming the worst about a person just because of their identity — is the very definition of bigotry. It is also, by the way, the very same logic that leads French non-Muslims, outraged by the Charlie Hebdo murders, to attack French mosques in hateful and misguided retaliation. And its the same logic that led CNN host Don Lemon to ask Muslim-American human rights lawyer Arasalan Iftikhar if he supports ISIS, as if the simple fact of Iftikhars religion — despite the fact that he is exactly the sort of liberal human rights activist whom ISIS hates most — made him suspect. - It is time for that ritual to end: non-Muslims in all countries, and today especially those in French, should finally take on the correct assumption that Muslims hate terrorism just as much as they do, and cease expecting Muslims to prove their innocence just because of their faith.
Posted on: Thu, 08 Jan 2015 20:23:16 +0000