http://www.straitstimes.com/commentary/story/0,4386,273593,00.html?
"Madrasahs can be key partners in war on terror"
By Muhammad Haniff Hassan and Yang Razali Kassim
" Muslim leaders in Indonesia have spoken up to condemn such terrorist acts, as have Muslims in Singapore. As the Singapore government publication, The Fight Against Terror - Singapore National Security Strategy, states: 'In order to deny militants any ideological space,
Muslims must speak out and denounce those who distort Islam. They have to engage the extremists, from the media to the mosque to the madrasah, and assert mainstream Islamic values.' However, even with the support of the madrasahs, winning 'hearts and minds' will be an uphill task as long as some of the root causes of global Muslim angst are not addressed.
Three years after Sept 11, one sore issue is still the uneven foreign policy of the United States in the Middle East, especially vis-a-vis Israel and Palestine, the occupation of Iraq and the continued American support for undemocratic regimes in the region. ......
Like their Muslim counterparts elsewhere in the region, Singapore Muslims share a deep sense of frustration with the injustices experienced across Muslim societies. As long as these issues are not resolved, the hearts and minds of Muslims may not be easily won."
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my comments:
A.Can be partners= they are not now? duh
B."winning (moslem) 'hearts and minds' will be an uphill task" -duhhhhhhh = downhill fast to moslem terrorism
C. "the hearts and minds of Muslims may not be easily won."
=moslems may turn to terrorism =duuuuhhhhhhh duuhhhh
i dont know that we can 'win' hearts and minds, i just want to deny them to the enemy... because he seems to want them for himself.
if we allow something like abu ghraib to happen again, for example, we lose far more than we gain. our PR war needs to be better. we should fight on all fronts.