Don't link Islam to terror, Islamic chief urges

Reuters on Yahoo ^ | 12/19/08 | Robert Evans

[NormsRevenge]

GENEVA (Reuters) – The world's top diplomat for Islam called on Friday for an end to what he termed efforts to equate the religion with terrorism and said the 'demonization' of Muslims around the world must be fought.

But speaking soon after the U.N. General Assembly passed an Islamic-sponsored resolution condemning "defamation of religion" for the fourth year in a row, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said his group was committed to respecting freedom of expression.

There was a "rising tide of incitement to religious hatred and discrimination and intolerance targeting Muslims," he told a meeting called by the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) at the United Nations in Geneva. The 57-nation OIC, based in Saudi Arabia, represents 1.5 billion Muslims.

"Attempts to equate Islam with terrorism should be stopped. Stereotyping and demonization of Muslims should be combated," said Ihsanoglu, a Turkish history professor who became OIC Secretary-General in 2005.

In a statement on Ihsanoglu's remarks, Geneva spokesman for the International Humanist and Ethical Union Roy Brown argued that Islam was often linked to terror because perpetrators of many terrorist acts identify themselves as Muslims.

Critics of the OIC -- including countries who voted against the "defamation" motion at U.N. headquarters in New York on Thursday -- say many Islamic states use defamation or "blasphemy" laws against minorities and free-thinkers.

Referring to the U.N. vote, in which for the first time since the OIC introduced a "defamation" motion in 2005 more countries voted against or abstained than voted for, Ihsanoglu said the motives of the Islamic grouping were misunderstood.

[DustyMoment]

Don't link Islam to terror, Islamic chief urges

That's like saying "Don't link Christ to Christmas"!!!

Good luck with that, terrorist nutjob!!

[Last Dakotan]

Put a Bible in his hands and push him out the aircraft door in Saudi Arabia.

[Mr. Mojo]

"Attempts to equate Islam with terrorism should be stopped."

Chronological list of Islamic terrorist attacks, 1968 - 2004.

[river rat]

Bull Squat —Islam is terror.
Islam preaches terror.
Islam was spread by terror.
Islam is the womb that nurtures terror.

Until we lay ruin to the centers of the Islamic Republics - there will never be peace or the absence of terror against the non-Muslims or even Muslim on Muslim terror...

[NormsRevenge]

Thanks for the link!

[Lurker]

"Link" really isn't the right word.

"Inherent" is better I think. As in "terrorism is inherent to islam."

L

[sagar]

Don't link Islam with terror... or else.

There, I've fixed it.

[KarlInOhio]

There was a "rising tide of incitement to religious hatred and discrimination and intolerance targeting Muslims,"

Yeah, those intolerant b*@(@( in Mumbai were just asking for the Muslims' righteous vengance.

[Bluegrass Conservative]

I'll admit that this has always been a "squares and rectangles" type of thing for me. I think terrorism should be linked to Islam, but not necessarily the opposite.

It's not a coincidence that the clear majority of terrorists tend to be Muslim. However, not all Muslims, nor would I even say the majority, are terrorists or terrorism sympathizers.

[wac3rd]

If you don’t think the Crusades will be re-enacted in the next 100 years, you must be in denial.

I hope the appeasing Liberals enjoy Sha’ria law they consider so “diverse” and “multicultural”.

In the end, Christian and Jewish men will end up fighting and dying...and then, 60 years later, the fat, lazy Americans will elect Barack Hussein Obama’s grandson who will promise hope and change.

[NormsRevenge]

Yours is a very reasonable statement.

[rlmorel]

I am all for this.

But let’s start with Muslims around the world UNEQUIVOCALLY denouncing terrorism.

Let’s have the heads of these Islamic movements, governments and countries get on a soapbox, televised world wide, all of them, one after the other to denounce terrorism.

Broadcast it to their own people and everyone in the Middle East. Get Egypt to do it. Get Saudi Arabia to do it. Get Iran to do it.

Until that happens, and as long as Islam is at the heart of most violence occuring around the world, then they can pound sand.

When that happens

[MrB]

Oh, come on now, we all know that most of the terrorist attacks of the past couple of centuries were committed by people who look like this:

[NCjim]

Exactly.

[rlmorel]

Agreed. But they need to speak out. I know a few Muslims, and I have no issue with them. But until they denounce it and show with actions, not just words that Islamic Terrorism is as taboo to the world as incest is (or should be) and piracy is (or used to be)

[massgopguy]

Pearl Harbor was bombed by airplanes with Red Circles on their wings. What ever you do, don’t go attacking a country just because it has a Red Circle on its flag. Since we didn’t see where the planes came from, we shouldn’t over react.

[RightWhale]

Don’t link. Okay. Not necessary since everybody on the planet already does.

[rllngrk33]

Most muslims are not terrorists, but most terrorists are muslims.

[MarineBrat]

Mat 12:33 Either make the tree good and its fruit good: or make the tree evil, and its fruit evil. For by the fruit the tree is known.