What Muslims must do

Boston Globe ^ | 7/6/2002 | Abdul Cader Asmal

[a_Turk]

SEPT. 11 WAS a wake-up call - for Americans to take up arms against terrorism and for Muslims to ask who speaks for them.

The concept for Americans was simple - to identify and neutralize the enemy. The strategy for Muslims has been anything but easy. Paralyzed into inaction by competing emotions of shame and outrage, humiliation and resentment, they have yet to deliver a cohesive response to invidious questions about their religion.

[hinckley buzzard]

I'm a hater because I use harsh words, but you still defend those who rationalize and explain away atrocities.

Would you agree the real filthy haters are those murderers of 9/11? Which is worse a_turk: Calling a weasel a weasel, or murdering thousands of innocent people? From your own moslem point of view. Which is the true act of hatred?


Simple question, a_turk. What do you say? Oh, and please don't insult our intelligence by trying to deny these killers were moslems.

[marron]

You filthy hater and the terrorist minded garbage deserve each other

I remember after 9/11 someone said, "Are you going to go over and [beat up] those ragheads living across the street from you?

Uh, no. They're Sikhs. First of all, they aren't Muslims. Secondly, they could probably beat me up. And thirdly, they're my neighbors, why would I want to beat them up?

"Oh. So are you going to go beat them up or not?"

People are funny.

[hinckley buzzard]

BTW, I didn't call you any names, did I? Why are you resorting to such hateful diatribe? If these creeps were not moslems, as you claim, why do you get all nasty when I call them for what they are? If they are "satanists" as you tried lamely to offer earlier, why not agree with me in my revulsion, yes, hatred, toward evil?

Something's wrong here...
You don't add up, a-turk.

[a_Turk]

Would you agree the real filthy haters are those murderers of 9/11?

Hell yeah. And I'd also agree that you're still the same bigot I met 10 months ago.

Which is worse a_turk: Calling a weasel a weasel, or murdering thousands of innocent people? From your own moslem point of view. Which is the true act of hatred?

Murdering innocents, of course.

Now try and comprehend every little benefit that filthy little mind of Usame figgered he could have drawn for himself from that act. You and your bigotted friends have become willing tools for the bastard. Not only does he show that HE could bring down the towers of NY, but creates serious discord among people who had absolutely nothing to do with the act, and who otherwise could have been good friends. You know that friendship between you and me does not fit well into his creepy little schemes dont you? You're throwing the baby out with the bath water to put it mildly.. And strangely enough, all for the love of God and country.

[Nam Vet]

I can identify with that. In order to RE-exit Germany in the '30's, my grandfather, father and aunt had to obtain their 'papers' proving them to be pure 'Arians'. I detest the Nazis and their grandchildren, the liberals. For any that wish to flame, my Dad fought across the Pacific all the way to mainland China in WWII. He was discriminated against because he was German and NOT allowed to go to the European theater. DING--DING--DING. Big deal. The thin skinned libs, no matter what color or religion they are, need to get a life.

Nam Vet

[The_Media_never_lie]

Shouldn't the word be "devout"?

No, in fact deviant is the proper term.

I see your point and I appologize to you. I do not know personally any Muslims, only what I read about all the cheering after 9-11. Please tell me the majority of Turkish people were not cheering. I hope that to be the case.

Regards,

[a_Turk]

Here's one story..

There's a link on my profile page that will get you the US Embassy in Ankara, Turkey. There was some language addressing your question there, it may still be. I am not aware of any cheering in Turkey.

I have to say that, I watched the whole thing unfold on TV, and kept watching even to see the "cheering crowds" in Palestine, etc. I saw a couple of grown-ups hand out candy to little kids and start them dancing. Then the grown-ups left when they saw the camera. I'm not so sure that the general public anywhere in the world took pleasure from the 9/11 attack. I'm pretty sure the kids I told you of were dancing because they got candy... We're being puppets in the hands of a few evildoers..

[zip]

The Turks have been battling the Islamists for quite ome time. Most Americans, even after September 11, have no idea what an Islamist is.

Ozur dilerim (for the attacks on you personally). I think Polybius has made a good point - "Most Americans.......have no idea what an Islamist is."

Your friend,Zip

[stop_fascism]

Take a deep breath... I said that there is circumstantial evidence that it was a Muslim plot. This includes the fact that Padilla looks exactly like "John Doe", and that the Clinton administration had intelligence before the attack that Muslims were planning to blow it up.

You idea of someone "attempting to show balance" is a writer who disparages Christianity in the name of moral equivalence.

Do I "just want to hate"? Perhaps. On the other hand, I think Ataturk was one of the great men of the last century, and much of Muslim art and literature is among man's greatest accomplishments. I would like to believe that Islamic terrorism is an abhoration. However, After the latest outrage, the reaction of the Muslim world has been to deny responsibility, claim moral equivalence, whine about persecution, and to continue preaching hatred in your holy places. I must admit, I do hate that.

[crystalk]

This disgusting article equates Islam with Christianity, and claims falsely that the Nazi atrocities were carried out by "Christians doing the Lord's work."

The Christian ADL ought to sue this leftist rag immediately.

[elcaudillo]

Muslim go home.

[elcaudillo]

It's you who is the pitiful loser! Telling Hinkley to put a towel on his head and calling him filthy displays your true muslim colors.

As I said earlier "Muslim go home." You're all alike and your hatred towards Christians and Jews is (fortunately) apparent and will eventually be the undoing of your "filthy" religion.

[a_Turk]

Sorry, you're outvoted..

Hey, I tried to reach you through NaplesNews.com, but they wouldn't print my letter. Very sorry about the little girl. People like that don't deserve to live.

All Christians are not the same, neither are all Muslims.

[beckett]

I have to say that, I watched the whole thing unfold on TV, and kept watching even to see the "cheering crowds" in Palestine, etc. I saw a couple of grown-ups hand out candy to little kids and start them dancing.

Until I read these words, I wasn't sure if you were sincere. Now I can see that you are not.

Widespread jubilation was well documented in Palestine after the WTC Towers were knocked down. Some news footage was even destroyed by the Palestinian Authority. The candy incident was only one of many that were recorded by independent journalists. The whole territory celebrated until Arafat put the kabosh on it the following day. If you don't have enough integrity to admit this well known and well documented fact, your word cannot be trusted, nor your opinion taken into account, on other matters.

[a_Turk]

If you don't have enough integrity to admit this well known and well documented fact

Maybe you know things I am not aware of. Nevertheless, if you were to put a percentage on it, what ratio of the world's Muslim population, would you say, were jubilant?

I will be sure to tell you that all of my family and friends, including my government, were absolutely horrified by the incident. My government was the first one, among countries of Muslim populations, to condemn the act, and currently has officers in Tampa and 1400 troops in Kabul working alongside the American armed forces to defeat this scourge.

How many people did you see in the documentation you refer to, who were dancing and cheering? I did not see a large percentage of the 1.5 billion Muslims of the world.

Look, all I am trying to get through to you folks is thatThis is a war against terrorists, not against Islam. We Turks should be clue enough for you to get that.

[beckett]

...if you were to put a percentage on it, what ratio of the world's Muslim population, would you say, were jubilant?

You're changing the subject. You made a claim about the Palestinians, not the "world's Muslim population." It is well known that Palestinians celebrated en masse, with the possible exception of Hanan Aswari and some others bright enough to understand the implications. If you are not aware of the ample documentation of this fact, I suggest you do some research before you make the claim again.

A significant percentage of the "world's Muslims" did not celebrate the attack on the United States, although, disturbingly, a small but significant minority did, and a huge percentage of Palestinians certainly did.

[Mortimer Snavely]

Having negated the premise that the psychopathic individuals who orchestrated the Sept. 11 attacks had any legitimacy for their actions in Islam, why then did the ''Muslim leadership'' not condemn the rhetoric before it translated into carnage?

The intuitive response is that as Islam is neither monolithic nor hierarchical - no single person, country, or organization is empowered to speak on its behalf - neither the secular democracy of Turkey or monarchy of Jordan, nor the theocratic republic of Iran or kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Pakistani poet-philosopher Muhammed Iqbal, like Jinnah and the Muslim League, was a student of Kemalism and used Turkey as an example of national development. He postulated a generic Muslim he called Ali, the Muslim "John Doe" who would populate modern Muslim republics and personify their national characters:

Based upon the culture and history with which he is associated, he develops the concept of a person based on the standard of an "Ali", to the extent that the material for developing such a human being in our century allows.

What does the "standard of Ali" mean? It means a human being with an Eastern heart and a Western mind. It means a person who thinks deeply and profoundly.

This ideal is the immediate task confronting Muslim societies which wish to free themselves from tribal law, grinding poverty, and eleventy-starred maniacal nutcase Field-Marshall Fearless Leader types who like to wipe out their populations and promote homicidal-suicidal behavior as a national ideal.

So far, the only country that's been able to pull it off has been Turkey, with Pakistan running a distant second, trying like the blazes to achieve parity with the Turks in developing a national identity which transcends religion and ethnic origin. For an essay on Iqbal, please click here:

Muhammed Iqbal

Howzabout some equivalent essay links about Mustafa Kemal, Kemalism, and the formation of the Turkish national character, there, Abi? Teshekkur edirim.

[a_Turk]

You made a claim about the Palestinians

Ooops, I think we found the culprit! I was not considering just Palestinians in my statements. There's where we missed each other.

As far as the Palestinians, I don't see their issue as religiously motivated, rather I see it as religiously reinforced. Sort of like saying a prayer before hitting the football field.. It always amazed me how both sides will pray for victory! Even funnier (in a dark way) is when folks proclaim that "God is on our side." Very conceited.. I could see striving to be on God's side, but to be so presumptious..

I was talking about Muslims in general. I am no enemy of yours, quite the contrary, I belong to the nation which first answered your invoking the 5th article of NATO and even was (maybe still is) flying NATO missions over US soil to protect you.

Cheers.

[a_Turk]

We haven't put that much emphasis on communicating to the English speaking public (or better said: to any public other than our own), so I don't have, at the moment, anything better than the Washington Institute Turkish Research Program.

Thanks for chiming in bud!

[Mortimer Snavely]

I think a big reason that there's so little awareness about Turkey today is that there hasn't, to my knowledge, at least, been a Turkish diaspora or mass Turkish emigration to the USA. Oh there are pockets of professionals, here and there, in major metropolitian nerve centers, but there aren't any Turkish restaurants like there are Indian, Korean, or Greek restaurants. It would be nice if Sezen Aksu and folks like that would be able to be heard on popular airwaves, but the method of accomplishing something like that is beyond my ability to formulate.