Where are the moderate Muslims?

| For much of the last century, white Southerners were routinely (and rightly) taken to task for not speaking out against the violent actions of racists. For a time at least, the Klan seemed to be able to lynch and beat black men with impunity.

White Southern silence meant tacit approval to many. The South eventually left its racist past behind, but only when its politicians and community leaders spoke out aggressively against the hateful acts of white supremacists. Silence was no longer an option for the majority, for it became clear that the longer violence against blacks continued, the more likely it was that the rest of the country would think all white Southerners were KKK supporters.

Muslims worldwide face the same problem. In the last few weeks, Muslim terrorists killed nearly 200 in Bali, tried to kill more in Kuwait. But where were all the statements of condemnation from the Muslim "moderate" leadership? I heard not one. This, despite President Bush's oft-repeated reminder to the world that this is not a war against Islam and his visit to an Islamic Center just days after September 11th.

In the aftermath of the attacks on America, Muslims in the U.S. complained that they were being unfairly tarred by the acts of a few extremists. "Islam is a religion of peace," President Bush himself said the week after the attacks on America. Yet just as white Southerners couldn't shake their racist past so long as the Klan was still kicking, Muslims will find it difficult to shake its link to terrorism if al Qaeda continues to strike and Muslim leaders continue to say or do little.

More people are beginning to ask why the burden should be on America to prove to the world that we are a tolerant nation. The more appropriate formulation: after September 11th, the burden is on Muslims worldwide to demonstrate their intolerance for the terrorists.

Sometimes I wonder why I don't hear Muslims and especially Muslim leaders speaking out against these terrorists and their actions.

I thought this was a good example of what's wanted, and what the American Muslim groups have not said.

It's now or never for Jakarta to take ruthless action against extremism

Sydney Morning Herald |October 24 2002

Indonesia's leaders were found wanting when terrorists played their deadly hand, writes Amien Rais.

To many foreigners and Indonesians, Bali had always been their favourite destination. But then came October 12. The Bali attack was an outrage directed both at those from Bali and abroad and generally at the Indonesian state.

Words cannot describe how grieved I was after visiting the site of the bombing, the wounded in the hospital and witnessing the number of bodies still waiting to be identified.

To those who lost their loved ones or were injured during this barbaric attack, I extend to you my deepest sympathies. My heart also goes out to the many volunteers I have seen working day and night, hand in hand with doctors and forensic experts, in managing a crisis centre for those who lost their friends and families. May God Almighty bless them for their efforts and hard work.

As I told the Australian Prime Minister, John Howard, and the Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, in Bali several days after the attack, Indonesia welcomes all international forensic and technical assistance to bring to justice those responsible.

We should not hesitate to bring to justice the perpetrators of this violent act - whom I regard as mass murderers - regardless of their religion, ideological background and any mass support they may enjoy in this country or elsewhere. But we must do this by adhering to democratic principle and practice and by respecting the universal values of tolerance and the rule of law.

It would be a fatal error to believe that our nascent Indonesian democracy must be sacrificed to restore order and good government. This would hand the extremists a powerful weapon and potent argument in the struggle for the allegiance of our people.

I am aware of concerns that, in the event of certain religious leaders being detained or arrested for their alleged involvement in the Bali bombing, there could be a violent backlash from Indonesian Muslims. As a former leader of Muhammadiyah, the nation's second-largest Muslim organisation, allow me to tell you this: although Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim country, Indonesian Muslims are indeed moderate and among the most religiously tolerant Muslims globally. The vast majority of my fellow Indonesian Muslims demand, as I do, that the government resolve this case as soon as possible.

Sadly, the Bali bombing showed that our leaders have been ineffective in their prime responsibility of protecting the lives of Indonesian citizens and those who visit our country.

Although I stand firm behind my President in her fight against terror, I rightfully quote a foreign influential magazine which stated that "it should not have taken a deadly inferno to demonstrate to President Megawati Soekarnoputri's government that stronger action must be taken against the extremists now operating nearly at will in Indonesia".

The Bali incident has made us fully realise that there is no safe haven from terrorism on Earth. Terrorism does not have any respect for religion, norms and values. Terrorists will seek to maximise casualties whenever and wherever they can. Suddenly many of us no longer feel safe even in carrying out our day-to-day lives. Therefore, I plead that the Indonesian Government step up efforts to combat every single terrorism cell that has penetrated our country in a swift and powerful manner.

Indonesia has become the battleground on which two different world views will now fight for supremacy. If peace, freedom, democracy and prosperity are to defeat the forces of extremism in Indonesia, then our friends will have to provide much more than sympathetic words and military equipment.

It is time for ruthless action against extremism and ruthless action against the root causes of corruption, economic oppression and inertia that have allowed extremism to gain a foothold in our country.

Indonesia has now come to a point of no return. Our government and all good Indonesians, who are the vast majority of our people, must act decisively to combat terror. It's now or never.

Amien Rais is the Speaker of the Indonesian parliament.

This is more than a pro forma statement of sympathy; it offers no excuses; it accepts Indonesia's responsibility to deal with this. The snipe at Megawati is probably politics, but it's also richly deserved. When he says that Indonesia will need more than words and equipment from its friends, I take that in context as an offer to cooperate in joint actions, not a shifting of responsibility. Also a third-worlder who lists corruption before economic oppression as a "root cause" is not without hope.

I have also heard that Indonesians are rather bucked up about democracy after years of dictators whose name began with "Su", and that they are not happy at the idea that it could all be ruined by a bunch of Islamofascists

Muhammadiyah, the Muslim organization he mentions, as well as the largest such organization, Nahdlatul Ulama, have both called for a crackdown:

Former Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid said he believed that Abu Bakar Bashir, the cleric believed to be the leader of a group suspected in last week's Bali bombing, should have been arrested long ago.

"I believe that Bashir is a terrorist," Wahid said in a radio interview.

Wahid, who was replaced as head of state by Megawati Sukarnoputri last year, has been sharply critical of her administration's cautious approach toward radicals. (See the whole article here.)

I found this interesting first, because Wahid was willing to name names, which means he isn't sticking with Muslim solidarity; and second, his criticism of Megawati did not just begin after Bali. Since he is her predecessor in office, that may once again be politics, but that's what we want: these folk seem to have politics, which means they aren't all marching in step and blaming the outsider.

I too regretted the deletion of the "I Am A Muslim" thread. From what I was able to read in the first 100 messages, the poster seemed fairly reasonable and I was interested in what he had to say.

By the time I clicked on "Next", the thread was gone.

Some people in the thread were venting, but most seemed to take him up on his offer and indeed, extended friendly welcomes to him.

Then again, this is a privately owned forum and the management decides.

Still, I was sorry to see it deleted. Precisely because the moderate Muslims are so rare that it's refreshing to finally see one.

Have you been to www.muslimpundit.com? It's an online journal which unfortunately does not get updated often (the last entry is from August), but the content is sterling quality. The writer, Adil (no last name given) is a Muslim living in Britain who minces no words in going after the jihadists.

Not only is he severely critical of the present extremists but he does not shy away from shining a bright spotlight on the religion's founder, Mohammad, and its sacred texts.

For me personally, it was an incredible relief to discover his site, especially because unlike most of the so-called "moderate Moslems" who will always make a point of excluding Israel from any peaceful overtures, he offers heartfelt support to the Israeli people and lashes into the Jew-hatred exhibited by so many of his co-religionists.

It's almost like a glimpse into an alternate universe where Islam did not stop evolving centuries ago but instead caught up with the West, Christianity and Judaism.

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