25 January 2005
Voices of moderation at a mumble
Malaysia's PM, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, is reported to have urged Muslim nations and scholars to speak out and act against Islamic extremism. Badawi is a far more moderate and unbigoted replacement of his predecessor, Mahathir Mohammed. While on the one hand, Mahathir acted against Islamic extremists in his own country, on the other hand, his frequently anti-Western rhetoric gave encouragement to such militant Muslims.
Still, in many ways, it's not difficult to understand the reasons for moderate Muslims not speaking out more vigorously against militant and deviant Islam. With friends like Bush, Blair and Howard engaging in illegal crusader wars in Iraq and now possibly Iran, who wants to be allied with such paragons of moderation and reason?
How would it be for a respected moderate Muslim leader to urge his compatriots to condemn the excesses of Islamic extremism, while in the background, his "friends" Dubya, Tony and John trashed Iraq against UN Security Council wishes? Wouldn't the audience think that the obvious beneficiaries of proscribed Islamic extremism are in fact, the same people who turned Iraq into rubble based on a pack of lies?
I'd suggest that it leaves a moderate Muslim supporting Bush, Blair and Howard in a somewhat invidious position - urging moderation and respect for the law where the reverse was demonstrated by the self-proclaimed agents of freedom and liberty (neo-con style, that is). Sadly, such a moderate Muslim is in grave danger of soon being hopelessly undermined by his hypocritical friends in a possible Iranian Misadventure.
Still, in many ways, it's not difficult to understand the reasons for moderate Muslims not speaking out more vigorously against militant and deviant Islam. With friends like Bush, Blair and Howard engaging in illegal crusader wars in Iraq and now possibly Iran, who wants to be allied with such paragons of moderation and reason?
How would it be for a respected moderate Muslim leader to urge his compatriots to condemn the excesses of Islamic extremism, while in the background, his "friends" Dubya, Tony and John trashed Iraq against UN Security Council wishes? Wouldn't the audience think that the obvious beneficiaries of proscribed Islamic extremism are in fact, the same people who turned Iraq into rubble based on a pack of lies?
I'd suggest that it leaves a moderate Muslim supporting Bush, Blair and Howard in a somewhat invidious position - urging moderation and respect for the law where the reverse was demonstrated by the self-proclaimed agents of freedom and liberty (neo-con style, that is). Sadly, such a moderate Muslim is in grave danger of soon being hopelessly undermined by his hypocritical friends in a possible Iranian Misadventure.
