Muslim Leaders Renounce Terrorism

The unsuccessful attempts by recent terrorists has brought to the forefront America’s fear that all it will take is one successful act of terrorism to severely damage our country. This fear is resonating in the American-Muslim communities, as well. It is a demanding concern that must be addressed immediately by the Muslim community and it calls for them to break their silence.  

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, which claims to be the first American-Muslim Organization, seems to be the first to speak out. The Organization’s national VP, Naseem Mahdi, wrote: “It is high time that Muslims living in the US wake up to their responsibilities and declare openly and repeatedly and loudly that they stand for peace and loyalty (to the US) and are proud of it.” (Link: www.foxnews.com/opinion/2010/05/05/naseem-mahdi-muslim-clerics-hijacked-faith-islam-peace/). Mahdi gave a speech on Tuesday, May 4, at the National Press Club warning American Muslims of the “consequences of silence.” He also stated that: “Islam condemns terrorism unreservedly and totally and it is the duty and responsibility of all Muslims living in the US to be loyal to the flag and to be law-abiding citizens.” His advice to people who are supporting and committing terror in the name of Islam is that they should “be bold and go live in the lands where their loyalties belong.” He goes on to say that it is his belief that “If the vast majority of reasonable, peace-loving and law-abiding population of Muslims living in the US do not speak out and speak out loudly, this will continue and ultimately ruin the lives, economic and social, of all Muslims and the community at large.”

It seems that in the past years the leaders of the Muslim community may have been frightened to take the risk to actually speak out, especially the Pakistani-Americans. Irfan Malilk, the executive director of the DC-based Pakistani American Public Affairs Committee, and Javed Iqbal, who is on the board of the Council of Pakistan American Affairs in Los Angeles, both expressed their concerns that finally may overshadow this intimidation. The fear of physical attacks is a great risk, but “our concern is more of the systematic backlash that might come in because of policies. The general atmosphere becomes uneasy. The looks and stares, it becomes more evident.” What Iqbal is referring to is the affect public tension will have on Pakistani Americans who want to travel and visit their family. The worries are with extra scrutiny, counterterrorism regulations, increases in general suspicion, job discrimination, and the similarity of names with people listed on the no-fly list. We are seeing that the American Muslims are between a ‘rock and a hard place’ and their only choice may be to break their silence. If more Muslim-Islamic leaders, along with their followers, take the risk and speak out publicly, their numbers alone will gather support from the American people, helping to minimize their risk. American-Muslims need to do this as the future of American-Islamic peace is in jeopardy.