Last weekend I had the pleasure of speaking (on racial harmony) and playing music at Oxford University, in ?jolly ol' England.? It was quite inspiring to see so many young, committed folks come together for a Jewish/pro-Israel oriented experience - especially in this bastion of ancient college tradition and culture. Yet, despite all the Christian overtones to Oxford's colleges (names like Trinity and Christ), the most visible group there were the Muslims. I was told that this small town now has more than a dozen mosques with a new, huge one under construction.
Hey, I'm a big believer in free speech, freedom of worship. Jews, more than any other group throughout history, know all too well what it's like to have these basic rights taken away. Still, I couldn't help but wonder where the Oxford Muslims? true sentiments lie. Many Oxford folks were quick to point out that "their" Muslims were essentially Pakistanis and not really too concerned about Middle East politics. And it was true that I only saw a few walls with graffiti that declared "Free Palestine!"
It was, in fact, their silence, that had me alarmed. Why didn't I read any statements from the Oxford Muslim leaders or lay people declaring that it wasn't right to riot and kill over the Miss World contest in Nigeria? How come no Muslims protested or wrote anything against the declaration that it was "kosher" to spill the blood of the Christian female news reporter, Ms. Daniel, for having the audacity to express her own opinions about Mohammed? Why was there no great world pressure on Egypt (you know, the modern Arabic "peace" partner with democratic Israel) when it recently showed a television program based on the harshly false, anti-Semitic Protocols of the Elders of Zion? Hitler would have proud of them. Where was the protest from the enlightened Muslims? And why is it that whenever I read about some terrorism or murder of innocent civilians, or some crazy trouble spot in the world (from 9/11 to Bali to Nigeria to Kenya to Gaza to Moscow - unfortunately the list keeps on going), it's a pretty sure bet the Muslim fanatics are behind it - and that the "moderate," law-abiding, decent Muslims are once again silent. There is no voice of dissension, of protest, of rage.
There is the old adage that the "squeaky wheels getting the grease." But these are not just loud, obnoxious wheels, they are sharp, dangerous ones that threaten and coerce not just the majority of the Muslim world, but the entire free world in general. We have seen the results of this pattern of subversion and repression by the Palestinian Authority, Hamas, and other so-called "leadership" groups against their own people. Here too, as in the rest of the world, Arabs who dare criticize PA practices and policies risk a quick kangaroo court, if they're lucky, to face "Muslim justice." The not-so-lucky ones, including in one case a pregnant mother of many children, have been dragged out of their homes in broad daylight for rape and/or execution from a blood-thirsty mob.
So the question comes down to this: are the so-called "middle" Muslims afraid to speak out, or do they really side with the "fanatics" anyhow? Where is the sense of outrage and condemnation when an Arab woman has to flee her country for stating that Moslem men repress women? Why doesn't the United Nations call for an investigation into the PA practice of teaching racism, turning children into suicide bombers, and shooting from (hiding) behind ambulances and schools? Perhaps the UN too, has long ago been coerced into deafening silence.
All freedom loving peoples and nations on this planet must, as President Bush so bravely stated, join together to confront and eliminate this global threat of terrorism. It is particularly insidious since Muslim fundamentalism has no qualms about "killing in the name of...." They have praised terrorism and glorified suicide bombers. We simply cannot be silent any longer as they attempt nothing less than taking the world hostage.
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Dr. David Lazerson, the founder and director of Beth Rafael ? The Alternative Yeshivah High School in Miami, Florida, is the author of Skullcaps and Switchblades and Ammunition.
Hey, I'm a big believer in free speech, freedom of worship. Jews, more than any other group throughout history, know all too well what it's like to have these basic rights taken away. Still, I couldn't help but wonder where the Oxford Muslims? true sentiments lie. Many Oxford folks were quick to point out that "their" Muslims were essentially Pakistanis and not really too concerned about Middle East politics. And it was true that I only saw a few walls with graffiti that declared "Free Palestine!"
It was, in fact, their silence, that had me alarmed. Why didn't I read any statements from the Oxford Muslim leaders or lay people declaring that it wasn't right to riot and kill over the Miss World contest in Nigeria? How come no Muslims protested or wrote anything against the declaration that it was "kosher" to spill the blood of the Christian female news reporter, Ms. Daniel, for having the audacity to express her own opinions about Mohammed? Why was there no great world pressure on Egypt (you know, the modern Arabic "peace" partner with democratic Israel) when it recently showed a television program based on the harshly false, anti-Semitic Protocols of the Elders of Zion? Hitler would have proud of them. Where was the protest from the enlightened Muslims? And why is it that whenever I read about some terrorism or murder of innocent civilians, or some crazy trouble spot in the world (from 9/11 to Bali to Nigeria to Kenya to Gaza to Moscow - unfortunately the list keeps on going), it's a pretty sure bet the Muslim fanatics are behind it - and that the "moderate," law-abiding, decent Muslims are once again silent. There is no voice of dissension, of protest, of rage.
There is the old adage that the "squeaky wheels getting the grease." But these are not just loud, obnoxious wheels, they are sharp, dangerous ones that threaten and coerce not just the majority of the Muslim world, but the entire free world in general. We have seen the results of this pattern of subversion and repression by the Palestinian Authority, Hamas, and other so-called "leadership" groups against their own people. Here too, as in the rest of the world, Arabs who dare criticize PA practices and policies risk a quick kangaroo court, if they're lucky, to face "Muslim justice." The not-so-lucky ones, including in one case a pregnant mother of many children, have been dragged out of their homes in broad daylight for rape and/or execution from a blood-thirsty mob.
So the question comes down to this: are the so-called "middle" Muslims afraid to speak out, or do they really side with the "fanatics" anyhow? Where is the sense of outrage and condemnation when an Arab woman has to flee her country for stating that Moslem men repress women? Why doesn't the United Nations call for an investigation into the PA practice of teaching racism, turning children into suicide bombers, and shooting from (hiding) behind ambulances and schools? Perhaps the UN too, has long ago been coerced into deafening silence.
All freedom loving peoples and nations on this planet must, as President Bush so bravely stated, join together to confront and eliminate this global threat of terrorism. It is particularly insidious since Muslim fundamentalism has no qualms about "killing in the name of...." They have praised terrorism and glorified suicide bombers. We simply cannot be silent any longer as they attempt nothing less than taking the world hostage.
--------------------------------------------------------
Dr. David Lazerson, the founder and director of Beth Rafael ? The Alternative Yeshivah High School in Miami, Florida, is the author of Skullcaps and Switchblades and Ammunition.