Muslims and terrorism
So on Thursday this week, I got an email from BBC world service that they are inviting a “former terrorist” Walid Shoebat to their program “World Have Your Say.”
This guy claims to have bombed a bank in Israel and after moving to the US, accepted Jesus as his saviour and no goes on lecture circuits claiming that Islam is the most dangerous idea of this world.
I thought may be I should ignore it since I focus only on Indian issues and don’ t want to get involved in anything else. But later, thought it was a great opportunity to bring in the Indian Muslims on the world stage. So I talked to the producers and said I am ready and told her what my argument is going to be. She said that she will call me during the program but there is a possibility that they might not get to me during the one hour show.
In the BBC program Walid argument was that “Islam has one goal and it is to overthrow all western cultures.”
Unfortunately, BBC didn’t call me back otherwise I would have told him that a majority of Muslims live outside the Arab land so if we have to understand Islam, we can not ignore Indonesia and India, two largest Muslim countries. We have to see how Islam there interacted with non-Muslims and how Muslims continue to live there for thousands of years.
Walid’s views are very euro-centric, what is preventing Islam from not destroying eastern cultures? Why there is a conflict between Islam and the west and no other region of the world?
Muslims have lived in India for thousands of years and for some of these years and some parts of India Muslim rulers were in authority but Muslims continue to be a minority in India. Not only that all communities retained their faith and traditions and continue to practice them.
In independent India, Muslims have been a the receiving end in terms of communal violence, discrimination in education, government services, etc but have consistently voted for secular parties. Most of Muslim parties have failed miserably in India.
Even though now govt and media claim that Muslims are involved in terrorism, no clinching proof has been given so far. Most of the Muslims arrested on terrorism charges have been released and for others their case drags on with no conviction except in 1993 Mumbai blasts.
So, Muslims just like other people have their hopes and aspirations, want to live a life of dignity, want their children to have good job and education. If Islam is really making people terrorist then there must be one billion terrorists walking on the surface of this world, right now.
This guy claims to have bombed a bank in Israel and after moving to the US, accepted Jesus as his saviour and no goes on lecture circuits claiming that Islam is the most dangerous idea of this world.
I thought may be I should ignore it since I focus only on Indian issues and don’ t want to get involved in anything else. But later, thought it was a great opportunity to bring in the Indian Muslims on the world stage. So I talked to the producers and said I am ready and told her what my argument is going to be. She said that she will call me during the program but there is a possibility that they might not get to me during the one hour show.
In the BBC program Walid argument was that “Islam has one goal and it is to overthrow all western cultures.”
Unfortunately, BBC didn’t call me back otherwise I would have told him that a majority of Muslims live outside the Arab land so if we have to understand Islam, we can not ignore Indonesia and India, two largest Muslim countries. We have to see how Islam there interacted with non-Muslims and how Muslims continue to live there for thousands of years.
Walid’s views are very euro-centric, what is preventing Islam from not destroying eastern cultures? Why there is a conflict between Islam and the west and no other region of the world?
Muslims have lived in India for thousands of years and for some of these years and some parts of India Muslim rulers were in authority but Muslims continue to be a minority in India. Not only that all communities retained their faith and traditions and continue to practice them.
In independent India, Muslims have been a the receiving end in terms of communal violence, discrimination in education, government services, etc but have consistently voted for secular parties. Most of Muslim parties have failed miserably in India.
Even though now govt and media claim that Muslims are involved in terrorism, no clinching proof has been given so far. Most of the Muslims arrested on terrorism charges have been released and for others their case drags on with no conviction except in 1993 Mumbai blasts.
So, Muslims just like other people have their hopes and aspirations, want to live a life of dignity, want their children to have good job and education. If Islam is really making people terrorist then there must be one billion terrorists walking on the surface of this world, right now.
Comments
A bloody lie! How about massive destruction of temples during the Muslim rule? How the heck did Pakistan happen? Why is China worried about it's west-central provinces? Yoga is getting banned in Indonesia? How about the treatment of non-muslims in Malaysia & Indonesia? And more recently the destruction of Bamiyan Buddha statues in Afghanistan. Don't take us for suckers Mr.Kashif!
So it seems that Islam is actually in conflict with other civilizations too? and though Muslims are supposed to destroy all human civilizations as we know it, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, African, and even Western civilizations continue to exist and prosper.
Then this implies that Muslims have failed in their mission. And if they couldn't succeed in last 1400 odd years then what are the odds that they will succeed now.
"How about massive destruction of temples during the Muslim rule?"
I have been trying to document all temples destroyed in India. Can you please provide a list if you have one?
thanks,