Muslim Blogosphere Reacts to London Blast
We hope that multi-lingual bridge-bloggers can help translate more of what bloggers are saying in Arabic, Farsi and other languages. (If you have done so please let us know in the comments section at the bottom of this post.) Meanwhile, here is what has come through our aggregator in English (and a little French):
Mahmood at Mahmood's Den sends his condolences to the bereaved, and calls the terrorists “animals.” He writes:
The way to beat them is not to give in to them, and more democracy and democratic institutions, a complete overhaul of the education system in the Arab and Muslim worlds and the full separation of Mosque and State.
The time is now. We have to get this done. Otherwise we will be completely left behind and will suffer much more at the hands of these terrorists.
My heart and thoughts go to the people of the United Kingdom in this very difficult time.
Ali Mostashari at Free Thoughts on Iran calls for moderates everywhere to unite against extremism of all stripes:
The choice of the Islamic fundamentalists, the Neocons and Christian Fundamentalists seems clear. What is unclear in this period of time is the role of the progressive peoples representing the multiple civilizations at odds. For long the only thing we have achieved is to condemn acts of wars and atrocities, without an actual and concrete alternative to offer. So how about it? Do we want to sit and watch while the hatemongers in our nations take over the destiny of mankind and steer us towards massive bloodshed? What concrete ways are there to address issues of terrorism and bigotry in the Middle East, the growth of the military-industrial complex and religious fundamentalism and the retreat of rationality and human ideals in the West? Are there ways to address these issues on a global level? What I would like to see is something beyond the conventional intellectual response of demonstrating outside the White House etc. Where do we start? What do we learn? What ways can we propose? What organizations can help get our agendas on the table? I personally don’t have any answers to these, but I believe in collective wisdom. If we think about it together we might be able to do things beyond just empty talk.
Progressives of the World Unite!!!
From Cairo With Love tells the terrorists to go to hell, but has no love lost for the Bush administration's war on terror, either:
Damn. One hell of a terrorist attack in London. Devastating. We already know how mindless sick bastards those terrorists are. But I have one question, what the hell have Bush and Co. been doing for the last few years? Four years fighting that alleged war on terror, making us live hell in the process. And our Ambassador to Iraq has just been executed today. Boy, do I feel safer now!
Iraqi Expat (who lives in London) had a friend who is only alive today because he mistakenly got off at the wrong subway stop and decided to go for a smoke. A Muslim himself, he describes the “rage” and “irrational thoughts” he and his family experienced all day:
Today's attacks must – and they will – strengthen our commitment to defeat this barbaric hateful terrorism. We will not bow – I will never bow – to these despicable terrorists, even if my life depends on it. What happened to London today was an outrageous evil act by shameless criminals who, sadly, call themselves Muslims. Today, my family and I are ashamed of being Muslims.
Hammorabi in Iraq extends his condolences from a people who understand how Londoners feel today:
We know the pain, sadness and chaos that such inhumane acts may bring to a lot of innocent people and families because we experiencing it on a daily basis from the same thugs, the Wahabi terrorists cockroaches.
We wrote before about cutting the route of such terrorism from the doctrine of the wahabism which gave birth to Al-Qaida and its barbaric groups. Again we repeat the same call here; f the world wants to cut the route of terrorism it has to be done from the wahabism not from the tails.
Jordanian blogger Natasha at Mental Mayhem is horrified.
Pakistani blogger Hardly Innovative writes:
To anyone out there who thinks they can change the world by hurting others: Terrorism is NOT OKAY. Killing people is NOT OKAY. This is NOT ISLAM. This will NOT get you to heaven. Terrorism is SATANIC and barbaric! Islam even forgave the very people who wanted to destroy it from the moment it was brought to the world!
People everywhere, raise your voice against terrorism, dont be intimidated by it! Raise your voices against the crimes of the terrorists, against the state-led terrorist acts, against war, against poverty!! Dont sit back and take whatever your governments give you. Dont just watch CNN and blindly believe whatever they say and not think about what they dont! Make yourselves aware, and make sure you are heard!!!!
We all deserve better leaders and a better world, a more peaceful world. May common sense prevail.
Turkish blogger Serdar Kaya writes at Socioeconomics:
Be it Al-Qaida or not, most people today are suffering from the actions of those who believe to be in the possession of ultimate truth, and do not feel a need to check their premises or try and see the world from other viewpoints.
Tunisian blogger Neila Charchour Hachicha asks: “is condemnation enough?” [fr]
100 comments
Christian religious groups do not bomb abortion clinics, gay bars or the Olympics. Misguided individuals of all faiths commit criminal acts, of course. To say that because some nutcase professes to be Christian, Jewish, Hindu or Muslim that, therefore, that religous group should be blamed is not the argument of a serious person. Bubba throwing an M80 at a gay bar is not the same as acts of murder committed by a terrorist network that is organized and abetted by many religous leaders in the Muslim world and who draws many of its recruits from madrasas where hate for the West is preached daily. I am not aware of any international Christian, Jewish or Hindu terror groups that even claim to represent their faith, let alone are significantly integrated with their religious leadership.
” “Christian religous groups do not commit acts of terrorism at all … No bombings” ….ex xcept for some abortion clinics, gay bars and the olympics …. ”
The people who bombed abortion clinics, gay bars (when did that happene xactly?), or the Olympics are prosecuted and they’re in jail Theyr’e condemned by Christian religious leaders and followers, they’re not considered heroes. What they did is against Christian teaching and doctrine. The creeps who did those things aren’t quoting passages from the Bible to justify what they did. Not even close, Farris.
Garnets, I did not give you permission to use my last name with no honorific.
And yes, the scale is wildly different but the first poster used absolutist language that is technically speaking incorrect. Just thought I’d point it out. There are some pretty unwholesome strains of fundamentalist christianity out there, not comparable in size or degree with the hardcore Muslim political fanatics, but they shouldn’t get a free pass either. And the olympic bomber didn’t hide out successfully for years on his own …
… So you are implying, what, that the Southern Baptists hid out the olympic bomber? Or was it the Methodists? Maybe the Unitarians?
Way to backpedal Farris. “…yes, the scale is wildly different but…” But I’ll equate individual criminals with global terrorists anyway cause I cant’t live in a world where cultures that stive for fairness, justice, personal and economic growth, equal opportunity for all, respect for women and minorities are allowed to feel superior cause, like, it’s wrong to feel that you are better than anyone else. “We are all the same. All cultures are equal. This is no good or evil. There are no bad people, only misunderstood. It’s society’s fault.”
I am optimistic about finding this blog site after seeing some
of the irrational name calling on web posts. We need to hear
more from people who are able to think in more than simplistic
“us vs. them” terms.
This has been a great opportunity for your Muslim contributors
to express their views re: the London bombings. They are the
people who are serving Islam well.
SB, more last names with no honorifics? I sing my whole, real name so that people may adress me properly.
And what are you blathering about, anyway? Do you suppose you could try for some coherence?
I think that if we could begin to define ourselves firstly as human
beings and secondly define ourselves by our faith, colour or sex
that would go a long way towards helping our situation. We are all
together on this small planet. We are all one.
I just did a quick translation of some of the comments posted in German. The first comment under “London Bombings: Reaktionen”: Nothing will be the same after today. Every day after today will be different. How will the Brits feel when they step back onto the bus and subway on the way to work? No one who saw yesterday’s pictures….. And a second translation of the next comment (it starts: […] Welt kann den): The world will see nothing good of these attacks, that is clear. Rebecca MacKinnon has brought together the voices of Muslim bloggers….
I appreciate the few muslims who condemn the bombings, but it has been only a few. There is a sickness in the muslim culture that worships death, hates jews, fears modernism and pluralism. They cut off heads, they dance in the streets at the massacre of thousands on 9/11, they blame their societal woes on bogus Zionist conspiracies, and enshroud their women in garments that are literally and figuratively oppressive. There is nothing good about muslim culture today. Nothing.