The tragic events in Oslo this week brought to mind a long held concern I have about the Muslim Ummah in the United States and around the world. Granted, the perpetrator in Oslo was not Muslim, but he was reacting to Muslim’s migrating into Western Europe. Recently I have heard that liberal members of the Danish government have been speaking out against the “multi-culturalism” that is becoming more and more an issue in Denmark as well. And, of course, Islamophobia is rampant across the United States thanks to the harangues of some parts of the American media, particularly Rupert Murdoch’s henchmen. Whisper who dares!
As those familiar with my blogging and production activity on BridgesTV know, I have long been a stalwart defender of Muslims in general. Indeed, I believe that our Diversity is the fundamental strength of the United States, and I see that most Muslim Americans have been valuable citizens in their communities, so I do not change that view here. But this piece is not about that! This is also not about what is wrong with Christianity and non-Muslim elements of our society—and those are plenty.
I have long been disappointed that most Muslims will not speak up about what is wrong (or what is right, for that matter) with their religion, their various cultures, and the state of the Muslim world. What the rest of us hear, if we hear much of anything, is something like CAIR’s daily e-mail pitty-party about how Muslims are put upon by the rest of us. We hear little or nothing about how Muslims have identified the things that are wrong in Muslim society, and what Muslims are doing about it.
Of course, this begs the question of the “Arab Spring,” where Muslims in their millions have stood up and died saying, “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore.” But what has happened? Very little! The Egyptians still haven’t had an election, though they managed to rid themselves of a cancer ridden despot. There’s a new leader in Tunisia, but is anyone happy? Saudi women still have no rights, including the very basic right to drive (the only women in the world so forbidden by their (who? government? religion? what?), even in Muslim countries), and only one Saudi seems to have appeared for the March 11, 2011 protests, Khaled Al-Johani, and he seems to be among the “disappeared.” A few women have driven their cars in defiance, but after a trip to the police station escorted by the Saudi version of the Spanish Inquisition (a long abolished institution in the West), the chorus seems to be, “We love our King!” The list goes on.
Muslims seem to be slinking back into their customary reticence. Looking into the situation from the outside, a famous quote suddenly came to mind, “If you can’t say anything good about something, don’t say anything.” Is that it?
I am sorry to say that Muslim silence is not doing you any good. Take a look at American society. We are a noisy, debating, cantankerous lot, BUT through this process of noisy debate, like tempering steel, we have created the strongest country in the world. Many of you reading this came here because you knew you would have a better life here, rather than living under dictators masquerading as theocrats, and you have.
As I hear more and more really atrocious things about Muslim societies, I am finding it harder and harder to be one of your few defenders. My wife and I watched a Netflix documentary called “Afghan Star” recently, and I wanted to be sick to my stomach. The 3 women, who managed to participate in what passed for a talent contest in Afghanistan, were threatened with death and even worse, multiple times. What are we non-Muslims supposed to think when Muslims themselves will not put a stop to such behavior?
What are non-Muslims supposed to think when we hear more and more egregious stories of punishments meted out under Shariah law? What are non-Muslims supposed to think when even Muslim Americans will not speak out loudly against honor killings, repression of women, and incest in Muslim communities? What kind of people are you? Really!
Yes, the incident in Oslo, that seems to have taken over 90 lives, was very tragic! BUT, I fear that the blowback is going to be even worse with terrible impact on Muslim communities in the West, unless you are willing to take on the very troublesome issues in Muslim communities globally, and get them fixed. Yes, various attacks on bona fide Muslim religious beliefs and Muslims themselves are reprehensible. But if you think many more Muslims ought to be permitted to come into Western societies, you’ll need to prove to my fellow Westerners that you are civilized. Much of what we see in Muslim countries was rejected by civilization in most of the world centuries ago.
When a woman is killed in an honor killing, is this what Allah wants? When Saudi women are not allowed to drive, is this what Allah wants? If you think that, then why has Allah not punished the other 56 Muslim countries in the world, not to mention everyone else that takes women driving for granted? When a woman is threatened with death for singing a song or dancing, is this what Allah wants? If so, why does Allah allow women to dance in the rest of the world? Why is belly dancing practically synonymous with major parts of Muslim societies? Where is the punishment? Looking objectively, I have to say that it is Muslim societies that are being punished for not modernizing, not the rest of humanity. It sure looks like Allah is making things pretty unpleasant for lots of Muslims, while the rest of us enjoy a higher standard of living in Freedom.
You can complain all you like, but it seems to me that things are going to get worse and worse, unless Muslims are ready to stand up and speak out against the things that are wrong in Muslim societies. I don’t need to give you the rest of the laundry list. You already have it, I am sure.
In my heart, I know that there is much that is good about Islam and the people who practice it. But you need better PR urgently, or it is evident that all of the Islamophobia that has been building up in the West for well over a decade will start causing very serious problems. Changes need to be made and soon!
If you don’t have the courage to stand up against these wrongs, which are clearly evident to the rest of us, then don’t say anything, but remember this article when things get worse. It seems that’s where things are heading unless you start to make the necessary changes. Who will do the right thing, and start to get these problems solved?
I am building a community of people who are not afraid to speak their minds at http://archetypeinaction.com. I need more writers, who will sound off and demand the changes that are needed. Write to me at skip@archetypeinaction.com.
