What has happened
Tuesday was catastrophic. It was even bigger than pearl
harbor. Words cannot describe the magnitude of the human tragedy that has
taken place. The consequences of this event will be far reaching and will
necessarily have global as well as local impact on Muslims.
If the perpetrators of this extremely horrible, senseless and inhuman act
are Muslims, then it can be safely assumed that decades of work by
scholars, groups and activists to improve relations between the US and
the Muslim World has been severely reversed.
The response to today's terrible tragedies will have an impact on the US role
in world politics, and will effect US immigration policy.� And now it seems
unlikely that the secret evidence act will be repealed.� In fact, one
may expect more laws which will curtail the civil rights of all Americans to be
passed.
Muslims in America will be at the mercy of the wisdom of American
leadership. Muslims must encourage the US government not to compromise American
values of democracy because it would mean that the terrorists have
succeeded in destroying the American way of life, and that would be their
greatest victory.
| ________
Muslims must encourage the US
government not to compromise American
values of democracy because it would mean that the terrorists have
succeeded in destroying the American way of life, and that would be their
greatest victory.
_________ |
This event will eventually strengthen the US both internally and
externally. More and more countries traditionally aligned against the US,
like India, Russia and China will enhance their cooperation with the US to
fight international terrorism, global militancy from non-state actors and
other forms of non-state violence. It may provide a rallying
point around which the world may unite behind the US to more aggressively
deal with global terrorism and conflicts.
At the moment it is vital that Muslim governments especially in Egypt,
Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Jordan, Iran and Iraq cooperate with US
authorities to the fullest extent possible.� It is even more crucial that
American Muslim groups, organizations and individuals come out and unconditionally condemn this
dastardly act in the strongest of terms. Secondly, they must put their
contacts and resources, both in the US and the Muslim World, at the
disposal of US authorities to identify and apprehend the perpetrators and
their supporters.
This is not the time for politics. This is the moment for unity and all
Americans, regardless of their faith, politics and ethnicity must unite
behind the singular principle that an attack against one American is an
attack against all.
Not all Muslims are terrorists and Islam does not condone such inhuman
acts. No one disputes that. This act threatens all things that are good
about the US and we must guard against it jealously. We must not allow the
terrorists under any circumstances to alter our values and our sense of
fairness and justice. It violates all that Islam stands for and must be
condemned without reservation.
Individuals and groups who commit such acts are not only the enemies of
Islam because they give it a bad name by calling it jihad but are also the
enemies of humanity. They have confessed their complete lack of compassion
for and solidarity with human society. There is no need to feel
defensive about Islam. Sometimes Muslims in their zeal to protect the
image of Islam act injudiciously. Today they will have to trust American
people and American leadership to make the right decisions.
Unfortunately if this is an act by Osama Bin Laden or some other Muslim group, it
will give most nations the freedom to act with impunity against Muslims;
India in Kashmir, China in Xinjiang, Russia in Chechnya, Israel in
Palestine and Muslim governments against their oppositions. They will use
the slogan "fight against terrorism" as a cover to brutally subdue
legitimate Muslim struggles. In that past, the fear of the US forced these
states to act with restrain.� Now they may want to act with US support.
It is my hope that wisdom prevails and while recognizing
the paramount need to maintain security, the US will not give up its moral
struggles to promote democracy and freedom overseas.
If Muslims are responsible for the attack on America, then Muslims as
never before will be in desperate need of American protection. Muslims in
America will need the US to defend them from the rise in xenophobia and
hatred that may arise. Muslims overseas will need to the US to protect
them from their own authoritarian governments and from the nations that
occupy them from Kashmir to Palestine who may wish to exploit this
tragedy.
____________________________________________
Dr. Muqtedar Khan is the Director of
International studies at Adrian College in Michigan. He is on the board of the
Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy and the Association of Muslim Social
Scientists.
