Sunday, December 03, 2017
Monday, November 27, 2017
Sunday, June 04, 2017
Is this really for Allah?
One of my closest friends, Raashid, is a Muslim. Whenever the
kind of atrocity that was unleashed at London Bridge on June 3rd, 2017 occurs,
Raashid would always insist that the perpetrators are not Muslims. He would
insist that no true Muslim would lay into the innocent going about their
businesses and stab them to death, chanting “This is for Allah”. This argument
may make sense if we allow ourselves to accept that Islam is a religion of
peace. The reality, however, is that the more these horrible acts of violence
are committed in the name of their religion and Allah, and we don’t get
convincing condemnation of the acts from top Muslims in authority, we struggle
to know exactly what to believe.
The statement by Harun Khan, Secretary General of the Muslim
Council of Britain is welcome, but is very carefully crafted not to ruffle
feathers. We need stronger condemnation of the terrorists and a clearer
distancing of Islam from these people, if like my friend Raashid suggests, these
people are not Muslims. If this kind of clarity is not achieved, there is a
likelihood that people will continue to treat all Muslims with suspicion.
The perpetrators of the London Bridge attacks were killed
without knowing for sure if the attacks were for Allah or for their friends and
family members killed during one of Britain’s interventions in an Islamic
country. We have to look into the possibility that these are reprisal attacks
avenging the deaths of loved ones. Generally nobody seems to care when hundreds
and thousands of ordinary citizens in Iraq, Libya, or any other Islamic country
Britain and allies have attacked in the name of democracy or freedom for the
people. We simply carry on because we believe that these are just collateral
costs of the attacks. We forget that the dead have surviving relatives who may
not share our political ideologies.
Nnorom Azuonye
04.06.17
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