London: Looking for a Muslim Response

One of the most interesting responses to the terrorist attacks in London that I've come across in the last few days has been at Iraqi Expat. It's a weblog by Ahmad, a muslim Iraqi now living in the UK. In his post Shame, Embarrassment, Time to Wake Up Ahmad writes about how ashamed he has felt because of the terrorist actions of extremists. He says:

"Yesterday I said "My family and I are ashamed of being Muslims". Many of you asked me not to be ashamed for obvious and logical reasons; however, I can't help it but feel ashamed.
...I was ashamed when Muslims and Arabs committed the evil 9/11 attacks; I was even more ashamed when Muslims and Arabs celebrated these attacks in the streets. I despise them all.
...Yesterday I was ashamed, because Muslims have attacked innocents in the country that has given to Muslims more than any other Muslim or non-Muslim country."

I can relate to Ahmad's sentiments here. Although my head tells me that I'm not responsible for the actions of others, my heart seems to take a little longer to process that when some-one who says they are Christian commits a crime, or when some-one from my country does something irresponsible or harmful. We feel connected in name, or somehow guilty by the remotest of associations. But we are not held responsible for sins we do not commit.

The comments section of Ahmad's post contains one of the most interesting discussions I've seen in blogging. In the post, and the comments, views are expressed concerning how moderate muslims can respond to radical muslim organisations. Ahmad and others express that they would like to see muslims calling for action against radical muslim organisation. One commenter also says:

"All religions are, essentially, the imitation of their founder(s).
Christianity is about imitate Jesus
Buddism is about imitating the Buddha
Islam is about imitating Mohammed.
Now, look in the Hadit, read what Mohammed did and said; ALL please, not only the good things.
Then, now, do you would live near someone that imitate Mohammed, Jesus, or Bhudda?"

It's quite a bold comment, but what interested me was Ahmad's response:

"You are going into a complicated subject; but in principle you are right. The problem is that many Muslims are afraid of reforming Islam, afraid that by doing so or asking this would mean they are no longer good Muslims. I DO THINK SO. I believe it is the duty of Muslims today to reinterpret and reform Islam."

There's more discussion on that in the comments at the post. I think this sort of response, calling for moderate muslims to speak out more, is an important one. In his follow-up post Muslims Against Terrorism, Ahmad has presented some ideas that muslims can consider putting into action. One of those is a sidebar banner that muslim bloggers can put on their blogs. I've put one at the top of this post so that people can see it. I have a different banner, that a number of weblogs are using, in my own sidebar. Ahmad is also proposing having wristbands, buttons and such made - which I think is an excellent idea. There is also a statement at the top of Ahmad's blog, "We defy Terrorism", which is taking pledges from people who commit to assembling in London "in a public demonstration of respect to the victims of the July 7 atrocity, defiance of the murderers who carried it out and solidarity with the people of London."

Some of the discussion at Iraqi Expat has been about finding a word which invites a diversity of people to support muslim initiatives against terrorism. "Universalism" and "pluralism" were mooted. Personally I don't think either of those will achieve the aim, which is that people of different faiths can speak together against terrorism without feeling like they are pressured to change or compromise their beliefs. The reason I say that is that "universalism" and "pluralism" carry a theological meaning for Christians - and some of us wouldn't be comfortable with those words and yet would want to support muslims speaking against terrorism. I think perhaps no one label is needed, just the invitation to be supportive.

I recommend visiting Ahmad's blog, in which he also has very interesting points to make about the extremists in Iraq. In my post here I have in part continued some of the discussion, and I hope also that I have conveyed my encouragement and support for the anti-terrorist position Ahmad and others have taken as they look for a muslim response. Islamic extremist are not only engaged in a war against Westerners, but also against moderate muslims, as Another Think points out in this post, which comments on "a civil war raging within Islam against a more moderate, progressive, western-friendly approach to faith".