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This sounds like the perfect chance to adopt at least some of my suggestions listed below. If your 100+ religious leaders adopted the first several of the suggestions, signed and went on CNN and other main news outlets in the US it would make REAL news. Complaining about Congressional hearings isn’t going to get above the noise of the day. In fact most Americans agree with Rep. King that it would be good to know how and who is being radicalized in the US, like the Times Square attempted bombing / bomber. It’s a logical question and Al Quida keeps wanting to recruit American passport holders too.

Much of the backlash against the Muslim community after 9/11 could have been avoided if a LARGE group of your leaders LOUDLY & CLEARLY condemned the attacks and again LOUDLY & CLEARLY disavowed any sections of the Koran calling for violence or subjugation of others, as they have NO PLACE in a peaceful, civil society. Also, if local Mosques publicly stated the same as above on TV and to local Churches it would have
calmed many of the fears.

Of the several interviews I saw shortly after 9/11, not one of the religious leaders hit the right tone.

Here are my 5 or 6:

1. Condemn all violence in the name of religion.

2. Condemn the preaching of hate against America.

3. Preach tolerance towards other religions.

4. Encourage new immigrants to show tolerance and to assimilate.

5. Do your best to keep the America hating Imams from coming to the US.

6. Don’t cower because of Muslim internal threats against you. Stand up
for your principles! That’s what America is all about!

7. Perhaps look at having a reform movement that distances it’s self from
the violent teachings in the Koran that the terrorists use as excuses
for the violence. Then add full tolerance into it.

//J Patrick
4 April 2011 at 9:04 pm

JPatrick:

Nowhere in your post did you mention:

1) Stop the teaching & preaching of hatred toward Muslim & Islam
2) Stand up to the liars against Islam (or any religion) who only pose
as “experts on Islam” or that particular faith
3) Recognize that all U.S. citizens can speak out against violence that
occurs in other countries, but we can be most effective against
violence committed by American citizens “in the name of religion” (i.e. Jerry Jones in the USA)
4) Cease attacks on minority faith adherents with bigotry and lies

Your acknowledgment of the fact that “….most people in American (polled) agree with Peter King” only confirms that points cited in this article (see FACTS & FIGURES above)! You did read the whole article, didn’t you??

In the meantime, I read your whack, biased 7 points. They are all directed at what you’d like Muslims to do while those attacking Islam with their lies are simply to be tolerated. In fact, your suggestions are downright offensive & disrespectful. Your type of palaver is the type that burns bridges, closes doors and turns off means of communication between non-Muslims & Muslims. No wise person disrespects a person or group of people and expects them to even begin to consider to take their suggestion(s).

Where was your suggestion of tolerance for all religions?? No….don’t waste your time trying to re-read your points; you didn’t even imply it!

There is not ONE letter or even a hamza of the Qur’an that a practicing Muslim would change. Unlike the lies floating around on the Internet, the Qur’an contains literal and allegorical verses. We can live by the Qur’an, AS IS, and live peaceful, pious lives.

Your suggestions are literal garbage and you’ve wasted your time posting them.

//DeucePrez
4 April 2011 at 9:52 pm

JPatrick

You wrote:the violent teachings in the Koran that the terrorists use as excuses
for the violence.
Show me those verses in the Koran and i will show you similar verses in the Bible. And i will add perhaps, thats why your government is bombarding innocent Muslims in Iraq,Afghanistan,and Pakistan,is that your government is also taking such verses from the Bible as an excuse to kill innocent people in the countries i mentioned, in hospitals,schools, mosques ,and esle where, with weappons of Democratic destruction.

You see i sat down with a congress women and she said: Walid, individuals take things to an extreme not religion.Basically, it the individaul who takes his/her understanding of religion to an extreme and then blame it on religion. And unfortunately most of the Americans are parrots they only repeat what Fox and CNN say. I am different, as a Muslim, i read and i watch news channels from all over the world, i refuse to have some one buy or rent my mind.

//walid ashoor
5 April 2011 at 6:11 am

JPatrick,

This whole paternalistic patronizing tone towards Muslims is getting REAL old. Muslims DO speak out against violence and terrorism ALL THE TIME. Our leaders, especially here in the US try to be vocal, but unfortunately, the news is more prone to court the fanatics that make sensational headlines than the normal Muslims who just blend in to the rest of American life.

Every time a Christian in the US does something abhorrent I do not call on Christians to act in unison and send out a resounding NO across the airwaves. It is more difficult than you think to just get a spot on CNN. People of more privaledged positions in society have more access to communication outlets. And people in the majority control the messages that come from the minority. I can talk as much as I want about my faith, but I promise you that will never land me a spot on any mainstream news network. Not to mention when Muslims do outright condemn any of the violence that occurs in Muslim majority countries we are often accused by the token Islamophobes of taqqiya or being disingenuous. It’s a lose lose situation.

If you actually had Muslims in your life and were involved or even around the community, you would see this very firm stance against manifest in many different ways. Even in conversations among Muslims.

//sunnishine
5 April 2011 at 9:24 am

J Patrick, I bet you have NOT assimilated to the TRUE American(the native American) ways. YOU raped, pillaged and took away their LAND. NOW you want and expect the Muslims to assimilate. I SAY A BIG NO to that!!! Not this or any other group needs to assimilate unless we ALL change to the Native American ways. SHAME on you for even suggesting such an idea. You would not ask that of an Amish, Mennonite, Hasidic Jew, Mormon etc……….. Muslims don’t need to apologize to you or anyone about 911. Although I can guarantee you that ALL Muslims, like most decent human beings feel VERY, VERY BAD about the loss of life on 911 and all the GRIEF and PAIN this has brought to the families. You need to ask the BUSH and company to apologize, because they are the authors of this TRAGEDY and killings of innocent people and deceiving the American citizens(HITLER used the same type of tactics to start wars and how many MILLIONS of innocent lives he took??????……. Bush and his cronies are responsible for creating animosity towards Islam and people of the Arab descent and they have done a pretty good job. He did say he’s on a “CRUSADE”. I call him the modern day CRUSADER…. You and all of us need an apology from the previous administration (WAR MONGERING, REPUBLICANS not all but most! My perception and opinions! Roy

//roy
5 April 2011 at 4:48 pm

[...] Du kan læse mere HER [...]

//100 imamer opfordre til freds-demostration i New York - DF-Nyt | DF-Nyt
6 April 2011 at 6:47 am

Oh, where do I start? Probably with the most obvious.

Remember 9/11? That was a REALLY bad PR thing for the Muslim faith, especially since those that did it, did it in the name of Allah.

It scared most Americans, I’m sure plenty of Muslim Americans, too.

Since you are a small minority and many are recently immigrated or 1st generation in the US – many Americans don’t really know any Muslims, at least on a personal level.

Since the 9/11 hijackers message of hate against America & Americans has been seared in the memories of all Americans, – that at least some Muslims want to kill them, they have the basic instinctive questions:

Are my family and community safe?

Who exactly are these Muslim people?

What do they believe?

Do they believe in killing in the name of religion?

I hear their holy book, the Koran, is filled with passages about waging war and that Muhammad was a great warrior and he & his followers killed many people. I hear they cut off heads!

I also hear the terrorists quote the Koran when justifying killing us.

The ones on TV kind of sound nice but they never really condemn other Muslims who preach hate. Is this killing OK with them? Are they afraid to speak out because “bad Muslims” are threatening the “good ones”?

Jesus never preached to hate or kill. He wasn’t a warrior. He showed us that all the killing in the Old Testament wasn’t the right thing to do anymore. That we could love and be tolerant. Christians didn’t need the sword to convert the whole Roman Empire, they just used love and living a good example.

I hear in some Muslim countries they persecute Chritians and you can’t even talk about your faith. That American lady’s being prosecuted for blasphemy and could be put to death. Do they really believe it’s OK to kill her for talking about religion? Do my Muslim neighbors think that too?

Didn’t Muslims just attack a Christian Church in Iraq, wanting to drive out Christians? You know, Christians used to be the majority in the middle east & africa, now they are just a few percent. When the Muslims conqured those areas they must have killed Chritians in the name of religion. Do they think that was OK?

Why don’t the Muslims just come out, a big group of ther religious leaders, and condemn all violence in the name of religion. It would sure make me feel better and then maybe I could feel we could be friends.

//J Patrick
7 April 2011 at 10:20 pm

Oh, I almost forgot.

It’s your religion, not mine. If you want me to know about it then tell me about it AND answer all my questions.

If you can’t or won’t, I’ll always have doubts.

//J Patrick
7 April 2011 at 11:03 pm

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