Please don’t get annoyed over what I am going to write about the bombings in Riyadh. We live in a time when those who try to hold fast to Islam find themselves in the position of people holding a fireball in their hands. I don’t think that any sane Muslim who believes in God would consider what happened in Riyadh in any way acceptable. Killing and terrorizing the innocent has never been permissible or acceptable by any standards, religious or otherwise. People who monitor and follow such developments must feel disappointed and frustrated when they see how things have become all mixed up.
The US is bent on labeling us all “terrorists” while linking our religious beliefs to terrorism. Unfortunately, some of us, in good or bad faith, intentionally or unintentionally, share this American view.
Those who share the American view just parrot what the Americans say — that religion is to blame for these acts. Judging by the reactions following the Riyadh bombings, it does seem that we have accepted the idea that religious men were behind the bombings and are thus the real terrorists. No one can deny the fact that there are extremists among religious men; we all know there are people with closed minds who refuse to tolerate other opinions. This may be true but we should not generalize. People are confused as to where all this will lead us.
When crimes involving the killing of school children and the murder of innocent people inside their homes are committed in the United States, no one blames the school curriculum or religious beliefs. Americans don’t blame their way of life or religion for such crimes. But when an isolated incident is committed by a group of deranged and deviant individuals, we blame our educational system and our religious beliefs. Crimes are committed everywhere, whenever the environment is ripe.
But it seems we have made ourselves loudspeakers echoing what America says. Why all this self-hatred, and why are some among us always ready to wage war against their own religion and religious people?
Arab News From the Local Press 26 May 2003
