[Muslim_Perth]

http://icssa.org/muslim_leaders.htm

Our feckless Muslim Community Leaders

By Yvonne Ridley

Published: February 12, 2006 by Daily Muslims


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Have you ever seen a one-legged man in an ass-kicking competition? No, neither have I, but it is a silly image which continually interrupts my thoughts these days.
You see this quite ridiculous vision reminds me of all those self-appointed, self-deluded, self-important Muslim community leaders who try and speak in our name.

They, indeed, are like the one-legged men and when they lash out their actions become all too obvious to everyone but them.

And just of late these pathetic, individuals who still believe they are serving under the Great British Empire have been stumbling and falling down all over the place as they race to the start line of the competition.

Most of us stand silently on the sidelines in despair, as these craven creatures spew out their bile and condemnation towards their own brothers and sisters.
By kicking Muslim ass they are simply kissing Boss Class-ass ... and by that I mean the rump of the Establishment Just recently passions have been inflamed as ordinary Muslims across the world have had to deal with..:
BLASPHEMOUS cartoons depicting our Beloved Prophet (pbuh).

ISLAMAPHOBIC attacks on our great Faith.

THREATS of more Qur'anic abuse.

DOUBLE standards when it comes to justice.

Now, more than ever, we have needed revolutionary leaders to stand in our corner and verbally bash the politicians, Islamaphobics, racists and secularists who are queuing up to attack the Muslim community.

Now, more than ever, we need the Muslim equivalent of Che Guevara, Fidel Castro or Hugo Chavez.

With the exception of the heroic Palestinians like the late Sheikh Yasin, and may be Marwan Barghouti still caged in an Israeli prison, the only Muslim leaders we have are those belly-dancing Arab despots who betrayed and delivered Iraq on a plate to Uncle Sam.

Millions of us across the world have marched, protested, rallied and petitioned against the inflammatory cartoons of The Prophet (pbuh) which have been published in some sections of the European media with Denmark leading the way in this deliberate abuse.

This unbridled passion for our Faith does us credit. But what do these spineless Muslim leaders do? They criticize the few who over zealously stated their outrage through some abusive placards which made silly references to 9/11 and the London bombings.

The fact that British police in London took away some offensive placards and then returned them to the individuals to allow them to carry on holding speaks volumes. So if the placards were OK in the eyes of the law why did the enemy from within not remain silent?

Then so-called scholars like Tariq Ramadan tells us all that: "Muslims must understand that laughing at religion is part of a broader culture in which they live in Europe, going back to Voltaire. Cynicism, irony and indeed blasphemy are part of the culture."

The learned one, favored greatly by Bush and Blair, goes on to give us backward, primitive Muslims some brotherly advice: "When you live in such an environment as a Muslim, it is really important to be able to take a critical distance and not react so emotionally. You need to hold your Islamic principles, but be wise enough not to overreact to provocation."

What a flaming sell-out. In a crisis, when we need to be galvanized and strong, scholars like him are about as much use as an ashtray on a motorbike.
And our other fearless, sorry I mean feckless, Muslim community leaders display the same yellow-spined streak. Most raced to the nearest TV camera or radio mike to pour out their weasel words and invective criticizing the few instead of defending the majority.

Like media junkies or Pop Idol addicts, they postured and posed in front of journalists talking with the authority of a dead sheep. It would be really funny, except these one-legged ass kickers say they speak for you and me!
Look, there's always a handful in any camp who will go Over the Top because they are simply more foolish than calculated in their actions. We can overlook errors of judgment surely and exercise the sort of tolerance for which Islam is famous.

But no. Not our so-called Muslim leaders.

Where were they when a particularly nasty British fascist leader was acquitted earlier this month after a court trial in which he and his party demonized Islam?

Yet the trial which really made headlines in newspapers this month was that of Muslim cleric Sheikh Abu Hamza al Masri who has been demonized beyond recognition. The headlines were hateful and spiteful and vicious towards Islam.

A few days ago he was found guilty and sentenced to seven years in prison for inciting hatred. The trial and its fairness in the current explosive climate have been brought in to question by lawyers. An appeal is on the way but probably will not be heard until another case involving his extradition to the US begins next month.

Some of ‘our leaders' had nothing to say about the acquittal of the leader of the fascist British National Party Nick Griffin from two counts of pedaling racial hatred.

But this is what they gushed about cleric Abu Hamza.

Dr. Ghayasuddin Siddiqui [Sic, Abu Hamza;] "An embarrassment to the Muslim community; an arrogant, illiterate person, with no knowledge of Islam"
Imam Sajid [formerly of the Brighton ‘Mosque'] "Justice had been done and a criminal had been exposed."

Ajmal Masoor (Islamic Society of Britain): "What we are seeing very clearly is we will not tolerate Muslims or non-Muslims - anyone creating division or racial hatred between ourselves."

Shahid Malik (Labour MP): "A great day for British justice. But we've got to ask ourselves, we've got a legal system that has allowed this man to say what he's been saying for the best part of 10 years. One thing is clear we need tougher legislation, that will enable the police to work quicker."
I am also indebted to the brother who sent me this email recently. I think these two Hadith sum up far more eloquently - and with trademark Islamic etiquette - anything I am trying to convey.

* Abdullah bin Umar reported that the Prophet (SAW) said: (A Muslim is a brother of another Muslim, so he should not oppress him, nor should he hand him over to an oppressor. Whoever fulfilled the needs of his brother, Allah will fulfill his needs; whoever brought his (Muslim) brother out of a discomfort, Allah will bring him out of the discomforts of the Day of Resurrection, and whoever screened a Muslim, Allah will screen him on the Day of Resurrection.)
* Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (SAW) as saying: (The worst amongst the people is the double-faced one; he comes to some people with one face and to others with the other face).

Double faced? Some of our community leaders have more faces than the town hall clock. I'm not even going to go down the root of those who voted for Tony Blair's Labour Party or the idiots in Muslims for Bush!

But they are largely talentless, spineless, inarticulate individuals who still think like colonial victims. It is time for them to move over and let, braver, brighter young Muslims speak for us without sounding or looking as daft as a one-legged man in an ass-kicking competition.

Meanwhile those great leaders in the Arab world seized upon the publication of the vile cartoons to help them strengthen their own positions ... have they no shame? These Islamaphobic kings, dictators and despots from Egypt, the Arabian Peninsula, Khalijees, Jordan, Pakistan, and Libya jockeyed for position as defenders of Islam.

Even the US puppet Hamid Karzai, trapped in his bunker in Kabul, came out as a champion of Islam while the Egyptian dictator deployed his intelligence people to trigger demonstrations in Palestine.
But, perhaps more unbelievably, the Bush Administration also came out in defense of Islam.

To my beloved brothers and sisters who defend their Faith to the hilt, let's all hold on tight to the rope of Allah (swt) and remain united against the enemy wherever he or she may be.

Unholy alliances are being made across the globe and with friends like these who really does need enemies - especially when we have so many, cowardly, craven, back-stabbing enemies from within.

To those traitorous leaders who are betraying the Ummah with their servility to the Establishment, I promise you one thing. I will never backstab any one of you - because when the knife goes in you will see the whites of my eyes ... metaphorically speaking, of course!

[Othman]

SubhanAllah. Well said by sister Yvonne Ridley.

[Yusuf Ali]

Othman, on Feb 14 2006, 10:18 PM, said:

SubhanAllah. Well said by sister Yvonne Ridley.

SubhanAllah; I agree completely with Sister Yvonne and Brother Othman on this issue. A great ‘sorting-out’ is currently in process in the ’Ummah. Some of those who pose as our ‘leaders’ are showing their true faces.

No Muslim who knows his or her Faith can endorse misdeeds by other Muslims. But those ‘Muslim leaders’ who have decided to stress the misdeeds of these brothers - while in practice ignoring or diverting attention away from the oppression of Muslims - have much to answer for. Concretely, I am speaking about:

- Those ‘Muslim leaders’ who publicly focus upon reviling the incorrect responses of a handful of Muslims to the cartoons depicting the Holy Prophet (S), while downplaying or even excusing the infinitely greater evil of the blasphemous cartoons;

- Those ‘Muslim leaders’ who stress the misdeeds of a very persons of Muslim (and non-Muslim) background, who engaged in the senseless ‘revenge attacks’ after the Cronulla pogrom - while declining to focus on denouncing the virulent racism at Cronulla;

- Those ‘Muslim leaders’ who abstractly denounce ‘terrorism’ by some persons of Muslim (and non-Muslim) background in Iraq, while refusing to denounce inhuman state terrorism;

- Those ‘Muslim leaders’ who scream to the rooftops the lie that the Islamic Republic of Iran is preparing WMDS - while generally remaining silent about the USA's 10,000 nuclear warheads (and chemical and biological weapons) and Israel's minimum of 200 nuclear warheads.

As I said, a real sifting process is currently occurring among the ’Ummah globally. It is NOT a ‘madhab’ thing, since opportunists and wrongdoers are found in every madhab. The point of difference is this: are you prepared to stand up for your sisters and brothers, or are you determined to focus on feathering your nest in this dunya?

The duty of Muslims is clear, as Sister Yvonne has explained so well. Allah (swt) warns us: ‘And who is more unjust than he who is reminded of the communications of his Lord, then he turns away from them? Surely We will give punishment to the guilty’ (Holy Qur’an, 32:022).

[ThUnDa4rOmDoWnUnDa]

Fantastic Article. Well done sister Yvonne Ridley. Someone had to give it hard to these Uncle Sam muslim leaders.

[Ghaith]

ah....I think that's Uncle Tom, Thunda. But hey one uncle's as bad as another!

[ThUnDa4rOmDoWnUnDa]

I have been taunting Uncle Tom with my MSN nicknames so I decided to have ago at Uncle Sam here.

[Anarchic Andy]

What a sad article....
unfortunately some small minded people will do as that article suggests and spend more time making enemys instead of promoting peace. Very sad... and frankly i'm being kind, since my initial reaction was "pathetic"... untill the sadness of just how willfully stupid people can sometimes be took over... yup sad.

I hope others are as frustrated as me that a brilliant mind such as Tariq is maligned...[MOD: personal attack removed]

This post has been edited by Sam: 16 February 2006 - 07:39 AM

[Othman]

Anarchic Andy, on Feb 15 2006, 11:22 PM, said:

I hope others are as frustrated as me that a brilliant mind such as Tariq is maligned...[MOD: personal attack removed]

Quote

"Muslims must understand that laughing at religion is part of a broader culture in which they live in Europe, going back to Voltaire. Cynicism, irony and indeed blasphemy are part of the culture."

Brilliant mind?

[Sam]

Othman, on Feb 16 2006, 08:34 AM, said:

Quote

"Muslims must understand that laughing at religion is part of a broader culture in which they live in Europe, going back to Voltaire. Cynicism, irony and indeed blasphemy are part of the culture."

Brilliant mind?

Do you find that statement inaccurate? It doesn't say anything about accepting it, merely understanding it (although it's hard to tell without seeing the comment in context).

[Lantern]

Sam, on Feb 16 2006, 07:41 AM, said:

Quote

Brilliant mind?

Do you find that statement inaccurate? It doesn't say anything about accepting it, merely understanding it (although it's hard to tell without seeing the comment in context).

Thats what I thought too...the context would have made it clearer.
And I particularly saw nothing wrong with the following statement-

Quote

"When you live in such an environment as a Muslim, it is really important to be able to take a critical distance and not react so emotionally. You need to hold your Islamic principles, but be wise enough not to overreact to provocation."

To those traitorous leaders who are betraying the Ummah with their servility to the Establishment, I promise you one thing. I will never backstab any one of you -

What a flaming sell-out. In a crisis, when we need to be galvanized and strong, scholars like him are about as much use as an ashtray on a motorbike.

Thats not a backstab?

[SirZubair]

where do you cross the line between backstabbing and Criticising ( ? )

[grateful]

SirZubair, on Feb 16 2006, 08:42 AM, said:

where do you cross the line between backstabbing and Criticising ( ? )

For me, an important point to come out of sister Yvonne's article raises is that we need to set our own agenda. It is hypocritical for us to criticise Muslims only when prompted by non-Muslims, while not doing so otherwise. Likewise, to ignore injustices meted out to Muslims when non-Muslims are ignoring them is equally hypocritical. Similarly, we ignore injustices meted out by Muslims against non-Muslims unless prompted. We are like froth on the water, unable or unwilling to take responsibility for our own fate.

salaams

[Anarchic Andy]

That was not a personal attack - merely a judgement that Tariq is far more intelligent in the way in which he thinks, than this article writer obviously is (just to give others a gist of what i suggested) - if anything i was highliting the difference bewteen those who can think and debate thoughtfully taking in both sides opinions as opposed to those that see a chance to attack a common enemy as a way to cover up its own perceieved factional infighting.