At the risk of getting flamed here (but isn't that always a risk?) I have to agree with you. I listen to NPR religiously (no pun intended!) and while I have heard media reports of some muslim leaders denouncing the 9-11 attacks, IMO, their denounciations have been far and few between and always qualified with references to the "frustrations" Muslims have. As you pointed out, many people in the world are poor and have frustrations, but they don't go around blowing up innocent people. If poverty and frustration were an excuse for what they have done, why don't we see more terrorists from REALLY poor countries, like those in sub-Saharan Africa?, or Haiti? In fact, most of the terrorists were middle class, and the country that contributed the most terrorists to the 9-11 attacks is wealthy Saudi Arabia. I don't think poverty has anything to do with it.
What bothered me, in addition to the religious zealots who did these terrible things, was that in countless interviews I heard and read (NPR, newspapers, magazines, websites) there was real admiration for Bin Laden and his ilk among supposedly "moderate" Muslims all over the world. They may not approve of his methods, but they admire him for "standing up to the USA" and for his religious zeal. IMO, that is disturbing.
To give you an example of a different response to religious-inspired terrorism;
A few weeks ago, two wacked-out Jews in CA were arrested and charged with plotting to blow up a mosque and the office of an Arab-American congressman. Jews and their leaders immediately, unequivocally and unreservedly denounced them and made it clear that they did not represent even a small part of the mainstream Jewish community. No one qualifed their response with platitudes about the frustrations Jews have felt or the injustices done to us historically. No one even hinted that they had the least bit of sympathy for these guys. They were completely shut off from the Jewish community, no Jews went to their defense. No Jews suggested that these terrorists were targeted for surveliance unfairly because they were Jews. Jews agreed that these were miscreants who acted alone and deserved the maximum penalty for what they had done.
I think that is the kind of response we were looking for from the muslim community in response to the 9-11 attacks, and that is the kind of response that we have seen very little of.
So, like you, I am wondering why the response of "moderate" Muslims has not been stronger. I am not saying it doesn't exist, only that, IMO, it is weak.
Here's an article that explains this better than I can.
Elissa, part-time preschool teacher and all-the-time mom to Ariel (6-20-88) Sammy, (6-22-95) and Benjy (8-14-98)
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