Republican Congressman Broad-Brushes American Muslims
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
13 June, 2013
Countercurrents.org
The American Muslim community was alarmed by Republican Congressman Mike Pompeo’s statement that the Muslims here have not condemned acts of terrorism against the U.S. and therefore are complicit in those and any future attacks.
In a statement on the House floor on June 11, Kansas Congressman Pompeo said that there has been a relative silence from leaders in the Islamic community in the two months that have passed since the bombings in Boston, calling the silence 'deafening' and 'dangerous.'
Listing off a number terrorist acts committed by extremists, including the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and several more recent failed plots, Pompeo blamed the leaders of the Islamic community for not doing more to prevent these actions, hinting that they could be complicit in the deaths they’ve caused.
“Instead of responding, silence has made these Islamic leaders across America potentially complicit in these acts, and more importantly still, in those that may well follow. I know not all Muslims support these actions, [but] the silence in the face of extremism coming from the best funded Islamic advocacy organizations and many mosques across America is deafening,” Pompeo accused.
God Discussion, reported Pompeo’s statement said perhaps he needs to learn the Google, as the Islamic community has been extremely vocal over the years regarding the actions of the extremists.
In fact, the Council on American-Islamic Affairs (CAIR) responded almost immediately following the revelation of the identity of the Boston bombing suspects, stating,
“As Americans, we are a united force against any form of tyranny, whether it be in the form of terrorism or otherwise. Terrorism has no allegiance to faith or ethnicity, and we have been witness to that over the past few years. What happened in Boston and Watertown last week does not reflect on anyone except for those who carried it out. It is not a reflection of ethnic identity, religion, or national affiliation.”
Many, many other Muslim communities across the entire nation have made no secret of their positions on terrorism, and some of the more influential ones have taken steps to be more interactive with Muslim youth who might otherwise be influenced by efforts to radicalize them through the Internet.
Since the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001 in New York City, Pennsylvania and at the Pentagon, Muslim leaders in the United States have condemned every act of terrorism either perpetrated against or attempted perpetration against the United States.
On several occasions, Muslim leaders have been instrumental in the failure of terror attacks here in the United States, as well as in other nations. This includes the attempted attack on a train that was to be traveling on a rail line between the United States and Canada.
“It should be noted that Pompeo and those who hold similar points of view rarely, if ever, use a similar broad brush on Christians when one of their own commits atrocious acts. Instead, they claim the Christian perpetrator acted alone, not according to 'doctrine,' and are 'false Christians',” God Discussion concluded.
Surprisingly, Pompeo lauded the condemnation by Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, the founder of a fringe group known as American Islamic Forum for Democracy but he failed to notice repeated condemnation of terrorism by the major civil advocacy groups like CAIR , Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), Muslim American Society (MAS) and Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC).
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, had called on Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.) to correct "false and irresponsible" remarks. In a letter to Pompeo today Corey Saylor, the director of CAIR's Department to Monitor and Combat Islamophobia, wrote:
"We are writing to address your June 11, 2013, remarks on the House floor alleging that Muslim leadership has failed to condemn or act against terrorism. These remarks are false and irresponsible. You opened your comments by saying, 'Mr. Speaker, it's been just under 2 months since the attacks in Boston, and in those intervening weeks, the silence of Muslim leaders has been deafening.'
"In the hours after the Boston bombings on April 15, which occurred at approximately 2:49 p.m., a number of Muslim institutions issued statements whose themes included prayers for the victims, calls for Muslims to assist humanitarian efforts, and condemnations of terrorism.
"These included, but were not limited to, the Universal Muslim Association of America (5:17 p.m.), the Muslim Public Affairs Council (5:53 p.m.), the Council on American-Islamic Relations (7:46 p.m.), the Muslim Peace Coalition (8 p.m.), the Muslim American Society Public Affairs and Engagement (10:52 p.m.), and the Islamic Society of North America (12:09 a.m. on 4/16)."
Saylor concluded his letter by stating: "It is our sincere hope that you will return to the House floor, correct your remarks, and acknowledge the strong messaging coming from American Muslim leadership that clearly states there is never any justification for terrorism, that denounces violent extremist leadership and is a reliable partner in pushing back against the ideology of Al-Qaeda and its allies."
Abdus Sattar Ghazali is the Chief Editor of the Journal of America (www.journalofamerica.net) and Executive Editor of the American Muslim Perspective (www.amperspective.com). He is the author of Islam & Muslims in the Post-9/11 America (2012)
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