Why don Muslims openly condemn terrorism and suicide bombing, if they really don agree with it?
Of course Muslims have condemned such actions loudly and clearly. But if it is condemned in a mosque, who will know about it? Even if we stand on street corners and shout that we are just as appalled by terrorism, our message will only get out to a handful of passers by (who might think all sorts of other things about us instead!) But how do we broadcast our opinions to the masses. We need the help of the mass media: newspapers and television. The good Muslim citizen is plain boring and will not grab headlines or turn heads. Ratings and sales are driven by emotions such as fear, outrage and hatred. So it is difficult to hear the voices of the moderate majority, but certain sections of the media will give the oxygen of publicity to controversial extremists. It is important therefore to sometimes get behind the headlines and read what the large organizations that represent Muslim are saying. For example, regarding terrorist activity, the Muslim Council of Britain says, “We utterly condem
