IN THE NAME OF ISLAM

August 2005
		The July 2005 suicide bombings in London's transit system and attacks in a resort town in Egypt have stoked the debate within the Muslim community about why so many perpetrators of terrorist attacks are Muslims and what ordinary believers in Islam can do to keep people from killing in the name of their religion. Four Muslim thinkers answer your questions.

Forum Introduction Does Islam ever justify the killing of innocents? Why don't Muslims who commit terrorist acts see that violence is counterproductive? Does U.S. foreign policy take the correct approach to influencing the rise of democracy in Muslim nations? Do most young Muslims in the U.S. feel they are integrated into U.S. society? On the NewsHour, did you read from the Quran or an interpretation? How can one foster dialogue with the broader religious community? How can we stop terrorism at its source? Why do militant young Muslims obey someone with no official clerical standing, like Osama bin Laden? What literature can I read to better understand the teachings of Islam? Is there a theological authority that is recognized by all or a great majority of Muslims? What's the difference between Islam and Muslim?	Frizell of Milwaukee,Wis. asks: I am an African American and my people know a thing or two about oppression, but we gained our liberty largely through nonviolent means. Why don't Muslims who commit these acts see that violence is counterproductive? Imam Shaker Elsayed responds: This question seems to assume that they do this because they are Muslims. The fact is they do it despite being or claiming to be Muslims. Besides, oppressed Muslims are not all living under similar circumstances to give them all one prescription fits all. If you consider the Palestinians, for example, many people would tell you they have waited for decades before using all of these violent tactics, as a response to home demolition, expulsion from their homeland, arbitrary arrests and unlawful detentions for long times, killing their children and women, unemployment, barring them from seeing their families, etc. This situation, unfortunately defies common sense and common wisdom. I believe that we, the USA, must use our moral and financial muscles to develop a just and fair solution to this problem, instead of just supporting Israel no matter what it does to the Palestinians and their homeland. I want to be very clear that Islam would not support any killing of any civilian under any circumstances, even in the battlefield. Georgetown graduate student Shadi Hamid responds: African Americans in the 1960s had many grievances, but they also had a political outlet for such grievances. I'm not saying that America during that time was a perfect democracy and of course we know it wasn't (and still isn't), but there were still legitimate, peaceful channels of political participation for African Americans whether it was through public demonstrations, sit-ins, writing op-eds in newspapers, meeting with political leaders, etc. The problem in the Middle East today is that no comparable channels exist. Over the last five, six decades, democracy and everything that comes with it has been virtually nonexistent. The authoritarian presidents-for-life that currently populate the region have created a suffocating, poisonous political environment conducive to the rise of violent extremism. A new generation of angry young men have been denied the opportunity to air their grievances within the context of a meaningful democratic process. As a result, teeming with frustration, they are driven underground and often find solace in absolutist and potentially violent religious interpretations. Professor Salim Mansur responds: Many Muslims, perhaps a great many, do see as I do what you state, and in particular those who follow the many variants of the Sufi (mystic) tradition in Islam. But their voices remain unheard, and the media (which bears much responsibility to keep us informed) has not done enough at all to bring together the various trends in Islam opposed to militant radical fundamentalists from among whom have come the Muslim terrorists, and let them be heard. Author Asra Nomani responds: It's the same reason why people since the beginning of time have turned to violence -- they believe they can maintain or assert power and control over people through intimidation and fear. The KKK believed violence would accomplish their goals. Hitler believed violence would realize his vision. Governments and people have turned to violence because their goals aren't the same as ours: They aren't interested in social justice, peace, harmony, tolerance and equity. They're focused on money and power. Now, there are many Muslims who do believe in the values that honorable people such as yourself have stood up to defend. It's from these Muslims that you will see a non-violent strategy. The civil rights struggle in America is a model for how moderate Muslims can challenge the militant within our communities. We can do it by speaking out against them, marching against them, and challenging them. This is how we will win.