Many Muslim youth are being prosecuted
over minor issues, over material that they shouldn’t really
be prosecuted for viewing in a so-called free society.
Al-Istiqamah: I
suppose another problem is the media spin? You might be arrested
having a documentary on Iraq, yet in the tabloids it would
be described as “footage” of Iraq. One brother had William
W. Baker’s treatise
“Kashmir: Happy Valley, Valley of Death” in his house
at the time of arrest. This is a book written by a Christian
theologian and sold on Amazon. Yet the prosecution were trying
to use it as evidence against him.
Abu Abdullah: Yeah. Muslims
aren’t allowed to worry about the condition of the Muslims
abroad. You aren’t allowed to keep books in your house which
are freely available to the public to buy. We aren’t allowed
to download news clips on what is happening in Iraq – if it
isn’t filmed by CNN or the BBC. Even a map of the underground
could be seen as useful to a terrorist. They can take an innocent
item and present it in a very sinister way, as if it was being
kept with the intention to harm someone. A Muslim listening
to nasheeds (Islamic songs) about martyrs etc must be planning
to be a suicide bomber. A non-Muslim might listening to rap
lyrics saying things like “I’m gonna blow your Mum’s brains
out” and that is regarded as totally innocent entertainment.
Shouldn’t there be one law for all?
The problem is the broadness of the law
that allows people to be prosecuted for things that they shouldn’t
be prosecuted for in the first place. It’s also our fault
for allowing this to happen and for not standing up.
Al-Istiqamah: So
is the 'War on Terror' in actuality a War on Islaam?
Abu Abdullah: No doubt.
Even if it didn’t start with that pretext, that is what it
has become. First 9/11 was given as the excuse for attacking
Afghanistan. Subsequently we had the war on Iraq, then the
Terrorism Act and the calls for ID cards. There are the attacks
by the media on hijaab and now niqaab (veil)… Now look at
how the world has come together against Islaam. Look at the
world reaction to Hamas – a democratically elected group.
The 'terrorism card' is so easily pulled out nowadays. If
we look at all of these factors together, then no doubt it
is a war on Islaam. Prior to 9/11, Chechnya was seen as a
war being fought by freedom fighters, but after 9/11 they
are suddenly 'terrorists'. They aren’t harming America, so
why should America denounce them? When it suits them, these
people are terrorists - when they want the world to unite
against Islam. Mugabe isn’t labelled a 'terrorist'. Recent
events in Burma, were they Muslims and not Buddhists, that
would have been considered terrorism.
Al-Istiqamah:
Isn’t that similar to the Reagan administration who propagated
the view that Usamah bin Laden was a 'freedom fighter' when
his participation in the Afghan-Soviet conflict served their
purpose? Yet when he is fighting against their government,
it is 'terrorism'?
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