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May 2, 2006

A Moderate Muslim Is 'Saying No to Jihad'

Topics: Understanding Islam

Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, a senior journalist, columnist, author and editor of Bangladesh's largest tabloid weekly newspaper Blitz, was arrested on 29th November 2003 when he was about to leave for Israel to attend a symposium organized by the Hebrew Writers Association. Later the Bangladesh government brought a sedition charge against him, saying he was a spy for the Israeli intelligence agency. After being inprisoned for 17 months, he was released on 30th April 2005. A charge of sedition still hangs over him, despite a number of appeals from the international community and even members of US Congress. Choudhury received PENUSA's Freedom to Write Award in 2005, and this May he is to be given the prestigious Moral Courage Award by the American Jewish Committee. Although he was expected to be in Washington DC to receive the award in the presence of World leaders, he is prevented from doing so because the Bangladesh government has him under "Land Arrest" in his own country.


Excerpts from his article "Saying No To Jihad", written on the occasion of the anniversary of his release from prison, offers us a window into the thoughts of a truly moderate Muslim:

(...) I know for sure, things are changing in positive direction. In today's world, with my mission of peace, I can not only find lots of people around the world, extending their support to me; but also in my own country, gradually people are raising their voice, against, religious hatred, Islamist militancy and they too are echoing the concept of establishment of relations between Israel and the Muslim countries.

(...) According to the allegations, my crime is: I am a living contradiction to today's phenomenon in the Muslim world, a Zionist, a defender of Israel and a devout, practicing Muslim living in the second largest Muslim country in the world.

(...) in today's world it seems impossible to most that a Muslim and Jews could be friends, let alone brothers and sisters. But we can be, and in fact so can others.

(...) Fundamentalists are men who emulate the looks and actions of the Prophet Mohammed. Yet, they give the Prophet and Islam a very bad name, as they perpetuate and even add to the western perception that Islam was won by force or the sword. By this I mean by the sword and not by conversion. Yet these self-righteous and arrogant men claim to be speaking in the name of Allah and act like the Prophet.

(...) They try to squash any positive action of peace by not only squashing but trying to kill all those who oppose them, making their vision that of a totalitarian theocracy that will allow no free exchange of ideas, the development of thinking such as ijtihad or even speech.

(...) Under such forces it will lead the Islamic world into the Dark ages which were similar to the European Dark Ages and the Middle Ages instead of the Renaissance and the other periods where discovery, science and even technology was invented.

(...) in a theocracy men speak in the name of God. Be it in a fully secular world or in a theocracy, there is imbalance as both have replaced faith with belief. Because, there are no check points; hence the people become ruled over by men who believe they have all the answers or by men who believe they speak for God.

Radical movements be it religious or secular also have a trend that is their madness increases as time goes by. We demand equal time, or you cannot say this or that on the air. You are not allowed to speak of us in a bad way. You are a racist. You fear my religion and we are the religion of peace. When that tactic does not work they go after one person and start harassing them, the go over the head of the person and complain, meet with the bosses, demand an apology and then use pressure tactics to get their way.

(...) The bottom line is they are after power, control and their aim is Money, the mighty dollar. All of this is done in the name of God, let me ask you since when does God ask for money? When does God ask to harass, lie, control others into doing His way? God gives us freedom of Choice these radical take away that freedom in the name of God.

(...) I salute those brave Muslim brothers and sisters who have the courage to say: "No!" to hate; "No!" to Holocaust-denial; "No!" to jihad; "No!" to the demonization of Israel, the United States, and the Jews.

On APRIL 5, 2006, Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury informed PEN USA that his trial began at Dhaka's Additional Metropolitan Session Court. Sedition carries the death penalty. On MARCH 2, 2006, the Chairmen of the Congressional Bangladesh Caucus spoke out against Choudhury's sedition charges.

Hat tip - American Future

Posted by Richard at May 2, 2006 12:10 AM

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