Many have complained that Muslims aren't speaking out about
violence perpetrated by some Muslims. Do all whites speak out against
violence against blacks? Do all blacks speak out against blacks who
commit violence? Do all... speak out against violence or hate spread by
people like themselves. No, most of us try to quietly go about our
business, partly not wanting to be involved with hate, partly fearing
the haters, partly feeling we don't have the right words, and partly
believing we won't be heard.
Here's how two Muslims have spoken out.
"An
unlikely fact-checker, an 11-year-old girl, Malala Yousafzai, stood up
and defended her right to an education, exposing Taliban’s biggest
whopper. In an online blog for BBC, she wrote, 'I will show them the
Quran, what Quran says. Quran didn’t say that girls are not allowed to
go to school.' Malala also remembered Prophet Muhammad’s advice that,
'Seeking knowledge is obligatory on every Muslim man and Muslim woman.'
Using her knowledge and unparalleled courage, Malala repeatedly pleaded
with the world to help her people get rid of ignorant and barbaric
occupiers." - M. Imran Hayee
Malala
Yousafzai, now 14, was shot by Taliban extremists who felt threatened by
a girl who threatened their skewed view of their religion and of the
world. How many brave children must be wounded or die before all
perpetrators of violence, state actors or not, will see that "Peace is
the way."
For more of how important education is where there are few fact checkers who can counter lies, see
"Spreading education in Pakistan harms Taliban", M. Imran Hayee, Duluth News
Tribune, 2012-11-06.
If
you want more "speaking out", read Dawn of Pakistan,
Al-Jazeera, and The Daily Star of Lebanon, all in English.
