What If Jews Destroyed Mosques?

Farhan Memon

Posted Sep 14, 2005      •Permalink      • Printer-Friendly Version
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What If Jews Destroyed Mosques?

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Do Muslims in America lack the conviction of their religion to condemn sacrilege when it is committed by Muslims against others?

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By Farhan Memon, September 12, 2005


 
Imagine if Jewish settlers in the Gaza Strip destroyed two dozen mosques. There would be mass rallies in front of Israeli embassies around the world, and in America organizations like CAIR and MPAC would issue righteous condemnations calling on the American government to restrain Israel. However, as we’ve seen today, when Palestinians streaming into liberated Gaza set fire to synagogues there is deafening silence from most Muslims and certainly from the leadership of the American Muslim community.

Herein lies the sorry state of Islamic affairs. Muslims like to brag that when the Caliph Umar ibn Khatab entered the City of Jerusalem, he exhibited respect for Jews and Christians by refusing to pray in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, because he was afraid that Muslims would take it over. Indeed, to this day, a Muslim family is entrusted with the key to the church. In contrast, this Islamic spirit has ceased to exist 1,400 years later. The Palestinian authority is incapable (or unwilling) to provide security for the abandoned synagogues, the Palestinian people lack the adhab to refrain from destroying a temple dedicated to the worship of Allah, and Muslims in America are indifferent to this destruction because it is occurring to Jewish property.

Of course, as the New York Times reported today, this was a set up orchestrated by the Israeli government. Originally the synagogues were to be bulldozed with the rest of the illegal settlements constructed by Israeli settlers during their withdrawal from the 38-year occupation of Palestinian land. However, prominent rabbis argued that Jews can’t destroy synagogues, and Ariel Sharon “was left with two bad choices: tearing them down, or leaving them standing with the knowledge that they might be desecrated.”

Yeah, right. More likely Sharon rejoiced at the opportunity. He knew that the Palestinian Authority would not act to prevent the destruction. As a consequence, pictures and headlines would be flashed around the world showing Palestinian Muslims destroying synagogues. Once again the familiar narrative would be reinforced: Palestinian Muslims are barbarians, and Israeli Jews are justified in their brutal methods, otherwise civilization would fall.

The wholesale destruction of the Jewish synagogues is yet another indication that Palestinians of all stripes, whether Fatah secularists or Islamic Hamas types, do not have the political maturity to construct a civil society. However, it is also a sign that Muslims in America lack the conviction of their religion to condemn sacrilege when it is committed by Muslims against others.

Farhan Memon is a New York-based journalist, entrepreneur, and law graduate. This and more of his writings are available at his website Inside Farhan Memon at http://farhanmemon.blogspot.com/  .

Originally published at http://www.altmuslim.com/print.php?id=1546_0_25_0_C

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