In an article, Palestinian researcher Dr. Khaled Al-Hroub criticized the Muslims in Europe for not condemning terrorist attacks and thereby harming the image of the Muslims. He also argued against building giant mosques in Europe, saying that this provokes the host societies and works to the Muslims' disadvantage.
The following are the excerpts from the article:[1]
The Silence of Europe's Muslims Following Terrorist Attacks Has Hurt Their Image
"There has been an ongoing debate in Britain regarding the plans of some Muslims, namely the Tabligh Group, to build a mosque in East London that would be the biggest in Britain, if not in Europe. Reports on the mosque plans indicate that it will hold 40,000 people, with an option for an extension that will increase its capacity to 70,000... Why are the Muslims in Europe insisting on building mosques of such extravagant size? And why is it that the building of such mosques arouses public and political protest in the societies that host the Muslims?
"The climate in Europe changed following the September 11, 2001 attacks, the 2005 bombings in the Madrid subway, and the [2005] bombing in the London underground. The murder of the Dutch director [Theo Van Gogh], who made a film on the oppression of Muslim women, [further contributed to this change]. Next came violent incidents that accompanied the protest against the Danish cartoons and the notorious speech by the pope [that offended Muslims].
"Following all this, [the world] began to regard the Muslims with great suspicion. They came to be seen as a threat and a source of violence. [It was said] that some of their mosques were hothouses of terrorism, and that they undermine [the foundations] of the society in which they live.
"The images of bearded 'religious' [Muslims] who assiduously attend mosques in European neighborhoods have severely harmed the Muslim diaspora... These people appear on videos after every terrorist attack, [announcing] proudly that it was they who were behind the terrorist operations. At the same time, the vast Muslim diaspora – [although] its overwhelming majority is peaceful and does not support all this terrorism and violence – bears a great deal of responsibility for not protecting its nonviolent image. Several friends have told me that in Spain, the reputation of the Muslims suffered following the train station bombings, and that the silence and indifference of the diaspora [vis-à-vis the bombings] reinforced the deterioration of their image.
"The Muslim diaspora did not come out forcefully to defend its reputation and proclaim its protest against the extremist group in its midst which had perpetrated the terrorist attack. The Spanish people did not sense that the Muslims in their country felt any special empathy with them. [On the contrary:] The silence of the Muslims was construed as acquiescence to what had occurred.
"The same is true for the Muslims in Britain, most of whom are peaceful individuals – they remained silent and passive in the face of [the extremists] who are sinking the ship along with its passengers..."
Those Who Built Large Mosques in Europe Should be Ashamed that the Relief of the Muslim Poor Worldwide is Mostly Financed by Foreign Organizations
"[Despite] the growing hostility towards them, the Muslims in Europe fail to show the appropriate sensitivity called for by the circumstances. Instead, they act as if they lived on a different planet, planning religious centers and mosques. The problem is that each Muslim group in the diaspora thinks and acts in total isolation from the other groups and their problems.
"The Tabligh group, for example, which is responsible for the giant mosque [project] in East London, is unconnected to politics. It is a quiet, nonviolent group with limited political and social understanding: Its members believe that the building of mosques is incumbent upon them alone, and not upon all the Muslims in Britain. They forget that the British make no distinction between different Muslim groups or between the different strata of the Muslim diaspora; rather, they see [the Muslims] as a homogeneous mass of bearded men in long garments, and veil-clad women. [The behavior of the Muslims] provokes European society and promotes European racism.
"Spending more than half a billion dollars on the construction of the giant mosque in London will not help the Muslims; [rather,] it will harm them. Even if we concede that building mosques is a top priority that warrants such an exorbitant expenditure – which is clearly not the case – this money could be used to build many mosques in different parts of Britain which would not stick out like sore thumbs, annoying the surrounding community.
"At a time when poverty, hunger, ignorance, and disease are ravaging millions around the world, the need to nurture humanity is far more urgent than [the need] to build mosques. Those who donate [money] to build large mosques in Europe, thereby promoting Islamophobia, should feel ashamed that the relief to the Muslim poor worldwide – in Afghanistan, Darfur, Somalia, and Indonesia – is mostly financed by foreign organizations, some of them European."
Comparing "[European] and Muslim Societies With Regard to Freedom of Worship Brings Disgrace Upon [the Muslims]"
"Some people wonder, what happened to 'European tolerance?' Why don't the Europeans accept strangers? How come they reject the Muslims and oppose the building of mosques? Such questions are in fact evading the real problem. The problem [we are facing] is how to avoid provoking European society, how not to exaggerate in displaying religious [symbols] – such as large mosques and religious establishments – and how to refrain from flaunting them in public...
"Any comparison of [European] and Muslim societies with regard to freedom of worship brings disgrace upon the Muslims. We should be asking ourselves, in which Islamic capital is it permitted to build a church or, say, a Hindu or Sikh temple, bigger than any of the city's mosques? In which Islamic state is it possible to purchase mosques and convert them into churches or Hindu temples – as is now happening in Europe, where many a mosque minaret still sports a cross that remains from when [the building] used to be a church. Would any of the Islamic groups currently engaged in building mosques [and in other religious activities] in Europe enjoy the same freedom in their countries of origin?
"None of the above comes to argue that every European is pure of heart and free of Islamophobia or xenophobia. Hidden hatred exists, as does the extreme right with its frightening plans. It only comes to say that [in the West,] religion and religious ceremonies are not the center of everyone's attention. Most people are not [overly] concerned with religion, and the general culture is one of respect for the freedom of individuals and groups to realize their aspirations... [In fact,] the law respects and safeguards the interests of [all] people, including their religious [interests], and requires certain municipal authorities to provide financial assistance for mosque construction.
"The biggest question regarding the Muslim diaspora in Europe is, therefore, how prudent it will be in its handling of the [current] historical circumstances, which demand extreme sensitivity. The construction of large mosques in European cities is not essential; it is a provocation that will harm the whole Muslim [community] there."
Endnote:
[1] Al-Ayyam (Palestinian Authority), September 24, 2007.
