Good Question

In a commentary in The WSJ (requires subscription), Ahmed H. Al-Rahim, an Iraqi-American asks "Why Not a 'Million Muslim March'?"

I don't think most Muslims understand how non-Muslims feel. They say that they oppose terrorists' violence, but that doesn't do away with the image of celebrating Palestinians following the 9/11 attacks, nor do they condede Israel's right to exist, which is pretty much an acknowledgment that they support suicide bombings in Israel.

Congressman Tancredo has suggested that if the terrorists were to use a nuclear weapon against us, we should "take out" their holy sites, which could only make matters worse. He has a lot of support, if the callers and emailers to Hugh Hewitt are any indication. It isn't enough to complain that Muslims are being unfairly attacked, when all most Americans know about Islam is that the suicide bombers around the world are all Muslim radicals.

A lot of people feel that the Catholic Church hasn't done enough to distance itself from the pedophile scandals, too. But at least there are prosecutions and lawsuits to resort to. The difference is that Islam has no world headquarters and no priesthood or center which speaks for all Muslims. You can't sure Saudi Arabia merely because the killers are from that country originally. But with the bombings in London, a lot of westerners are running short on patience.

The shooting of a young man in London after he ran from police wearing a bulky coat in warm weather has met with some criticism but not as much as I would have expected a few years ago. This kid may not have been part of the terrorist group, or he might have been sent out just to alarm people and cause this kind of incident. In any case, when the police tell you to stop and you fit the profile of a bomber, you should stop, because they aren't going to want to risk a lot of other lives by not stopping you. Besides, as we see day after day, human life, even Muslim life, doesn't seem to mean much to the people who perpetrate these attacks.

The Brits know that this is war and will fight it like one. America still seems in doubt about that in our own country. The ball is in the court of true peace-loving Muslims to demonstrate whose side they are on in all this. I think most Americans want to believe that they aren't like these terrorists, but they're going to have to present more proof.

Update: Hugh Hewitt had Mr. Hussam Ayloush on again today. He's been getting some grief for giving this guy air time to promote CAIR. I don't see it that way. I find this "You're violating my rights!" stuff from Muslims in this country pretty repellent. They don't seem to understand the nature of the problem they have in convincing others that they're loyal Americans, when they seem to get their ideas of what that means from people like Ward Churchill and Noam Chomsky. Most Americans think of loyal Americans as proponents of democracy and freedom. That's why we've always sided with Israel against the dictatorships and fascists in the area who keep demanding its destruction. But when you put that question to people from CAIR, they get uncomfortable and try to change the subject. What do they think is responsible for the backwardness of Arab nations vis a vis the West and Israel? If you cling to the idea of a theocratic system where clerics, whose only authority after all comes from being "scholars" and "holy men," not by any sort of right recognized by God, you're unlikely to have the invention, initiative, creativity and debate that makes a dynamic society and economic and cultural growth.