Muslims and Supporters Against Inter-Muslim Violence and Abuse

On December 21st, 2006, TVO's Steven Paikin interviewed Michael Petrou, senior writer at Maclean's magazine and author of "Genocide in Slow Motion" on the conflict in Darfur and how it is spreading to Chad. Paikin asked, since the conflict is between Arab Muslims and African Muslims, what, if any, assistance had come from the muslim world to help the situation in Darfur. Petrou answered that, though help was minimal from anywhere, the West was feeding the refugees, while the only help offered by Muslims was a huge, multi-story mosque paid for by Saudi Arabia in the middle of the poverty stricken capital of Chad, Anjamina.

It has become a popular opinion that, throughout the Middle East, Muslims' worst enemies are other Muslims. We see this whether it is two sects fighting for power and dominance, as we see with Shiites and Sunnis fighting in Iraq and Lebanon; or the same sect, fighting because of racial prejudice, as we see in Darfur; or even the same sect, the same race, fighting to take control of whatever little remaining power there is within their group, such as Hamas and Fatah's incessant squabbles.

Who is right and who is wrong is irrelevant. Muslims fighting Muslims weakens us, takes away our resources, kills our spirit, and worsens our already poor world image. Why aren't the governments of the Muslim world responding to all these crises? Where are Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iran, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Pakistan, Malaysia and Indonesia? Why are they letting the West take care of our problems? Where are their troops, their monetary support?

What excuses can they give? That they don't have enough money? Some of these nations are the wealthiest in the world. That they don't have the manpower? Again, most of these have young and able populations. On the individual level, a lot of commendable action has been done, but the most effective actions are those that would be taken by our governments, who remain inert.

Muslims need to stop thinking about charity and zakat in the terms of building mosques and spreading Qur'ans. We have so many resources, we just need to know how to use them. In Lebanon, Israel doesn't like the idea of having East Asian Muslim troops guarding the border. Fine, our governments can put money forward towards rebuilding. In Darfur, though money would help to feed the refugees, the number of peacekeepers needed has reached 200,000. This is where we could use the East Asian and Middle Eastern troops. In all the Muslim-against-Muslim conflicts, we could do more diplomatically to break these fights apart.

Meanwhile, on the individual level, we could do so much more to protest all this senseless violence. The Muslim world has come under a lot of criticism, as our anger seems only to rise when foreigners attack, draw not-so-funny cartoons, or their religious leaders quote someone else's insensitivities. When people within our community do something horrifically wrong, we remain silent. This must end. We must let everyone know that wrong is wrong, no matter who does it. We must agree that killing and violence solves nothing, that racism is un-Islamic, and that oppression will no longer be tolerated by whosoever perpetrates it.

By signing this petition, I, the signatory, Muslim or otherwise, find the current efforts of the Muslim world to solve their own problems insufficient. I no longer wish to displace the blame, and want the Islamic governments to take more proactive measures to ease the pain caused by their fellow muslims' actions. I also will no longer be silent about inter-Muslim abuses and crimes because pointing out the problems in the Muslim world is not a form of race treason or racism, but rather the first step towards solving these problems. I will also do my utmost to help the peoples of Darfur, Lebanon, Iraq and Palestine find peace and security within their own communities and with the communities that surround them.