Still on the London attacks

The unsavoury event that occurred on Saturday night in London is, to say the least, unfortunate. Unfortunate not only for the victims whose lives were callously and needlessly terminated, but also for the rest of humanity who remain alive to deal with the aftermath of another gruesome manifestation of madness.

The attack was not the first in London or any other place in the world. But like a prod to the nerves, it is not less painful than the first or the 50th. It is just unbearable.

After each attack, all Muslims suffer. Anyone who feels proud or ambivalent towards such acts is not a Muslim. We are always at a loss as to how to make people understand that the terrorists do not represent us.

We emotionally declare solidarity with the victims and urge Westerners to ramp up the ‘war on terror’.  But the fact is that it is only real Muslims themselves who can effectively end terrorism.

How? By comprehensively defining what Islam stands for and aggressively alienating and exposing any followers of deviant ideologies.

There are grey areas exploited by unscrupulous profiteers and demagogues to snare dim-witted people into believing that it is haram to kill Westerners and anybody who associates with them.

These areas should be highlighted, debated and represented in a manner that reflects the current context.

For instance, while it may be prudent to order the execution of any Muslim who backslid in the early days of Islam for fear that he might reveal strategic secrets of the then sparse and vulnerable group of believers, such a measure is not necessary these days.

Taofek Oladokun,

 Ibadan.