@TIME The Paris terrorist act has pushed me to make a statement about being a Muslim. http://t.co/uWaFfAPHxw
— Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (@kaj33) January 9, 2015
Writing in Time, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar:
When the Ku Klux Klan burn a cross in a black family’s yard, prominent Christians aren’t required to explain how these aren’t really Christian acts. Most people already realize that the KKK doesn’t represent Christian teachings.
That’s what I and other Muslims long for—the day when these terrorists praising Mohammed or Allah’s name as they debase their actual teachings are instantly recognized as thugs disguising themselves as Muslims.
It’s like bank robbers wearing masks of presidents; we don’t really think Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush hit the Bank of America during their down time.
He concludes,
Any religion that requires coercion is not about the community, but about the leaders wanting power.
… we will need to teach our communities what the real beliefs of Islam are.
Mid-way through Ramadan 2011, Day 14 on 30Masjids was about Islam being a Great Product, but having Lousy Salespeople.
It is not much different today.
We must make it different tomorrow.
