by Mark Dykstra

Created on: May 12, 2008

Many Muslims state clearly that those who commit acts of terror, murder and cruelty in the name of Islam are not only destroying innocent lives, but are also betraying the values of the faith they claim to represent. No injustice done to Muslims can ever justify the massacre of innocent people, and no act of terror will ever serve the cause of Islam. Muslims claim that they repudiate and dissociate themselves from any Muslim group or individual who commits such brutal and un-Islamic acts. It is said that the Muslim faith disallows their beliefs to be held hostage by the criminal actions of a small minority acting outside the teachings of both the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad.

As it states in the Quran: 'Oh you who believe, stand up firmly for justice, as witnesses to God, even if it be against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be against rich or poor; for God can best protect both. Do not follow any passion, lest you not be just. And if you distort or decline to do justice, verily God is well-acquainted with all that you do'." (Quran 4:135)

A common complaint among non-Muslims is that Muslim religious authorities do not condemn terrorist attacks. The complaints often surface in letters to the editors of newspapers, on phone-in radio shows, in Internet mailing lists, forums, etc. There are a lot of fatwa's and other statements issued which condemn attacks on innocent civilians. However there is the tendency among western Muslims that such statements are largely ignored by newspapers, television news, radio news and other media outlets.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has declared that there is no justification for violence and that their religion promotes peace. They say that Islam teaches us to act in a caring manner. Islam strictly condemns terrorism, and there is no justification for terrorism or extremism. Upfront, it is reassuring to hear theses statements coming from a religion that in many ways has divided world opinion in the face of the London bombings and the World Trade Center disaster not to mention the Madrid Train bombings and I could go on, however a disturbing question remains.

Muslims are in many ways deeply religious regardless of the Muslim you might meet on the street. Many have very definite ideals about world politics and the western influence upon Muslim society, yet the Muslim as a whole enjoy the freedoms and lifestyle many of us in America take for granted, yet there is an internal conflict between

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