Moderate Muslims needs to speak out

ALMOST every day, a new atrocity is committed in the name of Islam.

One can understand why so-called "moderate" Muslims living under Arab and Islamic dictatorships are afraid to speak out. But what about those living in the West? What are they afraid of?

Radical Islam is on the rise. It has become a tsunami that is threatening many countries. As long as "moderate" Muslims continue to sit on the fence and turn a blind eye to the threat, they, too, will be swept away by the flood.

It is time for those who really care about Islam to take action. The time has come to move from defence to offence. "Moderate" Muslims need to launch a counter-attack on the terrorists and jihadis before it is too late.

These "moderates" need to understand that Hamas, Hezbollah, al-Qa'ida and the rest of the Islamic terror organisations will kill them first on their way to murder the "Zionists", "Crusaders" and "infidels".

These atrocities are being committed by a dominant minority of terrorists and thugs, who are waging jihad to conquer the world, and who the "moderates" claim have hijacked Islam.

But as this minority continues to grow, the question that needs to be asked is: "What about those who describe themselves as 'moderate Muslims' who oppose violence and terrorism?"

True, some brave Muslims have raised their voices in condemnation of al-Qa'ida, Hamas, Muslim Brotherhood, Islamic jihad, Hezbollah and Tehran's extremist mullahs.

But these voices have not been loud and strong enough.

Where are the voices of the "moderates" in response to atrocities being perpetrated in their name? Haven't they heard that more Muslims than non-Muslims are being targeted by extremist Islamic groups?

How come human rights groups in the West seem to be the only ones protesting against the crimes of radical Muslims? Why aren't the "moderate" Muslims as vocal as these human rights organisations in the US and Europe?

Aisha, an 18-year-old Afghan woman who allegedly ran away from her husband, had her nose and ears cut off. The crime was committed by radical Muslims under orders from a Taliban commander acting as a judge.

Sakineh Ashtiani, a 43-year-old Iranian woman, is expected to be stoned to death or hanged for allegedly conducting an "illicit relationship outside marriage", despite the total lack of evidence in this case. Under sharia law, she will be buried up to the neck, and the public is invited to hurl stones at her.

The planned brutal execution is yet another crime that is being perpetrated by Muslim fundamentalists in the name of Islam.

Ashtiani's lawyer, Mohammed Mostafael, last week fled Iran and is seeking political asylum in Norway.

In Somalia, Muslim radicals cut a hand and a leg each off four teenagers as punishment for stealing mobile phones. "We carried out this sentence under the Islamic religion and we will punish like this everyone who carries out these acts," boasted one of the executioners.

In Iraq, it is business as usual as Muslim fanatics continue to launch suicide bombings throughout the country. Dozens of Iraqis, mostly civilians, have been killed in the recent wave of bombings.

Extremist Muslims are also believed to be behind the recent rocket attacks on the Red Sea resort cities of Eilat and Aqaba in Israel and Jordan.

In the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, Palestinian women have been banned, in the name of Islam, from smoking and laughing in public.

These are only some of the crimes that are being committed while a majority of Muslims continue to sit on the fence.