Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Zacarias Moussaoui’s testimony an act of terrorism.

“You wake up everyday to destroy America don’t you?”

“To the best of my ability.” Moussaoui asserted.

Judge and jury listened stoically to the prosecutor’s exchange with the terror suspect. Like Vulcans on Star Trek, emotion was not allowed to interfere with rational judgment. When Moussaoui declared that his only regret is that more Americans weren’t killed during 9-11, equanimity ruled the courtroom. When he taunted the grieving families of 9-11 victims, reporters noted his comments with professional detachment. What does Moussaoui, who has been declared sane, have to gain by such callousness? The answer is that he doesn’t see America as we like to see her, an admirable civilization ruled by law and rationality. He believes in an America that will respond to his inhuman remarks by bringing death upon thousands of innocent people in the Middle East. In the blood feud which will follow, Western civilization will be harmed. Moussaoui did not participate in the 9-11 acts of terror, his mission was carried out in that courtroom. His weapon: the mass media.

We watch in horror as chat rooms fill with contempt for Islam, and talk shows ring louder with shrill cries to war. Emails are in circulation declaring that Muslim-American is an oxymoron. The number of people I personally know who believe that Iranian cities should be nuked is growing. It doesn't matter that virtually all Iranians favor mutually respectful relations with the United States. A part of America sanctions the extermination of Islam because to them Moussaoui speaks for all Muslims. Yet these Americans are themselves terror victims and don't even know it. They must be extricated from the anger the Moussaoui trial has made them feel. Pastors, priests, rabbis, teachers, therapists, these victims need your help.

Western Muslims must also act. We should not allow worldwide Jihad to become a fait-accompli. Once the issue is handed to us in a polarized us-or-them format, it will be impossible to refuse. We would be faced either with fighting for extremist causes or suffering the humiliation of surrendering all our legitimate positions. Here is a situation where being moderate means speaking up. I welcome your comments on this site as to ways Muslims living in the West can help control the damage of the Moussaoui trial.

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