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ANI – August 12, 2005
Jihad, suicide bombing
most abused words in US, West
Lahore: An American Muslim rights body has said suicide bombing and Jihad were the most abused words associated with Islam in the United States and the West.
Samina Faheem Sundas, the executive director of the American Muslim Voice, while addressing a function here, said that the two words are so much abused, that a school child who might not have any knowledge about Islam, would know that Muslims are suicide bombers and kill innocents in the name of Jihad.
“An American schoolchild might not have any knowledge about Islam but he knows that Muslims are suicide bombers and kill innocent people in the name of jihad. An average American has doubts about the loyalty of every Muslim with the US,” the Dawn quoted her as saying.
She said that the situation was so biased that a Christian responsible for the Oklahoma blasts was not labelled a Catholic bomber, because Americans believe only Muslims commit such acts in the name of religion.
“A catholic was responsible for the Oklahoma blasts but he was not labelled as a catholic bomber because Americans argue that only Muslims commit such acts in the name of their religion,” she said, adding that the “Madressah in Pakistan should only impart religious education to their students. The teachers should deliver lectures in their personal capacity and not as teachers of the seminaries.”
She further said that it was because of this prejudice that Muslims were suffering more than any other community in the Us and the West, post 9/11 and 7/7, because they did not bother to depict the true Islamic way which is non-violent, she added.
“The need of the hour is to launch a vigorous campaign to create awareness among the Muslims in the US. They need to know that they have the right to say no and the right to an attorney; they have the right to say no to the search unless the law-enforcers have a search warrant and they will have to get a subpoena to question anyone,” she further said.
http://www.newkerala.com/news.php?action=fullnews&id=13193
This press conference was covered by press globally.
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