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| Muslims torn over support to war on terror. CAIR's not - they're against it. |
| 2001-10-20 |
American Muslim leaders who have endorsed the war on terrorism are facing a growing backlash from community members concerned about the impact on Afghan civilians and broader U.S. war aims. The concerns have led the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights organization with a large grass-roots base, to draft a statement calling for an end to the bombing in Afghanistan. Other Muslim groups so far have declined to sign the statement, prompting the council to debate whether to issue it. Some Muslim leaders hesitate to sign for fear of provoking a backlash in the wider population and projecting an image of being unpatriotic. Others fear alienating the Bush administration at a time the community has made great strides in gaining political influence in Washington. Several prominent Muslim organizations in the U.S. backed George W. Bush over Al Gore in the presidential campaign last year, seeking to create a unified Muslim political position for the first time. The debate over the antiwar statement illuminates the divisions within the American Muslim community. Leaders until now have tried to portray a united front in support of U.S. policy. But significant opposition to that policy exists in the community. "The Muslim leadership is in a real dilemma," said Aslam Abdullah, editor of the Minaret, a Muslim magazine in Los Angeles. "If they oppose the war, people will point their fingers and say they are soft on terrorism. But if they support it, they may be speaking against their conscience." |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |