Attack on Christians: We are all to blame

For those who did not know her, Mariam was a young girl from Alexandria who prayed to God in the last day of the year 2010 to stand by her and help her.

But a few minutes later she was turned into ashes along with her sister, mother and aunt at the hands of the enemies of Allah and humanity.

Pardon me. I feel disgusted. I feel that an ugliness of special kind is haunting me. Faceless blackness is filling me and dirtiness with bad smell is tainting me.

Pardon me. I am writing with ink which has the color of blood and may be its taste. Words, any words on such occasions remain short.

I do not know from where to begin. Shall I start from the suicide operations in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq against Hussainiyat and mosques which were supposed to be safe or from the bombing of Iraqi churches, the slaughter and dispersal of Iraqi Christians? Or shall I begin from the St. Mark and St Peter’s Coptic church in Alexandria where innocent victims were ripped apart for no crime except that they were worshiping God on a Christmas night?

In response, people wrote, condemned and denounced. They delivered eloquent speeches and repeated their monotonous clichés of denouncing what had happened. They stood silent for minutes and declared mourning. But what then?

Whom shall we blame?

Let us admit that we are all to blame. We are all criminals and our hands are tainted with the blood of the innocent.

Yes, we are all terrorists.

Every mother who does not raise her children to accept his or her colleague who differs in sect, religion or race.

Every father who utters a discriminatory word against the followers of other religions and other sects.

Every teacher who teaches his students extremism and fundamentalism.

Every educationalist who formulates curricula that eliminate the others.

Every official who accepts and keeps silent on religious extremism.

Every media person who agitates religious and sectarian disparity through his or her use of the media.

Every writer who does not uncover the goals and objectives of terrorists and extremists from all religions and sects.

Yes, we are all terrorists.

Every society which treats Christians as refugees and not full-fledged citizens.

Every Muslim scholar who conceals the verses and Qur’an and the Hadiths of the Prophet (peace be upon him) which call for peaceful coexistence.

Every Sheikh who asks his followers to hate and fight non-Muslims.

Every security organ which refuses to protect its people regardless of their beliefs.

Every official who accepts religious fanaticism from any group, religion or sect.

Everyone who closes his ears against Christian calls for love.

Every TV channel which propagates religious extremism and fundamentalism.

Every society which permits bloodshed of Christians for political or religious purposes.

Every politician who contributes to the migration of Christians from their original homes.

Every country which is unable to provide peace and security for its citizens regardless of their religious beliefs.

Everyone who justifies the tragedies of his country by blaming “foreign parties and Zionism”.

And sure, everyone who forgets Allah’s saying: ” Of the People of the Book are a Portion that stand (For the right); they rehearse The Signs of God all night long. And they prostrate themselves In adoration. They believe in God And the Last Day; They enjoin what is right, And forbid what is wrong; And they hasten (in emulation) In (all) good works: They are in ranks of the righteous”.

Let us admit it. We are all terrorists.

To the beautiful priest who wrote to me: “We love you in Christ and happy that you are a Muslim”, I say: “I love you and you are Christian. I apologize for the crimes committed in the name of my religion of which it is innocent.

* Dalaa Al-Mufti is an Arab commentator. She can be contacted at: dalaa@fasttelco.com

Arab News

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