Why Muslims must team with the west.

Just some of today's headlines, not a big deal compared to the widespread human rights violations across the Muslim world.

* Indonesian Muslims banned from practicing yoga
* Pakistan: A Mounting Problem for Obama: A schoolteacher in Pakistan, hanged; his father shot dead when he refused to he hike up his trousers to expose his ankles per Taliban demand.


Muslims must team with the west to save Islam.

The Image of Islam has gotten worse over the years. 9/11 gave a new label to Muslims as Al-Qaeda emerged. This label isn't a favorable one. In many parts of the world Muslims are discriminated against in humiliating and vicious ways. Some Muslims would rather keep their faith a secret; I don't blame them.

In fact the image of Islam is not only at fault. It's the way Islam is practiced all over the world and not only in radical Taliban controlled regions. Saudi Arabia has brought the biggest demise to Islam under the cover of 'Arab tradition'. Its influence propagated by its financial strength and western allies has reached every corner of earth.

Some westerners may ask why moderate Muslims do not stand up against some of the horrors of radical Islam. The answer is simple; most people would rather live then die protesting against the interpretation and practice of radical Islam. I say most because some brave souls have died trying. In fact calling it radical-Islam is a misnomer it self. There have been many Muslims and non-Muslims that had protested inhumane practices 'under the name of Islam' only to have been forced into exile and hiding. Leaving Islam is not an option, since once born to a Muslim family; always condemned being a Muslim. Most of them have taken the approach that Islam needs to change; while the real problem has been the distribution of interpretation of a certain distorted flavor of Islam; marketed as true-Islam.

Any 'way of life' can be challenged by rogue and terrorist organizations, whether it is Islam or some other. So what's left for moderate Muslims to do? It's simple really; the leadership of Islam must be taken away from the extremists. Moderate Muslims must partner with the west to wipe out terrorist organizations and leaders that are peddling and enforcing one religion (radical Islam, Arab traditions etc) under the name of another (Islam). Only western Muslims can lead this effort; because they will have both religious right and political might.

Copyright d.i.