There is no such thing as a Muslim terrorist... A terrorist is simply a terrorist, you may want to say lunatic terrorist, brainwashed terrorist, extremist terrorist etc, but there is no such thing as a Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Jewish terrorist. You may choose to say a terrorist who claims to represent a certain religion, but a terrorist is to me nothing more than a terrorist FULL STOP. The last two days have been filled with an endless stream of newsfeed and updates on the #sydneysiege. A lot of it was speculation in the early part. But what immediately troubled me was when the first image of the black standard appeared in the window of the Lindt Cafe. The www exploded with terms like Muslim terrorist, suspected Islamic extremist, Islamic State plot etc. Credit must be given to the NSW police for being very careful with their communications and to most of the media for being highly restraint in their reporting despite the rare possibility of landing a scoop. But whatever the motive of Mans Haron Monis, he is simply a lunatic terrorist; a lone wolf (if he deserves such respect of being considered one), but he is not a Muslim terrorist. The #illridewithyou campaign that viraled so quickly once the hostage situation started is testament to the resilience that we all find in communities when crisis strikes. The camaraderie and support for the vulnerable is admirable. When I read the genesis of the campaign, of the Muslim girl who took off her veil, I felt again that ache of incredulity that the foolish/deranged actions of one individual should result in the collective responsibility/guilt of an entire community. That cannot be so. No community should have to explain itself for the stupidity of one individual. No act of ISIL or the Real IRA should reflect the collective character of Muslims or Catholics respectively. The moment that special someone decides to unhinge himself to declare war on the innocent, he loses his right to be linked to any religion or race. In fact, he or she loses his or her link to humanity even. Violence is never the way of any religion, no faith starts with the basis of the destruction of another faith. As a Catholic, Ive interacted closely with many Muslim brothers and sisters, both in Singapore and abroad, and to me their Islam is a beautiful and peaceful religion. A religion rich in symbolism, of culture, or science and progress. Not what ISIL, al-Qaeda, al-Nusra, and their ilk make it out to be. Whether you are a Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Bahai, Zoroastrian, Taoist, Buddhist, Sikh, Hindu, agnostic, or an atheist Singaporean, we need to #standbyeachother and #standagainstterrorism. So I stand with you, my Muslim brothers and sisters. You really dont need to explain yourself. You have a beautiful peaceful religion, one which we should all respect. You are a beautiful people too, impossible to stain with the blood of lunatics who claim adherence to your community. To Mans Haron and all who choose the path of stupidity, you shame yourself, you disgrace yourself, you alone are responsible for your lunancy. Condolences to the families of the two wonderful heroes who lost their lives in Sydney yesterday, may your light shine on! Peace and all good! #onesingapore #heartofyewtee
Posted on: Tue, 16 Dec 2014 12:07:54 +0000
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