Moderate Muslims Fight Back ... Against Terror

• Who is a moderate muslim anyway?
  Fundamentally, a muslim who is true to his faith could be considered a fundamentalist, ie. a good practising muslim. Such a muslim shoul d be tolerant of other religions and willing to live in peace and harmony with everyone else regardless of race, religion or creed.
  
  So, where does the "moderate muslim" fit?
  At best the label is misleading, at worst it allows mortals to cloak in robes and preach divinity as though they are the only ones who know how to live according to tenets of Islam.
  
  Let me make it very clear before the religious zealots are out to sharpen their swords.
  
  I condemn all acts of terrorism, whether they are committed by individuals with twisted logic or by desparate souls brainwashed by ideolgical fanatics or by state sponsored terrorism wanting to maintain power or achieve unjust ends. In short, I condemn violence in all its forms.
  
  I also believe that every human being deserves and must be allowed the right to live and prosper in honour and dignity.
  
  After 9/11 attacks in the US, muslims are facing social and political pressures to take a stand against terrorism. This is understandable and appropriate.
  
  If you care to look at the present problems in the hotspots of terrorism in the world these will stand out as glaring facts.
• Osama Bin Laden would never have become the mastermind of a terror organization if the US did not support him in the mountains of Afghanistan to fight against the Soviet troops
• The US conveniently used the Pakistani Madrassahs who turned out a radical brand of Islam and sent their recruits to Afghanistan to fight the occupying Soviets.
• Sadam Hussain was supported by US, when he waged a seven year war aginst Iran, killing more than a million people on both sides. The US wanted stop Ayotollah Khomeni from spreading his brand of Islam across the Arabian Pensiula, to protect Saudi Arabian Oil and its kingdom.

But such paternalistic protection saw some countries sytematically abusing human rights and enslaving their citizens who did not succumb to dictatorial tyranny. Desparate and diehard alienated groups formed undergroung movements and started what they believed a holy war against despotic regimes supported by the US and the West.

The muslim clerics preaching tolerance and harmony from the pulpits of their mosques ,while necessary is not going to wipe out terrorism by itself. The US and the West must step up to the play and stop supporting regimes that violate their citizens right to live, work and prosper in peace and harmony.