As you may have already heard - during a recent marathon in Boston, two bombs exploded causing havoc which lead to the injury of more than 170 people and the death of three.The suspected bombers are two Chechnyan brothers. One a 26 year old, amateur boxer who describes himself as a 'very religious' non-drinker and non smoker. During a stand off he was shot.
The other is a 19 year old, who according to his father, was awarded a scholarship to pursue further education in order to become a brain surgeon. During a manhunt he was found hiding in a boat in a homeowner's backyard. Afterall, you can run but you can't hide.
With links now being made to their origins and to Islam, Amercian Muslims may face a backlash due the bombers sharing the same faith as them. A 10 year old child went to his Ohio school and was surprised by a question from a classmate when having a discussion regarding the explosions. The classmate asked: 'Does that mean Yusef is going to blow up the school?'
A confused Yusef, whose family asked that his last name not be used, says he repeated the classmate's question. But the teacher apparently only heard Yusef's end of the exchange, a misunderstanding that resulted in detention and having his locker searched.
So how will you be reacting? Do you think that once again, you'll be stereotyped by the doings of certain individuals? Should we continue to hold press conferences and apologise to the world on their behalf and remind the world that not all Muslims are terrorists or do we dismiss the situation and mention the many examples of Muslims suffering at the hands of America and Western countries?
Share your thoughts.
we prob will be stereotypes by jerks. and abt the last two situations you mention, i would say do neither for the purpose of "we are musliims and as muslims we shld try extra hard to say sorry for soemthing we got nowt to do with". what we shld do is mourn and send condolescences like any other HUMAN BEING would.
i liked the banners some middle easter group made though. saying things like "we're really sorry for what happened" and stuff
there was also another banner "we're sorry, but what happened in boston is what also happened in [dont remember the country, think it was Pakistan]" i dont know how to feel abt that banner though, i guess the feeling of uncomfrtability (sorry for made up word) stems from "you shld shut your mouth muslim abt all this, feel ashamed for what someone from your religion did and go hide in a corner"
why shldnt we point out that this happens on a very often basis in the middle east. the people there a grieving just as hard as the people in Boston. we shld feel exactly the same abt both.
Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?
It's true, far worse takes place around the world each day. The shock is that America should be attacked like this - and now Obama (who has handled this deftly) will have to work out what happened. Maybe some people's feelings about Islam will be reawakened but by and large you are not being blamed. Keep standing up for what you believe among Muslims and non-Muslims. After 9-11 I think far more western Muslim youth were in the grip of Wahhabism, or at least excited by its anti-Western ideology, whereas the repercussions were not pretty and the pace of change and spectrum of political divisions in the Middle East are now far more familiar to Muslim and non-Muslim alike; so perhaps everyone's views have become more nuanced, and if you wanted a chance to find out here's one. Not saying there aren't people out there who will rip on you (and me) regardless, but they aren't dominating the wider agenda and hopefully never will.
The Boston incident was especially despicable given that people were mostly running to support medical charities, and would have felt extremely proud to have finally accomplished a 26-mile run without stopping, and relatives had turned out to show their support, and then these explosions came from the blue and killed and injured people. That's horrible. Thousands of dead is horrible, more horrible, but the WTC was something that represented capitalism, if they insisted on killing innocent people at least the location made sense. This was just... idk. fwiw I have my own conspiracy theory that would lay the blame somewhere else entirely but it is only a hunch and the evidence is not really there. In fact officially nobody seems to have a motive as yet, and perhaps speculation is still premature since they have a man in custody.
The suspect's been charged with using a weapon of mass destruction. WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION whaaaaaaaaat?
I don't usually read conspiracy theories, but from what I've read things just don't make sense. Of course my gut feeling means nothing really, especially since I didn't know him, but I do wish everyone would stop talking about him as if he's guilty when he's a *suspect*! Of course he deserves whatever the right punishment is, if he is guilty - surely that's not being charged with using a WMD
I don't think he will be let off even if he is innocent with the way they're already treating him as being guilty. He can't even afford a lawyer - will whoever he's been given really fight the case for him properly - especially when everyone's labelled him as a terrorist?
Oh yh, that's another thing, as soon as it was reported that the brother's are Muslims, it was called a "terrorist attack" by media and even Obama - they hadn't even spoke to them about their motives (if they have done it), how can they just call it terrorism like that?!
A Saudi guy was suspected first, by the New York Post and then a Bengali was attacked for being an "Arab" because of all the Islamophobia
And some Americans are so lost they didn't know Czech Republic was not the same country as Chechnya - the Czech ambassador had to actually make a statement to say his country was not Chechnya *facepalm*
"How many people find fault in what they're reading and the fault is in their own understanding" Al Mutanabbi
have the "brothers" not admitted to their crime? well one of them is dead, but what abt the younger brother. is he still, today 24/4/13, still just a suspect?
Khutbah by Nouman Ali Khan about how we shld feel/respond to what happened, a few notepad notes i made while listening. not a summary or anything. just notes. just listen to it for yourself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToKA1GSrxR4
what our attitude shld be towards events like the Boston Bombings.
the thought that we shld only care and feelbad when muslims are hurting is wrong.
we believe that Islam is the same message that was sent to ALL prophets 'alaihimsalaam
Shu'aib was sent and taught fairness in business, the buyer was non muslim. Islam was sent to ALL of Humankind. it is a Humanitarian message.
the prophet sallAllahu'alaihiwassalam was the most concerned about all of humanity.
you cant possibly invite someone to something when you hate them or think they are inferior. we're not suppose to have that attitude.
Allah says: "we honour the children of Aadam" (no specific to any TYPE of "children of Aadam")
the prophet sallAllahu'alaihiwassalam was always concerned for suffering of others before revelation, but after revelation he was concerned abt a new suffering, the forever suffering of the afterlife.
the companions wld come up to non-muslims that are sick and would do rukya on them.
"i feel sad for the 8 years old who died in the boston bombing"
this might be confusing to some muslims, "is it okay to feel sad for non muslims?"
then someone comes up to you and tells you "well why dont you feel sad for the children dying in war zones?" this is wrong, this is using reality for political ends. humans can only feel so much sadness. its wrong to "compare" these two.
its a human thing, a part of us can feel sad but at the same time be happy. we cant be overwhelmed by negativity. we need to be balanced.
if we're over depressed and negative we will not be connected to the world. we need to have happiness to be functional and useful to the world.
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Allah says about the Quran that by this revelation He misguides many and he also guides many. but HOW can Quran misquides others? the next ayah says "those who are inherently corrupted". corruption has many forms. if you approach the Quran with some sortof corrupted intention, then you will end up being misguided by the Quran, because it is possible to interpret the Quran in a "corrupt" way.
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our response to non muslims:
be careful and vigilant of things around you
and dont respond to them, dont resort to indecency yourself. we arent criminals, we didnt do anything. we shldnt feel like we owe anyone an apology.
CONCLUSION:
1)our hearts bleed and goes out for ANYONE who's hurting ANYWHERE on Earth.
2)the bombing is a manipulation of Quran.
3)we have to be careful of our surrounding (because there are some people out there who will use this to harm you), use it as an opportunity for dawah; we have to go out of way to get our neighbours to knw us. our motive shldnt be PR, but because Islam teaches us to know our neighbours, being a good neighbour. (not to say "im not one of those type of muslims, those fanatics one, im normal)
Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?
Yes they are just suspects still. The younger brother can barely talk cuz he has an injury to his throat.
As for the rest of it, it's sad (and shocking to some extent...but also kind of expected, given some peoples mentalities!) that people think you shouldn't feel bad if it's a non-Muslim being hurt or killed. I mean the Quran says if one innocent is killed it's like the whole of humanity! This does not separate Muslims only, and it should show people how big of deal it is, even I their hearts and minds don't naturally feel anything!
"How many people find fault in what they're reading and the fault is in their own understanding" Al Mutanabbi
I really really don't understand why terrorists exist. Can someone explain it to me? Why do people like causing destruction? Like destroying buildings? Like seeing people die? Like seeing people injured? Like seeing friends and family in despair? Why do they want to go into all these things? Who gives them these silly ideas?
Those notes that Lilly made are really good. I agree - wherever anything of this sort happens we shouldn't feel as though it doesn't affect us. It does, because we're all a part of humanity. We're supposed to be looking after each other and not ignoring issues that are happening half way across the world.
I think it's really important that everyone also starts realising that anyone can class themselves as a Muslim and then do certain actions which reflect Islam in a negative light but it isn't Islam with the problems. Muslims aren't perfect yet Islam IS so we shouldn't get the two mixed up.
I feel sorry for their mother. Imagine what she must be going through right now. To see her two sons grow up and then plot bombs and then have to hear that they were planning for more in other parts of the US. She mentioned how she wished she had just stayed in the mountain tops with her children and never emigrated to the US. May Allah make it easy for her and give her the ability to bear patience.
In their minds it's probably not as simple as how we see it, it certainly won't be the same was as we see it.
I was reading today how people in Yemen are joing Al Qaeeda not because they support the ideaology but because their homes, their families, their children have been hit and killed by American drones. They live in constant fear of when the next drone will attack them and I guess joining Al Qaeeda must make them feel better.
Others will similarly be reacting - or defending/retaliaiting - in their belief, I assume. Like you know how the saying goes "one man's terroritst, is another man's freedom fighter".
Then there are those who have been brainwashed to think they'll go to heaven if they kill these kaafir or whatever.
EDIT: This article explains well what the motives for such attacks could be http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/apr/24/boston-terrorism-mot...
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The mother of the Boston bombing suspects does not believe her children have done it, she believes they were set up.
I don't like how we automatically talk about suspects as being guilty before they've even been found guilty just because the media says so. It's not fair. I'm not saying I would back up anyone who has done wrong, but they all deserve to actually be found guilty first, before we right them off and want them tortured, right? The guy they first suspected was found dead yesterday/day before - hopefully the whole country thinking he'd done such an evil thing did not play any part in that. Sure shows the power of the media though, one minute we're hating one person, the next we're hating someone else; lives so easily ruined.
"How many people find fault in what they're reading and the fault is in their own understanding" Al Mutanabbi
If it was them, its stupid.
On the other hand, there is some stench.
I'm not one for conspiracy theories but I got sent this link:
http://imgur.com/a/Nx8EU
The majority of that can be ignores, but the images of the elder brother being arrested...
Is there footage of the elder brother getting arrested? If so, does it corroborate these screengrabs of the same or are they faked?
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
that link admin posted has some scary stuff...
TPOS: the Saudi guy is dead?!?! the one who got his flat raided?
Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?
No the Saudi guy was just something the new York post said.
This was an "official" suspect, a young Indian (American?) who was missing before the bombing even took place. Apparently he had depression. The story is that they confused the Indian guy with the younger brother.
"How many people find fault in what they're reading and the fault is in their own understanding" Al Mutanabbi
Haha I told you conspiracy theories can be scary! Some of those things do make me question it, but I can't believe the whole thing was staged, that's a lil too crazy lol.
It's interesting that there was a mention of the naked guy getting arrested but then nothing more has been mentioned of him. I hadn't seen the pic of the dead guy put with the boxing pic before, if the dead guy is meant to be the older brother then he really doesn't look as muscular as in previous pics.
I saw a vid of when the police were after them, they were shooting and the suspect very clearly says "chill out, chill out, it wasn't us!" Of course that doesn't prove their innocence but it just makes you think if they were armed, as it was said, then why would they be talking - instead of just shooting and/or trying to run away. I didn't notice this, but one of the comments said how if you listen carefully the shots are only coming from one side too. Also one of the most scary and surprising things is that the brothers went back to their normal lives after the attack. They were seen by people and with people, doing whatever they would normally do. It's scary cuz - well - were they such great actors that nobody realised they'd done something so bad? Did they not feel anything, how did they hide their guilt so well? Surprising because it would make sense for people who do such things to run for their lives, to hide! To have some sort of escape plan, no?
Oh and if the FBI were watching them, how could they get away with organising it all...bit of a fail on their part then!
"How many people find fault in what they're reading and the fault is in their own understanding" Al Mutanabbi
If they did it, they targetted "Americans", "terrorise them how they terrorise others", which is stupid, and as joey said, this was less of a target than the world trade centre, as it can't be somehow wishy washily explained as a "sign of the kuffaar system" and isnt a potent symbol to attack.
The reason to attack this makes no sense. Maybe they will find a video which explains it...
On the other hand if they were not involved AND there is a coverup, then having them walking and talking around denying their involvement would not do.
This is where the pictures of the elder being arrested come into it asking what really happened - at those pictures fake or is what happened fake?
(to me the dead guy and the living guy look like the same person.)
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
I feel so dazed right now. I've been looking down a light microscope and because of the strain on my eyes and the light intensity, my head is hurting. Then when i read this thread i've become a bit more puzzled. Whoever spotted all the things that were mentioned is a pretty good detective. I shall have to come back to this.