"I Want 'Allahu Akbar' Back"
Op-ed contributor Wajahat Ali, in his opinion article "I Want 'Allahu Akbar' Back" (2017), mourns the fact that the claimed benign, religious phrase "Allahu Akbar" has been unfairly twisted into a terrorism-related reference and asserts that these two words are actually innocent. Ali supports this claim by delivering a catalog using parallel structure in which he gives real-life examples of when he uses this phrase throughout his daily life in order to show the innocence and casual usage of the phrase, gives examples of the phrase being tagged onto three recent terror attacks around the world, showing how a few radicals are giving these words a bad reputation, and compares "Allahu Akbar" to shouts of "white pride" by supremacists, showing another example of how language can be perverted and weaponized by extremists and how therefore this is not exclusively a Muslim problem. Ali's purpose was to shed light on the true meaning behind the phrase "Allahu Akbar," as well as to show that this phrase is not all bad, as unfortunately, it is the radical extremists who are causing there to be misconceptions and stigmas regarding these words. He serves as an ally and spokesperson for his fellow Muslims who want to retrieve ownership over their innocent traditional saying, a critic towards the radical Muslim extremists who have tarnished this phrase in the eyes of the world, and creates a personal relationship with his word wide, non-Muslim audience, pleading for them to see past the terrorists and extremists to understand that the phrase "Allahu Akbar" is simply a phrase of thanksgiving and gratitude, not one of hate and terror.
As a Jew who has had personal connections with thousands of Muslim organized, hate-fueled terrorist attacks specifically directed against my people because of our religion, resulting in the deaths of an uncountable number of Jewish people, this issue hits close to home and is a very sensitive topic. Although I think that this article was very well written and had some strong points, I do strongly disagree with it. Firstly, I think that while this is a valid argument and an important issue to discuss, the fact that this article was published the day after the terrorist attack in Manhattan was simply insensitive to those killed, wounded, and affected by the attack. Our thoughts at this time should be with those who are mourning in the aftermath of this tragic event, not on dealing with the larger racial issues. As one commenter on the article ironically put it, “My all-purpose expression of gratitude has been stolen by terrorists, and it hurts”..... but not as badly as being run over by a truck." My main problem with this article is that I believe that Ali is directing his complaint to the wrong audience. This complaint should be directed against those who are abusing the phrase in the name of terrorism. We see and hear what is happening in the world and therefore make conclusions. If he believes that there is a wrongful association with this phrase and terrorism, he should address the perpetrators of terrorism, not its victims. It is they who are using these words in the name of religious zeal and murder. Ali claims that only a tiny minority of Muslims fall into the radical extremist group and how this is not what his religion stands for, however, he lacks to name even one predominantly Muslim country in the world that is a liberal democracy, or to tell us that his religious beliefs agree with a separation of church and state and stand for the rights of women, gays, or other religions. He makes good defending points, however, he fails to sympathize with Americans who want a country free of terrorist threats from those who come here to kill innocent people in the name of Islam, which is proven to happen over and over again in the news. I truly believe that not all Muslims are terrorists, however, unfortunately, Muslims are at the center of most terrorist attacks in the world. This is a fact that cannot be denied, so although this phrase has innocent roots, these extremists have turned it into a symbol and slogan of hate and terror. This is unfortunate, but one cannot blame us for this association because this is the reality. After many horrific attacks on innocent Israeli citizens, the terrorists are praised and celebrated by their communities, hailed as heroes and martyrs, as thousands parade and celebrate this "holy act." This is the image we see time and again, and therefore becomes the stereotype, for good or for bad, whether it be the majority or minority. A major issue with defending the Muslim community and the phrase "Allahu Akbar" is centered around a larger question. Where are the press conferences from Muslim governments, communities, and mosques to denounce these acts of terror? Why are they not helping to dissuade the younger generation from committing these acts? There have been no actions or attempts to root out radicalism and terrorism within the Islamic communities, so nothing has changed about the situation. Reclaiming "Allahu Akbhar" starts with the Muslim community and can only happen when it's no longer used in the context of terrorism.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/01/opinion/manhattan-truck-attack-akbar-terrorism.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fopinion&action=click&contentCollection=opinion®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront
As a Jew who has had personal connections with thousands of Muslim organized, hate-fueled terrorist attacks specifically directed against my people because of our religion, resulting in the deaths of an uncountable number of Jewish people, this issue hits close to home and is a very sensitive topic. Although I think that this article was very well written and had some strong points, I do strongly disagree with it. Firstly, I think that while this is a valid argument and an important issue to discuss, the fact that this article was published the day after the terrorist attack in Manhattan was simply insensitive to those killed, wounded, and affected by the attack. Our thoughts at this time should be with those who are mourning in the aftermath of this tragic event, not on dealing with the larger racial issues. As one commenter on the article ironically put it, “My all-purpose expression of gratitude has been stolen by terrorists, and it hurts”..... but not as badly as being run over by a truck." My main problem with this article is that I believe that Ali is directing his complaint to the wrong audience. This complaint should be directed against those who are abusing the phrase in the name of terrorism. We see and hear what is happening in the world and therefore make conclusions. If he believes that there is a wrongful association with this phrase and terrorism, he should address the perpetrators of terrorism, not its victims. It is they who are using these words in the name of religious zeal and murder. Ali claims that only a tiny minority of Muslims fall into the radical extremist group and how this is not what his religion stands for, however, he lacks to name even one predominantly Muslim country in the world that is a liberal democracy, or to tell us that his religious beliefs agree with a separation of church and state and stand for the rights of women, gays, or other religions. He makes good defending points, however, he fails to sympathize with Americans who want a country free of terrorist threats from those who come here to kill innocent people in the name of Islam, which is proven to happen over and over again in the news. I truly believe that not all Muslims are terrorists, however, unfortunately, Muslims are at the center of most terrorist attacks in the world. This is a fact that cannot be denied, so although this phrase has innocent roots, these extremists have turned it into a symbol and slogan of hate and terror. This is unfortunate, but one cannot blame us for this association because this is the reality. After many horrific attacks on innocent Israeli citizens, the terrorists are praised and celebrated by their communities, hailed as heroes and martyrs, as thousands parade and celebrate this "holy act." This is the image we see time and again, and therefore becomes the stereotype, for good or for bad, whether it be the majority or minority. A major issue with defending the Muslim community and the phrase "Allahu Akbar" is centered around a larger question. Where are the press conferences from Muslim governments, communities, and mosques to denounce these acts of terror? Why are they not helping to dissuade the younger generation from committing these acts? There have been no actions or attempts to root out radicalism and terrorism within the Islamic communities, so nothing has changed about the situation. Reclaiming "Allahu Akbhar" starts with the Muslim community and can only happen when it's no longer used in the context of terrorism.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/01/opinion/manhattan-truck-attack-akbar-terrorism.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fopinion&action=click&contentCollection=opinion®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront
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ReplyDeleteFor your precis: Great job, this was well written and covered everything extensively except for the tone. You did say that Ali "mourns", but I think you could have elaborated more on his tone, perhaps mentioning his frustrated and angry tone that he uses towards those who responded harshly to Islamic terrorism but not to atrocities committed by non-Muslims.
ReplyDeleteFor the response: This was insightful and used facts and logic to make a strong argument against Ali's article. I agree with your overall argument that it is insensitive to publish this right after an Islamic act of terror. I would just point out that firstly, this is an appropriate audience because his point is that extremists have ruined their perception of this phrase, and they should be the ones who separate it from terrorism and recognize its peaceful nature. Also, statistics show that the majority of terrorist attacks committed in America are done by far-right extremists and not Muslims. Additionally, just because Muslim countries aren't liberal democracies does not mean their beliefs are inherently violent.
Good counter-arguments, Akiva!
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