Time for change [Archives:2005/861/Opinion]
By Adam Taha
[email protected]
Terrorism is like the cycle of rain; it starts with the sun (our main source of heat and energy) heating the surface of the earth. Then, water evaporates from the sea and major bodies of water (such as rivers and lakes) and the water becomes vapour. Trees and plants, meanwhile, release oxygen into the atmosphere.
The top layer of water in the ocean is evaporated. Then the water vapour expands and cools as it rises and condenses to form water droplets up in the clouds. The clouds drift through the sky spreading over land and ocean. Water droplets merge with other water droplets and grow in size. As they get bigger, they get too heavy to stay in the cloud and fall to the ground. Hence, what a nation does to another country, so shall it's ugliness rise, and forms into its dark cloud and drifts through the sky, but this time, it came to England.
Remember, as the cluster bombs hit Iraq, and the crying of Iraqi children and their mothers were silenced by thunder, and the earth shook, and the darkness came, and the feeling of loneliness eased in, rendering the hearts of the Iraqi people with confusion and bewilderment on why they are being punished for something they didn't do. Our lives changed and the wheel began to turn and somewhere in this world, someone was planning to hijack Islam.
The dust has settled, the blood has dried as the eyes of the world skims passed Occupied Palestine. And now, our lives changed, and the soil of England is tainted with anger, hate, and ignorance as the media dilutes the truth, nurturing anger, hate instead of asking the right questions.
We wake up to a new day, filled with questions, blaming, and the reality that we must change into being proactive to fight against terrorism; not with an apologetic manner, but with a political understanding, that what has happened is because of the foreign policy, the war on Iraq, Occupation Palestine and the ignorance of the few. Our lives have changed and still, the mosques, institutions, committees have not woken up to an understanding that the time has come to educate our youths about the truth on Islam, media, politics and work constantly with them instead of providing them baseless government initiatives that do nothing and renders them to NOT think. If we don't, then someone else will teach them their agenda and motives.
Now, the mosques are being burnt, our youths getting angrier or beaten up to death, and our lives continue to change into a life filled with fear and the questions of 'what's next and why.' Now, we weep again not just as Muslims, but also as a nation; a mother has lost a daughter or a son, or a son and daughter have lost a father or a mother. And a friend holding to the memories of their lost friend and the new business that started with so much struggle has now disappeared under the rumble./. So many will take the law in their own hands like angry blind mobs have the intellect the size of a pea. BNP will use this and milk it for all their worth, but what do you expect from ignorant fools who have no respect for the dead.
The foreign policy though many would not like to admit, is now showing what it has created. And still, USA keeps on piling the billions to Israel. We weep as an Israeli Tank kills another American and another Palestinian child is hit with bullets provided by USA as we keep on sending so much money, and not think, the power, the answer lies here, in UK and USA. We can campaign and fight politically but this takes money, leadership and commitment to vision not talk.
We wept as the world wept when we saw the twin towers being hit because we are also human beings. We wept for the children, the women, the firemen, the Policemen and women who died to save another life. We cried for each and every human being and we condemned the attack and marched we did. From all walks of life we marched, to say, “this war isn't the right way.” And still, the world wanted us to apologies for something we haven't done. Who then do we blame? USA? UK? Shall we hold all to the foreign policy alone? Evil triumphs when good people do nothing. There is only one to blame now. It is all of us. Whether we are Muslims Christians, Jewish, White, Black, Americans or British. Why? Because we have for too long let those in power get away in making decisions based on lies, on flawed evidences, and have put them there without realising, we haven't finished the job yet, and we CAN take them out.
It is time; we take responsibility because though we are Muslims, we are NOT living in an alien country. This country, called England, America is our country too! We are not just its resident. Though many see these times as darker times, I see these times that have come as something totally different.
I see it, as a new era, in which, we have so much to learn from each other, and there are pages in which history is yet to be made, and the success for peace can only be attained, when we truly respect the life of every human being not just Muslims, Jews or Christians. It's time we walked the talk and show for real, what peace stands for.
God waits until man or woman dies then He Judges. Why then does mankind have no hesitation to judge and inflict pain on one another? Who are we to do so? It is Time for Change and that change must happen within all of us, no matter of our religion or beliefs.
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