Your 9/11 is not my 24/7

The “Bring Back Your Drones” campaign is nothing new. Previously, on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack in New York City, a photo with the caption “Dear USA, your 9/11 is our 24/7. Sincerely, Palestine” was making its rounds in social media. The photo aimed to draw a parallel between the 9/11 tragedy and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A community page of the same name has existed on Facebook, with over 4,000 likes, since 2011.

When 27 children were killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, a social worker from my country Bangladesh immediately connected the incident to the US-sponsored drone attacks in Pakistan, and the US invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan, which killed at least 600,000 civilians, including children. Such comparison of tragedies at a time of mourning leaves me – a human rights worker mesmerised by the religion of Islam – outraged.

Drone attacks, invasions, and the age-long Israeli-Palestinian dispute are acute problems, which demand our immediate and individual attention. Making a “them and us” analogy out of these tragedies undermines the gravity and the unique contexts of each of the incidents. Every life is precious. We cannot make a numbers game out of every tragedy and place greater weight on catastrophes with the higher death toll.

There is a time and place for everything. The “Bring Back Your Drones” campaign is detracting much needed attention from Nigerian girls’ rights to education and safety, that too at a time when solidarity with the cause and prayers for the afflicted families would be appropriate. It is a pity that human rights workers are using – as their political and advocacy tools – the very double-standards that they are protesting. In doing so, they are being just as hypocritical and confrontational as they accuse the West, or even feminists, of being.

While these campaigns have been initiated or supported by social scientists from diverse backgrounds, the Muslim community in particular must be sensitive to the losses of others and be compassionate towards the victims, not only because it had been on the receiving end of many atrocities, but also because it is described as being the “best of the nations” in the Qur’an.

In response to such counter campaigns during the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, Hamzah Moin, a popular Muslim comedian, shared his sentiments on his Facebook page: “Maniac Muslim, does every tragic event have to be related back to our community? How selfish are we? It just comes across as condescending. I’m not sure if we’re winning hearts like that. Perhaps something better timed and less snarky.”

The religion of Islam has a lot to offer to modern society. It obligates a firm stance against social injustice. It places strong emphasis on education. The hijab is an innovative means of rejecting materialism and the sexual objectification of women. However, many of the current approaches of the Muslim community appear to be narrow, passive, and territorial, often in contradiction with the very essence of the religion that attracts so many inquisitive learners.

In 2012, the trailer for “Innocence of Muslims,” an anti-Islamic film, sparked outrage among the international Muslim community. Social media feeds were abuzz with calls for petitions and street demonstrations. Even laymen Muslim around the world took to the streets in protest. The verbal bait used to mobilise such a campaign of universal appeal was: “What will you say if God asked you about what you did when Prophet Muhammad was being insulted?”

When NBC’s Saturday Night Live aired a skit insulting Jesus (who is revered in the Islamic faith), only American Muslims erupted in objection. I will not be surprised if a large number of Muslims are unaware that this incident occurred last year. In the past, a few Muslims from my country have also unwittingly shared a photo of Hitler on Facebook with the caption “I would have killed all the Jews of the world, but I kept some to show the world why I killed them.”

Despite claiming to be a harbinger of peace and justice, the Muslim community – like the world media – had remained dormant for three weeks on an issue that was clearly an affront to Prophet Muhammad, who advocated for seeking knowledge. Nobody ever asked “What will you say if God asked you about what you did when the rights to education of approximately 276 girls were snatched away?” on social media.

Islamic scholars often mention Islam as being the fastest-growing religion in the world. Some Muslim followers boast about the number of people they have succeeded in proselytising, while others claim that Prophet Muhammad spent his whole life “spreading Islam.” Is the religion of Islam really about conversion or is it about the spirituality of a person and how that spirituality is directed at preserving the well-being of the world?

Bailing themselves out of the case, certain factions of the Muslim community will be quick to assert that “all Muslims are not the same” or that “the followers do not define the ideology,” forgetting that if there is no peace among the followers, there must be a problem with the existing religious interpretations and approaches. It will be sufficient instead for the Muslim community to accept the problem, to disassociate itself from the crime, to condemn it, and to stop using “buts and ifs.”

In the long run, irrespective of the number of followers, people will be drawn to an ideology that serves to bring peace in the world. If the Muslim community does not alter its approach, Islam will fast deteriorate into a cornerstone of religion-based separatism, and consequently, be less appealing in the contemporary world. The Muslim community must concentrate on the core principle of Islam – advancing the rights of all people, irrespective of their religious affiliations. Embracing the cause of education and the safety of girls is a good place to start.