I was amused to read Abubakar N Kasim’s latest article “How about some respect for a moderate Muslim?” in his column “Faith Economics” on NYT. (http://www.livemint.com/2008/12/23234123/How-about-some-respect-for-a-m.html?h=B)

I am getting sick and tired of the line “All terrorists are Muslim but not all Muslims are terrorists”. Try telling this to the families of the victims, guys. This might sound callous but when I see a Muslim wearing a scull cap on the street it’s hard to think of him as a moderate one. I know there is nothing wrong in having religion as part of your daily life but it doesn’t exactly inspire the rest of us with the confidence that it won’t make you attack every non-muslim in sight as a “Kafir”.

Look at it from our point of view – if tomorrow a lot of Hindus started turning up on streets wearing sandalwood paste and saffron robes would you consider us moderate? How would you be able to distinguish between a good Hindu and a bad one? It’s sad that some Muslims who have nothing to do with this violence are suffering because of the extreme ones but the truth is that the price for not checking that you are not hostile will be rather heavy for the rest of us. I am being callous again but here it is – it’s better that you suffer the humiliation of extra frisking and questions than many innocent lives blown to bits because some fanatic managed to pass without being thoroughly checked.

I agre that the US war on Iraq was wrong but no one in their right mind (even Bush’s staunchest critics) held Christians responsible for that simply because George W. Bush did not attack Iraq with the intention of turning every Muslim in sight into a Christian there! It wasn’t a Jihad. Can you tell me why Islam – which is considered a “peace-promoting” religion BTW – is at war with every other major religion in the world – be it Hinduism, Judaism or Christianity?

Oh and BTW, You don’t have just “some” lunatics in your midst but a “whole lot” of them. And so, though I find it hard to agree whole-heartedly with your colleague who says that the world will be peaceful if all of the Muslim countries were nuked, frankly, Mr. Kasim, I don’t blame him for thinking like that.

If the shoe were on the other foot, I am sure you would have thought so too.