Since there is no/not many community – or leading – Muslims that speak out often in public against Radical Muslims, the Muslim community as a whole is in ways culpable of the anti-Muslim sentiments and distrusts that Americans have. You cannot sit on the sidelines and cry while people use your religion or faith to commit crimes against others, and then expect others to not have negative feelings against you.
When six Ultra Orthodox Jews flew to Iran in 2006 to the Holocaust Denying Summit, I had an op-ed (December 22, 2006) in the Rockland Journal News denouncing them, despite the fact that I personally know almost the entire group of six, and vice versa. Those in the Hasidic Community that claim that the acts of Israel causes hate crimes against Jews worldwide, don’t just cry about the acts against Jews. Instead, They bank-roll or raise money for the Jews Against Zionists group that ran ads on the radio such as on WABC NY during the Limbaugh and Levin shows, and also ran this ad in prominent newspapers denouncing the Israeli government.
So again, I am not saying that hating Muslims or any group is Kosher. As a grandson of Holocaust survivors I know it is no good. But when 26% of young Muslims in the U.S. are ok with suicide bombs; when there are ten – or even more – terror attack by Muslim radicals and in the name of the Muslim religion for every terror attack committed by White Supremacists; when Muslims speak out in favor of – instead of denouncing – a project in NYC led by an Imam with openly anti-American views; when Muslims fear to speak out against the radicals in their community with the excuse or factual concern that the radicals are too powerful and thus will attack those who speak out, then indeed few can or should blame the American public for their doubts about radicalism in the Muslim community.
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