In the aftermath of ISIS terrorist attacks in the West, we are continuously bombarded with the same questions: “Why don’t Muslims condemn this more clearly?” “What is the position of ‘Moderate Muslims’ in all this?” “Why aren’t moderate people in the Middle East doing anything about it?”
Without exception, every terrorist attack by ISIS has been loudly condemned by the Muslim community at large, by both governments and people, so why is it that this question is incessantly repeated? The simple truth is that many people in the West don’t understand the events since the rise of ISIS in the Middle East, and their ignorance is exposed when they ask such questions.
Those most affected by ISIS’ atrocities have been what the West seems to now call “Moderate Muslims.” In the past 3 years, there have been ISIS bombings in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon on a regular basis, with large numbers of casualties. Thousands have died, many more have been injured, and the majority of them, unfortunately, are what the West would consider "Moderate Muslims."
Firstly, it needs to be clarified that there is no such thing as “Moderate Muslims.”
Instead, there are “Violent Extremist Islamist” groups that have been targeting people in the Middle East, way before they started targeting people in the West. The rest of Muslims are just ordinary citizens of various nations, which practice their basic human right of religious faith.
The fact that an attack on Paris has only now, brought this horrible phenomenon to the attention of many people in the West is certainly not the fault of people living in the Middle East. On the contrary, it is actually rather questionable to ask communities that are victims of terrorist crimes to state their position, lest they become under suspicion of being ISIS sympathizers. Asking “Moderate Muslims” to condemn ISIS is no different than asking the families of the Paris victims to do so. It not only shows a misunderstanding of the situation, it is insensitive and disrespectful toward the victims and their community.
And while Western citizens want to blame the actions of ISIS on the wider Muslim community, what they aren’t aware of is that almost everyone in the Middle East largely blames the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan and the irresponsible funding of armed militants in Syria for the rise of violent extremist Islamist groups. All these were actions taken by Western governments, in Middle Eastern countries, without consulting the opinions of the ordinary Muslim and Christian citizens living there, who have been paying the gravest consequences.
We have suffered attacks like what happened in Paris on a regular basis since the invasion of Iraq, with some countries – Iraq and Syria – now seeing them almost daily.
“Moderate Citizens” of the Middle East have questions that they would like to ask all those demanding they speak up against ISIS: "What is your position on your government's policies in the Middle East?" and "Why have you not demanded more responsible behavior when dealing with affairs of such disastrous consequences in our countries?"
The truth is the most empathetic people with the Paris victims and their families will always be precisely those “Moderate Muslims” who have been asked to state their position regarding these heinous events. Not because they are more generous, but simply because it is a suffering they understand all too well.