Cut and Dry, or Kindling for the Fire?

Cut and dry, or Kindling for the Fire?

It’s only very recently that Muslims (and/or Christians) in Arabia have taken part in anti-government protests; Egypt is a good case in point. We have also seen how demonstrations sometimes turned violent in what has been called the Arab Spring revolution.

For decades, even three quarters of a century, Arabs have bitten their tongues, and only in very intimate gatherings in most cases, they have voiced their hatred of the ruling class. People have been so paranoid at times; that they imagined that somehow the “supreme leader” could know their thoughts or whisperings behind closed doors, even when they travel abroad. It wasn’t their fear that a spy might be amongst their small group, taking part in a secret meeting, while taking mental note of every word that the others said, but they genuinely feared the head of state, even though there was no logical reason for them to suspect that anyone other than themselves could be knowledgeable, especially at any particular moment. Yet fear gripped them, and they continued to believe that he was aware of their private talks, whisperings or even their thoughts.

Fast forward just a little to decades from now, and maybe the grandchildren of these people have begun to process the fact that they are really more free than their parents have been and that life is really theirs for the taking. They are at ease no matter who they are with, or where they are.

But Muslims today, in particular, are very aware that they can’t be casual about what they say and do. Maybe someone will record their sayings or actions; even many Muslims in the West are still very mistrustful of governments in general.

This answers the question, only in part, about why Muslims don’t take part in nationwide protests against terrorism or even gather for any other cause, such as political or environmental. Maybe Muslims are not at all accustomed to protests? Then, others are probably just as selfish and disinterested in world/social issues as the next guy.

I think Muslims aren’t much used to the idea of protests, and also, they don’t see that it will do any good to protest, especially when it comes to terrorism; sure, it would give them a soap box to voice their concerns along with others, but besides that, the real change that is needed to stop terrorism isn’t going to come out of this kind of activity; I think most people would realize this if they reflected. In fact, large demonstrations against any minority would make that minority believe they are even more justified to hate others or make them feel more powerful. Many people might be inviting hatred and inadvertently make themselves targets, if they hold protests often and gather in public demonstrations against terrorists; even writing about the issue might give a crazy lunatic an idea. But we all choose in the end, what we want to protest, and how and what issues or events we think we can spend time or money on. Protests have always by nature been voluntary; it doesn’t mean that if someone doesn’t join an anti-terror protest that he isn’t anti-terror. But it might mean that he chooses to take part in other activities he feels will be beneficial to society. Many non-Muslims have never taken part in a protest either, even though they might believe in the relevance of a particular cause.

Probably there are personality types who seek notoriety or acceptance in group activities like protests, much the way that some people like to join clubs, like the Rotary or Lion’s Club (not the best examples of clubs most people can join, I think) or a club at their school, or committee at work, or the PTA or Green Peace. Some groups are more militant, others are more ‘activist’ (minus the militancy). Some of the members of organizations or groups started out in the Boys Scouts or Girl Guides, earning badges, or selling cookies for worthy causes. They are used to putting themselves out there, or working in teams. In some cultures, maybe it isn’t acceptable to protest against the government, which brings us back to the first point. I believe, just like most things, it is the individual’s choice, and that we shouldn’t judge people based on their affiliations, such as their Facebook groups or friends on the internet alone. It takes a lot more than a public profile on the internet to really know someone. It takes a lot more than a cursory look at some religious texts or anonymous websites to know a religion or its followers. And it takes more than a protest to know a country.