The voice of the imam needs to be heard. When there is a leader of Islam, condemning violence, condemning attacks by those of radical Islam, that voice should be heard.
Would be well if such things were blared loud and often on the news. "Imam Muhumed al-Dagen responded to the shootings with swift words of displeasure . . ." Whenever, a Muslim leader says his religion does not call for violence, does not call for killing those who do not believe in Islam, that leader should make the news.
There is a principle we should worry about. When we tell a person what they are, it affects what they become. If a person is told their people kill Christians, if they are told they believe they should go to war against unbelievers, some of them are eventually going to sign on. It doesn't matter if the message is coming from those who fear Islam and attribute the belief to Islam, or if it comes from those of radical Islam, itself, the message remains the same. Sooner or later, some Muslims who hear the message so many times start to wonder if that is, indeed, what they should believe. The meaning of "jihud," is that it is a war or struggle against unbelievers. If a person is told enough times that that a jihad is what they believe in, eventually they might decide it is true.
It is much like screaming at a child, telling him he is stupid. If the child hears it, it can affect who he becomes. Telling the Muslims they are Jihadists is no different. Eventually, some of them will say, "It must be so."
What you teach, is what you get, often. So, it becomes important to have voices that are teaching what is right, it becomes important to have Muslim leaders teaching against jihudist thought. And, if those voices are to reach the populace, they need to be picked up and quoted in the media. We need sound bites that teach peace, if we are to have peace.
Plant a thought, and reap an action, it is said. And, we better believe that is what can happen, lest we reap the whirlwind.
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