Thursday, March 22, 2007

The time has come to speak out

For too long now, a large number of Canadian Muslims -- the mainstream -- have watched from the sidelines as their community, their faith, and their beliefs have been taken hostage, spinned, and used for political, personal, and ideological motives. Many Canadian Muslims have been afraid to speak out; afraid of being targeted by special interest groups, the media, and government agencies; afraid of being mislabelled and consequently having their reputations potentially tarnished for a very long time.

This fear has given a free pass to many -- politicians, media outlets, self-appointed community spokespersons, self-declared champions of Canadian Muslims, among others -- to play with the lives and identities of ordinary Muslims. Every quote, every soundbite, every press release, every controversy, eventually has a direct effect on the lives and minds of ordinary Canadian Muslims, yet the majority of ordinary Canadian Muslims have been shunned, subjugated and simply ignored.

The silence must be broken. Beginning tonight, the muck will no longer be left untouched. It will be raked in, examined, and told like it is, open for discussion without any fear.

After all, freedom of thought, freedom of expression, and freedom of association are guaranteed under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Let's excercise those freedoms for once.

Sincerely,
Muslim Muckraker

No comments: