Why don't moderate Muslims voice apologises for violent attacks carried out by a few extremists in the name of Islam? The question is asked every time an Islamist terror outfit strikes a part of the Western world. After the fatal shootout in the office of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo on January 7, the question has been even more pervasive, and many Muslims have responded defiantly against such prejudice.
Perhaps the most articulate response to that question, however, came from British political journalist Mehdi Hasan, during a fiery debate on the subject of Islamist terrorism at Oxford University in December 2013. In a crisp, fervent and well-researched speech, Hasan demolishes his opponents' arguments that Islam is backward and preaches war and violence.
In this video, watch Hasan belt out his argument and as another pertinent question: "If Islam is responsible for extremists, then ask yourself this – why aren't the rest of us doing it? Why don't the vast majority of Muslims around the world behave as violently and aggressively as a tiny minority of politically motivated extremists?"
Perhaps the most articulate response to that question, however, came from British political journalist Mehdi Hasan, during a fiery debate on the subject of Islamist terrorism at Oxford University in December 2013. In a crisp, fervent and well-researched speech, Hasan demolishes his opponents' arguments that Islam is backward and preaches war and violence.
In this video, watch Hasan belt out his argument and as another pertinent question: "If Islam is responsible for extremists, then ask yourself this – why aren't the rest of us doing it? Why don't the vast majority of Muslims around the world behave as violently and aggressively as a tiny minority of politically motivated extremists?"
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