Dear Jalal,
Let us stop talking and start working.
Here is my proposal: Are the following American Muslims on this list willing to write an Open Letter to Barack Obama asking him to stop flirting with ISNA and CAIR or they will stop supporting him.
Jalal Zuberi
Rafi Aamer
Hummyun Mirza
Aamir Riaz
If you are willing to sign a letter to Obama, we have the foundation of an all-American MCC-type secular Muslim organization. The least the four of you can do is to reply to this message.
As far as the people you mentioned in your message, they are all in it for their INDIVIDUAL careers and fame, and I do not mean that in a negative way. This is a disease that has afflicted many bright Muslim secularists. They only prefer to fly solo, not in formation. Formation flying requires caring and wrrying for your wingman and the other planes, while solo flying like Gary Powers is a great thrill, until one gets shot down.
What Irshad Manji, Eteraz and Mona do not realize is that solo flyers rarely leave the people on the ground in awe or moved, while formation flights do exactly the opposite. Hence, even though we are individually not as glistening as the star performers of the USA, we in the MCC have moved mountains.
In a few months we will have MCC type orgs in Holland, France and Germany as well as UK and Denmark. It would be a pity if we cannot do this in US.
So please do let me know if you are prepared to affix your signatures on this open letter. If not, that is OK, but please do lend me the courtesy of a response, an affirmation or a regret.
BTW, I’ll be back in Toronto on Saturday morning. I can tell you folks that the MCC is seen among European Secular Muslims as a role model. We have a huge fight to win and so please lend your leadership your shoulder to carry the weight and at times to cry on, please.
Tarek
