David Oualaalou, Board of Contributors: Islamic leaders must condemn widespread hypocrisy

David Oualaalou served in the U.S. Army Intelligence Corps and was also an international security analyst. He holds a Ph.D. in public policy with a focus on homeland/international security, and is an instructor at MCC. He lives in Hewitt.
Posted: Sunday, August 10, 2014 12:01 amDavid Oulaalou
DAVID OUALAALOU Board of ContributorsDavid Oulaalou
http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/wacotrib.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/9/91/9913d9f0-0e44-11e4-824c-0019bb2963f4/53dfb14991780.image.jpg

In light of the ongoing chaos in the Middle East, I am perplexed by the hypocrisy the Muslim world continues to display toward what’s occurring not only in Gaza Strip but also Pakistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria, among others.
It is a challenging proposition to explain to outsiders how Muslims can be “the best people evolved for human kind” according to the Quran; yet leaders in Muslim and Arab countries figure among the worst humanity could imagine in our present age of anxiety.
Having a solid understanding and familiarity with the Arab/Muslim culture, I can see how playing the victim card is serving the agenda of these weak-minded, self-serving, opportunistic and hypocritical leaders. While they are able to mask this hypocrisy through religious rhetoric (ultimately amounting to little but drivel), their example is making the rest of the world clinch its teeth at what’s next and cringe in anger for being misled so often.
As I write this piece, Israeli’s operation, Protective Edge, continues to overshadow other events in the Middle East and the rest of the Muslim world. However, the real objective should not be about the Israeli offensive in Gaza, even though most of the casualties are women and children — heartbreaking and worthy of condemnation — but rather should be focused on the hypocrisy of the Muslim academic and secular world for standing mute when Muslims in name only are slaughtering other Muslims.
Syria, Pakistan, Egypt and Libya are cases in point. Unlike the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, the mass killings in Syria and Pakistan; the militias’ killings of each other in Iraq; ISIS’ barbaric treatments of Shiites and Christians; and Libya’s internal infighting have not led to demonstrations in Arab capitals or generated postings on social media platforms largely due to lack of support on the part of pathetic Arab leaders.
Interestingly, the justification for inaction is that Allah will sort it all out. What kind of logic is this? Are Muslims so naïve as to think that conflicts and chaos will resolve themselves? The answer is no. The Muslim community around the world needs to wake up to the reality of how it is perceived in the rest of the world. Imams and religious clerics who take to the platform to deliver fiery sermons pretending to be victims while using this stage to instigate hatred toward others — mainly Jews and Christians — need to have their heads examined.
All this is especially disturbing because the religion of Islam is readily being hijacked and used in ways that most of its sincere and thoughtful adherents cannot justify, at least from their teachings of the Quran.
Against this backdrop, I cannot fathom why the Muslim world is criticizing Israel but staying silent on what’s going on in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Egypt. Yet, Muslims in these countries are dying by the hundreds and the only thing other Muslims can do is shrug their shoulders and say: “Well, leave it to Allah.” I am outraged at how some Muslim/Arab leaders, clerics and religious scholars use Islam to support and justify their personal agenda. God never intended for his religion, be it Islam, Christianity or Judaism, to be employed this way. The least thing these lost souls could do now, amidst all the rubble and death, is to take responsibility and stop pretending to be devoted Muslims when they are not.
I wonder what God thinks when he hears Muslim clerics fire explosive sermons that preach hatred toward people. It is high time for the Muslim world to stop this hatred, engage in “self-criticism” and refrain from blaming others for their own misfortunes because it obscures much deeper problems than they’re willing to admit.
David Oualaalou, a Muslim, is international security lecturer and adjunct professor of government at McLennan Community College. He served in the U.S. Army Intelligence Corps and was also an international security analyst. He holds a Ph.D. in public policy with a focus on homeland/international security. He lives in Hewitt.