by MEMRI
"Muslims and Islam have a role in [the terrorist attacks in Europe], because these terrorists derive their ideas and their deeds from Islam," said Aboutaleb, adding that "we cannot sit idly by, and watch how these terrorists destroy, with a single bomb, everything that we and our parents have built in this society."
Interviewed by the
Al-Arabiya network on September 23, Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb called for
Muslims in the West to play a constructive role in the societies in which they
live and to the show the West "that we are not victims of immigration."
"Muslims and Islam have a role in [the terrorist attacks in Europe],
because these terrorists derive their ideas and their deeds from Islam,"
said Aboutaleb, adding that "we cannot sit idly by, and watch how these
terrorists destroy, with a single bomb, everything that we and our parents have
built in this society." He further said: "By no means can [Nazism] be
compared to the current atmosphere in Europe."
Following are excerpts
Interviewer: "Mr. Aboutaleb, from time to time you mention your personal
experience, in order to prove that all the talk about racism against Muslims in
Rotterdam is nonsense and that Holland is the country where Muslims are treated
the best. But some people say that your experience - your rise to high-ranking
positions in Holland - is an exception, rather than the rule. Isn't that so?"
Ahmed Aboutaleb: "I do not think this is true. There are Arabs and Muslims
in the parliament, and there are other prominent figures in the field of
culture. Some of the best novelists in Holland are of Moroccan origins. This is
also the case in sports, in the theater, and in the economy. It is true that
their numbers are small, but they are growing. I am not saying - and I have
never said - that there is no racial discrimination. Racial discrimination exists.
But my question to the Muslim community is this: 'Do we, as Muslims, play a
role in the spreading of hatred toward Islam and Muslims?' If we do, we must
deal with this ourselves. As the Moroccan and Arabic saying goes: 'We scratch
our skin with our own fingernails, before someone else comes along to do it for
us.' We must carry out our duties."
Interviewer: "Mr. Aboutaleb, putting aside your aptitude, which many
people mention, some people say that the only reason for your success in your
positions and your life in Holland is that you accommodate yourself to the
views of the Dutch, and of the Europeans in general, regarding Islam and the
immigrants. Isn't that so?"
Ahmed Aboutaleb: "This is not true. Ever since I entered politics, I have
been saying that I am an Arab Muslim, as well as an Amazigh, that I am a
religious Muslim, and that I adhere to my Muslim origins. The difference
between myself and others is that I do not believe that the Muslims in the West
are victims of the so-called 'immigration' or 'racial discrimination.' All I
want is for Muslims to have a constructive role in this society, to make
progress through the moderation with which Muslims are familiar, for us to be
moderate and to strive, as much as we can, to become a constructive society,
and show the West that we have a role in these societies, and that we are not
victims of immigration. This is the difference between myself and others."
Interviewer: "Mr. Aboutaleb, I must ask a follow-up question. Some
people say that your demand from Muslims in Holland that they distance
themselves from ISIS and from extremist ideas amounts to demanding from them
proof that they are innocent of a crime they didn't commit. This even amounts
to leveling empty accusations against Muslims in Holland. Isn't that so?"
Ahmed Aboutaleb: "This is 100% wrong. From the very beginning, I have been
saying that as Muslims in this country, and in the West in general, we cannot
claim that Islam does not play a role in what is happening now - the bombings
and the terrorist attacks that Europe is now witnessing. Muslims and Islam have
a role in this, because these terrorists derive their ideas and their deeds
from Islam. They cite the Quran and the Hadith to claim that they have a right
to wage Jihad. As Muslims in this country, we cannot sit idly by, and watch how
these terrorists destroy, with a single bomb, everything that we and our
parents have built in this society."
Interviewer: "Mr. Aboutaleb, it sounds as if you consider these
terrorists to be true Muslims."
Ahmed Aboutaleb: "We must not sit idly by. The very least we can do is to
say: 'By God, this is evil.' This is what I am saying to the Islamic diaspora
in the West: 'At the very least, say: 'By Allah, this is evil'.' We must not
stay home and keep silent, because Europe and the West interpret our silence to
mean that we agree with these terrorists. This is the difference between myself
and other European politicians."
[…]
Interviewer: "Mr. Aboutaleb, doubting the Jewish Holocaust, perpetrated
by the Nazis, is outlawed in the West, as you know. Shouldn't blasphemy,
including against Islam, be outlawed as well?"
Ahmed Aboutaleb: "World War II cannot be compared to what is happening
today. In World War II, a powerful man in Germany devised a plan, the sole purpose
of which was to exterminate a large number of human beings, whose only crime
was that they belonged to the religion he was against. Rationally, we cannot
compare what took place in World War II with what we are seeing today. Nazism
was an entirely different issue, and by no means can it be compared to the
current atmosphere in Europe."
MEMRI
Source: http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/5707.htm
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