For many Muslims in the West, the aftermath of a terrorist attack is usually a daunting experience.
Some Islamophobes, clearly pumped with emotion by the traumatic news, almost immediately begin to point the finger at Ali down the road, despite the poor lad not actually taking part in any terrorist activities, shockingly(!).
At this point, a long and repetitive debate usually erupts between Ali and the said Islamophobe, and after hours of gruelling tit-for-tat, the final shot may sound a little bit like so: “Well why don’t Muslims condemn the actions of this ‘minority’ group then, Ali.”
We’ve all been there. Whether while shopping in the local supermarket or virtually in the online world we now call home, we all get asked this somewhat dull and repetitive question after every unfortunate terror attack.
Cue 19-year-old Heraa Hashmi, a university student studying Molecular Biology and a Muslim living in Colorado, United States, who has possibly just made the life of every Muslim a little easier.
After a class debate, a fellow student turned towards Hashmi and “very directly asked why Muslims don’t condemn violence,” she told The New Arab.
“Initially I had argued that it was unfair to hold us to that standard, that I didn't ask him to condemn violence on behalf of minorities,” she said.
But while the discussion ended there for her classmates, the thoughts remained in her head, and the Muslim decided to take it upon herself to create a 712 page database of every influential Muslim figure, community leader and organisation that have condemned attacks.
“It took me about three weeks to finish the initial 712 pages. It's now over 800+ pages and has become a website,” she said.
The impressive ‘Muslims Condemn’ database shows the mere magnitude of how often the community indeed condemns horrific attacks, but it also serves to highlight two important points, she says.
“One, it shows an unfair expectation to hold Muslims accountable and two, that the perception that Muslims are in support of this violence and remain indifferent to terrorism is very, very wrong,” Hashmi adds.
So, the next time a bigot resorts to that dull, dull question, you know what to do, Ali.