Dear Neutral Muslims — Silence Isn’t Golden
The time for silence has long passed. When innocents are slaughtered in Pahalgam, neutrality is no longer an option. Let me be clear about what this means in practice:
Can you say “this isn’t real Islam” to the woman who lost her husband on their honeymoon? Can you offer theological distinctions to the children who watched their parents die? Your carefully worded disclaimers mean nothing to those burying their loved ones.
Stop saying “this isn’t real Islam” and start saying names. Name the organizations, the ideologues, and the enablers within our communities who provide cover for extremism. While you debate semantics, they plan their next attack.
Check your social media feeds. Who do you follow? What narratives do you amplify? Would you be comfortable showing your timeline to the families of victims? Your digital footprint speaks volumes about what you truly stand against.
Attend your local mosque or community center and ask direct questions: What concrete steps are we taking to counter extremist recruitment? How are we supporting victims of violence? Your discomfort asking these questions pales compared to the discomfort of those who’ve lost everything.
Volunteer with cross-community initiatives that bring people together across religious lines. When a Hindu family fears entering Muslim neighborhoods, your theoretical condemnations mean nothing. Your visible presence does.
Speak to your children honestly about extremism. Don’t shelter them from these conversations. The children of victims weren’t sheltered from violence.
Fund organizations that directly counter extremist narratives and support victims. Your money matters more than your Facebook posts. Your donation matters more than your private outrage.
When you hear equivocation in your social circles, challenge it directly. Every time you let a “but what about…” comment slide, you tell victims their pain is negotiable.
Support progressive voices within Islamic scholarship, especially those who risk their safety to denounce extremism. They face threats daily while you worry about community gossip.
Document and report hate speech and radicalization efforts, especially online. While you scroll past concerning content, someone is being radicalized into tomorrow’s headline.
Neutrality isn’t just moral failure — it’s practical surrender. Every day we choose inaction, we cede more ground to those who would define us by their violence.
The choice is simple: participate in shaping our communal response, or accept that others will shape it for you. What happens next is in your hands.
