Originally Published in The Philadelphia Inquirer
The death of Osama bin Laden was a major milestone in the war on terrorism (“Where al-Qaeda is, minus its leader,” Monday). However, we must realize that this war is not over yet. Bin Laden is dead, but “Bin Ladenism” — an ideology based on hatred and violence — is still alive in many parts of the Muslim world.
As Muslim Americans, our responsibility is to instill the true peaceful teachings of Islam in our children at a very young age. We must strongly reject perverse interpretations of Islam that promote violence and terrorism. Instead, we should promote the Quranic concept of “no compulsion in religion.”
At the same time, non-Muslim Americans must realize that we are at war not with Islam, but with inhumane ideologies that neither the Quran nor Prophet Muhammad’s life support.
Unless we do all these things, I am afraid we might not be completely victorious in this war.
