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Babylon & Beyond

EGYPT: Muslims must stop terrorists

By Jeffrey FleishmanStaff Writer 
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The attacks in Mumbai, India, have prompted a Middle East writer to urge Muslims to cleanse Islam of terrorists who kill in its name. Aijaz Zaka Syed, the opinion editor of the Khaleej Times in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, wrote this for Egypt’s Al Ahram weekly:

“How many innocents have to die in the name of Islam before Muslim leaders and countries take effective action to deal with the lunatics out to destroy us all with their nihilistic cult?”

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He goes on: “Only Muslims can solve this problem. Only Muslims can confront these anarchists in their midst. Only they can get their faith freed from the clutches of extremism. This is no time to hide. It is a time to stand up and speak out. For the terrorists will continue to speak on our behalf, until we do. This is no time for silence. Enough is enough!”

To read the rest of Syed’s commentary click here.

-- Jeffrey Fleishman in Cairo

Babylon & Beyond
Jeffrey Fleishman

Jeffrey Fleishman is a senior writer at the Los Angeles Times. Previously, he was the foreign and national editor. A 2002 Nieman fellow at Harvard University, Fleishman was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in feature writing. A longtime foreign correspondent, he served as bureau chief for The Times in Cairo and Berlin, and was previously based in Rome for the Philadelphia Inquirer. He also was a writer on film, art and culture. Fleishman has been a finalist for the Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting and a finalist for the Center for Public Integrity’s Award for Outstanding International Investigative Reporting. He is the author of five novels, including “Good Night, Forever” and “Last Dance.”

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