Islamic scholars in the United States who oppose calls for a religious struggle against America say the United States has succeeded where even bin Laden has failed: US policies in the Middle East have united a myriad of factions across the Muslim world to create the kind of umma, or community of believers, bin Laden has evoked. ''Why do Muslims think this is a war against the entire Muslim world?'' said Taha al-Wani, president of the Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences in Leesburg, Va. ''There is a concept of umma. Umma will not lead to the foundation of a huge Islamic state. But it is the feeling that brings Muslims together when they face a threat or a problem. Since Sept. 11, America has gone too far. It has lost whatever sympathies there were in the Muslim world.'' Even those Islamic scholars who believe that a rebellion against the United States is a political — not theological issue — have been under pressure to adopt the language of extremists to remain in step with public opinion, Wani said.
Guess they've chosen which side they're on, huh? |