Dutch Imam condems violence in France

In his Friday sermon Fawwaz, an Imam in The Hague, harshly condemned the violence in France. Comparing the situation of the Muslims to that of the enslaved Israel in Egypt, when Moses told the nation to be patient despite all the hardships and put their trust in God.

Racist actions on the side of the French police are no reason for violence, he said, and reminded his followers that in Muslim countries the government would have already responded with extreme violence to quell riots.

The imam condemned the riots not only on religious grounds, saying the riots were spreading destruction in the land, but also on logical grounds. Muslims should remember they're a minority and can be as easily injured by riots as well. They are also in danger of being kicked out of their host countries. The French might be racist - banning headscarves - but the Muslims can't complain of racism while they are themselves racist, dividing up according to their land of origin.

The imam accused the Muslim organizations of not dealing with the problems of the Muslim youth, saying those same organizations put more emphasis on getting subsidies from the government than on dealing with the real problems of the Muslim community.

The youth don't listen to the fatwas against the riots since those same organization have never spoken with the youth before.