Inactive Activism

We talk about the suffering of Palestinians over a mixed-meat donair at a local Arab restaurant. We talk of American brutality in Iraq while casually sipping a Tim Horton’s iced cappuccino. At work we talk in hushed voices about the torture of innocent Afghanis perpetrated by Canadian-backed Afghan soldiers. In the thicket of shisha smoke, we talk about the plight of innocent Chechens who’ve lost their homes.

We talk, and we’re pretty darn good at it.

We complain about the torture in America’s offshore gulags, but we complain even louder when told to exercise our democratic right by marching through the streets in solidarity against it. We complain when journalistic integrity takes a dive to attack Islam, but we complain with ferocity when told to write a rebuttal – our pens conveniently run out of ink. We complain when we hear of imperial designs against the Third World, but we complain when unity beckons because we cannot work with “those people”.

We complain, and we’re pretty darn good at it.

Instead of lobbying for those who would serve our needs, our local Muslim organizations pander to conservative politicians giving credence to the phrase “if you can’t beat’em join ‘em”. We embrace conservative ideology excusing our actions by claiming that we’re trying to change the system from within, when in reality we just want to bank in on the lenient tax policies put in place at the expense of the poor. We see Muslims who support the existing power structure becoming prey to capitalistic greed, yet they are seen as gifts to the community. Similarly, we see Muslim’s in Darfur committing heinous atrocities, but we excuse their actions because of their faith.

We make excuses, and we’re pretty darn good at it.

We pretend to side with Malcolm, Chomsky, Said, Sheehan, and Finkelstein but fail to follow their example. We pretend to care for those ravaged by war but our large donations are only a means to boast of our status in the community. We pretend to be tolerant towards other races and ethnicities, but in some Muslim cultures the conception of beauty does not extend beyond fair skin and blue eyes.

We pretend, and we’re pretty darn good at it.

We must change ourselves before we think of altering the status quo. We must reflect, ponder, and innovate. We must think, question, and elevate. We must progress, debate, and articulate. We must activate our inactive mental state.

And we better become pretty darn good at it.