Letter: Letter shows moderate Muslims shirk responsibility

Sadaf Raja's sarcastic, dismissive response to Dr. Bala Ambati's column does an excellent job, not of refuting Ambati's claims, but of proving his point. Moderates of all stripes have a responsibility to combat pernicious radicalism within their communities, a responsibility tragically shirked by many Muslims. As Muslim Student Association co-president, Raja should be leading the charge at Duke.

But instead of questioning radical Islam for its role in fomenting hate and violence, or even engaging Ambati in a sincere discussion, Raja misrepresents Ambati's argument. Ambati explicitly discusses the KKK as a non-Muslim terror group, so he clearly does not believe that Islam lies at the root of all terror, as Raja claims. By cunningly shifting the issue, Raja frees himself to deliver one-sided condemnations of Israel, Russia, India and the United States--predominantly non-Muslim nations mired in violent conflicts with some Muslims.

That Raja sympathizes with Muslim victims of violence is admirable; that he excuses Muslim perpetrators of violence is unconscionable. The oft-repeated claim that Islam means peace remains a hollow public relations slogan until the day Muslim men and women of integrity challenge the powerful violent factions and reclaim control of the future of Islam.