By Nadra Enzi

The crusades are over folks! ” is the best way to put the current struggle between the West and ( mostly ) Arab extremists. As a Muslim born in America, I can no more identify with the strain that sends homicide bombers anymore than I could seek membership in the Ku Klux Klan. The Nigerian world-be airline bomber, like others in the African diaspora following these terrorists need to think for themselves. Black Muslims need not embrace the hatreds and agendas of other members of the world Islamic community. Our nations and various peoples have problems enough without carrying the poisonous water folks writer Christopher Hitchens called, ” Islamofacists. ”

Delusions of waving a scimitar over your head while charging toward White folks wielding broad swords makes amusing cinema but does little to address the real concerns of a planet grappling with what this new century offers. The majority of Muslims are people of African descent and last time I looked, we haven’t declared war on the West, unless I missed that e-mail. Until we lift our voices in protest, it is easy to assume those who favor indiscriminate violence are our spokespersons especially when even our own nations here in the West know little about us .

The glorious fact that the father of this misguided young criminal went to American authorities about him exemplifies where most Black Muslims stand on the issue of terrorism. Shared histories of discrimination and colonialism should raise our consciousness above the use of violence cloaked in religion. If it was wrong for other people to do this to us, the same rule still applies. Given the sorry human rights record of many post-colonial governments against their own Black people, instead of crusading against the West my overseas brothers would be better suited crusading against their government’s excesses. While legitimate complaints can be made against the West, the majority of Muslims of any color do so without resorting to terror.

The answer to Islamist terrorism rests with good people who share the same faith but not the terrorists ideology. It is these Muslims who die in bombings; fall in combat against Islamist forces or are killed attempting to apprehend extremist suspects worldwide. Most of us are shocked into near-paralysis at the brutality terrorists use to achieve their ends. One way to shake ourselves into action is to loudly proclaim that the crusades are over! Those who wage war against innocent men, women and children have no place among the Muslim majority. That’s why I’m a self-proclaimed ” ATM: ” anti-terrorist Muslim, because supporting terror means becoming no better than the worst bigots and racist regimes in history.

Anybody anxious to see Muslims and Christians duke it out ought to watch the History Channel instead!

NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT. BLACK promotes crime prevention and self-development. He’s also a self-described “ATM”: Anti-terrorist Muslim. nadracaptblack@ymail.com and (912) 272-2898.