My dear brothers & sisters

Assalam O Alaikum

A day does not go by without Muslims not being portrayed in the media as very bad people. As Mr. Obama rightly pointed out, the cartoon appearing on the cover of this week New Yorker is an insult to American Muslims. I remember clearly Mayor Giuliani and other prominent Christians’ condemnation of the "art exhibition" that depicted Jesus Christ in a terrible manner a few years ago.



Other than CAIR making a statement, I am yet to see other Muslim organizations and leaders voicing their objection to The New Yorker cartoon. Only last week the NY Sunday Daily News carried a picture of our Holy Kaaba that accompanied an article about home grown terrorism, again another slap in our face.



I am beginning to wonder if Muslims are now transformed into wimps. Where are our voices? Why are we so complacent? Our Holy Prophet Muhamad (uwbp) said "Do not take advantage of anyone and don't allow anyone to take advantage on you".



It is time for Muslims and their leaders to wake up or we will be trampled upon. I am not suggesting violent protests or any such idiotic acts, we all know the pen is mightier than the sword; let's use our pens to voice our concern. Let's start writing directly to the media houses, our elected officials and anyone who we think that can effectively convince the media to change their bias against Muslims. At the same time we as muslims has to become more visible, please volunteer to serve on PTA's, community boards, school boards and civic organisation that can benefit the community we live in.



Finally register to vote and encourage others to do same, for with a strong and united voting bloc hopefully we will be taken seriously. Have a blessed Jummah.

The funny thing is that the guy from the New Yorker said that the caricature was intended to show Obama as not a Muslim or a risk to America. Even the educated people are now making stupid remarks. The answer is to have Obama elected President. That alone should change the way people behave here. I still remember how McCain was pushing the "islamic extremists" nonsense when he was seeking the Florida vote because he knew that there are many retired Floridians who would respond to that. Didn't hear him say it much since then. Even stranger is that many Americans who are supposed to be the educated civilized people of the world believe that he is a Muslim and still believe that he spent 20+ years in a Christian church with a crazy Christian pastor. Looks like the Guyanese voters in Guyana were smarter.