A bridge for the world

http://www.guardian.co.uk/attackonlondon/comment/story/0,,1812702,00.html

抜粋

The mainstream is now in a position to prove Muslim and non-Muslim extremists are wrong

One year on from the July 7 bombings, we have some perspective on how our society is facing up to the challenges of a common future. From that tragic morning on which dozens were killed in a cruel act of murder to the recent arrests of two young Muslims, one of whom was shot, in east London, and the prime minister's demands that Muslims should do more, it's clear that relations between the Muslim community and society as a whole could be better, to say the least.

Despite government attempts to allay fears that new laws and security practices seem to be targeting Muslims in particular, the feeling among Muslim youth is that they are more and more susceptible to being stopped and searched, as well as to dawn raids by security forces acting on dodgy intelligence. Given that those picked up in Forest Gate were, along with the overwhelming majority of Muslims, at the forefront of those condemning the July 7 attacks as callous acts of inhumanity, the situation threatens to drive more and more people towards the margins.

The extremes of society, on Muslim and non-Muslim sides, are fanning the flames with dangerous rhetoric. On the Muslim side, fringe groups who speak a language most Muslims reject use Forest Gate and the 800-plus unwarranted arrests of Muslims without proper legal recourse, as well as the hundreds more illegally held in Guantánamo and the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, to argue that the prospects of harmonious coexistence are no more than fanciful dreams. On the other side, certain politicians, writers, so-called intellectuals and academics peddle drivel about the impossibility of Islam existing within a modern democratic, multicultural and multi-ethnic society.

A Populus poll published in the Times yesterday found that 13% of British Muslims in the survey regarded the London bombers as "martyrs". While that in no way means that 13% of Muslims in Britain approve of the bombings, the more telling finding was that 87% neither sympathised with nor approved of the attacks. But this side of the story got buried - such spin leaves both Muslims and non-Muslim with virtually nowhere to go.

But it is the majority in both communities that has to prove both extremes wrong, and there has been progress. The strong and positive discourse that mainstream Muslims have been promoting for a number of years is paying off. The ever-growing alliance between the Muslim community and a variety of groups in wider society - such as the anti-war movement, faith groups and the anti-racism campaign - also helps. These must be used as prototypes for an alliance that sees British Muslims as a crucial channel of communication with the wider Muslim and Arab worlds, and that bridges the gaping divide that threatens not only our own country, but possibly the whole world.

At times of strife, pain and terror, it's difficult to articulate a comprehensive argument. But try we must, and the four-day Islam Expo, which opens in London tomorrow and is expected to be the biggest Muslim cultural event in Europe, will attempt to open up a dialogue on many of the areas that some find problematic. The festival will also be commemorating the anniversary of the London bombings. It will be a message not only to Britain but also to the Muslim world that we will not stand for our country and people being terrorised, nor will we stand for our government terrorising any other peoples. Bridge-building has to occur simultaneously on both sides of the divide.

・ Anas Altikriti is chief executive of The Cordoba Foundation and a director of Islam Expo, which runs from tomorrow to Sunday at Alexandra Palace in London

allay

【変化】《動》allays | allaying | allayed、

【他動】（恐怖・怒り・興奮・心配などの程度を）下げる、静める、鎮める、和らげる、軽くする、減らす、弱める

dodgy

【形】危ない、危なっかしい、リスキーな、疑わしい、怪しい、ペテンの、信用できない

act on

【句動-1】〜に作用する、〜に影響する、〜に影響を与える、〜の反応を引き起こす

【句動-2】〜に従う、〜に従って行動する、〜に基づいて行動する、（具体的な）処置を取る

forefront

【＠】フォーフラント、フォアフロント、

【名】最前部、最前線、第一線、先端、中心

callous

【＠】カラス、キャラス、

【形-1】冷淡な、思いやりのない、無情な、無神経な、無感覚な、人情を解さない、人情味のない、平気な、酷薄な

【形-2】（皮膚などの）堅くなった、たこのできた

pay off

【句動-1】支払う、償還する、償却する、清算する、全部返す、完済する

【句動-2】効果を生む、うまくいく、成功する、報われる、利益をもたらす、効果を挙げる、功を奏する、成果を挙げる

【句動-3】〜に仕返しする、〜に復讐する、（給料を払って）解雇する、（船が）風下に回る、（船首を）風下に向ける

【句動-4】〜に金をつかませる、賄賂を使う、買収する

元が取れる

strife

【＠】ストゥライフ、ストライフ、【大学入試】

【名】喧嘩、口論、争い、敵対、闘争、反目、不和、論争、トラブル