In the wake of the Charlie Hebdo shooting last month, there was a particularly worrying phenomenon building momentum in the West – the phenomenon that called for Muslims around the world to apologise for the terrorist attack that took place that morning in France.
This wasn’t something that was restricted to the Charlie Hebdo shooting. Any time a Muslim carries out an act of terrorism, a heated discussion begins about whether or not the entire Muslim community should come forward to take responsibility for the crime. Many are quick to take offence at the fact that Muslims aren’t speaking out publicly against the attacks, and many begin to grow hostile towards Muslim communities around the world because they feel that not enough Muslims are taking ownership of the people who commit acts of terror in the name of Allah.
The call for Muslims everywhere to apologise for acts of terrorism just because the act was carried out by people claiming to be Muslim themselves is becoming ridiculous. Why should someone have to apologise for something that someone else did? Someone that they have never met, interacted with, or heard of before? Just because they happen to belong to the same religious faith Muslims around the world should be forced to connect themselves to a horrific act of terrorism?
It’s difficult to explain to people why Muslims aren’t responsible for a few crazy terrorists. But now one filmmaker in The Netherlands has figured it out.
This thought-provoking short film by Abdelkarim El-Fassi shows several young children being told they should apologise for terrorist acts committed by people of the same ethnicity as them. It’s uncomfortable to watch, but that’s what makes it a real eye-opener.
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