The Paris massacres: Sad, sad, sad!

It is sad that innocent people have been murdered brutally. It is sad that the murderers did it in the name of a great religion. It is sad that the sons and daughters of poor immigrants turn out to be evildoers in the name of a violent radicalism that defines itself as "Islamism" and/or "jihadism."

Islam, like all other great religious traditions, obliges its followers to choose between "good" and "evil," accordingly holding them responsible for their deeds. As modern thinking is more inclined to find reasons behind evil acts, believers are expected to not rely on "excuses," but to avoid "evil" under all circumstances and by all means.

Nevertheless, many Muslims in the modern world seem to be lost and confused in a very risky way. On the one hand, many intend to resist modern values, but on the other hand they are eager to seek refuge in a sort of "modern sociological reasoning" to legitimize their evil deeds. This is not to say that Muslims are not supposed to contemplate on social, political, historical reasons, but they should also first and foremost condemn "evil." It seems that this has been turned upside down: Muslims are now primarily eager to find excuses for evil done in the name of religion.

In the "modern Muslim mind," evil has turned out to be the "outside" forces that can be referred to for the wrongs of Muslims. In this mindset, it is Western imperialism, historical injustices, Muslims' enemies, and finally Islamophobia, that lead Muslims to turn hostile, revengeful and even violent. As Islamophobia has become the "new anti-Semitism," Muslims resemble the apologists of Israel's terrible politics, who define any criticism as "anti-Semitic." As most Muslim leaders, politicians, and thinkers accuse Israel's apologists of "hiding...