During my appearance on Wisconsin Public Radio Friday morning, I quoted the director of the former mosque of one of Wednesday’s mass murderers, who said that he should have known that Islam teaches that if you kill one person, you kill everyone. I said that that was the kind of thing Muslims need to say more often and more publicly. (Which is something I said after the Paris attacks.)

I then got a Facebook message asking why this did not get news coverage:

The world’s most prestigious newspapers, belonging to a diverse spectrum of ideological inclinations, have at least one thing in common. They agree to be completely oblivious towards one of the most extraordinary events to have taken place in contemporary times. A gathering composed of a staggering 20 million people from across the globe, traveling on foot (and sometimes barefoot) from Najaf to Karbala. Men, women, children, as well as the elderly and the disabled form a continuous column of human bodies stretching the long and winding road that links these two Iraqi cities. Compare this with the statistics available for other huge gathering in human history. You won’t find many that are even comparable. The IBT website (http://www.ibtimes.co.in/arbaeen-2014-20-million-pilgrims-flock-karbala-photos-617054) reported, “The Iraqi government confirmed that the number of pilgrims in the city of Karbala for the annual Arbaeen (Arbain) pilgrim has reached a record 17.5 million this year. Some local sources report the number might cross 20 million by the day of Arbaeen on 13 December. If the number is officially confirmed, the Arbaeen 2014’s number of pilgrims will only be one step behind the largest historic peaceful gathering of people in one place for a single event. The first place is occupied by the 10 February, 2013, Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, India, which saw a monstrous crowd of 30 million people on that day gathered to bathe on Mauni Amavasya.”

What is even more amazing is that no government or organization has invested billions of dollars in order to setup this event. There is no flashy entertainment to draw the crowds. No five star hotels and restaurants. It’s just rugged roads, the harshest of weather and, above all else, the ever looming threat of Takfiri terrorism http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/121220141. In fact, the presence of the ISIL (or ISIS) has prompted even more people to join in, making this grand event the world’s largest expression of popular resistance against extremism and terror. Here we see a road side sign proudly declaring, “Even if the Daaesh (ISIL/ISIS) terrorists rain drop from the sky, we’ll still continue our pilgrimage of Husayn”.
In short, this immense congregation represents almost everything that human civilization has come to hold sacred. It is spontaneous and populist, a true grass-roots affair, unadulterated by any government agenda or shady politics. It challenges the capitalist world-view as millions of people are fed, clothed and housed for free, not by some mega-charity organization, but by ordinary people dedicating their often meager salaries to this very purpose. Furthermore, being a commemoration of Husayn ibn Ali’s heroic martyrdom after his rejection of the tyrant Caliph Yazeed ibn Muawiyah, this event also epitomizes a clear and resonating statement against all forms of tyranny, despotism and absolutism. At the same time, it is an unprecedented exercise in non-violent resistance, as 20 million people shame the hate and bigotry of ISIS and its other petro-dollar funded affiliates, challenging them in broad daylight without a speck of fear. Moreover, it displays a meeting of man’s physical and spiritual dimensions, thus rebutting, in the most vocal of manners, the prejudiced and erroneous conception that modern man has some how grown beyond his relationship with the metaphysical. Last, but not least, this mega-event has turned into a melting pot of cultures and creeds, as people from all denominations flood into Karbala to show their devotion and support.

But even with all these astonishing characteristics, the bitter truth of modern-corporate journalism is this: “It may be 20 million strong, but it’s not quite news worthy”. Why? Well, for starters it simply does not corroborate the narrow, agenda driven and militantly materialist ideology of the people who control mainstream media. Secondly, it does not reinforce the bleak and God-less image of modern man that international media has worked so hard to create in the minds of its readers, listeners and viewers. Thirdly, it may actually have dared to present an entirely new paradigm for what human civilization should look like after a million years of evolution: “tolerance, indeed love, towards others” without  undermining a “deep devotion towards one’s own convictions”, “embracing one’s physical potentials and strengths” while simultaneously “achieving the highest degree of spiritual elevation”, “money at the service of human ideals” instead of “humanity at the service of wealth and the wealthy”, “uncompromising political and popular resistance against terror and tyranny” spawned from the very heart of “spiritual and religious beliefs” …

If you haven’t read about this before, you have now.

You can also read from the Gatestone Institute about the Muslim Reform Movement:

We are Muslims who live in the 21st century. We stand for a respectful, merciful and inclusive interpretation of Islam. We are in a battle for the soul of Islam, and an Islamic renewal must defeat the ideology of Islamism, or politicized Islam, which seeks to create Islamic states, as well as an Islamic caliphate. We seek to reclaim the progressive spirit with which Islam was born in the 7th century to fast forward it into the 21st century. We support the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by United Nations member states in 1948.

We reject interpretations of Islam that call for any violence, social injustice and politicized Islam. Facing the threat of terrorism, intolerance, and social injustice in the name of Islam, we have reflected on how we can transform our communities based on three principles: peace, human rights and secular governance. We are announcing today the formation of an international initiative: the Muslim Reform Movement.

We have courageous reformers from around the world who will outline our Declaration for Muslim Reform, a living document that we will continue to enhance as our journey continues. We invite our fellow Muslims and neighbors to join us.

So what does the Muslim Reform Movement stand for?

A. Peace: National Security, Counterterrorism and Foreign Policy

1. We stand for universal peace, love and compassion. We reject violent jihad. We believe we must target the ideology of violent Islamist extremism in order to liberate individuals from the scourge of oppression and terrorism both in Muslim-majority societies and the West.

2. We stand for the protection of all people of all faiths and non-faith who seek freedom from dictatorships, theocracies and Islamist extremists.

3. We reject bigotry, oppression and violence against all people based on any prejudice, including ethnicity, gender, language, belief, religion, sexual orientation and gender expression.

B. Human Rights: Women’s Rights and Minority Rights

1. We stand for human rights and justice. We support equal rights and dignity for all people, including minorities. We support the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights.

2. We reject tribalism, castes, monarchies and patriarchies and consider all people equal with no birth rights other than human rights. All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. Muslims don’t have an exclusive right to “heaven.”

3. We support equal rights for women, including equal rights to inheritance, witness, work, mobility, personal law, education, and employment. Men and women have equal rights in mosques, boards, leadership and all spheres of society. We reject sexism and misogyny.

C. Secular Governance: Freedom of Speech and Religion

1. We are for secular governance, democracy and liberty. We are against political movements in the name of religion. We separate mosque and state. We are loyal to the nations in which we live. We reject the idea of the Islamic state. There is no need for an Islamic caliphate. We oppose institutionalized sharia. Sharia is manmade.

2. We believe in life, joy, free speech and the beauty all around us. Every individual has the right to publicly express criticism of Islam. Ideas do not have rights. Human beings have rights. We reject blasphemy laws. They are a cover for the restriction of freedom of speech and religion. We affirm every individual’s right to participate equally in ijtihad, or critical thinking, and we seek a revival of ijtihad.

3. We believe in freedom of religion and the right of all people to express and practice their faith, or non-faith, without threat of intimidation, persecution, discrimination or violence. Apostasy is not a crime. Our ummah–our community–is not just Muslims, but all of humanity.