Marching worked for only a minute, but it still didn’t keep assasins away ( see MLK Jr.). The reality is that Muslims need not be in a hurry to comply with “The Man’s” demands to “show” that we as Muslims disagree with terrorism. This is not a minstrel show. We will march for years to their amusement. Our actions PROVE we disagree because the vast majority of us DO NOT commit terrorist acts.

Instead of us marching for solidarity and whatnot, let’s demand that they march for LOGIC.

And yes, I do agree with someone who mentioned that it would feel great to know others were demonstrating for my cause. Problem is, I doubt many of those under duress have electricity at this point.

This sort of recreational public orgastic grieving, is often for people who demonstrably do not deserve it.

http://www.masud.co.uk/ISLAM/ahm/di.htm

Political rallies such as the one by MAB in London, may not have stopped the War, but did show the strength of anti-war sentiment and unity of Muslims on the issue. It heralded the birth of a legitimate Muslim political voice. But the Muslims had that sense of community prior to the rally, it was the latter that showed the strength of it to the larger population.

It probably did effect the course of events, allowing the group of 42 diplomats to write their letter, and for Robin Cook and others to speak out against the Iraq conflict with some force.

as Osama saeed points out in his weblog, even the small rally by Muslims in Jack Straw’s constituency, caused him to get the sack from his boss, condi rice

http://www.osamasaeed.org/osam......html#more

If you were a small child in Lebanon right now, cowering in terror in a corner of your apartment as Israeli missiles rain down on your neighbourhood, wouldn’t you draw comfort from the fact that someone in Australia cared enough to express solidarity? I know I would.

Personally. I don’t particularly care if people choose to attend rallies but what irked me was that I was recently ‘confronted’ by a group of people involved in one of the rallies at a public place and accused of ‘doing nothing’ to stop the killing. It seemed to me that people are really attaching too much importance to these events and White’s thesis seemed to make a lot of sense: for people who feel, whether by choice or circumstance, powerless to do anything, rallies provide an illusionary feeling of doing something significant and important.

The other point that I wish to make is that as a Muslim one already has a direct personal connection with which to make personal supplication to God, 6 times a day. This spiritual discipline is the sunnah (or the Prophetic example). I would venture that this is more authentic, less orgiastic and indulgent.

Amir, I think you are being a bit harsh here, to your fellow human. Public rallies appear to be the only way that people in the west can be intimate with one another without recourse to alcohol or contraception (or both).

For the majority of their lives the shuffle around, locked in the prison of the self, without forming meaningful bonds to their co-workers or friends. Apparently there is less fear of commitment when one joins with complete strangers to celebrate, either a sporting success or a communal march opposing the mandatory flushing of public lavatories.