My protest would be loud and visible

If I was a Roman Catholic and an extremist sect of Catholics was butchering, raping and beheading Protestants, Sunni and Shiite Muslims, Jews, Buddhists and any other non-believers living in Northern in Iraq and Syria, I would make damned sure that my friends and neighbours got to know that I, and my fellow peace-loving Catholics, abhorred their murderous and twisted interpretation of the Bible (Praying for peace in Palestine, Courier, September 5).
I would organise protest marches in my neighbourhood, write to the Courier to condemn them, produce and display bumper stickers declaring my disgust and send humanitarian aid to the oppressed and the violated. I would do everything necessary to distance myself and my fellow Catholics from these bastards, including openly supporting the USA and any other country interested in bombing them into oblivion. While I was at it I would avoid organising or attending any public protest in support of Hamas or Gaza in their conflict with Israel, no matter where my support lay, in case my participation gave the impression that I was in support of Islamic extremism of any sort.
So why is it that I haven’t heard of any of my fellow South African Muslims taking such a stand against the 20,000 or so maniacs running amok in the so-called Islamic State, the name of which associates all peace-loving followers of Islam with brutal extremism and intolerance of the worst kind? Why aren’t you protesting in the streets of KwaDukuza?
It is time for the greater Muslim majority, whether Sunni or Shiite, to stand up and be counted. It is time to report to the authorities the name of every son, daughter or friend known to have travelled to Iraq or Syria to join the Islamic State and, to avoid being tarred with the same brush, to identify any South African you know to be involved in such depravity. It is time to defy the extremists in your midst. Your silence is deafening, your lack of action disturbing. Stand up and be counted!
JIM BROWN
Salt Rock