: One Man’s Terrorist: Muslims Balk on a Definition

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Yesterday, the Organization of Islamic Conference’s well-hyped meeting in Malaysia to find a unified Islamic stance on terrorism came to the consensus that even a definition of the word would not be offered. Instead, the draft statement clarified what it was not – anything associated with “Islamic states or Palestinian and Lebanese resistance.” The OIC then asked for the issue to be taken up by a U.N. conference (to come up with an Islamic definition?), although the OIC had already come up with its own definition of terrorism 3 years ago. Considering that the intent of the conference was to improve the image of the Muslim world in response to the increase in terr… uh, conflicts, there is more work yet to be done. “This is a wasted opportunity,” said one Malaysian representative. “Too many countries have their own interests.” In that spirit, a Lebanese Muslim cleric then lauded female suicide bombers as Islamically acceptable, theoretically doubling the number of… er… people who do… violent things(?). For now, it looks like you’ll have to come up with your own definition.

Zahed Amanullah is associate editor of altmuslim.com.  He is based in London, England.