Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Why Don't Buddhists Speak Out?

How many times have you heard the question: 'Why don't 'moderate' Muslims speak out against the violence perpetrated by 'extremist' Muslims?' (Curious, isn't it, how those, invariably Islamophobes, who deploy this question rhetorically would never dream of asking why Jews don't speak out against instances of Israeli violence?)

Well, in the spirit of 'what's good for the goose is good for the gander', I want to know why Buddhists such as the Dalai Lama and the sainted Aung San Suu Kyi (soon to grace our shores) aren't, even as I type, springing up from their stereotypical cross-legged posture and loudly condemning Aaron Alexis, perpetrator of the latest massacre in the Benighted States:

"Alexis was a practicing Buddhist. He was deeply into Thai and Buddhist culture... 'He worshipped at a Buddhist temple in Fort Worth, Texas. Monks there told the Los Angeles Times they were shocked that he was behind the DC killings. 'He was a very devoted Buddhist,' said the wife of someone who knew Alexis." (He was a Buddhist? 5 Things you should know about Aaron Alexis, the man who killed 12 at the D.C. Navy Yard, Alex Cane, 17/9/13, alternet.org)

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