متأسفون

A group of moderate Muslims have set up a website to apologize for the crimes of those who committed violence against Denmark and Norway in the name of their religion.

In the middle of all the mayhem surrounding the Danish cartoons controversy, a group of Arab and Muslim youth have set up this website to express their honest opinion, as a small attempt to show the world that the images shown of Arab and Muslim anger around the world are not representative of the opinions of all Arabs. We whole-heartedly apologize to the people of Denmark, Norway and all the European Union over the actions of a few, and we completely condemn all forms of vandalism and incitement to violence that the Arab and Muslim world have witnessed. We hope that this sad episode will not tarnish the great friendship that our peoples have fostered over decades.

The problem with media representation of such issues tends to be that the media only picks up the loudest voices, ignoring the rational ones that do not generate as much noise. Voices that seek tolerance, dialogue and understanding are always drowned out by the more sensationalist loud calls, giving viewers the impression that these views are representative of all the Arab public’s view. This website is a modest attempt at redressing this wrong. We would appreciate it if you could forward the word to as many of your friends as possible.

It's interesting that totally innocent people have to apologize for crimes committed by their countrymen, and it's sad to see that some people in the guestbook refuse to accept the apology (one guy even signed in as "MuhammedSUX." What a jerk.) I read that the same 200 people who burnt down the embassy in Syria took buses and did the same to Lebanon. Sigh...

HT: Aladdin's Rant