Jay Currie

After 7/7, I realized that there is no longer any room for compromises or excuses, that there is nothing to understand – that instead, we must stand together to do everything to stop those who spread hatred and death.

“I decided to exclude the word ‘but’ from my sermons. After the London attacks, the time for ‘buts’ is over, at least on my part. I don’t want to hear any more ‘buts’ or other excuses for suicide attacks in Europe. I never again want to hear, ‘But what about the victims in Iraq ’ or ‘But think about what the U.S. has done there and there,’ or ‘But think about the [immigrant-European] segregation [in European countries].’

“In the Friday sermon that I delivered at Stockholm’s Great Mosque after 7/7, I condemned the attacks unreservedly. I talked about how we now must, once and for all, deal with those forces that disgrace Islam by mutilating and murdering innocent people. The TV pictures from London had left me in such despair that I couldn’t hold back the tears while delivering the Friday sermon. That caused strong reactions.

“Afterwards, I was – in my own mosque – threatened by people who considered it reprehensible that I ‘wept for English children.’ Unfortunately, there is a minority among Swedish Muslims that holds extreme views, and that sympathizes with the London bombers….

“The day after my Friday sermon… I was approached by a man who threatened my life. He demanded that I stop condemning Islamist terror – or else. His threat was of such a serious nature that my wife and I decided to file a police complaint…
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Winning the WOT will depend as much on the willingness of Muslims to stand up to the thugs in their midst as any military or intelligence or police activity.