59Nawaz Yes, a peculiar trait of holding certain symbols
as sacred and intimately tied to one’s own identity
is that they can often become more im por tant than
human life. No grievance, real or perceived, is ever
seen except through the lens of dogma. Why is it,
for example, that an Islamist will not be as moved
by an atrocity committed by Muslims against non-
Muslims, yet when Sunni Muslims are the per-
ceived victims there is uproar? If we are truly con-
cerned about human rights and injustice, we would
be moved equally by all human rights crimes, and
would act in a systematic way to deal with them as
best we can. So I take the point you just made.
What I would add is that dogma is a lens through
which grievances are fi ltered.
Another factor worth mentioning at this stage,
my second, is the identity crisis. It is very easy, even
for non- Islamist Muslims, to become incredibly
tribal in their interpretation of the above mentioned
grievances. So, along with dogma, tribal identity
leads many Muslims to speak out only in defense
of “our” people, because that’s the extent of any
emotional energy we have. Either lens through
which grievances are interpreted— dogma or
tribalism— must be addressed head-on. I challenge
both, because of course the grievances themselves
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