Probably for many Muslims, the issue of the tar sands and the Keystone XL pipeline has not become truly a moral issue for them (and how can it when so many imams today, for examples, drive gas-guzzling cars, or use recyclable resources without recycling, without having the least hesitation about their environmental and political contribution to society’s disease). Other Muslims, perhaps those set to be particularly affected by the pipeline, whether by being displaced or by having their community or livelihood threatened, or perhaps simply because they’re aware of what’s at stake for the planet overall, *want* to do something, but perhaps are caught up with concerns over Islamophobia in America, or are otherwise just struggling to find their place in society, that they don’t feel comfortable rocking the boat.

So I think activists like you are rare among Muslims in America, but there need to be more. Thanks for sharing your article… here are two others related to Keystone XL (though by now there are many, of course):

Agency Struggles to Safeguard Pipeline System: Pipeline Spills Put Safeguards Under Scrutiny
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/10/business/energy-environment/agency-struggles-to-safeguard-pipeline-system.html?_r=1

Keystone Pipeline Could Push Endangered Whooping Crane Into Extinction
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leda-huta/keystone-pipeline-could-p_b_947132.html

http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/american-muslim-youth-and-the-tar-sands-we-want-a-bright-future-not-a-black

Larry: this isn’t just another protest of environmentalists and “vegan vegetarians”. It’s gathering momentum from people of all walks of life, because people of all walks of life would be affected by this pipeline. Activists, actors, politicians, old men and women, farmers, those who live near the pipeline route and those who don’t, all types of people seem to be gathering together around this cause. Many of them aren’t even environmentalists, I believe, but are doing this because it just makes sense to them. While environmentalists are concerned about the huge effect on the climate it would have to release the carbon from this massive carbon pool into the atmosphere, many of the protestors are simply concerned that the pipeline would disrupt and destroy their homes, communities, and contaminate their sources of water. This is almost sure to happen since TransCanada has a record of being “reliably unreliable” with how it handled a precursor pipeline that leaked 12 times in 12 months despite TransCanada’s claim that it would leak only once every several years. So despite what you may think of it, this issue is simply a matter of common sense.

“Larry, this may be one of the most ill-informed responses I’ve seen on Green Prophet to date.”

Tafline: it’s okay, the important thing is that he’s talking about it! 🙂

PS: apparently 322 people have been arrested to date, and the number seems to be increasing at a rate of ~50 persons per day!

That is exactly the thought that I had Arwa… looking forward to seeing you in Liverpool next week 🙂

Larry, this may be one of the most ill-informed responses I’ve seen on Green Prophet to date.