A Muslim questions Muslims

I have to admit, It's High Time We Muslims Confronted Our Own Hypocrisy, a column written by a Muslim and published in a Muslim Country (Pakistan), was a refreshing read. Here are just a few of the things that Anwaar Hussain said in the piece:

Anwaar Hussain

What really stumped me in Michael’s write-up was that since the beginning, according to him, it has been the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan whose rabbi has been helping the New York Muslim community in their quest. And I thought the Jews were our worst enemies.

Bang in the middle of this controversy, other dazzling news was almost drowned out. According to a Christian Science Monitor report, the hundred thousand strong Muslim community of the Italian city of Milan are pushing for building the first-ever mosque in that city. And who is their most steadfast ally in this quest? Lo and behold, it's none other than the Vatican itself. Says Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi, the Catholic Church’s highest authority in Milan, “Milan civil institutions must guarantee everyone religious freedom,” and “Muslims have the right to practice their faith.”

All power to the Muslim communities in New York and Milan - and Michael Moore and Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi, but where does that leave ordinary Muslims like me? I'm all confused. I thought these people could never be friends with Muslims.
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But that's not all I'm puzzled over. I also need to understand why in our holy land [Saudi Arabia], a country that is a role model for the Muslim world, a kind of apartheid against non-Muslims is practiced.
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What really boggles my mind is when I think of what would happen if Christians were involved in a terrorist attack on one of our holy cities: would we ever, ever contemplate allowing Christians to build a church next to the attack site?
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Why do we all forget the aforesaid facts when we cry out for equal rights and freedom of speech, thought and action in the West? Why don’t we demand the same in our own countries? Why do we lapse into collective silence at the persecution of minorities in our countries? Why don’t we believe in giving to others what we claim for ourselves? Why don’t we see the heartrending injustice of it all?
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Is it ignorance? Is it duplicity? Is it dread of the unknown? Is it the lethal mix of all three that keeps us from being honest? Or is it plain old hypocrisy?

I applaud Mr Hussain for the attempt at engaging his fellow Muslims in this way. I am not sure that it will affect the outcome of the global discussions about Islam but I do think that he accurately points out some of the inconsistencies existing within the Islamic community.

What was your takeaway from this? Do you think his message will be heard by Muslims?