I agree with both Angie and Abu Noor, in a way.

W/Angie: she’s right. The ummah has a double standard, we care about human rights violations in Palestine but for the most part only Palestine. Would this conversation about basketball teams even be happening if the Olympics were being held in Apartheid Palestine?

W/Abu Noor: similar to the situation with blood diamonds, a boycott may not be the most effective strategy. Amnesty International recommends that those who insist on buying diamonds (because even us Muslims can’t seem to live without them) buy diamonds that are certified to be blood free. Similarly, Tibet solidarity organizers are shifting away from the boycott recommendations.

A couple of ideas:

1. One of the torch runners here in San Francisco pulled out a Tibetan flag mid-run. She made a huge statement, and got more coverage than she would have if she had simply boycotted. It’s one of many options available to athletes of conscience.

2. For us on the sidelines, check out: http://www.candle4tibet.org/en/

While the effectiveness of Olympic boycotts is something that could be debated, I agree that Muslims should be more concerned about human rights abuses by the Chinese government, not just in Tibet, but all over the country and in their dealings with foreign governments. We should be concerned no matter who this impacts, but Muslims both in China and elsewhere are often the victims of these abuses.

I, personally like the idea of trying to go there, win a medal and then somehow embarass the tyrants on the worldwide stage a la Tommie Smith and John Carlos in 1968.

Allaah knows best.

Just a thought.