The phrase Allahu Akbar is used, abused and misused not by anyone else, but by Muslims. It has come to symbolize death and destruction.
We the Muslims unequivocally condemn abuse of the phrase Allahu Akbar and call on the imams and the scholars to recondition appropriate use of the phrase.
It is the responsibility of Muslims to reign in on such abuse. The Yemeni passenger abused it while pounding on the cockpit door. It has happened many times including Major Nidal Malik in Killeen, Texas.
It is a wake up call to Muslims. We must seriously inculcate the values of responsibility among Muslims. Damn you if you are a criminal, do it in your own name and not use God's name for your criminal acts. It puts me the good user and you the abuser on par and it is not acceptable.
Allahu Akbar is meant to bring humility by acknowledging that God is great and we are not. However, the phrase has become boundless and used in just about any situation making it meaningless. The Muslim fans of Greenbay Packers most likely screamed with joy Allahu Akbar when their team won. If your kid kicks in the goal on soccer field the response would be Allahu Akbar. When some one steps up and does some good it goes with the phrase Allahu Akbar.
It is time for the imams to start preaching to appropriately limit the usage of the phrase. During tense times, if your Jewish neighbor's daughter kicks the goal and the Muslims shouts in joy, Allahu Akbar, it will frighten the crap out of every one, and it is almost like shouting Fire, Fire.
What if a few Muslims are praying in the lobby of an airport or an office and say Allahu Akbar, it is said a minimum of 12 times to a maximum 50 times or more in one single sitting. What if the imam is praying while sitting in the plane and quietly saying his prayer and the next passenger hears the whispering Allahu Akbar while the man was going in to the Ruku (leaning forward)?
It is our duty to keep law and order and faithfully guard the safety of every citizen. Language is one of many sources of disrupting the peace in a society and it is our duty to track down the source of such phrases and work on mitigating it. We have an obligation to maintain a balance in the society.
I call on Muslims to limit the use of the phrase Allahu Akbar for prayers alone and avoid using in public to prevent disruptions. It will take a few years to undo it, but it would be the right thing to do. This is a clarion call for us to guard the name of God from being abused. Let's do it voluntarily on our own.