Habibi, here are my reflections. I express them with a dedication to everyone's wellbeing. It comes from a place of brotherly love.
Notwithstanding the perceived positives of the recent statement, we also need to be honest.
Many of the Muslim leaders, imams, scholars and preachers in the West, particularly in the US, sided with the liberal left.
They made terrible, weak, short-term and uninformed decisions. There was hardly any direct da'wah to these ideologues and any attempt to show the ideological, intellectual and moral superiority of Islam was not prioritised.
In an ideological context, if you are not giving da'wah, they are giving "da'wah" to you. Unfortunately, due to relative silence and a passive strategy, they succeeded.
The recent statement is not a huge success. It is damage limitation. It is an attempt to pick up the broken pieces created by a failed strategy that has been implemented for over a decade. The very fact that it was needed is a huge sign of strategic and da'wah leadership failure.
It also has a lacuna. There is no direct da'wah and it does not challenge the false, incoherent assumptions of their worldview. It lacks ideological rigour. It is morally and intellectually subservient to a dominant evil worldview. This is not Prophet leadership.
We just have to look at the backlash from many fans and supporters. We need to ask: why are many of the fans and supporters of the signatories upset? What does it say about what they thought the signatories actually believed in?
Self-reflection is very important.
We have to admit failures and strategic mistakes. This is a blatant case of "reap what you sow".
A sign of good leadership is to accept responsibility and take ownership over the awful moral and intellectual state that many young Muslims are in. There was a failure to take moral and intellectual leadership, and it was done in the name of maslaha.
Frankly speaking it was a deviation from key Quranic and Prophetic values. It was unprincipled and weak.
I pray the lessons have been learned and I pray it is not too late.
As always, I am at anyone's service. We are brothers and we need to help each other.
I stand in the possibility I am wrong and I am happy to engage and be advised on any errors I have made.