The Reflections of Mehdi Hasan, the presenter Al Jazeera English and Political Director of Huffington Post London On Conspiracy Theories. His September 5, 2014 article on the absurdity of Muslim conspiracy theories was one of the bluntest opinions any fellow Muslim could ever have written on the subject. In the introduction to the article he says: "Some of you may not like my latest column in which I take on the Muslim obsession with conspiracy theories, but it had to be said. Then he wonders: "Why are so many of my fellow Muslims so gullible and so quick to believe bonkers conspiracy theories?" He tackles those who propagate the theory, alleging that the ISIS terrorist leader, Abu Bakr Al-Baghadadi, is not a Muslim but a Jew whose original was Simon Elliot! And they attributed their "facts" to Edward Snowden, a former CIA contractor who is currently in Russia on political asylum. According to Mehdi Hasan, there is no iota of truth in this allegation. He says: "Glenn Greenwald, the investigative journalist who helped break the National Intelligence Agency(NSA) story told me."Snowden never said anything like that and no (NSA) documents suggest it." Snowden's lawyer, Ben Wizner, has called the story a hoax. But millions of Muslims across the globe have a soft spot for such hoaxes." On the 9/11 Muslim conspiracy theories, which alleged that 4,000 Jews didn't turn up for work on 11 September 2001 because they had been "forewarned" about the attacks, Mehdi demolishes this misleading theories. He argues: "There is, of course, no evidence for this outlandish and offensive claim. The truth is that more than 200 Jews, including several Israeli citizens, were killed in the attacks on the Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre. I guess they must have missed the memo from Mossad (forewarning them of the terrorist attacks)...Yet the denialism persists." Hasan also wonders: "How have peddlers of paranoia amassed such influence within Muslim communities?..Where will it end? When will credulous Muslims stop leaning on the conspiracy crutch? We blame sinister outside powers for all our problems--extremism, despotism, corruption and the rest--and paint ourselves as helpless victims rather than independent agents. After all, why take responsibility for our actions when it is far easier to point the finger at the CIA/Mossad/the Jews/the Hindus/fill-in-your villain of choice." Mehdi Hasan also quotes an Egyptian intellectual, Abdal Munin Said who said: "The biggest problem with conspiracy theories is that they keep us not only from the truth, but also from confronting our faults and problems." "They also make us look like loons. Can we give it a rest, please?" Mehdi Hassan concludes. (Mehdi Hasan is also a New Statesman contributing writer. www.newstatesman.com).