"A good first step would be to bring more Americans into contact with some of the overwhelming majority of Muslims who are in fact not threatening."
In fact, I think that Americans are not concerned by what is written in the Koran, but rather are troubled, for example by the savage murder of Daniel Pearl, the massacre in Mumbai, the hanging of homosexuals, "honor" killings against women throughout the Muslim Middle East, mutilation of female genitals, brutal persecution of minorities such as Iran's Baha'is, horrific intolerance against Muslim minorities such as the Ahmadis in Pakistan and Indonesia, refusal to grant independence to 35 million Kurds, threats to annihilate Israel, genocide against Sudan's Black animists in Darfur, persecution of Christian Copts in Egypt, the imprisonment and lashing of women who have been gang raped in Saudi Arabia, Qaddafi's threats to dominate Europe, and incessant wars among Muslim states which have killed an exponentially larger number of people than all of the combined Arab-Israeli wars.
Is politically correct Wright claiming that all of the above should not worry Americans? Is he saying that these examples are not in keeping with mainstream Islam? Should we content ourselves with knowing that the Old and New Testaments, like the Koran, are replete with stories of cruelty and savagery?
I am left to wonder whether Wright agrees with Feisal Abdul Rauf that "United States policies were an accessory to the crime [of 9/11]". But be that as it may, I would be delighted if Wright would care to bring me "into contact with some of the overwhelming majority of Muslims who are in fact not threatening."
Let's start with a meeting with King Abdullah in Mecca and see if I literally come away with my skin.
Hi, Jeffrey!
ReplyDeleteI like how you defend Americans against liberal friends of Islam.
It is standard argument of all Islam-apologists: look at the Bible!
My standard answer: a religion is not about the text, it is about the commonly accepted beliefs among followers. If Muslims believe that Koran calls for establishing sharia everywhere, for suicide-bombing - this is Islam.
By the way. Obama does not have a right to say that al Qaeda twists Islam: he is not an Islamic scholar. According to Islam's tradition, only Islamic scholars have a right to interprete Koran. Even self-professed "moderate" imam Rauf has nothing against Hamas. So, who is "twisting"?
Americans are also not concerned about the many U.S. drone attacks (murders) on innocent men, women and children in Aghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen. As Americans display their hysteria over 9/11, they forget completely that they invaded an innocent country (Iraq) on trumped up myths and destroyed it completely along with thousands of innocent civilians.....As well as displacing millions from their homes......as American sit around debating about "rights" and "freedoms" innocent civilians demonstrating against the U.S. are shot at and killed in Afghanistan.....corrupt and oppressive governments that collude with the U.S. to steal the natural resources of the country for the benefit of the U.S. are propped up by the U.S. government as the citizens of that country are denied all freedoms.....Yes....I can say emphatically....Americans are totally unconcerned about anyone else...as well as completely ignorant.....
ReplyDeleteAnonymous,
ReplyDeleteSurely you're not serious. "Muslims generally slaughter Muslims"? Tell that to the 400,000 dead Black Africans in Darfur.
"The times they kill non Muslims is a geographical or political motive"? Brutal persecution and murder of Baha'is (non-Muslims) and Ahmadis (they label themselves Muslims) is premised upon the refusal of mainstream Islam to accept any prophet who came after Mohammed.
"There are 40-50 million Muslims in Europe... They don't do much"? Tell that to Theo van Gogh. Oops, that's no longer possible: van Gogh was decapitated by Mohammed Bouyeri.
"20 million Westerns visit Egypt every year. Mostly they are attacked by good food . . ."? Unless they happened to be at the Ghazala Garden Hotel in July 2005, when a bomb brought down the hotel. You want to see a recent list of terror attacks on tourists in Egypt? Go to: http://www.usdivetravel.com/T-EgyptTerrorism.html
Again, you are talking about Tribal and ethnic conflicts. Van Gogh was killed by an idiot, much like Virginia Tech, Columbine, Oklahoma etc etc. (and really, 40-50 million people supposedly MUST kill infidels, and one does?)
ReplyDeleteGo to the www.fco.co.uk site and look at travel advice for Egypt and USA. Look at the paragraphs that read about the number of people who visit, and risk. They are very similar.
Travel has its risks as well.
It is just you don't understand there are different risks.
Find out about Tribal/Enthic/National issues. Muslims are very peaceful when there are no conflicts. Much like Westerners (50 million died in WWII, due to Ethnic/National issues)
No violence from Europe's Muslims?
ReplyDeleteOn Friday a Chechen was arrested after a letter bomb he was preparing exploded in his Copenhagen hotel room. It is suspected that he intended to send the letter bomb to a Danish newspaper that published cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.
Also on Friday, five Algerians were arrested in London by counter-terrorism officers over a suspected threat to Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to the UK.