enough said
Posted on 10/01/2006 9:03:37 AM PDT by Uncle Miltie
In response to the letter to the editor published in the Sunday, Sept. 17, edition of The Forum: The letter by Brad Cloven of Fargo had the headline “Muslim leadership needs to speak out.” Cloven further says, “What non-Muslims most want to hear is unequivocal condemnation of terrorism … Regular repetition of that position will go a long way to reduce any uneasy feeling in Fargo-Moorhead.”
We have well-informed Muslims among us in the Fargo-Moorhead area who have spoken out and continue to do so against the actions of radical groups who claim themselves and their actions in the name of Islam. We condemn the misinterpretation of the faith by a few radical groups. We condemn the misconceptions promoted by these groups about the meaning and practice of jihad. We condemn the misquoting of passages from the Holy Quran taken out of context to justify their destructive actions.
Dr. Ahmer Qarni (from Pakistan) was the president of the Islamic Society of Fargo-Moorhead at the time of the atrocities committed on Sept. 11, 2001. He spoke out condemning the actions of the extremists and explained the true essence of Islam. Since then he has continued to participate in various events doing the same thing. He has given interviews on radio and television and has spoken at meetings and discussion groups.
Mona Ibrahim (from Egypt), professor of developmental psychology at Concordia College, was invited (after the 9/11 tragedy) by several congregations and civic organizations, where she spoke in clear and simple terms about what Islam stands for and condemned the ghastly acts of the few.
Similarly I (from India) have been invited by church congregations, civic organizations, private groups and clubs, high school classes and college classes to speak on Islam and clarify the confusion created by the horrific actions of a few on 9/11 about the faith. Even before that, in 2000 I participated in the 24th Annual Summer Theological Conference at Concordia College on “One God, Three Religions – A Conversation among the Children of Abraham.” I had just returned from the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. At the conference I had the pleasure of meeting just about every Lutheran pastor of North Dakota – all well informed and open-minded.
In April 2005, the Islamic Society of Fargo-Moorhead sponsored the first North Dakota Islamic Conference at the North Dakota State University Memorial Union. Islamic scholars from Fargo and the nation were speakers on aspects of the Islamic way of life. Spiritual leaders of other faiths also participated. Professor Basit Bilal Koshul (from Pakistan) of the Religion Department at Concordia College (he has since left that position) gave the most moving speech about taking back Islam from the fanatics.
There are those who not only talk but also are working at every level to bring knowledge and true meaning of Islam to youth and others. On Sept. 3, Eboo Patel (a Muslim from India who resides in Chicago) had a dialogue during the NPR program “Speaking of Faith.” He has established an interfaith youth corps. He regularly contributes to the Chicago Tribune. And then there is Reza Aslan (from Iran), author of the best selling book, “No god but God – the Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam,” who has participated in several conferences and workshops with other Muslim leaders and leaders of other faiths. These are broadcast periodically on C-Span. He lives in Santa Barbara, Calif. His work has appeared in The Nation, Slate, and The New York Times. These are only a few examples.
With regard to Cloven’s statement that Islamic leaders regularly repeat their position: The talk show hosts with microphones and politicians with tax dollars scream “terrorism” 24/7 and thus create an atmosphere of fear. When fear is in the air, it is difficult to focus on voices of common sense. The media and those with microphones choose to focus on the fear factor. However, to anyone who would like to learn more about the Muslim community, the Islamic Society of Fargo-Moorhead is at 2102 6th Street in south Fargo. Please feel free to visit it and seek more information. Also, I will be honored to address any of the community in Fargo-Moorhead that has an “uneasy feeling” about Muslims in this community and put them at ease.
Finally, Islam is a way of life just as Hinduism, Buddhism and Judaism are, just as the teachings of Christ are. None of these promote hatred, violence or vengeance.
In the end, there are no winners or losers in this struggle. This struggle has been going on for centuries. President Harry Truman was a very wise man. He said that if you think things are happening for the first time, you have not studied history. I want to see the American spirit of courage and valor to replace fear. Only then I believe will America regain respect and earn an honorable position in the world. I want the future generations to get from America what it has given me and my family – one hundred times more than any other nation – not living in fear but living with pride with our heads held high.
Aziz, Moorhead, is a former member of The Forum’s Readers’ Board.
Islam, like liberalism, is incompatible with a free and democratic society. Period. Read their 'book.' Islam is a tyranny, not a religion.
The sad thing is that we are apparently unwilling to rid our country of those who seek to destroy it. That will be our doom as a free society.
thanks for sharing...:)
here's my contribution to the conversation...;)
http://www.campus-watch.org/article/id/2470
In two interviews with newspaper and television in Iowa [where he serves as Imam of the Islamic Society of Des Moines] Dremali made these alarmingly bellicose comments about how Muslims feel about the Muhammed cartoon controversy:
"Muhammad and Allah are more valuable to us than our lives, the lives of our children, mothers and fathers. "So when someone comes along and publishes these pictures they must know what they are doing. They are testing Muslims, trying to see what we will do ,how we will react. It's an insult to the prophet, God, Muslims, and all humanity… When they attack him they attack the whole (sic) of Muslim- 1.9 billion Muslims."
Oh, there's a third kind, a kind you can trust, but they're all buried facing Mecca.
enough said
I want to see moderate MUZIs frog-marching their radical neighbors to the local police station with a bill of particulars against them. Followed by a press conference in which tapes of the frog-march are shown and the scoundrels condemned. Then I'll begin to rest easy.
That and where she says Islam is like Christianity, Hinduism etc., a way of life that doesn't preach hate/violence. Not true. Islam requires forcible conversion, endorses slavery, witholding wages from domestic help,
Finally, Islam is a way of life just as Hinduism, Buddhism and Judaism are, just as the teachings of Christ are. None of these promote hatred, violence or vengeance.
Blatantly false.
"Community Muslims
Are those like village idiots?"
GOOD ONE!
Precisely. This is why all this "I'm a moderate Muslim" bullcrap rings so hollow. At the very heart, they blame us for their own abominations.
Until such time that Islamists can take responsibility for the satanic streak that runs so deeply through their death cult, any claims that they're on our side is just another lie they tell with the blessing of their perverted Quran.
No, we need Muslims like her to open a discourse within their own communities, not to preach to us. Let them talk about witholding wages from servants, about taking a loan to buy a house (Islam forbids interest), about requiring 4 Muslim men to witness to a rape, about 'temporary' marriages, about polygamy, etc. Let the cognitive dissonance come up and smack them in the face.
The jihad conception classifies infidels under three categories:
- those who oppose the Islamic call with arms
- those who belong to the countries of truce
- those who have surrendered to Islamic domination, exchanging their land for peace; they have become “dhimmis,” “protected” from the ongoing jihad war against non-Muslims by a treaty of subjection and protection (dhimma).
The infidels of the first category are called harbis; they belong to dar al-harb, the region where warefare is mandatory as long as they refuese to recognize Islam’s supremacy.
The infidels of the second category are in a situation of respite between two wars since, in principle, the truce with infidels cannot exceed ten years, after which jihad must resume. They live under the regime of dar al-sulh, the land of temporary truce. There are two possible motivations for Islamic authorities to conclude a truce with infidels:
- Muslims are too weak to win the war;
- the infidel leaders agree to pay a tribute to the Muslim ruler to obtain the cessation of hostilities, those latter including rampages, abductions, enslavement, and killings.
The countries of dar al-sulh must also abstain from hindering the development of Islam in their lands. … The refusal to allow the propagation of Islam in the lands of truce is tantamount to a casus belli, and jihad can resume. (page 33)
The huge sums that the European Union pays to Arab Mediterranean countries [for oil] and the Palesinians amount to another tribute exacted for its security within the dar al-sulh. Europe thereby put off the threat of a jihad aimed at the dar al-harb by opting for appeasement and collusion with international terrorism - - while blaming the increased world tensions on Israel and America so as to preserve its dar al-sulh position of subordinate collaboration, if not surrender, to the Islamists. (page 77).
The book is somewhat tedious, but highly recommended.
I will tell you that in no uncertain terms I am TERRIFIED of Islam. And, no the fear did not come from Republicans.It came from my husband who very nearly lost his life fighting them.
Thanks for comments and source
That's the most concise description that I've read of the fundamental doctrine and mindset of Islam.
Let me add the comments of a SF officer who has been in Afghanistan and Iraq.
[speaking on the difference between Christianity and Islam as it is in the field]
"Here is the one difference between the two and the one...and It is hugely significant: Freewill on the western side and predestination on the Islamic side. Life can get interesting fast when Allah makes things happen. In short, what limits are there to any action? If I do anything under this set and get away with it, it is therefore Allah's will, not my own. Pretty convenient, when you get right down to it. Insh'allah. This very basic difference explains the general Islamic lack of outcry no matter how henious we think an "act" may be. Kids die; it is allah's will. Simple. Not a second thought by indoctrination and basic belief set. The radicals are attemtping to use this aspect to advance their angle on the religion. Their efforts are effective as hell, considering other teachings in combination with the lack of personal responsibility."
We complain about the lack of moderate Muslims. Ms. Aziz said about 90% of what we want to hear from the Muslim community. Perhaps 10% is arguable or wrong. I am saddened that Freepers cannot find enough love or charity to accept her effort.
I oppose Islamofascist terror as much as anyone on this forum. They shot up my wife's former office in Seattle, killing one of her friends.
We NEED folks like Ms. Aziz to strengthen moderates against fanatics. The alternative is to have the homicidal fanatics rule. That way genocide lies, and whatever your religion, you shouldn't be hoping for that.
Let us step back from the brink and encourage the moderate Muslims, imperfect though they may be.
Let the noble sentiments and precepts of our religions guide our thoughts, words and deeds towards people of good faith, demonstrating our G-d's love.
(Oh, and by the way, if an Islamofascist comes into the sights of one of our brave soldiers, may his aim be true! I'm not shy about killing the evil do-ers before they kill us.)
Point well taken.
"We complain about the lack of moderate Muslims. Ms. Aziz said about 90% of what we want to hear from the Muslim community. Perhaps 10% is arguable or wrong. I am saddened that Freepers cannot find enough love or charity to accept her effort."
Look Brad, I have a half dozen Muslim friends;2 in the USA, and 4 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where I maintain a second home. One is a business partner. The problem with American Muslims is that it took 5 years to hear even a tepid renunciation of the terrorism that took place on 9/11.
Agreed.
Better late than never.
The alternatives are pretty bleak.
As a matter of fact, the Muslims in Malaysia, as a group, are very friendly towards Americans. Probably because so many Brits, and Americans live there, so they had a chance to get to know us. Also, Malaysia was a British provence until 1952.
I think we need these moderate Muslim communities (e.g. Malaysia) to have a "civil war" with the radicals. Mostly, it should be an intellectual, moral and religious showdown.
Occassionally, it will be a real war. It would be wise for the moderates to confront the radicals. We Westerners cannot discern so well between the good ones and the bad ones. When the going gets tough, we'd be shooting the good guys as often as the bad guys. And we have very powerful and indiscriminate weapons with which to do so.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.