Skip to comments.
How to be a Muslim moderate
Jewish World Review ^
| 10-21-03
| Zev Chafets
Posted on 10/21/2003 5:03:10 AM PDT by SJackson
An Islamic leader camouflages some truth-telling about the Islamic world with anti-Semitic lies
http://www.jewishworldreview.com | On Thursday, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad made headlines by charging that a Jewish conspiracy controls the planet.
"The Europeans killed 6 million Jews out of 12 million, but today the Jews rule the world by proxy," he told the leaders and representatives of 57 Islamic nations who were gathered in Putrajaya, Malaysia, for their biggest summit meeting since 9/11.
"We are up against a people who think. They invented socialism, communism, human rights and democracy so that persecuting them would appear to be wrong, so that they can enjoy equal rights with others. With these, they have gained control of the most powerful countries."
Naturally, this screed elicited loud protests from Jewish leaders and Western governments. A State Department spokesman denounced the remarks as "offensive and inflammatory" and said the U.S. government views them "with the contempt and derision they deserve."
On the other hand, Mahathir received a standing ovation from his Islamic colleagues. Supposed moderates cheered along with everyone else. Afghan President Hamid Karzai praised the speech as an "an eyeopener."
"It is great to hear Prime Minister Mahathir speak so eloquently on the problems of the Muslim world and ways to remedy them," he told reporters after the speech.
How could Karzai, an American client of surpassing moderation, laud such a paranoid rant? The answer, I think, is that Karzai heard a different speech than the one reported in the press a rather subversive speech camouflaged by the virulent anti-Jewish rhetoric that typifies all Islamic gatherings.
Indirectly, cautiously but unmistakably, Mahathir informed his guests that the Muslims are too weak to fight, that the jihad from Palestine to Putrajaya is a disaster and the Muslims have no one to blame but themselves.
Given the low state of the Islamic world, this may seem self-evident. But saying it out loud at an Islamic summit is a rare act of intellectual honesty.
"There is a feeling of hopelessness among the Muslim countries and their people," Mahathir said. "They feel they can do nothing right. They believe that things can only get worse."
This sense of failure has, he noted, bred violent frustration. "Our only reaction is to become more and more angry, and so we find some of our people acting irrationally. They launch their own attacks, killing just about everybody, including fellow Muslims."
What was he talking about? The attacks of Al Qaeda certainly, but also the Palestinian intifadeh.
Mahathir denounced the behavior of would-be martyrs as "irresponsible and un-Islamic acts" a characterization that brought him to the very brink of what is acceptable speech at a Muslim summit.
Which is where the Jews come in.
(Excerpt) Read more at jewishworldreview.com ...
TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: moderateislam; muslims
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-20, 21-23 next last
1
posted on
10/21/2003 5:03:11 AM PDT
by
SJackson
To: dennisw; Cachelot; Yehuda; Nix 2; veronica; Catspaw; knighthawk; Alouette; Optimist; weikel; ...
If you'd like to be on or off this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.
2
posted on
10/21/2003 5:05:07 AM PDT
by
SJackson
To: SJackson
"anti-Semitic "
If I hear this college, feel good, blah blah word again I'm gonna puke.
3
posted on
10/21/2003 5:05:35 AM PDT
by
AbsoluteJustice
(Kiss me I'm an INFIDEL!!!!)
To: AbsoluteJustice
"anti-Semitic"
Putting you to the test...
4
posted on
10/21/2003 5:11:29 AM PDT
by
DB
(©)
To: DB
LOL
5
posted on
10/21/2003 5:14:16 AM PDT
by
AbsoluteJustice
(Kiss me I'm an INFIDEL!!!!)
To: SJackson
"The Europeans killed 6 million Jews out of 12 million, but today the Jews rule the world by proxy,"
I've been trying to figure this one out for a couple of days now.
1 The Europeans killed 6 million Jews out of 12 million,
2 but today the Jews rule the world by proxy,
What does 1 have to do with 2? "Assuming" that #2 is true.
6
posted on
10/21/2003 5:43:31 AM PDT
by
Valin
(A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject)
To: Valin
The speech was intended to embarass Muslims into rejecting medievalism. I didn't interpret it as anti-semitic.
7
posted on
10/21/2003 5:54:58 AM PDT
by
thoughtomator
("A republic, if you can keep it.")
To: Valin
"What does 1 have to do with 2"
In a terrorist mind, everything!
8
posted on
10/21/2003 6:00:28 AM PDT
by
Arpege92
To: thoughtomator
Well that's a whole new take on this speech, and one I've never considered.
9
posted on
10/21/2003 6:00:36 AM PDT
by
Valin
(A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject)
To: Arpege92
I'm sorry I was trying to apply some logic, I promise never to do it again. Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?
10
posted on
10/21/2003 6:02:54 AM PDT
by
Valin
(A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject)
To: SJackson
To become modern, the Muslim world should give up the idea of considering Jews and Christian (= the western world) as its enemies. But until that day finally comes: prepare for the defense!
To: thoughtomator
I didn't interpret it as anti-semitic.
No just a Muslim's claim that the current form of terrorism is not eliminating the Jews so let's try another way.
The whole speech was anti-semitic, it was all about ridding the world of infidels starting with the Jews and how best to reach that Islamic goal.
12
posted on
10/21/2003 6:11:17 AM PDT
by
BabsC
To: Valin; BabsC
One has to consider the audience. If your people were as backward as the Muslims are, straightforward talk will just get you killed. When was the last time you heard the Muslim world give a unanimous cheer for liberalization and reform? That was the major content of the speech; the stuff about Jews was pressing hot-buttons for motivational purposes.
IMO Mahathir is the smartest politician in the Muslim world today.
13
posted on
10/21/2003 6:48:34 AM PDT
by
thoughtomator
("A republic, if you can keep it.")
To: Valin
"I'm sorry I was trying to apply some logic."
Really? Geez, I didn't realize that. ;-}
14
posted on
10/21/2003 6:54:03 AM PDT
by
Arpege92
To: Michael81Dus
To become modern, the Muslim world should give up the idea of considering Jews and Christian (= the western world) as its enemies.
They are out there, now I grant you they don't make a lot of news but they are there.
The problem with the "Islamic world"(broadbrush alert) is many of them got the wrong answer to THE question(THE question for them), how did we fall so far behind the west? The answer many of them came up with was a giant plot by the Jews and Crusaders to keep us down. A simplistic to say the least.
We combine this paranoid kind of thinking with Saudi(Wahhabi) oil money, a strong tendency toward the strong man theory of government, extreme parochialism, and here we are.
To change this is why what we are doing in Iraq is so important, and why it scares the hell out of the "leaders" of the the Islamic world.
15
posted on
10/21/2003 7:05:53 AM PDT
by
Valin
(A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject)
To: thoughtomator
IMO Mahathir is the smartest politician in the Muslim world today.
?
No flame.
16
posted on
10/21/2003 7:06:50 AM PDT
by
Valin
(A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject)
Comment #17 Removed by Moderator
To: SJackson
"We are up against a people who think." Damned straight, except I would add, FOR THEMSELVES!
(except for socialists and libeRATS)
18
posted on
10/21/2003 9:30:37 AM PDT
by
TADSLOS
(Right Wing Infidel since 1954)
To: thoughtomator
If camouflaged half-truths mixed with bloody lies are the BEST that "moderate" Muslims can do without risk of being assassinated, there is NO HOPE for Islam to correct itself. NONE.
19
posted on
10/21/2003 9:34:59 AM PDT
by
Travis McGee
(----- www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com -----)
To: dennisw
All sides are making your point on this thread.
20
posted on
10/21/2003 9:38:48 AM PDT
by
Travis McGee
(----- www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com -----)
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-20, 21-23 next last
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.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson