Posted on 06/05/2004 7:21:49 PM PDT by nuconvert
Taking Back Islam - Moderate Muslims say their faith is compatible with Freedom.
By Erick Stakelbeck & Nir Boms
June 03, 2004
There's an elephant in the room whenever the current U.S. operation in Iraq is discussed: Is Islam truly compatible with democracy? Or do the U.S.'s troubles in stabilizing Iraq signal that Muslims simply have no desire to live in a free, democratic society?
Right now the answers to these questions are unclear. For every modern Islamic "success story" like Turkey or Malaysia, there are Islamist nightmares like Saudi Arabia and Iran.
In the United States, too, there is reason for uncertainty. American Muslims with moderate views have been either unable or unwilling to engage in public discourse. As a result, militant groups with a moderate veneer have been able to set the tone.
A patriotic group of Arizona Muslims, however, is looking to change all that.
Earlier this spring in Phoenix, the American Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD) held a "Rally Against Terror" that gave moderate Muslims a platform on which to condemn terrorism and pledge support for the United States.
Identified by the Arizona Republic as "the nation's first Muslim rally against terrorism," the 50-minute event drew, according to various estimates, between 250 and 400 people, most of them non-Muslims.
Considering that the event was actively promoted within Phoenix's 50,000-strong Muslim community, that number is a bit disappointing. Nevertheless, AIFD Chairman Zuhdi Jasser says the rally was a positive first step for the group, which was founded in March 2003 by Muslim professionals in the Phoenix area.
"When the moderates stay silent, the radicals speak for everyone," says Jasser, a physician. "Up until now, moderates have not been articulating a moderate form of Islam which Americans can embrace. We want to take back our faith from the radicals and let them know that we are side-by-side with the U.S."
Listening to Jasser, the son of Syrian immigrants, is a breath of fresh air at a time when anti-American sentiment engulfs a large part of the Arab and Muslim world. A former U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander who served as a Navy medical officer from 1988 to 1999, Jasser clearly loves his country and his faith, and sees no reason why the two cannot coexist.
"Our inspiration for this is two things," says Jasser. "Number one, at the core of the war on terror is a battle over ideology. World War II had fascism, the Cold War had Communism. Our present war has the targeting and killing of civilians in the name of religion: Islam. There needs to be a Muslim voice that speaks directly against that ideology. Secondly, there is a lack of any American Islamic institution that discusses the synergy of the U.S. Constitution with the Islamic faith. This makes it an obligation for us to be leaders in promoting a form of Islam that is tolerant and secular in nature."
Jasser is quick to clarify his use of the word "secular."
"Secularism as a term is almost associated with a lack of piety," he says. "What I'm trying to say is that in America, there are many devout people who are politically active. But we don't make decisions here based on theocracy or religious views."
The values that Jasser and AIFD are promoting are deeply rooted in the American experience. Jasser is confident that Muslims in the U.S. will eventually embrace his message and realize that, as he says, "Freedom brings you closer to God."
For now, though, Jasser realizes that views like the ones he expressed in a May 25 op-ed for azcentral.com aren't likely to endear him to the al-Jazeera crowd. In the piece, titled "Iraq is Your War," Jasser listed four reasons why the U.S. is currently fighting abroad:
It is impossible to keep America safe by just playing defense.
The Middle East is the epicenter of the terror network.
Despotic governments bring out the worst in religion.
Change the political environment in the Middle East and we change the associated religious pathology.
"Over half of the Muslim immigrants in the U.S. came here in the past 25 years," says Jasser. "And many of them bring with them the baggage that government coercion and autonomy are necessary, just as in their former countries. We want to educate them and let them know that is not the case."
It would help if U.S. government officials and the mainstream media took notice of AIFD's efforts, rather than continuing to promote the agendas of radical Muslims with anti-American views. AIFD is attempting to increase its visibility through its website and by holding future anti-terrorism rallies.
By supporting the endeavors of AIFD and other moderate Muslim organizations, the U.S. may yet be able to avert the clash of civilizations simmering in its own backyard.
— Nir Boms is a fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies and the Council for Democracy and Tolerance. Erick Stakelbeck is senior writer for the Investigative Project, a Washington, D.C.-based counterterrorism research institute.
I doubt that Gambian (or more likely, Senegambian, given the numbers you cite) MUSLIMS were the only people selling slaves to the Portuguese. Furthermore, there are records of slaves sold and marched to destinations across the Sahara, although they are not as centralized or complete as the Portuguese. The reason is that the Portuguese were named by Pope Alexander VI as the only Christian country with rights of conquest in Africa. This edict was later broken by others, most notably the Protestant nations of England, Denmark, Holland and Sweden, but until then all slave trading done by Europeans was authorized by the Portuguese crown and the Portuguese archives has a rich collection of records from that time and era. Arab traders plying the Saharan route, however, mostly acted alone. Berber middlemen in the trans-Saharan trade called the desert their home and many of their records were buried in abandoned nomadic camps with the intention -- now forgotten -- of retrieving them later.
There's some interesting work being done trying to enumerate the losses caused by the trans-Saharan and Indian Ocean slave trades.
You could say just as easily that Christianity is at the core of the conflict in Nigeria, Hinduism in India, Atheism in China, etc...
I'll bet a nickel that this quote edited one important little word.
You could but it would be a lie. In every one of those conflicted areas islam is the only connecting thread, the global conflict constant. Why can't you guys get along with anyone?
You could but it would be a lie. In every one of those conflicted areas islam is the only connecting thread, the global conflict constant. Why can't you guys get along with anyone?
Thank you so much, I was wondering exactly who was controlling my thought process.
islam is at the root of nearly every violent political circumstance in the world today, not colonialism, a push for a world dominated by your boys. There is no choosing in that recognition. One does not "choose" facts. To ignore islam's violent, politically motivated efforts around the world would be irresponsible. To state that islam is not the root of most of the world's current killing would be a lie.
"I don't know who you're grouping me with..."....sure you do.
i never said or implied that anyone was controlling your thought processes.
please explain the role of islam in
milosevic's ethnic clensing of serbia
the 1994 rwandan genocide
thank you.
While Jasser is to praised for his fairness and patriotism, and while there ARE Muslims who sympathize with his views, the anemic response of the 50,000 member Muslim Community in that part of the Country bears sad testimony to the reality of Islam and its socio-political perspective of Freedom and America.
That perspective has been recounted numerous times overseas, if we but had the wisdom to perceive it.
Thanks to America, Afghanistan did not become a Communist Slave State. The Muslims of Afghanistan reciprocated by demonstrating their gratitude with the Taliban, Osama Bin Laddin and 9-1-1.
Americans came to the aid of Muslims in Bosnia and Muslims the world over demonstrated their gratitude by blaming US for 9-1-1.
Americans freed the Iraqi people from a brutal and savage dictator and the average Iraqi in the street demonstrates his gratitude by killing American military men from ambush, killing and mutliating American civilians, and wildly celebratnig in the streets over American corpses.
As for Turkey and Malayasia - if these are examples of progressive Islamic countries, its only through comparison with other Islamic "paradises" like Saudi Arabia - our "Ally" and Iran, etc., that they appear to be an improvement.
Americans fail to perceive the real nature of Islam. Muslims, when speaking with theologically and historically challenged Americans and other Westerners, they, like their Communist analogues of an earlier generation, are glib liars who unabashedly employ a vocabulary of deceit.
Islam does not condone conversion by force, but de facto, it demands a theocratic state which makes life so miserable for the non-Muslim that most of them are forced to convert to survive.
Islam does not advocate war, but justifies it to defend and expand Islam. In fact, Islam divides the entire world into the House of War (non-Islamic Countries) and the House of Peace (Countries under the Islamic yoke.)
Islam is a cult, not a religion and its sole goal is to convert the world to its belief system - by violence or by infiltration.
While every individual human heart and spirit may desire and merit freedom, not every political system and its adherents interpret that word in the same light.
Why would you ask that? Why not ask about the IRA or the Shining Path?
I hope that you're smart enough to realize that pointing out two instances of violence that occurred years ago has no relevance in discussing the current conflicts around the globe, almost all of which are islam driven. It is in the name your guys' religion, really more of a cult, that innocent people of all ages are being murdered in a score of countries....today, not a decade ago.
Your propaganda is wasted here.
Because the IRA and SP have killed hundreds, while in Serbia and Rwanda, tens and hundreds of thousands were killed.
These murders are still relavent. Look at the post above this one. Look at what's happening in Bukavu.
I could also ask you about the FARC in Colombia, the war in Congo-DRC, Charles Taylor's Liberia (remember that), etc. These are in the news daily, but you only see Islam behind them?
Catholocism is not a cult.
Brush up on your skills. All my posts state that islam is at the root of "most" of the conflicts in the world today (why do you insist on bringing past conflict into it?) The fact that you can google and find two or three current situations that do not appear to involve islam doesn't alter or address my contention.
You seem to be shilling for islam, a group whose members are actively and violently striving to change the world to one of their liking. One has to wonder why.
your original "contention" was that "islam" was somehow, nefariously, behind specific conflicts in Nigeria, Kashmir, China, Indonesia, etc.
the facts are:
in nigeria, christians -- mostly associated with the economically powerful south -- and muslims -- associated with the politically powerful north -- have been at odds since the colonies were combined in the early 1900s.
in india, hindu nationalism as well as the drive for a muslim "pakistan" has made religious identities violently important, with partition being the most extreme case. monsques have been burned as well as temples and the killing there is horrendously balanced.
in china, the dalai lama is considered a terrorist, just like uighur separatists in the northwest.
if you want to ignore the realities of the world and throw all the blame on islam, that's your choice. but as policy, its foolish to discount the other factors.
these are all current issues and so are my examples. you choose to see only muslims causing trouble, and that's why you think that islam is at the root of most conflicts in the world today.
don't blind us during war. open your eyes.
Bob, wanted to correct you a little.
Regarding #179 - When I said "To some, it's the struggle within oneself....", To others it's "holy war", I was talking about those outside the religion of islam, who almost always interpret it as "holy War".
Yes, there's big and little jihad. But you have them reversed. The big jihad is the war within, the inner struggle; the lesser or little jihad is warring against the enemies of God and Islam.
It's the greater jihad, the struggle or war within, that is the most important.
hello, ZuLu...
I don't understand this.....
"Thanks to America, Afghanistan did not become a Communist Slave State. The Muslims of Afghanistan reciprocated by demonstrating their gratitude with the Taliban, Osama Bin Laddin and 9-1-1."
"Americans came to the aid of Muslims in Bosnia and Muslims the world over demonstrated their gratitude by blaming US for 9-1-1."
Seems like a generalization.
" ...the average Iraqi in the street demonstrates his gratitude by killing American military men from ambush, killing and mutliating American civilians, and wildly celebratnig in the streets over American corpses."
Again, a generalisation. Ever look at the people "celebrating "? They're 95% kids - teens; boys trying to show they're men. Ever read any of the Iraqi blogs and find out how adults living there really see and describe things? An eye opener, to say the least. The average adults are disgusted when they see or hear about such things. And their general opinion or statement is that those people are Not muslims, that is Not islam. Those are the same remarks made by the muslims in Saudi last week after those terrorists shot up that housing complex.
"Muslims, when speaking with theologically and historically challenged Americans ....are glib liars who unabashedly employ a vocabulary of deceit."
Another generalization.
Your last sentence is correct.
excellent post
"I don't understand this.....
"Thanks to America, Afghanistan did not become a Communist Slave State. The Muslims of Afghanistan reciprocated by demonstrating their gratitude with the Taliban, Osama Bin Laddin and 9-1-1."
American military assistance aided the Afgahnis fighting the Soviets. Whne the Soviets were driven out by our assistance, the response in Afghanistan was to create a lunaitc government ruled by insane maniacs called the Taliban which supported, aided and protected Bin Ladin and the Al Quaida operatives who planned 9-1-1.
"Seems like a generalization. "
Sometimes we have to live by gneralizations. We assume that we will all wake up alive tomorrow, we assume that a rattlesnake will bite us if we get too close, we assume that our car will start in the morning. These too are all generalizations which are not necessarily true in every situation.
"Again, a generalisation. Ever look at the people "celebrating "? They're 95% kids - teens; boys trying to show they're men. Ever read any of the Iraqi blogs and find out how adults living there really see and describe things? An eye opener, to say the least. The average adults are disgusted when they see or hear about such things. And their general opinion or statement is that those people are Not muslims, that is Not islam. Those are the same remarks made by the muslims in Saudi last week after those terrorists shot up that housing complex."
1. No. Can you recommend any?
2. How representative of the "average" Iraqi are the posters on these blogs?
"Muslims, when speaking with theologically and historically challenged Americans ....are glib liars who unabashedly employ a vocabulary of deceit."
Are you implying by your selective editing that Americans are glib liars who use a vocabulary of deceit?
Some may be, but the overwhelming majority are not.
I view this more as a trait of Muslims who are still in the minority in a Country in which they are in the process of infiltrating, or foreign Muslims who are grandstanding for the benefit of naive western listeners who have no real in depth knowledge of the Quran, the Haddiths, Mohhammad, or the way Islam has historically treated non-Muslims of any description.
Their faith is also compatible with assassination and carbombs. So is ours, but that is beside the point.
218 - The whole point of this whole argument from my point has been that from its inception, Muslims have been the major slavers of the world, and still are. Muhammed endorsed slavery, and muslims have practiced for 1500 years, and still do. Christians engaged in slavery for a few hundred years and then saw it was evil and got out of it.
Muslims have never condemned it as evil, and still practice this evil of slavery.
220 - Gambia is 92% Muslim
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