Posted on 09/28/2004 12:29:22 PM PDT by nuconvert
Thanks again, Dr. Jasser
P O N G
Fight Back, True Muslims, Marry a Jew.
Do not try to blame the terrorists. It is ISLAM itself that is the murderer. It is a crime against humanity - not a "religion".
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I'm curious, has this writer ever expressed such sentiments after any bombings in Israel?
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First I too, want to say very powerful post.
However I just wish that instead of building a memorial to the dead that they would go help kill the bad guys.
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Apr. 4, 2003 10:00 AM
Amazing- even the relatively intelligent among them WILL insist on separating what Islam IS from what Islam DOES.
Kinda like trying to separate wet from water.
When the American Islamic Forum for Democracy organized "A Rally against Terror" on April 25 in Phoenix, its head, an Arizona physician named Zuhdi Jasser, said his goal was to give Muslim moderates "an opportunity to speak out publicly." And Jasser presented the rally as a robust response to the many criticisms that American Muslims had not produced a "groundswell of condemnation" against terrorism. In fact, he asserted,
The killing of innocent people out of revenge, out of hate or out of retribution is against the absolute laws of Islam. Suicide is against the absolute laws of Islam. People can justify their actions all day long, but we as Muslims are here to say clearly their actions are against everything we believe.
Jasser wrote an oped in the Arizona Republic where, as a Muslim, he took responsibility for the mistrust directed toward American Muslims, rather than merely blow this off as prejudice:
It is impossible as an American not to feel the growing palpable distrust toward the Muslim community. With attacks targeting innocent civilians across the globe, it has sadly at this time gone far beyond the initial prideful question of "Why are Muslims being singled out?" It is time now only to rally and provide an unmistakable resounding reply.
With this in mind, he set out two goals for the rally:
We want to reassure the American public that the great majority of Muslims condemn the targeting of innocents by virtue of the tenets of our faith. We also want to give hope and inspiration to faithful Muslims all over the country that this type of rally is possible.
Jasser found support for his efforts as close as the Arizona Republic, which correctly judged this event to be "the nation's first Muslim rally against terrorism," and as far away as the country's capital, where a Washington Times editorial ended with, "We salute Dr. Jasser, American patriot."
The Muslim community of Phoenix is estimated at 50,000 persons; Jasser worked strenuously to reach out to the Valley Council of Imams, Valley mosques and major Valley Islamic organizations; and the Arizona Republic, the leading newspaper of Phoenix, gave the rally its full-fledged support. A head of steam behind him, Jasser optimistically predicted that 500 to 1,000 people would attend the event.
But then the event was held (an audio of the 50-minute long event can be heard online) and reality set in. Estimates vary. The Arizona Republic counted 250 in attendance, the police 400. The number of Muslims, I heard, was between 30 and 100 persons. Most participants were not Muslim but (the Arizona Republic recounts) "people like Michael Fischer, 18, of Glendale, who wanted to denounce the stereotyping of Muslims; and Grace Clark of Apache Junction, who wanted to promote peace." One correspondent of mine judged the event "a total disaster."
But that is too severe. It was a humble beginning that can grow into something large and strong. Jasser points out to me that "The beginnings of every great movement in our great nation's history of freedom began in a small way." He notes also that American Muslims, being predominantly first-generation immigrants, are still getting grounded. With time, he expects, "the vast majority of American Muslims will listen to the message of our rally and find complete agreement with its statement of faith."
Until then, however, there is the stark reality that very few Muslims did show up. And those who did held up "peace" and "anti-war" signs, not anti-terror or anti-Islamist signs. Two factors help explain this disappointing result.
First, the message of the event did not fit the thinking of most Muslims. Unfortunately, the mood in this community is a radical one, and not inclined to stand up and condemn terrorism.
Second, Zuhdi did not pander to the Islamist establishment such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations in planning the event. These extremists no doubt could have brought out a larger crowd but to rail against Israel or U.S. policy.
The Phoenix rally points to the current reality of American Muslim opinion. This problem needs to be dealt with. If not, I can imagine the United States will hear the same overt calls for jihad and Islamic rule that Western Europe is now experiencing.
May 16, 2004 update: Interestingly, CAIR could not muster much more of a crowd than did Zuhdi Jasser. A triumphalist CAIR e-mail blast after its "Muslim Americans for Human Rights and Dignity" rally on May 14 claimed 200 people; the Arizona Tribune counted "about 150"; and the Arizona Republic located just "close to 75."
Arizona physician Zuhdi Jasser's effort to stage a rally last week of Muslims against terrorism didn't work out very well. He wanted to give Muslim moderates "an opportunity to speak out publicly," and to demonstrate that such acts as suicide and murdering innocents "are against everything we believe."
Jasser had hoped for a turnout of 500-1000. Maybe 400 people showed up, but apparently not many of them were Muslims. Still, he deserves recognition; it's possible that something more substantial could yet develop from his example.
Muslim and American patriot
Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser is an American patriot. He is also a Muslim. And he is trying very hard to prove to his fellow Americans that these two central features of his life are as compatible as they are self-reinforcing. In fact, Dr. Jasser, who is a Phoenix physician, is trying so hard that he has taken it upon himself and his organization, the American Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD), to stage a rally tomorrow in downtown Phoenix. Appropriately, it will be held at Patriots Square Park.
Summoning Muslims and other members of the interfaith community, Dr. Jasser and AIFD implore their neighbors to "stand with Muslims against the targeting of innocent civilians and to denounce those who would exploit religion to do so." In a recent essay he penned for the Arizona Republic, Dr. Jasser explained why he felt compelled to organize the rally. In an era characterized by increasing attacks targeting innocent civilians across the globe, Dr. Jasser lamented that "[i]t is impossible as an American not to feel the growing, palpable distrust toward the Muslim community." What is especially disturbing to him is the hate-filled rhetoric emanating from Muslim groups like the Council on American Islamic Relations, whose executive director has declared he is "in support of the Hamas movement," which the U.S. government has condemned as a terrorist organization.
(none)
"What increasingly troubles Americans," Dr. Jasser perceptively observed, "is the absence of any palpable mass movement in the American Islamic community condemning outright the targeting and killing of innocent civilians." It is that void that the Phoenix rally seeks to fill. Dr. Jasser's organization seems perfectly poised to meet that challenge.
While Phoenix may be thousands of miles from Washington, AIFD's Web site (aifdemocracy.org) is only a few clicks away. For an enlightening message, we invite our readers to peruse the organization's core principles and goals. AIFD's gratifyingly positive mission declares: "We proud citizens of the United States of America join together as devoted and patriotic citizens and as devout Muslims in this forum in order to serve as a vehicle for the discussion and public awareness of the complete compatibility of America's founding principles with the very personal faith of Islam which we practice."
We salute Dr. Jasser, American patriot.
Thanks for your posts
Dr. Jasser is a muslim.
Maybe it's time for all Muslims to do a good deed per day for a non Muslim and preferably a jew. Would work wonders.
Preach this in Mecca and see how long you last....
The terrorists are merely copying the life of Muhammad
The Koran and Hadith are full of "Muhammad's examples". Muslims are called upon to emulate the "exemplary life" of this murderous prophet. The more civilized Muslims play a game of pretend where the beneficent examples are acknowledged and the existence of the murderous examples is denied.
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I've read enough of your posts to know where you stand on this subject, but let me ask you something....suppose this statement of your's is true.....
"The more civilized Muslims play a game of pretend where the beneficent examples are acknowledged and the existence of the murderous examples is denied."
What is wrong with the peaceful existence of these "civilized Muslims"?
Do you want to deny peaceful American muslims the freedom to practice their religion?
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