[RepCath]

An excellent article. The progressive Egyptian intellectual Dr. Amr Isma'il whose articles are regularly published on the secular Arab website www.rezgar.com, wrote an article condemning the Arabs' lack of self-criticism and the Islamists' abuse of the term "democracy." The following are excerpts from the article, which appeared on the progressive Arabic website www.elaph.com: [1]

[glennherman]

Great article....so when does he get assasinated by the radical mullahs?

[weenie]

Why are we not able to criticize ourselves and [why do] we view anyone who tries to do so as an enemy of the nation and of its principles, and other things of this kind that make some people afraid to think?

Excellent and honest question...rare in that part of the world.

The answer is most likely that your culture isn't self-examining because it is based on Islam and any critical examination of Islam is blasphemy.

If the thing at the center of one's heart cannot be examined, examination tends to extend only outward...ergo the paranoid projections so prevalent in the Islamic world and the reason Muslims always blame others for their problems.

[FormerACLUmember]

Dr. Amr Isma'il is a very brave man, an honest, insightful man worthy of our admiration and respect.

Such men are routinely assassinated by "devout" muslims.

[MosesKnows]

"Why can't we see things as the rest of the world sees them?

Who added the word Arab? "Why Can't We [Arabs] See Things as the Rest of the World Sees Them?"

When did Egyptians become Arabs?

[pabianice]

Uh... you follow a violent, archaic, homicidal faith?

[tom paine 2]

He'll probably have his throat slit for this article.

[freedumb2003]

Before you all start offering to have this guy's children, you might have missed this:

when a terrorist country like Israel does so, it does not say it is killing in the name of the Lord

Well, like Murray said in the last eposiode of MTM, when a donkey flies you can't be upset if he doesn't stay up very long.

[GaryL]

Thanks for posting this excellent article. I guess there still is some hope.

[bikewench]

Yes.. an excellent article.

A soothing balm of words ... when I was beginning to despair that believing in Allah somehow short-circuited the rational part of the brain.

This is the only way we are going to win the war on terror. The moderates must side with the non-muslim world. But I look at pictures like these...

http://tinyurl.com/4j6sd

... and I think we have a very long way to go.

[7thOF7th]

How refreshing, a voice of reason from the Arab world! I only hope he is not silenced. This unrest stems from a cultural fanaticism and denial of the obvious. Peace is only attained when plow shares are dropped and reason replaces rant.

[SunkenCiv]

don't feel like reprising this one, here's a pointer within another FR topic:

Reactions Escalate in Islam Debate
The Copenhagen Post ^ | October 13, 2004 | Unattributed
Posted on 11/11/2004 9:24:22 AM PST by quidnunc
21 posted on 11/11/2004 10:49:30 AM PST by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1277485/posts?page=21#21

[American in Israel]

They see things different from the rest of the world because the rest of the world left the stone age a long time ago.