Posted on 11/03/2005 12:39:03 PM PST by LibertyRocks
Georgetown professor lectured on democracy and the Middle East.
A specialist in Islamic studies spoke about democracy and misconceptions of Islam Wednesday, in a lecture titled “Islam, Terrorism and Democracy.”
John Esposito is a professor of religion, international affairs and Islamic studies at Georgetown University. He is also the founding director of the university’s Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding.
Esposito said Islamic extremists are a strong minority of the 1.3 billion Muslims living in the world today. Nevertheless, he said the actions of this small group make Americans ask questions like, “What is the problem with Islam?” or “Why do they hate us?”
Jason Yousif, zoology senior, said the bombing on campus brought “jihad” to everyone’s mind.
“It makes it hard to be someone of an outside faith in this country,” he said.
He said he hopes lectures and news coverage will help people understand that not all Muslims are extremists.
Rachel Krueger, accounting junior, said she thinks people should not judge a group based on what some have done.
“Just because someone of their religion does something does not mean that everyone else agrees with it,” she said.
Another assumption is that democracy’s absence from Islamic states is because of its peculiarity to Muslim culture, or that it is only meant for the western paradigm, Esposito said.
Esposito said these claims are not true, pointing out that most Euro-Christian nations began as something far from democratic.
Rather it is the presence of a “culture of authoritarianism” in most Middle Eastern Muslim countries that hinders regimes from becoming more democratic, he said.
Mohammad Elyazgi, civil engineer in the department of transportation, said he hopes people see that religion is not the source of the problem.
He said he understands the feelings Americans have, but they need to find the roots of these issues in the Middle East. He said the issues of fairness, justice, economic problems and Western-supported regimes are the aspects of the problems.
“There is still a push for democracy in many parts of the Muslim world,” Esposito said.
However, he said non-governmental organizations are not necessarily the key. He said once they are established, they then become regulated by authoritative regimes.
“Some Muslims say that Islam and democracy is incompatible,” he said.
He said there are others who say they want their own version of increased political participation, excluding the title “democracy.”
Democracy is discredited in Muslim countries, he said.
“We are seen as having a kind of policy that we advocate for ourselves,” he said.
However, he said the test for developing democracies like Turkey will be to see elected Islamists moving toward strengthening society and democratizing.
The United States and Europe have the biggest challenge in history facing them, he said. He said the situation between the U.S. and Muslim worlds has never been worse, and it will take a generation to change.
Thought you might be interested in this article regarding a recent lecture at OU. Yet another article with quotes from the apparent Norman, OK Muslim spokesman Mohamed Elyazgi.
"He said he hopes lectures and news coverage will help people understand that not all Muslims are extremists."
Good luck. Tell it to the French.
They spend a lot of time scolding us for being suspicious. Why don't they turn their backs on these terrorists and demand they cease their actions? Wait...I have the answer to that one...
If you have not heard of Tablighi Jamaat you better learn about it!!!!!!
"Esposito said these claims are not true, pointing out that most Euro-Christian nations began as something far from democratic.
Rather it is the presence of a “culture of authoritarianism” in most Middle Eastern Muslim countries that hinders regimes from becoming more democratic, he said."
But we evolved. They degenerated. If anything, Islam of the Middle Ages was far more tolerant than the fanatic Wahhabists. As far as being a minority - Wahhabists are the ONLY sect permitted in Saudia Arabia and they are FAR from tolerant and are responsible for spawning most of the Islamofascism in the world.
Finally, the "culture of authoritarianism comes directly from Islam.
What major belief system today calls for death for any convert to another religion, or for death for non-beleivers? What belief system divides the entire world into tow camps - one dominated by Islam where all non-Muslims are treated as second class citizens and brutally oppressed and the other camp as a battleground for conversion of peolpe aho are not Muslim?
My guess is the "reasonableness" of Muslims in America is directly realted to their small percentage of the population. As the Nigerians, Sudanese, Egyptians, and Ethiopians who are not Muslims, how "tolerant" Islam is.
Once they reach a critical mass, as in Paris, they explode.
That's true. As far as I can tell, there are three kinds of Muslims:
* Extremists
* Enablers
* Lapsed Muslims.
Based on what I've seen, I prefer the last group.
I have been wondering what the latest is from Denmark. Do you know?
Make that 4 kinds Dead
I am not advocating killing them, they do a pretty good job of killing themselves. for example...
trying to hide in electrical substations, shooting rifles into the air, blowing themselves to paradise for virgins....and lest I forget stoning adultresses and slitting the throats of immodest daughters and sisters
Which leaves me with this question? Why haven't they killed each other in the Paris riots? Usually when muslims riot, they die at the hands of other muslims.
"A strong minority...of 1.3 billion Muslims," he says, are the dangerous 'extremists'.
I don't know what a strong minority is, but would you say about 10% of the 1.3 billion?
That means 130,000,000 people I don't know want to kill me!
Whew, that's a relief. I thought there was some danger out there.
And he wonders why we look askance at Muslims.
The man is either a fool or a liar.
What the hell is that - I understand all I want to understand about 'em, kill them or deport them - no in between....
When Saudi Arabia has a Christian-Muslim Understanding then I might listen.
Or
allows Christians to worship openly in that country, like the Phillipino servants cannot, or they allow me to wear my crucifix, then we can talk.
Until then, my thoughts are not charitable, nor do they wish them well. In fact, I don't wish them well at all. Not at all.
islam's DOGMA, IS the problem.
The only "moderate" islam is an islam which is a numerical/political minority.
islam IS the problem.
Every other explanation is Bravo Sierra.
Sue me you murdering animals.
LOL!!! Hard to be someone of an outside faith in this country??? What about in every turd-world islamo-nazi culture on the face of this earth you pig's ass? No one rounded up and killed any muslims after the bombing, did they? But in a muslim country if a non-muslim is so much as suspected of having impure thoughts about the prophet, they murder every westerner they can get their bloodstained little hands on.
Sounds more like the bomber's mom's church, if you leave out the Islam references. Same exact tactics. He resisted the JW's all those years, so when his dad said that Joel III eschewed *any* type of ideology, I tended to believe him.
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