Posted on 08/30/2006 8:45:43 PM PDT by Stoat
Journalists' Forced Conversion Not Contrary to Islam
by Robert Spencer
Posted Aug 30, 2006 The most bizarre element of the two weeks of captivity suffered by Fox News reporter Steve Centanni and photographer Olaf Wiig was the video that surfaced depicting their conversion to Islam. Even before the journalists revealed that their conversions had been coerced, there were indications that they were not acting freely. While reading a statement he himself had ostensibly written, Centanni stumbled over words, appeared to puzzle over the handwriting, and seemed to grimace after pronouncing the words “peace be upon him” after the name of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
Most jarring was the video editor’s invocation of the favorite Koran verse of Western analysts of Islam and terrorism, “There is no compulsion in religion” (2:256). The irony of featuring this verse in a video depicting two forced conversions has been widely noted. In fact, however, the juxtaposition of this verse with the video of Centanni and Wiig was probably not simply transparent deception, as strange as that may seem.
Islamic law forbids forced conversion, but as Andrew Bostom documented earlier this week, this is a law that throughout Islamic history has all too often been honored in the breach. Nor is this yet another case of a “twisting” or “hijacking” of Islam; in fact, Islamic law regarding the presentation of Islam to non-Muslims manifests a different understanding of what constitutes freedom from coercion and freedom of conscience from that which prevails among non-Muslims.
Muhammad instructed his followers to call people to Islam before waging war against them—the warfare would follow from their refusal to accept Islam or to enter the Islamic social order as inferiors, required to pay a special tax (Sahih Muslim 4294). There is therefore a threat in this “invitation” to accept Islam. Would one who converted to Islam under the threat of war be considered to have converted under duress? No; from the standpoint of traditional schools of Islamic jurisprudence, such a conversion would have resulted from “no compulsion.”
Muhammad reinforced these instructions many times during his prophetic career. Late in his career, he wrote to Heraclius, the Eastern Roman Emperor in Constantinople: “Embrace Islam and you will be safe” (Bukhari, 4.52.191). Heraclius did not accept Islam, and soon the Byzantines would know well that the warriors of jihad indeed granted no safety to those who rejected their “invitation.”
After being freed, Centanni said: “We were forced to convert to Islam at gunpoint. Don’t get me wrong here. I have the highest respect for Islam, and I learned a lot of good things about it, but it was something we felt we had to do because they had the guns, and we didn’t know what … was going on.”
Indeed, few in the West know what’s going on regarding the example of Muhammad and the stance of traditional Islam on conversion. The human rights should have the courage to recognize and denounce this conversion-or-else directive, and to recognize the plight of those who even today suffer from its scourge. Moreover, with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad operating according to Muhammad’s instructions, this now has geopolitical implications. In his letter to President Bush, Ahmadinejad invited him to accept Islam, and then echoed the Prophet of Islam in delivering a threat to Bush through Mike Wallace: “We are all free to choose. But please give him this message, sir: Those who refuse to accept an invitation will not have a good ending or fate.”
Ahmadinejad’s threat, as well as the ordeal of Centanni and Wiig, epitomizes the threat that the global jihad represents to the freedom of conscience. Analysts are increasingly beginning to note that the conflict has ideological dimensions, but these dimensions are still imperfectly understood in the public sphere. Were Western leaders courageous enough to speak forthrightly about the threat we face as an Islamic jihad, they could use the “conversions” of Centanni and Wiig to illustrate one of the elements of Western civilization that is being challenged and that we are resolved to defend. Unfortunately, mired as they are in denial about the nature of the “terror” threat itself, they have made as yet no such resolution.
Well...there's a bit of a problem lurking for those who think they can get out of sticky situation by "converting".
The penalty for falling away from the faith of Islam after you have converted, is (of course) death.
If these reporters publicly denounce their "conversion" one can expect a fatwa to be issued on them.
The Islamonazi protesters' sign that said "To Hell With Freedom" suggests to me that any true freedoms for the hardcore ones will be a long time coming. I wonder also how much difference a complete knowledge of history would make to many of them, as the imams would merely scream that it's more lies from the Americans and the Jews. As long as the radical imams hold sway over the minds of the children and the general populace, my well of optimism will remain very shallow indeed. This will be a long, hard war and I hope that we will have the stomach for it....the alternative is death and annihilation of our culture..
Not much seems to be 'voluntary' for these jihadists...everything they do involves force and death...their minds work completely differently from ours and this causes me great concern at times that the public at large does not adequately appreciate the tenacity of this enemy...one certainly doesn't get a good impression of any serious appreciation of it from the drive-by media.
May God help us all....it is going to be a very long and tough fight.
I'm sure that God will forgive him for mouthing the words and doing what he had to do in order to survive.
>>>>marking down a note to self: "Don't EVER visit Saudi Arabia"
Wait until these "new" muslims have to pray 5 times a day, and give up their decadent western lifestyle. I don't think the typical liberal refrain of "...but, but, but we're special...those rules don't apply to us..." will get them very far.
Very true, and more reasons why we can NEVER allow them to hold the reins of Government or have a definitive say on national security ever again....they are just too far gone to be salvaged.
The Mike Wallace "interview" with this Hitlerian devil reminded me that the Left has absolutely no clue whatsoever about Iran. We CANNOT allow them to regain power or we are doomed,
"Forced is forced."
I think they believe they are being fair. As in "We gave you a chance to convert, we invited you to convert. We tried to be fair but if you refuse...we have no choice but to kill you. It all up to you. " Noble ain't it??"
The logic of those who force conversions reflects the maturity of petulent preschoolers. Incredible!
I feel confident that he has been told and understands the threat full well. He is surrounded by some of the most brilliant people in the world. I believe that sometimes the impression is given via the press that Iran is not a threat, and this is done in juxtaposition to Administration statements. The lack of understanding conveyed is not that of the Administration but of the press, and they (the press) like it that way.
That...is exactly what it was.
Those conversions were never valid to begin with. If they were Christian, they need to repent and come back in faith to Christ.
Mohammedans say that no non-Arabic speaker can read the Koran because there are no translations of the book, only "commentaries" in other languages that are always inaccurate and perfidious wherever they oppose what the Mohammedans are telling the West at any given time.
The conversion is legitimate to Mohammedans just so long as the journalists said the words and the journalists' lives are in danger at all times if they say that they are not Moslems or recant their conversions, i.e. apostasize. If they do not now follow the forms of Islamic observance, even if they do not make statements that can be received as apostasy, there lives are still in danger, especially if they return to Mohammedan countries like Palestine, or Pakistan or maybe Detroit.
If Centanni and Wiig had said that Winnie the Pooh was their savior, I believe God would forgive them. It isn't the words out of their mouths that matter that much, it is the belief in their souls.
"The penalty for falling away from the faith of Islam after you have converted, is (of course) death."
"of course" ?
http://www.archives2006.ghazali.net/html/leaving_islam.html
"There are 1.4 billion Muslims who live in more than 140 countries. They constitute the great majority in 53 countries that declare themselves to be Muslim states. Most of these states have constitutions that guarantee freedom of religion, as does the Afghani constitution. Most of these states have criminal codes that do not include apostasy as a crime. Among them are: Algeria, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey.
Other Muslim countries, however, criminalize apostasy on the basis of doctrinal constructs established in the 7th and 8th Centuries, which have been mildly questioned over the years or simply sidestepped. States that recognize it as a crime punishable by death include Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Sudan. However, there are no known cases in recent times in which someone charged with apostasy in these countries has been put to death."
So Mr. Centanni might want to reconsider his benign view of Islam.
" However, there are no known cases in recent times in which someone charged with apostasy in these countries has been put to death."
I am assuming that the type of muslim fascists who would force a conversion at gunpoint would also be the type of muslim fascists who would declare a fatwa on someone for apostasy.
From what I've found ... any iman, who can simply be a prayer leader, can issue any fatwa they choose ... and any Muslim can choose to believe or not to believe in the authority for that iman and whatever fatwas they issue.
Not sure your point -
But some believe that the baptism is receiving the holy spirit which takes place at conversion, others that you should be sprinkled as an infant, and others that you have to be dunked.
Somehow I don't think God cares very much if your body gets damp, since He can already see into your soul.
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