Journey into Islam

Townhall ^ | 6.20.2007 | Tony Blankley

[Utah Girl]

I have just finished reading a deeply disheartening book by my friend Professor Akbar Ahmed. Dr. Ahmed is the former Pakistani high commissioner to Britain and member of the faculties of Harvard, Princeton and Cambridge, current chair of Islamic Studies at American University -- and is in the front ranks of what we Westerners call the moderate Muslims, who we are counting on to win the hearts and minds of the others.

I first met Professor Ahmed shortly after Sept. 11. He, his friends and I broke bread several times and discussed the condition of Islam and the West. He graciously agreed to share a stage with me at the National Press Club to debate with me the merits of my book, "The West's Last Chance: Will We Win the Clash of Civilization?" As my book was very harshly received by many Muslims around the world, I don't doubt that Dr. Ahmed shared that stage with me at some risk at least to his reputation -- if not more.

(snip)

I think he knows his solution is forlorn: "Although the planet's societies are running against time [we must] transcend race, tribe and religion and cherish our common humanity, every individual must become the message." Let us pray.

But for those of us who don't expect the milk of human kindness to suddenly start flowing, it behooves us to read Professor Ahmed's honest assessment of the real state of Muslim world attitudes and coldly re-assess our various policy prescriptions in its light.

These are grim times, but we must resist indulging ourselves in hopeful fantasies. Every piece of our national security calculations must be realistically assessed against the available facts. What is working, what isn't, what to do?

[Utah Girl]

Scary excellent honest read.

[WaterWheeler]

I’ve ordered the book. My neighborhood Barnes & Noble is out of it — can’t wait to read it.

[Utah Girl]

Ping

[Mrs.Z]

“50 percent want Shariah law”

Islam = Stalinism, Nazism, you name it “ism” that hates freedom.

[Man50D]

and is in the front ranks of what we Westerners call the moderate Muslims

No such thing as a Moderate Muslim as the following article points out.

Islamic Scholar Warns U.S. of 'Two-Faced' Muslims

[reagan_fanatic]

I don't see how there can be such a thing as a 'moderate' muslim. Every muslim must honor the koran as the true word of allah, and it is the koran that instructs its followers to vanquish the infidels and see to it that islam rules over every society on the planet.

You either follow the koran and its teachings of conquest, or you're not a muslim. Period. There is no middle ground.

[elcid1970]

“moderate muslim”:

One who is temporarily out of AK-47 bullets, or just wishes that Achmed down the street would take that next suicide-bomber mission, if that’s OK with you.

I’d like to journey into Islam. With one J-DAM delivery after another.

[beethovenfan]

Moderate Muslim - a Muslim at room temperature.

[fatez]

The fact of the matter is we have ignored this peril far too long. We have turned the other way as the Saudi’s open up madras ah after madras ah. We have sold our security for cheap oil. Both conservatives and liberals are responsible for this. I think only conservatives are truly waking up to this long term problem.

I love Tony Blankly and normally agree with him. But the idea of moderate Muslims is almost an oxymoron. Yeah, America could have done things different, but Islam ultimately is at war with the rest of the world and it is about time we acknowledge that. We are in a war that started 1400 years ago, has cooled off a number of times, and is getting hot again.

I think we lose this war because the left really is suicidal and hates the Judeo-Christian world-view and values. We are fighting with one hand tied behind our backs and trying to impress our opponents by our goodness. We need to get energy independent as quickly as possible, understand that there are no Muslim allies, quit trading with them (all trade) and let them slit each others throats.

[OK]

Muhammad said the the world would end in the year 1011.

[Wil H]

Mohammed was a polygamist pedophile.

One of his wives was 7 years old when they married. He managed to control himself for the first two years and eventually had sex with her when she was 9..

I’m not making this up, it’s all there in Islamic teachings.

[coydog]

Before we can face Islam, we have to exorcise our own demons first, especially those on the left. It’s not going to be easy or friendly.

[pacpam]

Once that task has finished - slitting each other’s throats as you state - the victor will then turn to us. Isolation is not the solution if I am correct in interpreting what you write.

[theBuckwheat]

“moderate muslim”:

A person who just cannot bring himself to accept what the Koran really teaches. The Christian analog would be like Methodists or Episcopalians who cannot quite bring themselves to accept the plain text of the Bible.

The issue for the West is how to deal with Islam, a belief system that imposes Three Questions on non-believers: convert, submit or die, with a belief system that imagines it can force people to “believe” at the point of a sword. Those who live by the secular version of the Golden Rule (live and let live), are hard-pressed to defend themselves from an otherwise peaceful person who suddenly erupts with the Sudden Jihad Syndrome.

This is made worse by those in the west who subconsciously loathe themselves and project that loathing onto western society as a whole. This manifests itself with the hate-prosperity, hate-liberty, hate-self-sufficiency, hate-Christianity of the secular-progressive left. These people who are almost crazed in desperation to achieve absolution for their own sins think they will find relief in any culture that is hostile to the Christian-based cultures found in the west. Any culture will do, even one based on Islam. Little do they realize what hell they are cheering on.

[fanfan]

Sahih Bukhari Volume 7, Book 62, Number 64
Narrated ‘Aisha:
that the Prophet married her when she was six years old and he consummated his marriage when she was nine years old, and then she remained with him for nine years (i.e., till his death).

[Savage Beast]

Yes, the West is torn between confused alarms of struggle and flight. Those calling for flight will sooner or later realize that there is nowhere to which to flee...

[Tenniel2]

... where ignorant armies clash by night.

Silly Westerners (yes, that's you, Dr. Fukuyama), thinking we'd left all that behind.

[Savage Beast]

Yes, there are some who don't even believe there's a clash. They are really confused.

[Savage Beast]

(I love the intelligent...and literate...and clever...and quick!)

[neverdem]

thanks, bfl