Going Honest (Ibn Warraq on Nidal Malik Hasan)

Forbes ^ | November 20 2009 | Ibn Warraq

[knighthawk]

Judging from the way his critics have been going on, I would say that Tunku Varadarajan was on to something in his Forbes column "Going Muslim."

The reaction to his important and well-reasoned article ironically confirms and further underlines his central point; namely, that out of political correctness we refuse to see and act on the obvious--the implication of Islamist ideology in violent acts such as the murders perpetrated by Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan.

Instead of addressing the substance of Mr. Varadarajan's arguments, the self-appointed spokespersons for Islam turn the whole discussion around and present Muslims as the victims of "hate-speech" or "Islamophobia." This now-familiar rhetorical tactic deflects public attention away from an entirely legitimate and necessary question: Would this crime make any sense apart from Islamist ideology?

[knighthawk]

Islam-list

If people want on or off this list, please let me know.

[FredZarguna]

Sir Isaiah Berlin once described an ideologue as somebody who is prepared to suppress what he suspects to be true.

Ibn Warraq, a rare voice of reason, and author of two great books. The really frightening thing about this definition (which I believe is true) is that in refusing to confront the unsettling facts, most of our institutions and the people running them are now de facto Islamic ideologues. How else to explain the blazing idiocy of an Army Chief of Staff with thirteen dead soldiers under his command who fears that losing our "diversity" would be an even "bigger tragedy." How else to explain the countless commentators who "wish Hasan didn't have an Arabic name?" What is this but the suppression of something we all suspect (and some of us know) to be true?

[marron]

We spend a lot of time worrying about discrimination toward muslims that almost never occurs, as a way of averting our eyes from outright bigotry, hostility, psychosis, on the part of muslims which does occur every day.

If you are going to invite people into your midst who believe that its legitimate to kill their daughters and rape your daughters, and who do not consider themselves bound by your laws, you’d darned well better learn how to discriminate friend from foe.

[GOPJ]

Thanks for the ping.

[Sender]

They know it to be true, and yet they "cringe" at the thought. They think that if they just deny it loudly enough, it will stop.

If you have a flat tire, can you deny it loudly enough? If you choke or have a heart attack, can you deny it loudly enough?

Maybe it will stop.