Moderate Muslims March in Phoenix - and an anti-war demonstration breaks out

FrontPageMagazine ^ | 4/30/04 | Daniel Pipes

[kattracks]

When the American Islamic Forum for Democracy organized “A Rally against Terror” on April 25 in Phoenix, its head, an Arizona physician named Zuhdi Jasser, said his goal was to give Muslim moderates “an opportunity to speak out publicly.” And Jasser presented the rally as a robust response to the many criticisms that American Muslims had not produced a “groundswell of condemnation” against terrorism. In fact, he asserted,

The killing of innocent people out of revenge, out of hate or out of retribution is against the absolute laws of Islam. Suicide is against the absolute laws of Islam. People can justify their actions all day long, but we as Muslims are here to say clearly their actions are against everything we believe.

Jasser wrote an oped in the Arizona Republic where, as a Muslim, he took responsibility for the mistrust directed toward American Muslims, rather than merely blow this off as prejudice:

It is impossible as an American not to feel the growing palpable distrust toward the Muslim community. With attacks targeting innocent civilians across the globe, it has sadly at this time gone far beyond the initial prideful question of “Why are Muslims being singled out?” It is time now only to rally and provide an unmistakable resounding reply. 

With this in mind, he set out two goals for the rally:

We want to reassure the American public that the great majority of Muslims condemn the targeting of innocents by virtue of the tenets of our faith. We also want to give hope and inspiration to faithful Muslims all over the country that this type of rally is possible.

Jasser found support for his efforts as close as the Arizona Republic, which correctly judged this event to be “the nation’s first Muslim rally against terrorism,” and as far away as the country’s capital, where a Washington Times editorial ended with, “We salute Dr. Jasser, American patriot.”

The Muslim community of Phoenix is estimated at 50,000 persons; Jasser worked strenuously to reach out to the Valley Council of Imams, Valley mosques and major Valley Islamic organizations; and the Arizona Republic, the leading newspaper of Phoenix, gave the rally its full-fledged support. A head of steam behind him, Jasser optimistically predicted that 500 to 1,000 people would attend the event.

But then the event was held (an audio of the 50-minute long event can be heard online) and reality set in. Estimates vary. The Arizona Republic counted 250 in attendance, the police 400.  The number of Muslims, I heard, was between 30 and 100 persons. Most participants were not Muslim but (the Arizona Republic recounts) “people like Michael Fischer, 18, of Glendale, who wanted to denounce the stereotyping of Muslims; and Grace Clark of Apache Junction, who wanted to promote peace.” One correspondent of mine judged the event “a total disaster.”

But that is too severe. It was a humble beginning that can grow into something large and strong. Jasser points out to me that “The beginnings of every great movement in our great nation’s history of freedom began in a small way.” He notes also that American Muslims, being predominantly first-generation immigrants, are still getting grounded. With time, he expects, “the vast majority of American Muslims will listen to the message of our rally and find complete agreement with its statement of faith.”

Until then, however, there is the stark reality that very few Muslims did show up. And those who did held up “peace” and “anti-war” signs, not anti-terror or anti-Islamist signs. Two factors help explain this disappointing result.

First, the message of the event did not fit the thinking of most Muslims. Unfortunately, the mood in this community is a radical one, and not inclined to stand up and condemn terrorism.

Second, Zuhdi did not pander to the Islamist establishment – such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations – in planning the event. These extremists no doubt could have brought out a larger crowd – but to rail against Israel or U.S. policy.

The Phoenix rally points to the current reality of American Muslim opinion. This problem needs to be dealt with. If not, I can imagine the United States will hear the same overt calls for jihad and Islamic rule that Western Europe is now experiencing. 

Daniel Pipes (www.DanielPipes.org) is director of the Middle East Forum and author of Miniatures (Transaction Publishers).

[Modernman]

Was the DC sniper a genuine Muslim or an NOI member?

I don't know what type of Muslim he was. AFAIK, the sniper had no ties to any group. That's sort of scary- he was essentially a freelance jihadi.

[JimRed]

Jasser might be one of those rare peaceful Muslims but out of 50,000 or so Muslims, he was only hoping to get a few hundred to show up and got maybe 30?

It will be interesting to see how many of the 30 will be alive a year from now.

[wtc911]

A moderate muslim is one who doesn't pull the trigger himself.

[AmishDude]

Isn't that the problem? It isn't like the groups have a copyrighted logo or anything. The loudest and most shrill Islamic voices get heard. All others get ignored. They run the Islamic world and the rest are either cowed or in some way sympathetic.

It goes to the Islamic mindset. In the Muslim version of end-times, the world will have been converted (in Mohammed's view, by the sword) until the pagan religions are wiped out and the world is happily Muslim.

This is why you hear so much equivocation about Israel. "Yes, a child may have been sent to blow himself up in a marketplace, but Israel jailed a jihadi merely because he had weapons and plans to kill thousands of people."

Even the most moderate Muslim (assuming we're talking about a genuine Muslim and not one who comes West so he doesn't have to practice Islam anymore) sees the end-times in this way. So the Israelis (and Spaniards and Slavic Christians) are the worst of infidels because they caused Islam to retreat from its divine destiny.

It's in the mindset even if they aren't particularly Muslim or the slightest bit militant. The irony is that the Wahabbists are elitist and somewhat outside this view because they view most Muslims as not Muslim enough. But I guess they will be re-converted in time.

Scar, here's my version of long-windedness.

[zip]

Quiz:

ISLAM is the fastest growing (insert one) in the world.

a) "mafia" b) "criminal organization" c) "gang of murderous thugs" d) religion of peace

(C) Do I win a prize?

[zip]

Every Muslim organization, even the Islamist ones like the AMC, denounced them unequivocally.

They condemned it more than any other group in history. Name another group that condemned terrorism done in their name more than US Muslims after 9/11.

SOURCE ?????????????This was NEVER REPORTED on TV/print/radio. As a matter of fact, the mooslims in Columbia MO cheered and laughed it up. So........

[zip]

One out of ten Muslims are doctors

BS

[manic4organic]

Reminds me of a joke I heard recently (on FR perhaps?).

What's the difference between a radical and a moderate muslim?

Moderate muslims use a remote detonator.

[Zack Nguyen]

Obviously the vast majority of Muslims are not terrorists. Yet it is becoming clear that few of them would openly condemn terrorism without a matching screed against the Jews or American "imperialism." This very article dubbed the rally to be the first Muslim anti-terror rally in the country. It was a failure. Accoridng to the article, most of the people who showed up weren't even Muslim.

There's really nothing we can do about this in the short term.

[Zack Nguyen]

Interesting logic, though. Can you name me one Christian organization that denounced Eric Rudolph or the parade of abortion clinic and gay nightclub terrorists?

Are you joking? Virtually every pro-life organization takes strong stands condemning violence in any form. Violence is not pro-life.

[Imagine]

Don't change the subject. Repeat after me: "weapons storehouses"

[Imagine]

But of course............

[ought-six]

The author closes with: "This problem needs to be dealt with. If not, I can imagine the United States will hear the same overt calls for jihad and Islamic rule that Western Europe is now experiencing."

If we start seeing Mohammedan leaders in the U.S. openly calling for the murder of Americans, than those same Mohammedans will be fair game. They better understand that.

[ought-six]

"Do you think most Americans view 99.999% of Muslims as terrorists even though 99.999999999999999999% have not done a single thing to back terrorism?"

Those 99.9999999999% of Moslems were sure as hell quiet about condemning 9/11 and terrorism in general. Moreover, it is a fact that most of the mosques in the U.S. are bankrolled by Saudi money, and are strongly influenced by Wahhibbiism, which is a virulently militant and viscious sect. They are not as open about going out in public and calling for the murder of non-Moslems, as they do in England, for instance. And the reason they are no so open is because they know there are about 80 million armed American citizens whose patience with Islamic fanaticism has grown very, very thin. The Mohammedans are, if nothing else, abject cowards, and that is why they publicly call for jihad in England, where the British people are disarmed; but are relatively silent here, where we ARE armed.

[ought-six]

"Most of those that are bashing Muslims in this thread would be doing it against Jews if a handful of Jewish extremists attacked the US."

WRONG! If Jews were killing indiscriminately around the globe in the name of Judaism than I think you'd see Freepers condemning them, as well. It's a fact that ONLY Mohammedans are on a global killing rampage in the name of their "religion."

[SevenDaysInMay]

Before the campaign season "peace" marches begin, Americans must read islam's holy scripture "haddith", aka battle plan.

Islam's 5th column and sleepers are deep under our rocks next to the commies and anarchists. The al-anti-war movement is coming, demonstrating in our faces; arab hegenomy in the name of allah.

True islam, literal islam, is reigniting its allah commanded war of world conquest now after is shameful 500 year sleep in the dung flavored dust of its dar al-islam, the equator to 40 degrees North belt from Afria to the Philippines. Canada is a furtal staging area for islam's Terror war in our USA.

Americans must read islam's "koran" and "haddith" so that we may understand the treachery of islam's declared Terror War on America.

If we do not destroy our mortal enemies, America shall lose our society as surely as we shall lose our Constitutional Republic.

America's socialists aid and abet our mortal enemies because their world construct blinds them to islam's commanded goal of world conquest wherein we surviving infedels may live under their "sharia", except the ruling sybaritic classes.

The Clintonazis' DNC-Politburo would have us all subject to clintons' perfected "Emergency Powers", a Borg declaration suspending our ratified Constitution for "public safety" when the "haddith" scripted peace demonstrations confront infedel Americans and Jews.

Palli-Qaeda bombings are coming, not because we are Americans, but because islamists are devout muslims obeying their "holy scriptures'" commands.

More than our 1st Amendment's "...the right of the people peaceably to assemble..." shall be infringed by America's ruling class.

Police state powers always supercedes rights of the people - after our Ratified 2nd Amendment has been interpreted away.

Librals, aka self-centered socialists, don't want to be bothered by this "distant" war; wait for greater LA, San Fran-Oakland-San Jose, Boston, Martha's Vineyard, Central Park, Hamptons, Arlington, and Key West are targetted by jihadies, in the name of allah.

Arab's oily money is already deep inside the pockets of the DNC-Politburo's nomenclatura. I would first look into the Clinton "Libary" slush funds; no wonder that G.W. is so hated.

With "politics as usual", VSOB Day is beyond our reach.

America is in this War on Terror for life.

[Modernman]

Don't change the subject. Repeat after me: "weapons storehouses"

I'm not changing the subject. I'm just pointing out that your fears of some Muslim takeover of this country are not realistic.

[Wolfhound777]

Do you think most Americans view 99.999% of Muslims as terrorists even though 99.999999999999999999% have not done a single thing to back terrorism?i

They are complicit supporters of terrorism by their lack of condemnation of it. They don't need to fear American goon squads coming after them for voicing condemnation of terrorism which makes it even more sickening. We can not sit idly by and let our country become infiltrated with people who do not or will not value our way of life and defend it.

[ZULU]

I think its time to separate the sheep from the goats and ship out the goats.

This man is obviously a loyal American. Equally, and unfortunately, its obvious that he has few supporters. He may wind up facing a Fatwa.

[Wolfhound777]

WHAT SOLUTION DO YOU PROPOSE? SHOULD THEY ALL BE PUT IN GAS CHAMBERS?


Non-citizen muslims should be deported back to their countries of allegiance. If they are unwilling to stand up and voice solidarity against terrorism in a country that has first amendment rights, then they are supporters in silence. This country can ill afford to have mass numbers of people who don't care about the continuity of its way of life. We have our hands full battling the democRats, we don't need another front opened in the assualt on our way values, beliefs, and republican form of government.