Any Muslim that denies that terror is a part of Islam is kafir [an unbeliever]
So claims the militant Islamic organization al-Ghurabaa.
On his talk radio show the other day, a frustrated Michael Graham made the following statement:
Sadly, as it is constituted today, Islam IS a terrorist organization, but the good news is that the major of Muslims–who don’t support terror–can change that and take back their religion.
Following that remark, a major campaign was launched by CAIR, resulting in Graham’s suspension.
Now CAIR wants Graham fired.
Little Green Footballs and Mens News Daily have more, and Graham elaborates in a column here.
From Tim Blair, there’s this bit of unfriendly logic — that if a non-Muslim is friends with a Muslim, then the Muslim isn’t a Muslim:
There?s no such thing as a Muslim having a non-Muslim friend, so a non-Muslim could be your associate but they can?t be a friend. They?re not your friend because they don?t understand your religious principles and they cannot because they don?t understand your faith. (Via Glenn Reynolds.)
Trying to analyze this thing is like walking a tightrope. There’s so little room for anything resembling even dialogue, much less compromise — even over the most basic definitions.
Islam, it seems, cannot be called anything — whether moderate, radical, religion of war, or religion of peace — without offending lots of Muslims (and plenty of non-Muslims). It isn’t so much a question of what the right answer is. There may be no right answer, but being right isn’t the point.
I mean, what’s really to discuss?
If moderate Muslims aren’t Muslims and aren’t allowed to be friends, what’s to do?
Comments
11 responses to “Definitions impossible, dialogue impenetrable, forget logic!”
Heil Allah? I have had it with this endless talk (ever since 9/11/2001) about “moderate” Muslims. I say to every Muslim: Either you are 100% on our side or else you are 100% on the side of the terrorists, and then you are my enemy and I am yours.
Much of American moslems must really be in a quandry…there is going to come a time when they can’t equivocate anymore
and I consider the American “fatwa” too equivocating on major points.
They cannot live in America and wish for the destruction of the Constitution and the imposition of Shar’ia and still consider themselves American. Those that want to keep their faith and still be Americans are going to have to be forced by the rest of us in standing up and making a break with the rest of the world about Islam. No more foreign imans, eschew the ideology of dar ul Harb and dar ul Islam, reject the precepts of Waqf, hudna and Shar’ia that must be imposed on everyone.
Yes, it will make them apostate in the eyes of the worldwide Islam, but it is the only thing I see for Islam to remain in the US at all. Any more attacks on US soil from Islamists and the religion will/should be considered no different than homegrown hate groups…KKK or Christian Identity.
The vast majority of Muslims would not enjoy living under Sharia, nor do they have any desire to.
Especially in America.
The problem is this:
In some particularly important ways, Islam is a lot like Reform Judaism (my faith).
There’s no centralized leader. There’s no standardized set of definitions. Anyone can pretty much say anything, and if they get a few people to believe them, they can be quoted in the press as a “Muslim leader”. There’s no centralized heirarchy to ‘kick them out’.
So, some Muslim leaders says “Muslims and non-Muslims cannot truly be friends”. Whoop-dee-fucking-doo? He doesn’t speak for much of anyone except his followers, and even then, only the followers who actually practice what they preach — which is, as with any religion, a relatively small fraction.
I mean, I’m Jewish, sure, but do you think I give a shit about keeping Kosher? Of course not. God? Rather agnostic. Orthodox Jews? When they get really Jewish-y, they often piss me off.
Which is, you might say, a distinctly American way of experiencing my religion.
It’s the same way for plenty of American Muslims.
I’d like to see a Pew or Gallup poll of American Muslims: “Can a Muslim ever be friends with a non-Muslim?”. Bet you the answer “Yes” is over 90%.
Michael Graham is full of shit, and he actively impedes the war on terror by obscuring who the real enemy is — Extremist Islamists.
Ditto what Joe said. Michael Graham is nothing more than a shock-jock whose sole purpose is to get attention the easiest way possible — by insulting people, saying stupid things, and smiling smugly as everyone else allows him to bend an important debate to his small-minded desires.
WMAL’s listener-share has been tanking since last year’s election, and Graham’s divisive stupidity is entirely for the purpose of increasing ratings.
As has been repeated for decades, but rarely observed in-practice, “… The Bill of Rights is not a suicide pact.”
Darleen and Ted B.:
Absolutely true.
Darleen wrote:
“Yes, it will make them apostate in the eyes of the worldwide Islam, but it is the only thing I see for Islam to remain in the US at all. Any more attacks on US soil from Islamists and the religion will/should be considered no different than homegrown hate groups…KKK or Christian Identity.”
The Communist party, too, and its fronts. And the German-American Bund during World War II. We are at War for the very survival of America and the West, and you are either 100% on our side or else 100% on the side of the enemy, and must be treated accordingly.
90+% of them are “100% on our side”, Steven.
Frankly, though, I question the loyalty of white Americans, too. They haven’t necessarily put enough effort into supporting this war; not enough modification to behavior. No victory gardens, yet.
That would suggest that while they nominally support us, many (most?) are not “100% on our side”, and would by your logic be “100% on the side of the enemy”.
In other words, your dichotomy is pathetic.
What soes “white” have to do with anything? Islam is an ideology, not a “race”.
I see that most Leftists reduce everything to either 1) money (Marx) or 2) skin color (Hitler). A mile wide and a nanometer deep. This War is not about race or economics, it is a spiritual War.
‘This War is not about race or economics, it is a spiritual War.’
I agree totally. Some excuses just don’t cut it, and racial/money relations to radical Islamists are convenient subsiderary bits. A large part of the future of Islam will depend on whether enough muslims will openly reject the mullahs who preach hatred and terror; I pray the 90% figure is for us and will come to stand out and join against the evil that seems to infect Islam. (To this westerner’s eyes, certainly.)
And I have to say that picture of the mullastocracy with fanatic goon-squad behind them gives me the willies.