Journalists' Forced Conversion Not Contrary to Islam

Human Events ^ | August 30, 2006 | Robert Spencer

[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.
 

[Stoat]

Robert Spencer

Mr. Spencer is director of Jihad Watch and author of "The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades)" and the forthcoming "The Truth About Muhammad" (both from Regnery -- a HUMAN EVENTS sister company).

About Robert Spencer

ROBERT SPENCER

ROBERT SPENCER, the director of Jihad Watch, is a writer and researcher who has written six books, seven monographs, and well over a hundred articles about jihad and Islamic terrorism. His latest book is the New York Times bestseller The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades) (Regnery). He is also the author of Islam Unveiled: Disturbing Questions About the World's Fastest Growing Faith (Encounter) and Onward Muslim Soldiers: How Jihad Still Threatens America and the West (Regnery). He is coauthor, with Daniel Ali, of Inside Islam: A Guide for Catholics (Ascension), and editor of the essay collection The Myth of Islamic Tolerance: How Islamic Law Treats Non-Muslims (Prometheus). His next book, The Truth About Muhammad, is coming October 9 from Regnery Publishing.

Spencer (MA, Religious Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) has been studying Islamic theology, law, and history in depth since 1980. He is an Adjunct Fellow with the Free Congress Foundation, and his monographs on Islam are available from the Foundation: An Introduction to the Qur'an; Women and Islam; An Islamic Primer; Islam and the West; The Islamic Disinformation Lobby; Islam vs. Christianity; and Jihad in Context.

His articles on Islam and other topics have appeared in the New York Post, the Washington Times, the Dallas Morning News, Canada's National Post, FrontPage Magazine.com, WorldNet Daily, Insight in the News, Human Events, National Review Online, and many other journals. He has consulted with United States Central Command on Islam and jihad, and has discussed jihad, Islam, and terrorism at a workshop sponsored by the U.S. State Department and the German Foreign Ministry, as well as on the BBC, CNN, FoxNews, MSNBC, PBS, C-Span, and Croatia National Televison (HTV), as well as on numerous radio programs including Michael Savage's Savage Nation, The Alan Colmes Show, The G. Gordon Liddy Show, The Neal Boortz Show, The Michael Medved Show, The Michael Reagan Show, The Larry Elder Show, The Barbara Simpson Show, Vatican Radio, and many others.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: Why should I believe what you say about Islam?
RS: Because I draw no conclusions of myself, and I do not ask anyone to take anything on my word. Pick up any of my books, and you will see that they are made up largely of quotations from Islamic jihadists and the traditional Islamic sources to which they appeal to justify violence and terrorism. I am only shedding light on what these sources say.

It is amusing to me that some people like to focus on my credentials, when I have never made a secret of the fact that most of what I know about Islam comes from personal study. It is easier for them to talk about degrees than to find any inaccuracy in my work. Yet I present the work not on the basis of my credentials, but on the basis of the evidence I bring forth; evaluate it for yourself. One example: after I spoke at the University of North Carolina, Professor Carl Ernst of the university wrote a piece about me warning that my books were non-scholarly and were published by presses that he believed reflected a political agenda of which he did not approve. That kind of approach may impress some people, but Carl Ernst did not (and cannot) bring forth even a single example of a supposed inaccuracy in my work. I would, of course, be happy to debate Carl Ernst or any other scholar of Islam about Islam and jihad; this is a standing invitation. Also, as this site has shown, I am always open to new information.

Q: Why have you studied Islam for so long?
RS: It has been an enduring fascination. Since childhood I have had an interest in the Muslim world, from which my family comes. When I was very young my grandparents would tell me stories about their life there, and I always heard them with great interest. When I met Muslim students as a college undergraduate I began reading and studying the Qur'an in earnest. That led to in-depth forays into tafsir (interpretations of the Qur'an), hadith (traditions of the Prophet Muhammad), and much more about Islamic theology and law. While working on my master's thesis, which dealt not with Islam but (in part) with some early Christian heretical groups, I began to study early Islamic history, since some of these groups ended up in Arabia and may have influenced Muhammad. In the intervening years I continued these studies of Islamic theology, history, and law out of personal interest.

This led to my consulting privately with some individuals and groups about Islam, but I had never intended to do such work publicly. However, after 9/11 I was asked to write Islam Unveiled in order to correct some of the misapprehensions about Islam that were widespread at that time.

Q: I've read that you are secretly a Catholic and have a religious agenda.
RS: Yes, I have been so intent on keeping this a secret that I co-wrote a book called Inside Islam: A Guide for Catholics. Here again, people like to imagine that a Christian cannot write accurately about Islam, but they cannot point to any inaccuracy in my work. Nor is there any religious agenda here. I envision Jihad Watch as an opportunity for all the actual and potential victims of jihad violence and oppression -- Jews, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, secular Muslims, atheists, whatever -- to join together to defend universal human rights. There are many things about which we all disagree, but at this point we need to unite simply in order to survive. We can sort out our disagreements later.

At this point the people most active, in various ways, in the work of Jihad Watch are a Catholic, a Jew, and an atheist. If we weren't so busy trying to awaken the Western world to the threat of violent jihad, we could walk into a bar and...(fill in your own punchline).

Q: I've read that you are a member of Opus Dei.
RS: Uh, sorry, no.

Q: I've read that you are actually Jewish.
RS: Again, no. Jihadists commonly label all their opponents as Jews. They don't seem to realize that they have offended more groups than just one. I am honored to be able to stand with Jews and others in defense of human rights against the totalitarian, supremacist jihad ideology.

Q: I've read that you are actually a Maoist.
RS: Strike three. Here are some more responses to critics.

Q: Why do so many people convert to Islam?
RS: There are many attractive elements of the religion. I think that its adamantine certainties appeal to many people who are disgusted with the current relativism and amorality of the Western world. Also there are many rich and grand aspects of Islamic history and culture which also make the religion attractive today. The global jihad against the West today also helps Islam gather converts in the West from among groups that feel themselves to be oppressed or marginalized. Conversions have been stimulated by successful, if often fanciful, Muslim efforts to present Islam as a religion free of the sins of the West -- particularly racial discrimination.

Q: Do you hate Muslims?
RS: Of course not. Islam is not a monolith, and never have I said or written anything that characterizes all Muslims as terrorist or given to violence. I am only calling attention to the roots and goals of jihad violence. Any Muslim who renounces violent jihad and dhimmitude is welcome to join in our anti-jihadist efforts. Any hate in my books comes from Muslim sources I quote, not from me. Cries of "hatred" and "bigotry" are effectively used by American Muslim advocacy groups to try to stifle the debate about the terrorist threat. But there is no substance to them.

It is not an act of hatred against Muslims to point out the depredations of jihad ideology. It is a peculiar species of displacement and projection to accuse someone who exposes the hatred of one group of hatred himself: I believe in the equality of rights and dignity of all people, and that is why I oppose the global jihad. And I think that those who make the charge know better in any case: they use the charge as a tool to frighten the credulous and politically correct away from the truth.

Am I "anti-Muslim"? Some time ago here at Jihad Watch I had an exchange with an English convert to Islam. I said: "I would like nothing better than a flowering, a renaissance, in the Muslim world, including full equality of rights for women and non-Muslims in Islamic societies: freedom of conscience, equality in laws regarding legal testimony, equal employment opportunities, etc." Is all that "anti-Muslim"? My correspondent thought so. He responded: "So, you would like to see us ditch much of our religion and, thereby, become non-Muslims."

In other words, he saw a call for equality of rights for women and non-Muslims in Islamic societies, including freedom of conscience, equality in laws regarding legal testimony, and equal employment opportunities, as a challenge to his religion. To the extent that they are, these facts have to be confronted by both Muslims and non-Muslims. But I make no apologies: it is not "anti-Muslim" to wish freedom of conscience and equality of rights on the Islamic world -- quite the contrary.

Q: Do you think all Muslims are terrorists?
RS: See above.

Q: Are you trying to incite anti-Muslim hatred?
RS: Certainly not. I am trying to point out the depth and extent of the hatred that is directed against the United States, because I believe that the efforts to downplay its depth and extent leave us less equipped to defend ourselves. As I said above, the focus here is on jihad; any Muslim who renounces the ideologies of jihad and dhimmitude is most welcome to join forces with us. Anyone who targets innocent Muslims in the USA is not only evil, but is playing into the hands of the jihadists who are trying to fan the flames of anti-American hatred. Also, one of the reasons why the war on terror is so important is that those who would destroy Western civilization do not believe in the principles of due process and justice that are central elements of the American system.

Q: Are you deliberately ignoring more liberal schools of thought in Islam?
RS: Certainly not. I encourage any Muslim individual or group who is willing to work publicly for the reform of the Islamic doctrines, theological tenets and laws that Islamic jihadists use to justify violence. But this must be done honestly and thoroughly, confronting the texts of the Qur'an, Hadith, and Sira that are used to justify violence against unbelievers, and decisively rejecting Qur'anic literalism. Not all self-proclaimed moderates are truly moderate: many deny that these elements of Islam exist at all — hardly a promising platform for reform. It is important to make proper distinctions and speak honestly about the roots of the terrorist threat.

Q: I have read that you support forced deportation of US citizens who happen to be Muslim, harassment of law-abiding US Muslims (boycotting of their businesses, refusal to renew their cab medallions, refusal of their business permits) and other similar actions.
RS: I absolutely do not support such actions. Any Muslim who accepts the U.S. Constitution and American pluralism should act to defend the U.S. now, when it is under attack in many ways. Any Muslim who does this I count as a friend, and welcome into the U.S. I am not in favor of harassing or expelling loyal Muslims from the U.S.

Q: But I have read that you advocate making the practice of Islam "difficult" in the U.S.
RS: I would like to see the practice of violent jihad made difficult. I would like to see the spread of violence that is justified in the name of Islam made quite difficult in the U.S. and elsewhere. I would like to see efforts to impose the Sharia in the U.S. and elsewhere, however long it may take and even by peaceful means, made difficult. I would like to see the institutionalized oppression of non-Muslims and women made difficult. I am not concerned about the other aspects of Islam.

Q: Can you recommend a good English translation of the Qur'an?
RS: N. J. Dawood's is the most readable in English. However, most versions do not mark the verse numbers precisely. Some non-Muslims don't like it because he uses "God" for Allah, although since Arabic-speaking Christians use "Allah" for the God of the Bible, and have for over a millennium, this is a problem for poseurs and pseudo-scholars but is not really a serious objection to anyone who knows both languages. Also, many Muslims dislike this translation because Dawood was not a Muslim, and doesn't sugarcoat any of the passages. Two translations by Muslims, those by Abdullah Yusuf Ali and Mohammed Marmaduke Pickthall, are generally reliable, although both write in a stilted, practically unreadable pseudo-King James Bible English. Of the two, Ali's contains more liberties with the text -- such as adding "(lightly)" to Sura 4:34 after the directive to husbands to beat their disobedient wives. The Arabic doesn't say to beat them lightly, it just says to beat them. Pickthall's is generally accurate.

There are other good translations. For years I have liked Arberry's for its audacious literalism and often poetic English. Compare, for example, 81:15-18:

فَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِالْخُنَّسِ الْجَوَارِ الْكُنَّسِ وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا عَسْعَسَ وَالصُّبْحِ إِذَا تَنَفَّسَ

...in Pickthall and Arberry: Pickthall: "Oh, but I call to witness the planets, the stars which rise and set, and the close of night, and the breath of morning..." Arberry: "No! I swear by the slinkers, the runners, the sinkers, by the night swarming, by the dawn sighing..." Shades of the Symbolists. Arberry gives a hint of how the book sounds in Arabic, in which it is full of beguiling rhymes and rhythms.

 

Q: What can we do about this threat?
RS: Many things, but what we must do above all is remain true to our principles of freedom and equality of rights and dignity for all. These ideas and related ones are what set us apart from global jihadists. If we discard them in order to fight the jihadists, we risk erasing the distinction between the two camps.

Q: Why are you doing this?
RS: Jihad ideology is a threat to the peace and human rights of non-Muslims as well as Muslims worldwide. If it is not confronted and resisted, it will prevail.

 

[shankbear]

The Izlamotirds can die. Or they can convert to Christianity. We don't want them burning in an eternal hell do we?

[mylife]

Journalists' Forced Conversion Not Contrary to Islam

Well, its contrary to Christianity and the West.
They can kiss my royal irish behind.

Forced is forced

[RS]

"The Izlamotirds can die. Or they can convert to Christianity. We don't want them burning in an eternal hell do we?"

Yep, I suppose the best thing a Christian could do would be convert them at gunpoint ... then kill them before they can recant.

[Stoat]

Or they can convert to Christianity.

Somehow, I don't have the feeling that your typical 25 year old jihadist would ever make a good Christian, but I suppose that sort of thing is best left to Higher powers to judge.

We don't want them burning in an eternal hell do we?

If they would kindly take off the suicide bomber belts and set down the AK-47's and get back to pumping my oil for me so that I can drive my big shiny American car, then I suppose not.  If they continue on their current path, then I really don't care what happens to them in the afterlife as long as they get dead before any new victims do.

[Hound of the Baskervilles]

Okay then I see it that when the president of Iran invited Bush to embrace Islam and then said it will affect the safety of the future, he was actually saying that Iran has plans to attack America but they can be cancelled if Bush embraced Islam. So I think Nutjob was basically telling Bush Iran will attack us sooner or later.

[Hound of the Baskervilles]

"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??

[dodger]

FORCED CONVERSION IS INTRINSIC TO THE CULT OF ISLAM.

[Blogger]

I went to LGF and saw the video. How horrifingly sad.

[RS]

It's not hard to see what happened here - It's a sign of the weakness of the terrorists, not any sign of strength.

They needed a way to release these guys yet save face - when the journalists were convinced that this was they way to get out of it, they bowed down and praised alah ... the guys who let them go are not stupid, they knew that these two would immediately say they were forced.

Like the guy in India (?) who was declared crazy and released instead of being executed for changing from Islam to Christian ... it was simply a way out.


These guys are out, and more moderate muslems found a way to get them out.

Saner people are starting to gain some control --- this is a good thing.

[Stoat]

Well, its contrary to Christianity and the West.

Agreed.

They can kiss my royal irish behind.

I would not want one of those filthy Islamonazis anywhere close to any part of the anatomy of any Irish person.  Our nation owes Ireland and the Irish a profound debt for the innumerable things that the Irish have done to make America a much better place than it would have been without them....we need to be respectful and protective of our Irish Friends and not allow any jihadists anywhere near them    :-)

Honour for Irish who fought for US from Bull Run to 9-11 (New York's Mayor Bloomberg pays tribute)

[little jeremiah]

Bascially all Muslims in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia etc etc etc are all descendents of Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, Parsis and other religious persuasions who were forced into Islam.

If only they knew this historical fact and were given the freedom to choose their own religion.

[CarrotAndStick]

Like the guy in India (?) who was declared crazy and released instead of being executed for changing from Islam to Christian ... it was simply a way out.

Afghanistan, not India.

Last year, right?

[Larry Lucido]

Forced conversion is an oxymoron. You either adopt a faith voluntarily or you don't. There was no conversion.

[mylife]

They are special alright.

THEY speak for God as MONOTHIESTS (how is that done?) and would kill you for the very idea that the holy spirit could live in a human heart, THE very idea of Jesus....
3 Gods in one person? preposterous! How is that representitive of ONE God?
off with your head!

[CarrotAndStick]

Yes. A large proportion of the Muslims in the Palestine, Jordan, Syria region had Christian ancestors, before Islam was forced onto them.

[familyop]

Regardless of the fear and implied threat involved, Steve Centanni converted to Islam. According to Islam and Muslims, he is considered to be a Muslim forever.

Steve Centanni is a Muslim. ...shocking, isn't it.

[RS]

Yep ... didn't think I was right, and I knew that since combined, we know EVERYTHING, someone would come up with the right answer.

[EdReform]

[PresbyRev]

Yep, I suppose the best thing a Christian could do would be convert them at gunpoint ... then kill them before they can recant.

No, no. After conversion they must be baptized . . .

[CarrotAndStick]

Forced conversion is an oxymoron. You either adopt a faith voluntarily or you don't. There was no conversion.

One word: Jizyah.

To escape this tax, you convert. Forced.

[CarrotAndStick]

Hehehe!

:^)

[RS]

"According to Islam and Muslims, he is considered to be a Muslim forever.

Steve Centanni is a Muslim. ...shocking, isn't it."

By your thinking if you are a Muslim it's not ... if you're not, he's not.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

They try to convert Westerners all the time in Saudi Arabia. We we told if a conversation like that ever comes up, try to end it ASAP. I used to ask if it was a two or three point conversion. I would get blank stares and they would end the conversation.

[Stoat]

Okay then I see it that when the president of Iran invited Bush to embrace Islam and then said it will affect the safety of the future, he was actually saying that Iran has plans to attack America but they can be cancelled if Bush embraced Islam. So I think Nutjob was basically telling Bush Iran will attack us sooner or later.

Agreed.  Iran will attack, it's just a matter of time.  People who are friendly with one another do not go out of their way to make another person feel uncomfortable and threatened.  Iran is going out of it's way to make us feel uncomfortable and threatened....this is not friendly.  We need to act before they do.  I have no desire to hear news reports about how Dallas has just been hit by a truck-mounted nuke that came across the Mexican border, with Venezuela the port of entry and Iran the originating country.

 

[RS]

"No, no. After conversion they must be baptized . . . "

Oh ... OK ... some sects think a human ritual is involved - forgot that

( but is that AFTER conversion ? or are you just not considered converted before it ? ... are you in a kind of "conversion limbo" at some point ? )

[Stoat]

I went to LGF and saw the video. How horrifingly sad.

They are animals, and they want to kill us because they know that they are animals and can never achieve what we have.  That's why they are fixated on blowing up airplanes....they are 500 developmental years behind the point at which they could even think about building a glider, much less a 747.

We need to defend ourselves against them much as one defends against a rabid dog.

[familyop]

The whole thing was strange. IMO, one should not hang out with the Islamists and risk getting their religion the usual way (by coercion and taking an oath).

Fox News Journalists Describe Captivity
AP via Forbes ^ | 8-27-06 | IBRAHIM BARZAK
Posted on 08/27/2006 4:17:16 PM PDT by jdm

"I hope that this never scares a single journalist away from coming to Gaza to cover the story because the Palestinian people are very beautiful and kindhearted," said Steve Centanni, a 60-year-old American reporter who was released along with cameraman Olaf Wiig, 36, of New Zealand. "The world needs to know more about them."

[Auntie Dem]

Liberals seeing the release of these reporters after their "voluntary" conversion are breathing a big sigh of relief now. Terrorism is no longer a problem for them. All they have to do is say "I'll convert!", and the Mudslums will leave them alone--they think.

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.

[ricer1]

I spent a month and a 1/2 in Jeddah and was never "propositioned" regarding Islam.

And I was around several practicing muslims, too.

But I did have the opportunity to scuba dive in the Red Sea several times. Now that was incredibly beautify...

[sandbox]

To clarify, since the Steve and Olaf were releaased did they say that their conversion was forced and therefore invalid, so they remain Christian.?

[JennysCool]

"The world needs to know more about them."

Oh, I think the world knows just about as much as it needs to know about them, Steve.

[familyop]

I wonder if Greta or any of Rupert's other Foxies will be working in Gaza. ...wonder if we might later be referring to them as "those Fox News Muslims." [Grin. Yeah, I know...bad one.]

[FarRightFanatic]

"The world needs to know more about them."



Not me. I know all about them I really need to know. Heard and seen everything about the 'beautiful and kindhearted Palestinians' after the video was shown of them celebrating September 11, not to mention all of the suicide bombings, car bombingss, and mortar attacks on innocent Israelis. Wow...what beautiful and kindhearted people indeed.

[ApplegateRanch]

Oh ... OK ... some sects think a human ritual is involved - forgot that

I think he meant the full deal: 6 minute immersion baptism, immediately after conversion.

No chance to backslide. :)

[Hound of the Baskervilles]

"We need to act before they do. I have no desire to hear news reports about how Dallas has just been hit by a truck-mounted nuke that came across the Mexican border, with Venezuela the port of entry and Iran the originating .."

Yikes! Me neither since I live about 30 minutes from Dallas and I was born and raised there. Anyway...Here's a quote from a NY Sun editorial:

"President Ahmadinejad's letter [html, pdf] to President Bush, widely interpreted as a peaceful overture, is in fact a declaration of war. The key sentence in the letter is the closing salutation. In an eight-page text of the letter being circulated by the Council on Foreign Relations, it is left untranslated and rendered as "Vasalam Ala Man Ataba'al hoda." What this means is "Peace only unto those who follow the true path."

It is a phrase with historical significance in Islam, for, according to Islamic tradition, in year six of the Hejira -- the late 620s -- the prophet Mohammad sent letters to the Byzantine emperor and the Sassanid emperor telling them to convert to the true faith of Islam or be conquered. The letters included the same phrase that President Ahmadinejad used to conclude his letter to Mr. Bush.

[Stoat]

FORCED CONVERSION IS INTRINSIC TO THE CULT OF ISLAM.

It certainly appears to be, as documented in the article as well as by the actions of these Islamonazis.  They are a cancer upon the earth and they need to be exterminated, preferably before they exterminate us, which is obviously their goal.

 

[Hound of the Baskervilles]

Don't you think that Bush has been told what the implications in the letter are?

[Howlin]

Regardless of the fear and implied threat involved, Steve Centanni converted to Islam.

Ridiculous.

[Stoat]

It's not hard to see what happened here - It's a sign of the weakness of the terrorists, not any sign of strength.

They needed a way to release these guys yet save face - when the journalists were convinced that this was they way to get out of it, they bowed down and praised alah ... the guys who let them go are not stupid, they knew that these two would immediately say they were forced.

Like the guy in India (?) who was declared crazy and released instead of being executed for changing from Islam to Christian ... it was simply a way out.

Sounds entirely plausible....they probably got cold feet and wanted to be able to be accepted back into their 'community'.

Saner people are starting to gain some control --- this is a good thing.

I do hope that you're right and that it will be a continuing trend.

[Scotswife]

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.

[Stoat]

Bascially all Muslims in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia etc etc etc are all descendents of Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, Parsis and other religious persuasions who were forced into Islam.

If only they knew this historical fact and were given the freedom to choose their own religion.

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..

[Stoat]

Forced conversion is an oxymoron. You either adopt a faith voluntarily or you don't. There was no conversion.

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.

[Stoat]

Regardless of the fear and implied threat involved, Steve Centanni converted to Islam. According to Islam and Muslims, he is considered to be a Muslim forever.

Steve Centanni is a Muslim. ...shocking, isn't it.

I'm sure that God will forgive him for mouthing the words and doing what he had to do in order to survive.

[Stoat]

They try to convert Westerners all the time in Saudi Arabia. We we told if a conversation like that ever comes up, try to end it ASAP. I used to ask if it was a two or three point conversion. I would get blank stares and they would end the conversation.

>>>>marking down a note to self: "Don't EVER visit Saudi Arabia"

[Stoat]

Liberals seeing the release of these reporters after their "voluntary" conversion are breathing a big sigh of relief now. Terrorism is no longer a problem for them. All they have to do is say "I'll convert!", and the Mudslums will leave them alone--they think.

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.

Liberals seeing the release of these reporters after their "voluntary" conversion are breathing a big sigh of relief now. Terrorism is no longer a problem for them. All they have to do is say "I'll convert!", and the Mudslums will leave them alone--they think.

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.

[Stoat]

It is a phrase with historical significance in Islam, for, according to Islamic tradition, in year six of the Hejira -- the late 620s -- the prophet Mohammad sent letters to the Byzantine emperor and the Sassanid emperor telling them to convert to the true faith of Islam or be conquered. The letters included the same phrase that President Ahmadinejad used to conclude his letter to Mr. Bush.
 

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,

[Seeing More Clearly Now]

"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!

[Stoat]

Don't you think that Bush has been told what the implications in the letter are?

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.

[lepton]

President Ahmadinejad's letter [html, pdf] to President Bush, widely interpreted as a peaceful overture, is in fact a declaration of war.

That...is exactly what it was.