Moderate Muslims Under Siege

NYTimes ^ | 7.1.02 | KAHLED ABOU EL FADL

[DWPittelli]

So we have a "presidential administration that is systematically undermining [Muslims'] civil liberties"? Notice how he made no attempt to identify a single Bush Administration policiy that has amounted to such an undermining. There are none.

If he means the 1,000 or so who were rounded up for being here illegally or as potential witnesses: maybe that was heavy-handed (although I don't think so), but illegal immigrants are by definition subject to roundup, in any country. Further, regardless of the merits, detaining 1,000 people is not a "systematic" policy if those 1,000 are chosen from among a population several thousand times as large.

[Zeroisanumber]

Louder Kahled, we need more volume. Good luck.

[Shryke]

Khaled Abou El Fadl teaches terrorism law and Islamic law at the University of California at Los Angeles.

That should read "Khaled Abou Fadl teaches Californians that everything is Israel's fault".

[philosofy123]

That Pakistani, Tashbih Sayyed, is the ONLY moslem on this planet that talks with integrity, and disregard the Moslem Party Line!

[philosofy123]

Moderate Muslims should ask Saudi Arabia to allow building of churches in their country, just like we allow them to build mosques in ours.

Moderate Moslems should request from the Islamic leaders not to kill Moslems who convert to Christianity, like we do not kill Christians who convert to Islam. I can go on, and on, but I have yet to see any Moslem with any integrity to criticize his religion or his native country.

[philosofy123]

I hope the FBI dude was just blowing smoke up their b###! If he was sincere, I think we are going to have a lot of problems.

[philosofy123]

Please don't hold your brith! You are going to be an old man before any thing like that happens!

[arthurus]

moderate Muslim intellectuals living in the West have been fighting a thankless battle, often in the shadows

It has been a silent battle, they make no noise except when they say that terrorism is bad but the Palestinians were driven to it and can't do anything else. If the "moderates" cannot see any alternative to condoning and excusing terrorism, then if they are moderates the spectrum is exceedingly narrow.

[ohioman]

I say toughshiite! Hell, as a Southerner in a Northern Liberal College, I was told this several times and it didn't bother me at all. :)

[Pining_4_TX]

You are so right! The only reasons there are moderate Muslims in this country is because they are in the minority. If we were to wake up tomorrow and find a Muslim majority, they would take away our rights and freedom, and all the ladies would be forced to don the ol' Hefty bags. Muslims have no qualms about deceiving us infidels.

[STD]

I wish we had the national will to intern the whole lot!

[bulldawg]

my hourlong lecture on human rights and Islam

Someone can actually talk about this for an hour?

[swarthyguy]

You had to say one didn't you; couldn't say a "few" so now you get the obligatory AbdulKalam Link.

Who is he? An eccentric muslim, vegetarian rocket scientist, he's in line for the PresidentofIndia slot, a ceremonial but prestigious HeadofState position. He's been welcomed in Israel on a technology/science information exchange seminar.


http://server1.msn.co.in/clips /kalam/index.asp

[steve-b]

I found a site called IslamForToday.com that denounces terrorism using quotes from the Quoran and has pictures of Muslim-American waving American Flags. I took just a quick look, but I didn't see any pathetic exscuses, or rambling non-denials. These are the people FBI Chief Mueller should be meeting with, not CAIR.

The Stupid Party earns the name yet again....

[The Californian]

I would like to pose a few questions. What type of information does Khaled Abou El Fadl present in his classes? How does he feel about Israel? What, specifically, does he object to in Bush's policy?

I don't want to rule out that there are moderate Muslims, nor do I want to blame them for the fringe element in their religion (although the "fringe" appears to be quite large.) However, it seems like Muslims have no problem with manipulating truth, saying what they think their audience wants to hear or attempting to blame shift on all fronts. I would like to reread this article with further information on the writer.

Also, I would very much like to know if there is a truthful, responsible, hardworking, articulate muslim who writes articles on a regular basis. Are there any who have leadership potential to sway large parts of their following to be decent people?

I am just curious. Any advice would be helpful.

[truth_seeker]

Khaled Abou El Fadl teaches terrorism law and Islamic law at the University of California at Los Angeles.

What is "terorism law?" Is it a subset of "islamic law?"

Would I expect a straight, truthful answer from a muslim, to anything? Why should I care what they think, anymore than one should care what the Japanese thought, 1941-1945?

After Pearl Harbor, we didn't enter negotiations. We had a war. Some wars last a long time. Remember the "hundred years war" and the "thirty years war."

Long wars have battles. If there is another major attack, so called moderate American muslims may get caught in the crosshairs of a "battle," moderate or not.

After the next attack, I wouldn't want to be an American muslim of any kind. They have had way too little to say, way too late. Unfortunate strategy, for them.

[nravoter]

Moderate Muslims Under Siege

Wow, both of them?

[swarthyguy]

Check out the links posted above and also this one:

www.paktoday.com - Tashbih Sayyed editor.

[swarthyguy]

Matthews kept interrupting him - Matthews wanted him to speak at the saame speed he does, and the guy's a little more thoughtful. And as usual, he didn't give him enough time to compose his thoughts. Cheap shot against someone who's not used to speaking at the frenetic eastcoast speed of speaking.

He pulled a similar stunt on Khalid Duran, the guy who helped Steve Emerson in JihadonAmerica. He backed him into a corner, wouldn't let him finish a couple of points, misunderstood Duran's response, and closed the segment by trapping Duran into simple answers that made him sound like a terrorist supporter.

And Duran's the guy who worked with Steve Emerson!

[Britton J Wingfield]

"What can you do to reassure me against people like you?"

Easy, they can stand up and articulate a complete rejection of islamism and terrorism. Few have done so, and so they must live under suspicion.