This is an address by Bat Ye'or at a seminar in the French Senate on June 6, 2004. It is also a foretaste of an essay collection I am editing that will appear around the end of the year from Prometheus Books: The Myth of Islamic Tolerance. This essay along with many others by Bat Ye'or, Ibn Warraq, Daniel Pipes, Mark Durie and other renowned authors will be included. It will also feature some never-before-published material from the United Nations Commission on Human Rights that illuminates how Islamic countries are so far from being the tolerant states of myth that they often contravene elements of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to which they are signatories.
From FrontPage:
At Munich, in 1938, France had not renounced its own culture, its own history becoming German; it has not proclaimed that the source of her own culture was the German civilization. The spirit of dhimmitude which today blinds Europe springs not from a situation imposed from without, but from a choice made freely, and systematically carried out, in its political dimensions, over the course of the last 30 years.The well-known scholar of Islam, William Montgomery Watt, described the disappearance of the Christian world from the countries which had been Islamized, in his book The Majesty that was Islam (1974): “There was nothing dramatic about what happened; it was a gentle death, a phasing out.” But Montgomery Watt was wrong; in fact, the long death-throes of Christianity under Islam were extremely painful and tragic, as can be seen even in the 20th century, with the genocide of the Armenians, and the Lebanese Christians’ resistance in the 1970s-1980s, and for the last decades the genocide in the Sudan, and finally the relentless Arab jihad against Israel, which is only one of the examples of the age-old struggle by people devoted to fighting for freedom against dhimmitude, for the dignity of man against the slavery of oppression and hate. But that observation by Montgomery Watt – about the “gentle death, the phasing out” applies perfectly to Europe today.
Read it all.
Can anyone recommend any books on this kind of subject matter, with details of dhimmitude, genocide by muslims on minorities, andreferences from the koran along with their true horrifying meaning and strong evidence to back it all up . The reason I ask is because I'm on the verge of converting my mother, by explaining what Jihad means and what the muslims worldwide are up to. She is an avid reader of non-fiction and particularly enjoyed a book based upon the life of a jewish women during the holocaust of world war II.She was horrified at the brutality of the nazis and it really bought home the message. If I could give my mother a simular kind of novel to read but from a dhimmi point of view and get her to see the true evil of islam, as converting my family is of great importance to me and to the fight against the enemy in general, I lve in the UK so all she knows is the liberal media crap thats forced down everyones throats over here. I've already converted several friends and assosiates, remember:"All shapes and sizes!"
Rikki
I might suggest reading Robert Spencer's book "Onward Muslim Soldiers."
I am sure there are many others.
This is something going on in the most modern so called Islamic Nation.
Friday, July 02, 2004
Islamic Intolerance in Malaysia.The conditions under which an individual may legitimately defect from Islam as set forth by Zahid Abbas negates fundamental freedoms of the human person. Not to mention that they are also self-contradictory since it would be anomalous for a person to apostatise from a religion which he acknowledges to be perfect. Besides, many would dispute the exclusive and superlative claims he makes for Islam. In India, where the Muslim population is second only to Indonesia’s, the terms which the writer has enumerated can never be enforced.
Thus it seems to me that he is merely propagating his own rigid principles. It would be better if we could get the official take on the incidents discussed below .In 1987, Joshua Jamaluddin - a Malay Muslim who had converted to Christianity - was detained under the ISA and subjected to brutal torture (And the Malaysian Muslims want to hurl insults on the Americans for Abu Ghraib, yee hypocrites, politicians and down), the details of which have been extensively documented by several human rights NGO's. They tried to force him to recant his belief in Christianity but he steadfastly refused. Eventually, they let him go but on condition that if he is to practise his newly-adopted faith, he is to leave the country. Well, he is now in New Zealand.
One Ashley Lopez from Ipoh and his wife - the daughter of a Haji who renounced her religion of Islam by a deed poll - had to seek refuge in New Zealand to practice Catholicism, the religion of her choice .In the 80s, Susie Teoh a second former in Pasir Mas, Kelantan was forcibly made a ward of the state Religious Department. Her parents were denied access to her. Her father filed a habeas corpus petition but for reasons unknown, the Federal Court only commenced hearing of the case after the girl had attained the age of 18 and when she was married off to a Muslim.
The presiding judge, while conceding that the parents had the right to decide for their daughter, said that the hearing was merely an academic exercise since the girl had already passed her 18th year and was already married. When a Buddhist, Hindu or Christian converts to Islam, national security is apparently not threatened. Nor there be need for any consideration be given to the sensitivities of the family and community of the convert. But the reverse process immediately assumes national importance requiring the application of drastic legal and extra-legal measures.
The frantic attempts by Umno and PAS to portray themselves as the only true followers of Islam have made it extremely difficult for non-Muslims so that even innocent displays of affection in public have become gravely sinful, attracting legal penalties. Strange morals govern us for while it is okay for a minister to continue in the cabinet after being tainted by corruption, the hapless couple is deemed to have committed a grossly indecent offence.
Hello Rikki:
A good book which you should read is entitled INFIDELS: A HISTORY OF THE CONFLICT BETWEEN CHRISTENDOM AND ISLAM. The book discusses the history of the different wars fought between Christians and Muslims from the seventh to the twentieth century. I have not read the book, but I have read reviews of the book and they all rate it very highly.
Eric Mudasi: Thanks for the info on what has gone on just down the pike from me (I'm in Taiwan, and there are lots of Indonesian and Malaysian gastarbeiter here)_.
Canuck and Christian :
Many Thanks For Your Info , Much Appreciated.
Rikki