Jihad Watch Board Vice President Hugh Fitzgerald offers a glimpse inside the bizarre world of the Middle East Studies Association:
"The vast majority of people in the Arab world sympathize with al Qaeda only because it champions their issues and speaks their language and it's seemingly effective against their enemies." -- the egregious Shibley Telhami of the Brookings Institution and the University of MarylandA nice example of deception and even possibly self-deception. It is not because it [Al Qaeda] "champions their issues." It is because Al Qaeda speaks the language of Islam, is deeply rooted in the canonical texts of Islam, and cannot be successfully refuted within Islam. Why not? Because it is true to the letter and the spirit of Islam -- to the Qur'an and Sunna, to the example of Muhammad, uswa hasana (Qur’an 33:21). The origins of Islam to justify and promote the Arab conquest of more advanced, richer, more populous tribes and groups of Christians and Jews, the role of Jihad-conquest in spreading Islam, the long record, over 1350 years, of the subjugation of non-Muslims of every kind, always and everywhere forced to endure the status of dhimmi (although sometimes the rigor of this was modified by the gentleness of an individual ruler, such as syncretistic Akbar in India), if permitted to live at all and to avoid forcible conversion -- all of this may have been forgotten in the Western world.
As The Legacy of Jihad (just out, and I can throw away the galleys I had and now read from the beautifully-bound book) demonstrates, Western scholars in the recent past (1880-1970) without exception understood Islam perfectly. But then something happened. A change of personnel, and a change in funding, and a change in world-views. Those experts on Islam died, or retired. They were not replaced by similar experts. The membership of the Middle East Studies Association (MESA Nostra, or MESA for short), for example, in 1970 consisted almost entirely of non-Muslim Americans: Muslims were about 3% of the membership. In 2005 more than half -- over 60% - of MESA Nostra's membership consists of Middle Easterners, Muslim and in most cases, Islamochristians. There are few Maronites, few Chaldeans or Assyrians, few Copts, but many, many Muslims and above all, the kind of Christians -- "Palestinians" -- who have chosen to identify with the Jihad against Israel and with Islam as the embodiment of Arabdom, Uruba. Some of these are smoother than others; after all, they want to be admitted to the corridors of power, to become "experts" who appear on this or that network, to be quoted -- so they learn quickly exactly how far they can go in their defense of Islam and their deflection of attention away from Islam.
The effect of this has been dramatic. It is hardly possible to learn about the main subject that one needs to learn about -- Islam – with any intelligent understanding of North Africa or the Middle East or the world wherever Muslims are now to be found and are aggressively promoting their demands, their Da'wa, their demographic conquest that proceeds, here fast and there slow, of the local Infidels. That is to say, it is hardly possible to get the truth about Islam almost anywhere you might once have expected to find it..
A near-monopoly has been established among academic centers by the army of apologists for Islam. Many, most of them, are themselves Muslims, with that absence of self-criticism, that quickness to defend -- often in the most transparent and absurd ways -- the claims of Islam against all who, having familiarized themselves with the Qur'an, Hadith, and Sira, and with the history of Muslim conquest and treatment of non-Muslims, dare to criticize it. There are the Iranians, who can be divided in two – on the one hand, there is the clownish Hamid Dabashi variety (google "Hamid Dabashi" and "Edward Said" right now -- I never fail to offer this as a surefire way to start your day, and float or row your boat, merrily, merrily, merrily, down the stream of Dabashi's lurid consciousness), who identify totally with the Arabs and Islam. On the other hand there are the Iranians in exile who may have begun to question Islam itself and realized how poisoned a gift the Arabs gave to Sassanian, Zoroastrian, Persia.
Then there are the largely, though not entirely, wacky or slightly off (in some cases) or simply career-minded play-it-very-safe Americans. Some of these are recipients of Arab money, at various academic centers bought-and-paid for by the Saudis and others, holders of Saudi-funded chairs who are not about to bite the hand that not only feeds them, but also holds a dagger. Others are people who simply want to get on with their work in medieval Islamic law, or the history of Islamic astronomy, but do not wish to cause themselves any unpleasantness as they seek tenure, or summer fellowships, or access to manuscripts. They simply wish to be left mostly alone when the hideous administrative assignments are handed out, or do not wish to be odd-man-out among hostile Muslims and their sympathizers. And so they sit silently at those horrible faculty meetings that one can hardly imagine such former teachers as Auden, Frost, Randall Jarrell, John Berryman, or for that matter Erdos, von Neumann, Morgenstern, Hans Bethe, and a few hundred others ever attending or managing to endure.
And let's not even speak of the undergraduates who have no way of knowing what nonsense they are being taught about Islam -- that they may discover afterwards. At this point they only want to regurgitate just the right amount for the desired grade. Then there are the graduate students whose professional advancement depends on being well-pleased pleasers (Joyce, prosti!) of those who rule over them.
I have my own ideas as to where, in this taxonomy, I'd place Shibley Telhami. You?
I'm curious as to why there aren't any Christian universities offering courses such as
"The Politically Incorrect Syllabus to Islam". Maybe Spencer and David Horowitz could team up and begin such a program in these and other non-Dhimmi universities. I'm convinced that MESA is incapable of reforming itself so the impetus for bringing out the truth will have to come from the outside.
Akbar, (the Mughal emperor ruled India in 16th. century) was neither exception to the Islamic rule in a kafir country nor he was great. Tragedy about the Indian history,taught in India,as well abroad, has been written by the people who either had no knowledge of Koran and Sunnah or by the muslims themselves. A non-muslim, trying to decipher the islamic deeds of the past (and present as well)without knowing Koran and Sunnah is like a person who is trying to solve complex mathmetical problem without knowing (zero to nine) digits. History written by muslims themselves is nothing but a deception to present islam as a positive one. Mohammad Jalaluddin was the real name of this tyrranical ruler and he himself awarded with the tittle of AKBAR(The great one).This is laughable that the Indian history books call him "Akbar the Great"(Great-The Grate). The misdeeds of this cruel and tyrranical ruler have been very well documented by Mr.P.N.Oak in his book written on Akbar.
My reference to "syncretistic Akbar" is one I am willing to withdraw if more information can be supplied. He did suspend the payment of the jizyah. Ibn Warraq, who is a little closer to the theme, and not exactly a friend of Islam, does not share this grim view of Akbar, and has told me so. But I am certainly willing to believe that I might have erred, and that if I did so, it would necessarily have been in undrestimating the oppressive nature even of Akbar's rule, not in overestimating it.
So give me time to look into it.
The more one studies, and then attempts to limn, the history of Islamic rule, the more one keeps discovering the need to add dark colors to the original palette. I'm heading out to the art-supplies store right now, and will be back in a New York minute.
I work at a large financial company in NYC. We are lots of Indians at our company, many of whom are friends of mine. While we don't discuss politics a lot, on a few occasions they have told me or indicated how much they hate the Moslems. One of them, this guy is very highly educated, told me that he loathed the memory of Gandhi and he was glad he was killed. Why?, I asked. Because he wanted to make peace with Moslems. And don't forget that nationalistic Hindu party is committed to destroying mosques (something we should emulate here).
An online version of P.N. Oak's Initial Muslim Invasions... can be found online here.
One chapter devoted to Akbar can be found here.
The more I learn about Bush's learning curve and the instructors along the way - Armstrong, Esposito, Forte - the more disillusioned I become with our government's ability to understand the threat.
The power of money, when targeted well, is truly astounding. MESA is testimony to that. Ironic isn't it, we pay jizya money to the Muslims in hundreds of ways (religious preference quotas, immigration preference, 'aid' to those who hate us and want to destroy us in the billions) and they spend their money to control our 'intellectual' institutes and achieve complete corruption and capitulation of ethics. They control the mosques, spewing hatred of America right at our front door. But what do we get for our money? Muslims who immigrate to America now working to destroy us, Muslims cheering when infidels are killed, huge amounts of the Middle East jizya stolen - you think that happens to the Saudi's money at our universities? Didn't think so.
This administration needs to smarten up quick but Bush, with his politically correct blinders and golden rule 'all religions are good', I am not optimistic.
John Sobieski, PI
The Pedestrian Infidel Blog`
Will Durant was quite generous in his portrayal of Akbar. Of course, Durant was also quite generous in his portrayal of Muhammad, so one must imbue with a degree of skepticism the portraits painted by the great historian.
Akbar was hated by the mullahs for his elevation of Hindus to equality before the law. He literally tried to create a new, universal faith that embraced the traditions of both Islam and Hinduism (and if memory serves, other faiths as well). His efforts failed to survive him.
I look at his reign within a historical context; he was certainly more tolerant than his all of his predecessors and his successors. Acknowledging as much isn't a carte blanch validation.
Muslims will take dark umber, er, dark umbrage at the notion that someone here would denigrate or criticize one of their "great" rulers -- There is a never ending parade of imperial Islamic figures held up as paragons of virtue, tolerance and open-mindedness -- yet upon closere examination the sine qua non of every Islamic imperium throughout history is the subjugation of the non-Muslim, and the abrogation of the non-Muslim's rights. Forget about the deplorable rights of Muslims under Muslim rulers -- I have little sympathy for people who embrace a fascist ideology and then belly-ache about living under the iron fist of that ideology -- My concern is for the ones who never signed up for Islam's supremacy over them -- This AXIOMATIC aspect of the Islamic creed, that Islam MUST be supreme above all other religions and all other legal systems IS THE NUB OF THE MATTER.
Islam is a supremacist ideology, as well as a mystical uptopian ideology -- an EXTREMELY poisonous brew -- the worst, in fact.
Unconcerned with worldly justifications, Muslims demand no proof of Islam's worthiness to rule over all -- the justification for it's existence is a mystical document (Koran) purportedly the world of God handed down to man as the end-all guide to better living... Despite the 1400 year record of failure, violence and backwardness, with brief exceptions to the rule -- Muslims continue to put Islam forward as the answer to all man's woes -- When confronting the ugly truth in the mirror about Islam's utter failures to meet mankinds true needs and desires (both spiritual and worldly) Islam has developed the most effective escape clause in human history. Blame the other guy, and kill the critics.
For the sake of humanity ISLAM has GOT TO GO. I believe any gestures by non-Muslims to help Muslims, to accommodate Muslims, to benefit Muslims, to encourage Muslims in ANY WAY are simply foolish at best and suicidal at worst. They will bite your hand now, or bite your hand later, but bite your hand they will -- they will -- they will.
Brilliant Hugh, absolutely brilliant.
After reading the chapter on Akbar by P.N. Oak, I'm disappointed in Oak's style and tone of historiography. He does not comport himself to the rigors of modern Western historiography in its strict maintenance of objectivity, but frequently descends to silly emotionalism and luridly tendentious conjecture. Some bright history student now needs to give Oak a shave and a haircut and a sober Western suit & tie, and re-present him to Western audiences.
Of topic - but this is news to all Aussie's out there, especially in light of the recent Bali Bombings. Bashir get support from Islamic party to cut his sentence even further. So much for democracy, Islam and tolerance....
/photos/img/feeds/abc/international/20051009/15/r55694_151758/photos/img/feeds/abc/international/20051009/15/r55694_151758Muslim party backs sentence cut for cleric Bashir
© ABC 2005
More Photos
http://www.optusnet.com.au/news/story/abc/20051009/15/international/1477940.inp
Muslim party backs sentence cut for cleric Bashir
2:18 PM October 9
An Indonesian Islamic party has expressed support for a cut in the prison sentence of convicted 2002 Bali bombing conspirator Abu Bakar Bashir despite protests by Australia, a report said today.
Under a presidential decree all well-behaved prisoners are eligible for two annual sentence cuts, one to mark Independence Day and another to mark the main Islamic religious holiday later this year.
"From early on, the trial process against Abu Bakar Bashir has given rise to many doubts," Prosperous Justice Party secretary general Anis Matta was quoted by the state Antara news agency as saying on Saturday.
Bashir, 67, is accused by some foreign governments of being the spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiah, which is blamed for the 2002 Bali blasts and a string of other attacks including the October 1 Bali bombs.
document.write(''); http://clk.atdmt.com/MAU/go/msnnkaus001300x250X843aus0000017mau/direct;wi.300;hi.250/01/
On August 17 Bashir's 30-month sentence was cut by more than four months to mark Independence Day, triggering anger in Australia, which lost 88 people in the October 2002 Bali nightclub bombings that killed a total of 202.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard warned Thursday that any further sentence reduction would cause "deep and lasting anger" in his country.
Mr Matta said remission should be granted, if only on humanitarian grounds.
"Bashir is an old vulnerable man and therefore on humanitarian grounds we agree with the Government's plan to accord him a sentence reduction," he said.
Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda said on Friday the Government was reviewing the decree granting automatic remission to prisoners. But it had no plans to cancel further remissions for Bashir and other militants pending the review.
The Prosperous Justice Party is becoming increasingly popular, especially among urban Muslims.
Although a newcomer in the 2004 parliamentary elections, it finished first in Jakarta with 24 per cent of the vote.
-AFP
Source: AFP
More International news
And Corby gets 20 years for smuggling a bit of weed that killed no one.....
In other slightly off-topic news of interest to Australians the delightful Sheik Khalid Yasin is planning to start his Islamic Broadcasting Service in Australia, so sayeth Channel Nine's "Sunday" Programme.
http://sunday.ninemsn.com.au/sunday/cover_stories/article_1883.asp
There's a full transcript of the story there. To give you the highlights, this guy found Allah some years back and his since found numerous false qualifications and broadcasting facilities that don't actually exist. He's into the usual stuff - 9/11 conspiracy theories, urges to "understand" suicide bombers - but he's a slick, African-American ex-con who does very well with his target deomgraphic of angry ethnic young people.
The folks he's working with over here, in Australia's various Muslim organizations don't seem to be too concerned with the lengthy trail of b*llsh*t this guy seems to leave trailing behind him whereever he goes and even sound like they're keen to work with him on this project of an Islamic broadcasting service in Australia.
Read all about it, Australia, this is just what we didn't need right now. Let's hope if this station goes ahead it will be candid enough to show Australians on a larger scale just what Islam is all about.
Absolutely maddening. Abolish that channel before it goes on air. Who knows how many nutcases will be inspired to blow up the Oprah cos of it.
"Bashir is an old vulnerable man..." an old rattle-snake is still full of poison, or is it not?
And thanks, Razorskar, for the link, you beat me to it:
I was looking for it. Here is the transcript:
http://sunday.ninemsn.com.au/sunday/cover_stories/transcript_1883.asp
Tushar Saxena: "Abolish that channel before it goes on air..."
Read the transcript!
The creep is a total fraud! He rips off people left and right, claims he has qualifications that he never had, he's just a typical BS-artist!
He needs to get a solid kick in his cojones to get him out of Australia!