Black populations have been targetted for Da'wa in many Western countries. Islam is presented as a vehicle of protest and as a vehicle of social justice, replacing Marixsm. It is, of course, neither. Rather, it is a belief-system that encourages slavish submission to "Allah" and "Allah knows best," and also legitimates slavery, the institution of slavery.
Why, then, have governments and other institutions shown no interest as yet in a counter-campaign? Why have black ministers not been aided to make the case against Islam? Why have they not been given support by governments or foundations to publicize the history of the Arab slave trade, which began earlier, and ended far later, than the European variety? (That is, it ended later where it ended at all, and that was only because of the efforts of Western powers, the British and French.) That trade was particularly gruesome in that young black males were often the object of such seizure, then castrated on the spot, and only after that taken by slave coffle or dhow to the slave markets of Islam (see "The Hideous Trade" by Jan Hogedoorn).
Arab societies are the most openly racist on earth. One student known to me, who had learned about wonderful Islam at Duke, was surprised and confused and horrified while taking a language class in Cairo -- or was it Damascus? -- to hear stunningly racist remarks, casually delivered. It shook him, but not quite enough, apparently, to shake his Lawrentian (Bruce, not T.E.) faith in Muslim Arabs.
Then there is the matter of Arab supremacism as reflected in the behavior of Arabs toward black Africans today. After the Six-Day War the Arabs simply bribed a few African leaders to cut ties with Israel, and in cutting those ties, the extensive and very successful agricultural aid programs of the Israelis in black Africa were also cut. In Mauritania and Sudan, and possibly Mali, blacks are still enslaved. As for the Sudan, 1.8 million non-Muslim blacks in the southern Sudan have been killed over the past two decades by actions of the Arab Muslim government. And now the same kind of mass-murder has been underway for the past two years in Darfur. This time the victims are not non-Muslim blacks but black African Muslims, naturally regarded as inferior by the Arab Muslims.
And would not the ban on music in Islam also be pertinent in this context? This ban is sometimes very narrowly ignored, but wherever Islam arrives with a vengeance, as with the Taliban or Khomeini or in Saudi Arabia, the role of music diminishes or even disappears.
There is more. But that's a start.
Governments in the Western world should focus on the campaigns of Da'wa. These often merely appeal to the innocence and the resentments of many -- through clever propaganda that has nothing to do with the truth of Islam. That truth, if discovered by the new convert, is usually only found out when one is already in too deep to get out, out of fear, or out of brainwashing, or out of self-brainwashing. And as for that "social justice" business, just look at the distribution of wealth all over the Muslim world. Look at the Al-Saud family in Saudi Arabia, the Al-Thani in Qatar, the Al-Sabah in Kuwait, the Al-Maktoum in the U.A.E., or Khaddafy's rule in Libya, or Mubarak's family-and-friends plan in Egypt, or the Assad dynasty in Syria, or the Hashemites in Jordan and Sherifians in Morocco, or the generals who rule and steal in Algeria, or the zamindars and generals in Pakistan. That should shut everyone up about "social justice" in Islam. So too should the marked contrast between the rich (from oil, of course) Muslim states and the poor ones, with the latter getting what aid they do get from Infidels, not from rich fellow members of the Umma al-Islamiyya.
Governments in the Western world have to recognize that Da'wa is directed at signing up people not so much to save their souls, but to swell the ranks of recruits for the Army of Islam. This is more of a threat to the present and future wellbeing of Infidels and their legal and political institutions, and social arrangements, and freedom of thought and skeptical inquiry and artistic expression, than are these assorted acts of terror on which the Bush Administration insists on putting all of its attention, so stolidly, so blinkeredly, so ineffectively. That is, the Bush Administration's efforts are ineffective if the goal is not merely to put out of commission this or that group of terrorists whose ranks are so easily replenished, but to limit the power and presence, in the West, of the belief-system that engenders permanent hostility to all Infidels and their ways.
Campaigns to counter Da'wa, to immunize Infidels against its sinister and meretricious siren-song, can be developed -- not only to counter Da'wa, but to make Muslims in the West to confront the actual contents of Qur'an and Hadith, and the figure of Muhammad. All that is required is that Infidels themselves learn enough about Islam to discover its essence, and that essence is not the Five Pillars of individual worship, but the division of the universe between Believer and Infidel. There needs to be a constant and public demonstration by Infidels that they know what those texts contain, know what Muhammad said and did (or at least what Muslims are taught, from the Qur'an and from the Hadith given the highest rank for autheniticity by the most authoritative muhaddithin), and are fully aware of what that necessarily means for Infidels. That will force at least some Muslims to limit the amount of taqiyya-and-tu-quoque they engage in, and contradict their pretense that this belief-system can somehow be harmonized with Western freedoms, modes of thought, and institutions. Islam contradicts those freedoms, and works to deny Infidels the worth of their civilizational achievements. Stony fury, not credulity, should meet other kinds of crocodile-tear appeals about "feelings of humiliation" and such crocodile-tear appeals as "Muslims are the New Jews" and othe staples of the "interfaith dialogue" circuit.
This should be in everyone's mind, should be understood, should be easily retrieved, should be made the subject of endless commentaries and conversations.
The nonsense and lies presented by those who deck out Islam for the purposes of Da'wa, should no longer be quietly endured or tolerated. Not anywhere in the Western or Greater Infidel World.
True, true, true. I have known several African-American women who converted to Islam. They claim that they get more respect in Islam. What they call respect, I call permanent second-class citizenship. I do not know Arabic, but I have been told that the Arabic word (obeid) has interchangeable meanings....black person also means slave.
Black ministers in America do not see Islam as the root cause of problems or the woeful treatment blacks receive at the hands of the Muslims. They continue to attack "whitey". Even though slavery ended over one hundred years ago, blacks in America act as if it were still in force. Blacks in America refuse to concede that it is Islam that has really destroyed their lives infinitely more than "whitey".
Black ministers refuse to work with the predominately "white slavemaster" government.
In fact, black ministers often preach with a heavily race oriented sermon.
The problem, as I see it, is that black leaders just do not see the truth about Islam, and the black leaders deny Islam is evil.
Sir,
"Why, then, has the case not been made? Why have black ministers not been aided to make the case against Islam? Why have they not been given support by governments or foundations to publicize the history of Arab slavers, who took far more black Africans and kidnapped and then..."
Because totalitarians, utopianists, and other leftist assorted fascists have been targeting the white-Judeo-Christian Western Civilization for elimination/destruction for nearly a century now (the Eastern world, spawned much by the totalitarianist systems, includes much of what produced the soviet system/philosphies which are directly connected to the leftist world view of today - and have direct ties to radiacalized Islam (i.e. another form of totalitarianism) (e.g. Arafat's "plo" and terrorrism, now enveloping all of dar al islam). And in the USA this goal has transformed into the Lingua Franca of propaganda and main pursuit of the "progressive" . It is also very lucrative to bash Western Civilization and its main progenitors... Entire university departments depend on , thrive and grow from this "enterprise". So stopping this leviathan of anti-Western Civilization mentality -which is now institutionalized and permeates every facet of US society (and what's left of Western Europe (Western Civ is regaining some ground in Eastern Europe) is what needs to be done first (as called for by Mr. Spencer in past...) - together with Mr. Fitzgerald's above suggestion.
Re: "Arab societies are the most openly racist on earth."
That is true. About a year and a half ago, one of my Arab customers was talking to a black American tenant of one of his Multi-Family homes-and he appeared to be friendly to the black fellow. But when the black man was gone, he said to me in a snide-sneering manner, "They are all like children. They are not intelligent." I have encountered such sentiments quite a lot. However, I think (I hope)black folks sense the hidden sentiments.
Hugh: one of your most important pieces.
If only the U.S. Govt. understood psych-ops and counter insurgency and psychology as much as Karl Rove.
One only can hope that someone at Foggy Bottom or elsewhere on our side is listening.
Hugh,
I'd hate to know what they think about the shanty Irish. I'll think about that tomorrow.
Being victimized by "the man" is a lot more lucrative than taking a stand against genuine oppression in faraway islamic lands.
By its own ideological definition and daily practice, Islam is total war, and therefore has to be fought aggressively in every domain of human activity. We have a long way to go to get our citizens and governments to understand, and to accept, this basic fact.
Black people should have nothing whatsoever to do with Islam. Islam was behind the sale of slaves to the slave traders , although this is rarely mentioned in any history lesson . Also , Islam hates all genres of music , and the enormous contribution of black writers and artistes in practically every field of music goes without saying. To see what Islam thinks of coloured music , look up the history of Jazz and Spirituals -hatred in Nazi Germany for a clue as to how similar the Nazi and Muslim worldviews are. There wouldn't be any MOBOs in Muslim nations .
The attraction in Islam to some disaffected blacks is it's very anti-Westernness. Most black converts are from prisons and similar institutions where there is always an undercurrent of sociopathic hatred . Islam practically requires such hatred - witness any Car swarm in any Muslim led nation .
At least one Black Minister in Florida knows what Islam is. He has a sign in front of his church that says:"Islam is evil!" I wonder if he is still alive! I agree!! And I might add that if Islam IS evil,and the Father of all evil is Lucifer, one might wonder just who Allah really is!!!!!
I'm afraid that at present we in the US are hoist with the petard of our modern interpretations of the First Amendment. By this standard, no government entity in the US at any level can take actions that favor Christianity --- no public aiding of the evangelistic or apologetical work of black ministers --- even if national survival depends on it. Even a strict interpretation of the 1st Amendment would arguably prohibit policies that disfavored Islam. This will eventually be hashed out in the courts, I'm sure. If reason prevails, sedition will be reckoned to disqualify a religion from this protection. But we are a long way from such clarity at present.
I am personally of the opinion that counter da'wa will have to emerge from non-governmental entities, as the political leaders of the West are too timid. And it seems to me that the only plausible actors with the motivation and the resources of people and money to do this and who also have a message that might be attractive to people on the margins of Islam are the Christian churches. Will they rise to the challenge? Their own survival may depend on it.
exsgtbrown,
Also keep in mind that it's safer to preach against those who will not have you killed for insulting them
I have always wondered why high school history classes never teach that Swahili was the language of the slave trade, especially the East Africa/Arabian trade.
PC will kill us all.
One very effective thing to do would be to ascertain the candid and disarmed reactions of Muslims to such popular black TV dance shows as Dance 360 and Soul Train. Somehow, get a random sample of 100 Muslims from all walks of life and from different backgrounds (including those who live in America and speak English well and attend, or have attended, college, etc.).
When non-Muslim African-Americans see those Muslim responses and can glean the religious revulsion those Muslims feel at not only the infectious dancing and music of those shows, but (if they respond candidly) the racism lurking beneath that revulsion, those non-Muslim African-Americans will see what kind of a choice Islam forces.
As I wrote yesterday on my blog about this very subject:
"When Muslims in their anti-Western apologetics frequently mention the “moral degeneracy” of America and the West, they never mention blacks, but surely, they must be thinking of them -- or perhaps they are cleverly neglecting to mention them."
http://hesperado.blogspot.com/2006/09/branco-preto-mulato.html
The problem, as I see it, is that black leaders just do not see the truth about Islam, and the black leaders deny Islam is evil.
Posted by: exsgtbrown at September 7, 2006 08:34 AM
Some certainly do, and I know four of them. When I was visiting churches to distribute pamphlets and information about islam, I had the pleasure of meeting over a hundred ministers. The ministers in the black churches were among the most hospitable and helpful, and I was amazed at their knowledge of islam. One elderly black preacher who was especially interested in my project and who helped me enormously, still calls me occasionally, and he asked me to come to his church and give a talk about islam! I'm thinking about it, although my background is in Middle EAstern history and culture. If I stick to quotes from the Qur'an and Hadith and concentrate on islamic cultural traditions, I think I could construct an interesting and accurate presentation. I haven't decided yet. I'll have to psych myself up and get in a creative mood. I know I would have a captive audience, but I wouldn't want to overstep my qualifications. I'm not an expert on islamic theology by any stretch of the imagination, which I have emphasized to the preacher, but he says I know more than his congregation and that's all that matters!
Don't underestimate the black clergy. I imagine their attitudes vary, depending on geographical locations, and I'm in the deep south.