In a recent Jihad Watch post, Robert Spencer dealt lucidly with the treatment of women, adducing the unambiguous Qur'anic texts, explaining the hierarchy of both muhaddithin and of the hadith assigned rankings of authenticity by those same muhaddithin (and keeping in mind that Qur'anic passages cannot be trumped by hadith). In doing so, he offered exactly the resource needed for those who are tongue-tied, or not quite able to come back when, as talk show hosts or as guests, they are forced to endure the nonsense of some apologist for Islam.
Those apologists include the greedy Esposito; some pseudo-fighters-for-women's-rights in Islam who keep telling us that the "problem is entirely cultural" and "has nothing to do with Islam" (Fatima Mernissi and Leila Ahmad in their recent much more defensive incarnations, Sherin Ebadi who is not quite the heroine to Iranians in free-throated exile that one might have been led to believe); and the plummy-voiced Akbar Ahmed, who prides himself on his own "moderation" but who is objectively furthering the Jihad when he utters nonsense about Islam. He once denied flatly that Ibn Khaldun ever mentioned Jihad until presented with the clear text from Ibn Khaldun mentioning Jihad -- not what one should expect from the "Ibn Khaldun Professor" at American University.
Ahmed is objectively furthering the Jihad even more when he takes his "American students" on "field trips" to Pakistan. Once there he puts on a great show for them, taking them to a mosque, ostentatiously demanding that they be treated well, for they are "guests" and so on. The American students, already entranced with his way with words, fall for this hook, line, and sinker. He can now tell them that Islam is whatever he says it is and those innocent students will believe him -- a nice example of Daniel Pipes's bizarre attempt to hold out hope by telling us that "Islam is whatever Muslims say it is," instead of what the Qur'an and Hadith say it is.
A few more such handy guides such as that provided by Spencer here are needed: on the permanent duty and definition of Jihad, on the treatment of non-Muslims when first encountered, and then after they are conquered, and another few topics. Then every talk show host and every Op/Ed editor will be mentally prepared to take on those apologists. And so will, eventually, even the slow and dimwitted among our rulers, who will have to stop uttering hopeful banalities or pretending that Islam is something it isn't, as if we could wish away a grim reality.
Print out the one Spencer wrote here. Put it in your wallet. The next time you hear on the radio some apologist being unchallenged on this very point, call up -- and read him Sura and ayat. Have those hadith ready. Then make a general point, about the army of apologists attempting to mislead all of us.
And have such texts ready when you call your newspaper's ombudsman, to complain about the nth appearance of some apologetic nonsense. Or use those passages in your own Letter to the Editor, and to letters written by a dozen others you know. Force the lies to stop, or at least force the torrent of lies to be reduced to a rivulet.
And make sure that you manage to get the conversation around to Islam at every gathering, every party, every alumni reunion, every informal meeting -- it isn't hard once you practice. Explain that you've been reading steadily about the subject, and then raise one or two or three points, even giving when appropriate the relevant passages. Some may put up initial resistance, but not for long when it is clear what you know and what they don't know. You will now be arguing not to win over the unwinnable, but for the other audience, that of the curious onlookers and eavesdroppers whose minds are not made up, and are willing to consider the evidence.
And if, in addition, you can link the true nature and menace of Islam to the need to remove our troops from Iraq so that the ethnic and sectarian divisions within Islam can take their natural course, you will find an enthusiastic response among all kinds of people who never thought of things that way, and are sick of Iraq and the squandering, and sick of leaders who repeat meaningless phrases and do not know where to put their feet and hands.
If islam can't correct "cultural problems," then what kind of "solution for mankind's problems" is it? A worthless yet oppressive one, apparently,
Ahmed is objectively furthering the Jihad even more when he takes his "American students" on "field trips" to Pakistan. Once there he puts on a great show for them, taking them to a mosque, ostentatiously demanding that they be treated well, for they are "guests" and so on. The American students, already entranced with his way with words, fall for this hook, line, and sinker.
There it is-evil Islamaniacs imitating the evil commies of Cuba and North Korea. No wonder these two philosophies of death and destruction get along so well. They are two sides of the same filthy coin.
I spread the word as much as I can, but the people I work with are all clueless to the fact that there is a problem in the world. I work at a hotel, and I try to start a conversation when guests are within earshot of us, just to try and get them thinking. Every morning when I arrive to work I print off at least 2 articles of Islamic violence and leave them in the conference/breakfast room. Sure enough I see a guest leaving with some reading material each day, not once have I found them in the trash. Today a guest asked me if I knew who left the article on the table, I told him I did, he thanked me for spreading the word and that he was going to start doing the same at his office. I know it's not much, but I try to do my part.
Thank you to Robert, Hugh and everyone who works so hard to make this such an excellent resource.
I will print that article and familiarize myself with it so that I can do as you suggest and use the information to counter some of the stupid statements I hear repeatedly in the media.
Karim Agha Khan, leader of the Ishmaelites and a direct descendant of the profit Mohammed , puts lipstick on this pig called Islam:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,442180,00.html
Surely Hugh Fitzgerald would like to re-conduct or re-construct this interview..?
Please note the apologies of the (incompetent) Spiegel-shill and how Agha Khan weasels around the issues!
Authorities in Tunisia are cracking down on the veil:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/2/hi/africa/6053380.stm
"You would think that an educated person in the 21st century should know something about Islam; but you look at education in the Western world and you see that Islamic civilizations have been absent. What is taught about Islam? As far as I know -- nothing. What was known about Shiism before the Iranian revolution? What was known about the radical Sunni Wahhabism before the rise of the Taliban? We need a big educational effort to overcome this."
-- from the Aga Khan, to whose interview in Der Spiegel a link is given by a poster above
He is right, but not in the way he would like us to believe. For when he adds that "[r]ather than shouting at each other, we should be learning to listen to each other. In the way we used to do it, by working together, with mutual give-and-take. Together we brought about some of the highest achievements of human civilization. There is a lot to build on. But I think you cannot build on ignorance." he is showing that the kind of rectification of "ignorance" he means is not replacement of "ignorance" by knowledge of the doctrine and practice of Islam, but rather a sanitized version that will continue to prevent the non-Muslims of this world to fully grasp the promptings, the tenets, the varied instruments, the full menace of Jihad.
In saying what he says, even the leader of the Ismailis shows himself to be, objectively, a promoter of continued ignorance -- a more dangerous ignorance because those who "find out about Islam" the way he has in mind would replace current ignorance not with grim home truths but with nonsense and lies, and so be in an even worse position, even more exposed and vulnerable to those who do not wish those non-Muslims -- any of them -- well. And in promoting that kind of ignorance, the Aga Khan is, objectively, a promoter of Jihad.
He should be made aware of this. He should not be left off the hook. He should be forced to quote or to explain chapter and verse from the Qur'an, and the Hadith, and asked further to explain away, if he can, Muhammad as uswa hasana, al-insan al-kamil. These attractive, suave, westernized dissimulators are the most dangerous of all, dangerous whether they know they are misrepresenting Islam, or whether they don't quite know, because they cannot for one minute allow themselves to see Islam as it is received by hundreds of millions of un-suave, un-westernized, thoroughly primitive Believers.
Quoting the Quran is useless. Here's why:
1) You don't understand Arabic.
2) You're not a Muslim.
3) You're taking it out of context.
4) You don't understand the complex cultural and historical background of the verse you're quoting.
5) That verse isn't really followed by anyone.
6) The Bible has stuff like that too.
7) The Crusades.
8) You're a racist.
9) ZIONIST!
10) I will kill you!!!11111
This list also illustrates how an apologist's mental health gradually disintegrates during the course of the debate, eventually resulting in loss of cognitive functions.
The uber-liberal doesn't believe he/she will ever have to wake up to the reality of their adopted multicultural/no actual culture, and when the harsh truth has them on their knees, just before the sword strikes... there last words, that pitiful moan of the victim they aspired to be,"we never knew".
Exactly right trans-parere; They just don't believe that THEY will ever live under Islamic Domination. And maybe they're right, but their children and grandchildren may not be so lucky.
So because it doesn't affect them directly they can afford to be studiously indifferent to the threat.
Imagine if these same liberal/left elites were presented with absolute proof that they would be among the next 1,000 innocent civilian victims murdered in cold blood by militant Muslims. Can you imagine how they would be galvanized into action!
Can you imagine the tsunami of activism, persuasion, and almost superhuman effort that would burst forth from them in the form of critical editorials, special investigative reports, volumes of books, 'Why We Fight' type documentaries, 'provocative' artwork (including cartoons!), and direct action in the form of marches, speeches, rallies, 'civil' disobedience, demands to curtail immigration, and all other tools available to identify, confront, and defeat the enemy (yes, they would finally be called "enemies").
It boggles the mind but it would happen. Right now they know that militant Islam 'happens' here and there around the world. But give them the absolute certainty that THEY themselves are in grave, imminent danger and watch the transformation. Too bad it's just hypothetical.
Oh, they're on the list all right, but nothing urgent, no imminent threat they can feel yet.
Yet...
Qur’an 9:3 “Allah is not bound by any contract or treaty with non-Muslims, nor is His Apostle.”
THIS IS ALWAYS A GOOD ONE?
NOTHING LIKE DID YOU THEIR BOOK SAYS THEN TALK ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE
Qur’an 87:10 “He who fears will mind.”
ANOTHER GOOD ONE
Qur’an 9:53 “Say: ‘Pay your contribution for the Cause willingly or unwillingly.’”
ANOTHER GOOD ONE THE DIMMI TAX OH BUT THAT DON'T WORK FOR EUROPEANS?
Qur’an 8:59 “The infidels should not think that they can get away from us. Prepare against them whatever arms and weaponry you can muster so that you may terrorize them.”
THIS IS ANOTHER GOOD ONE
Qur’an 33:60 “Truly, if the Hypocrites stir up sedition, if the agitators in the City do not desist, We shall urge you to go against them and set you over them. They shall have a curse on them. Whenever they are found, they shall be seized and slain without mercy—a fierce slaughter—murdered, a horrible murdering.”
GUESS THEY FORGOT TO TELL YOU THIS ONE??
Qur’an 5:51 “Believers, take not Jews and Christians for your friends.”
NOW THIS ONE IS VERY CLEAR AND THEY RUN FOR COVER EVERY TIME ON THIS ONE
Hugh
You know most talk show host's will not touch this because they are real cowards for them it is easier to follow then to put themselves in danger so they spread the lies
as for Iraq you are thinking tactis not straigy and also from the American point of view we have engery it is the Europeans who will be the slaves and china?
Will china become a slave to the mulsum now they think they can control pandoras box but we all know that is not possable
Part of the American Tribe
Squirrel Hunter
Spider Killer
GOD BLESS THE USA AND HER FIGHTING FORCES AND ALL WHO FIGHT WITH HER GIVE THEM THE COURAGE TO STAND TOGETHER TO DESTROY ALL ISLAMIC TERRORIST AND ALL WHO SUPPORT THEM AMEN