At FrontPage this morning I discuss the spectacle of a Khomeini supporter giving a prayer in the Texas State Senate (news links in the original):
Everyone loves moderate Muslims, but no one is quite sure how to identify them. Unfortunately, some of those who claim to be moderates have turned out not to be: as one police official in Southern California said a few years back, “We’ll come back from a Kumbayah meeting with a local mosque and realize that these guys who just agreed to help us are in our terror files!” And Fawaz Damra, the former imam of the largest mosque in Cleveland, Ohio, was a signer of the Fiqh Council of North America’s condemnation of terrorism – not very long before he was ordered deported for his ties to terror groups. These days many politicians seem to be having trouble identifying moderates, for recently two Muslim leaders have been showcased who appear to be anything but moderate – underscoring the need in these days of the global resurgence of Islamic terrorism for our public officials to have a much more comprehensive understanding of Islam than most have today.First was Imam Husham Al-Husainy, who prayed against “oppression and occupation” at a Democratic National Committee winter meeting. And now Imam Yusuf Kavakci of the Dallas Central Mosque has offered a prayer very similar to Al-Husainy’s in the Texas State Senate. Kavakci was there at the invitation of Republican State Senator Florence Shapiro, the senior Jewish member of the State Senate. Kavakci first told the assembly: “We will pray by reading from first chapter, opening chapter, Al-Fatiha, from holy Quran, followed by recitation, traditional way of recitation of text from holy Quran, with an addition.” Then he recited the Fatiha, which is the most common prayer in Islam: “In the name of god, Allah, the beneficent, the merciful. All praise is for Allah, our lord, the lord of the worlds, the compassionate, the merciful, master of the day of judgments. Oh, god, Allah, you alone we worship, and you alone we call on for help. Oh, Allah, guide us to the straight path, the path of those whom you have favored, not of those who have earned your wrath or of those who have lost the way.” And he added: “Our lord, have mercy on us from yourself and guide us in our efforts, strivings, and works.”
The traditional Islamic understanding of this is that the “straight path” is Islam -- cf. Islamic apologist John Esposito’s book Islam: The Straight Path. The path of those who have earned Allah’s anger are the Jews, and those who have gone astray are the Christians. The classic Qur’anic commentator Ibn Kathir explains:Allah asserted that the two paths He described here are both misguided when He repeated the negation ‘not’. These two paths are the paths of the Christians and Jews, a fact that the believer should beware of so that he avoids them. The path of the believers is knowledge of the truth and abiding by it. In comparison, the Jews abandoned practicing the religion, while the Christians lost the true knowledge. This is why `anger’ descended upon the Jews, while being described as `led astray’ is more appropriate of the Christians. Those who know, but avoid implementing the truth, deserve the anger, unlike those who are ignorant. The Christians want to seek the true knowledge, but are unable to find it because they did not seek it from its proper resources.This is why they were led astray. We should also mention that both the Christians and the Jews have earned the anger and are led astray, but the anger is one of the attributes more particular of the Jews. Allah said about the Jews,
Those (Jews) who incurred the curse of Allah and His wrath (5:60).
The attribute that the Christians deserve most is that of being led astray, just as Allah said about them,
Who went astray before and who misled many, and strayed (themselves) from the right path (5:77).
It isn’t just Ibn Kathir. Most Muslim commentators believe that the Jews are those who have earned Allah’s wrath and the Christians are those who have gone astray. This is the view of Tabari, Zamakhshari, the Tafsir al-Jalalayn, the Tanwir al-Miqbas min Tafsir Ibn Abbas, and Ibn Arabi, as well as Ibn Kathir. One contrasting, but not majority view, is that of Nisaburi, who says that “those who have incurred Allah’s wrath are the people of negligence, and those who have gone astray are the people of immoderation.”
Thus it is likely that Kavakci was leading the Texas State Senate in a prayer that they become Muslims, and not remain Christians or Jews. Moreover, in December 2004, Kavakci belied his reputation as a moderate by speaking at a conference in Dallas, “A Tribute to the Great Islamic Visionary” – the Ayatollah Khomeini. Did State Senator Florence Shapiro or any of the other Senators know this? If not, why did they think it unimportant to check into his background? If so, do they not realize the implications of allowing someone who believes Khomeini to be a “great Islamic visionary” to address them? Did anyone ask Kavakci what he thought of Khomeini’s famous statement that “Islam makes it incumbent on all adult males, provided they are not disabled or incapacitated, to prepare themselves for the conquest of countries so that the writ of Islam is obeyed in every country in the world....But those who study Islamic Holy War will understand why Islam wants to conquer the whole world”? Did they even know or care that Khomeini ever made such a statement?
Khomeini also rebuked the Islam-is-a-religion-of-peace crowd: “Those who know nothing of Islam pretend that Islam counsels against war. Those [who say this] are witless. Islam says: Kill all the unbelievers just as they would kill you all! Does this mean that Muslims should sit back until they are devoured by [the unbelievers]? Islam says: Kill them, put them to the sword and scatter [their armies]….Islam says: Whatever good there is exists thanks to the sword and in the shadow of the sword! People cannot be made obedient except with the sword! The sword is the key to Paradise, which can be opened only for the Holy Warriors! There are hundreds of other [Qur’anic] psalms and Hadiths [sayings of the Prophet] urging Muslims to value war and to fight. Does all this mean that Islam is a religion that prevents men from waging war? I spit upon those foolish souls who make such a claim.”
Does Kavakci also spit upon those foolish souls? Does he approve of the state of war that the Islamic Republic of Iran has maintained against the United States since the earliest days of the Khomeini regime?
Instead of finding answers to such questions, Florence Shapiro and other State Senators listened to Kavakci’s prayer that they abandon their ancestral faiths and congratulated themselves on their tolerance. Before claims of moderation are simply taken at face value, those who are working with them owe it to the people they are serving to exercise at least some diligence in checking the background of those whom they’re dealing with. Otherwise they might ultimately find themselves whistling “Kumbaya” past the graveyard. Would the Texas State Senate have asked a Nazi chaplain to give an invocation for them in 1942?
In 1942: no they probably would not have ask a Nazi Chaplin to give an invocation simply because America knew clearly who its enemy was and had declared war on Nazi Germany by that time. This situation is sadly much different because most of the ‘useful idiots’ who are our ‘leaders’ have not even identified the who our real enemy is – islam!
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From the article above:
This is curious. Did this police officer attend the 'kumbayah' meeting while on duty? If so, didn't it occur to this officer to check on the names included on the bulletin or invitation prior to attending? It's a good sign that this officer decided to explore the identities of 'these guys' after the 'kumbaya' meeting, but one wonders what specifically triggered this officer's curiosity. Did something appear to contradict the 'kumbaya' essence of this meeting? Was it something 'these guys' said or didn't say?
Did this officer attend any sensitivity training prior to - or since - this 'kumbaya'
meeting. Did any sensitivity training predispose this officer to an opinion different from any opinion held without such sensitivity training?
***
The level of intentional ignorance on Shapiro's part is utterly shameful and alarming.
***
"do they not realize the implications of allowing someone who believes Khomeini"
Most likely these folks don't even know who Khomeini was. probably think it's a Iranian for ChowMein.
...the next time a Muslim cleric gives a prayer before a major of assembly of American politicians....all in attendence should be required to wear a burka....then just before the prayer is to begin , an announcement should be made that there is a report of a suicide bomber in the room...the suicide bomber is reported to be wearing a burka....
This proves some people never learn, and with all this information at your finger tips, they still are very ignorant. l some of us have had arguments over th approach to get rid of this menance, but most of us after being educated understand the enemy. what does it take to really educate these people,, a few are from my family, and very liberal..so called..educated people.
Well it's no wonder this kind of thing is allowed to go on in this country! My son is a junior at a major midwestern university, majoring in Religious History and one of his courses this semester is Islam in Iran. I will quote from one of his textbooks, "An Introduction to SHI'I Islam" by Moojan Momen, from the 1st chapter, The Life of Muhammad and the Early History of Islam:
(Abdullah ought to love this!)
..."As to Muhammad's personal life, he led a simple existence. Although by the end of his life he was a powerful and rich ruler, he contented himself with plain clothing, simple food and austere surroundings. His judgement was renowned both in dealing with his adversaries and in settling disputes between individuals and clans. In his political dealings he never used force where negotiations would suffice nor did he initiate aggression but only moved against those who had already demonstrated their hostile intentions. He was a gentle man, to whom the sight of human suffering caused sorrow and pain and he would grieve if ever his followers went beyond what was immediately necessary in the process of fighting and killing. The few executions that were carried out on his orders were of men who had continually striven to undermine his position over a long period of time despite many warnings or who had professed Islam and then betrayed their fellow believers. To other enemies he was often magnanimous in victory to such an extent that his own followers sometimes complained that he treated his enemies better than he treated his followers.
The fact that Muhammad took more than a dozen wives has at times occasioned critical comment in the West. But a number of facts should be realised in connnection with this. Muhammad at first took only one wife, Khadija, and he was happy with her and took no other wife until she died after twenty-five years of marriage. Muhammad himself was fifty years of age by this time. It should not be imagined that Muhammad's later marriages were out of sexual desire. They were contracted mostly for political or humanitarian reasons. These later wives were either widows of followers of his who had been killed in battle and had been left without a protector, or they belonged to important families or clans whom it was necessary to honour in order to strengthen alliances. Many were of advanced years and only one had not been married previously - A'isha, the daughter of his close companion, Abu Bakr, whom the Prophet wished to honour. Indeed, that his later marriages were not due to a voluptuous nature is indicated by the fact that although his first wife, Khadija, bore a total of eight children, only one more child was born to Muhammad after Khadija's death..."
This is the kind of drivel our young people are being taught in our "elite" universities...read it and weep for the future.
Texans better start saying their prayers...
The public will never acknowledge that a non-white, non-Christian culture can EVER be the enemy. It goes against everything our school system, our media, and even our parents have taught us. Nowhere in any of our education, from grade 1 to PHd, has any class ever been taught that evil has ever come from non-Christian, non-whites. The only time evil has been acknowledged, it has always been the white man, Christians, and specifically, certain Germans.
There has never been an exception to this rule for the past 60 years. Not once. In fact, any exception to this rule would be quickly put down.
So here we are in 2007 trying to tell our western society that there is a culture and religion, whish is neither western, nor Christian, which is a menace. It just does not fly. People are so programmed to reject such a notion, that they can't come to grips with it. So they purport that it must be some other cause, some other dynamic at work. It is like trying to tell people that the plant sitting in the corner is really a sentient entity from outer space and is out to take over our bodies and take over the planet. People just won't have it. Sure, there is poison ivy, but that is easily dealt with. But a plant from outer space that takes over your body? Only an irrational herbaphobe could entertain such notions.
That is why the message does not penetrate. Even after all the news about islam, the message does not penetrate. We talk about how more and more people get the message, but they are a microscopic fraction of the population. The fact is, we all know people in our own families, who still today categorically reject any such idea that the white, western world can EVER be endangered by some unshaven, ethnic arabs wearing sandals and white robes, hailing from some hot, poor country, brandishing a comical string of unpronouncable vowels for names. It just does not compute in the western mind. The western world pities the third world, they way we pity a vagrant under the overpass - we have never feared them. Even after 9/11 - it does not compute that this vagrant is a threat, much less a fundamental threat. They could blow up NYC, and it still would not sink in.
The only time people seem to object is when it interferes with their cab rides, or their bacon purchases. Other than that, the western mind pays no heed to the muslim presence. People just don't think about it. They may think about terrorism, but they do not think about islam.
The solution: There is no solution.
If a poll was taken tomorrow, asking Americans, Canadians, and Europeans, if islam, and the vessels of islam, muslims, are an existential threat to civilization, the poll results would be overwhelmingly NO. Probably 90%
There is a disconnect between islam and the threat that it represents. Terrorism is the boogey man. But islam is viewed as innocous as the pitiful vagrant camping out under the overpass, or the plant sitting quietly in the corner.
Ever seen a zombie movie? I love zombie movies. In a zombie movie, the folks don't get it until the corpses are actually running after them, drooling, and groaning. Then it hits them. These zombies are really after us. Until then, nothing happens. So I believe before the bulk of western civilization wakes up to the threat, we will literally have to have millions of muslims, drooling and groaning, clawing at our doors and windows, trying to get in to eat our brains.
"Would the Texas State Senate have asked a Nazi chaplain to give an invocation for them in 1942?"
"In 1942: no they probably would not have ask a Nazi Chaplin to give an invocation simply because America knew clearly who its enemy was and had declared war on Nazi Germany by that time."
How about in 1936?
Write to Shapiro. Ask her to step down from her senate seat. Ignorance has a price.
From another post ...
Here is her contact page,
if you write her, be polite.
http://www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/senate/members/dist8/dist8.htm#form
Posted by: interestinconundrum
mepeteart stated:
Your statement is a subject discussed at HotAir.com featured in today's VENT video . . .at this link.
"...the path of those whom you have favored, not of those who have earned your wrath or of those who have lost the way."
Didn't it occur to anyone to inquire to whom these words referred? Did they think that "those who earned your wrath" is just a long-winded phrase for generic "sinners??"" There are none so blind as those who will not see.
I know a lot of people here will scoff at the idea of supernatural influence, but the Bible is replete with examples of just that.
The "blessing" of an imam is giving power to those in the not-so-heavenlies. What a disgrace. What ignorance.
It's like a "Hogan's Heros" re-run; this time the Hogan's are the immams, Colonal Klink is buch, and Sgt. Schultz includes a cast of characters such as pelosi, shapiro, etc.
Unfortuantely, this is not a sit-com and the audience won't be dying of laughter in the isles; they'll just be dying.
jihadwatcher,
I agree 100% with your articulation of our main problem. Some regular readers here at Jihad Watch may be familiar with my frequent exposition of this (though I rarely get the sense that they understand exactly what I'm talking about).
At any rate, you might be interested to take a look at a couple of essays from my blog about this precise issue -- of the mainstream and systemic paradigm in the modern West that prevents most of us from properly assimilating the mountain of data out there that, under normal circumstances, would reasonably convince a normal person of the pernicious danger of Islam:
PC Multiculturalism and Non-Western Cultures:
http://hesperado.blogspot.com/2006/08/pc-multiculturalism-and-non-western_18.html
Our #1 Problem (the third part of this 4-part essay directly addresses your points):
http://hesperado.blogspot.com/2007/02/our-1-problem.html
Prayers for the enemy? Exactly Mr. Spencer, but not the way you are looking at this.
I wrote an entire policy paper on this subject over a year ago, but none of the "christian" internet blow hards would even touch it.
The point of the fact was this:
allah is a moon god diety of the demonic order along with the sun god and fertility goddess which all come from the Babylonian Mystery Religion.
The moon is a natural force familiar and when combined with the dark force familiar of a demonic entity it creates a super charged force of consuming energy in order to bring about the prayers of all those Muslims invoking it every day.
These demons operating in the Middle East are of the principality order now and as you can see the manifestation very destructive in requiring payment for what they are being unleashed to do.
If Christians would daily invoke Jesus Name in prayers binding and paralyzing the power of allah the moon god and turn the violence back upon the people praying for things invoking this demon's name, the Angelic army of God would take care of most of this problem.
For the fact, President Bush and our country only got into trouble when after the defeat of Saddam that they took credit for it in the military and not giving it to Jesus in Lord of the battle.
No one wants to hear this, but Christians if sincere would pray in the Authority given instead of the nonsense of peace (there is not going to be peace until Christ returns and lays down the Law), this situation would be remedied by God.
We should indeed pray for our enemies and it is wonderful when a Muslim shows up in a Texas Congress and curses God's own people. God makes record of it and will repay.
The reason Islam does not win in wars is because as an Iraqi woman noted, "The American God is the one I want to follow, because He wins".
allah is not God and is not the final hand in this. Christians should pray correctly and God will in startling order fix this so quickly it will astound people.
If it wasn't for all the baggage of Guilt PC multiculturalism has generated. Iraq and Iran would only be selling Glass by now. If there was anyone left to cut it from the ground.
I believe there is another problem here. Once again, it's about "equivalence" when, in fact, there is no "equivalence." If someone claims to have a PhD from Al-Azhar's in Egypt -- is that equivalent to a western-educated PhD? I don't think so.
I believe there needs to be some sort of re-designation of "PhDs" -- there are scholars and then there are "religious" "scholars." Ditto for those who claim to be "law professors." There's a difference between a western educated law prof and a Sharia law "expert." The two are not synonymous, although I've seeing an increasing tendency to equate the two.
I'm also seeing (here in Canada) an increasing willingness to have Islamic "education" (that is people with phd's who are adamant believers in Buraq's, Night trips to Jerusalem, imprints left in rocks by magical creatures, etc, etc., and whose biggest claim to fame is "da'wa" or the ability to spread Islam) and having this bogus form of "education" become equivalent to having obtained a western-style education. This will spell the end of institutions such as the University of Toronto. U of T keeps encouraging this -- "let's get back to the 7th Century!" as if it were "progress." (take a look at the kinds of "studies" being done in Islamic "graduate" classes). Seeing Canadian universities becoming mimics of al-Azhar at Cairo or Islamic theological seminaries is not "progressive."
"people with phd's who are adamant believers in Buraq's, Night trips to Jerusalem...and having this bogus form of "education" become equivalent to having obtained a western-style education."
When similarly unscientific Creationists wish to teach (or at least inform the curricula of) Science in schools and colleges, most PC Leftists sound the shrill alarms of "theocracy", but these same PC Leftists remain for the most part passively silent (if not positively gushing with whitewash) about the Buraq-Believing Muslim "Professors". Yet another manifestation of the PC multiculturalist double standard.
If a poll was taken tomorrow, asking Americans, Canadians, and Europeans, if islam, and the vessels of islam, muslims, are an existential threat to civilization, the poll results would be overwhelmingly NO. Probably 90%
I don't agree, jihadwatcher.
The situation is indeed deplorable but th populations KNOW! The poll in Germany suggests that over 60% view islam as a threat and over 50% see some form of military conflict which will involve Germany as inevitable.
The MSM quickly buries these results because they are an inconvenient truth of what we really think!
They lament about 'racist' and 'xenophobia' and that we must 'understand' one another and 'grok'.
I just read a piece on PI.de where they posted photos of moslem-owned grocery stores in Cologne who were in flagrant violation of Germany's Easter Holiday "Blue Laws". One blogger asked one of the moslm store owner why he was open and he said the law didn't apply to moslems.
Do you think ordinary Germans don't want to see their las enforced? So what do we do when our gvmint refuses to uphold the Law?
Weimarer Republik - wir kommen! [here we come]
A moderate Muslim is simply a failed Muslim
FAT LADY HAS NOT SUNG, YET.
@jihadwatch
Why the pessimism?
Ever since 9-11, Islam is the ENEMY. The Bogey Man. Islam will be the bogey man of America FOR EVER !!!!
The Evil of 9-11 will take centuries to process!!!! A thousand years. Islamophobia is in OUR DNA, forever!!!! Forever and ever!!!!!
Islam will die and the USA will have much to do with the death of muhammad's blasphemous death cult.
When I let out my belt and go on a Islamophobic tirade (like I did in the locker room at the gym three nights ago) everyone shut the hell up and listened. Everyone. Nobody even interrupted. You could have heard a jockstrap drop. I got nutty in Barnes & Noble while explaining why I was counting copies of Spencer's books (to make sure management is keeping them in stock)and everyone of the sales clerks was giving me their undivided attention. Bottom line: PEOPLE ARE HUNGRY. PEOPLE ARE SCARED. PEOPLE DON'T LIKE ISLAM. THEY WANT INFORMATION.
ISLAM IS THE ANTITHESIS OF EVERYTHING AMERICA STANDS FOR.
Don't be pessimistic, Jihadwatch. Never submit. Never surrender. The war is just getting started. Have you not noticed the immense pedagogic shift?
The anti-Christ has been exposed, identified, printed on posters. His vile, blasphemous, message is being beamed around the globe.
Check out this link:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/03/23/60minutes/main2602308.shtml
“The public will never acknowledge that a non-white, non-Christian culture can EVER be the enemy.”
They will. When France is bent double, puking, from a hard jihad knee to groin they will. When the UK is sucker punched by a hateful imam’s warriors, blind from the blood spattered liberally from the nose they will. When the bodies of American Infidel children lie lifeless on the floor of their school because of Allah’s soldiers on the ‘straight path’ they will. They will.
Never? Never is right around corner. Watch for it.
“Texans better start saying their prayers...”
We’ve already started profitsbeard. I pray for the destruction of Islam every day. I hope others are praying with me.
The phrase "moderate muslim" contains within itself the covert never-to-be-spoken implication that less mohammedanism is better mohammedanism.
Of course, the meatheads that promote one or another jihaddi propagandist as a "moderate" are incapable of understanding the implications of their own words, so willfully self blinded are they.
Jihaddi propagandists "praying", by invitation no less, in front of our state legislatures while their buddies shoot at our soldiers in the field. We are for sure hip deep in stinking dog-yogurt.
The word traitor has to be repeated as loudly and often as possible.
A commenter at Eternity Road observed that "We believe in the existence of moderate Muslims for the same reason we believe in the existence of giant squid: dead ones turn up every so often."
'Nuff said.
"It should not be imagined that Muhammad's later marriages were out of sexual desire. They were contracted mostly for political or humanitarian reasons."
Sorry for my morbidity, but ROFL!
GLOSSARY:
Humanitarian reasons - When one's loving husband has his head whacked from his body by the Profit (pbuh) or his minions; no reason required.
"Consider yourself lucky I took you on as one of my many wives or concubines, and didn't leave you alone to be raped and murdered...Say, you have one smokin' bod!"
-Muhammad
Praying for the enemy...interesting.
My brother, who is a battalion commander in the sandbox told me his guys pray every day for the enemy, too...
Starting off with The Lord's Prayer, they add:
...forgive us for those we have killed in the name of righteousness, and forgive us for those we are about to."
I couldn't have said it better.
AMEN
;-)
I'm quite disappointed in Texas right now. For a state so full of itself, they sure screwed the pooch this time.