Farah Pandith, who in February was appointed to the freshly created position of senior advisor for Muslim Engagement in the State Department's European and Eurasian Affairs Bureau, has pointed to her own life experience as an American Muslim woman of Indian origin to illustrate how it is possible for Muslim immigrants to successfully integrate into United States society. "I understood from very early on that whether Christian, Jewish or Muslim, education put me in the game," Pandith told a conference in Rome on Monday on the topic of Literature and International Dialogue."I also learned - and this is something that Americans work assiduously at - to balance pride in my cultural heritage with a deep attachment to the values of America," Pandith, who as a baby emigrated with her parents to the United States from Srinagar in 1969, said....
The "Muslim experience in America does prove that Muslims who live their religion can be unqualified democratic Americans," she told the gathering held at Rome's American Studies Centre. -- from this article
She came to this country as a baby. Her understanding of Islam is clearly deficient. Her experience of Islam, in societies suffused with Islam where there is no need to mute or hide it, is apparently non-existent. How does she, this young and smiling young girl, take in, make sense of, the Qur'an, Hadith, and Sira? Does she know about the latter two at all? Does she know what goes on in mosques? How does she know?
Is the American government completely run by the naive? Does it think this is a useful exercise, to make it appear that the United States wishes to "reach out" to Muslims -- in Western Europe, for god's sake, as well as elsewhere -- and tell them untruths?
One of those principal untruths is the proposition that Islam and the values of an advanced Western democracy, with its emphasis on the individual rights enshrined in the Bill of Rights, or the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, are perfectly compatible. In fact, the spirit and letter of collectivist Islam does not permit freedom of conscience (including the right to leave Islam). Nor does it permit freedom of speech (and if Muslims in Europe had their way, the freedom of speech in Europe would be severely curtailed to meet Muslim requirements, as the death-threats and demonstrations over the Muhammad cartoons convincingly showed). It likewise does not permit any number of things, and certainly does not admit of true pluralism, though it is currently accepted as long as it helps Muslims fend off any intelligent and informed critical scrutiny of their doctrines.
Here's an idea. Form a committee to advise the government on Islam. Let it be secret, if necessary. Let it include Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Ibn Wararq, and others who were born into, and raised within, Islam. Let there be, on this committee, students and scholars of Islam -- not apologists, not espositos and ernsts, but those who would have no trouble understanding, or being understood by, the great Western scholars of Islam, from C. Snouck Hurgronje and Joseph Schacht to Henri Lammens and Georges Vajda and Arthur Jeffery and St Clair Tisdall. Let this not be devoted to "winning hearts and minds" but to identifying, in Islam, the doctrines central to it that pose a permanent problem to the wellbeing of Infidels -- to the continued existence of their own countries civilizationally and to themselves, physically.
No more smiling nonsense from a pretty charmer, whose own Islam is essentially benign, in her ignorance. She likely describes herself as a "cultural Muslim," which means she is a "Muslim-for-identication-purposes-only" Muslim, or, amended, a "Muslim-for-identification-and-careerist-purposes-only" Muslim, who is a guide to nothing and nowhere. But -- innocently, because of that charm, because of that ignorance of Islam -- she can stand up before Infidels in the corridors of power and mute, or silence, those who want simply for some realism to prevail in those corridors leading to those offices of power. Such people are made, in the presence of such people as this girl, to seem merely malevolent, and begrudging, and overly-suspicious, when they are simply trying to bring some sense of realism to the American government, at its ignorant, and confused upper levels.
A tall order. And a mad world, my masters!
Instead of an advisor for Muslim Engagement, there should instead be an advisor for Muslim disengagement who advises the US how to detach itself from dar ul Islam, while making life as miserable as possible for Muslims in the US (and the rest of the Infidel world at large) so that they feel compelled to move back to dar ul Islam.
Sorry OT:
No justice in Australia:
Father of Muslim Serial Rape Victim: ‘Avoid the Courts, There is NO Justice: Sort it out yourself!’
http://sheikyermami.com/2007/05/22/father-of-rape-victim-avoid-the-courts-there-is-no-justice-sort-it-out-yourself/
whatever you would pay a governmental advisory committee comprised of knowledgeable people would be money well spent....
Another pretty face to gull the lazy and the ignorant.
A senior advisor (no less) for Muslim Engagement in the State Department's European and Eurasian Affairs Bureau, eh.
Why doesn't the State Department think that it needs a similar "advisor" for a Jesuit Engagement, or a Hindu Engagement or even more pertinant, a Mexican Immigrant Engagement?
I tell you why: because none of the aforementioned (and for many more not mentioned)will try to kill you for his beliefs.
The creation of this new position is an exercise in naked, tongue inserting arse lickery. What is the point of going to war across the seven seas to fight an enemy in defence of ones values and civilisation, while on the other hand allowing the very same foe a free and generous rein, surfeit him with the necessary tools and position so that he can still achive his goal of destroying the land of the un-believer, albeit now surreptitiously?
Never let it be said that terrorism doesn't win.
America has strong if not predominant currents of a Victim culture, a Therapeutic culture, a Self-Esteem culture, an I'm Ok You're OK culture. All the men are handsome, all the women strong, and all the presidents are Jimmy or Bill, in that part of America.
It is to a great extent a yellow, red, pink, purple and rainbowed-ribbon culture where the phoniness or pointlessness of the exhibit is totally lost in the spotlight.
Have you ever found yourself in futile discussion with an otherwise intelligent person, attempting gently and without offense, to try to have them consider that maybe, perhaps, human existence admitted of some things being better than other things?
But no. They are like the old lady in David Copperfield, the one who loved her tea, but objected to people "meandering," not realizing that many things, tea perhaps among them, resulted from people meandering.
Seconding 'hermit's comment - "why doesn't the State Department think that it needs a similar 'advisor' for a Jesuit Engagement, or a Hindu Engagement or even more pertinent, a Mexican Immigrant Engagement'" Or, I would add, for Buddhist Engagement? I guess America and Australia and other countries do send ambassadors to the Vatican - but as far as I know neither Australia nor America has a special in-house 'Adviser' to tell our government how to relate to Catholics in-country OR world-wide.
Certainly the double standard at work, and the Special Status that Islam has claimed for itself - by acts of violence - is blindingly apparent.
I guess one could argue that the appointment of this 'adviser' is a de facto/ subconscious recognition that the Empire of Islam is primarily not a 'religion' (as we normally understand that word nowadays) but a POLITICAL - indeed, a MILITARY - system.
Hugh said
It shouldn't be necessary. In a democratic republic, it cannot be necessary. In a democratic republic it is at least as important for the public to be informed about Islam as our putative leaders. Teach the public, and the rest will fall into place. When JW/DW is the top newsite on the web, the battle will be won. There is no reason for fact-based education to be clandestine or surreptitious. There is no need for us to be scurrying around in the shadows; leave that realm to the jihad apologists. There is too much advise on Islam being given to the government in secret.
there should instead be an advisor for Muslim disengagement who advises the US how to detach itself from dar ul Islam, while making life as miserable as possible for Muslims in the US
I wouldn't go quite that far. Instead, we should adopt an attitude similar to Australia's (minus their ill-advised law about "disparaging" a religion). We should tell immigrants (muslim and otherwise) that there are certain values that we Americans believe in, such as freedom of religion and freedom to state our honest opinions, including those about religion. If you cannot abide by these things, America is not for you.
Yes, I know that in view of our longstanding tradition of welcoming (legal) immigrants, that's a harsh thing to say, but I think it's about time we all realized (as some of us have) that there are people out there whose attitudes are incompatible with ours.
ISLAM: U.S. OFFICIAL AIMS TO 'BRIDGE GAP' WITH MUSLIMS IN EUROPE
The gap with Muslims in Europe? What gap? And shouldn't we bridge the gap with Europeans in Europe first? The gap in our understanding of a common civilization, versus our discordant understanding of our civilization versus the Complete Belief and Way of Life civilization?
Rome, 21 May (AKI) - Farah Pandith, who in February was appointed to the freshly created position of senior advisor for Muslim Engagement in the State Department's European and Eurasian Affairs Bureau, has pointed to her own life experience as an American Muslim woman of Indian origin to illustrate how it is possible for Muslim immigrants to successfully integrate into United States society.
So an Indian-born woman who came to America as a Muslim baby will use her life experiences in America to "illustrate" how it is possible for a Muslim immigrant to integrate into US society, as part of her mission to bridge "a gap" with Muslims in Europe? Are European Muslims fretting about the ease of Indian born Muslim women successfully integrating into American society? Come to think of it ... they probably are.
"I understood from very early on that whether Christian, Jewish or Muslim, education put me in the game," Pandith told a conference in Rome on Monday on the topic of Literature and International Dialogue.
Education put this woman "in the game," she told a conference on the topic of "Literature and International Dialogue"? Thousands of "islamo-fascists" must have switched over to moderation, hearing that. The abiding topic of Literature and International Dialogue among Muslims: truly, this is the best American propaganda has to offer.
"I also learned - and this is something that Americans work assiduously at - to balance pride in my cultural heritage with a deep attachment to the values of America," Pandith, who as a baby emigrated with her parents to the United States from Srinagar in 1969, said.
Oh my goodness! Did she come to America as a baby?
Awarded a Master's degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Pandith who has held senior posts in the US Agency for International Development describes herself as "extremely fortunate", but also "walking proof that although there are no guarantees, the American dream is also not a myth".
A Master's Degree? Senior Posts? How could this woman fail to intrigue European Muslims as much as she intrigues senior-posted masters-degreed state department officials? Surely, European Muslims have their hearts set on The American Dream!
For her, America has since its foundation as an independent republic nurtured a tradition based on individual choice. "But we have found that it is possible not to make an exclusive choice, that being American, being a good American or even a great American, that highest of accolades - does not require turning your back on your background or religion".
Individual choice and religion, as Muslim as pork and beans!
The "Muslim experience in America does prove that Muslims who live their religion can be unqualified democratic Americans," she told the gathering held at Rome's American Studies Centre.
So does tomato picking.
Turning to Washington's foreign policies, Pandith described the notion that America is at war with Islam as a "myth".
This woman is obviously transmitting the President's personal thoughts to the World.
She said that in the two conflicts currently involving the United States in majority Muslim nations - Afghanistan and Iraq - Washington was supporting "fledgling democracies," after helping to respectively topple the Taliban, which she described as "an obscurantist regime that targeted and banned centuries-old Afghan culture" and Saddam Hussein, "one of the worst dictators ever to tyrannise Muslims".
Thousands more "islamo-fascists" turned moderate when they heard that the Taliban was an "obscurantist regime." The dialogue, the literature, the internationality, the gap and the apple pie are an unbeatable mix, when brought together under an abject contemplation of obscurantist regimes.
She also said the US had given billion of dollars in humanitarian and economic aid around the world in Muslim communities, citing as examples Indonesia in the aftermath of the December 2004 tsunami, in Pakistan following the October 2005 earthquake and reconstruction in Lebanon after the July-August 2006 conflict with Israel.
Finally, something understandable. The tax on infidels. Allah knows best!
Wasn't Robert having "talks" with "individuals in the State Department" a few months back? Whatever came of that?...or is it classified?
"Is the American government completely run by the naive?"
yes
How many more proud advocates for the ROP do we need on the burgeoning payroll of Uncle Sam's Plantation?
She wears her badge of religion with pride in a country that could not have come into existence had its Founding Fathers been practitioners of the ROP. But, she is so gosh durned proud to bring her faith to the spotlight of what it means to be "Muslim American" while avoiding the truth that in any Muslim society on the planet today she would be relegated to child-bearing, rug-beating and shuffling behind her master like chattel in true obeisance to her ROP.
I maintain that had she been Christian, Hindu or any religion other than the ROP, she would not be on the payroll of the Orwellian State Department.