A Jihad Watch commenter recently defended Colin Powell’s remarks, assailed by Wafa Sultan here and by me here, by saying this: “If Muslims are held in disregard, why not Catholics, or Jews, or whatever religion is out of favor at the moment.”
What an absurd remark. Islam is not like these other faiths called religions. It purports to, and does, offer a politics and a geopolitics. Jihad, in its primary meaning, is all about land -- the taking over, or dominating, of large land areas, by Islam, and the imposition of rule by Muslims, and ideally of the Shari'a. Just because this or that faith is called a "religion" does not make it equivalent to Judaism or Christianity or Hinduism or Buddhism. This is the mistake of the sentimental, the lazy, the weak-minded, for whom All Religions Are The Same and People Are The Same The Whole World Over. It's nonsense.
Simply replace the word "Muslims" in the statement above to create variants that will put into relief (bas or haut, take your pick) the silliness of the remark. E.g.: "If Communists are held in disregard, why not Democrats or Republicans?" or "If Nazis are held in disregard, why not Freemasons"?
Furthermore, that phrase "whatever religion is out of favor at the moment" is an equally idiotic way to refer to Islam, which is hardly "out of favor" despite the most fantastic crimes committed by Muslims, against Infidels, everywhere in the world, and which show no signs of letting up. It is not a question of Islam being in or out of favor. It is, rather, a question of Infidels learning about the contents and meaning of Qur'an, Hadith, and Sira, and relating the perceived behavior of Muslims, today and over the past 1350 years, wherever Muslims have come into contact with or lorded it over non-Muslims, to the doctrines, the texts, the tenets, of Islam. This is not a matter of simply passing fancy, some kind of temporary aberration. Islam is not out of favor enough, but as the doctrines and practice of Islam are more and more understood, it will be.
And as for Powell himself, another commenter asserts that “he was a C student at a marginal school.”
I don't know how Powell did in college, nor if it should count for much. There are many people who are as mindless on this matter as Powell, but who have done splendidly, been straight-A students, at the so-called best schools. And besides, Colin Powell did attend a very good high school -- the Bronx High School of Science -- that is, until he flunked out.
But that's not the main point. The point is that Powell speaks with assurance on a matter -- Islam -- that he obviously has not studied. And in doing so, he relies on anecdotal evidence (that photograph) to make assumptions about Islam based on a mother's grief, and a handful of Muslims who have enrolled in the American military (I am excluding Black Muslims, who are a special case), and who as a result have not been lionized by other Muslims but rather ostracized. Compare, for example, the highly-decorated 442nd Regiment of Japanese-Americans who fought up and down Italy, and of whom much was made, and rightly, by Japanese-Americans at home, or the proud displays in barbershops and shops in Little Italies all over the country, displaying front and center photographs of uniformed boys from the area who were fighting -- in the Pacific Theatre, or the European. That is what counts: celebration and pride in one case, ostracism (even worries about physical security) in the case of the nearly infinitesimal group of American (non-Black) Muslims who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan. This tells us a good deal about loyalties. In pious Muslims the inculcated, highest and even sole loyalty is to Islam and fellow Muslims. There is nearly non-existent loyalty to an Infidel nation-state if that nation-state is seen to be fighting Muslims or Islam.
Colin Powell merely expressed the sentimentality and feel-good banalities of the age, but this kind of thing can be found all over Official Washington, and elsewhere too, and among those who were good students at schools that are so good at marketing their own presumed prestige. Wafa Sultan knows about Islam. She has grown up within Islam, and in America discovered a different world. And so she asks Powell, rhetorically and sweetly, on what basis he made his statements. I made the same point in the piece I posted here in October, in immediate response to Powell, but did so in an unsweetened version. Wafa Sultan supplied the sweetened one. The menu here offers everything.
Bravo, Hugh!
Far too many of our leaders make public statements about Islam that are not grounded in the facts. The level of ignorance concerning the political, economic, social and military force that jihad brings to threaten the freedom of mankind is widespread.
If you are new to the conversation and debate in this blog, please read the Qur'an and get a truthful biography of Mohammed.
In particular, read the testimony of ex-Muslims. They know, first hand, of the travesty that is Islam. Do not be deceived by the "experts" that whitewash the crimes of this evil ideology. Find out for yourself what lies behind the dawa and taquiyya that mask the slaughter of kuffars that has accompanied the 1400 year old jihad.
Constant vigilance is the price of freedom.
I wonder if Colin Powell has even bothered to read Major Stephen Collins Coughlin's thesis: “To Our Great Detriment": Ignoring What Extremists say about Jihad. He could probably learn something.
Colin Powell continues to disappoint and it's a virtual guarantee he will never learn how woefully ignorant he is about Islam. I concluded a while ago the man is a mediocrity possessed of a modicum of PR skills. This is not meant to sully his military service, for which he should be respected, but rather to put him in the proper light in the realms of public policy and the political world.
BRAVO!! Hugh and tnstaffl! Kudos gentlemen for getting it in the Black (oops sorry) the bullseye. The more we know the better we can be prepare. Long live Democracy here in America!!
Coiln Powell is in the top Dhimmis of the decade for his ignorance about islam and how it spreads like a malignancy once it gets a toe hold, anywhere! Hugh, you made excellent points and no need to repeat the. Powell is to be repsected and admired for his dedication and service through the miltary to the U.S. It is a shame and on a tragic levels that Colin Powell has not studied islam, the qur'an, sharia law and the dhimmitude
life that always follows with the fervor and dedication he put into his military career.
Thanks to Wafa Sultan! Vigilence and the REAL truth about islam are two of the mightiest weapons we have and thanks to all those here and elsewhere who are speaking out to raise the alarm against this perversion that calls itself a religion.
Another good article from Hugh...
From post above: Far too many of our leaders make public statements about Islam that are not grounded in the facts.
This happens with people, Mohammdans and kufrs both, who try and debate RS. Who always has his 'facts' together, while they flounder...
The point being, if the scholars can't present the facts, and they have studied, how can a kufr like Powell have any 'facts' about Islam at all, other than those publicized by dhimmi's and taqiyya artists?
He is hardly a witness for Islam...But because he has a name and a reputation he will fool some people...
Since no one is banning Islam or jailing people just because they are Muslim, what is Colon babbeling about? Ae we supposed to admire and respect Islam? Are our feelings inapporpriate?
"I wonder if Colin Powell has even bothered to read Major Stephen Collins Coughlin's thesis: “To Our Great Detriment": Ignoring What Extremists say about Jihad. He could probably learn something."
From poster above
George Mc.
I also highly recommend Major Stephen Collins Coughlin's thesis: “To Our Great Detriment":in PDF to those who have not read it--keep it in your favorites--even though Hesham Islam wouldn't.
http://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/modules/newsmanager/center%20publication%20pdfs/coughlin--thesis__final__8_aug_07%20w%20appendices.pdf
A paraphrase of the Prophet Gump says it in a nutshell: "Islam is as Islam does." A corollary of the original quote.
"If Muslims are held in disregard, why not Catholics, or Jews, or whatever religion is out of favor at the moment." --eneri
The above is from the Wafa Sultan thread.
As Hugh said, "how absurd."
Exactly. Only Islam commands "Kill everybody not like us." Only Islam.
"eneri" - Islam is not "equivalent" to Judaism and Christianity. The two Abrahamic religions do not command the mass-murder of everyone else. Do you get it?
Islam is NOT an Abrahamic religion. Islam has nothing whatsoever to do with Abraham. Islam was invented in the early 7th century AD by false prophet Con Man Mohamet. It's a hoax.
In addition, Islam is hardly "out of favor." PC MoonBats like you who know nothing about the evil political ideology called Islam, despite numerous mass-murder events in the 21st century, are the ones applauding Islam, the Religion of War, Hate, Intolerance, Mass-Murder and uber-Misogyny.
"eneri" - you're a know-nothing. Go live in Yemen, why don't you? Good Riddance.
I just checked the Wafa Sultan thread.
"eneri" hasn't returned.
A Mohammedan troll. Probably does live in Yemen.
Powell is a PC clown.
Prattling about something he is too lazy to learn.
Like 99% of the Western "leadership", bankrupt intellectually when it comes to fathoming our most dangerous existential enemy, Islam.
Perhaps the problem is that most religious people simply don't know enough about any religion to be able to judge anything about religion.
Not a single Christian I have ever talked to has had any idea why a Jew could possibly object to a prayer to Jesus Christ during a public school event. And I've talked to a lot of them. I lived in Rhode Island when that ruling was made and it was absolutely appalling how ignorant Christians were about the specific circumstances of the case, and about Jews in general.
But you really can't expect stupid people to be anything other than stupid. When it comes to religion, the criteria should be stupid vs dangerous. Annoying vs threatening.
I'll go with stupid and annoying any day.
Colin Powell is an American gone rogue. This makes him a pin head.
For those who don't know:
If all Muslims beleive that all non-Muslims are Kuffar (Infidels that should be converted to Islam or killed) then all Muslims are terrorists.
Muslims do not believe in moderate infidels so why should we believe in moderate Muslims?
This statement above is true and it makes vast majority of Muslims, here and abroad, nothing but terrorists.
Jaynie59 says:
"Not a single Christian I have ever talked to has had any idea why a Jew could possibly object to a prayer to Jesus Christ during a public school event."
I find this impossible to believe, as well as bigoted. You are insinuating that Christians are only unreflective morons. Is that your premise? There would be no concept of freedom of religion if that were true; no Bill of Rights, no separation of church and state, etc. In other words, you consider the Christians who founded the USA no more thoughtful than the bigots who run Saudi Arabia. So are you hiding in abject fear of practicing another faith beside Christianity? Somehow I doubt it.
Maybe the only people you identify as Christian are people walking around with pamphlets or obvious signals of their faith, and you ignore the vast majority of Christians that are not so obvious, but whose Christian faith has been fundamental in creating the institutions, and ultimately court verdicts, that give freedom to all faiths, even to the point of undermining Christianity and allowing terroristic ideologies to grow, because competition only improves a good product.
Islam, on the other hand, must hide, kill, censor and monopolize to advance.