A number of thoughts:

On the subject of Islam needing a reformation, of which there is always constant talk, the fact is Islam has already had a reformation. It is called Wahhabism. The problem is, when you strip away accretions to the Muslim faith (a la Luther stripping away accretions to the Christian faith to get back to the original message)and you get back to the original message as the Wahhabis have done, you are left a very violent, hateful, war mongering intolerance, etc.. What Islam needs is an Enlightenment, not a Reformation.

On Mr. Spencer's continuing attempts to talk with Muslims about their faith: Muslims do not want to talk with Mr. Spencer because to do so would put Islam in a bad light and also make other Muslims question their faith. So when Muslims do not want to talk with Mr. Spencer, they are making the right decision from their point of view. Ignoring Mr. Spencer, from their point of view, is absolutely the best strategy.

On the Gadahn conversion: converts, in my opinion, are still so rare, that even a convert who is now working for Osama is worthy of a note. Also, a large number of Muslims consider Osama a hero who is acting like a true Muslim should, defending the faith and attacking the infidel. Perhaps, the MSA is proud of Mr. Gadahn and that is why they are keeping up his bio.

Posted by: Mentat at October 30, 2004 9:00 AM

Considering the President of the Canadian Islamic Congress stated on public TV that all Israelis over 18 are valid targets for murder by suicide bombers,I don't doubt Osama is the hero of Western Muslim that are closet-JewHaters and Jihadists.
Someone needs to take the Quran to court so groups like CAIR can explain their claims of racism against Muslims,the Judges need to have verses read into the records and expose the Islamic goal to kill all non-Muslims and make the world one large Islamic ruled community under Shariah law and the fear of death by Allah.

Posted by: ala-sux at October 30, 2004 9:15 AM

also - found at lgf:

> #51 zombie 10/29/2004 03:23PM PST
>
>
> Here's some info on Adam Pearlman's dad, Philip Pearlman -- the man who raised this monster. Philip was a psychedelic musician in the '60s. Here's way too much info on his band, "Beat of the Earth":
>
> Beat Of The Earth was assembled by Phil Pearlman, who had earlier released a surf/hot rod 45 Chrome Reversed Rails (shown as by Phil and The Flakes, on the Fink label). One of the earliest known electric experimental bands, The Beat Of The Earth sound very similar to their East-coast counterparts The Velvet Underground on albums (1) and (3) listed above. These two records were recorded live in the studio during the summer of 1967 and consist of long, unstructured jams using a myriad of acoustic and electric instruments. This early incarnation of the band is the one most familiar to collectors and copies of the first album have been changing hands for hundred of dollars since the mid-80s. The music the band produced during this period is not for everybody (compare to the long tracks on the first two Velvet Underground albums), but their debut remains an unusual and rare item of significance from the California rock scene.
>
> During 1968-9 the line-up of the band was in constant flux and Beat Of The Earth made no known "proper" recordings, but Pearlman continued to add to his own collection of demos using local studios in off-hours via his friendship with the engineer Joe Sidore. At the end of 1969, Pearlman assembled The Electronic Hole strictly for personal use - specifically, to draft musicians for his new band. Several names are listed on the sleeve but I believe this is actually very close to being a Phil Pearlman solo project. The album is entirely different stylistically from the earlier one in that it abandons the freeform improvisational approach in favour of 'compositions' including a wild cover of Zappa's Trouble Every Day....
>
> Hey, there's a Frank Zappa connection! Alert Charles.
>
> Also note that Phil Pearlman, after dumping his band:
> 1. Became a halal butcher
> 2. Changed his last name to "Gadahn" to get rid of the Jewish-sounding "Pearlman."
> 3. Named his second son "Omar."
>
> The standard wisdom on Adam's conversion is that the folks at the Garden Grove mosque did it on their own, and that his conversion came out of the blue. I think the points 1-3 above show his psychedelic dad already introduced him to Islam.

Posted by: justamomof4 at October 30, 2004 9:38 AM

In his conversion story he says his father was a halal butcher, so the muslim religion was never foreign to him. He also said that early experiences with muslim people revealed that they weren't bloodthirsty. So , what's with the bloodthirsty taped message then convert? It is what it is- a bloody, hate filled ideology.

Posted by: Carolyn2 at October 30, 2004 10:57 AM

Circular logic is what Muslims use in their refusal to talk to non-Muslims about Islam as Islam should not be criticized by outsiders and won't be criticized by the faithful. Thus, a reformation that sheds the egregious and extreme attitudes against non-Muslims is impossible.

Adam Pearlman was infected with Islam at an early age. Extremism in idealism often happens to the young in any ideology. We all remember what happened during the Hippie Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s. Unfortunately Pearlman doesn't have a mainstream society to fall into as did the Hippie generation, many of whom are today's conservatives. But on the other hand, he is among the Muslim conservatives of the umma....

Posted by: epg at October 30, 2004 1:23 PM

osted by: epg Circular logic is what Muslims use in their refusal to talk to non-Muslims about Islam as Islam should not be criticized by outsiders and won't be criticized by the faithful. Thus, a reformation that sheds the egregious and extreme attitudes against non-Muslims is impossible

Maybe Muslims' refusal to discuss the anomalies of Islam with non-Muslims is explained by the sura in the Qur'an (17:46-47) that asserts non-Muslims are not permitted to understand the Qur'an, "and we put coverings over their hearts and minds, lest they should understand the Qur'an, and we put deafness in their ears."
Since the Qur'an is meant only for recitation and not analysis, and Muhammad declared, "Whoever so interprets the Qur'an according to his opinion, let him seek his abode in the fire", and "Dispute about the Qur'an is infidelity", how can they answer questions that require value judgments? All speculation beyond the literal meaning of the words is forbidden. Those who reject the words in the Qur'an as God's revelations are incapable of comprehending its mysterious, divine message. Why answer our stupid questions if Allah has erected walls around our hearts and minds, and made us deaf?
Blind faith erects impenetrable barriers. How else could it survive? Extreme arrogance is one of those barriers.

Posted by: Susanp at October 30, 2004 4:00 PM