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From Reuters:
Author Salman Rushdie (C) poses with fellow honorees Salim Mansur (L), Tashbih Sayyed (2nd L), Wafa Sultan (2nd R) and Nonie Darwish before the American Jewish Conference's 30th Annual Dinner, 'Profiles in Courage: Voices of Muslim Reformers in the Modern World,' in Beverly Hills, California, September 17, 2006. Rushdie was presented with the organization's highest honor, the Stephen S. Wise Humanitarian Award, during the event. REUTERS/Chris Pizzello (UNITED STATES)
Congratulations, Tashbih, and congratulations to all these courageous people. I had the honor of speaking on a panel with Nonie Darwish in Los Angeles last week, and she is doing immensely valuable work, as is Wafa Sultan. I look forward to the day in which you are all lionized by Muslim groups around the world.
Posted by Robert at September 20, 2006 10:13 AM
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Congratulations to these brave men and women. Hopefully one day we'll see Muslim parents naming their children Tashbih and Wafa in their honor.
God bless them.
Posted by: Proud Infidel![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jihadwatch.org/nav-commenters.gif)
at September 20, 2006 10:35 AM
ahhh
its great to see that Salman Rushdie is alive and breathing.
Lets hope he has much more days left in him.
Wow. and Wafa Sultan she blasted some poor muslims fellow she was supposed to be debating on MEMRI.org she did great.
hehe lets hope some more great reformers will come our way.
Posted by: W_D_J_D at September 20, 2006 10:37 AM
Looks like a "5 Most Wanted" poster for the Islamic hordes.
Posted by: JanuaryMan at September 20, 2006 10:38 AM
Congrauations and God Bless these very brave souls. They are added to my list of those Muslims reformers, with Israd Mujad, the woman who wrote the book, " The Trouble With Islam " with whom I have my deepest respect for.
Posted by: bigcatgirl13106 at September 20, 2006 10:39 AM
A thousand Congratulations. You offer us hope and we are proud of you.
Posted by: citycat at September 20, 2006 10:48 AM
I sent this picture to Laura Ingraham (with the caption 'the real reformers'). She still thinks that Irshad Manji is the salvation of the Islamic world.
Posted by: PRCS at September 20, 2006 10:50 AM
Let's see this story appear widely in the MSM. Right.
BTW, the author of "The Trouble With Islam" is Irshad Manji, not Israd Mujad.
And who was the Stephen S. Wise Humanitarian Award named for?
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/wise.html
Posted by: Rico Plano at September 20, 2006 10:52 AM
Robert,
As an ex muslim, I certainly hope that these individuals would be lionized by their people. It is ironic to see all Rushie and Sultan together. These are writers who are desperately trying to reform Islam, because I took a lots of heat and was threaned by some fundamentalist muslim students when I wrote a piece defending Salman Rushie's book the Satanic Verses in 1988. The piece was published by daily newspaper of the State University I was attending.
I also have spend days and days of countless hours battling the ignorant fundamentalist bloggers and their apologists who went after Wafa Sultan comments about Islam in her now famous interview to Aljazeera in March 2006.
Both writers were saying the truth and the whole truth about Islam. Rushdie's book although fictional was based on historical events that really happened and used by well know Islamic historians like El-Tabari and Bukhari to name only few. Sultan's comments were not only true but defensible.
Although I applaud their courage and views, and would hope Muslims everywhere wake up from their slubbering trip of self-righteousness, the main problem remains: How to reform this obscurantist religion? No change will happen unless a genuine religious reformation a la Martin Luther occurs, and for this it might take a long time. And what is needed now is the confront the threat and allow free expression of views about Islam to emerge.
Posted by: sammish at September 20, 2006 10:53 AM
So when will Salman Rushdie write "The Satanic Verses 2:The Final Words of Ayatollah Khomeini"?
If anyone looked like Satan it was that lunatic. Just think of the outrage that will spark!
at September 20, 2006 10:54 AM
Sammish,
"Although I applaud their courage and views, and would hope Muslims everywhere wake up from their slubbering trip of self-righteousness, the main problem remains: How to reform this obscurantist religion? No change will happen unless a genuine religious reformation a la Martin Luther occurs, and for this it might take a long time. And what is needed now is the confront the threat and allow free expression of views about Islam to emerge."
I completely agree with you.
Posted by: citycat at September 20, 2006 11:06 AM
"The Satanic Verses" is a funny book even if it is long and verbose. muhammad comes off like the Hollywood producer he was. The divine origin of the koran was a scam.
But ah, that muhammad, he was a clever con man!
Posted by: Ynkedoodl2 at September 20, 2006 11:09 AM
"No change will happen unless a genuine religious reformation a la Martin Luther occurs"
Actually, every time a Muslim takes the Koran and the authorative Hadiths to heart and goes back to their original spirit and intent, he is in fact reforming -- or revitalizing -- his religion à la Martin Luther.
The Muslim world does not need a Lutheran-type return to the original "purity" and intent of Mohammed, the Koran and the Hadiths -- the Muslim world needs a secularization of Islam which would dismantle and nullify its political, legal and military apparatus, and which would simultaneously retain but strictly compartmentalize its spiritual interiority, catechetics, and latreutical sociology as merely personal and communal pursuits unenforced by, and uninvolved with laws, politics and physical self-defense.
at September 20, 2006 11:09 AM
We need more like them. Wafa Sultan is one brave woman.
I really value the writings of ex-muslims, such as Ali Sina, etc.
at September 20, 2006 11:13 AM
Al-Reuters cites the "American Jewish Conference."
Never heard of that organization.
An LA Times story
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-muslim17sep17,1,6696206.story?ctrack=1&cset=true
and a news release
http://www.normanfinkelstein.com/article.php?pg=11&ar=437
refer to the better-known "American Jewish Congress."
Posted by: Rico Plano at September 20, 2006 11:14 AM
Nonie Darwish
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonie_Darwish
Salim Mansur
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salim_Mansur
Salman Rushdie
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salman_Rushdie
Tashbih Sayyed
http://www.jewishjournal.com/home/preview.php?id=9722
Wafa Sultan
http://www.goofigure.com/UserGoofigureDetail.asp?gooID=6156
Salim Mansur
http://www.safs.ca/mansur.html
at September 20, 2006 11:24 AM
OT
Former Arch Bishop of Canterbury supports the Pope, says islam is violent.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2366419,00.html
at September 20, 2006 11:41 AM
True reform is a long road. It might work, but I'm not willing to bet the future of the West on it.
I still say that to keep these people out is the only true remedy. It is dangerously foolish to not draw the line somewhere, but again, this is just the estimation of one American. What do I know....
Posted by: Foehammer at September 20, 2006 12:21 PM
Foehammer,
They're already here.
Those who were born here, whether into Muslim families or reverts, can't be sent elsewhere.
The best course of action, IMO, is to keep writing polite, factual letters about what Islam actually teaches, and the obligation of the ummah to those teachings, to our elected officials and the press.
The tide is turning, ever so slowly, with every new Muslim outrage.
Posted by: PRCS at September 20, 2006 12:34 PM
Maybe it's just me, but why am I not inspired by 'moderate' Muslims like Salim Mansour, Salman Rushdie and yes, Tashbih Sayyed as well. By grasping on the 'moderate' mantle, they are acting like Islam itself is reformable, but that implies ignoring the atrocious track record of not only Mohammed, but of the ummah at large over the last 1400 years. So excuse me if I decline to revel in these celebrations.
Posted by: Infidel Pride at September 20, 2006 1:05 PM
If islam is to be reformed, it better start ASAP. As nations like Iran move forward with the setting up for mass production of nuclear weppons, the need for quick and very vocal action from the reformers must show results.
Time is pushing against the effort.
Posted by: Islofob IS-1 at September 20, 2006 1:13 PM
I agree with Infidel Pride. Islam does not need a reformation, it needs a transformation. Whether that transformation turns out to be deconstructive, or destructive -- whether it deconstructs, or whether it destroys Islam --, depends upon the majority of Muslims.
at September 20, 2006 1:22 PM
TV
Something tells me that like the Shintos in Japan, it cannot come from within - it will have to be imposed from outside. And note that although Emperor worship was ended, the fact that the Emperor is the head of Shintoism ensures that he is there to reform it according to the contemporary requirements.
Such a thing is not there in Islam, and no Caliph could undo the words of Mohammed. And once Islam is transformed, it wouldn't remain Islam, unless for semantic purposes, it kept being called that.
P.S. I dug up some Jihad references for you on the inner struggle thing - take a look.
Posted by: Infidel Pride at September 20, 2006 1:45 PM
(Robert, if next time before you speak in L.A. you inform me, I could share your remarks to influence the world via video, like I have here.)
Please watch & listen to the courageous remarks of the honorees, Salman Rushdie, Wafa Sultan, Nonie Darwish, Tashbih Sayyed- now on http://www.DemoCast.TV
(Select bottom "VideoBlog Comments" button for link to videos of all speeches).
(For Nonie only: http://democracybroadcasting.blogspot.com/2006/09/nonie-darwish-on-true-heroes-in-quest.html)
Posted by: DemoCast at September 20, 2006 3:09 PM
these are brave souls, but l believe that true reform is almost next to impossible within the writings of islam, they would be better to warn other muslims of the pitfalls of their cult, and leave it for a real religion, ie Hindu, Christianity, Judaism, even Druids had honour among men and women and equal rights for all. Its going to be a bumpy ride getting rid of islam.
Posted by: ZenaWarriorPrincess at September 20, 2006 10:04 PM
March 2006: the NYT reported that Muslim clerics in Syria denounced (Wafa Sultan) as an infidel. One said she had done Islam more damage than the Danish cartoons mocking the Prophet Muhammad, a wire service reported. Sultan is, she told the NYT, “working on a book that — if it is published — it's going to turn the Islamic world upside down.
Has there been any news if/when a publish date?
Posted by: Xero G at September 21, 2006 12:13 AM
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/013203.php#c272612
(Joins Infidel Pride in the corner).
Posted by: arjun.sevak at September 21, 2006 7:16 AM
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