Filipino commentator Patricio Diaz takes apart Kofi Annan’s silly arguments that Islam is equivalent to other religions in its peacefulness, and his dhimmi analysis of “Islamophobia” in MindaNews (thanks to Anthony):
GENERAL SANTOS CITY — In addressing the seminar on “Combatting Islamophobia,” U.N. Secretary Kofi Annan called for the distinction of the politically-motivated violence from the religiously-motivated one.
“Islam should not be judged by the acts of extremists who deliberately target and kill civilians. The few give a bad name to the many, and this is unfair,” he said.
While addressing an audience of scholars, senior United Nations officials, and representatives from civil society organizations, Annan meant to address the Christian West at large. America in particular?
Premise
Annan’s proposal is premised on the belief that Islam, like Christianity and other religions, is for peace and condemns violence. Therefore, Muslims are peace-loving. They cannot do violence in the name of Islam.
Conversely, the Christian West should understand Islam as a religion for peace. It should not link Islam to the terrorism of Bin Laden and other Arab extremists. They are Muslims but true believers of Islam condemn their acts as anti-Islam.
Islamophobia grew from the ignorance of the Christian West about Islam. Because the Arab terrorists are Muslims, Muslim and Islam are associated with terrorism. In the United States, American Muslims, after 9/11, are considered by many other Americans as
security risk.Philippine Case
Annan’s proposal is similar to the complaint of Muslims against the practice of Philippine media of using “Muslim” to identify perpetrators of crimes in their reports. Distinguish the perpetrator’s name from his being Muslim. Use his name for identity,
leave out “Muslim.”The Philippine Muslims” case against media and Annan’s proposal are identically premised. A law was eventually passed prohibiting, with penalty, the use of “Muslim” to identify crime suspects. The Philippine media practice has considerably toned down, not necessarily because of the law but by media’s own efforts.
The U.N. in viewing Islamophobia as a new form of racial and religious discrimination and Muslim Public Affairs Council in America in considering it as religious and political extremism are sounding the call to banish it this early.
Pitfall
Hopefully, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights with the cooperation of the 151 U.N. member states, as mandated in a resolution, by pounding on world consciousness what Islamophobia is and is not can make the Christian West understand Islam and Muslim properly. But the pitfall is in Islam and the Muslims.
Annan proposes to distinguish the politically-motivated violence from the religiously motivated one. Meaning, distinction will show that terrorism is politically motivated. Even if the Arab terrorists are Muslims, terrorists and terrorism must be disassociated from Islam. There is no religiously-motivated violence.
But Islam does not distinguish itself from the state. To the Muslims, it is a total way of life. Religion and politics, Islam and the state are one. How can unity be separated? Muslims testify to this in what they do.
Terrorists
Are Bin Laden, the al-Qaida, the Jemaah Islamiyah, and the militant groups in Egypt, Iraq, Palestine, and elsewhere in the Middle-East only politically motivated in their many acts of terrorism? They call their terroristic activities jihad or Holy War according to the Qur’an.
We have witnessed it in the Philippines and the same is true anywhere else, according to media reports. The terrorists”s war cry is “Allahu al-Akbar! Allahu al-Akbar!” (God is Great!) They invoke Allah, their God for what they do.
Gracia Burnham, the American missionary who was held hostage by the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan Island for over a year, related in her book the religiousness of the terrorists, all Muslims. They read the Qur’an, gave the hostages the Qur’an to read, and prayed regularly.
They said that hostage-taking was part of their jihad, obviously to raise funds, to create an Islamic state. Jihad, Islamic state — both religious and political and inseparable — are the motives of terrorism by terrorists devoutly practicing Islam.
Read it all.