Yes, said the dhimmis to their masters: you are just. You are tolerant. You are superbly fair and benign. If they didn’t say that, their lives could be at risk. Now, of course, in our enlightened age, we only find that kind of intellectual subjugation in American universities, taken on not on pain of death but quite voluntarily. From the Stanford Daily, with thanks to Twostellas:
To provide a forum for all members of the Stanford community to ask questions about and acquaint themselves better with the Islamic faith, two Islamic student groups hosted a panel last night entitled “Islam Reflections and Perceptions,” including both students and Muslim leaders.
Sponsored by the Muslim Student Awareness Network, or MSAN, in partnership with the Islamic Society at Stanford University, or ISSU, the panel featured senior Rania Eltom, MSAN president; doctoral student Ibrahim Almojel, president of ISSU; Ameena Jandali, secretary of the Islamic Networks Group – a nonprofit designed to educate the public about Islam; and Hisham Abdallah, imam of the Muslim Community Association of Santa Clara. Thom Massey, associate dean of students and cultural education affairs, moderated the event.
The speakers each described the major tenets of Islam, focusing mainly on the misperceptions of the religion….
Ah, yes. Muslims themselves seem to misunderstand Islam so easily, it’s a good thing they’re doing this sort of thing.
“Islam is a religion where the main focus is the relationship with God,” Jandali said, adding that many assumptions about Islam are perpetuated by people who are unfamiliar with the belief system….
All four speakers highlighted this one-sidedness and the inaccuracies it leads to.
During the question-and-answer session, one audience member asked why many of the world’s terrorists happen to be Muslim.
Abdallah replied that the actions of terrorists are not in accordance with the teachings of Islam, especially with the ideal of perfect moral character.
“Islam does not condone terrorism,” Eltom added.
Ah yes. The terrorists misunderstand Islam, you see. It’s such a grand, complex thing, that millions of its own adherents have no idea that it actually does not condone terrorism. This can only be discovered, you see, after years — decades — of intense study and prayer.
But anyway, we’re inventing the problem ourselves:
Jandali said she believes that each generation of Americans seems to identify a particular enemy, contrived to fit ideologies or economic necessities.
“During the Cold War the Russians were our enemies and now it is the
Muslims,” she said. “Our memory of history is short.”…
Of course! There was no need to fight communism at all! There is no need to fight now either! We’re so glad Ms. Jandali cleared this all up for us.