I was on the William Bennett show this morning following Zuhdi Jasser, the Muslim leader who has offered to help the passengers who are being sued by the Flying Imams.
Now several people have written to me about an allegation by a blogger that on the show I said I was “optimistic” about the prospects for Islamic reform. This is false. I am not optimistic about the prospects for Islamic reform, although I support the efforts of individual reformers who are sincere. I did not say on the Bennett Show or anywhere else that I was “optimistic” about the prospects for Islamic reform. I have written about Islamic reform quite extensively here at Jihad Watch and in my books, explaining why it will be prohibitively difficult because of the nature and entrenched character of Qur’anic literalism, the violent response reformers receive, and more. As I have said many times, there are moderate Muslims, but Islam itself is not moderate. That fact must be faced by both reformers and those who place high hopes upon them. And in fact, on the Bennett show this morning I explained why Islamic reform faced monumental obstacles, and said that we should not kid ourselves about its prospects for large-scale success.
Anyone listening with any attention would have realized that on this question I was just the opposite of optimistic.
If a transcript or mp3 of the Bennett show becomes available, I will post it.