M. Fawad Mansoori, a board member of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Jacksonville, has written an op-ed in the Florida Times-Union (thanks to Doc Washburn), “ISLAM: Muslims can live in harmony,” that is full of the usual detours and deceptions, as well as a strong affirmation of loyalty to the U.S. Constitution.
According to a Gallup Poll, four out of 10 Americans have admitted prejudice toward Islam and Muslims.
Mansoori, like all others of his ilk, never pauses to consider the possibility that Americans have a different view of Muslims from their view of Hindus or Buddhists because of Muslim actions, carried out repeatedly in the name of Islam, not just because of blind prejudice.
Unfortunately, a recent letter writer suffers from the same malaise.
Fom the dawn of Islam, Muslims have adapted to live in harmony in large multicultural societies.
The third largest Muslim population in the world now lives in India, accounting for fewer than 20 percent of its population.
If Islam commanded conversion at the point of a sword, would Muslims still be a minority after eight centuries of uninterrupted rule?
Straw man, of course. Islam doesn’t mandate conversion at the point of a sword for everyone. It does for pagans, as opposed to the “People of the Book,” who are to be offered dhimmi status, but in fact, Hindus were awarded dhimmi status in India after it proved to be impractical to convert or kill them all.
Look no further than Spain to learn that, despite over six centuries of Muslim rule, it was the intolerant Christian Inquisition that gave Muslims and Jews three options, convert to Christianity, leave Spain or die.
As far as the Muslims were concerned, their expulsion wasn’t “despite,” but because of centuries of Muslim rule, which along with the inherently political nature of Islam made the Catholic monarchs doubt their loyalty to the state.
Today, despite the mosque in Cordova being one of the most beautiful in the world, no Muslim prayers are allowed there.
Right. Just as Christian prayers aren’t allowed in the Hagia Sophia or myriad other former churches or sites of churches in the Islamic world.
A recent poll by the Council on American-Islamic Relations shows the American Muslim population to be both young and highly educated.
Sixty-two percent have obtained a bachelor’s degree or higher, which is double the comparable national figure for registered voters.
The survey results also show that Muslims are already well integrated in American society.
Eighty-nine percent said they vote regularly; 86 percent said they celebrate the Fourth of July; and 64 percent said they fly the U.S. flag.
Forty-two percent said they volunteer for institutions serving the public (compared to 29 percent nationwide in 2005).
Eighty-four percent said Muslims should strongly emphasize shared values with Christians and Jews.
Seventy-seven percent said Muslims worship the same God as Christians and Jews do.
Only seventy-seven percent? Haven’t the other twenty-three percent been told that this is in the Qur’an (29:46)?
The letter writer’s assertion that Muslims want Shariah law to displace the U.S. Constitution is pernicious.
The U.S. Constitution is consistent with aims and objectives of Islamic Shariah.
It would be refreshing if he would explain this in light of the Sharia’s denial of freedom of conscience and institutionalized inequality for non-Muslims.
The constitutional principles in Islamic sacred texts state that the political process must be based on “elections” and the elective and governing process must be based on “broad deliberation.”
But only for Muslims.
Upon establishing the Islamic state, Prophet Muhammad developed the Charter of Madinah.
The charter declared all tribe members to be full citizens of the state, but, at the same time, each tribe retained its identity, customs and internal relations.
The charter also granted freedom of religion and the right not to be found guilty by association.
The Charter of Medina was superseded during Muhammad’s career by warfare against those with whom he concluded it, and from the beginning of Islam until now, Islamic law has never granted non-Muslims equality of rights with Muslims.
American Muslims, contrary to wanting to replace the U.S. Constitution, are at the forefront of striving to preserve, protect and defend the U.S. Constitution, so help us God.
Glad to hear it. I hope you will explain, Mr. Mansoori, how your statement here relates to that of CAIR’s Ibrahim Hooper: “I wouldn’t want to create the impression that I wouldn’t like the government of the United States to be Islamic sometime in the future.” Is CAIR as a whole now disavowing any such intention or hope?