
Robert Spencer of 1984 says, Not so fast, Umar
The Muslim American Society has declared victory in a piece by Umar Lee that characterizes Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week as a “week of incitement.” That’s a neatly deceptive label for an efforts that features a series of speakers and programs designed to draw attention to the deprivation under Sharia of the human rights of women, religious minorities, and homosexuals, and even Muslims whom the jihadists deem to be insufficiently orthodox.
We have thus focused on the Left’s pet causes and thereby exposed its hypocrisy. All that Leftists and their allies have done in response — and all they apparently can do — is attack us personally and attribute to us, without a shred of evidence, all sorts of sinister motives and intentions, while simultaneously claiming that no one is paying attention to us anyway. Umar Lee is a case in point: he has never hesitated to engage in the most vile defamation of me and others, and appears incapable of holding a civil, rational discussion with those with whom he disagrees or arguing his case solely on its merits. His new MAS piece is more of the same. He wants his hapless readers to believe that we’re engaging in incitement — thus diverting their attention away from the fact that we’re calling attention to oppression, and he is by his opposition to us aiding and abetting that oppression. He combines this with a bit of chest-thumping:
As the week of incitement began one of the biggest critics of Islam, Robert Spencer, gave a speech at DePaul University in Chicago and was greeted by more people in opposition to his message than supporters and from the reports that I am getting on most campuses turnout is very light for these events and in many cases those coming out to counter the event are outnumbering those in support of it.
Maybe so. But Lee may be premature in declaring victory. When I myself was in college, I held views very different from those I hold now. I would have opposed Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week, had such an event existed. But the force of events and continued study over the years led me to change my views.
Most of all, however, I believe Umar Lee’s crowing is premature for one primary reason: we are telling the truth, and he and his cohorts aren’t. Monday night at DePaul a questioner referred to my invoking Sahih Muslim 4294, the hadith in which Muhammad tells his followers to offer unbelievers conversion, subjugation, or war. Then he asked, “What qualifies you to speak about the contents of Islamic texts?” I answered, “I can read.”
And so can a lot of other people — unfortunately for Umar Lee.
UPDATE: Several people have notified me that the MAS has pulled this article. What’s the matter, Umar? Too many people able to read?