An informed citizenry can keep people from being deceived by those with intentions that are not quite so benign as many would like to think.
Here is an email I just received:
I am writing to tell you about a small success story in the struggle against Sharia. I am a law student at the University of Cincinnati. Last Thursday our school hosted a Sharia apologist from Saudi Arabia, Dr. Abdulkareem Hamad A. Alsaiygh. He’s Dean at the Center for Contemporary Islamic Studies and Dialogue among Civilizations, Imam Mohammed bin Saud Islamic University.
The purported goal of his visit was to dispel myths that the West has about Islam and Sharia Law. Because of your written work and this website, a group of us were prepared to ask questions that cut through the typical obfuscating rhetoric of this Sharia apologist. Heading into the event, the vast majority of students in the audience were sympathetic and welcoming to the speaker and his ideas. By the end of the event, they were all rightly horrified.
Among other things, our questions forced Dr. Alsaiygh to admit the following:
1. That apostasy is rightly punishable by death under Islamic law and the law of Saudi Arabia.
2. That there will never be a Christian church in Saudi Arabia.
3. That a Christian church is considered a national security risk to Saudi Arabia and other Islamic states.
4. That stoning is appropriate punishment for adultery.
5. That most women raped in Saudi Arabia deserve some punishment for “putting themselves in that situation.”
6. That “interfaith dialogue” could never include polytheistic religions.
7. That Christian evangelism in Saudi Arabia is a subversive act comparable to planning a terrorist attack in the US.
8. And that all these were “moderate” Islamic positions.Of course, he attempted to take us on the obligatory guilt trip by blaming the West for radical Islam. But, by this point, he had lost the vast majority of the audience.
Be an informed citizen! Read Jihad Watch!
ADDENDUM: Skeptics prompted me to ask for more information. The talk was sponsored by the Urban Morgan Institute for Human Rights at the University, publishers of the Human Rights Quarterly. Here is information on the speaker that was sent out by the Urban Morgan Institute for Human Rights:
Name: Dr. Abdulkareem Hamad A ALSAIYGH
Present Position: Dean, Center for Contemporary Islamic Studies and Dialogue among Civilizations, Imam Mohammed bin Saud Islamic UniversityConcurrent Position: Assistant Professor, Islamic Education Department, Imam Mohammed bin Saud Islamic University
Education/Training: — B.A. degree in Shari’a (Islamic law), College of Shari’a, Imam Mohammed bin Saud Islamic University
— M.A. degree in Jurisprudence Politics, Dept. of Legal Systems, Higher Institute for Judge Qualification, Imam Mohammed bin Saud Islamic University
— Ph.D., Islamic Law, Imam Mohammed bin Saud Islamic University
Memberships: — Member of the Saudi Association of Islamic Jurisprudence
— Member of the Authorized Arbitrator, Ministry of Justice
— Member of the Saudi Chamber of CommercePublications: — Principals of contract enforcement in law and religion, culture
— Tradition: Their bases, divisions, conditions and impact in
religion and law
— Divorce traditional and innovate approachesPersonal Data: Born April 1, 1970 in Khobar, Saudi Arabia
Languages: Arabic (primary)
U.S. Travel: 1995 and 1997 (tourism)
May 13 – June 3, 2006 (International Visitor Program – Religious and Public Education IIOther Travel: Lebanon, Tunis, Egypt