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Sotloff family spokesman challenges Islamic State’s leader to a debate on the Qur’an

Sep 4, 2014 10:05 am By Robert Spencer

It’s an odd challenge. Barfi says to the caliph, “You said the month of Ramadan is the month of mercy. Where is your mercy?” But it isn’t Ramadan now. He invokes Qur’an 2:190: “And fight in the way of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress; Allah does not love the transgressors.” Is he unaware that that verse is followed immediately by this? “And slay them wherever you find them, and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution is worse than slaughter” (2:191)? The phrase “persecution is worse than slaughter” means that if you are being persecuted, slaughter is permissible — a reference to the Nakhla raid, when Muhammad’s men slaughtered some of the pagan Quraysh during one of the sacred months, when fighting was forbidden. Muhammad initially greeted them coldly and would not accept his share of the spoils — but then he got this revelation, that persecution is worse than slaughter, and that justified the raid: the Quraysh, you see, were persecuting the Muslims, and that justified their being slaughtered even during the sacred month. So would the caliph be chastened by Barfi’s invocation of the “do not transgress” verse? Certainly not. He would just say that the Muslims were being persecuted, and that justified slaughter.

This debate is unlikely to happen, but if it did, it would be a different kind of slaughter, with Barfi as the victim. “Sotloff family challenges Islamic State’s leader to a debate on the Koran,” Jerusalem Post, September 4, 2014 (thanks to all who sent this in):

Speaking in Arabic, spokesman for family of slain journalist issues challenge to terror group’s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The family of Steven Sotloff, the second American journalist beheaded by Islamic State militants, said on Wednesday he was “a gentle soul”, and challenged the group’s leader to a debate on the peaceful teachings of the Muslim holy book, the Koran.

Family spokesperson Barak Barfi ended the statement with off-the-cuff remarks in Arabic, saying “Steve died a martyr for the sake of God.”

He then challenged Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to debate Islam, saying, “Woe to you. You said the month of Ramadan is the month of mercy. Where is your mercy?”

“Abu Bakr, I am ready to debate with you. I come in peace. I have no sword in my hand and I am ready for your answer,” added Barfi, who is an Arabic scholar and research fellow at the New America Foundation think tank in Washington.

Islamic State released a video on Tuesday (September 2) purporting to show the beheading Sotloff, raising the stakes in its confrontation with Washington over US air strikes in Iraq.

Following the beheading of journalist Jim Foley last week, Sotloff’s mother made an emotional plea to Islamic State, requesting they release her son.

The Sotloff family has yet to speak personally to media following their son Steven’s death and requested to mourn privately.

US and British officials both examined the video, showing the same British-accented executioner who appeared in an Aug. 19 video of the killing of US journalist James Foley, concluding it was authentic.

The United States resumed air strikes in Iraq in August for the first time since the pullout of US troops in 2011 and Obama said the strikes are already proving effective.

The White House said late on Tuesday (September 2) that Obama was sending three top officials — Secretary of State John Kerry, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and counterterrorism adviser Lisa Monaco — to the Middle East “in the near-term to build a stronger regional partnership” against Islamic State militants.

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Filed Under: Islamic State (aka ISIS, ISIL, Daesh), Qur'an Tagged With: featured


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Comments

  1. Liza Jones says

    Sep 4, 2014 at 10:16 am

    I am so sick of this Islamic infestation.

  2. Diane Harvey says

    Sep 4, 2014 at 10:17 am

    “Watch out below. Scales from eyes to be falling.”

    When lefties meet Islam.

    LOL,

    • eduardo odraude says

      Sep 4, 2014 at 11:24 am

      Not necessarily. Some studies show that when a religion’s prophecy (in this case, the PCMC expectations of the Left about Islam) fails to come true, the result is often the opposite to what one might expect. The faithful reinterpret events so as to strengthen their faith, despite the failed prophecy.

      Mind you, I’m not against faith, and I think we all have some kind of faith, whether we recognize it or not. But some faiths are truer than others, even though no mere mortal is in a position to pronounce with absolutely perfect certitude which is the true faith. Still, we can have a tentative, open-minded, developing kind of spiritual certainty, a sureness that is experiential and not completely absolute.

      • Beagle says

        Sep 4, 2014 at 12:04 pm

        All belief systems are faith-based at their core. To prove it ask yourself a series of “Why?” questions related to your political, social, or other orientation. Logic rarely lasts more than five questions before one must accept a proposition on faith or be reduced to a series of bizarre questions and ridiculous answers.

        Question 17’s answer:
        “Well, the earth cooled and life began on it.”

        • gravenimage says

          Sep 4, 2014 at 11:05 pm

          Beagle—with respect—I disagree with the idea that all belief systems are equally irrational.

          Were that true, we might as well all just “revert” to Islam, since it is no less irrational than anything else.

          It is impossible for any human to be completely rational on every point, and things can become very complicated at times—but it is often not that difficult to identify truly irrational and malevolent belief systems, such as Fascism and Islam—they often make themselves known pretty clearly in both word *and* deed.

          I believe, though no system is without error, that generally benevolent systems can be told by their fruits, as well.

  3. Chabuco says

    Sep 4, 2014 at 10:29 am

    In Islam, violence abrogates peace. It doesn’t matter whether in the first few pages of the Qur’an it says something like “Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet… and I love you” if that’s followed by “Strike the necks of the unbelievers”.

    http://quran.com/8/12
    http://quran.com/47/4

    At the end of the day… this is all a distraction, deflection. The topic is not about what a book says or not, just like with Nazism, nobody says what’s written or not in Mein Kampf, but the point is the attrocities nazis committed, period. “Funny” how that doesn’t happen with Islam, where actions speak for themselves also, actions perpetrated today by Muslims and the actions of Mohammed and his henchmen, like Khalid ibn al-Walid:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ullais

    • Noone says

      Sep 4, 2014 at 12:44 pm

      THANK YOU! I love the parallel and the difference in how we looked at the Nazis and how we look at muslims.

    • Bettina says

      Sep 4, 2014 at 2:05 pm

      I think that the point of bringing up what’s written in the satanic koran proves time and time again that all these atrocities are rooted in the putrid rot of the koran.
      This is why Robert, JW, and other anti-islam advocates refer to the deadly texts, to help everyone open their eyes on the source, which should be eradicated from all civilizations.
      So while evil acts speak for themselves, the justification for them, the islamic scriptures, keep spawning sociopathic killers. Let’s never forget that the jihadis themselves keep quoting these writings, making the connection glaringly clear.

  4. Jay Boo says

    Sep 4, 2014 at 10:56 am

    Sad
    We have seen this all before to repeat again and again.

    Call them bad Muslims
    Shame them for not showing the mercy of “merciful” Islam.
    If only ISIS would follow the true Islam than all would be ‘peachy cool’
    Then Obama and NPR lead the Lefties to sing in a chorus of Islam is peace.

    We need to publically drop-kick the Qur’an — Verse by Tainted Verse
    We don’t need to ban it.
    We merely need to mock its evil intolerant buffoonery.

    Hello: Jon Stewart of the Daily Show
    Hello: Stephen Colbert of the Colbert Report

    • Vladimir Putin says

      Sep 4, 2014 at 1:57 pm

      Have you ever tried anything you have a remote chance of being valuable at…moron? I suggest a greeter role at Walmart.

      • gravenimage says

        Sep 4, 2014 at 11:17 pm

        What is “Vladimir Putin’s” problem?

        • voegelinian says

          Sep 7, 2014 at 5:05 am

          Vladimir Putin has got Jay Boo’s number (as has Mirren); other JWers apparently have been asleep at the switch.

        • Jay Boo says

          Sep 7, 2014 at 5:32 am

          voegelinian

          There you go again voegelinian trying to rally up back-up for when you get yourself in over your head.

          Pompous little weasel

        • Jay Boo says

          Sep 7, 2014 at 6:23 am

          @Vladimir Putin
          A classic hit and run
          run run away

          Meanwhile the opportunistic VULTURE voegelinian swoops down from his lofty perch to attempt to scavenge as ‘easy’ meal.

      • Jay Boo says

        Sep 7, 2014 at 5:41 am

        Vladimir Putin

        Your cheap attack was as shameless as voegelinian

        If you have a particular thing in my comment that you object to speak your ground and defend your point otherwise

        Jon Stewart of the Daily Show is a hypocrite
        Stephen Colbert of the Colbert Report is a hypocrite too
        Do you dispute this or something else?

        Can’t you defend your position at all ???
        Are you a Muslim?

  5. Julian says

    Sep 4, 2014 at 11:10 am

    Debates between muslims is a good thing. Muslims tend not to do debates because a great deal of them can’t really communicate properly. But this muslim would almost certainly get obliterated by the caliph in a debate if he tried to cook up the fantasy that Islam is a religion of peace.

    • Julian says

      Sep 4, 2014 at 11:12 am

      http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/11075380/Woman-beheaded-in-north-London-garden.html

      News just in. Not sure if this has any terrorist motive but you never know.

      • gravenimage says

        Sep 4, 2014 at 11:20 pm

        Yes it does, Julian—the perpetrator is a Muslim who converted to Islam last year.

    • Jay Boo says

      Sep 4, 2014 at 11:19 am

      This would not be a debate but merely an attack on an imaginary distinction called “radical Islam”
      It would be pointless, at best.

      • Myxlplik says

        Sep 4, 2014 at 12:10 pm

        Another interesting article, remember the woman from the UK who posted a picture if her son with an AK47.

        She wants to be the first woman to behead a westerner.

        http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/11049663/James-Foley-murder-British-woman-vows-to-become-first-female-to-behead-western-prisoner-in-Syria.html

        There is much coming out now, it’s difficult to keep up with it.

        Yesterday I posted a link to a BBC article which had PDF files from the thumb drives which were seized in Iraq from fleeing ISIS soldiers.

  6. Myxlplik says

    Sep 4, 2014 at 11:10 am

    Liberals are flinging their necks onto the sword of Islam like suicidal lemmings in defense of Multiculturalism. We are witnessing the death of a creed. Like Japanese Kamikaze pilots who were only trained to take off and fly in a straight line towards their death, Emperor worship in Japan died the same way.

    • Kepha says

      Sep 5, 2014 at 5:44 am

      I only hope you’re right. However, somehow, I think that at the end of the day, we’ll have the PeeCeeEmCee Lefties, instead of turning on their Muslim allies, will pull the moral equivalence game and seek a complete and total ban all “religious” (understood as any religion in existence in 1690) discourse in public–all the way to ceding New Jersey back to Britain because the Rev. Dr. John Witherspoon’s signature on the Declaration of Independence retroactively violates separation of church and state and Great Britain re-legalizing slavery because Wilberforce was motivated by Christian principles.

  7. mariam rove says

    Sep 4, 2014 at 11:16 am

    do you notice that most muslims always are trying to tell you about the peaceful part of Islam? Do you notice that they never point to the vile and violent part of the Koran? M

  8. http://islamforbids.com says

    Sep 4, 2014 at 11:38 am

    Debating Muslims is like playing chess with a pigeon. No matter how good you are, the pigeon will knock over all the pieces, shit on the board and claim victory.

  9. Bamaguje says

    Sep 4, 2014 at 11:45 am

    “Abu Bakr, I am ready to debate with you. I come in peace…” Barak Barfi.

    Provoking the Caliph…. could get him beheaded.

  10. Peter Buckley says

    Sep 4, 2014 at 12:19 pm

    Barfi and the Sotloffs should take some time to watch this video. Barfi is basically making the same claim that Nadir Ahmed makes in the video, namely that Islam is a Religion of Peace. Unfortunately Mr. Ahmed gets well and truly trounced by Sam Shamoun. Watch Samoun’s opening salvo from 25 mins. onwards.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K-K2jnyRUw

    For a more secular debate (but with the same result), watch Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Douglas Murray trounce the muslims here:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGxxbqPSLR8

    What is noticeable in all these debates is that the “anti-Islam” side always wins, PROVIDED THEY HAVE STUDIED ISLAM OR ARE EX-MUSLIMS.

  11. Anushirvan says

    Sep 4, 2014 at 1:35 pm

    Pseudo-intellectuals like Barfi can’t get their facts straight. Which is fine by me. Go on customizing “moderate” Islam ad nauseam. And then have a debate and make a real boob of yourself and gawk at the amazing frankness of purist muslims. Preferably, do it out in the open with all non-muslims and counterjihadists watching too, so we can have a good laugh at your expense later !

    And subsequently, go on denying the reality, as usual.

  12. mortimer says

    Sep 4, 2014 at 2:37 pm

    Barak Barfi should let Robert Spencer (taking the place of al Baghdadi) debate him.

    Robert Spencer can then re-state what al Baghdadi has already said and draw on the verses that was based on.

    In that way, the world can find out how authentic is the doctrine of al-Baghdadi and his ISIS followers.

  13. David, Thailand says

    Sep 4, 2014 at 7:47 pm

    “…Obama was sending three top officials — Secretary of State John Kerry, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and counterterrorism adviser Lisa Monaco — to the Middle East “in the near-term to build a stronger regional partnership” against Islamic State militants.”
    ————–

    I suggest these fools take advice from Qatar and Saudi, to ensure that peace breaks out throughout the region.

  14. gravenimage says

    Sep 4, 2014 at 10:57 pm

    Sotloff family spokesman challenges Islamic State’s leader to a debate on the Qur’an
    ……………………………

    And if Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi doesn’t like what Barak Barfi has to say and decides he is an “apostate”, he can behead him, as well…

    But this is almost certainly just Taqiyya on Barfi’s part, and meant entirely for the consumption of credulous Infidels…

    This from Barak Barfi on the “Arab Spring”:

    Barak Barfi indicated the disposition of the youth that filled al-Qaeda’s ranks has changed from those willing to die for a belief to those more likely to focus on building a new society. The current optimism post Arab Spring harks back to Nasserism, but Barfi believes the pessimism that permeated the political process will return, and when it does al-Qaeda will be able to capitalize of the dissatisfaction. One possible talking point for al-Qaeda could be criticizing the countries that do not incorporate Islamic law into their constitutions and citing the lack of Islamic law when countries experience difficulties.

    http://pomed.org/featured-content/event-notes/pomed-notes-the-arab-awakening-implications-for-al-qaeda-and-the-future-of-terrorism/

    Oddly, there is no date on the above.

    But in any case, there are only two choices—one, that Barfi is cluelessly naïve, or that he is whitewashing Jihad terror.

    It is also unclear what Barfi’s *own* views are re Shari’ah law, nor on the sort of society Al Qaeda would be apt to build…I think we are basically seeing the fruits of this in the sanguinary “Islamic State”.

    And an even more elemental question, of course, is why Steven Sotloff’s family is so “politically correct” that after having their loved one brutally murdered by pious Muslims, they felt the need to engage a Muslim “spokesperson”…

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