Exposing more absurdities from arguably one of today’s most absurd (and insidious, because of his sly apologetics for jihad terror) public figures. My latest at PJ Media:
The Bill Maher/Ben Affleck Islam controversy just keeps rolling, with mainstream media outlets pumping out article after article to excoriate Maher for going off the reservation and to try, ever more desperately, to shore up their sagging Islam-Is-A-Religion-of-Peace dogma. It is no surprise that leftist media darling Reza Aslan is at the center of these efforts, appearing on CNN and penning an op-ed in the New York Times to attack Maher and warn leftists who may be tempted to believe Maher that telling the truth about Islam is still “racism” and “bigotry.”
The only problem is, as is so often the case, Aslan is wrong. Here are the five chief misstatements he has made during the Maher kerfuffle:
1. “The abiding nature of scripture rests not so much in its truth claims as it does in its malleability, its ability to be molded and shaped into whatever form a worshiper requires.”
Bill Maher, according to the headline of Aslan’s Times piece, “misunderstands religion.” But then Reza tells us in the article that religions are infinitely malleable, capable of being “molded and shaped into whatever form a worshiper requires.”
If that were true, however, then it would be impossible to misunderstand them, because anything at all that one said about them would be as equally valid as any other view. Thus it would be impossible for Bill Maher, or anyone else, to misunderstand religion or Islam in particular.
What Aslan is claiming here is absolutely nihilistic. He’s saying essentially that words have no meaning, that the various scriptures of various religions have no essential content or character, that the religions themselves are meaningless and interchangeable, and that people are never inspired to change their behavior by the teachings of a religion, which don’t exist anyway, since religions are wholly and solely what people decide they will be. Can a religion’s teachings transform a believer into a “violent misogynist” or a “peaceful, democratic feminist”?
For Aslan, the answer is no: religions are just putty, to be formed by those who believe in them into any shape they like. So tomorrow Muslims could begin to declare that there are five gods, despite the Qur’an’s fierce monotheism, and Christians could begin murdering people while screaming, “Jesus is Lord!”
This is, of course, completely absurd. Religions don’t just depend on what the believer brings to them; believers are also shaped by what they teach. While there is diversity within religious traditions, that diversity is circumscribed by the broad parameters of the religion’s core teachings. Religious teachings actually have real content and neither can be nor are shaped by believers into whatever they like.
2. “The same Bible that commands Jews to ‘love your neighbor as yourself’ (Leviticus 19:18) also exhorts them to ‘kill every man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey,’ who worship any other God (1 Sam. 15:3). The same Jesus Christ who told his disciples to ‘turn the other cheek’ (Matthew 5:39) also told them that he had ‘not come to bring peace but the sword’ (Matthew 10:34), and that “he who does not have a sword should sell his cloak and buy one” (Luke 22:36). The same Quran that warns believers ‘if you kill one person it is as though you have killed all of humanity’ (5:32) also commands them to ‘slay the idolaters wherever you find them’ (9:5).”Aslan doesn’t mention that I Samuel 15:3 is not an open-ended command to all believers, as is Qur’an 9:5; rather, it is a specific directive given to Saul regarding the Amalekites. If you are neither Saul nor an Amalekite, it doesn’t concern you. As for Luke 22:36, Aslan doesn’t mention that shortly thereafter, when one of the disciples uses his sword and cuts off the ear of a slave of the high priest, Jesus rebukes the sword-bearer and heals the man’s ear (Luke 22:51).
And while examples are ready to hand of Muslims quoting Qur’an 9:5 to justify violence (including Osama bin Laden), Aslan can adduce not a single example of a Jew committing an act of violence and justifying it by referring to I Samuel 15:3, or a Christian committing an act of violence and justifying it by referring to Luke 22:36.
Also, while admonishing his readers that “no religion exists in a vacuum,” Aslan completely ignores the interpretative traditions of all three religions, and treats their scriptures as if they do indeed exist in a vacuum. They don’t. And neither Judaism nor Christianity, in any of their forms, has now or has ever had any doctrines equivalent to the Islamic doctrine that the Muslim community “makes war upon Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians …until they become Muslim or else pay the non-Muslim poll tax” (‘Umdat al-Salik O9.8). The quotation comes from a manual of Islamic law certified by the most prestigious and influential institution in Sunni Islam, al-Azhar, as conforming “to the practice and faith of the orthodox Sunni community.”
I challenge Reza Aslan to provide a quotation from any Jewish or Christian authority comparable to al-Azhar, calling upon believers to make war against and subjugate non-believers. He will, of course, ignore this challenge, or, if he does take note of it, he will respond as he has in the past, by calling me fat or gay or stupid, or all of the above, and still ignoring the challenge. Aslan’s frenzied rudeness and obnoxiousness to those who dare to disagree with him is well-documented. It also manifests, as it does in the case of other insufferably arrogant academics, a deep insecurity that is likely born of the strain of having to spend one’s days putting forward and propping up fantasies and falsehoods. But the mainstream media and academia today are one-party states; if one deviates from the acceptable line, one need not be engaged intellectually or even treated with basic human courtesy.
3. Female genital mutilation is not a Muslim problem, “it’s a Central African problem. Eritrea has almost 90 percent female genital mutilation. It’s a Christian country. Ethiopia has 75 percent female genital mutilation. It’s a Christian country. Nowhere else in the Muslim, Muslim-majority states is female genital mutilation an issue.”Despite his renown as a “scholar,” Aslan, as I have shown with numerous examples, is not very bright, and constantly makes basic errors of fact. Eritrea and Ethiopia aren’t in Central Africa; they’re in East Africa. And Aslan’s claim that “nowhere else in the Muslim, Muslim-majority states is female genital mutilation an issue” is completely false. Indonesia’s largest Muslim organization declared female genital mutilation a “human right.” A Muslim cleric in Australia has defended it. It is a huge problem in Britain, and a huge percentage of the Muslims in Britain are not from East Africa or Africa at all. It is common in Iraq. It is well-established in the Maldives. And 41 percent of Kurdish women have been victims of it.
Nor does Aslan mention that while some non-Muslims practice it, only in Islam is it approved. Female genital mutilation is sanctioned in Islamic law: “Circumcision is obligatory (for every male and female) (by cutting off the piece of skin on the glans of the penis of the male, but circumcision of the female is by cutting out the bazr ‘clitoris’ [this is called khufaadh ‘female circumcision’]).” — ‘Umdat al-Salik e4.3, translated by Mark Durie, The Third Choice, p. 64…
Read the rest here.
dieter says
Jerry Coyne, who is another leading anti-islamic Atheist, features a statistical analysis on the FGM question on his blog:
“Dr. Oliver Scott Curry works on the evolution of morality at the Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology at Oxford. Just to check out Reza Aslan’s claim that female genital mutilation (FGM) was an African rather than an Islamic problem, Curry did a preliminary statistical analysis. As you’ll see below, his results (and he emphasizes again that they’re tentative and need deeper analysis) don’t support the “African Hypothesis”.”
http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2014/10/18/guest-post-the-relationship-between-islam-and-female-genital-mutilation/
Also:
http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2014/10/13/heather-hastie-on-female-genital-mutilation-is-it-islamic-2/
Salome says
If Wikipedia can be trusted: Eritrea is 50% Christian and 48% Muslim, Ethiopia 66% Christian and 33% Muslim. Higher FGM rates with larger Muslim minorities. (Not that the Christians couldn’t do with a lesson or two.) It’s an ancient practice that pre-dates Christianity, but there’s one faith that keeps it going more than others.
deja vu says
Whatever Wikipedia says, the reality is that Eritrea is 12th on the 2014 list of nations which practice intense persecution of evangelical Christians. The actual numbers of Christians (rather than non-Muslims counted as ‘Christians’) is hard to guage, though there is relative freedom for the Coptic Church.
saturnine says
While his call for reformation isn’t sound, here’s refreshing clarity from a former Muslim, a few weeks ago http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ali-a-rizvi/an-open-letter-to-moderat_b_5930764.html
Jay Boo says
Fair and balanced???
Clever Reza Aslan uses a false equivalence to set up his attack
Why does he say “The same Jesus Christ”
only to follow with “The same Quran” instead of Muhammad.
Do we dare ask him about the abundant list of atrocities committed by Muhammad?
Saleem Smith says
I would bet a hundred million dollars the Reza Aslan is the protege (and charming fashion model) of the infamous imam Faisal Abdul Rauf (Ground Zero mosque hustler).
Reza is likely more than just a fool. He is likely a calculating Muslim that would prefer the non-Muslim population look at Islamic theology through rose colored glasses.
I wouldn’t trust this snake to babysit my goldfish on a bad day.
We ex-Muslims living with Islam’s formal and informal death penalty for apostasy know that Reza Aslan is both a fraud and a dupe.
Here is a recent statement from a group of Bangladeshi apostates living in the UK explaining the reasons why they have abandoned Islam:
“One who claims to be a messenger of God is expected to live a saintly life. He must not be given to lust, he must not be a sexual pervert, and he must not be a rapist, a highway robber, a war criminal, a mass murderer or an assassin. One who claims to be a messenger of God must have a superior character. He must stand above the vices of the people of his time. Yet Muhammad’s life is that of a gangster godfather. He raided merchant caravans, looted innocent people, massacred entire male populations and enslaved the women and children. He raped the women captured in war after killing their husbands and told his followers that it is okay to have sex with their captives (Qur’an 33:50). He assassinated those who criticized him and executed them when he came to power and became de facto despot of Arabia. Muhammad was bereft of human compassion. He was an obsessed man with his dreams of grandiosity and could not forgive those who stood in his way…
The statement continues,
Muhammad was a narcissist, like Hitler, Saddam or Stalin. He was astute and knew how to manipulate people, but his emotional intelligence was less evolved than that of a 6-year-old child. He simply could not feel the pain of others. He brutally massacred thousands of innocent people and pillaged their wealth. His ambitions were big and as a narcissist he honestly believed he is entitled to do as he pleased and commit all sorts of crimes and his evil deeds are justified.”
Shane says
Muhammad had more in common with Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan, and the Godfather than he did with Jesus or the Buddha. He created a religion of war which is more like the religion of the Vikings than it is like Christianity or Buddhism. Of all the religions on earth, there is none more dangerous than Islam; Islam is a cancer on our planet.
Louise from Canada says
Mr. Spencer, there is no one who comes to your little toe. You are too strong for small heads without brains like that POS of Reza.
jihad3tracker says
Hello Louise —
YES, ROBERT SPENCER IS A VERY RARE TREASURE IN THE COUNTER-JIHAD STRUGGLE.
I found this website — Jihadwatch — 4 years ago, and I check in with its postings several times a day. Please tell all of your family members and friends to come here for news which we just do not get from other media.
Let me also mention several other resources that are superb factual allies for clueless Americans :
http://www.citizenwarrior.com / http://www.barenakedislam.com / http://www.inquiryintoislam.com / http://www.pamelageller.com / http://www.thereligionofpeace.com.
Steakman says
And I, a Western Canadian couldn’t agree more. “POS Reza”…is an understatement…but we have a few up here as well…
nacazo says
To check whether or not Azzlan is lying, check his mouth. if his mouth is open Azzlan is lying.
Champ says
Boy he’s the total package of a goofball ..the only thing missing is the clown suit.
jihad3tracker says
For JW readers who have not gotten the full wheelbarrow of Reza Aslan’s personality disorder and its manifestations (including a homo-erotic rant when he had too much Boone’s Farm wine for breakfast) enter his name in the searchbox here.
R James says
Let’s say it as it is for once! The vast majority of terrorism today is postulated on one real or contrived form of Islam or another and has been for a long time, so we need to focus on that fact and stop hiding behind self-harmful notions of political correctness wherein politicians are afraid to deal with this threat aggressively head on for fear of being called illiberal or anti-Islamic. We only have to look at the Rotherham child abuse scandal to see what such ‘PC’ attitudes from the authorities can lead to.
The truth is that extremist Muslim groups not only export violence to the West but also terrorise each other. Most minority or majority social or religious groups don’t routinely kill each other in the 21st century but many Muslims still do. Shia and Sunni sects routinely murder each other all over the Middle East over who they should revere more from Ali to Abu Bakr; they also kill anyone else who doesn’t agree with them, behead innocents in the Middle East and those like Trooper Rigby in the streets of London where they also blow up buses and metro trains in the name of Islamic ‘righteousness’.
As perhaps a worrying sign that Britain should have woken up to a long time ago, it is evident that most minority immigrant communities generally refuse to integrate into their Western adopted societies. Anyone like me who lives in a big city will I’m sure have witnessed this on an almost daily basis. I live very near a Sikh temple and have seen first-hand how the vast majority of its members can or will only speak a foreign language and refuse to engage with anyone outside of their clique despite their ‘Langar’ responsibilities. Indeed, many immigrant and religious groups seem to like nothing more than living in insular communities based around a mosque or temple and refusing to assimilate while at the same time making good use of the services provided by local authorities who bend over backwards to help them. I am sure some will criticise me for only pointing to certain groups but I challenge anyone to find such entrenched, insular, homogeneous views in Christian churches, Jewish temples or other long UK established religions such as Buddhism, Jehovah’s Witnesses or Methodists. Even Catholics will outreach to the community.
Personally I’m tired of these people and their nihilism and urge everyone to stop being ‘PC’ and say it like it is!
duh_swami says
Someone should ask Reza to explain Gabriel and jinn…
Jay Boo says
Exodus from Medina
Desert jinn spirits spoke in twisted verse, a dance of words to recite, to recite.
Medina’s false prophet this rehearsed in a cave near Mecca veiled by night.
But the angel Gabriel saw his descent, and said “Pawn of Satan turn, repent, repent.”
But, sharia’s verse planted its infected creed fertilized by this false prophet’s made-up dream.
Vain attempts to partner with God almighty was dredged up from the lowest pit of Muhammad’s vanity.
Bloodied hands are now washed before prayers that incite
as hate speech is masked as devotion to recite, to recite.
Zoltar says
Aslan is not a Muslim but a modernist. An Islamic version of Bishop John Shelby Spong. He doesn’t know whether there is an Allah, but practices Suffism because it fills his God shaped hole.
Jay Boo says
Aslan might be a Bishop John Shelby Spong porous sponge absorbing Suffism to hide the many empty holes in his shallow soul.
Brian Hoff says
America is the only nation that doesnot ban entery to our nation of people from the 3 nation hotsport for Ebola every other nation is banning people from those hotsport of Ebola from enty they nation. We are afraid of being call racist and afraid of foreign people. The two hospital in Dallus commit to the press that they didnot treat the Ebola case correctly the nurses didnot wear full isloation suit untril the third day. While at our mosque we treated Ebola more serious, one kid threw up right way the muslim women and men took step to clean up and sanity the three area he threw up in, the kids in his class was send out on extend break time untid the room, tables,chairs and floor was clean up and sanity the area with beackh , ammonium and pine sol.
Brian Hoff says
We donot think that boy have Ebola at all. For the three week I e-mail the Sunday school about the threat of Ebola the women and men did they own research on Ebola than decide they donot want Ebola in they mosque, we are locate in Dallus or near Dallus at all.
Brian Hoff says
Correction we are not in Dallus or near Dallus.
Western Canadian says
Brain off, the only comment on your position that makes any sense, and is actually a demonstration of an eternal truth, would be that you are never anywhere near the truth.
tpellow says
Supplementary.
“REZA ASLAN’S MARXIST ACCOUNT OF ISLAM”
http://libertygb.org.uk/v1/index.php/home/root/news-libertygb/6606-reza-aslan-s-marxist-account-of-islam
ygalg says
“The same Quran that warns believers ‘if you kill one person it is as though you have killed all of humanity’ (5:32)”
nope, it doesn’t warns.
that specific verse (which BTW plagiarized from Hillel’s commentary Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:9) demonstrates that israelites learned the value of one person.
however Quran authors amend it by adding within the quote two conditions: unless in (1) case of murder or (2) mischief in the land.
thus according to quran israelites learned that committing murder or mischief in the land the value of one person not unconditional (contradictory to original point Hillel made) and israelites have committed mischief in the land. by that disobeyed god and got punished.
then the verse 5:33 lifts a warning disobeying allah or his prophet will result in capital punishment, cutting limbs and expulsion by that order.
Q 5:20-32 mixed the biblical story of 12 scouts who were sent to explore the promised land with Hillel’s commentary on murder of Abel by Kain in the mishnah. all the trouble to convene the concept of obedience. 5:33 would’ve suffice without it. but to make the concept work I guess requires long brainwashed mambo jambo.
Jay Boo says
Look at the photo of Reza.
How could we not trust someone who has mastered the facial expression of surprised innocence.
Muhammad might have had this same expression when his little nine year old wife first learned the full meaning of wedding night.
jewdog says
I’m not surprised that the NY Times published Aslan. I stopped reading their op-eds years ago when I realized how one-sided they were. Who knows, maybe if they keep repeating the same Islam-as-R.O.P. it might happen. It’s fairy godmother analysis from Peter Pan.
Henry says
Keeping the cat in the bag about the reality of Islam just keeps getting more difficult for the likes of Reza, all of us in the know must keep on spreading the truth loud and clear.
Boston Tea Party says
“Bill Maher, according to the headline of Aslan’s Times piece, “misunderstands religion.” But then Reza tells us in the article that religions are infinitely malleable, capable of being “molded and shaped into whatever form a worshiper requires.”
If that were true, however, then it would be impossible to misunderstand them, because anything at all that one said about them would be as equally valid as any other view. Thus it would be impossible for Bill Maher, or anyone else, to misunderstand religion or Islam in particular.”
Excellent logic, Robert. This is the logical path postmodern relativism always leads to: nonsense and nothingness. If one really doesn’t believe that something has any objective, specific qualities, then no statement about that thing can be more or less true than any other—and all discussion and debate becomes moot.
Perhaps that really is Aslan’s goal.
Tim says
“Female genital mutilation is not a Muslim problem”.
Well it is. In Yemen its a huge problem and with the Islamic state it’s obligatory. Not only enslaved and captured women’s genitals have been chopped by the Islamic state, but men too have been forcefully circumsized.
And lets not forget that the Islamic state is a true representation of Islam according to 92% of Saudi’s…
Kepha says
As for Matthew 10:34-36 which Aslan quotes, it has nothing to do with political violence or warfare. It is a warning that people’s attitudes towards who Jesus is will divide families. That happens among secularized Westerners and Far Eastern Buddhists when someone decides to follow the Jesus of the Old and New Testaments as well as among Muslims (although the ex-Muslim’s brother might think it a religious duty to kill him as well as ostracize him). While living in SE Asia, I met a South African businessman of South Asian heritage who bore a couple of glaringly Old Testament names, and asked him how that happened. He said his father, who was kicked out of his large, Tamil Hindu family, decided that he might as well drop his original Hindu names and adopt ones from the Bible he had come to love. It was as if I’d met Dionysius the Areopagite (Acts 17) and found him changing his name to Ezekiel.
In any case, our good blog host Robert has shown himself time and time again a more serious and learned student of both the Christian and Muslim religious traditions than Reza Aslan could ever hope to be. Then again, I always feel a bit jaundiced whenever I run up against someone dusting off S.G.F. Brandon’s 1960’s Jesus-as-zealot meme and presenting it as something new, exciting, and fresh.