Dow Marmur is rabbi emeritus at Toronto’s Holy Blossom Temple. In this column he repeats a sentiment that non-Muslims have expressed many, many times before. No one, however, ever seems to stop and ponder the implications of the fact that now, thirteen and a half years after 9/11, articles like this one still need to be written.
“Mainstream Islam must do more to prevent extremist violence,” by Dow Marmur, Toronto Star, March 15, 2015:
The outpouring of local Muslim support for Jews after the murderous attacks in Paris and Copenhagen by self-proclaimed devout followers of Islam has been heartwarming and greatly appreciated.
Jews were particularly touched by the human chain around the synagogue in Oslo, the capital of Norway, after the tragedy in nearby Denmark. Some 1,000 Muslims, almost as many as there are Jews in all of Norway, are said to have held hands around the synagogue to tell those who worship there that their sanctuary will be protected.
Jews even accepted in good faith the reported change of heart by one of the Muslim speakers at the event. He had argued a few years earlier that it’s the Jews who were responsible for 9/11.
But is it enough to express support for victims after they had been attacked? Shouldn’t mainstream Islam take more drastic steps to prevent the violence perpetrated by its ostensible adherents before it occurs? Though many tend to blame U.S. President Barack Obama and other world leaders for past mistakes and present relative inaction in dealing with the menace of jihadism, few are urging the Islamic communities themselves to help eradicate it from their midst.
The menace is spreading. The notorious “Jihadi John” who has won international infamy as the executioner of hostages held by ISIS, was a graduate of the University of Westminster, one of the many academic institutions in Britain dominated by Muslim zealots.
One of the former adherents to have now recanted, Majid Nawaz, wrote in the New York Times earlier this month that on the very day that “Jihadi John” was identified, the Islamic Society in his alma mater was due to host Haitham al-Haddad who has been quoted describing Jews as descendants of apes and pigs.
Of course, people of that ilk neither reflect nor represent mainstream Islam. But shouldn’t respected and responsible Muslim leaders take drastic public action to identify the troublemakers on their fringe and help stop them before they engage in murderous endeavours?
That doesn’t seem to be happening. Only recently King Salman of Saudi Arabia, ostensibly the enemy of Muslim terrorism and a staunch defender of the faith, bestowed upon Dr. Zakir Najk, a notorious Muslim televangelist from India, his country’s highest honour.
Najk has a 9/11 theory that exonerates Muslim terrorists. He has also proclaimed in the conventional way of anti-Semites that the Jews control America. Mercifully, Canada denied him entry when he was invited to give vent to his opinions here.
To repeat: nobody should ever suggest that he or the young men and women who abandon their homes in the West to join extremists in the Middle East represent true Islam or reflect its teachings. But it’s not enough to say it after the event. Zealots and other miscreants should be prevented before they take action, including being reported to the police.
This is hard, because adversaries, keen to find fault with religious institutions and those who speak for them, may intimidate exponents of authentic Islam not to be publicly self-critical in order not to provide more fuel for the fires on which their enemies wish to burn them….
boakai ngombu says
” … shouldn’t respected and responsible Muslim leaders take drastic public action to identify the troublemakers on their fringe and help stop them before they engage in murderous endeavours? ….”
Rabbi, these leaders do not hold to Judeo/Christian concepts concerning COMMUNITY and COMMON GOOD. these prefer to follow the Koran and SHARIA (tool of enslavement) in order to govern … and it’s TO HELLFIRE for those who will not follow (such as yourself).
the Allah god of Islam (unknowable; the best of all deceivers) vents its rage through respected and responsible Muslim leaders as they encourage “troublemakers.” to purify the lands of nonbelievers.
Saleem Smith says
The rabbi emeritus at Toronto’s Holy Blossom Temple should be more concerned about Islamic doctrine and the Jew hatred contained within ISLAM’S PRIME DIRECTIVE than the kind words occasionally shown to him by local Muslims.
We ex-Muslims know that Islamic Jew hatred is as common to Islamic theology as is oxygen to human lungs. Islam’s Prime Directive:
http://www.inquiryintoislam.com/2010/08/islams-prime-directive.html
mortimer says
Rabbi Marmur is trying to reconcile with those who are commanded by their scriptures to mistrust and then betray.
His remark…”nobody should ever suggest that he or the young men and women who abandon their homes in the West to join extremists in the Middle East represent true Islam or reflect its teachings”…is quite simply wishful thinking.
Jew hatred is one of the best supported doctrines in Islam.
Don McKellar says
Only one result can come out of this: the “moderate” Islamists will demand an apology for singling them out as having some responsibility for doing something about their more devout Islamists.
Jacksonl03 says
Let’s see: Ten to 15 percent of all Muslims are willing and able Jihad terrorists, another ten to fifteen percent are in full accored with and supportive of Jihad terrorism but not willing (or unable) to actively participate, another ten to fifteen percent are neutral as to terrorism but true belivers of Islamic principals expressed in the Koran, et. al. I suspect that, of those not in one of the above categories, a majority are indifferent to what’s going on or scared s**tless of expressing an honest contrary opinion in public.
Doesn’t leave a lot of honest Muslim counter terrorism folks to speak up, especially given all the high ranking politicians of other faiths and nationalities giving Islam enthusiastic support of one form or another.
The percentages are my own estimates.
abad says
Toronto Star is obviously a liberal rag north of the border…
mortimer says
The Toronto Star and Crescent is compromised by dhimmis and jihadists.
Lioness says
Yes, it’s a leftist mouth piece for apologists for Islam and a propaganda tool for Justin Trudeau (for those unfamiliar with our politics, he is the leftist useful idiot politician and a wannabe PM).
silvergreycat says
Dr. Warner explains why this action won’t happen… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acqdumbAOvQ
mortimer says
Rabbi Marmur writes: “King Salman of Saudi Arabia, ostensibly the enemy of Muslim terrorism and a staunch defender of the faith, bestowed upon Dr. Zakir Najk, a notorious Muslim televangelist from India, his country’s highest honour.”
Contradiction? Two-faced? Or a message to Muslims that terrorism is normative Islam?
(Dr Naik declared: “All Muslims should be terrorists.”)
Rabbi Marmur wonders why Saudi Arabia encourages jihad by recognizing Naik’s preaching!
Answer: Marmur cannot bring himself to admit what the counterjihad has discovered: ‘Islam is constitutionally intolerant and violent.’
Gary Kuemper says
Brigitte Gabriel gives FANTASTIC answer to Muslim woman claiming all Muslims are portrayed badly
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2015/03/uk-police-told-not-to-investigate-muslim-rape-gangs
alyn21 says
Dow Marmur is a useful idiot Jew which is why he writes for the Toronto Star
Kasey says
Mainstream Islam? Does such an entity exist? Not according to Turkish PM R T Erdogan…”Islam Is Islam”…..so by default then “Islam Is AS Islam Does”. So forget about any real influence from the majority to halt the radicals. One way or another their indoctrination makes all of them tacit supporters when the crunch comes and any pressure to choose is put on them
Eric Jelinski says
An atrocity anywhere is an atrocity everywhere
pdxnag says
More Muslims should choose apostasy, if they genuinely find Islam’s inherent immutable horrors repulsive.
Mirren10 says
”To repeat: nobody should ever suggest that he or the young men and women who abandon their homes in the West to join extremists in the Middle East represent true Islam or reflect its teachings.”
Oh, for God’s sake.
*Another* fool who either hasn’t read the filthy koran, or who has the guts and moral integrity of a mouse.
What is *wrong* with these people ?
Joseph says
@ Mirren 10
What is *wrong* with these people ?
Wouldn’t it be faster to say what is right with these people?
Well,… um…lets see here, I know there is something,…..uhhh that’s a hard one.
OK OK, I got it. Oops that’s not it either.
sound awake says
this is all going to break loose in the western world some day…and probably sooner rather than later…just like samarra iraq circa 2006-2007…and every moderate muslim and muslim group that hasnt put PLENTY of daylight between themselves and the radicals such as isis and the muslim brotherhood are going to get lumped in with them and rue the day as they eventually begin suffer the same ugly fate
from islams earliest days it is a culture and civilization marked by divisions strife and war not only within itself but between it and the rest of the world…whats going on now is merely just a prelude to the redux of the battles of tours, vienna, and yarmouk among others and those in the west who reject that truth do so at their own peril
WHAT IS PAST IS PROLOGUE AND THOSE WHO IGNORE HISTORY ARE DOOMED TO REPEAT IT
WE CAN CHOOSE TO IGNORE REALITY BUT WE CANNOT IGNORE THE CONSEQUENCES OF IGNORING REALITY