Ahmad Sarraf doesn’t mean that the Islamic State has a presence in Kuwait. He means something much more sweeping: that throughout Islamic history, there have been armed movements committing atrocities in the name of Islam and in accord with its teachings. He is decrying the Islamic world’s failure to acknowledge those atrocities, and is right: he is one of the first Muslims I have ever seen doing so.
“Kuwaiti Writer Ahmad Sarraf: We Refuse to Acknowledge Our Crimes; ISIS Has Always Been Here,” MEMRI, January 29, 2016:
In a recent TV interview, Kuwaiti writer and businessman Ahmad Sarraf said that the West had acknowledged its Colonialist crimes and had made reparations for the crimes of Nazism, and posed the question “whether we, as Arabs and Muslims, are also ready to acknowledge that we had committed atrocities.” “We call these atrocities ‘conquests’ or ‘raids.’ We give them a religious title,” he said. In the Sky News Arabia interview, which aired on January 29, Sarraf further said that while ISIS is “a new name on the scene, there have been dozens or hundreds of Islamic movements… All these groups were considered to be the ISIS of their times.” He said that while he has “no sympathy whatsoever” for the Iranian regime, he did not think that the danger today lies in Shiite terrorism. “We have Sunni terrorism, and the Shiite terrorism is like the icing on the cake,” he said.
Sam says
So it is possible that there are some Muslims who have some common sense. These are the people we should help to spread the truth. After Obama ofcourse.
Stephen says
Obama Islaminstration n his gang hv told LIES to the whole of America. He had created All the problems to the middle east.
Alarmed Pig Farmer says
He had created All the problems to the middle east.
There’s been a problem in the Middle East for 1,400 yrs now. Obama didn’t create that. And Moslems are, er, shovel ready.
Mark Swan says
Hey Alarmed Pig Farmer…Long Time…No See Um Post!
Angemon says
Stephen posted:
“Obama Islaminstration n his gang hv told LIES to the whole of America. He had created All the problems to the middle east.”
Columbus set sail Westward into uncharted waters to try and establish a trade route between Europe and Asia that bypassed the Middle East. This was in 1492 – that’s how bad things were back then, centuries before Obama.
red rose says
The only time a Muslim speaks the truth is if they are educated well enough to know the difference. Unfortunately, the majority of Muslims around the world are uneducated.
miriamrove says
You hit the nail on the coffin!! Mmi
sidney penny says
Not quite correct
There are plenty of well educated Muslims who know the difference or able to find the difference and for whatever reason do not speak the truth.
Mark Swan says
Absolutely…they are the leaders of ISIS…Muslim brotherhood…and all
the dangerous Muslim Momentum…the literal head of the monster.
Islam :- the religion of horror says
When you look at the teachings and how they are basically the same as in the 7th century the only difference between then and now is ..
Money, (THEN) I don’t know if they had much as much as they could plunder,??? (NOW) Oil just pours out of the ground, cash flows everywhere ..
Communications, (THEN…) Warloards would send out a runner,, (NOW…) TV, cell phones, internet etc ..,
Transport (THEN…) Camels, horses, a sailboat or walk,, (NOW…) Airliners, hummers, toyota’s and motorcycles etc ..,
Weapons,(THEN…) a long sword, a short knife maybe a club,, (NOW…) there’s no end to it, there are 60million AK47’s in the world just as a starter, lethal weapons is the worlds biggest industry …
Communications is the real key here, because now we know,, news is in front of us now within seconds muslims have always been killing,,,,,, always have, always will …..
linnte says
I wonder how long this man will remain alive? Mr. Horror is correct. Communication is huge and it will help some Muslims see the error of their ways. But not the Islamists or ISIS. How long must we struggle to spread the word? Whew!
Alarmed Pig Farmer says
Spengler predicts a 30 yrs war. I think that’s short, but it could be if we submit to Sumission too easily.
Rob says
I think there is move in the middle ground of Islam to counter the ‘We are all victims. The Jews are plotting our downfall. The West is on a new Crusade against us’ narrative.
We should encourage commentators like this Saudi one.
http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/9037.htm
Keys says
@Rob
Thank you for the link. I was shocked to read the words written by a Muslim.
Unfortuneately, my first thought was this is just another ruse to get sympathy and hope for this “religion”. There is no trust.
As has been pointed out by some many times on this site, JW: The moderate Muslims have nothing to back up their views when confronting extremist Muslims, because all of the fundamental Islamic texts, as well as the life of Mohammad, support the extremists.
Also, the writer is a woman, I think, with the name Nadine. My guess is a fatwa will be issued for her death; the extremists overcome the moderates by modeling Mohammad and the Koran – death to those who leave or slander Islam.
Further, this woman suggested many in the west are angry at Muslims. You bet, and even angrier with Islam and its murderous, hateful tenants masquerading as a religion of peace. She can not change the basics.
Even so, perhaps there is some hope for individual Muslims, but not, in my opinion, for true Islam. It is evil, and without hope.
S says
This is something that our Western leaders, political and religious, need to hear. But even if they do hear it, will its implications really sink in? Frankly, I doubt it.They will persist with their naive and suicidal policy of “dialogue” and “seeking common ground.” But the reality that escapes their understanding is that we have no common ground with Islam. In engaging with Muslim religious leaders, our Christian leaders pander to their Muslim counterparts by grovellingly declaring that “We all worship the same God” All that this signals to the Muslims is that they’ve got us where they want us. But you will never ever hear a Muslim tell a Christian that, “We worship the sme God” “There is no God but Allah, and Mohamed is his prophet” We Christians are, according to them, because of our belief in Triune God, “polytheists” We are blasphemers! To a Muslim it would be blasphemy to tell an infidel that we worship the same god.
Keys says
Right on, S!
“But you will never ever hear a Muslim tell a Christian that, “We worship the sme God” “There is no God but Allah, and Mohamed is his prophet” We Christians are, according to them, because of our belief in Triune God, “polytheists” We are blasphemers! To a Muslim it would be blasphemy to tell an infidel that we worship the same god.”
Don’t the Catholic Bishops see this? Surely, some do, so what’s their hope?
mgoldberg says
The Jihad squad is the vanguard of Islam and has been since it’s founding. That this is the true nature of the tyranny of Islam is what is being disallowed from recognition. That all the groups that perform the Jihad throughout history have been viewed by Mohammed and Islam as the vanguard theologically is critical. Whilst sham criticism by governing groups in modern times who propose to negotiate with the ‘radicals’ within Islam is the ever present shell game, we witness the evolution of ever more severe homicidal expressions of Islam. From the PLO to Hamas, to Hezbollah, to the Taliban, to Al-Queda, to the Islamic State- it’s all one shell game of denial that the vanguard of Islam is the attacking wedge that glorifies the conquering of all others by Islam
mortimer says
Ahmad Sarraf is a very brave man. He is one of many voices from the Muslim side that clearly see what is happening: Islam is resisting and opposing reform of itself.
Ahmad Sarraf is not stating the obvious: Islam cannot be reformed, but must simply be abandoned as a dysfunctional and backward-looking Arab empire that blocks and fights the needs of modernity for equality, civil liberties and human rights.
Because terrorism and vigilantism are normative Islam, rather than aberrations, Islam is incapable of reformation of any kind.
Reformation is ‘bida’ (innovation). All innovation is evil. All innovators are deviants who must be executed.
duh_swami says
Jihad…fighting in Allah’s causes, started 1400 years ago.. ‘Fight them until…’…Since ‘unit’ can never be achieved, jihad has no expiration date…
ISIS is just a modern manifestation of the jihad of Mahound., with a new name…..
خَليفة says
Is Ahmad taking on western values by wearing western clothes?
He is an apostate and should be killed. ( -sarc )
خَليفة says
would be wonderful if more Muslims were as educated and as ethically aware as this man.
And like comments above state, he is brave and let’s all hope he lives a long life
jewdog says
Every once in a while, someone from one of those Muslim countries pops up and makes complete sense. It’s the tiny minority of sane, decent and aware people that may someday (insh’allah) get the upper hand.
sidney penny says
At 3.54 of the video
“we are the best only in bad things”