| Submit your comments on this article |
| Europe |
| Madrid imam hails preacher curbs |
| 2004-05-05 |
| By Danny Wood: BBC correspondent in Madrid Moneir Mahmoud, the religious leader of Madridâs main mosque, says he supports a proposal to restrict what Muslim clerics can preach. Interior Minister José Antonio Alonso wants the law to control what can be said to congregations in Spainâs mosques and churches. Spainâs recently elected Socialist government is looking for new ways to combat militant Islamic extremism. An extremist group is the main suspect in the Madrid bombings of 11 March. Mr Alonso has proposed establishing a register to control religious activities, both Muslim and Roman Catholic. Mr Alonso says the register would identify who was responsible for leading worship and the type of worship to take place. The religious leader of Madridâs mosque has welcomed the idea. In an interview published in El Mundo newspaper, Mr Mahmoud says it would be good for the government to know what certain clerics were saying to their congregations. The leader of Spainâs biggest mosque says there are extremists preaching to the Islamic community and he believes the government needs to stop them. âReturn to censorshipâ But attempts to limit religious freedom strike a sensitive chord in Spain. In addition to the countryâs more than half a million practising Muslims, 30 million Spaniards identify themselves as Roman Catholic. The opposition Popular Party and leading Roman Catholic bishops are against any attempts to curtail religious freedom. The archbishop of Seville, Carlos Amigo, says the minister of the interiorâs proposals are a return to the days of censorship under the Franco dictatorship. This is exactly the sort of thing I have been predicting. While fairly easy to foresee, I do not detect any signs that the Muslim world has yet to comprehend what is in store. Some people here are taxed beyond their abilities to reconcile my recognition of the many moderate Moslems that certainly exist and my own advocacy of imposing a credible deterrent against Islamist terror. While I freely recognize the existence of moderate Muslims, such a constituency in no way negates the dire need for suppressing their more fanatic segments. Global Islam can only look forward to more of Spainâs measures should they fail in making sincere and genuinely determined inroads against the radicals in their midst. I abhor censorship but refuse to countenance terror even less. When Islam begins to understand this equation, perhaps they will finally start to thrust such violent jihadists from their ranks. Until then, the actions of a virulent few will justify retaliation against the many, exactly as I have outlined elsewhere. At this point, I am obliged to wonder just how long Spain will be spared further attacks now that they have "violated" whatever feeble truce it is that they brokered. Iâll give them a few weeks at best. |
| Posted by:Zenster |
| #14 Get after the left deviationist on the blog. Hero of blog metal to Jen and Brab |
| Posted by: Stalin 2004-05-05 6:08:47 PM |
| #13 "I refuse to tolerate even the remote chance of a nuclear terror attack." So you're going to do WHAT, Mr. Militia? Take the "law" or the government into your own hands? You still sound like a nuclear nut yourself and as crazy as Saddam or Hitler babbling about "enemies." As a citizen, you can do several things: buy radiation pills (I did). Build a shelter in your home and stock up on supplies. Vote and pay taxes and support the government, which is trying to prevent this from happening and one of the key things in this regard is our Strategic Missile Defense. (Note: this means NOT calling the President "Shrub" and going around saying things like "He stole the election in 2000." The enemies of this country THRIVE on talk like that and think that because there are loud Americans like you who disrepect President Bush that therefore we are ripe for attack and takeover.) Other than the actions I outlined above, any "proactive action" you propose to get started is out of your bounds as an ordinary citizen and American, Zipperhead. You want the terrorists and rogue states to respect America by having the President announce that he'll nuke them if they put a foot wrong...well, respect, like charity, begins at home. Why should Al Queda respect Bush, nukes or no nukes, when you DON'T? And the President has the Football with him at all times, whether you think he was "properly" elected or not. (He was.) |
| Posted by: Jen 2004-05-05 12:40:35 PM |
| #12 Zenster, overkill is not the answer. Your gung ho, âpro-militaryâ solutions lack the temper of realism. Donât give up on Muslims, in general. They, too, bleed and die and hope daily for a better life. While I appreciate your admonishments, cingold, I do not see where there is time for non-military solutions. The Food-for Oil program and most sanctions in general are sterling examples of squandered opportunities. It is only after Khadafi narrowly missed getting a high speed enema that he began writing us love letters. I've already taken brickbats for maintaining that there are moderate Muslims. I'll probably continue to do so. At the same time, I refuse to tolerate even the remote chance of a nuclear terror attack. Ayman Al-Zawahiri has openly bragged about al Qaeda's procurement and willingness to use nuclear weapoms for terror attacks. Even if he only seeks to ratchet up the tension, so be it. We are obliged to operate on the basis of what he has said. This leaves very little time on the clock (as in microseconds). The world does not have time to press solely conventional military campaigns in pursuit of these fanatics. Sure, they must continue to be carried on, but some other massive club must be held above Islam's head as a whole if we have any hope of preventing an atrocity that will make 9-11 pale in comparison. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2004-05-05 12:25:51 PM |
| #11 Zenster, overkill is not the answer. Your gung ho, âpro-militaryâ solutions lack the temper of realism. Donât give up on Muslims, in general. They, too, bleed and die and hope daily for a better life. Palestine simply proves that the gentrification of entitlement, without personal responsibility and true democratic voice, always leads to thuggery. If we follow the policies of President Bush, there is much reason to hope millions more can be set free to pursue life, liberty and happiness. We have the sword for the warring, and our right hand of friendship for the peaceful. |
| Posted by: cingold 2004-05-05 11:47:06 AM |
| #10 Zenster..I'll lay 2 to 1 odds that you'll see censoring of churches but not mosques, the places where the extremists preach will still continue to preach what they say while claiming the government seething about government interference in their religious areas. There plan, while well meanining..wont stop the hatred thats coming out of these places. Which is precisely why it is incumbent upon all Muslims to report the violent jihadists within their ranks. Should this not come to pass, all Islam will condemn themselves as a whole by consenting through silence to ally their religion with fanatics. There is very little time for them to begin this purge. After that, it may well be necessary for other powers to purge their ranks for them. It simply may boil down to reclaiming a "peaceful" religion from those who are hijacking it. If outside attempts to rid Islam of its virulent radicals are met with opposition en masse then Islam itself will require dismantling altogether. There is not much time left for them to realize it and take action. It would be wonderful if we had the luxury of waiting around for them to come to this realization on their own, but we do not. I give less than 24 months before incredibly suppressive measures begin to manifest. Moslems cannot be permitted to parade under false colors. Expecting the world's protection as an instituted religion while serving to foment atrocities without vigorous internal protest and remediation qualifies Islam for nothing but the scrap heap. PS: muck4doo, that last comment was one of your best (and most readable). |
| Posted by: Zenster 2004-05-05 11:40:12 AM |
| #9 liberalhawk and zhang fei always very insightful and antiwar inciteful. |
| Posted by: muck4doo 2004-05-05 11:18:05 AM |
| #8 LH even though I don't agree with you, I thought yours was a very insightful comment. |
| Posted by: Phil B 2004-05-05 11:09:20 AM |
| #7 This is EXACTLY why, as a LIBERAL, I support Bush's aggressive policies in the Mid east and South asia. Spain has chosen not to fight OVER THERE - the logical alternative is to try to wage the fight at home, and this INEVITABLY leads to loss of civil liberties. And yeah, the Church and the PP are right - once you say the state can restrict Mullahs speech, you open up to restriction on speech by Christians, Jews, etc. This thing MUST be fought at the roots, IN THE ISLAMIC countries, and that fight MUST be won, whatever the costs, or we face loss of freedom at home. |
| Posted by: Liberalhawk 2004-05-05 9:55:27 AM |
| #6 Ugh. I hate prior restraint. Let them say whatever the hell they want, but if it falls under "shouting fire in a theatre", bring 'em up on charges. Yeah, yeah - I know. The rest of the world doesn't have a first amendment. Doesn't mean it isn't a good idea. |
| Posted by: Mitch H. 2004-05-05 9:17:39 AM |
| #5 someone shuld tell him to have happy cinco de mayo. happy cinco de mayo evryone! :) |
| Posted by: muck4doo 2004-05-05 9:09:06 AM |
| #4 Meanwhile, Canada is trying to turn Biblical passages into hate speech. Valentine's right -- you'll see censorship and prosecution of Christians for saying the wrong things long before you see anything done about Muslims. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2004-05-05 9:07:26 AM |
| #3 Zenster..I'll lay 2 to 1 odds that you'll see censoring of churches but not mosques, the places where the extremists preach will still continue to preach what they say while claiming the government seething about government interference in their religious areas. There plan, while well meanining..wont stop the hatred thats coming out of these places. |
| Posted by: Valentine 2004-05-05 5:37:02 AM |
| #2 They might be less fanatical about religion but they all feel the same way towards Israel and American support of it. They (moderate) will not lift a finger to help the war on terror and will do everything to hinder it. |
| Posted by: Anonymous4617 2004-05-05 4:49:36 AM |
| #1 May I suggest that the "moderate" Muslims that you are looking for are simply less fanatical about religion in the first place. Yes, such Muslims do exist. But then they are of no use in moderating Islam. |
| Posted by: Rafael 2004-05-05 4:12:29 AM |