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| Europe: Ex-Muslims Demand Right to Renounce Islamic Faith |
| 2007-09-13 |
| Controversially, 9/11 was chosen as the date to sign the "European Declaration for Tolerance." It aims to draw attention to what the former Muslims see as the lack of freedom of religion within Islam. Former Muslims from several European countries signed the declaration in the Hague on the sixth anniversary of the terror attacks in the United States Tuesday. Other signatories included many well-known Dutch politicians, authors and journalists. The date of the declaration, Sept.11, was symbolically chosen in order to condemn the terror and intolerance perpetuated by radical Islamic militants, though critics argue that choosing the date unfairly links Islam to terrorism. The ex-Muslim committees from the Netherlands, Britain, Germany and the Scandinavian countries wanted to draw attention to what they refer to as the "lack of freedom of religion within Islamic culture." Ex-Muslim, Ehsan Jami, an Iranian-born Dutchman, launched the initiative to sign the Declaration of Tolerance. Jami, 22, a Labour Party member of the city council in a district near The Hague, has been attacked for his views three times. "There are five sharia schools in Islam which say if you leave Islam you must be killed," Jami, 22, told Reuters in an interview. Muslims are not allowed to renounce their faith, according to a strict interpretation of Islam and those who do are subject to imprisonment or death in some Muslim countries. The mullahs/imams appeal to the State for the execution order, and the State obliges. Sometimes the local religious leaders get carried away and start a riot and the officers of the State ignore the ballyhoo, and take their cut of the proceeds. Ex-Muslims reignite divisive debate over Islam The movement of Muslim apostate committees, which was spearheaded earlier this year by Jami and Mina Ahadi, an Iranian living in Germany, has reignited a divisive debate about Islam and has put the lives of such self-declared "ex-Muslims" in danger. In Germany, Ahadi also lives under heavy police protection. In highly publicized interviews, Jami's blunt attacks on Islam has offended many Dutch Muslims and commentators have drawn comparisons between the local politician and the rhetoric of right-wing politician Geert Wilders, who has called for complete ban of the Quran. Jami has referred to the Muslim prophet Mohammed as "criminal," compared Islam to fascism and Nazism, and explained that he decided to launch the committee of former Muslims to call attention to "persistent taboos" about renouncing the Islamic faith. Divided support for ex-Muslim group Initially, the Labour Party did not support Jami and his committee, and the Dutch Vice-Prime Minister Wouter Bos told the news daily Volkskrant he did not approve of such a committee that "offends Muslims and their faith." A simple confirmation of the the Left's universal appetite for "plantation" politics. But the Dutch public rallied around Jami, putting pressure on Jacques Tichelaar, Labour's parliamentary leader to sign a declaration of support for the ex-Muslim committee. However, Han Noten, who is the Dutch senate's Labour faction leader, criticized his party's stance. In a commentary for Wednesday's NRC Handelsbad newspaper, he said the Committee of Ex-Muslims was "oversimplifying reality" and that Jami's methods succeeded in "polarizing society." "Signing the declaration on September 11 can only be interpreted as a provocation," Noten added. "It suggestsÂ… that former Muslims are innocent and Muslims are guilty." Wow. The right to renounce the Islamic faith Jami's "Committee of Ex-Muslims" wants imams and Muslims to recognize fellow Muslims' religious rights, including the right leave the faith. "We are breaking the taboo that comes with renouncing Islam, but also taking a stand for reason, universal rights and values and secularism," said a declaration signed by Jami, Ahadi of the German chapter, and their British counterpart Maryam Namazie, who is also of Iranian origin. Ahadi, who belongs to the German group called "Wir haben abgeschworen," meaning "We have renounced," said it was significant that the three leaders were from Iran, since they had all witnessed the political repression under the Islamic Republic firsthand. There are some 400 committee members in Germany, including non-Muslim Germans, according to Ahadi. The British council of ex-Muslims has around 70 members, and Jami's committee has only two official members. "We have received hundreds of support e-mails and that's what counts," Jami told the AFP news agency. "We're more of a movement." |
| Posted by:mrp |
| #13 THIS IS COMPLETE AND TOTAL BULLSHIT There is no such thing as a "Right to Renounce Islamic Faith". Even the most minute concession to this enables Islam's stranglehold upon the ummah. PEOPLE HAVE THE ABSOLUTE RIGHT TO RENOUNCE ANY FAITH IN AN ENTIRELY UNMOLESTED FASHION AT ANY TIME THEY SO CHOOSE. Period. End of line. Finis. To somehow deem Islam worthy of any vengeance upon Muslim apostates legitimizes its vile slavery and mind control. There is no Right to Renounce Islam. There is only the unalienable right to pursue whatever peaceable spiritual quest that does not violate the social contract. Islam violates the social contract on so many levels and in so many ways as to have been irrelevant centuries ago. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-09-13 22:04 |
| #12 I was sooooo impressed with your memory until I scrolled down, BA. ;-) That's ok, though. I've no doubt you'll impress me again. It's what Rantburgers do, after all. And I will have a tea party soon -- I promise! |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2007-09-13 20:59 |
| #11 Doc, that was taken from Wikipedia (just search "terrorist attacks"). I was shocked at how many, albeit smaller, attacks go on. There are a lot of attacks listed in Columbia (FARC) too, but *obviously* the large majority of them are RoP related. And, I only started at 9/11/01 (with a few known attacks earlier on US interests). The further back you go, the more it's "Israel only". Man, have they really opened this up world-wide. |
| Posted by: BA 2007-09-13 20:41 |
| #10 Han Noten, who is the Dutch senate's Labour faction leader, criticized his party's stance. In a commentary for Wednesday's NRC Handelsbad newspaper, he said the Committee of Ex-Muslims was "oversimplifying reality" Wow."Oversimplifying reality". That's as impressive a kow-tow to Islam as declaring that we should ignore what Ayan Hirsi Ali says because her opinions are "colored by her life experiences". |
| Posted by: Rob Crawford 2007-09-13 19:03 |
| #9 Steve White: Link to huge terrorism calendar: http://www.terrorism.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Events&file=index And while you're at it, check out: http://www.terrorism.com/index.php |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2007-09-13 16:15 |
| #8 BA, update and finalize the list and we'll make it a separate post. It would be useful as an educational tool. You can e-mail to Fred or one of the mods if you wish. AoS. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2007-09-13 14:20 |
| #7 Dang it. Forgot the USS Cole attack, the twin African Embassy attacks, the Bojinka plot, the Y2K bomb plot, etc. Ah well, you all get the drift.... |
| Posted by: BA 2007-09-13 13:37 |
| #6 it isn't likely that the western European leaders will do much. I'm sure the Belgian gov would love thump these folks' heads. |
| Posted by: ed 2007-09-13 12:19 |
| #5 though critics argue that choosing the date unfairly links Islam to terrorism. Oh, alright, then. How about (these are "beginning dates" if a longer showdown, like Beslan): 10/12: Anniversary of Bali #1 (2002), 3/11: Madrid train bombing (2004), 7/7: London train and bus bombings (2005), 7/21: London attempted #2 bombing (2005), 10/1: Anniversary of Bali #2 (2005), 9/1: Anniversary of Beslan (2004), 6/25: Khobar Towers bombing (1996), 2/26: WTC #1 (1993), 10/23: Moscow theater attack (2002), 12/22: Richard Reid shoe bomb (2001), 5/8: Bus bombing in Karachi (2002), 6/14: Car bomb at US Consulate in Pakistan (2002), 7/4: Attack at LAX's El-Al counter (2002), 12/27: Truck bomb in Grozny, Chechnya (2002), 5/12: Riyadh bombing of US housing (2003), 5/16: Casablanca bombing (2003), 11/15 & 11/20: truck bombings of synagogues, British Consulate, and HSBC bank in Istanbul (2003), 2/27: bombing of Phillipine ferry by Abu Sayyaf, the largest sea-based killing yet (2004), 8/24: bombing and downing of 2 Russian passenger jets by Checnyan sepratists (2004), 9/9: bombing of Aussie embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia (2004), 10/7: bombing in the Sinai peninsula (2004), 11/2: murder of Theo van Gogh in Amsterday (2004), 12/6: attack on US Consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (2004), 7/23: Sharm-al-Sheikh, Egypt bombing of tourists (2005), 10/29: Multiple bombings in Delhi, India (2005), 10/29: Attack on 4 Christian school girls, 3 of which were beheaded in Indonesia (2005), 11/9: 3 bombings at hotels in Amman, Jordan (2005), 2/2: Attack that killed at least 5 Christians (3 of which were kids) in Indonesia by Abu Sayaaf (2006), 3/7: Bombings in Varanasi, India (2006), 7/11: Multiple train bombings in Mumbai, India (2006), 7/31: Stopped attack in Germany on trains as a result of the Mohammad cartoons (2006), 8/10: Stopped the Heathrow Airport (London) bomb plot (2006), 8/30: First incidence of SJS (Sudden Jihadi Syndrome) in US, as an Afghani ran over 19 (killing 1) people with his SUV in San Francisco area (2006), 9/12: Attempt to storm the US embassy in Damascus, Syria (2006), 2/19: Lahore, India train bombing (2007), 4/11: 2 suicide car bombs in Algiers, Algeria (2007), 5/7: Ft. Dix, NJ bombing plot stopped (2007), 5/22: Ankara, Turkey bombing (2007) in market, 6/3: JFK airport fuel depot bombing plot stopped (2007), 6/30: Attempted car bomb at Glasgow Scotland airport, which only burned the driver (who later died, after suffering bad burns, tee-hee) (2007). Note that these do NOT include almost daily bombings in Iraq, Israel/Palestine, or a lot of the bombings in Kashmir, unrest in Lebanon, or even African bombings (Sudan and Somalia). |
| Posted by: BA 2007-09-13 12:09 |
| #4 That statement should be thrown right back in his face. Former Muslims *are* innocent, unless they have broken the national law, *not* Sharia Law; and Muslims *are* guilty, if they call for murder or violence against *anyone*. Former Muslims should be like anyone else who obeys the law. And Muslims who DO NOT threaten others with violence and death *also* have the right to be treated like everyone else. Simple. If you do not break the law, you are not a criminal. If you break the law, you ARE a criminal. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2007-09-13 10:30 |
| #3 "Signing the declaration on September 11 can only be interpreted as a provocation," Noten added. "It suggestsÂ… that former Muslims are innocent and Muslims are guilty." What we have here is a failure to communicate. |
| Posted by: Excalibur 2007-09-13 09:02 |
| #2 This is of critical importance for Islam. Once Muslisms learn that people were able to leave Islam and survive very few will remain in it. While we are at it, I think some of the "Islamicrage boy Muslims" are just intimidated: pray publically, dress like an Arab, obsrve Ramadan, seethe on comand or else... And the funny thing is that Ahmed can be toeing the Party line due to fear of Mahmoud the fanaticc while Mahmoud does it because he fears Ahmed. Break the chain of fear and Islam will crumble. That is why it doesn't allow conversions to other religions. |
| Posted by: JFM 2007-09-13 08:49 |
| #1 Well, unless the ex-muzzies start beheading and blowing up people, it isn't likely that the western European leaders will do much. Bunch of spineless wimps. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2007-09-13 07:57 |