| Submit your comments on this article |
| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Wilders tells "Facing Jihad" conference 'there is no moderate Islam' |
| 2008-12-15 |
| An international conference on jihad that took place in Jerusalem on Sunday highlighted what hawkish scholars on Islam described as "real disputes" about the nature of the problem. The event also inspired the controversial Dutch legislator Geert Wilders to plan a European follow-up in the coming months. "It's time for such an event in the Netherlands," the far-right Wilders said on the terrace of Jerusalem's Begin Center, where the event was held. "But the cost of security would be much higher in Holland than in Israel." Wilders - the only one of the six speakers to receive a standing ovation from the 600 people in the audience - told his listeners that "as the terrorist attacks in Mumbai proved, there's no moderate Islam," and it is time for the West to realize it is "in a conflict with the Muslim faith at large." He sided with scholars like Haifa University's David Bukay, who averred that "moderate Islam" does not exist and that the Koran could not be reformed or modernized. But American scholar and activist Daniel Pipes disagreed. Quoting Egyptian philosopher Hassan Hanafi, Pipes said the Koran "is like a supermarket where one takes what one wants and leaves the rest." This freedom of selection, he argued, provides a means for reshaping Islam. Pipes opined that those who regard Islam rather than jihad as the enemy fail to realize that a change has occurred over the past few years: Although moderate Muslims are still a small force, they are stronger than they were two years ago. "Millions took to the streets to protest Turkey's Islamist ruling party, the AKP," he said when asked to name examples. And "hundreds of thousands demonstrated in Pakistan" following the murder of prime ministerial candidate (and former premier) Benazir Bhutto last year. Nonetheless, Pipes said he supported more determined Western military action against radical Islam as a means of fostering this change. He also advocated "crushing the Palestinians' hope for eliminating Israel" and opposed the creation of a Palestinian state and the ongoing peace talks. Duke University's Prof. John Lewis, pointing out that Turkey and Pakistan are not Arab countries, suggested that the fight against jihad needs to focus on non-Arab Muslim nations like Indonesia, whose populations "do not share the jihadists' apocalyptic practice of Islam." Wilders' short movie "Fitna" also received its first Israeli screening at the event, which was organized by MK Aryeh Eldad of the Hatikva Party. The film consists mainly of Muslim hate sermons and gory images from jihad-inspired attacks, and due to the death threats he has received since its release in February, Wilders is now constantly accompanied by bodyguards. Another take on the same conference: Wilders slams Islam at J'lem conference |
| Posted by:ryuge |
| #13 Pappy that's the problem. ISLAM is both political and religious. You can't have one without the other. I realize that. However, both examples Pipes recited really have little if any any religious basis. Turks went after the AKP because it was attempting to abrogate what Ataturk established; it was more nationalism than anything. Pakistanis? From what I gather it was more blame on the then-existing government than any religious group. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2008-12-15 21:29 |
| #12 |
| Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC 2008-12-15 18:10 |
| #11 The Moderate Muslim Myth |
| Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC 2008-12-15 17:53 |
| #10 The fellow who Pipes quoted is a professor who teaches at various institutions. He was the primary author of a tractate called something like "What Unites Us" or "A Word in Common Between Us" which was sent to the Christian community and signed by a bunch of similarly minded folk. It's probably true that Hassan Hanafi is a 'moderate muslim'. However, its also almost totally meaningless. These 'moderate muslim' scholarly types have almost no impact in the arabic, urdu, turkish speaking muslim world and are powerless to influence Jihadic Muslims. |
| Posted by: mhw 2008-12-15 16:00 |
| #9 Pappy that's the problem. ISLAM is both political and religious. You can't have one without the other. The interesting statement is "...moderate Muslims are still a small force..." How many times have we been told that jihadis were a small, no tiny, no infitesimally pint sized portion of the Umma. Maybe not so much after all, hmmmm? |
| Posted by: AlanC 2008-12-15 15:50 |
| #8 Pipes opined that those who regard Islam rather than jihad as the enemy fail to realize that a change has occurred over the past few years: Although moderate Muslims are still a small force, they are stronger than they were two years ago. "Millions took to the streets to protest Turkey's Islamist ruling party, the AKP," he said when asked to name examples. And "hundreds of thousands demonstrated in Pakistan" following the murder of prime ministerial candidate (and former premier) Benazir Bhutto last year. Both rather weak examples; they're more political than 'religious'. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2008-12-15 12:56 |
| #7 a means for reshaping Islam I know a way, worked like a charm on the cult of Huitzilopochtli. |
| Posted by: Hernando Cortez 2008-12-15 10:43 |
| #6 I think both are correct, in a way. Islam is the problem but polarizing a billion people against us creates a bigger problem. Reshaping the religion buys time, in hope they will eventually see the irrationality and incompatibility of jihad and survival--kind of like cooking the frog slowly so it doesn't hop out of the pan. |
| Posted by: Danielle 2008-12-15 10:40 |
| #5 Of cource there are---those who say they only want to wipe out Israel. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2008-12-15 10:34 |
| #4 I agree with Pipes. If the billion of Muslims were radical there would be a lot more trouble. |
| Posted by: Uleck Ghibelline9225 2008-12-15 09:44 |
| #3 You forgot their fascination with buggering little boys. That alone puts them on my sh*t list. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2008-12-15 09:28 |
| #2 Islam is the rastionalization religion, any thing is allowed in the name of allah (murder,lying,cheating,stealing,kidnapping). What an attractive Ideolgy to do what ever you want for your own benefit all in the name of allah. |
| Posted by: darrylq 2008-12-15 08:39 |
| #1 the Koran "is like a supermarket where one takes what one wants and leaves the rest." This freedom of selection, he argued, provides a means for reshaping Islam Yeah. But always for the good? I say BS. Under stress, Islam will just go into remission. |
| Posted by: gorb 2008-12-15 06:28 |