Misconceptions about Islam

I recently saw a poster advertising a lecture to be given -- at a state-run medical school no less -- by one Brother Galloway (probably of the local cell of CAIR). The title was something like, "Misconceptions about Islam." I'm sorry, but this is one lecture that a moment's worth of thought will reveal to be disingenuous at best. There was no need to attend.

Even the slightest bit of consideration of the context in which this insultingly-titled lecture was given should make it clear what I mean. Why might a member of a group want to lecture on "misconceptions" about that group? It's either because (a) there are misconceptions about that group, (b) because that group is being discriminated against, (c) a little of (a) and (b), or (d), the speaker wants to spread misconceptions about his group.

Let's take (a: there are misconceptions about that group). Which religion's holy text, which many (if not most) of its followers take literally, says the following?

[These and their brief interpretations are from the Jihad Watch post referenced above.]

Fight in the way of Allah against those who fight against you, but begin not hostilities. Lo! Allah loveth not aggressors. And slay them wherever ye find them, and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution is worse than slaughter. And fight not with them at the Inviolable Place of Worship until they first attack you there, but if they attack you (there) then slay them. Such is the reward of disbelievers. (2:190-191)

Slay the disbelievers. Sounds like a religious war to me. So does this:

Fighting is prescribed for you, and ye dislike it. But it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knoweth, and ye know not. They ask thee concerning fighting in the Prohibited Month. Say: "Fighting therein is a grave (offence); but graver is it in the sight of Allah to prevent access to the path of Allah, to deny Him, to prevent access to the Sacred Mosque, and drive out its members." Tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter. Nor will they cease fighting you until they turn you back from your faith if they can. And if any of you Turn back from their faith and die in unbelief, their works will bear no fruit in this life and in the Hereafter; they will be companions of the Fire and will abide therein. (2:216-217)

And this, which identifies the enemies of the Muslims as disbelievers and friends of Satan:

Let those fight in the cause of Allah Who sell the life of this world for the hereafter. To him who fighteth in the cause of Allah,- whether he is slain or gets victory - Soon shall We give him a reward of great (value). And why should ye not fight in the cause of Allah and of those who, being weak, are ill-treated (and oppressed)?- Men, women, and children, whose cry is: "Our Lord! Rescue us from this town, whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from thee one who will protect; and raise for us from thee one who will help!" Those who believe fight in the cause of Allah, and those who reject Faith Fight in the cause of Evil: So fight ye against the friends of Satan: feeble indeed is the cunning of Satan. (4:74-76)

Here the religious warriors, or the angels who protect them, are to behead those who do not believe:

Remember thy Lord inspired the angels (with the message): "I am with you: give firmness to the Believers: I will instil terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers: smite ye above their necks and smite all their finger-tips off them." (8:12)

Cf. this verse, which also makes clear the religious character of the fight:

Therefore, when ye meet the Unbelievers (in fight), smite at their necks; At length, when ye have thoroughly subdued them, bind a bond firmly (on them): thereafter (is the time for) either generosity or ransom: Until the war lays down its burdens. Thus (are ye commanded): but if it had been Allah's Will, He could certainly have exacted retribution from them (Himself); but (He lets you fight) in order to test you, some with others. But those who are slain in the Way of Allah,- He will never let their deeds be lost. (47:4)

This one states the goal of the fighting in terms that also make clear that the war is religious:

And fight them until persecution is no more, and religion is all for Allah. (8:39)

This one, like many others, makes it clear that the fighting that believers must do is not spiritual, but physical -- otherwise the promise that the believers will overcome long odds would make little or no sense:

O Prophet! rouse the Believers to the fight. If there are twenty amongst you, patient and persevering, they will vanquish two hundred: if a hundred, they will vanquish a thousand of the Unbelievers: for these are a people without understanding. (8:65)

This is the celebrated "Verse of the Sword":

But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, an seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war); but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practise regular charity, then open the way for them: for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful. (9:5)

Again, hard to see that as spiritual or metaphorical fighting. And this one establishes that the warfare is against the People of the Book, that is, Jews and Christians:

Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued. (9:29)

Robert Spencer points out that this is just a sampling. In The End of Faith, Sam Harris lists no less than five pages of quotations from the Koran in which unbelievers are vilified. The two main conceptions of Islam I know about are (1) that it advocates the slaughter of nonbelievers (sometimes after first "inviting" them to convert), and (2) that it is a "religion of peace." Somehow I doubt that Galloway scheduled a lecture whose audience would be predominantly non-Moslem in order to read death threats to them. I'm betting he said that (1) was the misconception. And guess what? It's OK to lie to defend the faith, according to his religion. They call it taqiyya.

Which brings us to (b: because that group is being discriminated against). Discrimination is, granted, sometimes hard to quantify, especially since the days of lynching are over. Oh, wait! They're not! There had been concern since 3016 people were basically lynched by Moslem fanatics on September 11, 2001 that there might be a massive backlash against Moslems here in America. There has been no such backlash, as Michelle Malkin points out. Yes. There have been a few incidents, and even a murder (of a Sikh it turns out). But beyond a few isolated incidents, there has been nothing like the systematic and persistent campaign waged by ... followers of the religion (you know, the one "of peace") whose followers everyone was so afraid would be persecuted. Spotting Moslem fanatics the 3016 dead of September 11, 2001, and assuming that the 265 killed in the downing of American Airlines 587 in New York were not due to terrorism, there are still 17 murders in America (since the mass execution in 2001) that have almost certainly been committed in the name of Islam. The very idea that Moslems face discrimination in this country would be laughable if it were not so obscene and so insulting.

So with (a: there are misconceptions about that group) and (b: because that group is being discriminated against) both being eliminated, so is (c). This leaves us to conclude (d: that Galloway's lecture was basically an exercise in taqiyya). His own scriptures say we're fair game if we don't do as they say, and it's the guys who read the same book who've been doing all the lynching. Once again, I find myself lamenting our nation's lack of anger. How in hell could such an event even be conceived of, let alone permitted to occur? And thanks to its occurrence in a state-run school, I had to help finance it! Morally, this is no different than, say, making a black man in the days of Jim Crow pay admission to some Klansman's lecture, the substance of which is something along the lines of, "It's not murder because 'those people' are subhumans anyway." This is truly amazing. If there's such a thing as spitting in someone's face and telling him it's raining, this is it. (And even that's putting it diplomatically.)

And while we're on the subject of murder, lying, and other tactics of "holy" war, consider this. What if I'd decided to attend this farce? What if I brought up the passages of the Koran I quoted above or asked hostile questions? Would someone there note who I was and arrange for my execution? I'm not just being an alarmist here. Moslems have done this sort of thing before and might be doing it again.

There is a point beyond which anything resembling civilized debate is only a pretense that can help the wrong side. Anyone who follows a religion whose text demands my obedience or death has passed that line. Many people nod off at lectures, but I'm afraid in this case that the napping hasn't been confined to the auditorium. Please, please! Wake up!

-- CAV