BLOGMOCRACY IN ACTION!
Guest Post: “Delectable”
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Earlier today, Little Green Footballs linked to a piece on Little Bulldogs that claimed to “fisk” Robert Spencer. (Little Green Footballs link: http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/34798_Fisking_Spencer ). [copy & paste to get around the redirect]
The article that Little Bulldogs claimed to “fisk” concerned Robert Spencer’s coverage of a national day of prayer for Muslims on the Capitol lawn in D.C. on September 24th.
Little Bulldogs’ analysis centered on the fact that Robert Spencer called for Muslims to repudiate Jihad if they really wanted to be seen as ‘peaceful.’ Little Bulldogs claimed that Muslims have no need to repudiate Jihad in order to be peaceful – that the participation in a peaceful prayer on the White House lawn was enough ‘proof’ of peacefulness. Little Bulldogs claimed that the prayer at the White House was never an act of ‘politics,’ but was rather an act of proof that Muslims are human beings.
He claimed it was no different than Jews or Christians praying on the Capitol lawn – i.e., a religious and not a political act. He then further compared Islamic law (Sharia) to Jewish law (Halacha), and claimed that some Jews (as Muslims) want to see Halacha spread to the USA, but there is no problem with this desire, as long as the desire is only peaceful.
The problem with this analysis is summed up in a comment on Little Bulldogs
Jews do not call for Halacha to be imposed anywhere but Israel, except specifically in the time of the Messiah. And in Israel, only a small fringe want Halacha imposed on the state. (see: National Union party – 3 MK’s)
In contradistinction, the Messiah or “end of days” is not a requirement for Sharia law to be imposed on the earth.
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Judaism never was an expansionist faith, and there is a prohibition against proselytizing. The same is not true of Islam (or Christianity, but at least Christianity had a reformation and ‘Western’ culture underwent an Enlightenment).
….[i]t was clear the major prayer session was to show Muslims are at least peaceful. One would think a good way of showing such peacefulness would be to denounce Islamic extremism, and make clear that the goal is not to impose Sharia on others.
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The Quran reciter at the D.C. event was Sheikh Ahmed Dewidar.
Sheikh Ahmed Dewidar of the Islamic Center in Mid-Manhattan, has stood next to President Bush at Ground Zero in Manhattan and condemned the 9/11 attacks. But critics have also pointed to statements he made in Arabic, translated into English by the Middle East Media Research Institute, that Zionists control the American media, economy, and government.
and on MEMRI:
This is the dude who led the prayer services.
In summary:
(1) It is clear that Sheikh Ahmed Dewidar, who read from the Quran at the prayer session on Capitol Hill, was no moderate. He in fact is an open antisemite who has interviews on Ikwan.com (the Muslim Brotherhood website). As such, Robert Spencer’s concerns about the event on the White House lawn are justified.
(2) In general, this is just but one example of the hazards of post-modernism/progressivism. I have no doubt that Little Bulldogs believes he (or she) means well. But Little Bulldogs is operating under a base assumption of moral relativism. This base assumption is that people are all people, who want to live, work, breathe, and co-exist. And the assumption further goes on that Islam is thus no different than Judaism or Christianity – these religions are all the same and all seek coexistence.
However, what is clear is that again and again, those who claim to represent Islam are not ‘moderates’ by any stretch of the imagination, and absolutely do not seek co-existence and harmony. Maybe it is possible for Islam to reform itself and eventually become a religion characterized by a mainstream that believes in coexistence and tolerance. Maybe it is possible for Islam to eventually embrace modernity. I make no representations about the future and what is ultimately possible. That is beyond my knowledge. But we have to live based upon reality as it exists, and not as we wish it to exist. Sadly, far too many in the world prefer to live in a world they wish existed.
The path to peace and tolerance is through a recognition of painful realities. Once Muslims recognize the non-moderate status of those who are their leaders, they can perhaps start down the road towards modernity and reformation. Post-modernism/progressivism delays this necessary step that Muslims must make.
Let this be a lesson to us all: Post-modernism/progressivism seeks to obscure reality, and thus is an impediment towards peace and harmony.
