Yesterday, Little Green Footballs ran a post on how Steven Windmueller, a former winner of the Los Angeles Commission on Human Relations Award, was giving his award back in protest against the fact that the Commission plans to honor anti-Semite Maher Hathout with the award this year.
The LGF post contained this amazing quote from the Daily News article, from Commission President Adrian Dove:
“We were looking to find anybody from the Muslim community that was discouraging terrorism, that was encouraging engagement in the dialogue and that was a potential bridge. While you may not have perfection, it is a starting point you can build upon,” Dove said.
“I challenge you to find another party in Los Angeles who is a practicing Muslim leader who would be less controversial.”
Now, I'm going to say something controversial with the hope that someone, anyone, can prove me wrong:
There is not a single moderate Muslim political organization, media outlet, academic institution, or government of any appreciable size, anywhere in the world.
Go ahead, prove me wrong. It will make my day. Because, like Adrian Dove said, I would love to find a bridge to a better relationship with Muslims. But unlike Adrian Dove, I am not willing to delude myself.
Please, please someone prove me wrong. I will say, it might rather hard to do, considering the official website of a major Islamic nation admits that Islam is spread by fear:
After God empowered Muslims to enter Mecca, Islam became the prevailing power and was spread by use of fear. This was particularly evident in the tribe of Quraysh, who had responded to the Prophet Muhammad’s new message of Islam with unrelenting persecution, eventually putting its resources in the service of the ever growing new religion. The Prophet then saw it preferable to contact neighbouring kings and rulers, including the two kings of Oman, Jaiffar and Abd, sons of Al Julanda, through peaceful means. History books tell us that the prophet had sent messages to the people of Oman, including a letter carried by military escort from Amr Inn Al Aas to Jaiffar and Abd, sons of Al Julanda, in which he wrote:
‘In the name of God the Merciful and the Compassionate, from Muhammad bin Abdullah to Jaiffar and Abd, sons of Al Julanda, peace be on those who choose the right path. Embrace Islam, and you shall be safe. I am God’s messenger to all humanity, here to alert all those alive that non believers are condemned. If you submit to Islam, you will remain kings, but if you abstain, your rule will be removed and my horses will enter your arena to prove my prophecy’.
I mean, what are you going to say?
Prove me wrong. Please, please, prove me wrong.
2 comments:
Just for the record, I actually think there are more than thirty moderate Muslims in the world.
:)
Considerably more.
However, they have not organized themselves. Therefore, they are not politically represented in any meaningful way. Therefore, we never hear from them. Therefore, we have no practical reason to believe they exist.
It is not for us to define what islam is. Muslims must do so. However, as moderate Muslims do not organize themselves, only the radicals are defining Islam.
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