UPDATED
From Reuters:
I believe what we have here is a real live "moderate Muslim".PARIS (Reuters) – A French imam active in Muslim dialogue with Jews has backed a law against full face veils, parting ways with most Muslim leaders in France urging parliamentarians not to vote for a planned "burqa ban."
Hassen Chalghoumi, whose mosque stands in a northern Paris suburb where many Muslims live, said women who wanted to cover their faces should move to Saudi Arabia or other Muslim countries where that was a tradition.
Death threats ought to begin in five, four, three, two ...
UPDATED - THE DEATH THREATS HAVE ALREADY BEGUN
From the Telegraph:
Death threats for French imam who preaches peace with Jewish neighbours
Preacher under police protection after Gaza conflict raises tensions in poor Paris suburb
Women walk past a synagogue in Lille, northern France, tagged with the inscription Zog (Zionist Occupation Government) and a swastika. Photograph: Philippe Huguen/AFP/Getty Images
Hassen Chalghoumi has devoted his life to bringing people together. For years he has preached the values of inter-faith harmony from his mosque in Paris's poor and fractious north-eastern suburbs, working with Jewish leaders, inviting them to his home and urging young people of all religions to embrace harmony in place of hatred.
But today the imam, whose work has been hailed by religious and political leaders, was in fear of his life and under police protection in Drancy after the tensions lying dormant in his community were reawoken by the conflict over 2,000 miles away in Gaza.
Enraged by his determination to show solidarity with the Jewish community at a time when they feel the battle lines are clear, unknown French Muslims have left death threats on his mobile phone. Some have stopped him in the street to warn him he is going "too far". His car has been vandalised and drenched in fuel.
"It is very hard to work for rapprochement in such a climate," he said. "But it has to be done."
This guy is really to be admired for standing up the way he does. A great man.
Go read the whole thing.
7 comments:
lol
you called it.
the death threats should start tootsweet.
I wish I could pronounce his name! What a guy. I mean, seriously, that took a LOT of courage. Maybe there is hope? Nah. They're gonna kill him.
Don't be so negative guys.
The death threats have already begun.
Damien, Are you living in this world? Cause I want nothing more than to be hopeful that Muslims will quit living in the stone age, literally speaking, but time and time again, this intolerance, hate, murder, violent cohersion toward everyone, even their own people, in the name of some magical patriarchal being? There is no free country in the Muslim world, where one can read anything but this ancient tome of hatred and violence. No, can't say I have much hope that these people will ever see the brutality of their ways. And I don't have much hope that the US will do what is necessary to stop them. This task will fall to China or Russia. By then, the US will United Starabia.
Much love and protective vibes for this brave Muslim religious dude. Now if he would only admit there is no god, there is only love, then he'd really be something.
Anonymous,
You're saying they're going to kill him, I'm saying they may try, but I hope they don't succeed. We need to encourage more people to speak out, including more moderate non sharia supporting Muslims.
10/4 Damien. Absolutely.
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