From this article in the Washington Post:
Liberty University is expected to release a report [this] week on whether Ergun Caner, president of the school's Baptist Theological Seminary, fabricated or exaggerated his account of being a former Muslim extremist rescued by Jesus.The WaPo article has garnered few comments thus far. Read the entire article HERE.
Caner is no ordinary ex-Muslim. His story has made him a favorite in conservative Christian circles, and many credit the charismatic preacher with helping boost enrollment at the school founded by the late Jerry Falwell.
At the same time, some critics say Caner is just the latest charlatan in a line of supposedly ex-Muslim terrorists who have found an audience among Christian fundamentalists seeking to attack Islam.
[...]
Other avowed terrorists-turned-Christians have drawn scrutiny as well, including U.S. citizens Walid Shoebat, author of "Why We Want To Kill You," and Kamal Saleem, who has worked for Focus on the Family and recently wrote "The Blood of Lambs." Like Caner's book, their books purport to be insider explorations of radical Islam.
[...]
Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said Caner, Shoebat, Saleem and others like them belong to an "industry" that is often perpetuated by fundamentalist Christians.
"The people that are doing this do it to make money or get converts or to get some personal benefit," Hooper said.
Muslims and non-Muslims alike are troubled that these avowed former terrorists have been welcomed as experts. They have appeared on CNN and Fox News and spoken at Harvard Law School. In 2008, they were speakers at a terrorism conference sponsored by the Air Force Academy, the findings of which were to be distributed at the Pentagon and Capitol Hill.
FakeExMuslims.com and Ministry of Reconciliation have brought into question the veracity of Ergun Caner's story.
Previously, Walid Shoebat has answered the charges of his being a fake.
I note that the mainstream media refuse to address apostates' criticism of Islam but rather prefer to discredit the apostates themselves. That said, if any apostates of Islam, particularly prominent ones, are definitively determined to be fakes, the anti-jihad will suffer a severe blow to our credibility and go a long way to promoting the whitewash of Islam as a religion of peace.
13 comments:
Quote: "Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said Caner, Shoebat, Saleem and others like them belong to an "industry" that is often perpetuated by fundamentalist Christians."
Why whould ANYONE take the word of one "Ibrahim Hoooper" as if he had any credibility as an icon of integrity? Hooper belongs to his own questionable 'industry', CAIR - an undicted co-conspirator in a terror funding case. CAIR and Hooper both continue unabated in their own 'perpetuation' of fundamentalist Islamic desires.
Pot meet kettle.
Anonymous,
I've noticed that, of late, Hooper has been the darling of the media -- even on Bill O'Reilly.
I've read Caner; his analysis of Islam is spot on.
As for Shoebat, I've met him face-to-face and interviewed him on BTR numerous times. I do not believe that he's a fake!
But I see that the mainstream media (and even Debbie Schlussel) have gone after him to discredit him.
And most of us here know how Charles Johnson has attacked Robert Spencer and Pamela Geller.
Damage is being done to prominent critics of Islam. I often cite Spencer and Shoebat, and I'm sure that the article in the WaPo is going to be thrown in my face. Ugh.
As far as I know, and I would like to be wrong on this, Caner has admitted he trafficked in falsehood. He was removed as a Dean because of his lies.
NOmatter who is telling the truth or lying, nothing catches up with a smear.
Old cult tactic, discrediting ex-members as "disgruntled" or fake. I've also seen several cases of fakery and it always works to the advantage of the cult, for obvious reasons. We can't assume the Islamists won't use this among their many tactics.
Woot! Jawa is reporting that the Chicago Marriott Oak Brook hotel has canceled that July 11 Islamist hate-fest by Hizb ut-Tahrir. Seems HuT went a bridge too far with that pamphlet calling for the death penalty on apostates.
Pastorius,
Caner has been removed as dean of the seminary at Liberty University, but will remain on the faculty there.
His contract was up on June 30th, anyway.
The statement from LU:
After a thorough and exhaustive review of Dr. Ergun Caner’s public statements, a committee consisting of four members of Liberty University’s Board of Trustees has concluded that Dr. Caner has made factual statements that are self-contradictory. However, the committee found no evidence to suggest that Dr. Caner was not a Muslim who converted to Christianity as a teenager, but, instead, found discrepancies related to matters such as dates, names and places of residence. Dr. Caner has cooperated with the board committee and has apologized for the discrepancies and misstatements that led to this review. Dr. Caner’s current contractual term as Dean of Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary expires on June, 30, 2010. Dr. Caner will no longer serve as Dean of Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. The university has offered, and Dr. Caner has accepted, an employment contract for the 2010-2011 academic year. Dr. Caner will remain on the faculty of Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary as a professor.
Right. What is he doing apologizing, if he has nothing to apologize for?
For my part, if I had not many any INTENTIONALLY misleading statements, but only mistakenly mis-stated a date, place, or name,
I WOULD NOT APOLOGIZE.
I'm guessing it would be the same for you.
In fact, let's make this a Biblical argument, since you and I and Caner are Christians.
We are to repent of our sin.
We are not to repent when we stub our toe, or accidentally say two when we meant three.
This is a matter of integrity.
Let your yes be yes, and your no be no.
Caner is either mistaken in apologizing, or
he was not mistaken in the first place,
but, instead was wrong, sinful, purposefully in error.
So, which is it, Mr. Caner?
The answer has implications for our whole movement, as you so rightly stated.
Pastorius,
I agree.
Caner's "mistake" is going to cost all of us who criticize Islam.
I've never paid much attention to Caner and have thought Shoebat's story a little inflated, while still appreciating his criticisms of islam. This underscores that we must know our own reasons for resisting islam and not profer replacement false prophets.
I blame the Cult of Christian Personalities.
It's big money.
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