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Augusta Free Press, VA
Dec 27 2004
A few questions
Guest View
Andy Whitehead
Special to The Augusta Free Press
As an American citizen, living in a free country that lives under the
rule of law, not the rule of despotism that characterizes Muslim
countries worldwide, I read with great interest the article posted in
The Augusta Free Press by Mr. Mohammad Musa (Inside the real face of
Islam) on Dec. 22.
Mr. Musa took exception to an article in the AFP penned by A.E.
Briseno (The real face of Islam) on Dec. 21.
Mr. Musa writes in his first paragraph: "I am deeply offended by the
untrue remarks ..."
Mr. Musa should know that I, too, am "deeply offended" by the antics
of many Muslims today. However, before I get into my hurt feelings,
let me share some of my thoughts on Mr. Musa's words.
Mr. Musa wrote that the unbiased history of Islam for the last 1,400
years finds Muslims being much more tolerant than Christians. Really?
Would Mr. Musa care to answer a few questions?
1. How many Christian churches and Jewish temples are there in Saudi
Arabia, the home of Islam's two holiest cities? When can non-Muslims
visit these holy cities? Never? Why not?
2. Why did the Ottoman Empire commit genocide on the Armenians?
3. Why do Muslim holy warriors scream and yell "God is great" while
raping, killing and pillaging in Darfur? Why do they justify these
acts by claiming they are a mandate from Allah?
I will await Mr. Musa's reply.
Mr. Musa writes that Spain was a very progressive, tolerant society
under the rule of Islam. Perhaps it was. However, how did the Muslims
come to control Spain? Were they invited in by the indigenous
population? Or did they invite themselves, by the sword? Who stopped
them from spreading beyond Spain, and why? How was Spain ruled during
the Islamic period, democracy or dictatorship?
I will await Mr. Musa's reply.
Mr. Musa writes that non-Christians were persecuted in Christian
lands ... perhaps this is true as well; however, what relevance does
this have today? Consider that Christianity went through a
reformation when the worst excesses were excised and Christian belief
was relegated to its proper place in society. When will Islam have a
reformation? When will Muslims rise up and cast out the hatemongers
and killers among them?
My hurt feelings arose on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, as I watched
the Twin Towers, Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania erupt in
flames. I watched people jump from the towers, choosing death by
jumping over living cremation in jet-fuel fires. To add insult to
injury, I watched many Muslims, both in the United States and
overseas, react with uncontrollable giddiness and glee at the Great
Satan being humiliated by the Sword of Islam.
As for American Muslims, there were a few lone voices crying out in
compassion, but most Islamic voices were tempered with words to the
effect that the United States should do more for Muslims, so things
like this won't occur again ... or to look inside ourselves to see
what we did that caused the terrorists to commit their acts. No, this
was not the Islamic leadership I, and many other Americans, expect
from the Muslim community in the United States.
Mr. Musa bases much of his letter on the past; let's speak of the
present and future. What will Muslims do to curb those Muslims among
them who fly planes into buildings while praising Allah?
Before Mr. Musa writes back to refute my letter, perhaps he can tell
me when was the last time a Christian flew a plane into a building
while praising God? The last time a Christian cut off a Muslim's head
on videotape while praising God? The last time a group of Christian
soldiers raped or murdered Muslims using God as justification?
Therein lays the difference between Islam and Christianity today.
Christianity has excised its demons ... Islam has yet to do so.
I am not criticizing Islam; I am criticizing those Islamists who use
Islam as a weapon to justify their perversions and predations on the
world. I am also critical of those Muslims, who by their silence,
lend authority to those who defile the very religion they proclaim to
be peaceful.
Mr. Musa, I wish you well in your quest to build bridges among
cultures; but we have a culture in America today - it's called
American. It means that we welcome all and celebrate everything that
is good about our fellow citizens. It also means we expect our new
citizens to have the same respect for us that we have for them.
To get respect, one has to earn it, not demand it. You don't earn
respect by supporting militant Islam ... or those who do.
Andy Whitehead is the director of Anti-Council on American-Islamic
Relations.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Dec 27 2004
A few questions
Guest View
Andy Whitehead
Special to The Augusta Free Press
As an American citizen, living in a free country that lives under the
rule of law, not the rule of despotism that characterizes Muslim
countries worldwide, I read with great interest the article posted in
The Augusta Free Press by Mr. Mohammad Musa (Inside the real face of
Islam) on Dec. 22.
Mr. Musa took exception to an article in the AFP penned by A.E.
Briseno (The real face of Islam) on Dec. 21.
Mr. Musa writes in his first paragraph: "I am deeply offended by the
untrue remarks ..."
Mr. Musa should know that I, too, am "deeply offended" by the antics
of many Muslims today. However, before I get into my hurt feelings,
let me share some of my thoughts on Mr. Musa's words.
Mr. Musa wrote that the unbiased history of Islam for the last 1,400
years finds Muslims being much more tolerant than Christians. Really?
Would Mr. Musa care to answer a few questions?
1. How many Christian churches and Jewish temples are there in Saudi
Arabia, the home of Islam's two holiest cities? When can non-Muslims
visit these holy cities? Never? Why not?
2. Why did the Ottoman Empire commit genocide on the Armenians?
3. Why do Muslim holy warriors scream and yell "God is great" while
raping, killing and pillaging in Darfur? Why do they justify these
acts by claiming they are a mandate from Allah?
I will await Mr. Musa's reply.
Mr. Musa writes that Spain was a very progressive, tolerant society
under the rule of Islam. Perhaps it was. However, how did the Muslims
come to control Spain? Were they invited in by the indigenous
population? Or did they invite themselves, by the sword? Who stopped
them from spreading beyond Spain, and why? How was Spain ruled during
the Islamic period, democracy or dictatorship?
I will await Mr. Musa's reply.
Mr. Musa writes that non-Christians were persecuted in Christian
lands ... perhaps this is true as well; however, what relevance does
this have today? Consider that Christianity went through a
reformation when the worst excesses were excised and Christian belief
was relegated to its proper place in society. When will Islam have a
reformation? When will Muslims rise up and cast out the hatemongers
and killers among them?
My hurt feelings arose on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, as I watched
the Twin Towers, Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania erupt in
flames. I watched people jump from the towers, choosing death by
jumping over living cremation in jet-fuel fires. To add insult to
injury, I watched many Muslims, both in the United States and
overseas, react with uncontrollable giddiness and glee at the Great
Satan being humiliated by the Sword of Islam.
As for American Muslims, there were a few lone voices crying out in
compassion, but most Islamic voices were tempered with words to the
effect that the United States should do more for Muslims, so things
like this won't occur again ... or to look inside ourselves to see
what we did that caused the terrorists to commit their acts. No, this
was not the Islamic leadership I, and many other Americans, expect
from the Muslim community in the United States.
Mr. Musa bases much of his letter on the past; let's speak of the
present and future. What will Muslims do to curb those Muslims among
them who fly planes into buildings while praising Allah?
Before Mr. Musa writes back to refute my letter, perhaps he can tell
me when was the last time a Christian flew a plane into a building
while praising God? The last time a Christian cut off a Muslim's head
on videotape while praising God? The last time a group of Christian
soldiers raped or murdered Muslims using God as justification?
Therein lays the difference between Islam and Christianity today.
Christianity has excised its demons ... Islam has yet to do so.
I am not criticizing Islam; I am criticizing those Islamists who use
Islam as a weapon to justify their perversions and predations on the
world. I am also critical of those Muslims, who by their silence,
lend authority to those who defile the very religion they proclaim to
be peaceful.
Mr. Musa, I wish you well in your quest to build bridges among
cultures; but we have a culture in America today - it's called
American. It means that we welcome all and celebrate everything that
is good about our fellow citizens. It also means we expect our new
citizens to have the same respect for us that we have for them.
To get respect, one has to earn it, not demand it. You don't earn
respect by supporting militant Islam ... or those who do.
Andy Whitehead is the director of Anti-Council on American-Islamic
Relations.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress