Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadri is widely hailed as a “moderate” because of his massive Fatwa on Terrorism and Suicide Bombings, but that jaw-droppingly windy document is just another exercise in deception. In fact, Tahir ul-Qadri is the framer of Pakistan’s inhuman blasphemy laws. But these 94 Muslim scholars from the UK, India and Pakistan are still […]
UK: “Moderate” imam Usama Hasan claims he would “deradicalize” ISIS bride by using work of jihadist scholar
Usama Hasan of the UK’s Quilliam Foundation gives the impression in this article that Ibn Taymiyya was a moderate. Hasan fails to mention that Ibn Taymiyya also said: “Since lawful warfare is essentially jihad and since its aim is that the religion is God’s entirely and God’s word is uppermost, therefore according to all Muslims, […]
Maajid Nawaz Has an Image to Protect
Asked Thursday whether he would debate Maajid Nawaz, Robert Spencer replied: “Yes, of course I would. But Maajid Nawaz won’t debate me.” It isn’t hard to understand why that is true. Maajid Nawaz has an image to protect: that of being an all-knowing Muslim reformist who’s never wrong. He presents himself as a softer, gentler, […]
Hugh Fitzgerald: “Islamic Modernist” Mustafa Akyol Betrays More of His Worldview Than He Likely Intended (Part 4)
Whereas the West views many Middle Eastern countries as medieval, Akyol said, Middle Eastern countries view the West as exploitative and hypocritical. He said the best way for Western countries to promote secularization in Middle Eastern countries is to remain principled and set an example through their actions. The West does not think of Middle […]
Hugh Fitzgerald: “Islamic Modernist” Mustafa Akyol Betrays More of His Worldview Than He Likely Intended (Part 3)
Akyol paints a picture of progress, steady but very slow, in encouraging change in Islam. But in fact, there has been backsliding in the very place where a secular Muslim society had been taken the farthest: Kemalist Turkey. Erdogan turns out to be the anti-Ataturk, he and his aides appearing proudly with their hijabbed wives […]
Hugh Fitzgerald: “Islamic Modernist” Mustafa Akyol Betrays More of His Worldview Than He Likely Intended (Part 2)
Since this point in history, however, Akyol said the Islamic world has begun to fall behind in the development of human rights. The implication here is that the Islamic world was at one time equal to, or perhaps even superior to, the West in its recognition of human rights. When was this ever the case? […]
Hugh Fitzgerald: “Islamic Modernist” Mustafa Akyol Betrays More of His Worldview Than He Likely Intended (Part 1)
The instructive and revealing piece was published about ten weeks ago, but with Mustafa Akyol again spreading his deceptions around Christmastime, it is worth recalling: “Lecture explores religious freedom in Islam,” by Thomas Murphy, The Observer, October 24, 2018: Mustafa Akyol, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute’s Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity and […]
Islamic “reformer”: “Islamic orthodoxy deviated from its foundations by abrogating the peaceful verses of the Quran”
Juan Cole’s book about Muhammad is a work of fantasy. “Cole offers an ambitiously revisionist picture of the father of Islam, replacing the idea of a militant leader with one of a peacemaker who wanted only to preach his monotheism freely and even sought ‘multicultural’ harmony.” Great, except Muhammad wasn’t really a seeker after “multicultural” […]
Hugh Fitzgerald: Pope Francis and Imam Drouiche on the Strasbourg Attack (Part Three)
“I am sad – he concludes – for the victims, but also because my religion is hostage in the hands of ignorant people full of hatred.” Imam Drouiche insists that Islam itself is innocent of hatred and violence. His religion is held “hostage” by these crazy extremists — “ignorant people full of hatred.” He doesn’t […]
Maajid Nawaz’s fairy-tale version of Islam
On Maajid Nawaz’s LBC radio call-in show, he is forever taking fellow Muslims to task. He berates them if they believe homosexuals or adulterers should be stoned. He berates them for believing in sharia. He likens Muslims who believe that stoning adulterers and gays is okay so long as the conditions are met to the […]