Yashiko Sagamori in Arutz Sheva says there are no moderate Muslims, and explores the strange dhimmitude that comes over respected analysts when they look at Islam. I would make one clarification: there are in my experience many moderate Muslims, but a moderate Islam is harder to find — and this is a significant weakness that […]
Islam 101 tries to bridge gap
Here’s a feelgood story from the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle about clearing away post-9/11 misconceptions about Islam. Of course, the main misunderstanding is about jihad: On Sept. 11, 2001, just after he watched the World Trade Center towers fall on television, Aly Nahas received a call from a rabbi offering him shelter. The rabbi was […]
Battle for the soul of an Illinois mosque
From the Chicago Tribune comes a fascinating story of how Muslim radicals gained control of a mosque in Bridgeview, Illinois. (Thanks to Bassam Madany and Paul Weyrich.) There is a great deal to this. It’s all worth reading, but here are some highlights: Among the leaders at the Bridgeview mosque are men who have condemned […]
Car bomb targets French Muslim leader
Aissa Dermouche was last week appointed prefect of France’s Jura region. Dermouche is an Algerian Muslim whom many Muslims in France despise as a sellout — he supports the headscarf ban. In what seems to be a signal to him — as well as a strong hint of what is likely to be in France’s […]
Christmas under fire, mufti warns
A Muslim leader in Australia has publicly taken issue with a radical Muslim fatwa that instructs Muslims not to wish Christians Merry Christmas or to join in the celebrations of the unbelievers in any way. Unfortunately, however, other Muslims in Australia have defended the radicals. “Australia’s radical Muslims are trying to sabotage Christmas, according to […]
Iran radicals beat up reformist
Why don’t more moderate Muslims speak out against terrorism? There are many reasons, but one of them is no doubt physical intimidation. Certainly this is true in other contexts: “A senior reformist Iranian member of parliament close to President Mohammad Khatami was beaten up by Islamic radicals, amid rising factional tension in the country as […]
Identifying Muslim moderates
The courageous and insightful Daniel Pipes offers a succinct guide to identifying Muslim moderates. I look forward to seeing Muslim groups and individuals declaring that they fit these reasonable and intelligent criteria. Pipes includes important information about Abdurrahman Alamoudi and other deceptive self-proclaimed moderates, and offers these criteria for identifying real moderate Muslims: “- Violence […]
“O Moderate Muslims, Where Art Thou?”
I take my questions to Dr. Badawi (below, “In search of moderate Muslims”) to a wider forum in a new article, “O Moderate Muslims, Where Art Thou?” at FrontPage this morning.
In search of moderate Muslims
I recently came across a description of the Jihad Watch and Dhimmi Watch weblogs as “exclusively devoted to presenting the negative and most deplorable face of Islam.” That is in fact not the case. These weblogs, and the Jihad Watch organization (which is now being formed) in general, are devoted to bringing public attention to […]