Delftsman

Head UNich preaches Tolerance

From the AP news:Annan Opens First-Ever Seminar on Islamophobia With Plea Not to Judge Muslims by Acts of Extremists

By Edith M. Lederer Associated Press Writer
Published: Dec 8, 2004

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Secretary-General Kofi Annan opened the first U.N. seminar on confronting Islamophobia with a plea not to judge Muslims by the acts of extremists who target and kill civilians.

Ok, Kofi, since you cay so, I'll just judge them by the astonishing lack of protest in the Muslam world against those that are perptrating these heinous acts.

The daylong forum on Tuesday came six months after a U.N. seminar devoted to confronting anti-Semitism, also a first for the world body. Both were part a series entitled "Unlearning Intolerance," sponsored by the U.N. Department of Public Information.

Thats what the UN does, talk about everything under the sun, too bad they don't DO anything to really solve any of these problems. They held a seminar on anti-Semitism? So I guess the Palestinian Mis-placed Arabs--Israeli conflict is over?

"The few give a bad name to the many, and this is unfair," he told Islamic scholars, writers and religious leaders as well as representatives of other religions.

It may be unfair, true, but it sure seems that those who SHOULD be speaking out against this in the Muslim world AREN'T, in fact most of the "biggies" seem to be, at the least, tacitly encouraging them with their various fahtwas.

Annan urged people to condemn terrorist and violent acts carried out in the name of Islam but which "no cause can justify."

I won't hold my breath for any in the Muslim Street to do this.

"Muslims themselves, especially, should speak out, as so many did following the September 11 attacks on the United States, and show a commitment to isolate those who preach or practice violence, and to make it clear that these are unacceptable distortions of Islam," he said.

Um... Kofi? Just WHO in the Muslim world did speak out against terrorism on 9/12? I must have been sleeping and missed it. And most of the stories I hear about coming out of the Muslim world is some new Imam issuing a Fahtwa that seems to be more encouraging to terrorist activities than condemning them.

Annan said "it is essential that solutions come from within Islam itself" and suggested and suggested that the Islamic scholarly principle of "ijtihad," a process of critical inquiry, could foster free debate into what is good and bad in Muslim cultures as well as others.

Yes jihad is supposed to be self-battle against sin within, but it has been distorted from the beginning to be battle with those perceived as "infidels". And free debate? It's NOT a part of Muslim culture, at least not in matters of religion, thats why Sunni fights Shia fights Kurd, and the Wahabi sect fights everyone. SHOULD "Islam" suceed in defeating the West, the various sects will take to fighting amongst themselves untill there is only one sect left, like you said, Islam isn't monolithic

He stressed that Islam "should not be judged by the acts of extremists who deliberately target and kill civilians."

Then LET THE "PEACEFUL MUSLIMS" speak out against these fanatics, lest they be judged, at the least, tacit collaberators.

"We should not underestimate the resentment and sense of injustice felt by members of one of the world's great religions, cultures and civilizations," he said.

Injustice brought on by their own actions, by their own people; resentments largly fostered by and between the various sects of Islam.

"And we must make the re-establishment of trust among people of different faiths and cultures our highest priority," Annan added, saying that failure to do this threatens world peace and development.

Seyyed Hussein Nasr, professor of Islamic studies at George Washington University, said Islamophobia was a question not only of fear but also of hatred - often by people who know little about the religion.

Yeah when Omar Ahmed, the Chairman of the Board of C.A.I.R., a supposed "moderate" group, who's stated function is to "foster understanding" says:

"Islam isn't in America to be equal to any other faith, but to become dominant, " he said. "The Koran, the Muslim book of scripture, should be the highest authority in America, and Islam the only accepted religion on Earth," he said.

He was further quoted:

"Muslims are not to separate or assimilate to American society, but instead to deliver Islam's message. Muslim institutions, schools and economic power should be strengthened in America."

If THIS is a "moderate" then I do believe we have it right to not trust them.

In the keynote address, Nasr spoke of the role of fanaticism in conflicts and said there would there would be no Islamophobia without "mistakes" made by Muslims.

Right Mr Nasr...the mistakes being those who state Islams goal of world domination in clear language?

Nasr said most people view Islam as an intolerant, monolithic religion bent on ruling the Western world when in reality, there are various schools of Islamic thought, the religion is not anti-Western and the Islamic dynasties over the centuries accepted both Jews and Christians fleeing persecution.

<Islam has as many varients as Christianity, it's true. The difference is, the sects of Christianty as a general rule, DON'T have bloody conflicts betwen themselves as the Islamic sects do (Ireland being an exception). Islam does show intolerance to every other religeon, just read the Koran. Most of those Christians and Jews were fleeing from another sect of Islam, and were tolerated as second class citizens as long as they paid their "unbeliever" taxes...of course, if you weren't Christian or Jewish, you weren't allowed that option either, you either converted or were executed. Do these people not read ANY History?

Fighting Islamophobia, Nasr argued, requires swift action from those in the West who understand that hatred breeds more hatred. Muslims must also take the lead in speaking out against extremism - steps that should be complemented by educational reforms and more effective use of the media.

Ahmed Kamal Aboulmagd, a law professor at Cairo University and vice president of the Egyptian Council for Human Rights, called for "an undistorted mirror" for Muslims and non-Muslims to examine themselves and others.

He said many Muslims for the first time were feeling part of a larger world and abandoning isolationism. Many Muslims also recognized their negligence in not highlighting Islam's commitment to democracy and respect for human rights, he said.

DEMOCRACY?!? Respect for HUMAN RIGHTS?!? HE said that with a straight face?!? What Islamic Country is a democracy? (Maybe Turkey) Talk about "human rights", even in Turkey, and if the rulers feel it even hints at impugning them, you end up incommunicado in a small cell at the least.

Scott Appleby, director of the Joan B. Kroc Institute at the University of Notre Dame, said that in the United States and much of Europe, terrorism had created anxiety about the vulnerability of Western societies, drawn unwanted attention to Muslims, and elicited intolerance and hatred among some Americans. This is what terrorists wanted, he said.

In the United States, Appleby said, patriotism should require a willingness to recognize differences and honest self-criticism, not condescension towards people cast as "the other."

Yes it was the goal of the terrorists to foster hatred and mistrust, Mr. Appleby, and they suceeded admirably. The stone silent Majority of the Muslim world only heightened that effect.

Let's see...Muslims kill 3,000 of our citizens..."Moderate" Muslims openly state that the goal of Islam is to replace our Constitution, and put the Koran as the highest law of the land (Sharia)

IF we criticize Islam, we are "Intolerant Bigots", but if Muslims criticise us, they are "Purveyors of another Truth"

NO Mr. Appleby, patriotism should be to recognize a clear and present danger and to defend our own way of life against those that would destroy it.
AP-ES-12-08-04 0737EST

Posted by Delftsman3 at December 8, 2004 03:41 PM