Once again, as if it is a surprise the RG has published another screed against the opponents, this time a UofO professor! Lets pray that mine brings context to this very misleading piece...
Here we go!
Shut up, sit down and stop asking questions, you Islamophobe!
Isn’t it wonderful how, in the spirit of tolerance, interfaith dialogue and understanding those who support the mosque can do no more than denigrate the opponents with the current litany of leftist hate: patriot(!), inappropriate, guilt by association(the worst kind), bigoted, oppressed, fear, fear-mongering demagogues, demonize, ignorant, misdirect, endanger and compromise. Words do mean something, contrary to that childhood ditty we all learned grammar school. Words evoke passion, emotion, feelings and desires. They can be used to inform, educate, enlighten or enrapture, or to inflame, anger, denigrate and marginalize. Matthew Dennis, professor of history and environmental studies at the UofO likes to use them as a weapon to demonize those who don’t support his view that the mosque is nothing more than another house of worship in lower Manhattan.
Prof. Dennis makes the first in a line of assumptions by saying “…and, yes, a place of worship that caters to the Muslim community(but is open to all),…”. Where does he get his information on who is allowed in a mosque? Has he ever tried to enter a mosque on a Friday night, just to sit in and watch? If he had he would have found that non-Muslims are not allowed in a mosque. If he can show this is false I encourage him to do so.
By attacking what he refers to as “American enterprise” in the form of businesses he obviously doesn’t like: fast-food, nail salons, a gentlemens club, off-track betting and street vendors selling t-shirts he not only shows a disdain for those whom work hard at jobs he would never think of having, but also forms a false moral equivalence between legitimate businesses and the statement of intolerance which is the mosque/community center.
The murderers of September 11th do indeed represent Islamic fundamentalism. They do not represent all Muslims but they do represent the definition of Islam today, as upheld by the seat of Sunni jurisprudence, Al-Azhar University in Cairo. Comparable to the Vatican, Al-Azhar University is from where Islamic doctrine flows. Sufi and Shia also follow the dictates of the mullahs at Al-Azhar, although they do have their own governing/religious bodies independent of the University. No matter, they all follow the Qur’an, the hadiths and sunnahs which define, clarify and determine what it is to be a Muslim.
There are many Muslim nations which, so far have not metastasized into full-blown, sharia-compliant countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Nigeria, Turkey and others across the globe. To say that because these countries are Muslim and moderate we should extend that feeling to all Muslim countries and by extension to Muslims is ludicrous. How does he know they are truly moderate? What proof does he have showing that they are not now, and will never be Islamic fundamentalists with no agenda? Virtually all Muslim countries, for the last few years have been burbling with jihadist tendencies but not until 9-11 did it begin to rise to the surface. More and more jihad attacks are taking place world-wide with little criticism being leveled at those who want us to be defeated.
The lightening rod for the GZ mosque controversy is the imam Feisal Adbul Rauf and as such the bulk of criticism has been directed at him. Mr. Dennis, with as straight a face as has ever been seen claims “…Feisal Abdul Rauf…is such an ambassador of peace and tolerance that the US State Department employs him abroad in its efforts to promote America and its values to an increasingly suspicious world”. To completely ignore the imams own words which contradict Mr. Dennis’s belief is stunning in its rejection of the truth. Does Mr. Dennis really choose to ignore what the imam says, and focus instead on only those words which soothe and placate? Let’s remind the readers who exactly the imam is, and what he really means.
First, imam Rauf is a liar. The imam lied about whether there would even be a mosque(http://www.jihadwatch.org/2010/05/tonight-community-board-1-in.html), he advocates the imposition of sharia law and calls for restrictions on speech in his book “What’s Right With Islam is What’s Right for America”. He has lied about interfaith dialogue(http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/ground-zero-imam-i-dont-believe-in-religious-dialogue/?singlepage=true) and he lies about where the funding will come from(http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/foreign_mosque_money_OSkAG6ucmWz6yPAJU61cTO?CMP=OTC-rss&FEEDNAME).
On his continuing sojourn to the Arab world he recently spoke of how America has killed more people than Al Qaeda. I wonder how Mr. Dennis missed the estimated 270 million killed by Islam since its inception in 610AD.
The imam now claims that he wrote the Presidents speech in Cairo(http://888webtoday.com/articles/viewnews.cgi?id=EklkyAFAFVxHELEDIJ). Topping that whopper is the fact that now, the White House has acknowledged that yes, they are aware of the words spoken by the imam but they are so much pish-tosh and that the imam really, really wants interfaith dialogue!(http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/08/24/state-department-%E2%80%9Caware%E2%80%9D-ground-zero-mosque-imam%E2%80%99s-controversial-remarks#ixzz0xZdzvIip) The callous attitude towards Americans and the richness of denial is staggering.
In an interview with the Arabic language media outlet Hani Alwaziri done on February 7th, 2010 imam Rauf talked about his plans for what he termed ”American Style Islam” and what the Cordoba Initiative wished to achieve within the US. The imam stated clearly that his personal goal as a Muslim was to “…establish an American style Islam in the United States” by molding Islam in order to make it more palatable to Americans while at the same time “…preserving the integrity of Islamic ideology.”
Islamic theology and American democracy cannot co-exist therefore ultimately the constitution will have to be replaced with sharia.
There can be no doubt about his goals for a global Islamic caliphate when he says “If we look how Islam was spread from Hijaz (Arabia)…we note that Islam was shaped by the culture and society(it conquered-ed) but with preservation of the framework of belief and worship. We need to provide a GLOBAL ISLAM in accordance with the nature of each society.” Why do I find no comfort in that statement?
Fear to ask questions sets a dangerous precedent. Accusing ones opponents of fear-mongering prohibits any kind of dialogue which would be beneficial to the debate at hand. Yet, in the spirit of the attack dog he demonizes those who legitimately question aspects of the mosque and its supporters. Standing for open dialogue, free expression of ideas and supporting American ideals, if that makes one a “patriotic scoundrel” then I must be a card-carrying member.
His last hypothetical about government deciding a religious issue is nonsense. No one in government will take this on as a legal remedy to religious beliefs. That it antithetical to all we hold dear and would never stand up to constitutional challenges. There is no point to be made with this argument on any grounds.
Without any study, Mr. Dennis calls anyone who criticizes Islam as ignorant. Does he have any facts to back this up? How ignorant does one have to be to read the words of our enemies and understand them at face value? How is asking questions about the mosque in any way cause to abandon the constitution and endanger American freedom? By the looks of it, imam Rauf is the one who is endangering American freedom. Advocating for sharia in the US and planning for a new “American Islam” is not the “moderate and peaceful” imam so lovingly spoken of by Mr. Dennis.
There is nothing more dangerous to America than the willful refusal to entertain any idea which asks critical questions about Islam, Muslims or those associated with the GZ mosque. It is the most American thing one can do to ask questions and demand answers. The mosque is not about religion as no one advocates the taking away of any rights to Muslims. Some may try to make it so but there is no call to stop Muslims from practicing, imams to preach or mosques to be built. The mosque is about power, politics and Islam and thus should be scrutinized.
The name “Cordoba Initiative” was changed to “Park51” after questions were raised about the significance of the name Cordoba. The obvious embarrassment at being found out demanded a name change to something less evocative of Islamic conquest. No concerns, no probing demands from the media, just lapdog acceptance that it is now “Park51” and nothing else needs to be said.
My father once told me that one does not discriminate because of color, religion or ethnicity but that trash is trash no matter what. He taught me how to identify the difference between trash and treasure. Mr. Dennis sees any dissent as not worth acknowledging. I see an academic cloak stuffed with so much garbage.
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