Who are the Real Enemies of Free Speech in Lane County?

The enemies of open dialogue here in Eugene/Springfield make no bones about their intentions of shutting down speech they deem inappropriate.  What is inappropriate speech?  From the perspective of the Citizens Alliance of Lane County (CALC) and it's offshoot the "Anti-Hate Task Force" headed by Michael Williams it would seem that any speech which Michael says is not welcoming and inclusive is to be viewed as hate speech.  If it does not follow his dogmatic approach to the rights of others and what they can say, it is not allowed.  He says in the flyer "Sommer's stereotypical treatment of Islam and Muslims is a textbook example of prejudice and discrimi­nation. He has the freedom to preach bigotry, but we also have the freedom to say 'Hate Is Not Acceptable. Not here. Not In Our Town.' "

Let's examine that claim to see if he is correct.

Here are salient portions of the flyer, with my comments in bold.

First off he uses Corvallis and the Copts in Egypt to garner sympathy for his cause: that Muslims stand with Christians and others in denouncing "terrorism" thus negating any "hatespeech" about Islamic doctrine or how jihad and the conquest of non-Islamic lands is required of Muslims by the four main schools of Islamic juridprudence and Al-Azhar University in Cairo, the seat of Sunni Islamic power in the world.  No mention of the texts and tenets from the Qur'an and hadiths, upheld as right by top Islamic scholars, which demand the conversion, subjugation/enslavement or death of those who oppose Allah and his last days. 

On November 28, someone firebombed the Is­lamic Cultural Center in Corvallis. On Nov. 30, hundreds of people from all over the Willamette Valley showed up to express their support for the Muslim Community in the face of that violent act Christians and Jews and other non-Muslims joined hands three deep around the damaged Mosque. 

On New Year's Eve, Al-Qaeda-incited extremists bombed a Coptic Christian church in Alexandria, Egypt, killing 21 worshippers. Six days later thousands of Muslims, led by Islamic civic, cul­tural and intellectual leaders, offered their bo­dies as human shields to protect Christian wor­shippers celebrating Coptic Christmas Mass.

A nice example of support in the face of Islamists, but virtually meaningless in regards to any real reform, or ijtihad within Islam.  The voices of those showing solidarity fall on deaf Muslim ears for the most part.

People who live in hope and friendship bring out the best in themselves and in others, creat­ing a community that is welcoming and safe for all.  People who live in fear and hatred bring out the worst in themselves and others creating isolated pockets of like-minded fanaticism where no one anywhere is safe.

Which kind of community is Barry Sommer promoting?

I live in the hope that the people in the West, specifically the US, will understand that the religion of Islam is not the kind and gentle belief system, comparable to Christianity or Judaism that is claimed, that the definition of Islamic doctrine and how that definition is practiced by some Muslims is the core problem which must be discussed in the open.  I trust the friendship which develops between peoples, based in a mutual desire to find a solution, will not be hindered or shut down by those who find dialogue of religion "not appropriate".

It is the task force and Michael Williams who live in fear and hatred: fear of anything which challenges their deep-seated beliefs in religious relativism.  Hatred of anyone who speaks critically on subjects they deem off-limits, with Islam at the top of the list.  They are all like-minded fanatics, charging to put a stop to those pesky words which so annoy them.

Sommer would have us believe that Islam is not a religion like other religions, that Islam is inherent­ly violent and bent on domination. To prove his point he quotes endlessly from selected passages of the Qur'an, summons carefully edited history and his own hand-picked news items.

Exactly where do I have it all wrong?  The sura's from the Qur'an  I quote are those used by the leaders of Islam to justify the murders of non-Muslims, or Muslims who are not "Muslim" enough.  The "carefully edited history" accusation is merely that, empty and of no critical value to a debate.  If I have it as wrong as you say, it should be easy to show where I am wrong, and point to Islamic scripture or recognized scholars to prove that I missed the memo.  Neither Michael Williams or anyone at CALC or the task force has ever studied Islamic history, or even picked up a Qur'an.  It is only names and smears they can level at me, not any kind of scholarship or study.
This technique is called "stereotyping," and is a practice favored by demagogues and bigots. Its greatest appeal is to those who have no knowledge of the topic, are vulnerable to the flood of "facts" and are perhaps predisposed to be suspicious of what they do not understand. 

A pretty broad statement from a group who does not know me personally.  Obviously they seem fairly certain I am a demagogue and a bigot, and I ask for proof of their accusation.  The claim that I have no knowledge of Islam only comes from their inability to see beyond their own little fruit-fly world. Since they only know what they have been indoctrinated to believe, any upsetting of the applecart will be met with shouts of ignorance and prejudice.  They are suspicious of what they refuse to understand: Islamic doctrine drives acts of murder among the followers of Allah.

An already misunderstood and unfamiliar minority is further marginalized and placed outside the em­brace of the community, becoming the targets of fear and hatred. This is the politics of division, divide and conquer, the way in which the freedoms for all are attacked by denying freedom for a few.

Why are Muslims and Islam misunderstood, and who is marginalizing them?  It is not those who speak honestly and truthfully about Islam, we are branded Islamophobes and racists(what race is Islam again?).  It is those who use the texts, tenets and the doctrine within the Qur'an and sharia when killing non-Muslims who bring this misunderstanding of Islam into our thinking.  The politics of divide and conquer used by Islam is no different than how Michael Williams, the task force and CALC use them to divide the citizens of our area.  Label someone a "hater" and you begin to demonize them and eventually they become marginalized, their words no longer valid in the public arena.  That behavior is also called censorship.

All people of faith can look into their own history and see where they were persecuted, where secu­lar powers chose to target their faith in order to achieve some political purpose.

In this country, the religions of the First Nations, Jews, Catholics, Quakers, Mormons and others have been targets. In Europe add Roma and Protestants and followers of the Old Religions. On both conti­nents we see anti-Muslim sentiment being fostered in service of immigration restrictions and the nar­rowing of civil liberties.

Jews do not call for the death, conversion or subjugation for non-believers.  Neither does Catholicism, Christianity, Hindu, Bhuddist, Mennonite, or those pesky Amish.  Islam is the opnly religion in which the core doctrines demand the three choices for non-Muslims.  The statement above reflects a relativism that is false when one studies the Qur'an and the traditions of Muhammad.

Who Is Barry Sommer?

Sommer attempted to schedule a non-credit "personal enrichment" course at Lane Com­munity College, despite his admission that he has no academic credentials and that "I have never claimed to be a scholar or an expert" on Islam. He claims he has studied Islam for 10 years, apparently dredging up the most negative things he can find while ignoring the positives.  He put that practice to use in his lectures at Pacifica Forum, his blog and a community TV show, where he provides snippets of scripture, history and news articles to show that Muslims do bad things, that Islam makes them do it, that Islam is a monolithic movement dedicated to taking over the world by force if necessary. He seems to confuse footnotes with scholarship: anyone who can read can find quotes to support a prejudice.

If I dredge up news stories, explain then how these stories are distributed by the most reputable sources out there: Reuters, New York Times, Daily mail, Times of India, Jerusalem Post and many others.  It is not difficult to find this news, just a few minutes at the keyboard will result in more articles than one can shake a stick at.  To choose that these stories are not representative of the behavior of Islam today in order to make me look bad is just another example of how Michael Williams and his group have no intellectual leg to stand on.  Again I ask Michael: show where I have it wrong about Islamic hegemony and how Muslims practice Islamic doctrine as it is defined by it's leaders.

Sommer claims some special "freedom of speech" privilege that should allow him to teach at LCC. Yet he favors a Constitutional Amendment that would outlaw Islam. Sommer describes this amendment as "Brilliant, crystal-clear and some­thing to seriously consider in the face of Islamic supremacism. Be sure to reads the whole thing, it spells out difinitively why Islam must be con­trolled in the US"

So Michael Williams and the "We hate Everyone" Task Force believes freedom of speech is a "special privlege" to which I am not allowed.  Interesting that he would deny the same rights he demands for himself.  His claim that I favor the constitutional amendment my collegue Billy Rojas wrote some months ago.  Yes I think it is brilliant and crystal-clear, and I do think it should be thought about and debated.  Nowhere do I say that I favor the enaction of the amendment, as I do not.  The main reason is that I do not agree with deporting American-born Muslims.  I believe all should have one chance to prove they are one of the "good guys" and until they prove otherwise, let them be.  Controlling Islam does not mean stripping civil rights, it means keeping the narrative open and honest and encourage introspection regarding Muslim behavior.  Co-operation with law enforcment should top the list of things to do regarding the image problem within Islam as well.

Sommer has said "I have absolutely nothing against Muslims, but I have a problem on how Islam is de­fined today by its leaders", but that may have been before his support for this Amendment .  Sommer, a convert to Christianity, apparently has no trouble believing his adopted faith is an OK religion despite the bad things some Christians and some Christian leaders do and say.

 Is Christianity evil because most of the people who murder and assault and bomb abortion providers are Christians?

No it is not, but Christian leaders do not define Christianity as "our way or the highway" 

Is Christianity evil because a Christian President took his country to 2 wars believing he was on a mission from God?

Again, the answer is no, and the personal decision to do something because God told you so has nothing to do with the fact that Islamic doctrine as laid down by Muhammad in the Qur'an demands of non-believers only three choices: conversion, enslavement or death.

Because South­ern slave owners were mostly Christian? Sommerdenies Islam the standards he applies to others.

I hold Islam to the same standards of human rights as any other belief system, unfortunately it's leaders see it differently.

Sommer's stereotypical treatment of Islam and Muslims is a textbook example of prejudice and discrimi­nation. He has the freedom to preach bigotry, but we also have the freedom to say

Hate Is Not Acceptable. Not here. Not In Our Town.

—prepared by tie Anti-Hate Task Force -

 

  Michael Williams it right when he says that hate is not acceptable.  The problem is, he refuse to look in the mirror and see who really practices hate, under the guise of protecting society from hate.  If we are not allowed, through imtimidation or threats to speak that which insults, inflames or enrages the average sensibilities then we have failed in our job to inform and educate.  Truths are, at times uncomfortable, yet that does not make them any less inportant.  

All points of view, when fact-based can only serve to enlighten.  The clamping down on speech which some find inappropriate is a way to help Islamists succeed.  When we stop talking, Islam wins.  It would seem Michael Williams and his task force have sided with our stated enemy.  Shame, Michael.  Shame.

I welcome a reply by Mr. Williams, which I will post here.