Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Thursday, March 02, 2006

A Moderate Muslim manifesto

Unrelated to the manifesto against Islamic totalitarianism, this one is more religious-oriented and quite sensible. How many Muslims hold by the beliefs written therein is the $64,000 question.

Either way, it is good to see some Muslims taking the problem of extremism seriously.

A Muslim Manifesto
By Mustafa Akyol & Zeyno Baran
"Who are the moderate Muslims, and why do they not speak up?" After being asked this question over and over again since 9/11, particularly after the Danish cartoon crisis, we decided to propose the following Muslim Manifesto:

Recently, the disrespectful cartoons about Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) published in Jyllands-Posten resulted in an extreme reaction among many Muslims worldwide. While we understand the feelings of our co-religionists, we strongly urge them to refrain from rage and violence.
A zeal for Allah is rightful only when it is expressed in an enlightened manner, since Allah himself has ordained a restrained response. When the early Muslims were mocked by their pagan contemporaries, the Koran ordered not a violent backlash, but rather a civilized disapproval: "When you hear Allah's verses being rejected and mocked at by people, you must not sit with them till they start talking of other things." (Koran 4:140) The Koran also describes Muslims as "those who control their rage and pardon other people, [because] Allah loves the good-doers." (3:134) Therefore all demonstrations against the mockery of Islam should be peaceful. All critiques of Islam should be countered not by threats and violence, but by rational counter-argument.

We also believe that terrorist acts can never be justified or excused. None of the challenges Muslims face, such as oppression or military occupation, can justify attacks against non-combatants. In the Holy Koran, Allah orders Muslims to "never let hatred of anyone lead you into the sin of deviating from justice." (5:8) The true Islamic sense of justice is well-established in the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh); even in time of war — let alone peace — Muslim soldiers should never "kill the old, the infant, the child, or the woman." Those who do so are not martyrs, but cold-blooded murderers.

Supported by the Koran's affirmation that "there is no compulsion in religion" (2:256), we cherish religious liberty. Every human has the right to believe or not to believe in Islam or in any other religion All Muslims furthermore have the right to reject and change their religion if desired. No state, community or individual has a right to impose Islam on others. People should accept and practice Islam not because they are forced to do so, but because they believe in its teachings.

We support and cherish democracy — not because we reject the sovereignty of the Almighty over people, but because we believe that this sovereignty is manifested in the general will of people in a democratic and pluralistic society. We do not accept theocratic rule-not because we do not wish to obey Allah, but because theocratic rule inevitably becomes rule by fallible (and sometimes corrupt and misguided) humans in the name of the infallible God.

We accept the legitimacy of the secular state and the secular law. Islamic law, or sharia, was developed at a time when Muslims were living in homogenous communities. In the modern world, virtually all societies are pluralistic, consisting of different faiths and of different perceptions of each faith, including Islam. In this pluralistic setting, a legal system based on a particular version of a single religion cannot be imposed on all citizens. Thus, a single secular law, open to all religions but based on none, is strongly needed.

We believe that women have the same inalienable rights as men. We strongly denounce laws and attitudes in some Islamic societies that exclude women from society by denying them the rights of education, political participation and the individual pursuit of happiness. Like men, women should have the right to decide how they will live, dress, travel, marry and divorce; if they do not enjoy these rights, they are clearly second-class citizens.

We believe that there is no contradiction between religious and national identities. Any Muslim should be able to embrace the citizenship of any modern secular state while maintaining feelings of spiritual solidarity with the umma, the global Muslim community.

We regard Christianity and Judaism as sister faiths in the common family of Abrahamic monotheism. We strongly denounce anti-Semitism, which has been alien to Islam for many centuries but which unfortunately has gained popularity among some Muslims in recent decades. We accept Israel's right to exist, as well as the justified aspiration of the Palestinian people for a sovereign state and hope that a just two-state solution in Israel/Palestine will bring peace to the Holy Land.

In short, we strongly disagree with and condemn those who promote or practice tyranny and violence in the name of Islam. We hope that their misguided deeds will not blacken our noble religion — which is indeed a path to God and a call for peace.

We encourage Muslim political, social, community and business leaders to contact us at info@muslimmanifesto.org to sign onto the Manifesto so that the authentic peaceful and civilized message of Islam will be heard.

— Mustafa Akyol is a writer and journalist based in Turkey; Zeyno Baran is director of International Security and Energy Programs at The Nixon Center.

Unfortunately, there is no web site at the muslimmanifesto.org address yet.

I guess I'm going to hell

From Jerry Falwell's website:

Earlier today, reports began circulating across the globe that I have recently stated that Jews can go to heaven without being converted to Jesus Christ. This is categorically untrue.
[...]
While I am a strong supporter of the State of Israel and dearly love the Jewish people and believe them to be the chosen people of God, I continue to stand on the foundational biblical principle that all people — Baptists, Methodists, Pentecostals, Jews, Muslims, etc. — must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ in order to enter heaven.

Damn it!

Insane Muslim protestors of the day 3/2

The cartoon protests seem to be slowly dying down, but people have to protest against something, right?

Here are some interesting veiled women who call Bush a terrorist but think Osama is just dandy!

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said in remarks published on Thursday there were signs of an al Qaeda presence in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.

'We have indications about a presence of al Qaeda in Gaza and the (West) Bank. This is intelligence information. We have not yet reached the point of arrests,' Abbas said.

'The last security report I received was three days ago,' he told the London-based al-Hayat newspaper. 'This is the first time that I've spoken about this subject. This is a very serious matter.'"

On the same day:

Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas intends to transfer broad security powers to the future Hamas government, including the national defense branch, preventive security, the civilian police and civil defense, he said on Tuesday.

The national defense branch, which consists of 25,000 policemen, is the largest branch and is defined as the Palestinian army. The other three are subject to the Palestinian Interior Ministry.

Chris Rock could learn from his sense of timing. At the risk of ruining the joke by too much analysis (it is Adar, after all):

In the first article, he broadly implies, with a broad wink, that the PA would consider arresting Al Qaeda terrorists found in the territories.

Only some in the audience get that joke, because some of them think that Fatah with all its "policemen" actually enforces law and order and is against terrorism.

So he waits a beat, and then tells the audience that Hamas is going to be in charge of the group that would (pretend to) consider arresting Al Qaeda members!

Ba-da-bum!

Even the most dense audience member can see that there is no difference between Hamas and Al Qaeda! Both spring from Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, both advocate a worldwide Islamic state under Islamic law, both advocate the genocide of Jews and the murder of millions of Americans. The idea that Hamas would do anything against Al Qaeda terror is hilarious! Hell, Hamas invited Al Qaeda to Gaza!

I am not so sure that the world audience gets the joke, though. Since the unrepentant Hamas is quickly gaining legitimacy and tacit backing from the free world (as well as the thugocracies of Islamism) it looks like the West is bending over backwards to explain exactly what the difference is between Hamas and Al Qaeda that the former gets millions of dollars (without a single concession) and the latter remains beyond the pale.

And the only difference is one that is squarely George Bush's fault: his years of pressing for democracy (without pressing for freedom) has made Hamas legit. (A more cynical explanation may be that Hamas primarily targets Jews and Israeli targets, not other Westerners.)

As long as the West is willing to pretend that there are significant differences between Fatah, Al Qaeda, Hezbollah, PIJ, the Iranian regime and the Muslim Brotherhood, the terrorists can manipulate us at will, all the while meeting with each other openly and planning our demise.

A good joke cuts through the bull and shows the truth in an unexpected way. Mahmoud Abbas just made a very good joke. But only those who know the truth can appreciate it.

Cartoons printed in 143 newspapers so far

This is better than I thought, but considering how many of these are college newspapers and the like, it is not all that impressive.

COPENHAGEN: Cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad first published in Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten last year, have been reprinted in 143 newspapers in 56 countries, a study showed on Wednesday.

One or several of the 12 controversial cartoons have appeared either in print editions or online, according to the study done by eJour, the online magazine of the Danish School of Journalism.

Most of the reproductions have appeared in Western countries, including 70 newspapers in Europe, 14 in the United States, three in Canada and New Zealand, two in Australia and one in Japan.

But the drawings have also been printed in eight Muslim countries: Algeria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Morocco and Saudi Arabia.

In the United States, no national newspaper has published the cartoons, but 14 regional and local publications have, according to the study conducted in February.

Hat tip: Val

Lying headline watch

A top Islamic Jihad leader was killed last night when his car exploded in an apparent "work accident." Israel, which is not shy about admitting when it kills terrorists, denied that they were behind this attack.

So why do so many "news" organizations say that Israel did it (or credit the Palestinian Arab "Police" with telling the truth)?

Israel Kills Top Jihad Leader, Arrests Hamas MPs (Islam Online)
Israel kills Islamic Jihad leader in airstrike (KHON-TV, Hawaii)
Israeli air strike kills top military commander of Islamic Jihad: police (News 1130, Canada)
Israeli air strike kills top military commander of Islamic Jihad: police (CBC News, Canada)
Jihad leader killed in Israeli missile attack in Gaza City (People's Daily Online, China)
Palestinian militant chief killed in Gaza strike (Zee News, India)
Israeli air strike kills top military commander of Islamic Jihad: police (MacLeans, Canada)
Israel kills Jihad leader (The Sun, UK)

Another British terror supporter. Ho-hum.

While surfing through the flotsam and jetsam of rabid Israel-bashing and Jew-hatred on the web, I came across this paragraph from a British writer on a Jordanian news site:

No alien polity has so successfully penetrated the British government and British institutions during the past ninety years as the Zionist movement and its manifestation as the state of Israel. From the Balfour Declaration of November 2, 1917, in which the British Foreign Secretary said his government “view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people,” (before Britain had taken possession of Palestine from the Ottomans), through the twenty-six year history of Zionist exploitation of the British Mandate at Arab (and British) expense, to Britain's scuttle from Palestine in 1948 and the creation of Israel and the catastrophe for the Palestinians, and up to present-day connivance by the United Kingdom government with America's unremitting political and media support for Israel and its daily violation of international laws and conventions on Palestinian lands, the Zionists have manipulated British systems as expertly as maestros, here a massive major chord, there a minor refrain, the audience, for the most part, spellbound.

The writer, Tim Llewellyn, is normally quoted on the Web as a "former BBC reporter." He also writes for the Guardian.

What is not normally mentioned is that he is an executive member of the Council for the Advancement of Arab British Understanding (CAABU).

This type of idiocy is normal for the far-left genteel Jew-haters, with their description of the secretive Zionist cabal manipulating world governments that is indistinguishable from the way Hitler described Jews. Others have documented Llewellyn's hatred for the very existence of Israel. (Notice how he regards British Zionism as an "alien polity." Sound familiar?)

My only question is: if the Zionists were such brilliant puppet-masters of the British govenment during the British Mandate, why did Britain deny tens of thousands (maybe hundreds of thousands) of Jews the right to save their lives by fleeing to Palestine in the 1930s? The entire world knew what Hitler planned to do during that decade, and the persecutions of Jews began way before the Holocaust. The British could have saved untold numbers of lives.

I wonder how Mr. Llewellyn justifies the British complicity as an accessory to genocide while believing his theory of the Elders of Zion manipulating the British government?

Insane Muslim Sign of the Day

UC Irvine:

A Manifesto Against Islamic Totalitarianism

Jyllands-Posten has published a beautiful manifesto against Islamic totalitarianism. Here is the English translation by Agora:

Together facing the new totalitarianism

After having overcome fascism, Nazism, and Stalinism, the world now faces a new totalitarian global threat: Islamism.

We, writers, journalists, intellectuals, call for resistance to religious totalitarianism and for the promotion of freedom, equal opportunity and secular values for all.

The recent events, which occurred after the publication of drawings of Muhammed in European newspapers, have revealed the necessity of the struggle for these universal values. This struggle will not be won by arms, but in the ideological field. It is not a clash of civilisations nor an antagonism of West and East that we are witnessing, but a global struggle that confronts democrats and theocrats.

Like all totalitarianisms, Islamism is nurtured by fears and frustrations. The hate preachers bet on these feelings in order to form battalions destined to impose a liberticidal and unegalitarian world. But we clearly and firmly state: nothing, not even despair, justifies the choice of obscurantism, totalitarianism and hatred. Islamism is a reactionary ideology which kills equality, freedom and secularism wherever it is present. Its success can only lead to a world of domination: man’s domination of woman, the Islamists’ domination of all the others. To counter this, we must assure universal rights to oppressed or discriminated people.

We reject « cultural relativism », which consists in accepting that men and women of Muslim culture should be deprived of the right to equality, freedom and secular values in the name of respect for cultures and traditions. We refuse to renounce our critical spirit out of fear of being accused of "Islamophobia", an unfortunate concept which confuses criticism of Islam as a religion with stigmatisation of its believers.

We plead for the universality of freedom of expression, so that a critical spirit may be exercised on all continents, against all abuses and all dogmas.

We appeal to democrats and free spirits of all countries that our century should be one of Enlightenment, not of obscurantism.

12 signatures

Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Chahla Chafiq
Caroline Fourest
Bernard-Henri Lévy
Irshad Manji
Mehdi Mozaffari
Maryam Namazie
Taslima Nasreen
Salman Rushdie
Antoine Sfeir
Philippe Val
Ibn Warraq

I originally wrote that Muslims will lose the cartoon war because the press will not stand for limitations on their freedom. For the following month, as I saw most US media outlets refuse to publish the cartoons (despite their obvious news value) I have feared that I was wildly optimistic. The world has been abandoning Denmark.

This manifesto is a proper response to the immature and absurd riots that have broken out, meant to show Muslims are not totally impotent. The West needs to understand the threat posed by political Islam and Islamism.

Let us hope that other newspapers have the guts to publish and support this.

Muslim riots, 1934-36

There is truly nothing new under the sun.

Muslims have staged deadly riots over stupid things way before Denmark ever became this year's target of flag-burning.

(All of these articles are taken from The Palestine Post archives.)

In 1934, Muslims started rioting over a book that supposedly insulted Mohammed:

A very similar case happened a year later. A Hindu wrote a book, allegedly insulting Mohammed. He was promptly murdered. When his killer was executed, the Muslims in India rioted, killing 20:

In Lahore, some Sikhs decided to demolish an abandoned mosque. Only four were killed, so this was considered a very minor riot.

Again, a similar scenario played out in 1936 in Bombay when the Muslims felt that a Hindu temple was being built too close to their mosque:

To be fair, Hindus living with the Muslims were disposed towards violence as well over silly reasons:

But for Muslims to riot against Jews, they didn't even require a Jewish antagonist. Just like today, any old reason would do to riot against the Jews/Zionists/Americans, no matter how tenuous the connection is to the alleged insult:

These are not the only Muslim riots during this three-year period, of course. There were others that started for political reasons, especially in Lebanon as well as the usual riots against Palestinian Jews. But these are more similar to today's riots in the fact that they were over stupid issues and they show how cheap human life is to the rioters.

They also show that the much lauded "Muslim tolerance" towards other religions is a myth, and has been for quite some time.

Teach Your Children

I wonder if this is what CSN&Y were referring to?

You who are on the road
Must have a code that you can live by
And so become yourself
Because the past is just a good bye.

Teach your children well,
Their father's hell did slowly go by,
And feed them on your dreams
The one they picked, the one you'll know by.

Don't you ever ask them why, if they told you, you would cry,
So just look at them and sigh and know they love you.

And you, of tender years,
Can't know the fears that your elders grew by,
And so please help them with your youth,
They seek the truth before they can die.

(Can you hear and do you care and
Cant you see we must be free to
Teach your children what you believe in.
Make a world that we can live in.)

Teach your parents well,
Their children's hell will slowly go by,
And feed them on your dreams
The one they picked, the one you'll know by.

Don't you ever ask them why, if they told you, you would cry,
So just look at them and sigh and know they love you.

Pakistani boy, covering his face with headband thatsays ''There is no God but God.,Muhammad is the Prophet of God',' takes part in a rally against the publication of cartoons depicting Islamic Prophet Muhammad printed by some Western newspapers, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2006 in Karachi, Pakistan. (AP Photo/Shakil Adil)

Pakistani children carry a mock coffin wrapped with a U.S. flag, wearing yellow headbands that says, 'There is no God but God.,Muhammad is the Prophet of God,' during a rally against the publication of cartoons depicting Islamic Prophet Muhammad printed by some Western newspapers, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2006 in Karachi, Pakistan. (AP Photo/Shakil Adil)

Pakistani boy brandishes a dagger during a rally tagainst the publication of cartoons depicting Islamic Prophet Muhammad printed by some Western newspapers, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2006 in Karachi, Pakistan.

Kashmiri Muslim youths burn copies of an Indian magazine in Srinagar February 28, 2006. Dozens of Kashmiri youths on Tuesday took to the streets in Srinagar to protest against an Indian magazine for publishing a picture of a playing card showing an image of the Mecca. REUTERS/Danish Ismail

Say what? Further research found this:

Life in the historic Lal Chowk and Budshah chowk, the nerve centre of the summer capital, was disrupted after youths took to streets, protesting against the publication of pictures of Muslim holy places of Mecca and Medina on a pack of cards.

As the news spread that picture of the holy places had appeared on playing cards, youths forced closure of shops and pelted stones damaging vehicles at Lal chowk, Budshah Chowk, Maisuma and Court Road.

It was however, not immediately known who has published the pictures. But youths were seen holding a paper depicting the pictures.

The demonstrators were raising slogans against the US, alleging a conspiracy to hurt the sentiments of the Muslims.

It looks like there is a market out there for offensive media, if only so crazed Muslims could burn them.

Anyone up for a game of poker?

Tradition ain't what it used to be

This is a funny video.

("When the first Japanese production of Fiddler was produced, the composers Harnick, Bock and Stein went to Japan. They were all very nervous. ‘How’s a New York interpretive Jewish musical is going to work in Japan? During production they are all anxiously biting their nails. At the end the Japanese producer comes over to them and says: I don’t understand, I don’t know how this piece can work so well in New York. It’s so Japanese!' ")

The religious war from Qatar

Like the UAE, Qatar is considered a great ally in our "war on terror." It seems that the current administration is havin a hard time in distinguishing between friends and enemies.

Qatar is where the infamous Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi resides, and he is given many opportunities to spew hate on Qatar TV - not against Zionists but against Jews as well as Christians, Americans and whoever else is on his radar screen that week. Here's his latest:

Our war with the Jews is over land, brothers. We must understand this. If they had not plundered our land, there wouldn't be a war between us."
[...]
"We are fighting them in the name of Islam, because Islam commands us to fight whoever plunders our land, and occupies our country. All the school of Islamic jurisprudence - the Sunni, the Shi'ite, the Ibadhiya – and all the ancient and modern schools of jurisprudence – agree that any invader who occupies even an inch of land of the Muslims must face resistance. The Muslims of that country must carry out the resistance, and the rest of the Muslims must help them. If the people of that country are incapable or reluctant, we must fight to defend the land of Islam, even if the local [Muslims] give it up.

"They must not allow anyone to take a single piece of land away from Islam. That is what we are fighting the Jews for. We are fighting them... Our religion commands us... We are fighting in the name of religion, in the name of Islam, which makes this Jihad an individual duty, in which the entire nation takes part, and whoever is killed in this [Jihad] is a martyr. This is why I ruled that martyrdom operations are permitted, because he commits martyrdom for the sake of Allah, and sacrifices his soul for the sake of Allah.

"We do not disassociate Islam from the war. On the contrary, disassociating Islam from the war is the reason for our defeat. We are fighting in the name of Islam."
[...]
"They fight us with Judaism, so we should fight them with Islam. They fight us with the Torah, so we should fight them with the Koran. If they say 'the Temple,' we should say 'the Al-Aqsa Mosque.' If they say: 'We glorify the Sabbath,' we should say: 'We glorify the Friday.' This is how it should be. Religion must lead the war. This is the only way we can win."
[...]
"Everything will be on our side and against Jews on [Judgment Day]; at that time, even the stones and the trees will speak, with or without words, and say: 'Oh servant of Allah, oh Muslim, there's a Jew behind me, come and kill him.' They will point to the Jews. It says 'servant of Allah,' not 'servant of desires,' 'servant of women,' 'servant of the bottle,' 'servant of Marxism,' or 'servant of liberalism'... It said 'servant of Allah.'

"When the Muslims, the Arabs, and the Palestinians enter a war, they do it to worship Allah. They enter it as Muslims. The hadith says: 'Oh Muslim.' It says 'oh Muslim,' not 'oh Palestinian, Jordanian, Syrian, or Arab nationalist.' No, it says: 'Oh Muslim.' When we enter [a war] under the banner of Islam, and under the banner of serving Allah, we will be victorious."

Also out of this great friendly land comes Dr. Ali Al Quradaghi, who claims that the Christians and Jews are uniting to fight against Islam:

Jews and Christians were now preparing to wage the third world war with Muslims as the target, Doha-based Islamic scholar Dr Ali Al Quradaghi, said here on Thursday. Muslims of the world, he said, should unite against such forces that try to denigrate the great Islam faith, he added.

Funny that no one but Muslims noticed.

The Qatar newspaper also lightheartedly describes Qatar and Bahrain-based Muslim Brotherhood sheikh Wajdi Ghunaim in these terms:

For a Muslim, Friday sermons are a serious business, but a Doha-based Egyptian cleric makes the devout laugh with his witty remarks.

Wajdi Ghunaim is an independent scholar (not attached to the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs) and is occasionally invited to deliver Friday sermons and lead prayers.

Last Friday, he delivered the sermon at Bukhari Mosque in Al Hilal area, pulling large crowds.

Ghunaim, who frequently appears on Arabic TV channels, told a local Arabic daily in an interview yesterday that while (the Israeli Premier) Ariel Sharon can enter Egypt, he cannot, despite Egypt being his home country.

A member of the feared Islamic outfit Muslim Brotherhood, Ghunaim says he suspects he may be put in jail if he lands in Cairo.

What a riot! Guess what he says about Jews?

In 1998, CAIR and the American Muslim Council (AMC) cosponsored a rally at Brooklyn College, which included a diatribe by Wagdi Ghuniem, an Egyptian extremist. Ghuniem led 500 people in singing a ditty with the chorus: ‘No to the Jews, descendants of the apes.’

So, these are the sorts of people on Qatari TV, written about in glowing terms by the mainstream English-language Qatari media. And all of them are popular and clearly describe their conflict in purely religious terms, not political.

We are still looking for moderate Muslims from Qatar who denounce their hate. After all, they are our close allies.