Some commenters think I'm overreacting. Maybe so, but I wanted to get it on the public record that Elibiary made this kind of remark in case something should happen. In any case, it is instructive to imagine the hullabaloo had I written to Elibiary to tell him that if Muslims keep getting arrested here and there on terrorism charges, he "could expect" angry and frightened non-Muslims to tamper with the cars of Muslims with intent to do them harm. I would never have done such a thing, because I believe that kind of vigilantism to be immoral, illegal and a threat to public order. Even to suggest that acts of vandalism or violence against others because of their words or presumed beliefs would be the fault of those vandalized is appalling. Had I issued that kind of threat against Elibiary, he would have been right to raise a stink, and I have no doubt my office would have been picketed by CAIR and the usual suspects.
It's no big deal, in the end, but I note it also because the Elibiary-goes-bananas incident, minor though it may be, offers an interesting insight as to why whenever there is an Islamic terror bombing or terror-related arrests involving Muslims, many Muslim leaders seem much more interested in speaking out against those who would think forbidden thoughts about Islam than they do in speaking out against those Islamic extremists who are doing so much to bring disgrace upon their religion. It'll be a great day when Mohamed Elibiary is more concerned about fellow Dallas-area Muslims hosting a tribute to the Ayatollah Khomeini conference (at which Elibiary spoke) than he is about a local newspaper columnist who troubles himself to ask what it means that Muslims around here hold conferences like that.
UPDATE: Eric Anondson posted in the comboxes below a link to an extraordinary and very much welcome column by a Canadian Muslim. Here's an excerpt, but you really should read the whole thing. The author, a man named Salim Mansur, deserves everyone's gratitude and support. Even a hundred Muslims with his frankness and courage and willingness to step into the spotlight with his prophetic words, would help immeasurably:
We repeat endlessly that Islam is a religion of peace, yet too many of us display conduct contrary to what we profess.
We keep assuring ourselves and others that Muslims who violate Islam are a minuscule minority, yet we fail to hold this minority accountable in public.
A bowl of milk turns into curd with a single drop of lemon. The minuscule minority we blame is this drop of lemon that has curdled and made a shambles of our Islam, yet too many of us insist against all evidence our belief somehow sets us apart as better from others.
In Islam, we insist, religion and politics are inseparable. As a result, politics dominates our religion -- and our religion has become a cover for tribalism and nationalism.
We regularly quote from the Koran, but do not make repentance for our failings as the Koran instructs, by seeking forgiveness of those who we have harmed.
We Muslims are the source of our own misery, and we are not misunderstood by others who see in our conduct a threat to their peace.
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I see that Dallas Muslim leader Mohamed Elibiary's warning to me that if I didn't stop writing about Islam in ways he disapproves of, I "could expect" someone to put a banana in the exhaust pipe of my car ("or something") is getting some attention on other sites.
Any links? I'd be interested in reading some other commentary on this incident.
It would be interesting to read Elibiary's reply to Canadian Muslim, Salim Mansur's statement that "We Muslims have work to do". Possibly worth a reprint in your newspaper.
http://www.torontosun.com/News/Columnists/Mansur_Salim/2006/06/10/1623710.html
Let me quote you the final three paragraphs from Salim Mansur's column. The entire thing is readable. I'd quote you some of it but frankly the whole thing is quotable!>
Hope you don't mind my commenting on on your post. Here's what I posted on Robert Spenser's Jihad Watch Blog.
It's nice to see that it only took a few postings for people to start getting the banana joke. Rod knew it was a joke, but decided to play it up for publicity. And he certianly got it here and at lgf. I've been involved in a long discussion with folks there if you want to read my postings on this exchange with Rod: http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=20995_Dallas_Islamic_Leader-_Expect_Someone_to_Put_a_Banana_in_Your_Exhaust_Pipe&only
Anyways I've pasted below my responce to Rod's posting on the DMN blog last Friday. Hope you'll enjoy it, it covers his Qutb comments and much more so that you can get more "enlightened". And as always if anyone is interested in an honest and intellectual conversation then here's my personal email address: melibiary@yahoo.com
Peace,
Email responce to Rod on early Sunday morning:
My Dearest Rod,
Well you underestimated Charles's network on LGF, there were more like 300 folks interested in your post instead of your guess of 3. :-)
My response will be shorter this time, because I've readjusted my sleeping schedule to accommodate the World Cup. Hopefully you'll get my 10 points this late:
1. Come on now "Islamic truck bombers"? Do you go around saying "Christianity truck bombers"? I can understand "Muslim or Christian truck bombers". You seem to think it doesn't make a difference stating: "You are drawing a distinction without a meaningful difference." If that's the case then what's the harm in joining the rest of the civilized world moving towards making that distinction. If you don't put much value in those folks in Africa, Asia and Latin America; Europe and the UN have both started moving in that direction. I, like a lot of folks, who understand the War on Terror from a broader spectrum then most are telling you that it makes a world of difference even if you don't understand it. Just call them "Muslim Terrorists" and you wouldn't have to deal with people like me, now isn't that a treat.
2. Now dragging in the Khomeini speech and putting it at the top is a shameless attempt to dispel whatever points I'd make later. Look I've been around the block and did the Conservative Talk Show rounds before, so I'm familiar with the tactic. It doesn't work too well on intellectuals and is quite the cheap route to take when you have a platform to monopolize (ex. DMN Blog) where rebuttals from average Joes don't get posted.
3. You wrote: "Mr. Elibiary wrote a piece for Viewpoints in which he distanced himself somewhat from the radicalism of Khomeini". First of all you called me "Mohamed" up on top, so please don't go formal on me when you're about to insult me. By sticking the word "somewhat" in that sentence, your grasp of the English language as a journalist knows exactly what you did. I'd like you to tell me what radicalism of Khomeini did I somehow leave out and didn't distance myself from???
4. It was never my intention to threaten you Rod with anything. I'm about to turn 31 and you couldn't find anyone I've ever threatened past maybe the 5th grade, so I'm not exactly starting with one guy's opinions I don't care much for. All I did was flip the Golden Rule on you and stated the understood other side of the coin. Get over yourself, you aren't that important that anyone would do a darn thing to you or your car. You can refer your alleged threat to whomever you'd like ("I take this as a threat, and I have passed it on to certain people"), but I would recommend the FBI because that's where I send my Death Threats http://dallas.fbi.gov/. You can tell them Mohamed sent you, they'll know which Mohamed. :-)
If the American Muslim community really had a violent streak instead of being the most law abiding portion of the general society, somebody would have done something to Pat Robertson, Jerry Fallwell, Daniel Pipes, etc. a long time ago. Ironically American Muslims post 9/11 are fighting to defend the Bill of Rights more than people like you. And you know that, but decided to hype "Bananagate" for publicity so as to not really address the irreconcilable difference between us. There is a difference between Islam and Muslims, and you want to keep Islam hostage to a single Muslim misbehaving. You're able to do that only because Islam is so new to most Americans, but that's the definition of bullyism (being abusive only because you can get away with it). Not very moral for a self-appointed Conservative Catholic.
5. You know I read the papers and am very much on top of the news. Do you think I'd be picking on you for the past few months if I didn't know a whole lot more information than you're seeing printed in papers? You leveled that advice on me when speaking about the Toronto folks, and my message to you is still the same. Research before regurgitating ignorance that serves factional/special interests before you pretend to be a fair and accurate journalist. Rod, I care about your reputation and just want to see you more "enlightened". Knowledge coupled with a little bit of humility is not really all that bad, believe me. Just check around the whole country, out of hundreds of relationships with Journalists you're the only one I pick on. Don't be a bully, stop hijacking Islam and practice the golden rule to clean up your reputation that's all this Muslim who's paying your salary through his subscription is asking of you. Now is that too much to ask for???
6. You act like Islam is asking for special treatment, I see it as Islam asking for equal treatment. Just like the era of institutionalized white privilege ended decades ago, so will the era of institutionalized Islamic disadvantage come to an end here in Dallas one day. If a nut job Christian gets up and does something retarded that reflects poorly on Christians. I never approached your board and asked you guys to get rid of the word "terrorism" though there's a very valid case to be made for that. You might remember the whole "Global War on Terrorism" vs. "Global Struggle against Violent Extremism". I see a legitimate need to classify a person as a "Muslim Terrorist" at times, but I can not see ever a legitimate right to classify someone an Islamic Terrorist unless he's a religious authority holder acting in that capacity. For example you're a Catholic, there's a lot of stupid Catholics out there but unless someone from "the Church" says something then it's not an official Catholic Theological Ruling. If those weren't Priests (officials of the Church) doing the child molesting, we wouldn't have even referred to them as "Catholics". If Osama is an Economist, Zawahiri is a medical doctor, and your boggy man (Syed Qutb) is a Science of Education (starts with a "P", can't remember now) graduate; where was the official theological ruling by an Islamic authority making the terrorism "Islamic". We want equality, not special treatment!!!
7. See how I ask you for evidence on ICNA and MAS and you respond with a couple of lame articles, and yes I did read them before. But see I was a little more responsible. I'm neither a member of ICNA nor MAS, nor have any of my family members ever been. But I see absolutely nothing wrong with these folks, and in fact see a lot of benefit to Islam and to America that they do daily. See I understand the Islamic world in it's totality, which you certainly don't nor do you want to learn about it. Your so irrational, it's hard to have a logical conversation with you. In my position at the helm of a network of 75,000 Texans post 9/11, I can't afford your assumptions. I've researched these groups and others very toughly (theologically, philosophically, culturally and financially), and found them to be exercising their legal rights under the law to propagate their viewpoints. When I've found leaders of our community organizations acting irresponsibly, I've asked them to resign and that includes at the national level. I can with the utmost confidence also tell you that your understanding of what are the ICNA/MAS viewpoints are is extremely shallow and at times totally incorrect. Now with both the Government and my much smaller research capacity (though I can go in places our government struggles) telling you that your assessments are WRONG, are you prepared to reassess them instead of continuing to repeat them?
8. Okay now we get to Syed Qutb. You continue to "adjectivize" his name with all kinds of leading commentary, but you know what that's your first amendment right no matter how wrong it is so enjoy it. Now after writing you last time, I took his three books we had at our office library home and re-read Milestones. To most Muslims Syed Qutb is known for layman's commentary on the Quran in Arabic, which my mom has a copy of at home, not his Political Theory. A very small number of Muslims can explain his political theories, and if you don't believe me just ask the average Muslim and you'll see. His political views are his right to hold, just like mine and yours. Syed Qutb's message in Milestones (Arabic original and English) is that "sovereignty belongs to God, not man and that's the message we should internalize from the Islamic declaration of faith". He further states that "Jihad is an integral part of Islam that can't be removed", and he's absolutely right on that one just like "mission" in Christianity. You can translate Jihad as Holy War all you want, but that's your problem not Qutb's. Theologically speaking most scholars agree with him that Jihad is not just a "defensive war", but does that mean that he advocates "offensive never ending war until absolute victory"? Absolutely not to those who understand his writings. I've pulled a couple of quotes from your inadequate English translation that even proves this point.
"This f>
Part II of post to complete it:
"This f religion forbids the imposition of its belief by force, as is clear from the verse, "There is no compulsion in religion"(2:256)"
"The Islamic Jihaad has no relationship to modern warfare, either in its causes or in the way in which it is conducted. The causes of Islamic Jihaad should be sought in the very nature of Islam and its role in the world, in its high principles, which have been given to it by God and for the implementation of which God appointed the Prophet-peace be on him-as His Messenger and declared him to be the last of all prophets and messengers." Notice how he leaves the methods that killed millions of people to the peace-loving non-Crusading Christians, and advocates a non-modern warfare (belligerent) approach.
It's you that defined "jahili" as "non-Muslim". In my copy of Milestone's translation, Qutb defines "jahili" as anything that denies the sovereignty of God and enslaves man to the rule of other men. Many Conservative Commentators, mainly because they get their non-education from the same places, ascribe to Qutb the use of violence in order to spread Islam. Karen Armstrong, the British Islam expert, has written a lot analyzing why there's so much disinformation about Islam and Muhammad in the Angle-Saxon world because it's not this bad anywhere else. You quote Milestones as saying "Anyone who understands this particular character of this religion will also understand the place of Jihaad bis saif (striving through fighting), which is to clear the way for striving through preaching in the application of the Islamic movement." This sentence alone nullifies a "Jihaad bis saif" ever against the United States, Europe or just about everywhere in the modern world unless facing military occupation or assault by the US, Europe, etc. Why you ask, because of a right modern man enjoys called "Religious Freedom". Meaning he can practice whatever religion he wishes to. Now if a country stated that Islam is hereby outlawed and no one can preach it, then Qutb is saying that this country would be a legitimate target for a "Jihaad bis saif".
Like many political theorists in history, Qutb laid out his "philosophical milestones" as his opinion. No organization at the time accepted all his views including the Muslim Brotherhood who's supreme guide wrote a book countering several of Qutb's views. A bunch of angry activists came later, who admired this martyr for freedom under Nasir's secular dictatorship, decided to selectively quote his works as justification for their angry ways. Is that Qutb's fault, my assessment like all rational folks is of course not. There was a time when Conservative Catholics like yourself selectively quoted from the Bible to give this world 200 hundred years of useless war in the Holy Land, or did you forget? Or how about Hitler selectively quoting from previous German Philosophers, and the list goes on and on?
Now what I really suspect you have a problem with again is Islam's desire to spread and gain converts in the soul saving business as I like to call it. Qutb is a very big proponent of that Islamic Evangelism, and I suspect that's why you call it "totalitarian". Qutb is saying that he wouldn't force you to convert, but so long as the law allowed him to preach and work through a social movement to gain converts to Islam he would. Funny how a free market approach to religion doesn't seem acceptable to a Conservative. :-)
10. You wrote "Anyway, the reason I will not agree to "debate" you is because I've been on the receiving end of "debate" from members of your community, and it all goes one way: yelling and bullying and blustering from your side, and groundless accusations of "racism" and "Islamophobia," and what rot."
There are 150,000 American Muslims in the Dallas-Fort Worth Area where you live. You can't find a single one to speak with that's not hostile to you? Wow, even David Duke said "he had a Black friend". There are Muslims in this area who are foreign policy advisors to President Bush, briefers on national security to our national intelligence/law enforcement agencies, and department of homeland security appointees; yet you can't find a single one you're comfortable to speak with. And that's from a Muslim community with a 0% track record of violence/hostility towards any non-Muslim group in this area. Rod, you're in a paper where hundreds of employees work and no one else (0%) receives the hostility from Muslims you do. You're a smart man, and can figure it out. The process of deduction should lead you to where the fault lies here.
When you're ready to move on over from the dark side, just call one of the 150K and they'll help get you a Muslim friend. :-)
I'll always be around when you're ready to have that ice breaker conversation, and not only will I continue to pay your salary with my DMN subscription but I'll pay for your Coffee too. Call it "Islamic Generosity" since you refuse to use the term "Muslim ...". :-)
Peace!>
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