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November 22, 2004

Moderate Muslims and Arabs Emerge from the Shadows, Or, Maybe Not

Topics: International News

In her Frontpage piece "Moderate Muslims and Arabs Emerge from the Shadows," Cinnamon Stillwell cites an implied cacaphony of voices from "moderate" Muslims who are speaking out against fundamentalist Muslims and Islamic extremism. On the other hand Dimmi Watch writes that her "unwieldy" title is necessitated by the fact that many of the people that she cites as Muslims are in fact non-Muslims or ex-Muslims.

Dimmi Watch aptly points out that as unwiedly as her title may be it still just doesn't get it right, an almost excusable result from the difficulty involved in identifying moderate Muslims simply because there are very few genuine moderates who continue to identify themselves as Muslims. As an example of how difficult it is to find real Muslims to speak out, Dimmi Watch writes that even Ibn Warraq, who is discussed at length in the Stillwell artice, is neither a moderate Muslim nor an Arab. It continues to appear to many non-Muslims that what we have posted numerous times before is correct, that Islamic claims that it is a religion of peace is not true and in fact Islam is a religion of intollerance, hate, and one that is determined to convert non-believers, conquer them, or kill them. Once again, we can still shout upon apparently deaf Muslim ears, "Where is the outcry against fundamentalist Islamic extremists from 'peaceful' Muslims?

Stillwell writes in her article;

But even amidst the dictatorships of the Arab world, a brave few have refused to conform. Fed up with the scapegoating - of Americans, Jews, Christians, and the West - that passes for governance and journalism in their countries, some Muslims have begun writing their own narratives. They suffer intimidation, harassment, and even attacks at the hands of fellow Muslims, but by refusing to cave in to the extremists, they can perhaps pave the way for future generations to follow. Danial Pipes, scholar and Bush appointee to the U.S. Institute of Peace (although often falsely accused of the opposite), routinely gives moderate Muslims and Arabs their due. In his article "Moderate Voices of Islam" Pipes calls attention to such writers and activists because, as he puts it, "Promoting anti-Islamists and weakening Islamists is crucial if a moderate and modern form of Islam is to emerge in the West." Indeed, it behooves those who wish to advance victory against Islamic terrorism to highlight such voices. For such a struggle cannot be won on the battlefield alone, but must also be fought ideologically. And in order to do so, reform should be encouraged from within.

In the United States, organizations such as CAIR (The Council on American-Islamic Relations), beholden to Wahhabist interests in Saudi Arabia, have for too long set the agenda for American Muslims. Issuing selective condemnations of terrorism or none at all, and opposing every U.S. effort to combat Islamism, these groups are part of the problem, not the solution. In contrast, organizations like the Free Muslim Coalition Against Terrorism and the American Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD) are shaking the foundations of the American Islamic establishment. Not only do these groups renounce Islamic terrorism and the ideology that fuels it, they also express unconditional support for their country - America, that is.

Fox News and beyond. The American Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD) put on the first Muslim-sponsored "Rally Against Terror" in the country earlier this year in Phoenix....   
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DimmiWatch information source Here

Posted by Hyscience at November 22, 2004 9:35 AM

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