Nice work HRAIC „Kenneth
Davies To: <hraic@hraic.org>
Subject: Nice work
Date: Wednesday, August 07, 2002 4:37 PM
Its good
to see Islamic human rights abuses being taken to task. My question is are you making much
progress? I think the day will come
when many millions of people will join together to fight this, but I know
change will only come when a broad coalition can be put together, religious and
secular, young and old, politician and citizen, east and west, and so on, just
like the civil rights movement. At the
moment, its hard to tell what people in the west think. I sometimes think they get it, but there is
so much Islamist propaganda in the air, while governments and journalists are
extremely wary of being perceived as biased or intolerant, and therefore insist
“Islam only means peace”. Some of the
articles I’ve read go right past the point of irony into the land of the naive,
where all truth is relative, and subject to a “*Bozos on the bus clause”.
Thanks
for your message and nice words. We are making progress e.g. about 400 visits
per day to our website. We still have to counter the false idea that Islam
itself is a religion of peace and tolerance. And we are still regarded as
“politically incorrect” in many quarters and that we have a “hate site”. We are
not against Muslim people, of course, e.g. Amina Lawal whose life we are trying
to save is a Muslim. We have to distinguish between the Muslim religion and the
political ideology of Islam. The latter is really a form of fascism altho’ we
have to moderate our language. We have to show that cruelty and intolerance go
right back to the seventh century and not just a false interpretation by a few.
Yes, it’s hard to know what percentage of say Muslims are hard-line and I’m
sure that people like George W. are
talking with their tongue in their cheek when they say positive things about
Islam. They must know that their friends such as Saudi Arabia only tolerate us
because they need our weapons and because the time is not yet ripe to Islamise
the world.
From: “Kenneth Davies”
Date: Tuesday, August 13, 2002
2:47 PM
Hey,
good luck to you all! I admire you and
the work you are attempting to do, and hope you don’t lose faith. Americans are more with you than you’ll
know, despite whatever image our media and some of our government exudes, although
I do like some of the things President Bush has been doing. You’re right, I don’t think Bush is buying
it. Either is the Pope. Both are trying
to protect lives, first. I know damn
well Putin isn’t., as he has said so, in Time magazine, I believe.
I’ve
written to a lot of people online. One
man you definitely need to talk to is Dr. Ali Sina at www.faithfreedom.org He is an ex-Muslim, very knowledgeable
about politics and Islam. I believe
once human rights people and people that are victimized by Islamic governments
and groups begin to show up in front of the television, then form a coalition,
you’ll start to see the dialog open up.
Ex-Muslims would be a powerful lobby, as well, but there are definite
risks for them to appear anywhere. In
America, the only people that are openly critical of Islam are conservative
Christians, a really prominent one being Ergan
Caner. That just so happens to be the one group
that is completely marginalized, alienated, and ignored by the media. It makes me angry and frustrated to see.
Even tonight, on CNN, I saw a debate between some Christian conservative and
this particular head of a Muslim-American organization (I don’t know his name.
I’ll go with “big fat ass”), who I’ve seen many times, on every channel, whose
whole modus operandi whenever I see him is always the same: Deny, Deny, Deny
Anyway,
I only saw the last few seconds of it, but what I saw appeared to be a rerun of
what I’ve seen before, where the argument is the Christian probably doesn’t
understand the Koran and Islam, therefore is not in a position to criticize
Islam in any way. It just goes on and
on. The amazing thing is, among the
three major Muslim-American groups in the U.S., all of have been discredited,
as they have been shown to be tied to Saudi money, if not terrorism
organizations, themselves. I’m talking
big money, too. I believe the total
contribution for these three organizations has come to over $1 billion
dollars. The three highly respected
investigative journalists who have written books on this and the internal
Islamist terrorist threat are Steve
Emerson, Daniel Pipes, and Stephen Schwartz.
Why other journalists keep trotting out these spokespeople or quote them
in newspapers over and over is really a mystery. I guess they’re trying to appear fair.
For my
own research, the information I’ve been able to gather has turned my head and
stomach. At www.persecution.org, I’ve learned of a
book called The World Christian Encyclopedia, ed. David Barrett, which states
that something like 165,000 Christians are killed each year, “mostly by Muslims
in Muslim countries”. I could go on
and on with statistics, but I’m sure you know many. My point is, this is a story, of a particular genocide, against
non-Muslims by Muslims and Islamic governments that really doesn’t even get
reported. Even stories that have a positive spin, such as the whole series of
events lately around the political situation in Iran has been virtually blacked
out in American media. I actually found
out about it at Ali’s site. According
to one author, Michael Ledeen, this blackout is happening all over the
world. I guess this shows political
correctness is a disease everywhere.
This author’s new book on Iran is “The War Against the Terrorism
Masters”. He predicts, just as Ali Sina
does, that the Iranian government will soon fall. Ali goes even further, and says that Islam itself is in
trouble. No one else that I’ve heard
or read has made such observations, but then Ali comes from a unique
perspective. The interesting thing is
some of the info that Ali cites, about what’s happening with Iranians now
living in the West seems to support this.
Its been reported as well as strongly suggested, by both Muslim and
non-Muslim groups or organizations that tens of thousands have left Islam, many
as a result of 9/11, and its happening in all parts of the West, not just
America.
Don’t
believe that crap about the West converting to Islam or giving up its own
culture and religious heritage. It
ain’t so. Americans (excuse me, I’m
under the impression I’m talking to strictly Aussies. For all I know, you could be from all parts West, which would be
great, as well!) are also not inclined to assume a position of silence ( a sort
of dhimmi status). We’re polite,
capable of some self-examination, but we love our country to its core. In fact, what I’m continually seeing is the
opposite, where I think more and more people are waking up and asking hard
questions, and thinking about what it means to be an American as well as a
spiritual person, while trying to understand Islam and what’s really behind
terrorism and all this upheaval. While
Americans are rather mistrustful of their media, and for good reasons, they’re
not overly cynical, to the point of being closed minded or not wanting to
act. One recent news story I saw that
created a real stir was on our most popular news program, “60 Minutes”, where
Muslim middle school children in NYC, of all places, said they would gladly
commit jihad against the U.S. and U.S. targets. I thought, my God, they really are indoctrinated idiots!
If you
want population numbers, Daniel Pipes (www.danielpipes.org)
puts the numbers between 2-3 million Muslims in the U.S. In the media, I keep hearing and reading 5-7
million. I believe this exaggerated
number is yet another example of Muslim propaganda. There are about 1,500
mosques in the U.S. Compare that to
churches, where there are believed to be between 350,000 and 400,000. One thing I’ve also noticed is many
Muslims, based on some of their statements, have a tendency to confuse
Americans with Europeans and European culture. I won’t go into specifics, but I think what’s interesting is how
Europeans also seem to be waking up, as well.
My
prediction is if there is another big terrorist attack or series of attacks on
American soil, the mood and political reality of this country could change
dramatically, and really open up, with the result being some of the political
correctness could fly out the window.
One of the predictions I keep hearing is if there is an American armed
intervention in Iraq, which now appears almost certain, this will be the catalyst
that could fire such an intafada. Right
now, there is still this conception among many, at least the way media keeps
trying to portray it, that we are simply facing a few thousand determined
Wahabbi terrorists from al Qaida, from within and without. While perhaps many more Americans know that
isn’t quite the truth, most still don’t quite understand the whole picture, of
what Islam really is and about, and therefore know nothing about its history or
what’s in the Koran and why so many Muslims seem to be acting crazy toward
us. I mean, they haven’t got for it 20+
years. Many still think, just as they
are told by Muslim and Muslim apologists, such as Karen Armstrong (this woman
belongs in a museum for the terminally fulsome), that it is the West and largely
Christians that have committed the great sins. One of my frustrations is how little history is actually told
and known by Americans. For instance,
they know next nothing about jihad, except what they’re told, which is usually
that it means inner struggle for peace and nothing more. Nevermind that ugly
1,400 years of jihadi history. They also don’t understand why the whole world
seems to hate America. So there is this little bit of an added sense of guilt,
but nothing incapacitating (I don’t have it or feel any of it). I confess, I really don’t understand that
one, either. I’ve had some weird
encounters with Europeans, where all I could do was wonder. While I don’t always
agree with our government and some of our corporate business practices, most
individual Americans are pretty nice, on the whole. Maybe a little selfish at times, but really hard to beat when it
comes to generosity.
From: „Kenneth
Davies“ Subject: Followup letter ... just
a thought
Date: Tuesday,
August 13, 2002 4:41 PM
I can’t
help but wonder if you had taken an alternative approach, and focused solely on
crimes and abuse of human rights by Muslims and Islamic governments against
non-Muslims, and not so much on the Koran or the religion of Islam itself, you
might have even greater success, perhaps the way Amnesty International might
do, though I know they are probably are not addressing sharia at all,
right? Of course, I know that it may
be impossible to address these issues and not at least discuss Islamic law, or
sharia as it now exists, since it is embedded in the religious texts and its
precisely the sharia that you need to focus on to create change and improve
conditions. I can see this is a tough
call, between wanting to get the truth out and not wanting to alienate or anger
too many, and risk defeat. My point is
where to draw the line? Its pretty
obvious you’re not going to win too many Muslim friends, so you’re intended
audience looks like strictly westerners.
I know Dr. Morey has been around
a long time, and is hated by Muslims. He said in an interview that he was
almost murdered on the streets of Detroit by a group of angry Muslims that
chased him down after they simply saw him filming.
Please
understand I’m only offering an opinion.
I don’t know enough to know which approach to recommend. My best sense is its probably going to take
ex-Muslims to win over the majority of Muslims to a broader point of view,
using a gentle, but firm approach, as advocated by Ali Sini. I see over and over angry letters and
rebuttals against Muslims on the internet that invariably go nowhere fast. As for Islam as a religion, I struggle with
the issue and question of whether it is reformable or not. I know this is a big point of discussion,
and an issue that no doubt will have to be addressed, as Islam is forced to
confront the West and integrate with the modern world. My best sense is its not reformable,
certainly not in a way that say Christianity is.
I mean,
even Turkey is not a real democracy.
Were it to become so, could you still say that it was Islam that was
being practiced? And can you really
say Christianity has been reformed? A
humanist would argue it really hasn’t.
I would add that there are a lot of humanist elements already within
Christianity, particularly the new testament, and that in itself may be the
critical difference between it and Islam that determines the outcome of any
future debate. The Reformation that has
occured in Christianity has much more to do with interpretations of issues of
faith rather than ethical law, though the legal changes that have been made,
mainly the separation of church and state, are mainly the result of secular
reforms. The real reformation, if you
can call it, that has occured in western Christianity, has been the long, silent
one, where secular values and beliefs have infused with Christian beliefs,
often without the knowledge or interest of practicing Christians or official
acceptance by particular religious denomination doctrines. One such example of this is the issue of
evolution.
Subject: Al Qaeda’s Fantasy Ideology - Policy Review,
No. 114
Date: Wednesday, August 14, 2002 11:55 AM
Please
forgive my lack of protocol. I know
I’ve given you an earful in the last 24 hours.
I just found this amazing article [see link below] from the journal
Policy Review that really explains the psychology behind Islamist
terrorism. You may already have it or
know about it. I found the original
link through the www.secularislam.org
site in their discussion forum. In
there is also a very recent discussion that lays out fairly well what our
situation is in the west. In summary,
we are now in the beginning of a full-scale cultural war, mostly between Islam
and the West, but also one where certain elements of western society may
be
aiding and abetting, however unwittingly, militant Islam. Most people don’t have clue that this is
what is happening, including the media, which almost as much seems to be
perpetuating it. In a cultural war, its
not military might that is the ultimate determiner or even the real force
behind change, while it can just as easily be a detriment, when used
improperly, and without justification.
So it is not just up to governments and military might to steer the
outcome, but also to people everywhere, to stand up and speak out.
http://www.policyreview.org/AUG02/harris.html
On a
personal note, I want to say I’m not a chatty person, whether by custom or
personality. You’re not likely to find
too many more emails from me, if any. I
don’t belong to any forums and generally have a life outside of the internet
(too busy, in fact). I’m merely passing
along my ideas, observations and findings to you and others to help, mainly
because I think this is a critical issue in a critical time, one where the
truth is still not really getting out there, if not lost altogether, often in a
cloud of misinformation. And I have a very
realistic fear of the West falling into dhimmitude. I see the evidence of this everywhere, though America is still,
thank God, pretty free of this attitude.
That’s an observation Bat Ye’or makes, as well.
One last
point. I have to ask how long before
most westerners really get it. For them
to do so will require something like a paradigm shift in their thinking, more
along the lines of trying to understand a movie plot than just looking back
into their own history, which is the way most people think, but sadly, to only
modest depths (for many or most, history only means their own personal life
experiences). The closest parallel I
can find to sharia would be in examing the Puritan pioneers, but only in an
extreme form of their history, like during the Salem witch trials that occured
briefly in Massachusetts (also shown recently
on tv in
that play with the same name as the movie, “The Crucible”). In my own case, it took me quite a while to
get it, and that’s only because I began to doubt what I saw and read against
what was happening and what I was being told, and instead tried to find out
what was really behind this. I had to
spend considerable time and effort just thinking about it and trying to educate
myself. I would say its only very
recently that I began to understand some of the basics. Now that I’ve arrived,
so to
speak, I wonder about ways of trying to
explain or lend this awareness to the masses, even for those who may not have
the will or interest or energy or time to learn or find out the truth, which I
dare say I’m probably describing the majority. I don’t have any ideas or suggestions, and I really don’t want
to be perceived as trying to suggest to you things that I think you should
do. I guess all I’m saying is I think
we are now faced with a monumental task, of trying to educate people on a mass
scale while also trying to disabuse them of whatever false conceptions and
perceptions they may already hold. In saying this, I have no doubt this is
something you have already realized and thought about it considerably.
That’s
it. I’m now going to shutup and do
something else. If I’m lucky, maybe I can forget about this crazy world, at
least for a good while.