[ April 25, 2024 ]
This is a perceptive article, showing that sugar-coating harsh realities and pretending that unpleasant facts don’t exist opens doors and gets you accolades — but is it worth it at the price of the truth?
According to the article, Pipes makes two glaringly false assertions. First: “He suggested it is Islamism, a political ideology, that inspires hatred of ‘the other,’
rather than Islam….He emphasized that while Islam has existed since the age of the
prophet Mohammed, Islamism is a recent phenomenon and need not be
considered an authentic expression of Islam.”
Need not be considered an authentic expression of Islam by whom? By Muslims? Yet so many do, all around the world. By non-Muslims? What would that accomplish, since so many Muslims think it is an authentic expression of Islam, except to render us complacent in the face of the jihad threat?
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And anyway, is “Islamism” really not an authentic expression of Islam? In fact, political Islam and violent Islam go back to Muhammad, who massacred the Qurayzah tribe and the Jews of Khybar, left oceans of blood in his
wake. In Medina he started waging war against non-Muslims, and he explained to his
followers that they should offer those non-Muslims three choices:
Fight in the name of Allah and in the way of Allah.
Fight against those who disbelieve in Allah. Make a holy war.…When you meet
your enemies who are polytheists, invite them to three courses of action. If
they respond to any one of these, you also accept it and withhold yourself from
doing them any harm. Invite them to accept Islam; if they respond to you,
accept it from them and desist from fighting against them…. If they refuse to
accept Islam, demand from them the Jizya [poll-tax on non-Muslims]. If they
agree to pay, accept it from them and hold off your hands. If they refuse to
pay the tax, seek Allah’s help and fight them. (Sahih Muslim 4294)
As Robert Spencer explains, “the choices for unbelievers are thus to convert to Islam; or submit as
inferiors to Islamic rule, paying the tax and accepting the discrimination that
Islamic law mandates for non-Muslims in the Islamic state; or die. Those are
the only choices offered. Islamic law doesn’t envision a situation in which
Muslims live together as equals with non-Muslims without any plan to impose
Sharia upon them now or in the future.”
Spencer also rejects the Islam/Islamism distinction: “…the distinction is artificial and imposed from without. There are
not, in other words, Islamist mosques and non-Islamist mosques,
distinguishable from one another by the sign outside each, like Baptist
and Methodist churches. On the contrary, ‘Islamists’ move among
non-political, non-supremacist Muslims with no difficulty; no Islamic
authorities are putting them out of mosques, or setting up separate
institutions to distinguish themselves from the ‘Islamists.’ Mevlid
Jasarevic [a jihadist in Sarajevo] could and did visit mosques in
Austria, Serbia, and Bosnia without impediment before he started
shooting on Friday; no one stopped him from entering because he was an
‘Islamist.’
And so to say we must work with ordinary Muslims while eschewing
collaboration with Islamists is not precisely a distinction without a
difference, but a distinction that is practically imperceptible and, in
many cases, in fact not there at all.”
And Andrew Bostom adds: “One must ask, ‘What Went Wrong’ with Daniel Pipes who now sprays (Edward) Saidian
charges of ‘essentialism’ at brave Muslim freethinkers like Ayaan Hirsi
Ali and Wafa Sultan, as well as the stalwart Dutch politician Geert
Wilders, for simply rejecting his self-contradictory mantras on ‘Islamism.'”
Even worse, Pipes “said the religion of Islam itself is not inherently hostile to
Jews, and Muslim anti-Semitism scarcely existed before the establishment
of the state of Israel.”
Amazing. Is he unaware of the Koran’s terming the Jews the “worst enemies” of the Muslims (5:82), or saying that Allah cursed them and turned them into apes and pigs (2:62-66; 5:59-60; 7:166)? Where is Pipes on that and so much more Koranic antisemitism? Has he never heard of the genocidal hadith in which Muhammad said that “the last hour would not come unless the
Muslims will fight against the Jews and the Muslims would kill them
until the Jews would hide themselves behind a stone or a tree and a
stone or a tree would say: Muslim, or the servant of Allah, there is a
Jew behind me; come and kill him.” (Sahih Muslim 6985)?
Has Pipes never
read Bat Ye’or or Andrew Bostom on Islamic antisemitism, or Sir Martin Gilbert’s history
of the Jews in Muslim lands, In Ishmael’s House? All of them show that Jew-hatred is a constant of Islamic history. Pipes thinks it started with Israel? What about the pogroms conducted by Palestinian Muslims against Palestinian Jews in the early 20th century — the wholesale slaughter of Jews as prescribed and preached by the Mufti of Jerusalem, Hajj Amin al-Husseini, who lived in Berlin during the war, made broadcasts in Arabic for the Nazis, and raised up an SS division of Bosnian Muslims?
Historian Phillip
Hitti states: “The caliph al-Mutawakkil in 850 and 854 decreed that Christians
and Jews should affix wooden images of devils to their houses, level
their graves even with the ground, wear outer garments of honey color,
i.e. yellow, put two honey-colored patches on the clothes of their
slaves, … and ride only on mules and asses with wooden saddles marked by
two pomegranate-like balls on the cantle.” Andrew Bostom’s work shows much more. 1000 years later, in
1888 a Tunisian Jew lamented a similar situation:
The Jew is prohibited in this country to wear the same
clothes as a Muslim and may not wear a red tarbush. He can be seen to
bow down with his whole body to a Muslim child and permit him the
traditional privilege of striking him in the face, a gesture that can
prove to be of the gravest consequence. Indeed, the present writer has
received such blows. In such matters the offenders act with complete
impunity, for this has been the custom from time immemorial.
In 1291 Isaac ben Samuel, a Palestinian Jew,
said: “In the
eyes of the Muslims, the children of Israel are as open to abuse as an
unprotected field.” The philosopher Maimonides said: “You know, my brethren, that on account of our sins G-d has
cast us into the midst of this people, the nation of Ishmael, who
persecute us severely, and who devise ways to harm us and to debase
us.…No nation has ever done more harm to Israel. None has matched it in
debasing and humiliating us. None has been able to reduce us as they
have.…We have borne their imposed degradation, their lies, and
absurdities, which are beyond human power to bear.”
On
December 30, 1066, four thousand Jews in Granada were killed in a pogrom by Muslim mobs. The Muslim chronicler Abd Allah said that the
mobs “put every Jew in the city to the sword and took vast quantities of
their property.”
Were they enraged because Israel was going to be founded nearly 900 years later?
Pipes is tolerated, Geller is not by Farzana Hassan, Toronto Sun, May 16, 2013
Two renowned Jewish Americans spoke about the issue of Islamic radicalism in the GTA this week.
Both recognize Islamism as a threat to peace and security; both
acknowledge the existence of peace-loving Muslims, who must join hands
with others fighting extremism; both wish to defend Western values.Yet one speaker is tolerated more than the other.
Pamela Geller, blogger and author, is known for her virulently
anti-Islam views. She was effectively barred from speaking at a
Thornhill synagogue by York Region police.This was followed by a rebuke from the Toronto Board of Rabbis to the
Jewish Defense League, for hosting Geller at the Zionist Centre in
Toronto. The board was afraid this might exacerbate already tense
relations between Jews and Muslims in the GTA.Meanwhile, The Muslim Committee Against Anti-Semitism, under the
umbrella of the Canadian Thinkers Forum formed by Tahir Aslam Gora,
invited Daniel Pipes to speak on Wednesday, May 15 on the causes of
anti-Semitism, why it now exists predominantly among Muslims and what
can be done to counter it.Pipes is the founder and director of the Middle East Forum and an
acclaimed scholar. The Muslim Commitee Against Anti-Semitism is a group
of Muslims newly formed to oppose anti-Semitism.Pipes takes a conciliatory approach towards the fraying dynamics
between Jewish and Muslim communities. He also appears sanguine about an
Islamic reformation.At his lecture, he took a sympathetic view of mainstream Muslims by
drawing a distinction between Islam and Islamism. He suggested it is
Islamism, a political ideology, that inspires hatred of “the other,”
rather than Islam.He said the religion of Islam itself is not inherently hostile to
Jews, and Muslim anti-Semitism scarcely existed before the establishment
of the state of Israel.He emphasized that while Islam has existed since the age of the
prophet Mohammed, Islamism is a recent phenomenon and need not be
considered an authentic expression of Islam.To be sure, many Muslims may disagree with his distinction, believing
instead that Islam is an ideology and Islamism its mere execution.While Pipes is soft-spoken, Geller is fiery and provocative.
Geller criticizes Islam point-blank and makes no distinction between Islam and Islamism.
In her speech, recorded by the website BlazingCatFur, she insisted
jihad is inherently violent and that Islamic terror is a major threat to
Western values, peace and security. Geller does not mince words,
pointing out rampant anti-Semitism among many Muslims.Pipes and Geller both see Islamic radicalism as a threat, but the
reason Pipes is tolerated and Geller is not may lie primarily in
semantics and tone.Regrettably, in matters of culture and religion, political
correctness circumscribes the right to freedom of expression. Muslim
practice and precept may be criticized, if it is couched in language
that is neither offensive nor blunt.The Jewish Board of Rabbis seemed to reprimand Geller for her
language, stating she uses language intended to “shock and ridicule.”
Yet her vehemence may simply reflect the strength of her feelings.Pipes and Geller are equally aware of the threat of Islamic
extremism. They touch upon the same issues. They stress the importance
of mobilizing peaceful Muslims to defend our Western values, societies
and communities.The same message certainly needs to be heard in different ways, from fiery speakers no less than from conciliatory ones.
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23 Comments
10 years ago
Pipes is nuts. He should read the Koran.
10 years ago
Yes, he should. He should also study history. Until then, he should refrain from commentary.
10 years ago
How can Daniel Pipes seem to be so knowledgeable on one hand — yet so horrifically ignorant about that which he seems to know, on the other hand?????
10 years ago
Pipes is tolerated by those who choose to not rock the boat. Geller is loved and admired by those who like to make waves.
10 years ago
Easy – you’re a woman! That’s why you are not acceptable. According to prevailing misogyny, women are irrational, and their ideas are suspect.
I’ve done experiments where I’ve parroted the words of an esteemed individual back to his groupies. When these words came out of this guru’s mouth, there were “ooooooos” and “aaaaaaaas,” but when I said the exact same thing to some of the followers who were unaware that these were the sage’s words, they pooh-poohed me as if I were simply ridiculous, because I was a young female.
With shallow people not really interested in the truth, perception of one’s exterior can be all important. Females in the field of religion are automatically suspected of heresy, period. Pipes could say the same criticisms as you, but he will be considered “reasonable,” whereas you will be a “harpy.”
These bigots need to confront their misogyny and sexism.
10 years ago
I think the fact that Dr. Pipes speaks in more measured tones than does Pamela greatly influences the degree to which each is accepted. I will wager a two dollar Powerball ticket that, in the privacy of his own home, Pipes would agree that murdering children is “savage”. I will guess doesn’t use that language in public.
You need a woman as an example? Phyllis Chesler has some accurate descriptions of the thuggery all too prevalent in the Moslem world. I doubt that a lecture by Ms. Chesler would provoke the same reaction as one to Pamela, even though I’ll wager these activists stand in broad agreement in many respects. Of course, it’s probably the case that the voices of jihad would go after the likes of Pamela before tackling the more restrained voice of someone like Chesler.
I strongly agree with the sentiment expressed in the article that hhe same message needs to be heard in different ways, from fiery speakers no less than from conciliatory ones.
10 years ago
Daniel Pipes has a doctorate in history, with a dissertation pertaining to early Islamic history. He undoubtedly has read the Koran. I suspect he knows more about Islam that all the posters on this board put together.
Can he be wrong? Certainly. However, I suspect his positions are always well considered.
10 years ago
The world doesn’t need to hear the message in a conciliatory tone if the message is false. Pipes is giving a false narrative and if he believes moderate muslims are going to reform islam he is living in fantasy land.
10 years ago
When I was studying about the Islamic threat immediately after 9/11, I read a lot of Pipes’s material. Then, I started reading “edgier” material and drew my own conclusion: that Islam itself is the threat — not “Islamism,” which is a Western invention so as not to ruffle feathers and so as to get people to rationalize personal experiences, specifically, why Muslims whom we encounter in the workplace and elsewhere can often be friendly and charismatic people.
So, I started out reading Pipes, but moved on — when I was ready to face reality. Some people simply may not be ready at certain points (or ever) to face reality. Facing reality then leads to the question: What must we then do?
10 years ago
“Moderates to the rescue” is a trap. It offers what people want to hear and causes them to switch off to the main threat which continues unabated. There is no rescue by moderates. In all the years the claim has been made nothing has happened. As Prime Minister of Turkey Erdogan says, “These terms are ugly and offensive. There is no moderate or immoderate Islam. Islam is Islam and that’s it.”
10 years ago
then the man is just a complete liar.
10 years ago
Considered how? Considered in terms of his pocketbook? Spencer destroys his “moderate” muslime meme, as do the daily atrocities committed in the name of pisslam all over the g-damn world in the here and now. Pipes, like the Little Green Footballs blogger has been compromised. He’s on the dark side now.
10 years ago
He’s afraid, I mean, what else could you conclude. He fears conflict and takes comfort in being polite and nice to evil. It makes him feel it isn’t real or threatening. He’s the kind of man who never wore a uniform or played demanding, physical sports; in short, a wimp. Intellectuals usually have that back ground.
10 years ago
Yes, Pipes is a historian and therefore his statement that there had been no history of antisemitism in the Muslim World prior to the establishment of Israel is that much more agregious since it does not come from complete ignorance and gives this obviously false statement academic as well as Jewish imprimatur.
This goes far beyond polite speech into false speech. I suppose Pipes, like many Jews today, suffers from a Stockholm Syndrome.
10 years ago
Daniel Pipes gives new meaning to the expression, “pipe dream”.
10 years ago
Simple fact: the “Sacred Texts” of Islam prove him (Pipes)all too often flat wrong. End of story.
10 years ago
Pipes is doing a great dis-service to humanity with his whitewashed opinion pieces
10 years ago
There are none so blind as those who willingly refuse to see.
10 years ago
I do not think it is true that Pipes claims there is no history of anti-semitism in the Muslim world prior to 1948: I think you are misrepresenting his perspective. He does regard it as more as a European import than an indigenous part of the Muslim world.
http://www.danielpipes.org/226/the-new-anti-semitism
Lacking the deep roots of European anti-semitism, I suspect he views it as more amenable to change.
10 years ago
Pipes is taking a scholarly, measured approach, whereas Geller is taking a more popular, more confrontational approach. I like both, and I’ve heard both in person.
10 years ago
No he’s not. Robert Spencer takes a “scholarly, measured approach”, Pipes dissimulates.
10 years ago
‘The board was afraid this might exacerbate already tense relations between Jews and Muslims in the GTA’
This is the key. It is so common, right under our noses in fact, that all but the blind and those devoid of that old asset, common sense that it glares like a universal symbolic beacon of Islam, our dhimmidom and the prostration this faith demands wherever it settles.
Working backwards, note the spreading of culpability contained in, ‘tense relations between Jews and Muslims’ as if this is a mutual slugfest pitted between mutually aggressive opponents. There’s only one aggressor in all of this, facts and figures prove it yet the lie is concocted.
Which leads to, ‘afraid this might exacerbate already tense relations’, in other words better accede to the Muslim demand or they’ll cause trouble.
And so it goes. On the ropes. Muslims gloating. And then the demand ratchets. And ratchets until we get the ridiculous situation of CAIR’s screaming over anti-shariah legislation being ‘islamophobic’.
Western political correctness is the fissure and Muslims will exploit it to the max. The gloves are off yet no one will admit that for every bit of submission they are gaining cultural territory and yet more rights.
Silencing critics of Islam is mandated in the Koran, it is classic shariah and we are bowing.
Just like Obama and his Arabian masters.
10 years ago
pamell is right to highlight these things,,,,,,i believe there is a world wide movement to islamise the planet…here in india we are considered a soft target……but what is the solution…..??????…more wars…more bloodshed????
