Gaining Zionist Approval, Losing Islam
What good is it to gain Zionist approval but lose Islam’s soul?
Saying no to Muslim Zionism
In April of this year the American Arab anti- Discrimination Committee (ADC)- Michigan sponsored the Uniform Periodic Review event at Wayne State University. At that event one non- Arab Muslim leader asked a question and made a comment that seemed to be wrong in their logic and premises. The question was why the US government is refusing to give a “clean list” of Muslim charities that American Muslims can safely donate to. The comment was a response to a Palestine- related question. The comment was that Muslims have "many issues" and should not focus only on the issue of Palestine or be seen only from that angle.
Betrayal by appeasement: Asking the axis of evil Cheney-Rumsfeld-AIPAC where to give the Zakat?
The flawed thinking behind the question and the comment is clear to those who are familiar with the challenges that are facing American Arabs and Muslims in the United States after the biggest ever gift that was ever given to the Israel lobby- the 9/11 attacks; a gift that greatly facilitated the process of demonizing American Arabs and Muslims. The thought that the administration of George W. Bush, for example, would determine where the Zakat is spent is reprehensible to the overwhelming majority of Muslims who have seen that administration reckless attitude to Muslims. Who would want to hand their Zakat to groups handpicked by Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and other members of the neo- con gang? Who wants politicians, any politicians, telling them where their Zakat money goes? Is that what Zakat is about? When the government decides where your money goes, it is called taxation not the exercise of first amendment rights to free exercise of religion.
American Muslims for Palestine
As to the issue of Palestine, it is true that American Muslims have many issues more than Palestine. However, the sense of American Muslims, with a few exceptions, is that the suffering of the Palestinians is a Muslim cause of utmost importance. It is true that the campaign against American Muslims is motivated by the fact that the Muslim community cares about Palestine and is translating this commitment into real support for the persecuted Palestinians- activism and donations. Muslims do not believe this support is optional. A Muslim longtime activist once told me that of all the Muslims in the world the Palestinians are the most deserving of Muslim help. That is powerful. Mainstream Muslim thinking is that one be truly Muslim without caring about the Palestinians and the alAqsa mosque in Jerusalem.
Not a Jewish problem, or a pro- Israel problem
It's an Afrikaner problem
Those who think that Muslims should play it safe by distancing themselves from "politics", that is avoid the issue of Palestine in the hope that the aggressive Afrikaner Zionists that professor Mearsheimer talked about in his lecture in the Palestine Center in DC have to be aware of what kind of bargain they are asked to make. As a reminder, what Mearsheimer did in that lecture is divide the Jewish community into three groups- the righteous Jews, the Afrikaners and the middle group. The Afrikaners are the ones who are engaging in an unholy war against Muslim Americans. The problem that American Muslims are having is not the result of the effort of American Jews and/or even the effort of the supporters of Israel for that matter. The problem is the Afrikaners, not the Jews, and not the Israel supporters. The Afrikaners are the most vicious, the loudest, the most hateful and the most poisonous. An example of righteous Jews is The Jewish magazine The Forward which editorialized in support of the building of the mosque near Ground Zero. An example of Afrikaner Jews is Bret Stephens of the Journal.
WSJ Afrikaner View
Afrikaner Bret Stephens writes the "global view" column in the Journal, a column that if honesty was valued by Stephens would instead be called Zionist Afrikaner View. Mr. Stephens wrote in the Journal of May 25, 2010, “[T]he mosque at ground zero” a piece of pure poison and treachery that is greatly instructive as to the magnitude of the challenge facing American Muslims and the price that those who seek appeasement of the Afrikaners have to pay for safety.
Afrikaner Zionists are not asking for American Muslims to be neutral. They are not asking that they not help feed the Palestinians. They are asking for the impossible as a ticket to acceptance to the American mainstream that Muslims are eager to be part of. They are not only asking that Muslims who want to be accepted as acceptable “moderate” American Muslim worry about Muslims anywhere in the worked except in Palestine, they want a pledge of allegiance to Zionism and a lot more compromises/sacrifices that go to the traditional practice of the faith and the basic freedoms that individuals enjoy in this country. Here is what Stephens wrote:
"Muslims in New York want to build a mosque and cultural center near ground Zero. As a confidence building measure for those of us who live in the neighborhood, it would help if the pair voluntarily answered some questions about the nature of their beliefs. A sampler:
Who perpetrated the attacks of 9/11, and what was their religion?
Are suicide attacks or to her forms of violent jihad are acceptable under any circumstances, including against American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan?
Does Israel have the right to exist as a Jewish state?
Do they agree with the state department’s designation of Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist organizations?
What aspects of Shariah law, if any, do they repudiate?
Will their center invite the input and participation of Muslim gay and lesbian groups?
Do they consider the Muslim Brotherhood to be extreme?
What influence will any foreign funding of Cordoba House have on its programs or on the literature it distributes?
Finally, it is worth asking Mr. Rauf and Ms Khan the broader question of how they think about tolerance itself. In the case of the famous Muhammad cartoons “moderate” Muslims typically make the case while free speech has its place, the sensitivities of the Muslim community should be respected. But tolerance can't just be a one-way street, and sensitivity is not the preserve of Muslims alone… will they return the favor by hosting an exhibition of the prophet? "
One hopes that those American Muslims who campaign on the platform of appease for safety and avoid Palestine at all cost read Stephens well: among other "gems," repudiate Shariah, an exhibition of the prophet, and the cherry on the cake, the right of Israel to exist as a Jewish state with all that it entails to the previous and the future ethnic cleansing of non-Jews from mandatory Palestine.
What good is it for American Muslims to gain Zionist approval yet forfeit Islam?
Saying no to Muslim Zionism
In April of this year the American Arab anti- Discrimination Committee (ADC)- Michigan sponsored the Uniform Periodic Review event at Wayne State University. At that event one non- Arab Muslim leader asked a question and made a comment that seemed to be wrong in their logic and premises. The question was why the US government is refusing to give a “clean list” of Muslim charities that American Muslims can safely donate to. The comment was a response to a Palestine- related question. The comment was that Muslims have "many issues" and should not focus only on the issue of Palestine or be seen only from that angle.
Betrayal by appeasement: Asking the axis of evil Cheney-Rumsfeld-AIPAC where to give the Zakat?
The flawed thinking behind the question and the comment is clear to those who are familiar with the challenges that are facing American Arabs and Muslims in the United States after the biggest ever gift that was ever given to the Israel lobby- the 9/11 attacks; a gift that greatly facilitated the process of demonizing American Arabs and Muslims. The thought that the administration of George W. Bush, for example, would determine where the Zakat is spent is reprehensible to the overwhelming majority of Muslims who have seen that administration reckless attitude to Muslims. Who would want to hand their Zakat to groups handpicked by Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and other members of the neo- con gang? Who wants politicians, any politicians, telling them where their Zakat money goes? Is that what Zakat is about? When the government decides where your money goes, it is called taxation not the exercise of first amendment rights to free exercise of religion.
American Muslims for Palestine
As to the issue of Palestine, it is true that American Muslims have many issues more than Palestine. However, the sense of American Muslims, with a few exceptions, is that the suffering of the Palestinians is a Muslim cause of utmost importance. It is true that the campaign against American Muslims is motivated by the fact that the Muslim community cares about Palestine and is translating this commitment into real support for the persecuted Palestinians- activism and donations. Muslims do not believe this support is optional. A Muslim longtime activist once told me that of all the Muslims in the world the Palestinians are the most deserving of Muslim help. That is powerful. Mainstream Muslim thinking is that one be truly Muslim without caring about the Palestinians and the alAqsa mosque in Jerusalem.
Not a Jewish problem, or a pro- Israel problem
It's an Afrikaner problem
Those who think that Muslims should play it safe by distancing themselves from "politics", that is avoid the issue of Palestine in the hope that the aggressive Afrikaner Zionists that professor Mearsheimer talked about in his lecture in the Palestine Center in DC have to be aware of what kind of bargain they are asked to make. As a reminder, what Mearsheimer did in that lecture is divide the Jewish community into three groups- the righteous Jews, the Afrikaners and the middle group. The Afrikaners are the ones who are engaging in an unholy war against Muslim Americans. The problem that American Muslims are having is not the result of the effort of American Jews and/or even the effort of the supporters of Israel for that matter. The problem is the Afrikaners, not the Jews, and not the Israel supporters. The Afrikaners are the most vicious, the loudest, the most hateful and the most poisonous. An example of righteous Jews is The Jewish magazine The Forward which editorialized in support of the building of the mosque near Ground Zero. An example of Afrikaner Jews is Bret Stephens of the Journal.
WSJ Afrikaner View
Afrikaner Bret Stephens writes the "global view" column in the Journal, a column that if honesty was valued by Stephens would instead be called Zionist Afrikaner View. Mr. Stephens wrote in the Journal of May 25, 2010, “[T]he mosque at ground zero” a piece of pure poison and treachery that is greatly instructive as to the magnitude of the challenge facing American Muslims and the price that those who seek appeasement of the Afrikaners have to pay for safety.
Afrikaner Zionists are not asking for American Muslims to be neutral. They are not asking that they not help feed the Palestinians. They are asking for the impossible as a ticket to acceptance to the American mainstream that Muslims are eager to be part of. They are not only asking that Muslims who want to be accepted as acceptable “moderate” American Muslim worry about Muslims anywhere in the worked except in Palestine, they want a pledge of allegiance to Zionism and a lot more compromises/sacrifices that go to the traditional practice of the faith and the basic freedoms that individuals enjoy in this country. Here is what Stephens wrote:
"Muslims in New York want to build a mosque and cultural center near ground Zero. As a confidence building measure for those of us who live in the neighborhood, it would help if the pair voluntarily answered some questions about the nature of their beliefs. A sampler:
Who perpetrated the attacks of 9/11, and what was their religion?
Are suicide attacks or to her forms of violent jihad are acceptable under any circumstances, including against American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan?
Does Israel have the right to exist as a Jewish state?
Do they agree with the state department’s designation of Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist organizations?
What aspects of Shariah law, if any, do they repudiate?
Will their center invite the input and participation of Muslim gay and lesbian groups?
Do they consider the Muslim Brotherhood to be extreme?
What influence will any foreign funding of Cordoba House have on its programs or on the literature it distributes?
Finally, it is worth asking Mr. Rauf and Ms Khan the broader question of how they think about tolerance itself. In the case of the famous Muhammad cartoons “moderate” Muslims typically make the case while free speech has its place, the sensitivities of the Muslim community should be respected. But tolerance can't just be a one-way street, and sensitivity is not the preserve of Muslims alone… will they return the favor by hosting an exhibition of the prophet? "
One hopes that those American Muslims who campaign on the platform of appease for safety and avoid Palestine at all cost read Stephens well: among other "gems," repudiate Shariah, an exhibition of the prophet, and the cherry on the cake, the right of Israel to exist as a Jewish state with all that it entails to the previous and the future ethnic cleansing of non-Jews from mandatory Palestine.
What good is it for American Muslims to gain Zionist approval yet forfeit Islam?
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