more on wsj.com: Right Islam vs. Wrong Islam

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: "David P. Reed" <dpreed () reed com>
Date: December 31, 2005 12:01:32 AM EST
To: dave () farber net
Cc: ip () v2 listbox com
Subject: Re: [IP] wsj.com: Right Islam vs. Wrong Islam

There are two kinds of people in the world - those who think of  
people by simplistic labels and those who don't choose to.  :-)

Would it make any more sense to level the charge at all the Jews that  
the "right Jews" should tell the "wrong Jews" that they don't  
understand the teachings of Moses and Abraham?

Or how about telling the "right Christians" that they need to isolate  
the "wrong Christians" who missed out on Jesus's message of turning  
the other cheek and giving up the quest for wealth and power, instead  
deciding to conduct Crusades again in the Middle East?

Such stereotype-based thinking is bullshit, and it's appalling to  
continue to hear such crap from the WSJ or any educated person of any  
political persuasion.

Let's kill all the Labelers.

David Farber wrote:

> Begin forwarded message:
>
> From: Bob Rosenberg <bob () bobrosenberg phoenix az us>
> Date: December 30, 2005 1:05:27 PM EST
> To: dave () farber net
> Subject: wsj.com: Right Islam vs. Wrong Islam
>
> Dave
>
> This is a bit longer than what I usually send, as co-founder of a  
> local
> Muslim/Jewish group, but I believe the topic is important enough  
> for  you to
> consider posting it to IP.
>
> Cordially,
>
> Bob Rosenberg
> P.O. Box 33023
> Phoenix, AZ  85067-3023
> LandLine:  (602)274-3012
> Mobile:  (602)206-2856
> bob () bobrosenberg phoenix az us
>
> **********************************************
>
> The responsibility of ministers for the public safety is absolute,   
> and requires
> no mandate. It is in fact the prime object for which governments  
> come  into
> existence.
>
> -- Winston Churchill
>
> **********************************************
>
>
>
> HEARTS AND MINDS
>
> Right Islam vs. Wrong Islam
> Muslims and non-Muslims must unite to defeat the Wahhabi ideology.
> http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110007743
>
> BY ABDURRAHMAN WAHID
> Friday, December 30, 2005 12:01 a.m. EST
>
> JAKARTA--News organizations report that Osama bin Laden has  
> obtained  a religious
> edict from a misguided Saudi cleric, justifying the use of nuclear   
> weapons
> against America and the infliction of mass casualties. It requires  
> great
> emotional strength to confront the potential ramifications of this   
> fact. Yet
> can anyone doubt that those who joyfully incinerate the occupants  
> of  office
> buildings, commuter trains, hotels and nightclubs would leap at  
> the  chance to
> magnify their damage a thousandfold?
>
> Imagine the impact of a single nuclear bomb detonated in New York,   
> London,
> Paris, Sydney or L.A.! What about two or three? The entire edifice  
> of  modern
> civilization is built on economic and technological foundations  
> that  terrorists
> hope to collapse with nuclear attacks like so many fishing huts in   
> the wake of a
> tsunami.
>
> Just two small, well-placed bombs devastated Bali's tourist  
> economy  in 2002 and
> sent much of its population back to the rice fields and out to  
> sea,  to fill
> their empty bellies. What would be the effect of a global economic   
> crisis in
> the wake of attacks far more devastating than those of Bali or 9/11?
>
> It is time for people of good will from every faith and nation to   
> recognize that
> a terrible danger threatens humanity. We cannot afford to continue   
> "business as
> usual" in the face of this existential threat. Rather, we must set   
> aside our
> international and partisan bickering, and join to confront the  
> danger  that lies
> before us.
>
> An extreme and perverse ideology in the minds of fanatics is what   
> directly
> threatens us (specifically, Wahhabi/Salafi ideology--a minority   
> fundamentalist
> religious cult fueled by petrodollars). Yet underlying, enabling and
> exacerbating this threat of religious extremism is a global crisis of
> misunderstanding.
>
> All too many Muslims fail to grasp Islam, which teaches one to be   
> lenient
> towards others and to understand their value systems, knowing that   
> these are
> tolerated by Islam as a religion. The essence of Islam is   
> encapsulated in the
> words of the Quran, "For you, your religion; for me, my religion."   
> That is the
> essence of tolerance. Religious fanatics--either purposely or out of
> ignorance--pervert Islam into a dogma of intolerance, hatred and   
> bloodshed.
> They justify their brutality with slogans such as "Islam is above   
> everything
> else." They seek to intimidate and subdue anyone who does not  
> share  their
> extremist views, regardless of nationality or religion. While a  
> few  are quick
> to shed blood themselves, countless millions of others sympathize   
> with their
> violent actions, or join in the complicity of silence.
>
> This crisis of misunderstanding--of Islam by Muslims themselves-- 
> is  compounded
> by the failure of governments, people of other faiths, and the   
> majority of
> well-intentioned Muslims to resist, isolate and discredit this  
> dangerous
> ideology. The crisis thus afflicts Muslims and non-Muslims alike,   
> with tragic
> consequences. Failure to understand the true nature of Islam  
> permits the
> continued radicalization of Muslims world-wide, while blinding the   
> rest of
> humanity to a solution which hides in plain sight.
>
> The most effective way to overcome Islamist extremism is to  
> explain  what Islam
> truly is to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Without that  
> explanation,  people
> will tend to accept the unrefuted extremist view--further   
> radicalizing Muslims,
> and turning the rest of the world against Islam itself.
>
> Accomplishing this task will be neither quick nor easy. In recent   
> decades,
> Wahhabi/Salafi ideology has made substantial inroads throughout  
> the  Muslim
> world. Islamic fundamentalism has become a well-financed,   
> multifaceted global
> movement that operates like a juggernaut in much of the developing   
> world, and
> even among immigrant Muslim communities in the West. To neutralize   
> the virulent
> ideology that underlies fundamentalist terrorism and threatens the  
> very
> foundations of modern civilization, we must identify its  
> advocates,  understand
> their goals and strategies, evaluate their strengths and  
> weaknesses, and
> effectively counter their every move. What we are talking about is   
> nothing less
> than a global struggle for the soul of Islam.
>
> The Sunni (as opposed to Shiite) fundamentalists' goals generally   
> include:
> claiming to restore the perfection of the early Islam practiced by   
> Muhammad and
> his companions, who are known in Arabic as al-Salaf al-Salih, "the   
> Righteous
> Ancestors"; establishing a utopian society based on these Salafi   
> principles, by
> imposing their interpretation of Islamic law on all members of  
> society;
> annihilating local variants of Islam in the name of authenticity  
> and  purity;
> transforming Islam from a personal faith into an authoritarian  
> political
> system; establishing a pan-Islamic caliphate governed according to   
> the strict
> tenets of Salafi Islam, and often conceived as stretching from   
> Morocco to
> Indonesia and the Philippines; and, ultimately, bringing the  
> entire  world under
> the sway of their extremist ideology.
>
> Fundamentalist strategy is often simple as well as brilliant.   
> Extremists are
> quick to drape themselves in the mantle of Islam and declare their   
> opponents
> kafir, or infidels, and thus smooth the way for slaughtering   
> nonfundamentalist
> Muslims. Their theology rests upon a simplistic, literal and  
> highly  selective
> reading of the Quran and Sunnah (prophetic traditions), through  
> which  they seek
> to entrap the world-wide Muslim community in the confines of their   
> narrow
> ideological grasp. Expansionist by nature, most fundamentalist groups
> constantly probe for weakness and an opportunity to strike, at any   
> time or
> place, to further their authoritarian goals.
>
> The armed ghazis (Islamic warriors) raiding from New York to  
> Jakarta,  Istanbul,
> Baghdad, London and Madrid are only the tip of the iceberg,   
> forerunners of a
> vast and growing population that shares their radical views and  
> ultimate
> objectives. The formidable strengths of this worldwide  
> fundamentalist  movement
> include:
>
> 1) An aggressive program with clear ideological and political  
> goals;  2) immense
> funding from oil-rich Wahhabi sponsors; 3) the ability to  
> distribute  funds in
> impoverished areas to buy loyalty and power; 4) a claim to and aura of
> religious authenticity and Arab prestige; 5) an appeal to Islamic   
> identity,
> pride and history; 6) an ability to blend into the much larger   
> traditionalist
> masses and blur the distinction between moderate Islam and their   
> brand of
> religious extremism; 7) full-time commitment by its agents/  
> leadership; 8)
> networks of Islamic schools that propagate extremism; 9) the  
> absence of
> organized opposition in the Islamic world; 10) a global network of
> fundamentalist imams who guide their flocks to extremism; 11) a  
> well- oiled
> "machine" established to translate, publish and distribute Wahhabi/  
> Salafi
> propaganda and disseminate its ideology throughout the world; 12)   
> scholarships
> for locals to study in Saudi Arabia and return with degrees and   
> indoctrination,
> to serve as future leaders; 13) the ability to cross national and   
> cultural
> borders in the name of religion; 14) Internet communication; and  
> 15) the
> reluctance of many national governments to supervise or control  
> this  entire
> process.
>
> We must employ effective strategies to counter each of these   
> fundamentalist
> strengths. This can be accomplished only by bringing the combined   
> weight of the
> vast majority of peace-loving Muslims, and the non-Muslim world,  
> to  bear in a
> coordinated global campaign whose goal is to resolve the crisis of
> misunderstanding that threatens to engulf our entire world.
>
> An effective counterstrategy must be based upon a realistic   
> assessment of our
> own strengths and weaknesses in the face of religious extremism  
> and  terror.
> Disunity, of course, has proved fatal to countless human societies   
> faced with a
> similar existential threat. A lack of seriousness in confronting  
> the  imminent
> danger is likewise often fatal. Those who seek to promote a  
> peaceful and
> tolerant understanding of Islam must overcome the paralyzing  
> effects of
> inertia, and harness a number of actual or potential strengths,  
> which  can play
> a key role in neutralizing fundamentalist ideology. These  
> strengths  not only
> are assets in the struggle with religious extremism, but in their   
> mirror form
> they point to the weakness at the heart of fundamentalist  
> ideology.  They are:
>
> 1) Human dignity, which demands freedom of conscience and rejects  
> the  forced
> imposition of religious views; 2) the ability to mobilize immense   
> resources to
> bring to bear on this problem, once it is identified and a global   
> commitment is
> made to solve it; 3) the ability to leverage resources by  
> supporting  individuals
> and organizations that truly embrace a peaceful and tolerant  
> Islam;  4) nearly
> 1,400 years of Islamic traditions and spirituality, which are   
> inimical to
> fundamentalist ideology; 5) appeals to local and national--as well as
> Islamic--culture/traditions/pride; 6) the power of the feminine   
> spirit, and the
> fact that half of humanity consists of women, who have an inherent   
> stake in the
> outcome of this struggle; 7) traditional and Sufi leadership and   
> masses, who
> are not yet radicalized (strong numeric advantage: 85% to 90% of  
> the  world's
> 1.3 billion Muslims); 8) the ability to harness networks of  
> Islamic  schools to
> propagate a peaceful and tolerant Islam; 9) the natural tendency  
> of  like-minded
> people to work together when alerted to a common danger; 10) the   
> ability to form
> a global network of like-minded individuals, organizations and   
> opinion leaders
> to promote moderate and progressive ideas throughout the Muslim   
> world; 11) the
> existence of a counterideology, in the form of traditional, Sufi  
> and  modern
> Islamic teachings, and the ability to translate such works into  
> key  languages;
> 12) the benefits of modernity, for all its flaws, and the  
> widespread  appeal of
> popular culture; 13) the ability to cross national and cultural   
> borders in the
> name of religion; 14) Internet communications, to disseminate   
> progressive
> views--linking and inspiring like-minded individuals and organizations
> throughout the world; 15) the nation-state; and 16) the universal   
> human desire
> for freedom, justice and a better life for oneself and loved ones.
>
> Though potentially decisive, most of these advantages remain  
> latent  or diffuse,
> and require mobilization to be effective in confronting fundamentalist
> ideology. In addition, no effort to defeat religious extremism can   
> succeed
> without ultimately cutting off the flow of petrodollars used to   
> finance that
> extremism, from Leeds to Jakarta.
>
> Only by recognizing the problem, putting an end to the bickering   
> within and
> between nation-states, and adopting a coherent long-term plan   
> (executed with
> international leadership and commitment) can we begin to apply the   
> brakes to
> the rampant spread of extremist ideas and hope to resolve the  
> world's  crisis of
> misunderstanding before the global economy and modern civilization   
> itself begin
> to crumble in the face of truly devastating attacks.
>
> Muslims themselves can and must propagate an understanding of the   
> "right" Islam,
> and thereby discredit extremist ideology. Yet to accomplish this  
> task  requires
> the understanding and support of like-minded individuals,   
> organizations and
> governments throughout the world. Our goal must be to illuminate  
> the  hearts and
> minds of humanity, and offer a compelling alternate vision of  
> Islam,  one that
> banishes the fanatical ideology of hatred to the darkness from  
> which it
> emerged.
>
>
>
> Mr. Wahid, former president of Indonesia, is patron and senior   
> advisor to the
> LibForAll Foundation (www.libforall.org), an Indonesian and U.S.-based
> nonprofit that works to reduce religious extremism and discredit  
> the  use of
> terrorism.
>
>
> Copyright © 2005 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
>
>
>
>
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