Peaceful Muslim demands that non-Muslims accommodate violent Muslims

Posted by Robert Spencer on October 11, 2010 6:49 AM
Peaceful Muslim demands that non-Muslims accommodate violent Muslims
Khalid Latif, a chaplain for New York University, here complains that moderate and peaceful understandings of Islam are being unfairly discounted: "As much as Muslims need to acknowledge the existence of a minority voice that is radicalized, so too does a broader society need to acknowledge the existence of a majority voice that is not radicalized and more importantly condemns radical thought."

That's just great, and I am happy to accommodate him in this. It is also worth noting, however, that a few years ago, when NYU students planned to display the Danish cartoons of Muhammad at a campus event, Latif wrote a letter to NYU President John Sexton, asking that he "not allow these cartoons to be displayed in any shape or form." Why not? Because "the potential of what might happen after they are shown is something else that should be considered and not taken lightly." For "the repercussions that would take place outside of the university setting are potentially huge. All over the world Muslims have been coming together over this issue and in New York they would not hesitate in doing the same thing."

This has been widely interpreted as a veiled threat, but let's give Latif the benefit of the doubt: let's just say that he was simply noting the possibility of violence, not threatening violence, if the cartoons were displayed at NYU. Even if that were the case, another problem remains: he was asking Sexton to make sure that non-Muslims changed their behavior to accommodate violent Muslims, rather than directing his efforts to violence-minded Muslims to try to get them to stop the violence.

And that has everything to do with what he is saying here. Because here again, he is saying that it is up to non-Muslims to take due notice of peaceful Muslims. But how effective or helpful are these peaceful Muslims when one of their foremost exponents refuses to stand up to his violent coreligionists, but instead demands that non-Muslims curtail their activities to accommodate them? If Latif is really concerned that non-Muslims don't believe his protestations of peace and moderation, this is why: his unwillingness or inability to stand up to the "radicals" either casts doubt upon his sincerity or demonstrates his impotence.
"My Take: Islam is a religion of peace, or it isn't," by Khalid Latif for CNN, October 11:.............................

------------------------------------
gravenimage | October 11, 2010 8:20 PM | Reply
The Muslim community is by no means monolithic and viewing us as one is problematic. We are diverse.
..................

Muslims are indeed diverse. There are those Jihadists who take the texts of Islam entirely to heart and seek to oppress and murder Infidels. There are those Muslims who are conflicted and are not currently active in oppressing and murdering Infidels, but may do so in the future. There are those who do not plan on directly oppressing or murdering Infidels themselves, but applaud when their co-religionists do so—and may donate Zakat or practice Taquiyya in contribution. There are those Muslims who do not take the texts of Islam terribly seriously, finding them inconvenient. These last are very, very quiet—lest their more zealous Muslim brothers learn of their apostasy.

See? Nothing "monolithic" about Islam at all.

-----------------------
Kinana of Khaybar | October 12, 2010 12:06 AM | Reply
"...so too does a broader society need to acknowledge the existence of a majority voice that is not radicalized and more importantly condemns radical thought."--Khalid Latif

I will not acknowledge the existence of something* for which there is no evidence. Show me credible statistics, for example, showing that the majority of Muslims oppose sharia law, and that this majority is at least vocal in its opposition to sharia, and I will acknowledge the existence of such a "majority voice." However, the statistics from major polls and surveys from credible sources (PEW, World Public Opinion) show that the majority of Muslims want sharia law; only a small percentage oppose it.

*There is a problem here with the ambiguity of the word "radical." If Latif means that the majority of Muslims aren't "radicalized" in the sense that they aren't directly involved in terrorist attacks at the present moment, he would be correct. But supporting sharia (including desiring that a caliphate be reestablished, and including harshly punishing anyone who publicly criticizes Islam), is as far as I'm concerned a "radical" view--yet this is what the polls and surveys indicate that most Muslims want.

-----------------------------------
davidp | October 12, 2010 12:45 AM | Reply
The peaceful muslims are the sea the radicals swim in, and the source of their recruits. Because the moderates know that they are not 'serious' muslims, they admire the serious ones (like Anwar al-Awlaki). As a young man becomes serious about Islam, he can easily be guided into the terrorist group. Alternatively he just becomes part the crowd of stone throwers protesting everything done by the U.S. and protecting the thugs.