Islamophobia: Reinforced by a Failed Offense

It appears that UCLA may be teaching rhetoric & polemics while ignoring logic. Last spring, the Student Council passed a resolution against "islamophobia", intended to ban criticism of Islam.  The David Horowitz Freedom Center responded with an advertisement placed in the Daily Bruin.

    The advertisement uses a list of recent terrorist incidents to illustrate the falsity of the islamophobia meme.  The proof is reinforced by citations to Islam's canon of scripture & tradition:

• 2:223
• 2:282
• 4:3
• 4:11
• 4:34
• 65:4
• 9:5
• Sahih Muslim 41.6985.

    The points about misogyny & genocide are clearly made, beyond any possibility of refutation.  The advertisement could have been longer, more detailed and elaborate but it did not need to be.  It clearly established the fact that fear & loathing of Islam is rational, not irrational.

    The Muslim Student Association and their allies in the left wing  fired back with a joint response.  Of course the response did not contest the above listed Qur'an & hadith citations. Instead, it revealed the arrogance & illogic of the enemies of liberty. 

friendship

Friendship can be forged under the most unlikely circumstances. Therefore, we formally thank the David Horowitz Freedom Center for providing us with this opportunity to find common ground against a common problem.   

   So Horowitz brought the MSA together with J Street as friends. There is one little problem: Allah forbids Muslims to be friends with Jews. 

5:51. O you who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians as Auliyâ' (friends, protectors, helpers, etc.), they are but Auliyâ' to one another. And if any amongst you takes them as Auliyâ', then surely he is one of them. Verily, Allâh guides not those people who are the Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrong­doers and unjust).

By forming an alliance with J Street, the MSA have put their souls in jeopardy; they are in a state of sin, swinging their balances to the left.

wrongly identifying terrorists

 On Oct. 13 , the David Horowitz Freedom Center published an ad in the Daily Bruin titled “Not All Fears Are Phobias,” wrongly identifying Islam as a perpetrator of terrorism worldwide.  

   
    When Muslims engage in terrorism, in whose name do they perform it?  Terrorists have made us familiar with takbir: "Allahu Akbar!" . They shout takbir while detonating themselves and slitting throats. There is something Allah said, that he would "cast terror":

• 3:151
• 8:12.

    Allah said that he "cast terror into the hearts" of disbelievers:

• 33:26
• 59:2

    Allah commanded Muslims to severely punish their victims so as to 'strike terror" into those "behind them" so that they might "learn a lesson": 8:57.  Allah told those "with eyes to see" to "take admonition" after the destruction of one Jewish settlement.  He told Muhammad that the Jews were more afraid of him than they were of Allah in 59: 13. Allah commanded Muslims to build a mighty army to "strike terror" into the "enemies of Allah" and "your enemies". 8:60.

    And Moe said that he was made victorious with terror. Muslims are commanded to emulate Moe, so we must expect them to be terrorists since their role model was one.

• Sahih Bukhari 1.7.331
• Sahih Bukhari 4.52.220
• 33:21

The ad presents one step in a campaign to isolate the American Muslim community, all but labeling the entire community a security threat. The David Horowitz Freedom Center attempts to legitimize a policy of exclusion and suspicion of American Muslims and galvanize a susceptible population against them.

Isolate, label, exclusion & suspicion

    The key words inform us of an important fact: the authors are students of Saul Alinsky. 

The Horowitz ad has made students on campus feel uncomfortable, upset and unsafe. While Muslim students feel it attacks their personal identity, others see the ad as unrepresentative of their values. This ad creates an environment where a specific community feels unsure of whether it can express its identity without fear of backlash or condemnation. The university has an obligation to protect its students in this capacity, especially when UCLA is among the most diverse campuses in the United States.

feel unsafe

    The ad states verifiable facts about Islam. Exactly how does that you feel unsafe? Did the ad contain an exhortation to assemble with torches & pitchforks to roust the enemy?  Did it call for the establishment of extermination camps?  If the ad contained either explicit or implicit threats, why don't you point them out?

    This is America; we are Americans.  What need is there to express another identity?  Don't UCLA students identify with this nation? 

The campus Muslim community expressed widespread dismay and unease over the message embedded in the ad. They were outraged at being implicated in the actions of extremists, a tiny percentage of the overall population. Many members of the MSA felt unsafe and wary of a campus that might have endorsed a blanket criminalization of a religion rather than attributing blame to the individuals who committed the crimes.

embedded message

    The ad's title leaves nothing to the imagination; it says that fear & loathing of Islam is rational and well founded on Islamic texts and actions. There is no hidden, subliminal message; the ad is open, not cryptic.

implicated

    Are you Muslims? Do you believe in Allah; his promise & threat?  Believers are Allah's slaves, purchased with the promise of Paradise, so that they fight in his cause, slaying and being slain. The Qur'an makes this crystal clear in 9:111.  Fighting in Allah's cause guarantees you a place in the celestial bordello::61:10 
Shirking jihad condemns you to eternity in the fire: 9:38.  If you take "any step" to injure or enrage disbelievers, you get extra credit toward a better seat in the celestial bordello: 9:120. If you are obedient believers, you are implicated. 

actions of extremists

    Was Usama an extremist or was he a believer, obeying Allah and emulating his messenger?   Moe waged war, pillaged & plundered. He lopped off the heads of 900 men and boys who surrendered after a two week siege. Return to 33:26-27 and examine Sunan Abu Dawud 38.4390. What Moe said and did is normative Islam, not extremism. 

tiny percentage

    According to Moe, 999/1000 are going to Hell. Those going to Paradise are the tiny percentage.  Remember that jihad is fard al-kifaya, not fard ayn. Only those called to fight are directly obligated the rest are excused once a sufficient number have responded. "Seventy-thousand or seven-hundred thousand of my followers (the narrator is in doubt as to the correct number) will enter Paradise holding each other till the first and the last of them enter Paradise at the same time, and their faces will have a glitter like that of the moon at night when it is full."

criminalization of a religion

    Islam is a crime syndicate; a predatory way of life, not a religion. David Horowitz can not make Islam criminal, Moe did.  Islam's mission is mercenary.
"The spoils are for Allâh and the Messenger."  "And know that whatever of war-booty that you may gain, verily one-fifth (1/5th) of it is assigned to Allâh, and to the Messenger, and to the near relatives [of the Messenger (Muhammad )], (and also) the orphans, Al-Masâkin (the poor) and the wayfarer,"...
..."You desire the good of this world (i.e. the money of ransom for freeing the captives), but Allâh desires (for you) the Hereafter."...

    Another declaration, bowdlerized by Khan but included in Bewley's translation, leaves little to the imagination.  Bukhari  Ch 61 # 2756: ...It is mentioned from Ibn 'Umar from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, "My provision has been placed under the shadow of my spear, and abasement and humility have been placed on the one who disobeys my command.

   There is more, and I will gild the lily with it. Sahih Muslim Book 019, Number 4327:
"The spoils of war were not made lawful for any people before us, This is because Allah saw our weakness and humility and made them lawful for us. "

    Moe also said that the keys to the treasures of the world had been given to him. He said that his companions would spend the treasures of Rome & Persia in jihad.  Another of his sayings brings the matter into focus: ..."By Allah, I am not afraid that you will be poor, but I fear that worldly wealth will be bestowed upon you as it was bestowed upon those who lived before you. So you will compete amongst yourselves for it, as they competed for it and it will destroy you as it did them." ... Moe feared that they would get too much of spoil & jizya.   His  companions shared that fear, thinking that it would be deducted from their reward in the celestial bordello. ..."Then worldly wealth was bestowed upon us and we were given thereof too much. We are afraid that the reward of our deeds have been given to us in this life." 'Abdur-Rahman then started weeping so much that he left the food. "...

    One hadith in the collection of Abu Dawud makes the issue crystal clear beyond any shadow of doubt. read and re-read it until reality sinks into your consciousness.

Sunan Abu Dawud Book 23, Number 3455:

Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar:

I heard the Apostle of Allah, (peace_be_upon_him) say: When you enter into the inah transaction, hold the tails of oxen, are pleased with agriculture, and give up conducting jihad (struggle in the way of Allah). Allah will make disgrace prevail over you, and will not withdraw it until you return to your original religion.

Jihad, commerce & agriculture are alternative economies; Jihad is preferred.  What would they give up and what should they return to?  Jihad is their "original religion". What is jihad? The legal definition is given in Reliance of the Traveller, O9.0: "Jihad means to war against non-Muslims, "... .

If the David Horowitz Freedom Center really wanted to combat extremism, it would be urging us to communicate and learn from our classmates instead of preaching a dogma of intolerance. In actuality, placing the ad encourages the spread of extremism, divides our community and leads to demonization of student populations.

combat extremism

    There is no extremism, there is only Islam; what Moe preached & practiced.

learn from our classmates

    What do you expect to learn from fellow students? What do they know, and will they convey knowledge honestly?  Why don't you go to the source, to translations of Islam's canon of scripture, tradition, exegesis & jurisprudence?  Make good use of the links I have given you.

dogma of intolerance

    How is a sentient and moral person to tolerate misogyny? Islam considers wives to be tilth; chattel property liken to fields to be plowed. It sanctions beating them. See if you can find the parenthetical "lightly" in the Arabic text.  It allows fathers to sell pre-pubescent virgin daughters into forced marriage and makes provision for divorce  after consummation.and before puberty. It allows Muslims to rape captive women.

    How is a sentient and moral person to tolerate intolerance? Allah declares that seekers of other religions will not be accepted. Jews & Christians are described as those who "earned his wrath" & "went astray"; the worst of living creatures.  Islam curses us and declares war upon us. 

    How is a sentient and moral person to tolerate discrimination?  Islam declares our blood and property not sacred to Muslims; declaring open season.  Islam subjects conquered Jews & Christians to a humiliating & impoverishing tax and prohibits them from building and maintaining churches & publicly manifesting their religion. Islam does not allow Jews & Christians to testify in court.

encourages the spread of extremism

    How does public exposure of the doctrines & practices of Islam encourage them?  Are we to believe that most Muslims are unaware of their "religious obligation" to mount annual military attacks against disbelievers? 

demonization

    How are you demonized except by your enslavement to the chief of demons?  If misogyny, child molesting and genocidal conquest using terrorism as a battle tactic are not part of your value system, why are you affiliated with Islam?  Islam is all or nothing, you can not pick and choose the bits you like.

How can an organization that is against anti-Semitism condone Islamophobia? We feel that anyone against the former yet allowing the latter is applying a double standard to our neighboring communities. From J Street U’s standpoint, the Jewish values that we have been brought up on will not allow us to condone the oppression of any society, for our community is not exclusive to this experience. Our religious and ethnic memory is stained with millennia of oppression, and we pity those who have not learned from it. Our community suffered greatly, and we will do whatever we can to make sure others do not have to. 

anti-Semitism / Islamophobia

    The original expression was "Juden Hass". Anti-Semitism was coined by a Jew hater to put a pleasant face on an evil sentiment.  Exactly what do Jews do that makes them worthy of hatred? 

    Islam is a proper object of hatred because of its genocidal aggression.  A Prophet must make "great slaughter" as a prerequisite for holding captives for ransom and as his price of admission to the celestial bordello.  "Jihad is ordained for you"; "fight them until"; "I have been ordered to fight until".

    The Hindu, Assyrian & Armenian genocides echo through history.  Mass slaughters in Maillot, Beslan, London, Madrid & New York City must be enshrined as exemplars of Islam in history books yet to be written. 

condone the oppression

    You can't condone oppression yet you refuse to condemn Islam. Who is oppressing Christians in Egypt, Nigeria, Kenya, Pakistan & Indonesia?  Christians are assaulted, raped & murdered; their homes, businesses & churches burned with impunity. You equate condemnation of oppression with oppression. What mental & moral defect has seized you and afflicted you with hypocrisy?

No community on or off campus should be demonized or disrespected. Instead of fostering fear and rejection, it’s our duty to try to understand each other’s cultures or viewpoints.

understand each other’s cultures

    How are we to understand Islam if we remain ignorant of its doctrines and practices?  If you would understand Islam, you need to read the Qur'an, hadith & Sira. Horowitz understands Islam; you object to his sharing what he has learned; you seek to outlaw his sharing of information.

The kind of ad that propagates fear of the “other,” but doesn’t allow that “other” community to speak for itself, is not what we need on campus.

propagates fear

    By exposing Islamic misogyny, intolerance & genocidal aggression, Horowitz "propagates fear"?  Should we avoid telling children about venomous insects and reptiles because children might develop phobias?  Why did Allah tell Moe that he and his army were "more of a fear" in the hearts of the Jews than Allah was?

doesn’t allow that “other”  to speak for itself

    Who has Horowitz prevented from speaking?  Did he attempt to prevent the publication of your screed?  His ad is a response to your resolution which calls for the silencing of his speech.  Are you so blinded by self righteousness that you can't see your own hypocrisy?  Last year, members of the MSA at another campus shouted down Israel's Ambassador, preventing him from speaking to students. 

    I took your screed apart point by point, bringing your hypocrisy to the surface where everyone can see it. You could have attempted a point by point rebuttal of Horowit's ad, but instead you chose to utter & publish a smarmy smear, projecting your own negative traits  onto him. 

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