YNET NEWS: Op-ed: Asking tough questions about problematic aspects of Islam isn’t ‘Islamophobic’
Supporters of building a mosque and huge Islamic center near ground zero have focused the issue on religious freedom. Since thousands of mosques have already been built throughout America, however, this can't be the issue.
Its location is sensitive because of the 9/11 attack by Muslim terrorists. But no one is accusing all Muslims of being guilty of this crime. This project, however, has become a rallying cry of pain, a howl of grief that every Muslim should hear.
Opposition to this project echoes 3,000 silent screams. That outrage needs to focus not only on the memory of lost loved ones, but on why so many Muslims are terrorists, and support terrorism. We need to ask some hard questions; and, it is not "Islamophobic" to ask.
Is Islam a "religion of peace," as President Obama and others say?
According to experts, suicide bombing ("martyrdom") and Jihad ("holy war") are not radical ideas in Islam; they are intrinsic parts of that belief.
Conventional wisdom says that there are radical Muslims and moderate Muslims, and that we must distinguish between the two groups and encourage those who don't want to destroy non-Muslims and their cultures.
No doubt, most Muslims don't want to fly airplanes into buildings, or blow up supermarkets and buses. But what does Islam say, and who is the authority? The problem seems to be that Islam contains both radical and moderate traditions, and both are authentic. Fanatic Jihadists and soft-spoken moderates consider themselves good Muslims; Muslim religious leaders are divided.
The leader of the proposed mosque/Islamic center in downtown Manhattan claims he is tolerant, and has suggested that the project may even include space for other religions, as if Christians and Jews would want to pray there. But this seems to be just another PR trick, since it violates strict separation mandated in the Koran, and also denies Muslim superiority. It is impossible, therefore, to know what kind of Islam will be taught there, or for how long.
Controversy over the building must move to a critical examination of Islam's theology, beliefs and practices. Not very peaceful; not so tolerant >>> Moshe Dann * | Thursday, September 16, 2010
* The author is a writer and journalist living in Jerusalem
