Islam; a discussion. Who's telling the truth? It's there somewhere...

*Amanpour gets an earful on Islam

*Z: This is written by someone for the Charleston Daily Mail;  his asides aren't important but the text is.  Please pay particular attention to the words I highlighted in red.  Remember that Daisy Khan is the wife of the imam who wants to build the mosque near 9/11 in NYC. Here goes:  

Christiane Amanpour had a kumbaya today on Muslims and America today. Daisy Khan of Victory Mosque fame and others were there.  Why can’t we just get along.

From the transcript (the show airs at 11:30 AM):

AMANPOUR: Let me ask you, Reverend Graham, you have said — and you said not so long ago — that President Bush and President Obama made a great mistake when they said that Islam is a peaceful religion. It’s not, you said. There’s no evidence in its history. It’s a religion of hatred. It’s a religion of war. And repeatedly you’ve said that Islam is wicked and evil. Why do you say that?

REV. FRANKLIN GRAHAM, PRESIDENT, SAMARITAN’S PURSE/THE BILLY GRAHAM EVANGELISTIC ASSOCIATION: First, Christiane, I understand what the Muslims want to do in America. They want to build as many mosques and cultural centers as they possibly can so they can convert as many Americans as they can to Islam. I understand that. And–

AMANPOUR: That’s what you — that’s your position?

GRAHAM: Sure. And I understand — I understand what they’re doing. And I just don’t have the — the freedom to do this in most Muslim countries. We can’t have a church. We’re not able to build synagogues. It’s — it’s forbidden. But let me just say something about Islam. I — I love the Muslim people. But I have great difficulty with the — with the religion, especially with Sharia law and what it does for women — toward women, toward non-believers, the violence that is given in — under Sharia law.

And he did not relent. After the rest of the gaggle of guests (too many for a discussion even if they used the full hour):

GRAHAM: You know we can have an argument — but I’m not here to argue. As a Christian, I believe that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life and that no man comes to the father in heaven except through him. I don’t believe in Islam. I don’t believe a word of it. I do respect their right to — to believe whatever they want to believe. My opinions are not based on hearsay. My opinions are based on 50 years of working in Middle Eastern countries. I’m 58. I was — eight years old when I made my first trip to Egypt. And I’ve been to Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan, Somalia. I’ve worked in these countries. But I disagree, Christiane, with — with the Sharia law, because they do stone women. They do imprison — I — I’ve worked in the Sudan, where they’ve burned over a thousand churches — a thousand.

And there was this exchange:

GRAHAM: I think to — to take your daughter, because you think that — and the religion gives you the authority — Sharia gives you the authority for honor killing. And we saw the young girl in Ohio just a few–

IMAM: It does not.

AMANPOUR: But does it?

IMAM: It does not.

GRAHAM: It does.

IMAM: It does not.

GRAHAM: It does.

IMAM: No it does not.

Peace. Love. Harmony.

ANJEM CHOUDARY: Well — well, let me just say that Islam has a solution for all of the problems that mankind faces. If you want to live at peace with Muslims, we are quite willing to live at peace with you. But let us remember that history did not begin on 9/11. Before 9/11, the Americans — the American government bombed Sudan and Afghanistan. They were supporting the pirate state of Israel. So 9/11 was a reaction. You know, I think that we need to get away from the stereotyping. And this idea that you have moderate Muslims and you have radical Muslims, you know, it’s complete nonsense. A Muslim is the one who submits to the command of the creator. If he submits, he is a practicing Muslim. If he is not, then he should be practicing.

DAISY KHAN: I have to disagree with him, because Islam is a religion of pluralism that embraces all religions and it also embraces different interpretations. This is why we have so many schools of thought. What Anjem is talking about is an exclusivist view of Islam, which is my way or the highway. And my interpretation is the only interpretation–

CHOUDARY: It’s very easy for people to justify the fact that they’re not practicing. I mean, this lady in your studio, she should be covering with the hijab. She’s obviously not practicing –

(CROSSTALK)

CHOUDARY: There are many people who are justifying — there are many people who are justifying the inability to practice the Sharia, to say, “Well, I have a different form of religion.” You know, people want to claim that they’re vegetarians and they’re eating big beef burgers. You can not be a non-practicing vegetarian. Therefore, similarly, if you’re a Muslim, you submit to the Sharia.

FRANKLIN GRAHAM: He’s telling the truth.

AMANPOUR: You see, Reverend Graham says you’re telling the truth. So, do you agree with Reverend Graham and our panelists on this side that Americans should fear Islam?

CHOUDARY: we do believe, as Muslims, the East and the West will one day be governed by the Sharia. Indeed, we believe that one day, the flag of Islam will fly over the White House. Indeed, there’s even an oration of the Prophet where he said, “The day of judgment will not come until a group of my oma… [interrupted] Conquer the White House.”

Fascinating.

PETER GADIEL, WHOSE SON DIED IN 9/11: I do not say that Islam is evil. I say there is a lot of evil connected with it. That is a problem for Muslims themselves. They have to cure the problem. We’re supposed to believe Ms. Khan here, that she can cure the problems of Islam at the fringes. The problem goes to the core, and that is the countries — you cannot ignore Saudi Arabia and Iran, and the other countries that, undoubtedly do oppress people of a different religion –

AMANPOUR: But we’re talking about — we’re talking about America here.

Dismissive. Odd that a woman who acts as if her mission is to educate dumb Americans on the ways of the world is suddenly stick-to-America.

GARY BAUER: Ten years ago — 20 years ago, an artist here in New York took a crucifix and submerged it in a vat of urine and called it “Piss Christ.” Christians did not riot. There were not terror cells formed of Christians wanting to blow up artists in New York. If the foolish pastor — foolish pastor in Florida had burned the Koran, that would not have been the cause of the violence. That would have been the excuse for the violence. Whether it’s cartoons, an infidel touching A Koran, the fact of the matter is, that the radical mosques keep many Muslims on the edge of mayhem and violence.

AMANPOUR: My question about the Islamic center that Daisy and her husband wanted to build is the opposition to it. Are you basically saying its al Qaeda and al Qaeda like sympathizers who are building this mosque?

BAUER: No, I’m saying that it is incredibly insensitive for her or anyone else to suggest building a mosque near a place where 3,000 people died, killed by men operating in the name of Islam.

AMANPOUR: But why — why should it be insensitive? And then I will ask Donna. Why should it be insensitive if you’re not blurring the lines between those who killed and the rest of the religion? why are you deliberately blurring the lines?

BAUER: Because that is ground that was the first chapter in a war with radical Islam. At this very moment, Christiane, the reality that we all face is that there are evil men that worship death that want to bring us a day much worse than the morning of 9/11.

AMANPOUR: But where should this center be built?

BAUER: Well, it can be built anywhere in New York. There’s — there’s mosques being built every month in New York. There are many more mosques in New York today than there were in the morning of 9/11.

It is an extraordinary exchange. If her point was to isolate Graham and Choudary as radicals at the edges and put the rest of us in the middle, perhaps it worked.

But simply dismissing fears as being unfounded does not allay those fears. Respect is mutual. Defending the Victory Mosque is hardly a gesture of peace.

I thank Amanpour for at least trying something new and giving critics of Islam a forum.  End of story.

Z:   Now, some might say that Graham is ridiculous, Ms Khan (head of the American Society for Muslim ADVANCEMENT...catchy name, huh?) is sensible and there's no reason to worry about muslims, but I also got THIS sent to me today, where the Time Square bomber says "Brace yourself..the war with muslims has just begun."   OH, ya...I'm sure he's just one pipsqueak and there's no story here, he's probably just a nut acting on his own, right? :-)....that is if you can't think and don't give a damn about protecting us and America.  Time to wake up and see the muslim pieces are beginning to fit into the puzzle apparently planned long ago.
6:00PM LA time addition:  Mustang's blog has THIS today..showing Choudary (one of the men above) saying HIS TRUTH...let's get Ducky to disclaim this, okay?  Tell us, Ducky...which part of this isn't true?

Thanks, Mustang.................

geeeeeeeeeeeeeZ