Don’t Blame Us, All Arabs Are Liars

National Review‘s Kathryn Jean Lopez explains Thomas Smith’s false reporting from Lebanon:

That’s why I wrote, in my first editor’s note on the subject, that we “should have provided readers with more context and caveats” – the context that Smith was operating in an uncertain environment where he couldn’t always be sure of what he was witnessing, and the caveats that he filled in the gaps by talking to sources within the Cedar Revolution movement and the Lebanese national-security apparatus, whose claims obviously should have been been treated with the same degree of skepticism as those of anyone with an agenda to advance.

As one of our sources put it: “The Arab tendency to lie and exaggerate about enemies is alive and well among pro-American Lebanese Christians as much as it is with the likes of Hamas.”

One question: will we be allowed to quote this back to the neocons the next time they cite their buddies in Beirut regarding Syrian perfidy, or will they call us racists?

18 thoughts on “Don’t Blame Us, All Arabs Are Liars”

  1. The quote could and should very well have been: “The American government and media tendency to lie and exaggerate about enemies is alive and well among pro-war neocons as much as it is with the likes of Hamas.”

  2. I always knew the neocon animus against Arabs was racial. Instead of just being Islamophobes they’re now out-and-out Nazis.

    1. Today everyone is so afraid of being called a “racist.”

      So I have a question about racism, sexism, and all other such perjoritive “isms.” I would really appreciate your thoughts on this!

      What is racism? Is it racist/islamophobic to piont out that in the last 25 or so years, the vast and overwhelming majority of terrorist attacks against the United States and Western Nations have been perpetrated by Muslims?

      Is it racist/islamophobic to cite the Pew Global Attitude Study that says as of 2003 over 51% of the people of Pakistan expressed confidence in Osama Bin Laden or that as of 2007, 70% of Palestinians believe that suicide bombing is justified?

      Is it “sexist” to point out that in the United States of America over 95%, I repeat over 95%, of violent crimes are committed by men?

      Is it “racist” for a Jew to be extremly proud of the fact that while the Jewish people represent less than 1/2 of 1% of the world’s population, Jews account for roughly 25% of all Nobel Prizes? (does the name Einstein ring a bell?)

      Is it “racist” to point out that in the United States about 80% of all illegal immigrants come from either Mexico or Central America?

      Is it racist to point out that in the United States, of the thousands and thousands of black men murdered each year, over 90% of them are murdered by OTHER BLACK MEN?

      I, for one, am sick and tired of people ranting and raving and throwing around the word “racist” as if it were a Molotov Cocktail! Being a realist and looking at raw data and statistical facts does not make someone a racist! It makes them intelligent! It makes them a realist.

      1. Your post makes me wonder how much ism you generate when typing your masturbatory nonsense.

        I think everyone here knows without doubt that you are a racist of the worst kind Tim.

  3. Not just racial, but they want to bring democracy to these ‘savages’ and propagate their ‘civilizing’ mission…an aww story was on teevee last night on Larry King’s CNN of a reserve major, also a lawyer, bringing back and adopting an injured orphan from Afghanistan – he doesn’t need to grow up with those savages in Afghanistan that need America’s civilizing mission: sounds like a modern day Squanto

  4. This kind of racist remarks will soon be the mainstream not only in the neo-cons circles but in the american leadership (miltary and civil government).
    I’m not surprised by this racist rhetoric at all.
    The fascism is on before nine eleven.

  5. Everyone lies about enemies; lying is an integral part of war. This is why we should never hesitate to talk to our enemies; we don’t need to tell them the truth, at least not all the time. Refusing to talk to or meet with certain countries is simply childish.

    And, yes, you can talk and fight at the same time, if necessary.

    Refusing to acknowledge Iran and Syria as subjects, and treating them like objects, will not work.

  6. It is not an Arab thing, it is a MUSLIM thing. Muslims come from all over and many Muslims are not Arab. The Quran and the Hadith specifically authorize deception.

    Quran:

    Sura (66:2) – “Allah has already ordained for you, (O men), the dissolution of your oaths”

    Hadith:

    Bukhari (52:269) – “The Prophet said, ‘War is deceit.'”

    Bukhari (52:271) – Recounts the murder of a poet, Ka’b bin al-Ashraf, at Muhammad’s insistence. The men who volunteered for the assassination used dishonesty to gain Ka’b’s trust, pretending that they had turned against Muhammad. This drew the victim out of his fortress, whereupon he was brutally slaughtered despite putting up a ferocious struggle for his life.

    1. So what about Lopez’s view of Lebanese Christians? Do you even bother to read the posts, or do you just start copying and pasting from Little Green Footballs right away?

      1. Well, Mr. Barganier, I’m glad you know of the Little Green Footballs webcite, it shows a good deal of intelligence to at least look at opposing viewpoints! But I actually prefer a cite called http://www.thereligionofpeace.com

        As for the Lebanese Christians, good point, but I would argue that they have been influenced by being surrounded by radical Muslims.

    2. Tim R,
      I have trouble buying your claim that it is Muslims not Arabs that Zionists and neocons hate. The largest Muslim area is Indonesia – never hear a cross word re them. I have never heard Michael Savage screaming curses at African or Chinese Muslims. And anyway, a lot of Arabs are Christian (Lebanese, Palestinians, Syrians). I never hear you except them from your condemnations. So why don’t you at least have the courage to admit racial hatred of Arabs. And to me it is amazing that the Zionists have such intense hatred of Arabs that they wish to found a colony right in the center of them. Sort of like the guy who hates Mexicans wanting to retire in Mexico City. I had a redneck uncle who once went to Jamaica; came back and complained “Nice place but it is overrun with n——-“. You read the Quran a lot, don’t you? Ever read the Old Testament? You’ll find a lot of deception and genocide there also.

      1. Richard Vajs,

        Yes, I have read the old testament and I totally and categorically condemn anything in there that advocates the death of innocent people, capital punishment, or genocide. But what you don’t understand is, the Jewish and Christian peoples have progressed a great deal since that time. How many religious Jewish or Christian leaders cite the old testament as grounds for killing people? But what about the Muslims? Iran, Saudi Arabia, and who can forget Sudan and their recent outrage over a teddy bear, they all cite the Quran, still to this very day, as grounds for their evil terrorist actions, their racist actions, their anti gay actions and their complete persecution of women.

      2. Judith and Holofernes, which, into the bargain, many consider completely fictional in origin, and which, if true, and since it is presented as fact, is even more prescriptive.

        Then, of course, there was Monica Lewinsky.

    3. Blinded by hate,racism Mr Tim R can’t see that the object of discussion is the actions of American Lebanese Christians not Muslims.Mr Tim R uses the same tactics that he accuses Muslims of using, deception and lies by selective misquatings,misrepersentations, ommissions, comissions and uesing verses and quates out of context that deal with specific incidents in the past that deal with a specific issues.Mr Tim R had no problem leaving out the other verses and ommitting words that would exposes his deceit.But then he is such an expert and authorty on the Quran and Islamic laws.

      O Prophet! Why holdest thou to be forbidden that which Allah has made lawful to thee? Thou seekest to please thy consorts. But Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (1

      Allah has already ordained for you, (O men), the dissolution of your oaths (in some cases): and Allah is your Protector, and He is Full of Knowledge and Wisdom.

      These verses deal with a specific incident about a vowe that the Prophet Muhammad made upon himself which due to lemetations of space and time can not be dealt with further.

      Finally,we should ask the Indian of this country how many promises and treaties were honored ,kept and fulfiled that were made to them by the much civilized white christians colonists.Or is it perhaps the indians were not humans like The Iraqis ,Philipinos, etc the recipents of much of the Americans blessings!!?

    4. If that is the best you can do from the Qur’an & Hawadith, then you are standing on very shaky ground. I am sure I could find one verse out of the Bible which would prove your point perfectly – about the Jews & Christians. I guarantee I could find numerous religious statements – a la hawadith – which prove anything and everything I would ever want to prove. Leave religious exigesis to the pros and put your Islam for Dummies back on the shelf.

  7. Here is another interesting quote from the Quran, the Quran teaches a lot about lies.

    Sura (9:3) – (“…Allah and His Messenger are free from liability to the idolaters…”)

    Basically, under Sharia, Islamic law, Muslims are free to lie to non-Muslims.

    1. So by that reckoning since Sun Tzu said “All war is based on deception.” that must make all Chinese liars?

      And for Tim R and the other neocon challenged… “If ignorant both of your enemy and yourself, you are certain to be in peril.”

      1. I do so love it when non-muslims are looking in the Quran for what they should believe. The sections in the chapter are about idolatry, a subject about which the Bible is very progressive I think. Moses being so open minded about it and all.

        But in that literalist vein if we Sun Tzu-ize it, we are impelled to believe that not only are all Chinese liars, they are brilliant strategists aswell. Ofcourse this could change instantly depending on which verse you read in the Tao Teh Ching. All Chinese could become weak as water and actively do nothing all the time.

    2. Tim, read the quote and repeat after me…. “Christians”…. “Christians”…. Now please, stay on topic. Thanks.

  8. What amazes me is the non-reaction from the Arab League when blatant displays of racism against their diaspora has become a matter of accepted and commonplace policy in the US. How many times do we hear stories of Arab looking or speaking men being evicted from airlines for no reason other than they made a flight attendant or passenger nervous. Not much else was needed for six imams to be humiliated and nearly incarcerated. Even Congressman Issa of CA suffered the same ignominious fate!

    Now just imagine what would happen if all 22 members of the Arab League immediately advised the airline in question that their landing rights in all member states were immediately canceled. Then declare ownership of stocks in their company blacklisted. Now imagine if all Islamic countries followed suit. My guess is that we would see a quick remedy to this intolerable, putrid form of racism. I would also guess that the same flight attendant who was rendered uncomfortable by the presence of Middle Eastern looking people on her plane and whose job would now become problematic, would be on the first flight to the closest Arab and/or Islamic country to apologize profusely to the first sheikh she could find.

    Needless to say that the same treatment should be given to Fox News.

    If the Arabs can’t have a modicum of a reaction, why do they always expect others to have it for them! Let us not forget that the US could have never invaded Iraq if they were not allowed to aattack it from other Arab countries.

  9. Tim, Tim, Tim, you never stop finding ways to rationalize your bigotry, do you? Having evaded my detailed rebuttals to your spurious past assertions, you now emerge with the novel argument, predicated on the dubious assumption that most Muslims know the Qu’ran back to front and take it completely literally, that Islam promotes deceit and the inevitable batch of meretricious quotations that fail to support it:

    “Allah has already ordained for you, (O men), the dissolution of your oaths”

    Which “oaths” does this passage refer to? Note the specificity of the phrasing: it does not imply freedom from future oaths, merely the annulment of present ones.

    “Bukhari (52:269) – “The Prophet said, ‘War is deceit.’””

    A fact to which the Bush Administration readily attests.

    “Bukhari (52:271) – Recounts the murder of a poet, Ka’b bin al-Ashraf, at Muhammad’s insistence. The men who volunteered for the assassination used dishonesty to gain Ka’b’s trust, pretending that they had turned against Muhammad. This drew the victim out of his fortress, whereupon he was brutally slaughtered despite putting up a ferocious struggle for his life.”

    Well, seeing as we don’t know the stated motive for killing him, he may have well earned it, mightn’t he? Even if he didn’t, it still pales in comparison to Moses killing slaughtering the Midianites and allowing his men to rape their virgins.

    “Sura (9:3) – (”…Allah and His Messenger are free from liability to the idolaters…”)”

    One problem, however: Since Christians and Jews worship the same prophets and god as Muslims, they aren’t “idolaters” as per the Islamic definition. Idolatry is the worship of false gods; in the Islamic canon, Christians and Jews worship the true god, albeit in a false way. While “idolatry” might apply to non-Abrahamic religions (if you actually imagine people take such obscure passages seriously; I could just as well cite Leviticus against wearing clothes composed of two kinds of cloth), it is scarcely relevant when dealing with the predominantly Christian United States. Such essentialist reasoning might spare you the trouble of actually examining the situation of the other side’s strategic viewpoint (and enable you to slander 1.3 billion people by association) but it hardly helps us in understanding the particulars of the situation. Saying it’s “a Muslim problem” is a bad way of writing it off, especially after the spectacular displays of mendacity from the American government in times past and present.

  10. Actually this verse does not say anything about lying at all. This verse teaches us that the wife should not reveal conversations between her and her husband to others; i.e. as we say what happen at home should stay at home. The verse was revealed following an incident where the prophet (Peace be upon him) had a conversation with his wife and told her not mention it to others, but his wife did not honor that and revealed the story to her friends. The words came back to the Prophet.

    There are out there many wrong English translation of the Quraan. People like Tim and the media intentionally pick up poor translation and verses out of their contest.

  11. Any casual perusal of reich winger discussion boards like FreeRepublic.com (perhaps the most “mainstream” of GOP sites- reveals rank anti racism that literally reaches the fever pitch of the worst Nazi Germany anti Semitic propaganda – complete with referrals of Arabs to bugs and insects and calls for mass indiscriminate violence against civilian populations.

    And then in their next breath they believe that the US is bringing “democracy” to peoples they despise with a white hot hate that is hard to understand since just about none of them have ever personally suffered at the hands of an Arab or Muslim and never will (perhaps the ease of hating someone they never met half a world away from weak countries matches their cowardice?)

    It is rather a deranged thing to witness. All day long reich winger boards will be host to most hateful bile about Muslims in general and then- when claims of US troops acting in barbarous manners come up- they actually get angry.

    The reich wing scares me. These people don’t believe in representative government or rule of law or even in objective moral standards. They are incoherent nihilists really. And they will plunge this country into a maelstrom sooner or later.

    1. Incoherent nihilists — sadly that is a very appropriate description of what you term the reich wing, Chris. These fruitcakes need to be stood up to so that they don’t end up doing to the USA much worse that they already have. Thank all you non-racists peace lovers for your comments.

  12. Ever read the Talmud, Timmy? I don’t particularly care for that Goyim stuff.

    I am no fan of the Koran but I see very little difference in ideology when you actually read this stuff.

    Its called Racism.

  13. I am Indian. My skin is a darker shade of black than Jesse Jackson’s and, because of that, I come from among the less intelligent peoples of the world according to the Nobel Laureate James Watson. Yet, I and most of my coutrymen would be quite happy not to be “civilized” by the likes of George Bush. Thank you. we have seen enough of the killing that went with his civilizing, democratising plan.

    For the reading pleasure of Tim: Genesis 27 tells of the story of a deceptive fellow called Jacob who was favoured by Yahweh and wrestled with Him and won!! Wow! Quite a hero.He found favour with God.Hebrews 11 says that Jacob (no mention of Esau) was an heir of the promise of God to Abraham. Read the story on the other hand of that poor discard called Esau who was cheated out of his heirship (Genesis 33 Verse 1 to 10). When the cheat returns and tries to win favour with the man he cheated, by offering him big gifts, Esau’s answer is “I have more than enough. Keep what is yours , my brother.” I wonder who merited God’s favour more.
    Another quote:Psalm 109: Verse8, 9 . David prays for his enemy’s children to become fatherless, vagabonds and beggars and driven from their homes. Perhaps the awowed Christian, George Bush, who hears messages from God to go and murder Iraqis says this prayer all the time and God is listening to him. There are certainly lots of fatherless kids in Iraq.

    By the way, I am not Muslim but a committed Christian

  14. George,

    I wish we had more Americans like you.

    A big High-Five to you, my friend!

    By the way Timmy R. and speaking of High Fives, you or one of your relatives weren’t one of the Israeli High-Fivers in Jersey City on 9-11? Just checking

  15. Thank you, Phil.

    Again to Tim R: My friend , I wish you would leave that little American cocoon in which you live – where veiled or overt racist messages ( like the one that started this thread) are beamed at you by a so called free media. May I suggest you go and visit or, better than that, live for a time among Muslim people – in some Arab country or in a pluralistic country like India . You will discover that Muslims have fears and joys just like you and are as honest and dishonest as people anywhere else in the world. There are conservative Muslims just as there are conservative Christians, who believe that their way is the only way. If you gave American Evangelicals a chance, don’t you think they would convert America into a Christian version of Saudi Arabia.No drinking, no smoking and no premarital sex and all those who have abortions will be sent to Guantanamo!
    One of my best friends is a Christian who converted to Islam out of conviction about twenty five years ago. He is very active in seeking justice for his brothers at his work place and has a level of integrity that few of my Christian friends possess.
    Please do not tell me that moderate Muslims should try to exercise some sort of control over the militant Muslim. That is as silly as asking Catholics everywhere to try and control the IRA in Ireland. Further, the militant Muslim is the product of long years of injustice first meted to him by Imperial Britain and then by America which claims to support democracy but actually supports Muslim tyrants..

    1. George Kurian writes: “Further, the militant Muslim is the product of long years of injustice first meted to him by Imperial Britain and then by America which claims to support democracy but actually supports Muslim tyrants.. ”

      So in other words, the old liberal canard that social conditions should serve as an excuse for violence. If a man murders a member of your family and says, I’m sorry, I was depraved because I was deprived,” will you let him off the hook? Does his upbringing excuse his behavior? The Palestinians have suffered? Ok, granted they have, and so have many other people! Does that excuse the fact that 70% of them, in a recent study, support suicide bombing of civilians?

      You should heed well the recent remarks of the President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy. He has called the rioters in the predominnatly Muslim suburbs “thugs” and he lambasted those who searched for ” a social problem in every riot.” Well, good for him for speaking the truth!

      1. “the old liberal canard that social conditions should serve as an excuse for violence”

        Tim, how many years did you spend in extreme poverty? How many years did you not have a job? How long did you not have a weekly paycheck? How long did you wear the same clothing, weeks, months? How long did you live without a roof over your head?

        Do you seriously think that people living and slowly dying from poverty have the luxury to make rational and moral decisions? Do you think that without a job you would survive 1 month in an impoverished society? You think they have Soup Kitchens for the poor in Myanmar or Bangladesh in every village and town?

        Or maybe quite possibly faced with a harsh reality you might do something criminal to survive or try to end your life. Do you think that is a possibility? I am certain if faced with starvation you would easily kill somebody for a piece of bread.

        1. Bill K. asks some personal questions to make his point that poverty is an excuse for criminality and violance: “Tim, how many years did you spend in extreme poverty? How many years did you not have a job? How long did you not have a weekly paycheck? How long did you wear the same clothing, weeks, months? How long did you live without a roof over your head?

          Well, Bill K., you probably won’t believe me since my answers will not be in keeping with your worldview but here they are anyway: By the Grace of God, I was born in the United States, so I would not say I knew of “extreme poverty” such as in Africa, for instance. But I did know of poverty. I grew up in a single parent home, we moved from place to place, always trying to keep ahead of the landlords who were taking us to housing court to get us evicted. I know what it means to go to a food pantry, and I will forever be grateful to the Salvation Army and Catholic Charities. In school I was sometimes made fun of for wearing old, out of date clothing that were “hand me downs.” And yes, we were homeless for a time, staying with friends and sometimes in bus stations, and once sleeping on the floor of a synagogue. So yes, Bill I know what poverty is!

          But what did I do? Did I resort to criminality? Did I blame society and play the victim? No, I worked all the harder, got myself good grades, got into college and law school and made something of myself. Poverty is not an excuse for violence Bill K. Now I understand that poverty is a terrible condition and I would even agree with John Edwards that we need to do a lot more to combat it, but the one thing I won’t do is let people use poverty as an excuse for unethical behavior. That is an insult to all the poor people who do the right thing!

        2. Tim, according to your own story you still had a safety net. If you had none then you would not be so “ethical”. Live for a year in Liberia or Eritrea without an American wage and see how long you maintain your ethics.

    2. George, one more retort to your point:

      Some of the Evangelical Christians might want to turn this us into a theocracy but they can’t do it. The American people would not stand for it. We have something called The First Amendment in our Bill of Rights and ever since its promulgation in 1791 it has protected us against the establishment of a religion and has protected the rights of all Americans, including Muslims, to worship how they please. It is too bad most Muslim countries are not too keen on the idea of religious freedom!

      Also, I don’t know why you think I hate muslims. For the record, I don’t. I believe in the same God that you believe in, George. And I belive that ALL human beings, including Muslims, including even radical Muslims, are created in the image of God! However, I am still a realist and I know that some Muslims represent a great danger to my country and I don’t think it makes me a racist to speak out about that.

      1. Unfortunately the Patriot Act and its evil children will erase all signs of the Bill of Rights and I will not be surprised if Evangelical Fundamentalism is the Religious belief of the US government as early as 2010.

  16. Tim R., for God sake…..be fair and stop quoting verses out of context from Quran. I advise others to read Quran in its entirety, including the verses before and after that Tim quoted.

    Tim R., check these verses out for a change:

    “God guides not one who is a prodigal, a liar” (40:28).

    “God guides not him who is a liar, an ingrate” (39:3).

    “God’s curse will rest on him if he is a liar” (24:7).

    and here is a verse for the desease (hypocrisy/bigotry) in YOUR heart:

    “In their heart, there is a disease and God increases their disease, a painful doom is theirs because they lie”(2: 10).

    Peace!!

    1. S. Syed, yes I agree with you that people should read the whole Quran for themselves and then make up their own minds. The book has some beautiful and wonderful things in it, no doubt about that. However, it is marred by all the vile racist, homophobic, and blood thirsty passages, passages that talk about cutting off various body parts and oh how it subjugates women! How a woman can accept such rubbish is beyond my understanding.

      I love how people on here like to bash Christians and Jews, but the Muslims and their “peaceful” religion, they all get a free pass.

      Where is your outrage about people in Sudan wanting to execute some poor woman because she let her class name a teddy bear Mohamed? Why were they out in the streets, screaming for blood? Where do they get those ideas from? Thin air? No, they get them straight out of the Quran.

      1. What shall we call what has been done to the country of Iraq and the people of Iraq?!!civilized and enlightened distruction (libreation)of lives and proprties or westren man burden!

  17. This guy Matt Barganier has some serious issues. Why is he allowed to post his idiotic comments on here?

    1. I guess you do not know about little green football. It is a website created by Islamophobes which advocates intense Musli hatred. Kind of think of Muslims as little footballs who should be kicked around.

  18. Tim, please quote those “vile racist, homophobic, and blood thirsty passages” from Quran that you are talking about. I bet you will not find any….unless you take a verse out of context and twist the real meaning. And please give us a break on Christian or Jewish bashing……don’t you watch or read the so called mainstream media?? Who is always being portrayed as the terrorist, extremists, radicals, women bashers, etc, etc??

    Here is the concept of race according to Quran:

    “O Mankind, We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other. Verily the most honored of you in the sight of God is he who is the most righteous of you” (49:13).

    I can’t find anything regarding homophobia (i.e. hurt or kill the homosexuals) in Quran, other than few passages regarding the homosexual behavior of the people of Prophet Lot:

    “Do you have sex with the males, of all the people?” You forsake the wives that your Lord has created for you! Indeed, you are transgressing people.” (26:165-166)

    Here are the women rights in Quran:

    “And for women are rights over men similar to those of men over women.” (2:226)

    And here is how women should be treated:

    “O you who believe! You are forbidden to inherit women against their will. Nor should you treat them with harshness, that you may take away part of the dowry you have given them – except when they have become guilty of open lewdness. On the contrary live with them on a footing of kindness and equity. If you take a dislike to them, it may be that you dislike something and Allah will bring about through it a great deal of good.” (4:19)

    Plus there is whole chapter (# 19) on Mary, mother of Jesus. Read without bias and you shall find the truth.

    As far as the British teacher in Sudan goes…..here’s what it is – people in Sudan and unfortunately in many other places in world are not the true representatives of Islam. Don’t label their idiotic acts on the entire Muslim community. This is as if I say that entire west is in favor of holding prisoners of war (sorry, “enemy combatants”) locked up forever without a chance for a fair trail.

    Peace!!

  19. Tim, please quote those “vile racist, homophobic, and blood thirsty passages” from Quran that you are talking about. I guess you will not find any….unless you take a verse out of context and twist the real meaning. And please give us a break on Christian or Jewish bashing……don’t you watch or read the so called mainstream media?? Who is always being portrayed as the terrorist, extremists, radicals, women bashers, etc, etc??

    Here is the concept of race according to Quran:

    “O Mankind, We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other. Verily the most honored of you in the sight of God is he who is the most righteous of you” (49:13).

    I can’t find anything regarding homophobia (i.e. hurt or kill the homosexuals) in Quran, other than few passages regarding the homosexual behavior of the people of Prophet Lot:

    “Do you have sex with the males, of all the people?” You forsake the wives that your Lord has created for you! Indeed, you are transgressing people.” (26:165-166)

    Here are the women rights in Quran:

    “And for women are rights over men similar to those of men over women.” (2:226)

    And here is how women should be treated:

    “O you who believe! You are forbidden to inherit women against their will. Nor should you treat them with harshness, that you may take away part of the dowry you have given them – except when they have become guilty of open lewdness. On the contrary live with them on a footing of kindness and equity. If you take a dislike to them, it may be that you dislike something and Allah will bring about through it a great deal of good.” (4:19)

    Plus there is whole chapter (# 19) on Mary, mother of Prophet Jesus.

    As far as the British teacher in Sudan goes…..here is what it is, people in Sudan and unfortunately in many other places are not the true representatives of Islam. Don’t label their idiotic acts on the rest of the Muslim community. This is as if I say that entire west is in favor of holding prisoners of wars (sorry, “enemy combatants”) locked up for ever without a chance for a fair trail.

    Peace!!

  20. I love how people on here like to bash Christians and Jews, but the Muslims and their “peaceful” religion, they all get a free pass.

    We don’t bash Christians and Jews. You insist on injecting religion into the discussion, and because you do, it is necessary for me to highlight the most despicable transgressions in the Bible to illustrate the absurdity of categorizing an entire group of people as depraved on the basis of a handful of select quotations. You brought this on yourself. You are unable to have a rational discussion, preferring instead a scattershot attack on Islam whenever the opportunity presents itself. Grow up.

  21. Today everyone is so afraid of being called a “racist.”

    No, they aren’t, otherwise we wouldn’t have goons like Richard Pipes and Mark Steyn denouncing the supposed evils of the Muslim religion and prophesying the imminent takeover of radical Islam. And revelations like this:

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/nov/14/pressandpublishing.religion

    What is racism? Is it racist/islamophobic to piont out that in the last 25 or so years, the vast and overwhelming majority of terrorist attacks against the United States and Western Nations have been perpetrated by Muslims?

    Is it racist/islamophobic to cite the Pew Global Attitude Study that says as of 2003 over 51% of the people of Pakistan expressed confidence in Osama Bin Laden or that as of 2007, 70% of Palestinians believe that suicide bombing is justified?

    Is it “sexist” to point out that in the United States of America over 95%, I repeat over 95%, of violent crimes are committed by men?

    No, because these are all objective, measurable facts. This is disingenuous, however, because you are not merely citing facts, but leaping to conclusions about Islam that are rooted in indeterminate statistical arguments rather than any clearly defined causal relation. You are making a subjective assessment of Islam that purports to locate the root of the Muslim world’s ills in the religion itself informed by nothing more than a few cherrypicked quotes and a rash of polls that do not identify any sort of religiously-based proclivity independent of social context (as a parenthetical remark, mental categories like “terrorism” are misleading anyway, since they exclude state-based forms of violence like, say, invading a country without a valid pretext and bombing it to ruin). This is logically equivalent to arguing that blacks are genetically inferior in intelligence to whites because whites consistently outperform blacks in academic-related endeavours. Such arguments are by their nature inconclusive, as any scientist could tell you. Since your other examples follow largely the same format, this criticism applies no less to them, with the exception of one:

    Is it “racist” for a Jew to be extremly proud of the fact that while the Jewish people represent less than 1/2 of 1% of the world’s population, Jews account for roughly 25% of all Nobel Prizes? (does the name Einstein ring a bell?)

    Why, yes, it is indeed a species of ethnic chauvinism. It betrays a collectivism completely at odds with any meaningful concept of merit. Innovations of this nature result from individuals, not from groups. To “take pride” in such a fact is to effectively claim that the achievements of others are one’s own so as to claim an unjustified sense of accomplishment. It doesn’t matter how many geniuses your race has produced, Timmy: it still doesn’t change the fact that you’re a moron.

    1. Pointing out a statistical fact is “ethnic chauvinism?” Ok, and what do you call Black History Month? Is that ethnic chauvinism too? Is the Gay Pride Parade sexual chauvinism? No, I think blacks, gays,muslims, and all minorities get a free pass to be as chauvinistic as they want. But GOD FORBID a white man should be proud of the accomplishments of European civilization or that a Jew should be proud of how many of his people have won the Nobel Prize! Then it becomes racist and “ethnic chauvinism.”

      1. Pointing out a statistical fact is “ethnic chauvinism?”

        No. Taking pride in it is.

        Ok, and what do you call Black History Month? Is that ethnic chauvinism too? Is the Gay Pride Parade sexual chauvinism?

        Tim, if you’re going to make a point, you might want to compare the like with the like. Black History Month and Gay Pride Parade aren’t, because they are just cultural festivities, as well as informational sessions. The blacks and the gays aren’t extolling their “supremacy” vis-a-vis some other ethnic group as you are, and they aren’t appropriating the achievements of their most illustrious members as their own. If there were a “Jewish history month”, I would not object, though one’s background is never a substitute for ones own accomplishments. However, as you are insinuating that Jews are in some sense culturally superior and not merely engaging in a discovery of your own heritage, you are drawing conclusions about who is “better”, not merely highlighting discrepancies. You are also attempting to purloin Einstein’s reputation by claiming that you and he are of the same race. Since you continue to conflate fact with value judgement, you clearly haven’t read my last paragraph. I’d advise you to scrutinize it a bit more closely. In the meantime:

        But GOD FORBID a white man should be proud of the accomplishments of European civilization or that a Jew should be proud of how many of his people have won the Nobel Prize! Then it becomes racist and “ethnic chauvinism.”

        Now might be a good time to pull your head out of your ass, Tim. The achievements of the West and the Jews are extolled on a daily basis, and Israel manages to get itself called “liberal” and “democratic” despite the fact that it is explicitly an ethno-state. There is a double standard, but it is the opposite of what you describe: when a Jew takes pride in his heritage, he is forgiven, but if an Arab does the same, the “terrorist” label invariably comes forth. In any case, since it is clear you evaded my ethical contention above, it probably bears repeating:

        To “take pride” in [“Jewish” achievement] is to effectively claim that the achievements of others are one’s own so as to claim an unjustified sense of accomplishment.

        Mull on this for a good, long as Israeli settlers continue to expropriate Palestinians gunpoint, and then come back when you are capable of producing a reply that doesn’t descent into hysterics.

  22. George Lincoln Rockwellstein: Pointing out a statistical fact is “ethnic chauvinism?” Ok, and what do you call Black History Month? Is that ethnic chauvinism too? Is the Gay Pride Parade sexual chauvinism? No, I think blacks, gays,muslims, and all minorities get a free pass to be as chauvinistic as they want. But GOD FORBID a white man should be proud of the accomplishments of European civilization or that a Jew should be proud of how many of his people have won the Nobel Prize! Then it becomes racist and “ethnic chauvinism.”

    Timothious over here seems to be the physical embodiment of the emerging nexus between the Commentary/Weekly Standard/Frontpagemag/AJC/JINSA/AEI Judeofascist far-right on the one hand, and the American Renaissance/British National Party/Stormfront/Front National/Vlaams Belang white supremacist far-right on the other.

    L’chaim, herr gruppenfuhrer.

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