Thursday, March 02, 2006

Islam's Internal Debate   posted by TangoMan @ 3/02/2006 08:53:00 PM
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Arab-American Psychologist Wafa Sultan tells it like it is in this debate with Dr. Ibrahim Al-Khouli aired on Al-Jeezera. Watch the video to get the full flavor of the debate - she really goes on a tear. I'm not sure what to think when the first thing that comes to mind is that I'm glad that I'm not underwriting her Life Insurance policy. She levels some harsh criticism against her opponent and on the state of current Islam: (transcript and video)


Wafa Sultan: The clash we are witnessing around the world is not a clash of religions, or a clash of civilizations. It is a clash between two opposites, between two eras. It is a clash between a mentality that belongs to the Middle Ages and another mentality that belongs to the 21st century. It is a clash between civilization and backwardness, between the civilized and the primitive, between barbarity and rationality. It is a clash between freedom and oppression, between democracy and dictatorship. It is a clash between human rights, on the one hand, and the violation of these rights, on other hand. It is a clash between those who treat women like beasts, and those who treat them like human beings. What we see today is not a clash of civilizations. Civilizations do not clash, but compete. . . .

Wafa Sultan: The Jews have come from the tragedy (of the Holocaust), and forced the world to respect them, with their knowledge, not with their terror, with their work, not their crying and yelling. Humanity owes most of the discoveries and science of the 19th and 20th centuries to Jewish scientists. 15 million people, scattered throughout the world, united and won their rights through work and knowledge. We have not seen a single Jew blow himself up in a German restaurant. We have not seen a single Jew destroy a church. We have not seen a single Jew protest by killing people. The Muslims have turned three Buddha statues into rubble. We have not seen a single Buddhist burn down a Mosque, kill a Muslim, or burn down an embassy. Only the Muslims defend their beliefs by burning down churches, killing people, and destroying embassies. This path will not yield any results. The Muslims must ask themselves what they can do for humankind, before they demand that humankind respect them.


Also, check out Wafa Sultan debating Algerian Islamist Ahmad bin Muhammad over Islamic Teachings and Terrorism here.

For a little different flavor of Islamic media look no further than this seminar broadcast on Iranian TV. Topic: Tom and Jerry - A Jewish Conspiracy to Improve the Image of Mice, because Jews Were Termed "Dirty Mice" in Europe.