A look at Radical Islam from a former insider!

I would like to tell you about a certain Dr. Tawfik Hamid.

Tawfik Hamid is an Egyptian scholar, author and dissident intellectual opposed to Islamic Fundamentalism.

A former member of al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya, an Islamic extremist and terrorist organization then led by Ayman al Zawahiri, Tawfik Hamid splintered off and began advocating a peaceful understanding of Islam that is compatible with universal human rights and intellectual freedom.

He started to preach in mosques to promote his message of peace and as a result became a target of many Islamic fanatics who threatened his life.

Hamid then migrated to the West where he has lectured at UCLA, Stanford University, University of Miami and Georgetown University against Jihadism and Islamic Fundamentalism.

He currently serves on the Advisory Council of The Intelligence Summit.

Hamid has also appeared on various television programs, including CNN's Glen Beck Show, FoxNews, and BBC Religion and Ethics.

Now that we have that out of the way I would like to invite you to read this article by Dr. Hamid on the reality behind radical Islam.

By TAWFIK HAMID From the Wall Street Journal Europe;

The film "Fitna" by Dutch parliament member Geert Wilders has created an uproar around the world as it linked violence committed by Islamists to Islam.

Many commentators and politicians -- including the British government, which denied him entry to the country last month -- reflexively accused Mr. Wilders of inciting hatred.

The question, however, is whether the blame is with Mr. Wilders, who simply exposed Islamic radicalism, or with those who promote and engage in this religious extremism.

In other words, shall we fault Mr. Wilders for showing photos of the hanging of homosexuals, or shall we fault those who actually promote and practice this crime?

There is a certain schizophrenia among many Muslims who seem to believe that it is acceptable to teach hatred and violence in the name of their religion, while at the same time expecting the world to respect Islam as "a religion of peace, love and harmony."

Scholars in the most prestigious Islamic institutes and universities continue to teach things like Jews are "pigs and monkeys," that women and men must be stoned to death for adultery, or that Muslims must fight the world to spread their religion.

Isn't, then, Mr. Wilders's criticism appropriate?

Instead of blaming him, we must blame the leading Islamic scholars for having failed to produce an authoritative book on Islamic jurisprudence that is accepted in the Islamic world and unambiguously rejects these violent teachings.

While many religious texts preach violence, the interpretation, modern usage and implementation of these teachings make all the difference.

For example, the stoning of women exists in both the Old Testament and in the Islamic tradition, or "Sunna" -- the recorded deeds and manners of the prophet Muhammad.

The difference, though, is that leading Jewish scholars agreed to discontinue these practices centuries ago while Muslim scholars have yet to do so. Hence we do not see the stoning of women practiced or promoted in Israel, the "Jewish" state, but we see it practiced and promoted in Iran and Saudi Arabia, the "Islamic" states!

When the British government banned Geert Wilders from entering the country to present his film in the House of Lords, it made two egregious errors.

The first was to suppress free speech, a canon of the civilized Western world.

The second mistake was to blame the messenger -- punishing, so to speak, the witness who exposed the crime instead of punishing the criminal.

Mr. Wilders did not produce the content of the violent Islamic message he showed in his film -- the Islamic world did that.

Until the Islamic clerical establishment takes concrete steps to reject violence in the name of their religion, Mr. Wilders criticism is not only permissible as "controversial" free speech but justified.

So, Islamic scholars and clerics, it is up to you to produce a Shariah book that will be accepted in the Islamic world and that teaches that Jews are not pigs and monkeys, and that declaring war to spread Islam is unacceptable, and killing apostates is a crime. Such a book would prove that Islam is a religion of peace.

Mr. Hamid, a former member of an Islamist terrorist group, is an Islamic reformer and senior fellow at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies.

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Excellent article!
Janice B

-It would be too simple. Great article Allan. Fundamentalists of any religion are dangerous!
Georgiana S

Allan W Janssen is the author of the book The Plain Truth About God (What the mainstream religions don't want you to know......!) and is available as an E-Book H E R E ! and as a paperback H E R E !

Visit the blog "Perspective" at http://allans-perspective.blogspot.com