Daniel Pipes
Mobile Edition
Regular Site

exemplify the positive
Reader comment on item: Responding to Joshua Muravchik about "Moderate Islamists"
in response to reader comment: "Doing good" without objective perspective

Submitted by trans-parere (Canada), May 9, 2008 at 19:10

Dear Jennifer

Excuses are not reasons [nor reasonable], they're justifications. Every religion, culture and nation excuses the evil they do/did to justify the good they have done or hope to do. Every culture has it's story of oppressing and being in turn oppressed. The one they give the most air time to is the one that garners them the most of whatever at that moment they are seeking.

There are some truly evil individuals from every culture in this world. Yet those 'sociopaths' for lack of a better word, are not the norm nor by any account the majority to be found in any culture, nation or religion. Most people want to be good and do good and intimidation is not necessary. The answer has always been leadership.

Right now due to having more work than citizens to do the work. Which is thanks to our social freedoms and the value given the individual. For it is the individual and their initiative we we have to thank for our prosperity. Our immigration policies have been "liberalised" to fill the demand, and many an uneducated, socially ignorant, and easily manipulated person is coming to a new country, a new society, a new reality really, in terms of rights and freedoms, and most of these people want to fit in and become a part of our nations. HOWEVER. There are those the like of Sheik Hilali in Australia. Abu Izzadeen, Omar Bakri and Anjem Choudary in the U.K. Who use their religion to oppress those new comers and to play on their ignorance and insecurity being in a new environment. In the United States it's even more insidious because there Moslem's are organised against integration and are using every legal recourse to maintain their "village" considering many Moslem immigrants have come from towns more than from countries.

Use this article as an example. http://worlddefensereview.com/esman050808.shtml

What ever authority they had "at home" is being recreated and or upheld. "Village" members coming into the homes of what are now essentially American citizens and dictating their behavior and religious observance. What chance do these people have if we can not defend them from the evil nature of the few among them who are motivated for reasons of religious/cultural/powermongering to cling to their little fascist tribal empire. And to make matters even worse we have these Christian imbeciles running off at the mouth crying how they ought to convert to Christianity. Nice job. That makes the Moslem's more defensive and more insecure and drives them into the arms of their fellow Moslem oppressors.

We really need to go after the institution of Islam where it is used to oppress the Moslem individual in our societies. We must act as protector until Islam is sufficiently reformed to individual rights and be diligent in exercising the rule of law of which our democracies stand on. Religious law should not be allowed for one moment to supplant civil and criminal law. And we definitely need a law that protects the individual from evangelism/proselytism like they have in Greece. That alone would relieve much of the tension between peoples of differing faiths, the agnostics and the atheist.

(I believe how "natural" depends on self-circumstance; more often than not, this includes alterior motive, gulit and/or pretension)
I'm sorry to see that your sense of the "natural goodness" of man is so negative and based on mans negative traits rather on man's positive traits.

I always read your posts. I know at heart you're a good person.

Cheers

trans-parere


Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened for relevance, substance, and tone, and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome, but comments are rejected if scurrilous, off-topic, vulgar, ad hominem, or otherwise viewed as inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the Guidelines for Comments. For informational purposes, we identify countries from which comments are sent.

Submit a comment on this item

Search by Enter name or date
Search Forum Comments:

Reader comments (50) on this item

Title By Date
moderate muslims [188 words]alexAug 6, 2008 07:09
The New Yorker's Cartoon on the Obama's deserves a bit of thought. [502 words]Uni-faceted New Yorker Responses-let's be real!Jul 14, 2008 16:27
Islamism is not Bida
[w/response] [492 words]
Archimedes2Jul 10, 2008 12:52
NO MUSLIM IS OUR ALLY [212 words]Jdamn13Jul 7, 2008 23:50
Intellect and Reason will always win out [357 words]Gabrielle CroftsJun 15, 2008 02:29
Western Invention [68 words]J TimeJun 13, 2008 22:58
Spot on [61 words]Arif Jayish Al AmirkiJun 2, 2008 21:39
Islam is a political system not a religion [117 words]PabloMay 29, 2008 20:00
To hell with political correctness! [370 words]Nick4693Jul 12, 2008 21:04
non Islamic Muslams.. [109 words]donvanMay 27, 2008 10:58
Moderates vs. Radicals [116 words]Rebecca MouldsMay 21, 2008 08:04
Muslims Against Terrorism [181 words]DianaMay 19, 2008 19:47
moderate... [108 words]donvanMay 19, 2008 11:10
religion could be bad [140 words]aval31May 16, 2008 08:47
Why we are suspicious of Muslims [1921 words]gary fouseMay 11, 2008 22:43
Hi Gary [46 words]Straight_Talk_LuigiMay 13, 2008 18:58
Islam existing in freedom requires ignorance of Islamic scripture [563 words]jennifer solisMay 16, 2008 03:04
Muslims all over the world must learn to respect and be tolerant in order to gain respect and tolerance as well! [362 words]TROYMay 31, 2008 07:48
kuran hurts (and intends to hurt) non-muslims [123 words]G.VishvasMay 9, 2008 10:16
it would be nice . . . [43 words]Phil GreendMay 8, 2008 22:29
An unfailing compass [116 words]Victor TordjmanMay 5, 2008 21:57
I concur completely with Victor. [97 words]MarkMay 6, 2008 20:26
Joshua Muravchik: the Walter Duranty of our times [116 words]Timothy HunterMay 5, 2008 11:36
Joshua Muravchik concerning "Moderate Islamists" [121 words]Sol ShalitMay 5, 2008 11:28
Excellent Point [24 words]jennifer solisMay 5, 2008 18:07
Absolute Idolatry [931 words]Prof. Paul EidelbergMay 5, 2008 11:11
Moderate Islamists (Muslims) [435 words]Nick4693May 4, 2008 19:44
50+ "typos" in Commentary Magazine - Daniel Pipes is a gentleman [118 words]jennifer solisMay 4, 2008 18:31
Peaceful "Brotherhood"? (When donkeys fly) [90 words]Edgar Malcolm ErvinMay 4, 2008 17:49
Painful to see Muravchik lose even more credibility [165 words]Edgar Malcolm ErvinMay 4, 2008 17:11
When push comes... [91 words]Randy LeemanMay 4, 2008 17:11
A Bridge to "Moderate" Islam Is In Fact a Road to Hell [5706 words]Amil ImaniMay 4, 2008 15:50
Amil, you hit the nail on the head! [565 words]Nick4693May 6, 2008 20:18
Mr. Imani, that was a very good expose of 'moderate Islamists' [42 words]M.D'SouzaMay 10, 2008 12:41
Moderate Muslims? [85 words]Margaret HoodMay 4, 2008 15:41
Moderate Muslims [189 words]janusz KowalikMay 4, 2008 18:40
Moderate Islamists and western strategy. [141 words]janusz KowalikMay 4, 2008 14:49
"Moderate Islam" [75 words]Gail MitchellMay 4, 2008 14:03
Muravchik's further response [91 words]Judy HershonMay 4, 2008 14:02
The continuing mini-major fracas[ee] of mini-major sectaries.... [412 words]Jascha KesslerMay 4, 2008 13:58
Joshua Muravchik is rude and lost [548 words]jennifer solisMay 3, 2008 20:46
What is a moderate Muslim? [109 words]Steve KleinMay 4, 2008 13:36
Back to basics [249 words]jennifer solisMay 5, 2008 02:34
what "moderate" Muslim??? [96 words]JaladhiMay 6, 2008 21:50
moderation is a virture, and a moderate Moslem is a virtuous Moslem [331 words]trans-parereMay 7, 2008 08:41
"Doing good" without objective perspective [213 words]jennifer solisMay 8, 2008 18:42
Moderater Muslims?...Yes, you do find them in India. [56 words]M.D'SouzaMay 9, 2008 17:45
⇒ exemplify the positive [586 words]trans-parereMay 9, 2008 19:10
The "good nature" of man [628 words]jennifer solisMay 11, 2008 02:40
nothing cries louder than a liberal who can't impose their idealism on the guy they want to pay for that idealism [994 words]trans-parereMay 12, 2008 22:57

Comment on this item

Name
Email Address (optional)
Title of Comments
Comments:

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened for relevance, substance, and tone, and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome, but comments are rejected if scurrilous, off-topic, vulgar, ad hominem, or otherwise viewed as inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the Guidelines for Comments. For informational purposes, we identify countries from which comments are sent.

See the 25 most recent outstanding comments.

Back to top of page