Distinction Without A Difference?
Reader comment on item: Radical Islam as Its Own Antidote[, Argues Reuel Gerecht]
in response to reader comment: Al-Taqiya

Submitted by orange yonason (United States), Oct 28, 2009 at 16:13

Sorry, but I missed when your response to my comment, which is why I'm so late addressing it.

Perhaps one Islamic group has given it a name, and officially sanctions the practice, but from everything I've seen they are all proficient in the art of deceit. The only, and best, term I have for it is Al Taqiyya. While that may not be technically historically correct, is the closest one I have to describe what they do.

Here's an excellent comment (which you chose not to correct), that addresses the practices of Al Taqiyya and Kitman, emphasizing their importance in Islam's war with 'the other', whether non-Muslim, or other Muslims they hate.

"Taqiyya has been used by Muslims since the 7th century to confuse and split 'the enemy'. A favored tactic was 'deceptive triangulation'; to persuade the enemy that jihad was not aimed at them but at another enemy. Another tactic was to deny that there was jihad at all. The fate for such faulty assessments by the target was death."

So, again, while I defer to your expertise on the semantics, I think your elaboration misses the point that, regardless of sect and with or without specific fatwa approval, they all practice a similar form of deception; the closest term for which appears to be "Al Taqiyya".

If you can supply a more correct term for it, I'll be happy to use it. Till then, I will continue to use "Al Taqiyya," as does Raymond Ibrahim,Jane's Islamic Affairs Analyst. See here, and here where he, while acknowledging the history of Taqiyya, doesn't quibble about the semantics.

After the Mumbai attack a Pakistani propagandist practiced it, by attempting to deflect criticism from Pakistan in order to thwart an effective response. Note how he was an Abdalian, as were some recently captured terrorists. Note also, that the attack they planned was to be modeled after the one in Mumbai.

"The attacks were to be "modeled" on the November 2008 assault in Mumbai and the attacks on police centers in Lahore and the Pakistani Army General Headquarters in Rawalpindi this month, the official said." (ibid)

I am not interested in semantics when they prevent me from seeing the forest for the trees.

Also, thank you for the supplemental information.

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