Not all "Reviving the Islamic Spirit" attendees agreed with speakers...
Reader comment on item: [American Muslim Group for Policy Planning;] Another "Moderate" Muslim Group

Submitted by Dave Brown (United States), Dec 31, 2004 at 03:19

This is regarding the article about the "Reviving the Islamic Spirit" conference

http://www.danielpipes.org/blog/392

I googled "Dr. Tareq Suwaidan" (the first speaker listed at the conference), and found this:

http://www.islamicaweb.com/archive/read/t-7277.html

I got the gist of the good Doctor's message:

"It (the West) will continue to grow until an outside force hits it and you will be surprised at how quickly it falls, Tareq Suwaidan told more than 2,000 spectators gathered for the student-run "Reviving the Islamic Spirit" conference at the Metro Convention Centre on the weekend."

Blah, blah, blah... same ol' nonsense.

BUT, what I found more interesting were a few very rational comments from a few of the Moslem attendees. This was very heartening.

While I agree that we need to remain vigillant to the Islamist threat, keep in mind that the guy quoted below may be the next guy passing through customs on his way back home. We still need to treat people with respect whenever possible, and on US soil, it's stiil "innocent 'til proven guilty".

I don't know who "Abbas Syed" is, what his other views are, or how representative he is of attendees at the conference... but goddam we need more guys like this one:


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"Stop attacking West

The speaker from Kuwait better look in his own backyard before labelling Western society and its family structure corrupt and rotten. Tolerating honour killings, disallowing women the right to vote, treating immigrants like trash, celebrating a bandit monarchy and living off the work of others is hardly an example for us in the West.

I am sick of these incessant attacks on the so-called Western family. My family is part of Western civilization and I dare Tareq Suwaidan to find anything corrupt or rotten about us or our neighbours. Unless, of course, Suwaidan was referring to Christians and Jews and was camouflaging his hate with academic speak.

Shame on the people who live among us yet hate Western civilization. If they so hate Canada and find it rotten and corrupt, why do they live here? Why don't they migrate to Kuwait or Saudi Arabia?

As for the attack that is needed to bring down Western civilization, let it come. We Western Muslims will stand and fight for our country and defend the civilization built by us hand-in-hand with our white, black and aboriginal brothers and sisters.

- Abbas Syed, Toronto"

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