Moderate Islam vs radical Islam
Reader comment on item: Convicting [Ali al-Timimi,] the "Paintball Sheikh"

Submitted by Tzvi Tamari (Canada), May 2, 2005 at 12:03

My comment is not directly related to this particular article but more in general with regards to Islam. You yourself claim that there is "radical Islamism" and "moderate Islam" Moderate Islam is an oxymoron, as anyone who has read the Koran in Arabic (which I have, many times more than once) must acknowledge.

Not only the Koran but the history of Islam is replete with countless events and occassions that refute the existence of a "moderate Islam". No major religion has begun it's history by the forceful conversion (or decimation) to Islam as practiced by Muslims from and including Mohammed's time.The only difference I have been able to discern between "radical Muslims" and the so-called "moderate Muslims" is that the latter don't actively participate in the actions of the former, but do support either financially or/and emotionally those actions of the "radicals". Witness the behaviour of some ordinary Muslims after 9/11, with their dancing on the roofs of their homes, distribution of sweets, etc. etc. at the news that thousands of innocent people were murdered.

I have yet to read in the Arab press (or any press for that matter, ) where Muslims in general denounce the suicide bombings including 9/11, by North American and European Muslims who have little to fear from retribution by those extremists.

Let's face it. If the majority of Muslims denounced the abhorent actions of the radicals, and refused to support them financially or in any other manner, those extremists would be out of business in short order.

The Sharia itself is a good example of the impossibilty of a moderate Islam. What warped culture encourages and makes martys of children who have been brain-washed into blowing themselves up?

You state that you "are troubled" by the general media ignoring such matters as the Al Tamimi trial! I'm not surprised by the reaction (or lack thereof) of the media, but I'm certainly more than troubled, by what appears to be in many cases a rationalization based on political considerations also known as 'political correctness.'

I'm down-right scared.

Tzvi Tamari

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