VOICE OF REASON
Reader comment on item: The Challenge of Islamism in Europe & the Middle East

Submitted by Yusuf Abubakar Mamud (Israel), Jul 3, 2006 at 11:04

Your article titled "The Challenge of Islamism in Europe & the Middle East" is a brillant work, well reseached and illuminating. I particularly found its reference to history very intesting. I however have some areas of disagreement. First, is your article against Islam or Islamism?

When you said "....It is the barbarism that must be fought by all civilised people....." I wondered who are really the civilised people or what is the measure or yard stick for civility.

Your article sound like a call on all westerners or Europeans to resist Islam. I do not think that is a fair judgement on Islam. I expect you to preach and practice peace. That is the difference between Islam and other religions of the world. Islam does not pretend about any thing. It calls a spade a spade. It is a practical solution to human existence. Once you are a muslim, implies that you believe in the Oneness of Allah, believe in all the prophets, say your five daily prayers among others.

Islam dictates how a people live, eat and everything about them. That is the power of Islam. That is why you cannot break Islam despite all the efforts by propagandists. Allah has promised the Ummah that He will protect His religion. Islam is a peaceful religion but does not tolerate Haram. Muslims are encourage to use all their bodies to resist haram. That is the difference between Islam and Christianity. Islam will not take any of those western liberal theory.

A people are known for what they stand for. Islam does not fall under any particular ethnic culture. It is the universal way of life. Islam is the power that checks the excesses of Western Civilization which I would rather call Babarism. They have made nonesense out of Chritianity. No one can today define christianity because personal ideas and passion has crept into Chritianity, flavoured it with lies often attributed to Christ.

I am an appostle of peaceful coexistence but there are basic thingsthat are obviously wrong. For instance, Islam can never tolerate Lesbianism or Homosexuality. It is wrong and it is a sin and cannot be debated. But Western culture has pushed such acts into \Christanity. Now people debate about Homosexuality and Lesbianism. Why on earth should we even consider them.

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Daniel Pipes replies:

Thank you for your kind words. In this article, as elsewhere, I focus on radical Islam the ideology, not Islam the religion. I made this point clearly in my talk to the Coptic Symposium:

"I believe it a mistake either to see the religion [of Islam] per se as a problem or to use a euphemism. It is not terrorism, which is a tactic, that is our problem. It is not Islam, a personal faith, that is our problem. It is Islamism, an ideology, that is our problem."