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Falacci's November 2005 address

Reader comment on item: Appreciating Oriana Fallaci

Submitted by yonatan silverman (Israel), Sep 17, 2006 at 03:14

After reading your introduction to Oriana Fallaci from November 2005 I also clicked onthe link you provided to a review of her address. She was obviously an extraordinary journalist and an extraordinary person. There are two paragraphs from the revew of her address that seem right on the money to me.

In the first paragraph her statement that "truth inspires fear" leaped out at me, but for a different reason than in this paragraph. It seems to me that the world's Muslims are the ones reacting from fear of the truth when they demonstrate so widely and vociferously against the truthful statements of the Pope, against caricatures in Danish newspapers, and on other parallel occasions. This is the same Muslim world that persists in blaming the catastrophe of 9/11 on the Mossad or Zionists or whatever. Avoidance of the truth goes hand in hand with fear, it seems to me. And fear naturally evokes strong emotional reactions.

Secondly, Fallaci rightly (in my view) compares the Quran to Mein Kampf. I'm hardly an expert on either book. But from what I know of them they are indeed parallel in calling for the declaration of war against a sworn (and imagined) enemy. Both books are bibles for holy wars, as it were. It seems to me much could be gained by making Fallaci's comparison a greater fixture in the public debate about radical Islam.

Having said that, I don't believe that Muslims themselves see the nation of Islam on a spectrum from moderate to radical. So-called moderate Muslims are complicit in what the radicals do but they simply hold their tongues. It would be absurd it seems to me to talk about moderate Nazis, for example. Not every German during World War II was an SS storm trooper, but most of the country's people heartily saluted them and participated in such demonstrations as Kristallnacht and so on. Fallaci's comparison of the Quran to Mein Kampf has great resonance it seems to me. It crystallizes the nature of the battle in the same way as the phrase "Islamo-fascism" but even more well defined.

Submitting....

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Reader comments (53) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
She made sense.... [87 words]MargaretDec 19, 2013 16:53212227
God Bless You Oriana!!!! [128 words]Michael HowellFeb 22, 2012 18:19193568
oriana interviews herself and the apocalypse [50 words]aniaAug 25, 2010 18:42177275
we need to wake up [53 words]BoJul 5, 2010 23:17175158
One of a kind [40 words]Elana HayounJan 26, 2010 11:29167943
1a women with great talents, and again so little respect for religions; that's truely tragic [521 words]JannatJan 25, 2010 19:48167910
tragic indeed... :I [114 words]AniaAug 25, 2010 19:25167910
We Shall Miss This Cassandra [79 words]Jerome KatchinAug 2, 2009 09:44159539
2Amen, Jerome Katchin! [186 words]Paul MauriceAug 3, 2009 21:38159539
1How to avoid a European Sept 11? It is all in "Rage and Pride" [296 words]Rafi PilosophMar 21, 2009 13:36152558
1Fight with wisdom for Bosnian Kingdom [76 words]AlmirJul 31, 2009 02:30152558
Ms. Fallaci - She Was Not Afraid to Speak her Mind! [119 words]GinnyJan 6, 2010 20:27152558
2Two years later the west is definitely losing and Oriana was right [243 words]GuidoMar 1, 2009 14:45151401
Appreciating Oriana Fallaci [43 words]S.C.PandaOct 8, 2006 12:3359300
Oriana The Warrior [22 words]Octavio JohansonSep 23, 2006 04:1757137
1Oriana [44 words]LeilaSep 21, 2006 11:3656802
1We lost a strong voice against evil [73 words]Michael KocianSep 22, 2006 14:3756802
Love a fighter for freedom and the west [68 words]MareeSep 21, 2006 00:2356746
Loving Life Versus Loving Death [171 words]lindaSep 19, 2006 15:4256505
Loving Life Versus Loving Death [178 words]lindaSep 19, 2006 09:0156453
La Maestra del Coraggio, la Padrona della Verita [882 words]Thomas Justin KazeSep 19, 2006 07:0056442
Truth or Perish [181 words]JaladhiSep 18, 2006 13:3956364
In Appreciation [181 words]Gary MullennixSep 18, 2006 13:2556361
Oriana & The Pontif [52 words]DaisySep 18, 2006 09:4756351
Appreciating Oriana Fallaci [43 words]Cheryl MavrikosSep 18, 2006 08:2856343
Who's Left? [592 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Right of Center FilipinoSep 18, 2006 02:2756322
1Great Oriana [10 words]Gil VicenteSep 18, 2006 01:1156320
Fallaci [13 words]martin kesslerSep 18, 2006 00:0056316
A needed, brave soul [110 words]David W. LincolnSep 17, 2006 21:2556300
Salute to the Brave Lady [114 words]f.shakkiSep 17, 2006 20:1756295
Honoring Oriana [51 words]Hari IyerSep 17, 2006 17:1456285
That Wonderful Heroic Woman Who Wrote With Words of Flame [97 words]Persia Gran-FreelandSep 17, 2006 16:4256283
2Shut up Bush : [85 words]danSep 17, 2006 15:5356274
on Oriana... [16 words]W.VandenbergSep 17, 2006 14:0256256
1You are the best, you are our hero. [36 words]LenaSep 17, 2006 13:5156254
Force of Reason vs. the Love of Truth [254 words]MichaelSep 17, 2006 13:3056253
ORIANA FALLACI [71 words]ERNIE WELCKERSep 17, 2006 12:1156248
1In Memory of Oriana Falacci [43 words]dhimmi no moreSep 17, 2006 16:2456248
A great woman with a clear eye - she will be missed [22 words]SullySep 17, 2006 11:3956244
If only Oriana had lived to see... [485 words]HomefrontSep 17, 2006 09:5056240
To O Fallaci, standing for her, standing for the freedom of thinking [144 words]Ram ZenitSep 17, 2006 09:4956239
Goodbye to a heroine [33 words]Maryallene OtisSep 17, 2006 09:3356237
Oriana Fallaci [66 words]Johanna StephensSep 17, 2006 09:2256236
We'll miss her [102 words]Allan GrantSep 17, 2006 09:0256232
I'll miss her. [296 words]concernedSep 17, 2006 08:2856228
Addio Oriana [220 words]ItalianSep 17, 2006 07:4056225
1adieu orianna [59 words]eric mayFeb 2, 2007 16:2856225
1In Memoriam [49 words]Rolfur JoSep 17, 2006 06:3356220
2Falacci's November 2005 address [350 words]yonatan silvermanSep 17, 2006 03:1456210
Dear Oriana [9 words]Nemes MáriaSep 17, 2006 02:1656208
2To Dr Pipes [12 words]alanSep 17, 2006 14:3356208
Courageous Oriana [27 words]Madeleine BeckeSep 19, 2006 15:5556208
Beautiful Oriana [53 words]BarbaraAug 23, 2007 20:3756208

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