Gratitude
Reader comment on item: Where's the Muslim Debate?

Submitted by Bill Bonnesar (United States), May 24, 2003 at 13:55

Sir,

I want to thank you for this excellent well thought out article. My personal feelings why Muslims do not more openly speak what is on their mind and heart , is as follows:

Within the Structure of the Koran and Hadiths, and their interpretations, there does not leave within the context of this particular religion, much room for the freedom of expression of speech, due to the fact, that, the religion has a built in Silencer, if you are interpreted of disagreement, with the standing purist interpretation, it may very well cost one their Life, or their family. And the perpetrators would feel that they were cleansing their Religion from impurity by your Removal from the Presence of this life.

Like their relatives from Father Abraham, the Arabic decendants have a keen mind and a lot to offer the world in forms of useful contributions to mankind, they have done this in the past, and they could do it in the future. They need to be able to Express themselves in the Market Place of Ideas, and to do this, they Must, as Daniel Pipes does so courageously, Speak out, but as an Organized and well planned Group, to Protect themselves from their own fellow Muslims who would try to silence them on an individual basis....

William James Bonnesar Shalom, Salam

---

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened for relevance, substance, and tone, and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome, but comments are rejected if scurrilous, off-topic, vulgar, ad hominem, or otherwise viewed as inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the Guidelines for Comments. For informational purposes, we identify countries from which comments are sent.