Posted by
Lalackski on Tuesday, September 19, 2006 1:23:39 PM
For any member of the civilized world to accept or make room for the pitiful statements of Moslems that excuse or defend the violence resulting from the Pope's statements in any manner, is no different than what happens when healthy family members make excuses for the ill behavior of an alcoholic or drug addicted family member. The McNeil Lehrer News Hour featured an interview of two experts on the topic of the Pope's recent statements that are causing such an uproar. The remarks of Nihad Awad of the Council on American-Islamic Relations were classic examples of an enabler (one who enables an alcoholic to continue his or her destructive behavior by making and accepting excuses for the alcoholic's actions). Just as in desperate situations a family "intervention" is called for in order to force the alcoholic to confront his or her own illness, this is exactly what is needed in the Islamic world today. As long as Islamic family members continue to excuse violence in any manner by shifting blame for it to others, the violence will indeed continue. Mr. Awad shifted the blame when he stated the, "The Vatican in the recent past used to have first-class Islamic scholars, who are Christians, on Islam, including Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, who was removed from his post and assigned to Egypt. Therefore, the Vatican is missing serious scholarship on Islam and, therefore, advice on how to approach Islam and Muslims based on knowledge, but not on historic stereotypes,Well, I think the reaction can be divided in three parts. Number one, you can understand that the Muslim sensitivities around the world in the post-9/11 world, where the cartoons took place defaming Prophet Muhammad and the desecration of the Koran, Muslims feel under siege, that their faith has been defamed and smeared by sometimes learned people, even President Bush when he equated Islam with fascism. He did not use that term in many of his speeches," and that there are "extremists on both sides". This is nothing less than outrageous excuse making. They always have an excuse. The problem is never themselves, just like an alcoholic. They believe others are persecuting them when the problem lies within themselves. The excuses are simply ways of not having to confront the real problems within themselves. Mr. Awad goes on to tell viewers what we have been told time and time again: that Jihad does not mean "holy war" and "there is no compulsion in religion". Do not try to convince other healthy members of the human race that what is evident in all the world is not really so. It would be much more profitable if Mr. Awad could convince the millions of violent Moslems throughout the world that it was so. But the problem is that those who are committing the violence are not listening and cannot hear a rational statement because of their love of power that terrorism grants. Mr. Awad and the terrorists actually share a common desire for Islam to rule the world. It is only the ways and means that the claim to disagree upon. Perhaps that is why Mr. Awad does not work too hard to stop the terrorists but rather spends his time trying to convince others that the problem lies in our own "understanding" of Muslim sensibilities. It is time for a crises intervention of the healthy family members to confront the unhealthy ones and stop being enablers. And it is even time for journalists like Gwen Ifill to stop being enablers by asking questions that allow blame to be shifted, like the question she posed, " Well, let's assume that both Catholics and Islamists all believe that there is a right way here. Was this the right way for the pope to bring this subject up, at a time when tensions are so inflamed in Muslim communities around the world? Just like a dysfunctional family that blames themselves for upsetting the alcoholic and therefore causing him or her to get drunk, journalists need to stop and develop some backbone that will allow them to see the truth rather than close their eyes to it. Closing your eyes to the truth is not the definition of intelligence nor progressive thinking. The entire interview can be read at:http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/religion/july-dec06/islam_09-18.html