How Would You Respond?
Sunday
WHEN YOU SHARE what you know about Islam, you will get plenty of flak. One of our readers shared David Wood's video and got this response:
1. The Mosque is not planned to be built actually at ground zero, but several blocks away.
2. A fifth of the world's population consider Islam their ethical tradition.
3. About twenty-five Muslims were also killed in the Trade Center attacks.
4. Hating everything Muslim will not make the world a more peaceful place.
5. To vilify an entire group of people based on the actions of a minority of them does not serve any of us.
I don't know about you, but I agree with every one of those statements. But I do not agree with the implications of the statements in this context. I do not agree that the truth of these statements means that videos such as David's should not be shared. I do not agree that we should allow that mosque to be built. And I do not agree that we should stop trying to help non-Muslims become aware of the terrifying brilliance of Islam.
This is a good opportunity to practice. If you shared David Wood's video and got a response like the one above, how would you answer it?
It's a good idea to practice because when someone says things like that to you in person, you have a prime opportunity to make a good point, but if your heart starts pumping and you are unprepared, it's difficult to articulate a persuasive response. Anyone listening to your conversation would probably sum it up in their mind like this: Fair Muslim Defender - 1, Video Sharer - 0.
So let's practice. Let's get good at this. Share your response in the comments below. Or send it to me and I'll share it anonymously for you. And subscribe to the comments to see if someone posts ways of responding you hadn't thought of. Let's learn from each other.
If you have already had plenty of practice and can easily answer such a response, share your competence with the rest of us, please. Give us your best answer.
15 comments:
I think I might answer like this:
One of the points David Wood is making is that although only a minority of Muslims are actively trying to follow the Qur'an and take over the world, many more Muslims (perhaps a majority) secretly support the idea, and if they had larger numbers, they would openly support it.
I think it's important for non-Muslims to know that Islam has not been hijacked, that Muslims have an obligation to deceive non-Muslims if it helps promote Islam, and that striving to institute worldwide Sharia law is a religious duty for Muslims. (Read more about this approach at The Least You Need to Know.)
I think all non-Muslims should read the Qur'an. Have you read it yet? No? I have. And I found a version that's pretty easy to read...(read more about this approach at Push Them to Read the Qur'an).
I shared it here.
http://www.sodahead.com/united-states/of-mosques-and-men-reflections-on-the-ground-zero-mosque/blog-348033/?page=1&new=1&scroll=1#post_8511385
I'm getting better responses than I would have a year ago. A year ago I was just about the only person on that site who was working toward waking people up. It was so stressful I had to leave and take a break for a few months.
Now I'm getting the old "your a hater" from a Christian. And to be honest, I don't know what to say. Some people just refuse to see the forest through the trees. Including my oldest brother who spent 30 years in the Navy defending our country. Part of which he was a Master Chief, yet he didn't and doesn't know our enemy. He refuses to listen to me. I think in his eyes I'm just an "uneducated" little sister who doesn't know anything.
SuitsMe:
About the "hater" accusation, I try to make it clear I am criticizing the core teachings of Islam — the doctrine, not the people. Some follow the commands in the Qur'an and some do not.
And I would argue the point that non-Muslims need to become aware of what's in the Qur'an because a lot of it is about how Muslims should treat non-Muslims.
I have two Muslim friends. I don't hate them at all. I like them. But they are Muslim in name only. They follow none of the teachings I criticize. As a matter of fact, we agree on which teachings are abhorrent.
If they lived in a strict Muslim country, they would be jailed or killed as apostates. But they can get away with it here in the U.S. at the moment.
Anyway, in answering the "hater" charge, I would make it clear you are criticizing the doctrine, and avoid overgeneralizing to "all Muslims."
Someone just wrote in this possible response:
I BELIEVE IN OUR CONSTITUTION, AND THINK OF EQUALITY FOR ALL.
FROM WHAT I KNOW OF MUSLIM TEACHINGS AND THEIR CULTURE THEY BELIEVE THAT ALL NON-MUSLIMS SHOULD EITHER CONVERT OR DIE.
THIS FLIES IN THE FACE OF OUR TRADITIONAL CHRISTIAN TEACHINGS & BELIEFS, THOSE OUR COUNTRY WAS FOUNDED ON NOT THOSE OF MOHAMMED.
OUR FOUNDING FATHERS WERE NOT FROM THE TEACHINGS OF MOHAMMED, MAYBE THAT IS WHY WE ARE THE STRONGEST AND MOST ADVANCED CIVILIZATION ON THE PLANET, NOT STILL LIVING IN THE 12th CENTURY.
A man sent me some great responses, but the whole thing was too long to fit into a comment, so I posted it on my blog, Defeat the Third Jihad.
Check it out: Responses to Flak
Great post :)
I try to answer like this:
Islam is an ideology - all faiths are ideologies. It is every person's right to critique ANY ideology that discriminates against non members/women. Doesn't matter if that ideology happens to be Islam or Communism or Nazism.
I also always ask the person denying that Islam is inherently racist:
If there is no problem with Islam then WHY do the most terrible atrocities happen IN Islamic countries???
Why do non Muslims only have the status of dhimmis?
Why are women in Saudi Arabia banned from driving or leaving their homes without a male chaperone? Why do rape victims get PUNISHED?
Someone just left a comment on Answers to Objections When You Talk About Islamic Supremacism and I thought it was a good answer for this discussion too. Check it out:
"You can point out that there is not a single mosque in the world where men and women are allowed to sit together. Out of more than a billion people, not one! Women always, everywhere have to go to the back of the bus.
"This, along with opinion polls, shows the general fundamentalist nature of Islam, i.e. there is no such thing as 'moderate islam.'
"This is especially important to point out when talking to women. Play on the mistreatment of women under Islamic rule and point out the repeated attempts to bring Sharia here to the West, that you are concerned about fighting for women's rights against that encroachment. Then the question becomes but how to fight? What are you talking about? And the answer should be: First understand that the problem is Islam because it is not a religion but a political party that is anti-women.
"The objective of the conversation is not to propose a global solution but just to get the person to see Islam as a whole as a political movement that is anti-women (Sharia) and encroaching. Tell them, 'We have to say no to any hint of Sharia don't we?' They will agree.
"The key is to make them aware that Islam has a political agenda, to get them to stop seeing it in terms of religion and culture and to view it as a political party. Tell them, 'Islam is a political party. No other religion wants to impose Sharia. Islam is a political party — that's the key light bulb moment you want to impart."
Excellent!
Someone sent me this as a response:
There have been many protests against the proposed Mosque and Islamic Center at Ground Zero, whose proposed name is Cordoba House, a name which glorifies Islamic Imperialism in Spain.
The protests are spearheaded by the organization SIOA, Stop Islamization of America, with the web site http://sioaonline.com. SIOA claims that Cordoba House will glorify the Islamic doctrine of Jihad that led to the tragedy of 9/11. Supporters of Cordoba House assert that Cordoba House will be a testament to American religious tolerance.
In traditional Islam, religion (din) and politics (Sharia or Islamic Law which mandates subjugation, oppression and exploitation of non-Muslims and Jihad or Holy War against non-Muslims) are inseparable. Hence the controversy.
A compromise seems to be to permit the building of a Rumi House, where only the Islamic spirituality of Rumi will be taught, and not traditional Islam, which includes Jihad and Sharia.
Americans should say yes to Rumi House, and no to Cordoba House.
It is good that this website has brought up this issue. I my self faced this kind of situation from infidels in many forums. Some supported me and some ridiculed me. I was never harsh against the one who ridicule me for I know if I am they will develop aversion to reading and knowing about Islam thinking I am the aggressive idiot. This is a important consideration.
Regarding the questions put up in the post, I answered some of them like this:
It is true that 20% population follow Islam but what about rest, 80% of humanity. Considering the fact that I already put up what Koran says about Non Muslims, I strongly urge them to read Koran in person and then speak. Does Islam respect them and their beliefs? The truth is Islam conceals its political ideology in the guise of a religion, thus making it harder for people to understand and criticize. It produces its own stories on every religion esp. like Christianity and Judaism, which actually amount to blasphemy and insult. But one can not do any thing because it is a part of their religion. I can not understand how Muslims should be given any benefit of doubt when their doctrines are very clear.
Only few people follow extremism: But the fact is the guy having a knowledge of Islam immediately knows these extremists are following the teachings of Islam. It may be few people or many people , but the fact is that ideology of Islam remains the same. You do not need all the people to participate in the movement. The best example is Nazism. Then it is more about what Koran and Sunna say rather than issue of minority and majority. An ideology that can not be changed always produces the extremists (in their vocabulary, not mine) in one way or other. It is like a tree and extremists are like fruits. What is wrong from our perspective is a divine act of Jihad in their view. You need to go out side the box in understanding Islam. It is not like Koran simply says wage war in one sentence. For most people this looks like illogical so they have difficulties in believing what we say. But Islam constructs the logic very logically . Yes Islam is very logical. One needs to understand this. It assumes the complete truth to itself and there are many verses in support of this like 3:85, 2:256 (yes, even this), 3:10, 3:15, 51:56,4:48 (4:116), 9:33, 61:09, 48:28. I quote these.
I will write the remaining answers later. I have to go now.
With regard to one of the suggestions offered:
I don't think it's helpful, ever, to compare Islam to 'bacteria' or a 'virus'...
This just makes the person critiquing Islam come over as racist - even though they're not.
The key point, as has been noted, is to convey that Islam is above all *POLITICAL*, in a way that no other faith on the planet is.
I recommend the articles by Raymond Ibrahim, also.
Here's another possible response someone just emailed to us:
"Oh, I take it you have never read the three 'holy books of Islam'? If you had, you would know that it is all about ideology against the infidels, that's you and me, and against women, that's half the population of the earth,all of us consigned to hell, while the world is meant to be dominated by Arab Muslims, the world's finest people as so-called by the prophet. Tell me, do you regard Arab Muslims as the world's finest people for the many achievements in today's world? Can you name even one?"
Islam is to follow Mohammad. Mohammad raped, and murdered most of his adult life. Plus, Allah is one of 360 gods at the Kabba. Mohammad made him the only one to worship. Allah Akbar! Allah is greater than all others.
Allah loves a good honor murder, and wnats those infidels to pay a tax.
Mohammad, and those who follow him are the true Muslims. Everyone elce are Apostates, and infidels.
To the Jew: Islam is not a race, Therefore, those who write rude statements about Islam like it is a cancer, are not racist. Their using their freedom of speech.
Someone sent us a response to the 11:56 AM comment above via email. Here is what he said:
Islam is not political, it is totalitarian. It describes itself as a deen: way of life.
Islam can accurately be described as violent, aggressive, deceptive, misogynistic, intolerant, absolutist, literalistic, supremacist and superstitious.
Try to find a convergence between your own attitude & factual ammunition and your interlocutor's center of interest, then exploit it.
The pitfall: "if only." Never allow your argument to center on one relatively inconsequential issue. Removing the element of mysoginy would not be sufficient to render Islam tolerable.
Descented skunks can still spread garbage and rabies.
Here's another possible response we received via email:
MY RESPONSE TO THIS THREAT: IT'S AGAINST ALL WE BELIEVE ESPECIALLY "WOMEN RIGHTS." WHERE ARE ALL THE WOMEN'S GROUPS ON THIS ISSUE???? ARE THEY TOO BUSY INDOCTRINATING OUR YOUNG GIRLS IN SCHOOLS ABOUT HAVING SEX AND ABORTIONS???? HOW ABOUT GETTING BEHIND "SARAH" AND EMULATING HER PRINCIPLES...
Great answers! I love this idea of yours to get others to answer. Some great thoughts are being posted. And the person in the 3:25 PM post is no "guy in the diner" after being forced to leave his motherland because of Islamic encroachment.
This part really got to me. I think it was really well said:
Extremists do their deeds killing and obliterating non-Muslims and then the moderates come to pacify us that they are one of us and not part of the Extremists.
I predict this collection of responses will grow and serve our cause well. It has already gotten me better able to understand and express myself.
This is exciting! People sharing good ways to share the truth about this Jihad. What a great idea. Citizen Warrior ROCKS!
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