Stuck On Step One: The Re-education of Syed Soharwardy

MOST UPPERESTDATE: Maybe Soharwardy was at this event.

OIC hosts symposium in Toronto

You just know that if Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan was there, it had to be a Jewish and Christian love fest.

And by the way, can someone explain to me why The Republic of Guyana and The Republic of Surinam are members of The Organization of the Islamic Conference?
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UPPERESTDATE: Well, maybe not. Look at what Ezra Levant has to say about him. He should know. Soharwardy is just too sleazy. I don't trust him.
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UPPERDATE: I'm beginning to warm up to this guy. Ron Breakenridge interviewed him. Listen to the interview here.
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UPDATE: Full text of the fatwa is here. h/t David Horowitz's Newsreal
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They say every journey begins with a single step. Of course, to be a journey untold numbers of successive steps must follow. It is with that in mind that I must say I am not extremely impressed - yet - with this news item:

Attack on Canada, US is attack on Muslims: imams

"A group of Canadian and U.S. Islamic leaders on Friday issued a fatwa, or religious edict, declaring that an attack by extremists on the two countries would constitute an attack on the 10 million Muslims living in North America."

[---]

"The 20 imams associated with the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada said this marked the first fatwa by the Muslim clergy declaring attacks on Canada and the U.S. to be attacks on Muslims.

"In our view, these attacks are evil, and Islam requires Muslims to stand up against this evil," the imams said in their fatwa.

"These terrorist attacks and extremist attacks on Canadian or American soil is, in fact, attack on Muslims. Because we are part of this society. This is my home, and if anybody attacks on Canada, in fact, attacks on my home," said Syed Soharwardy of the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada, and an imam in Calgary.

The imams also said it is a duty of every Muslim in Canada and the U.S. to safeguard the two countries.

"They must expose any person, Muslim or non-Muslim, who would cause harm to fellow Canadians or Americans," they said.

"It is religious obligation upon Muslims, based upon the Qur'anic teachings, that we have to be loyal to the country where we live," said Soharwardy. "We have no problems in Canada; we can practise our religion freely.""

And just who is this Soharwardy? Is he the same one that brought the fangs of the Alberta Human Rights Commission down on Ezra Levant? Why yes, he is.

Perhaps Mr. Soharwardy has had an epiphany. Perhaps he hasn't. You will note from the second link, there is this little gem:

"Although, the tragedy of 9/11, the terrorism around the world, the Danish cartoons, the Islamophobe movies, the ban on hijab in France and the ban on mosque minarets in Switzerland have helped in increasing Islamophobia and hate towards Muslims but these tragedies have also increased curiosity about Islam in the minds of millions of non-Muslims. And when a curious non-Muslim meets with the true follower of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and learn Islam, this non-Muslim embraces Islam without any hesitation."

Mr. Soharwardy still doesn't seem to get it. If he had confined his plea to an elaboration of the first two items on his list - 9/11 and the Danish cartoons - perhaps I could believe in his epiphany. But no. He has to include a host of other events that in fact speak volumes about how the negative image of his faith arose.

What exactly is he referring to when he mentions the Danish cartoons, for example? Is he talking about the cartoons themselves and their creator or is he referring to the reaction throughout the Muslim world? That is a distinction that will make a huge difference in the effectiveness his argument.

The cartoons, after all, were drawn by a political cartoonist as a reflection on events that had already happened. The reaction in the Muslim world took place much later, after, in fact, the cartoons drawn by Kurt Westergaard and others, had been used by Islamists meeting in Cairo months later, to foment just such a reaction. Likewise, with the ban on hijab in France. It was a response to the growing influence of Islamofascism in Europe. The real problem arises from events like this and this and this. And that, my dear Mr. Soharwardy, is just from the past week and half. Regular readers of my blog know I could point to legions of other examples just in my blog's back pages.

No, it will take much more than a single fatwa by 20 men, Mr. Soharwardy. I cannot take your change of heart seriously until I hear from you and many more than 19 of your fellow imams that : a) you are naming the problem with precision, and it is not Western civilization; b) you are addressing your lectures at the those who have created the problem (see links in previous paragraph for examples) and c) you and your fellow imams have marshalled massive marches by your fellow Muslims which have only one purpose. And that purpose must be to send a clear and unmistakable message to those among your co-religionists that you will not stand by any longer while the havoc they create casts a dark and sinister shadow upon your faith.

If you are able to convince large numbers of people from Western societies to link arms with you, so much the better. But they had better include not only Europeans and their descendants, but people from all corners of the globe* who have experienced the bloody violence perpetrated by this so called "true Islam" and their numbers must dwarf in comparison to the numbers of Muslims linking arms with them.

I recognize that you changed direction after Ezra Levant exposed you. Perhaps you intend to continue on this journey, and if so, this is good. This is your problem, Mr. Soharwardy. You must own it and you must solve it. And as the saying goes, you have many miles to go. Only then will I be able to say you have truly travelling the journey that must be travelled.

*Annual Jihad Report 2009
Jihad attacks - 2117
Countries - 38
Religions - 5
Dead bodies - 9140
Critically injured - 18587