February 19, 2008

Ex-Radical: How to Force Islamic Organizations to Reveal Whether they are Truly Moderate

Dr. Tawfik Hamid addresses an audience at Pepperdine University

Last week at Pepperdine University, a panel event was held to focus on the work Dr. Tawfik Hamid. Panelists included  Frank Gaffney, former Deputy Asst. Secretary of Defense for Nuclear Forces and Arms Control Policy; Robert G. Kaufman, Professor of Foreign Policy, Pepperdine University and former instructor at the Naval War College; and Larry Greenfield, a former Naval Intelligence serviceperson and now California Director of the Republican Jewish Coalition.

Hamid grew up in Cairo. He reports from his own personal experience how he, as a child, was radicalized - how, in his own words:

The love in my heart had changed into hatred. Not because of American foreign policy. It is because of the teaching that they gave me when I was child.

Dr. Hamid has written an article detailing the astonishing way in which this is done to many Islamic children, as he personally experienced it:

When I was nine years old, I learned the following Quranic verse during one of our Arabic lessons:

But do not think of those that have been slain in God's cause as dead. Nay, they are alive! With their Sustainer have they their sustenance. They are very happy with the reward they received from Allah (for dying as a shaheed) and they rejoice for the sake of those who have not joined them (i.e., have not yet died for Allah). (Quran 3:169-70)¹

It was the first time I was exposed to the concept of shaheed (martyr), and naturally, I began to dream of becoming one. The thought of entering paradise very much appealed to me. There I could eat all the lollypops and chocolates I wanted, or play all day without anyone telling me to study. What made the concept of shaheed even more attractive was its power to quell the fear I experienced as a young boy-for we were taught that if we were not good Muslims (especially if we did not pray five times per day), a "bald snake" would attack us in the grave. The idea of dying as a martyr provided a perfect escape from the frightening anguish of eternal punishment. Dying as a shaheed, in fact, was the only deed that fully guaranteed paradise after death.

One of the most significant parts of Dr. Hamid's talk at Pepperdine, discussed a methodology for forcing a determination as to whether Islamic organizations are truly moderate. Transcribed from an audio recording:

I will start my talk tonight, by setting definitions. I feel that talking about radical and moderate Islam without defining, what do we mean, by the word "radical" - what do we mean by the word "moderate" Muslims - can end into just discussions followed by discussions that again end in nothing. We have to set definitions. What do we mean by "moderate" Muslim? I can put it in these alphabets - A B C D E F G.

A - Killing the Apostate. I don't think that anyone who believes that an apostate or a converter from Islam to Christianity should be killed, could be considered moderate. (laughter)

B - Beating women. The same applies, to beating women.

C - Calling Jews "pigs and monkeys."

D - Declaring wars against non-Muslims to spread Islam.

E - Enslavement of female war prisoners, and raping them, as what is happening in Darfur now.

F - Fighting Jews before end days, and killing all of them, which is _the_ main cause of problems in the Middle East now. It is this belief that Muslims have to kill all Jews.

G - Is killing girls.

So, when someone believes in such beliefs, we should not consider them moderate. If an organization here in America cannot stand clearly, and unambiguously, against such barbaric values, then there is something wrong in this organization. So I truly believe that we in the free world, should insist that the organizations that declare that they are moderates, to prove these words, by standing clearly against these violent edicts of Sharia law. (APPLAUSE).

This is an actionable methodology. We should demand that Islamic organizations such as CAIR, MPAC, etc., should stand, in Dr. Hamid's words, "clearly, and unambiguously, against such barbaric values." If they refuse, then their claims of being "moderate" organizations, are a sham, and will be exposed as such.