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Yesterday's LA TIMES home page showed an opinion piece titled "What Would Mohammad Do?" as one of the 3 most-emailed stories. The author, Jamil Momand, a Muslim who is a professor of biochemistry at Cal State Los Angeles, seems to be on the side of moderate Muslims:
ON FRIDAY, I sat on the carpet listening to the sermon at an L.A. mosque. The topic was expected and familiar: a denunciation of the publication of the offensive cartoons that have had the Muslim world up in arms. I directed my eyes to the carpet so no one could see the disgusted look on my face. "Not again," I thought. "Don't we Muslims ever get tired of complaining?"
The khateeb (the person delivering the sermon) stated that it was not right that Islam was the target of abuse. He said some will go out of their way to disrespect Islam. He said the Muslim community demands an apology, and (thankfully) he called on Muslims to be peaceful and forgiving.
But I found the conclusion of his article jarring:
Some Muslims may say that public opinion does not matter when it comes to Islam. Yet if one examines the life of the prophet Muhammad, one would conclude that he carefully considered public opinion. When he negotiated a treaty with Arabs who were at war with him, he did not insist that his title as "prophet" be placed in the document (this act horrified his companions, to the point where they thought it was sacrilege). Instead, he had his name written as simply Muhammad, the son of Abdulla. This placated his enemy and was essential to successfully concluding the treaty, which gave the Muslims an extended period of peace that allowed them to publicize Islam. In fact, the opportunity the treaty created may be responsible for Islam's existence.
"This placated his enemy and was essential to successfully concluding the treaty, which gave the Muslims an extended period of peace that allowed them to publicize Islam." That's the advice Momand is giving to fellow Muslims. It sounds very much as though he intends for the words, "the enemy", to refer to the free Western world; and as though he's advising fellow Muslims to "placate" us merely so that they can eventually triumph over us.
It doesn't sound like he's advising Muslims who live in the U.S. to assimilate into Western culture; rather, it sounds like he's advising the same policy of non-assimilation, that has led England, France, and much of Europe into the very dangerous situation they currently face.
