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Rumors Of Conspiratorial Underground Movements Are Usually Bull$*#&

May 2nd, 2008
By JEB KOOGLER

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I want to draw TMV readers’ attention to the article earlier this week in the NYT about Debbie Almontaser. An Arab-American woman, she started a school in Brooklyn last fall known as the Khalil Gibran International Academy. The goal was to bring young people of Arab descent together with those of other ethnicities in order to create a cadre of students who would become “ambassadors of peace and hope.”

But Almontaser was forced out, as a result of a chorus of concerned voices who think she is bent on the imposition of Islamic law, the spread of radicalism, or the promotion of terrorism. As the article notes, “despite Ms. Almontaser’s longstanding reputation as a Muslim moderate, her critics quickly succeeded in recasting her image.” At the front of this campaign is the radical conservative Daniel Pipes, who has worked to paint Almontaser’s school as a danger to this country’s very foundation. The NYT article provides the following context:

In the aftermath of Sept. 11, critics of radical Islam focused largely on terrorism, scrutinizing Muslim-American charities or asserting links between Muslim organizations and violent groups like Hamas. But as the authorities have stepped up the war on terror, those critics have shifted their gaze to a new frontier, what they describe as law-abiding Muslim-Americans who are imposing their religious values in the public domain.

Mr. Pipes and others reel off a list of examples: Muslim cabdrivers in Minneapolis who have refused to take passengers carrying liquor; municipal pools and a gym at Harvard that have adopted female-only hours to accommodate Muslim women; candidates for office who are suspected of supporting political Islam; and banks that are offering financial products compliant with sharia, the Islamic code of law. The danger, Mr. Pipes says, is that the United States stands to become another England or France, a place where Muslims are balkanized and ultimately threaten to impose sharia.

Heh, those female-only pool times are making you nervous, aren’t they? Not to mention those Muslim-catering banks. Islamic law here we come! Matt Eckel, writing at his excellent blog Rational International (definitely worth bookmarking), argues that such fearmongering is is badly misplaced and that it misses the broader point.

…to act as though minor accommodations to a few Islamic cultural practices represent the first step toward imposing sharia law in the United States is simply absurd… A good rule of thumb to keep in mind when talking about American politics - one that goes all the way back to the Alien and Sedition Acts - is that whenever someone starts talking about vague, underground, conspiratorial movements to radically alter the face of American society, it’s probably bull$@#!. The fact that a few cabbies won’t give you a ride because you’re carrying booze, or that a few colleges have put foot sinks in their bathrooms so that Muslim students can wash their feet before prayer without breaking their necks, or that for a few hours a week some pools are restricted to women, isn’t a sign of some nefarious plot to islamicize American society. It’s a sign that institutions are making some reasonable accommodations to the cultural practices of the people around them. It’s the very definition of an appropriate, balanced, liberal response to cultural difference. Last time I checked, after all, Christmas was still a Federal holiday. I doubt we’ll hear Mr. Pipes complaining about that any time soon.

What he said.



This entry was posted on Friday, May 2nd, 2008 at 4:52 pm and is filed under Moderate Muslims, Children, Muslims, Islam, Education. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Viewing 10 Comments

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    Considering that are no examples of muslims giving accommodations to non-muslims, they why should anyone accomodate them. An essay written by an American who had lived in Saudi Arabia makes the point that Muslims never see or treat non-muslims as equals. When will people in America see that accomodating muslims is a sign of weakness to muslims and just encourages them to make the next demand for the next accomodation. If you say that will never happen then please give an example of accommodation that should never be given.

    I also find it odd that when cabbies are fired to not picking up blacks that it would be appropriate for muslims to deny service. Are they not a public accommodation?
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    "whenever someone starts talking about vague, underground, conspiratorial movements to radically alter the face of American society, it’s probably bull$@#!."

    Thats just what THEY want you to think.
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    SuperD, while it may be true Muslim nations don't make exceptions for others as a general rule, its also true that they are dicks. Lets not model ourselves after them and their intolerant ways. The whole point of holding our selves to a higher standard is to in fact hold ourselves to a higher standard.
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    We seem to need a sacrificial lamb on a regular basis in order to feel; good about ourselves.
    If the lamb complains, we are outraged at its lack of patriotism.
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    I wonder why Pipes doesn't rant about beth din and the controversy over intermarriage? Pipes cannot marry Almontaser, so who's the immoderate...
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    Slamfu,

    Just remember that being nice to muslims gets you nothing in return. That will not reasonably accomoate others religions and they will keep demanding more "reasonable" accomodations. I surprised that Pipes did not mention that in London, muslims have demanded that pubs close to mosques be closed down even though the pubs were there 100's of years before the mosques.
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    "...being nice to muslims gets you nothing "

    Wow, that's a peculiar position for a 'Christian nation' to take.
    Being nice is okay only if it gets you something?

    Which part of the Bible does that come from?
    So much for our pride in being a religious nation.
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    "Heh, those female-only pool times are making you nervous, aren’t they?"

    1. Ask women here what they think about being forced to wear the abaya and become Black Moving Objects (BMOs) even when the temperature exceeds 130 degrees F.

    2. Multiculturalism uber alles, eh? Or just when the PC "non-dominant" [rolling eyes] groups demand exclusion? Why can't we help them separate if that's what they'd prefer? Let's go back to black-white "separate but equal," or at least "separate," then. How about separate white and black pool hours? Or because (as has been in the news recently), fewer blacks than whites know how to swim, just ban blacks for their own safety, don't you know?
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    Being criticized for wearing the abaya is more likely to result in many Muslim women preferring to wear it. Women and men like the idea of choice, not force, and it works both ways, for or against something.

    Counterproductive is counterproducitve..
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    I guess it's worth noting that 70% of Arabs in the United States are Christian. So yeah, making accommodations for a minority religious belief is idiotic. Muslims have every right to practice their faith, but should not expect society to change for their personal beliefs. Jewish people can't even get Hanukkah off from school and work! Why should Muslims be any different?

    "Ask women here what they think about being forced to wear the abaya and become Black Moving Objects (BMOs) even when the temperature exceeds 130 degrees F."

    My sister is self-conscious about her body. Therefore, she goes to a public swimming lake which is populated by Arab girls who swim in full garb. It gives her an excuse to wear a shirt and shorts into the water!

    "Just remember that being nice to muslims gets you nothing in return."

    You need to meet my Muslim brother-in-law. He celebrates all the major holidays with us (Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, etc.) and lets his kids into the celebration too, even though they are being raised Muslim. He had claimed a great love for our family (we are the only family he has) and has said he would "die for us." How many Christians would do that for their Muslim family members? How many Christians have such a love for their Muslim counterparts? Maybe you should stop judging an entire group of people based on a few radical individuals. Most Muslims live in the United States for economic and social freedom.