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There’s No Excuse
8 February 2016
DENIAL: Don't tell me, I don't want to know!
"There's no excuse" is the title for Raymond Ibrahim's classic exposé below,
except there may be an excuse for only four Spim bulletins during our six months of
overseas ministry circuit, followed in December by major surgery. Much prayer was
answered, but it's a bit hard to put bulletins together on the run, and even harder from an
operating table under anethesia!
But we're back for 2016. And who, pray tell, is Raymond Ibrahim? Most of you might
note that his surname is Arabic for Abraham, and indeed his heritage is Coptic Christian
from Egypt. He was born, however, in the US of Coptic immigrant parents. Fluent in
Arabic and English, Ibrahim studied at Cal State University, where he wrote his Master's
thesis on an early military encounter between Islam and Byzantium, based on
medieval Arabic and Greek texts. He also took graduate courses at Georgetown University's
Center for Contemporary Arab Studies and is studying toward a PhD in Medieval Islamic
history, as well as being the associate director of the Middle East Forum.
Ibrahim's study expanded from history and theology to politics, current events, Islamist
organizations and monitoring Al-Jazeera, noting a parallel between words and goals of 7th
Century mujahidin jihadists whom he studied, and that of 21st century Islamic
radicals. He maintains that to truly grasp contemporary Islam and Islamism, one
must first understand early Islamic history and doctrine.
His early Middle East ethnicity plants him firmly into the advantage of fully comprehending
aMiddle East mindset without the added consequence of an inherent subjective fear of a
totalitarian system of violence.
Whereas I have been filling overflowing files for future SPIM Bulletins, my frustration is
that after 7 months, potential features have either fallen from focus or else followed up by
Middle East authors who have already done a far more thorough job than I might have
done.
Such are the writings of Ibrahim, who knows like the back of his hand the Middle East in
general, and the inclinations of Islam in particular. So here is his no-nonsense contribution
to Front Page Magazine on 30 January 2016. And I might add to this intro--unlike
most big media manipulation merchants--Raymond recognizes the credibility of
Israel as the only true democracy in the Middle East. And above all, he also tells the
truth. Here is the full story:
"No Excuse for American Ignorance on Islam"
"When it comes to the connection between Islam and "anti-infidel" violence, one
fact must be embraced: the majority of those in positions of leadership and
authority in America are either liars or fools, or both. No other alternatives
exist.
The reason for this uncharitable assertion is simple: If Islam was once a faraway, exotic
religion, today we hear calls for, and see acts of, violence committed in the
name of Islam every day. And if our leaders don't, many of us still have "ears
that hear and eyes that see" (Prov 20:12).
It's no secret: Muslims from all around the world and from all walks of life—not just
"terrorists" or "ISIS"—unequivocally and unapologetically proclaim that Islam
commands them to hate, subjugate, and kill all who resist it, including all nonMuslims.
This is the official position of several Muslim governments, including America's
closest "friends and allies," like Saudi Arabia and Qatar; it's the official position of
Islamic institutions of lower and higher learning, including Al Azhar, the world's most
prestigious Islamic university; andit's the official position broadcast in numerous
languages on Islamic satellite stations.
There's little excuse today for ignor-ance about Islam in America. especially
for those in positions of leadership or authority. Yet it is precisely they who
vehemently deny any connection between Islam and violence. Why?
The most recent example took place on Jan 7. Edward Archer, a convert to Islam,
shot and wounded Philadelphia police officer Jesse Hartnett. He later
explained his motive: "I follow Allah. I pledge my allegiance to the Islamic
state. That is why I did what I did."
Yet after showing a surveillance video of Archer in Islamic dress shooting at
Hartnett, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney emphatically declared:
"In no way shape or form does anyone in this room believe that Islam or the
teaching of Islam has anything to do with what you've seen on the screen...it is
abhorrent. It is terrible and does not represent the religion or any of its teachings. This is a
criminal with a stolen gun who tried to kill one of our officers. It has nothing to do
with being a Muslim or following the Islamic faith.
Kenney's assertions are either the product of an addled brain or calculated
lies. Take your pick, but there are no other alternatives.
If those running the show still don't "get it," the overwhelming majority of Americans have
by now learned, in Donald Trump's words, that "there's something going on" with
Islam: "You see the hatred. I mean, we see it every day."
"We see it every day" is absolutely correct—hence why those who deny it must either be liars
or fools. See "Muslim Persecution of Chris-tians," reports that I've been compiling
every month since July 2011, and witness the nonstop violence and carnage committed
against non-Muslim minorities living under Islam.) Disagree? See Endnotes at the
end of the article.
Still, Kenney's falsehoods and/or foolishness are mainstream. Most politicians—practically
every Democrat but also a majority of Republicans—makes the same claims, beginning with
U.S. President Obama who insists that the Islamic State "is not Islamic," calls for the
"rejection by non-Muslims of the ignorance that equates Islam with terror," and classified
the Fort Hood massacre as "workplace violence," despite the overwhelming evidence
that it was jihad.
More recently, democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton admonished us to get
aboard the wishful thinking bandwagon: "Muslims are peaceful and tolerant people
and have nothing whatsoever to do with terrorism." Republican leaders like John
McCain gush about how "unequivocally, without a doubt, the religion of Islam is an
honorable and reasonable religion. ISIS has nothing to do with the reality of Islam."
"Conservative" talking heads like Bill O'Reilleyflippantly dismiss jihad as "a perversion
of Islam, we all know that." [Do we?]
And so it goes. In the context of the most recent violence and slaughter of Americans at the
hands of Muslims—one last December and one last November, both in California—the
usual chorus of politicians, media, and others made the same tired claims.
Despite the evidence that the Muslim couple that massacred 14 people in San Bernardino
was motivated by Islamic teachings of jihad against the hated "infidel," Obama claimed
"We do not know their motivations." Chris Hayes and MSNBC were also “baffled”
in searching for a motive. [Amazing:See Endnotes]
To be politically correct when the tentacles of the global jihad are becoming
entrenched in America is suicidal
Despite the many indicators that the Muslim student who went on a stabbing spree in
U.C. Merced was motivated by Islam—he was described as a "devout Muslim," had an ISIS
flag, and praised Allah in his manifesto—"local and federal authorities continue to
insist that Faisal Mohammad, 18, carried out the vicious attack because he'd been banished
from a study group."[Brilliant strategists, not? !!]
In response, the father of Byron Price, who was stabbed while defending some Merced
victims, observed that, "Everyone is afraid to be politically incorrect... it seems
like to me we aren't getting the whole story. I just wonder how much of this is
driven from way higher up and is politically driven — I just don't know."
It was one thing for America to be politically correct when it existed in a utopian
bubble away from all the nastiness "over there." But to be politically correct at this
late hour when the tentacles of the global jihad are well entrenched in America is suicidal,
literally.
Either way, "political correctness" is a convoluted euphemism that simply
means "lying"—bringing us right back to our question and a final
observation: It doesn't matter if those running the show are liars or fools, for
at day's end, the result is the same: the world's strongest nation lays
paralyzed before an existential threat that grows fiercer by the day."
Raymond Ibrahim--Ibrahim is a Judith Friedman Rosen fellow at the Middle
East Forum and a Shillman fellow at David Horowitz Freedom Center. First
published on Jan 15 under the title "Liars or Fools: Which Govern America?"
May we wind this up with a few Endnotes from SPIM: Ibrahim has given us
anything but Islamophobia. Philosopher George Santana nails it best with, "Those who do
not remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
Biblical prophesy says it even more clearly to run-away Hagar long before any
concept of Islam was ever conceived:"The angel of the Lord also said to her: You
are now pregnant and you will give birth to a son. You shall name him
Ishmael, for the Lord has heard of your misery. He will be a wild donkey of a
man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and
he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.” Gen 16:11-12. That's prophesy
and currently history, but hardly hate speech!
In my book, "Nineveh: a Parody of the Present", on Pages 95-97 I quote Dr. Peter
Hammond from his own publication, "Slavery, Terrorism and Islam", where he
statistically charts changes across any given community by the percent of Islam within the
society. That Muslim family across the street can be the finest neighbors one could ever ask
for. Yet from that sole ideal family inching upward to 10% Islam statistically creates
totalitarian demands including Sharia Law and medieval take-over well past a point of no
return. Mark Twain unlocked the human psyche for that mental morass: "It is easier to fool
someone than to convince the person that he has been fooled!"
And finally from the Quran itself we can find multiple references that demand the
radical Islam of today's jihadist standards--kill the infidels, strike off their heads.
And if you can't read Arabic, there are many people who can, to take you to the Quranic
demands to wipe out all non-conformist infidels.
A possibly unwitting "Watchman" (Eze 33:1-20) Raymond Ibrahim has done his duty
to warn humanity "when he sees the sword coming over the land." May God bless
the messenger!
Blessings and Shalom,
Victor Schlatter
South Pacific Island Ministries
http://www.spim.org.au