This African-American Muslim convert's remarks were made last year in response to the fracas over the "Ground Zero mosque," but they bear repeating, as this "loathsome term" continues to be used in the precise manner that he deplores. Here is what Abdur-Rahman Muhammad - a former imam of a mosque - says of the word "Islamophobia":
"This loathsome term is nothing more than a thought-terminating cliche conceived in the bowels of Muslim think tanks for the purpose of beating down critics."
He also says the question of whether or not America is "Islamophobic" is "deeply offensive," explaining that America has allowed Muslims to live freely.
"Whether or not Ground Zero mosque is built, U.S. Muslims have access to the American Dream":
Let us get one thing straight: Barring difficulties in fund-raising, the Park51 project, the so-called "Ground Zero mosque" will be built. Despite the fact that roughly 70% of the American people oppose it, U.S. laws ensure that not even the project's most bitter foes will be able to stop it.
That's the reason why the question of whether America is "Islamophobic" - now bandied about so casually, as though opposition to the mosque has revealed a nasty strain in the American psyche, akin to the terrible racism or anti-Semitism that once ran wild - is so deeply offensive. This loathsome term is nothing more than a thought-terminating cliche conceived in the bowels of Muslim think tanks for the purpose of beating down critics.
Muslims are everywhere in this country, doing practically everything. There are Muslim doctors, lawyers and businessmen - like Park51 developer Sharif El-Gamal, who went from waiting tables just a few years ago to being a multimillionaire. There are Muslim soldiers and CIA agents.
Could this be possible if America were Islamophobic?
Good question. Who exactly is "America?" America is made up of people from all over the world, including millions of Muslims - are they too "American Islamophobes?" Muhammad continues:
Muslims have approximately 2,000 mosques across America, of which many have adjoining schools. Muslim children often receive the most elite educations this country has to offer. (My thoughts here go to convicted terrorist supporter Sami Al-Arian. Al-Arian railed against America from a cushy teaching position in Florida; his daughter later earned a master's degree from Columbia, and his son is working toward a Ph.D. from Georgetown.
Surveys have shown that Muslims in this country are above average in both education and living standards. They are living the American Dream. Nothing and no one can (or should) legally bar them from what Abraham Lincoln called "the right to rise."
Given all this, how did the narrative of "oppression" and so called "Islamophobia" take root so strongly among American Muslims?
Muhammad then goes on to describe the large numbers of Muslim immigrants who began arriving in the U.S. in the 1960s and how they aligned with the Nation of Islam, founded by black Americans. He also discusses the rare episodes of true bigotry, and remarks:
But is there any consistent pattern of systemic discrimination akin to what other groups have seen at other periods in American history? Absolutely not.
Black Muslim leadership has foisted an ideology of victimization on immigrant Muslims, and it has stuck....
Concerning the use of the loathsome term "Islamophobia" to shut up critics of the Ground Zero mosque in specific, Muhammad asserts that it is "an attempt to conflate all opposition to this particular mosque with blanket hatred of the Muslim religion." He then concludes: "That's a devious tactic, and it must not succeed."
I agree, obviously, although there are sound, sane and scientific reasons to be critical of the Muslim religion, so even that sentiment is not "Islamophobic." But let us inspect what Muhammad contended in the first comment highlighted here: "This loathsome term is nothing more than a thought-terminating cliche conceived in the bowels of Muslim think tanks for the purpose of beating down critics." I concur wholeheartedly, as I have been saying precisely that for quite a while now. Indeed, I will add that its use represents the mark of a very poor intellect.
Where exactly did this loathsome term "Islamophobia" come from? In a speech at Capitol Hill in 2010, this "moderate Muslim" revealed more details of the word's creation:
In an effort to silence critics of political Islam, advocates needed to come up with terminology that would enable them to portray themselves as victims. Muhammad said he was present when his then-allies, meeting at the offices of the International Institute for Islamic Thought (IIIT) in Northern Virginia years ago, coined the term "Islamophobia."
Muhammad said the Islamists decided to emulate the homosexual activists who used the term "homophobia" to silence critics. He said the group meeting at IIIT saw "Islamophobia" as a way to "beat up their critics."
"...groups like CAIR, MPAC, ISNA...are the fifth column..."
The ex-imam further said that "the government has got to stop legitimizing groups like CAIR, MPAC, ISNA... I'm telling you, these people are the fifth column.... It's got to get to the point where these groups are seen as pariahs on Capitol Hill." Oh Peter King, perhaps you should take a look at Muhammad's testimony?
In the first video below, Muhammad also asserts - correctly, in my opinion - that, right or wrong, the Ground Zero mosque will be seen as a triumph for bin Laden in the Muslim world, as a "miracle" wrought by Allah.
Further Reading
Moderate Muslims Speak Out on Capitol Hill
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|2011-03-20 20:18:38 Arhata - Islamophobia
Seems like they learned the power of a projected word from the Jews and 'anti-semitism'
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|2011-05-18 17:49:06 ecks why - islam is a horrible ideology for human rightsislam is a horrible ideology for human rights
5 key things about islam
1. mythical beliefs - all religions have these (faith) because its part of being a religion: having beliefs without proof until after the believer dies. the problem is people will believe almost anything.
2. totalitarianism - islam has no seperation of church and state: sharia law governs all. there is no free will in islam: only submission to the will of allah as conveniently determined by the imams who spew vapors to feather their own nests. there are no moderate muslims: they all support sharia law.
3. violence - islam leads the pack of all religions in violent tenets for their ideology & history: having eternal canonical imperatives for supremacy at all costs and calling for violence & intimidation as basic tools to achieve these goals.
4. dishonesty - only islam has dishonesty as a fundamental tenet: this stems from allah speaking to mohamhead & abrogation in the koran which is used to explain how mo's peaceful early life was superseded by his warlord role later.
5. misogyny - present day islam is still rooted in 8th century social ethics: treating females as property of men good only for children, severely limiting their activities, dressing them in shower curtains and worse.
conclusions ??
there really are NO redeeming qualities for this muddled pile of propaganda.
islam is just another fascist totalitarian ideology used by power hungry fanatics on yet another quest for worldwide domination and includes all the usual human rights abuses & suppression of freedoms.
graphics version
http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/5792/dangero.jpg
1 page pdf version - do file/download 6kb viewer doesn't show fonts well, has better fonts header footer links, great for emailing printing etc
http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B...
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|2012-02-22 17:08:04 AnonymousI'm convinced - using this stupid word is obviously war propaganda against non-Muslims.
After all, it's the duty of devout Muslims to convert the whole world to Islam - anything that gets in their way is now "Islamophobia."
Maybe Hitler should have coined the term "Naziphobia" to get rid of their critics and those preventing the Third Reich.
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|2012-04-27 13:04:17 JOHN COBB - muslin ex imamThe white people want to make people believe in their god.If they saw that Jesus was Black they probably would not even believe in jesus.Christiananity is nothing but a Jim jones situation that blacks are facing.Black people are being manipulated by white trash from the west.
Moses the Prophet lived like a Muslim;now do you see them keeping Moses out of their Sermons on sunday?of course not they preach God is a white man to see who will believe in their filthy teaching.(child molestation,openly gay pastors,stealing money from inocent people-tithes offerings taught wrong way,racism-jasus was white.If Black people would not have excepted Christiananity,they would have not ended up a slavein America.
