Sheikh Yasir Qadhi: “I became a racist… by mistake!”
In 2001, Sheikh Yasir Qadhi gave a horrendously and thoroughly racist lecture about Jews, which combined pretty much every lie and slander you could imagine.
This is the culmination of Qadhi’s lecture:
All of these Polish Jews which Hitler was supposedly trying to exterminate, that’s another point, by the way, Hitler never intended to mass-destroy the Jews. There are a number of books out on this written by Christians, you should read them. The Hoax of the Holocaust, I advise you to read this book and write this down, the Hoax of the Holocaust, a very good book. All of this is false propaganda and I know it sounds so far-fetched, but read it. The evidences [sic] are very strong. And they’re talking about newspaper articles, clippings, everything and look up yourself what Hitler really wanted to do. We’re not defending Hitler, by the way, but the Jews, the way that they portray him, also is not correct.
You can listen to this nasty little racist here.
Roll forward seven years, and Qadhi is being promoted by the organisers of the Islamist Global Peace and Unity Event as a moderate voice, fit to share the stage with senior Labour, Liberal Democrat and Tory politicians. The last thing that Qadhi thought would happen, when he rebranded, was that his racist hatemongering past would catch up with him.
Labour and Liberal Democrat politicians shamefully stayed silent about the racist and Holocaust Denier they were sharing a platform with. They had no comment to make, at all, about the other speakers at the GPU Event: the 9/11 conspiracy theorist, the exhorter of the suicide murder of Sir Salman Rushdie, the Hamas supporters, and the man who preaches the sanctity of wife beating.
It appears to have been Dominic Grieve, the Tory Shadow Home Secretary, who was the only politician to have condemned any of these figures.
This came as a shock to Qadhi. Here is his response, in which this racist poses as an ingenue, hurt - shocked! - to discover how his words have been used against him. Let’s take a look at it, line by line, to see how racists and Holocaust deniers once unmasked attempt to salvage their sorry reputations.
First of all comes the mea culpa.
It was all a mistake!
Where did I get all of this information from? In the summer of 1999, someone had forwarded me a website of a group that called itself the ‘Institute for Historical Review’. At the time, I found the articles on it quite fascinating; the pseudo-scientific style in which they wrote gave the impression that they were a serious academic research body. It was only later, after more research, that I realized that they were a front for a group of actual anti-Semites, and were the leading Holocaust-denial organization in the world. Remember that this was a pre-Google and Wikipedia era, and I was sitting on the internet in my apartment in Saudi Arabia, far away from academic institutes where I could have verified the real agenda of this group. So, unfortunately, my mind abuzz with articles from this site, and believing there was legitimate scholarly difference of opinion over such issues, I digressed to a topic that I had not actually intended to talk about and made some serious historical blunders.
Yeah, right. He came across an article which claimed that Jews weren’t Jews, that the Hitler was maligned, and … he found it fascinating. He found it fascinating because he’s a racist. And of course, there was no way he could have realised that this site was a Holocaust denial site, because, apparently, there were no search engines in 2001. None at all. And the actual Holocaust denial wasn’t actually a give away that this was a Holocaust denial site.
Liar.
I’ve only ever made this one little mistake
Its been almost a decade since that one-time mistake; I admit it was an error and an incorrect ‘fact’ was propagated. But even in that talk, I did not deny the actual occurrence of the Holocaust, or express any support or admiration for Hitler, or claim that all Jews were worthy of being despised or hated.
I don’t believe him.
I didn’t see this coming
When I gave that lecture, so many years ago, I was a completely unknown nobody. I honestly had no idea that one day I would be as recognized as I am today, so much so that the Shadow Home Secretary of the UK feels compelled to dissociate himself from the likes of me!
He means “I never thought I’d be caught”
Some of my best friends…
I have stated many times, and firmly believe, that Muslims in the West have a lot to learn from the experiences of Judaism. Jews, especially Orthodox Jews, are the closest religious group to Muslims in terms of practice and legal code. There’s a lot to be gained from how they coped and survived in the Western environment.
The oldest line in the book.
It was all a long time ago
Quite simply, it was the result of a remark that was made in a lecture, in passing, almost a decade ago.
Liar. It was seven years ago.
It has all be blown out of proportion
Apparently, this was a charge that was being spread by an obscure internet site, and which had then been taken up by other sites (including David Horowitz’s Frontepage magazine), growing and magnifying along the way, until finally it reached the offices of British politicians, as an undeniable fact: ‘Sheikh Yasir Qadhi was a Holocaust-denying anti-Semitic Hitler-sympathizing extremist fundamentalist radical Muslim preacher’.
If the cap fits.
Blame Jewish political influence
Hence, in my case, apparently politicians felt that their appearance with me on stage might jeopardize their relations with their Jewish constituents.
Islamophobia!!
Well, it turned out that [Dominic Grieve's] tirade against me gave me material for another paragraph for my lecture later on in the day. His frenzied rant fitted in perfectly with the theme of my talk at the GPU, which centered around the rise of Islamophobia in Europe and the proper way to respond to it. Islamophobia is defined to be the illogical and irrational fear of Islam, and Dominic Grieve seemed to be a perfect example of it. Its as if he wanted the GPU speakers to all be extremist fanatics, to make a point that no matter how ‘moderate’ Muslims try to make themselves, they’ll never be moderate enough for him and his party. (My talk was of course recorded and broadcast live on Islam Channel; hopefully it should be out on the internet soon). Well, of course he shot himself in the foot by showing the real problem is ignorance and bias on the side of politicians and the media; the real problem is the willingness, nay, the eagerness, to promote the stereotyping of ‘the other’ rather than engage in true and meaningful dialogue.
That’s right.
You’re caught out, preaching racism and Holocaust denial. But as far as you’re concerned, that’s entirely consistent with political moderation. And, apparently, to condemn racism, is to display “Islamophobia”.
Sheikh Yasir Qadhi is utter scum. He would never have been given this pass, were he a White Supremacist. To apply different standards to this man, simply because he is Muslim, is true anti-Muslim bigotry. The politicians who shared a platform with him, without complaint, must think that moderation - for Muslims - means promoting Holocaust denial.
Congratulations to Dominic Grieve for having called Qadhi on it. It is a desparate situation, is it not, when - apparently - only the Tories are prepared to confront open and bare faced racism.
Comments
| 13 November 2008, 8:09 pm |
Hmm, Irshad Manji says in her book that she was expelled from her Islamic school (for children!) for arguing against antisemitic teachings.
Here’s a question, what percentage of Muslims believe that antisemitic teachings are a vital part of Islam.
I mean it’s wonderful that HP’s readers are subjected to a complete whitewash on that subject in the “On Islamic antisemitism” article.. But it’s useless if Muslims themselves have a different opinion eh?
I do not mean that we should allow Muslim to get away with racism, not at all. But it does change the situation if say, 60% of them think that such racism is part of their required dogma.
| 13 November 2008, 8:16 pm |
“Quite simply, it was the result of a remark that was made in a lecture, in passing, almost a decade ago”
Oh no! Not the Bunglewally manoeuvre!
| 13 November 2008, 8:19 pm |
“Remember that this was a pre-Google and Wikipedia era” - you what? As if the web is a completely reliable source of information without some further checking?
| 13 November 2008, 8:43 pm |
“Remember that this was a pre-Google and Wikipedia era, and I was sitting on the internet in my apartment in Saudi Arabia”
You should have stayed there.
| 13 November 2008, 8:50 pm |
I have always understood “sharing a platform” to mean
1) appearing
2) in front of the same audience
3) at the same time, and
4) speaking in sequence
Is that what
“Labour and Liberal Democrat politicians shamefully stayed silent about the racist and Holocaust Denier they were sharing a platform with”
means?
| 13 November 2008, 9:15 pm |
This sort of post shows the difference between anti-Muslim bigotry and Islamophobia; the latter being a political construct to give cover and silence criticism of extremist views.
| 13 November 2008, 9:33 pm |
Sheikh Qadhi, gorging on the filth flowing from the “Institute of Historical Review” in front of his computer in the Saudi boonies, has absolutely no excuses. He believed this filth because he wanted to believe it, because it was convenient for him to believe it, because it fitted into his preconceptions.
Now, let us assume for the sake of an argument that he has now repented and that he accepts that he was party to the transmission of anti-Semitic and hateful filth. This will not be the first time haters repented and one should welcome this – if the repentance is genuine. But in that case (that is, of honest and genuine repentance) there is a fixed etiquette: you repent up-front, openly and with humility. You don’t wait till you are exposed or challenged. And, once challenged, you don’t respond with attack as the best form of defence.
Clearly, Sheikh Qadhi’s behaviour falls way short of honest repentance.
| 13 November 2008, 10:10 pm |
S.O.Muffin, everyone in Saudi has been taught that the Jews are evil demons and nothing but.
I suppose that’s an excuse isn’t it? That he was taught the same in school, and everyone he knows believes it?
| 13 November 2008, 10:20 pm |
IT IS COMMON KNOWLEDGE THAT ALL THE SAGES AND SAINTS IN EUROPE AT THE TIME OF HITLER’S RISE DECLARED THAT HE WAS A MESSENGER OF DIVINE WRATH, SENT TO CHASTEN THE JEWS BECAUSE OF THE BITTER APOSTASY OF ZIONISM AGAINST THE BELIEF IN THE EVENTUAL MESSIANIC REDEMPTION.
Yidden - merciful sons of merciful fathers - how much longer must holy Jewish blood continue to be shed??
The only solution is:
The Jewish people must reject, outright, a “Jewish State”.
The Jewish people should accept the US compromise.
We must depose the atheist-Zionist “statesmen” from their role as Jewish leaders, and return to the faithful leadership of our sages.
We beseech the Nations to open all doors to immigration - not only the doors of Palestine.
Peaceful, non-Zionist religious personalities in Palestine, (particularly from the native population) and their counterparts in the Diaspora, should engage in responsible, face-to face negotiations on behalf of the Jewish people, with the British and the Arabs; with an aim of amicable settlement of the Palestine issue.
Every Jew is obliged to pray to the Blessed creator, for in Him lies all our strength. Let us bear in mind that our prayers be forthright. One should not entreat the Creator to provide a banquet on Yom Kippur, and one can not perform a ritual ablution with a dead bug in his hand. Similarly, we should avoid the untenable position of the robber who prays for Divine help in carrying out his crime. We should pray that Zionism and its fruits vanish from the Earth, and that we be redeemed by the Messiah with dispatch.
A prisoner is released only when he has served his time, or if he is pardoned by the President for good behavior. If he attempts escape and is apprehended, his term is lengthened, besides the beating he receives when he is caught.
Faithful Jews- for over three and one-half thousand years, in all parts of the world, through all trials, our grandfathers and grandmothers marched through seas of blood and tears in order to keep the Faith of the Torah unswervingly. If we have compassion for ourselves, for our women and children, and for the Jewish people, we will maintain our golden legacy today. We have been sentenced to exile by the King of Kings because of our sins. The eternal blessed be He, has decreed that we accept the exile with humble gratitude until the time comes, or until we merit His pardon through repentance if we seek to end the exile with force, G-d will catch us, as our sages have forewarned, and our sentence becomes longer and more difficult.
Many times in the past have segments of our people been defrauded by false messiahs - but none of the false messiahs has been as fallacious and delusory as the lie of Zionism. With our historical experience as our guide, no retribution has been or will be greater than the retribution for giving credence to Zionism. If we wish our exile-sentence commuted, we must appeal through repentance; and through total physical and spiritual observance of the Sabbath, laws of family purity, and study of Torah.
Let it be clearly understood that never in Jewish history (even in the time of Jeroboam or Achav) have such hostile atheists stood at the helm of the Jewish people as today.
How can we plead to the Almighty for mercy while we tolerate these vile, “wicked” leaders as spokesmen! Beloved brothers - let us cleanse our ranks and cleanse our midst; let us entreat the Almighty through prayer, repentance, and fulfillment of mitzvos that He alone redeem us, immediately.
| 13 November 2008, 10:33 pm |
We must depose the atheist-Zionist “statesmen” from their role as Jewish leaders, and return to the faithful leadership of our sages.
Say’s who, the sages? They would, wouldn’t they?
| 13 November 2008, 10:42 pm |
This talking back and forth between two worlds must be exhausting. In the West, you must be all Multi-culti Goodwill. At home? Hell, just rape them.
| 13 November 2008, 10:57 pm |
Flipside, be aware that almost all the Gedolim have condemed Dovid Weis and his fellows for the Chilul HaShem they have created. Even the Eida and Satmar have condemned them.
| 13 November 2008, 11:03 pm |
YossiUK: judging by his/her comments on another thread, flipside is a neo-Nazi provocateur.
| 13 November 2008, 11:04 pm |
Ah OK, S.O.Muffin, thanks for informing me.
| 13 November 2008, 11:05 pm |
It doesn’t make him wrong.
| 13 November 2008, 11:11 pm |
A provocateur, yes.
| 13 November 2008, 11:12 pm |
Not so long ago, a colleague of mine was driving home, just like the end of every working day.
On this particular day she became involved in a furious row with another motorist about bad driving. The two of them were shouting at each other, with much swearing. After several minutes of that, he used an offensive expression about her colour. She paused. He paused and apologised, saying he really shouldn’t have said that. She accepted his apology and the two of them went back to shouting and swearing about each others driving for some time.
I don’t know whether the two incidents, seven years apart, of Sheikh Yasir Qadhi are like that, or something much more serious. The reason I don’t know is because the original post only quotes two incidents, seven years apart.
| 13 November 2008, 11:22 pm |
Alan, it is more serious.
People occasionally say things they don’t mean, just to wound their interlocutor. Anger or alcohol might be a secondary cause, although the latter is probably less relevant in Sheikh Qadhi’s case.
But, firstly, there is no reason to believe that Yasir Qadhi said what he did in the heat of the moment or “under the influence”. Secondly, those in the public domain are acting under greater obligation that hot-headed motorists. Once Qadhi wishes to appear in the public domain and once he wishes to establish a dialogue with (parts of) Western public opinion, there are, I am afraid, expectations.
As I have already written on this thread, repentance is allowed even to racists, and occasionally it has been forthcoming (I can recall cases of German neo-Nazis and Afrikaner pro-apartheiders). Such repentance is most welcome, even if (by definition) always belated, since fewer racists make for better humanity. But it must be honest repentance and, on the face of it, this is not the case here.
| 13 November 2008, 11:25 pm |
answer to flipside:-
It seems like the God you say is supreme in his intentions was the first Zionist by His creation of a Jewish homeland for the Jewish People, as his Chosen People. Old Testament. If you like, Allah was also a Zionist because the story in the Koran is the same and translates God into Allah. Muslims against Israel are, therefore, apostates - according to the laws of Islam. (I’m not a believer but if people base the State of Israel on religion and Muslims follow Islam then the logic of what I stated must follow - for them.
As for Qadhi I offer the Arab word Taqiyya. You can tell any lie to protect yourself and Islam. Hence, if you seem to be denigrating/harming Islam by your behaviour or statements then it is permissible to lie.
| 13 November 2008, 11:28 pm |
Oh, I think we can all tell when a repentance is genuine, and when it is forced.
Lovely story, Alan Ji, though.
| 13 November 2008, 11:56 pm |
Who would you trust by his actions?
| 14 November 2008, 12:12 am |
” Let’s take a look at it, line by line, to see how racists and Holocaust deniers once unmasked attempt to salvage their sorry reputations.”
Yes lets so HP can learn from them
“Sheikh Yasir Qadhi is utter scum. He would never have been given this pass, were he a White Supremacist. ”
Thogh if he were a Jewish supremacists he’d get a column in a national newspaper or have any criticisism of his racism dismiised as “anti-semitism” (witness numerous people including fellow jews who have exposed shockingly racist atitudes towards Arabs in the Jewish community only to be met with that epithet)
| 14 November 2008, 12:13 am |
In this clip, Yasir Qadhi talks about ‘Dispatches - Undercover Mosques’
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=jcOKzcPQkGY
Qadhi accuses the producers of Dispatches of ‘cutting and pasting’ clips merely to give muslims a negative image. He also wants to know why all the good things the quoted preachers ‘must have said’ were ignored. ‘Wahhabism’ is a label invented by the West to ‘divide the umma’. All this and more, in only the first six minutes…
| 14 November 2008, 12:20 am |
The replies to this post illustrate everything that is wrong with HP
We have had people using the far right “taqiyya libel” (same as “all jews lie to gentiles”) and denying Islamophobia- hatred against Muslims exists (same as denying anti-semitism)
“I mean it’s wonderful that HP’s readers are subjected to a complete whitewash on that subject in the “On Islamic antisemitism” article.. But it’s useless if Muslims themselves have a different opinion eh?
I do not mean that we should allow Muslim to get away with racism, not at all.”
Why not when Jews are allowed to get away with prejudice against Muslims including on these pages?
People stirring up hatred against Muslims is free speech
People stirring uo hatred against Jews is anti-semitism and must be banned
“But it does change the situation if say, 60% of them think that such racism is part of their required dogma.”
How many Jews consider hatred of Muslims part of theirs - 80-90%?
| 14 November 2008, 12:24 am |
I don’t really want to be defending an educated man for his racism by arguing that maybe he was just ignorant, so I’m not going to. To talk about something different, but on the same lines, I have met a few people from muslim countries who are less than well educated (or maybe well indoctrinated) on the holocaust in particular and jews in general. I think DaveM has posted a bit on this, and David T must have experienced this having lectured (I think) at the same uni I was at for a while. What I’m saying, I guess, is that it’s not unusual for muslims to come over here and have their (often vague) anti-semitic views starkly challenged when they get here.
What can be done about this? Do we have to rely on globalisation to spread the truth about anti-semitism, the holocaust? Will the word spread naturally or should we be more evangelistic about it?
| 14 November 2008, 12:43 am |
Yawn
Jews deny the genocide of the Bosnian Muslims and the Nakba all the time
| 14 November 2008, 1:02 am |
If anyone doubted the reality of Taqiyya which I referenced on another thread, I think this nasty narrative explains why we have to be on our guard. It might have been otherwise. He might have hidden that virulent racism and Holocaust denial in which his pose as a moderate voice might have been completely successful.
| 14 November 2008, 2:49 am |
it’s stuff like this that really makes me think that the fight against antisemitism is a losing one, IT ALSO SERVES TO REMIND ME HOW LUCKY I AM THAT ISRAEL EXISTS my granddparents and those before them simply had to put up with all this shit
| 14 November 2008, 5:38 am |
“IT ALSO SERVES TO REMIND ME HOW LUCKY I AM THAT ISRAEL EXISTS my granddparents and those before them simply had to put up with all this shit”
100% agreed. I an reading a book about the Jewish immigration to Argentina. It is told in chronological order, and I have just finished the period 1896-1914 and started reading the period 1914-1932. The Jewish self-organization is told, the Baron Hirsch colonies, the Ezrah institution (later, the Israelite Hospital), other institutions that created afterwards the AMIA. Sometimes I had to stop and wonder with amazement that the Jews did all this while being refugees and being attacked by the antisemites (Protocol era) etc. They had to put up with the shit of the nazis, catholic nationalists, pseudo cientific racist speech by positivists, etc… I wonder how they did it without a homeland they could call their own and to which they could go if they just couldn’t cope anymore.
It must have been so difficult I can’t imagine.
| 14 November 2008, 8:00 am |
S. O. Muffin and David T: I’m not arguing that you’re wrong, just that you need to bring forward more evidencee to be convincing.
| 14 November 2008, 8:10 am |
Jews would have a justification to express hatred towards Yasir Qadhi who is a Muslim. This is because this is a Muslim who clearly hates Jews and expresses extreme antisemitism.
Jews would have every right to hate the Palestinian Muslim terrorists who’s antisemitism and desire of a genocide of Jews (Israelis) derives from antisemitic sentiment in the Koran.
Jews do NOT hate Muslims. There is nothing in the Torah that expresses automatic hatred for Muslims similar to passages in the Koran and Hadiths which express antisemitism towards Jews (and hatred towards Christians).
We know that Joe The Muslim isn’t automatically a bad person who subscribes to the extremes of Islamism. I detect that some may still harbour some dislike of Jews because of Israel and because of some of the stuff in the Koran.
But you cannot express these sentiments as if it were a mirror of equality in emnity. Anyone remember the statement “Muslims are offended by Holocaust Memorial” from the Muslim task force. A bunch of extremists Islamists trying to stir things up. Yet, read comments on 5Live Messageboards on any thread related to The Holocaust and you have to wonder if some of them are extremist Islamists or just Joe The Muslim.
| 14 November 2008, 9:06 am |
Nice to see a spade being called a spade, and Qadhi is quite obviously scum.
Now it would be useful to examine scholars or philosophers such as Tariq Ramadan, who may be deserving of similar appellations: to examine why, as in the case of Ramadan, they would wish to express solidarity with or support for such an odious holocaust denier as Roger Garaudy (a point not mentioned by Berman in his 2007 New Republic piece).
And using the excuse that Garaudy’s salad of Marxo-Gramscian-Third-Worldism-make-it-up-as-you-go-along provides a pass will not wash.
| 14 November 2008, 9:57 am |
Obviously torture is wrong and everything, but if I ever met someone and got talking to them and the conversation happened to stray on the subject of blogging and this site got mentioned and they said they sometimes commented here and I said “oh really, under what name?” and they said “HPBNP” then torture would suddenly stop being wrong.
| 14 November 2008, 10:34 am |
The fact that Qadhi is scum is self-evident, (Alan Ji - how much more evidence do you require?) what worries me is that our politicians remain incapable of distinguishing anti-semitic jihadists/Wahabbi’sts from moderate Muslims.
How many times will they make the same mistake? when will they learn that the Muslim Brotherhood is not the voice of moderate Islam? when will they understand that its unacceptable to stand shoulder to shoulder with antisemitic, homophobic, women hating bigots?
| 14 November 2008, 10:36 am |
A radical student and I were talking at a party in the old SA. (He was of Asian origin but being part of the Black Consciousness movement would have called himself black) At one point he burst out: You Jews have no idea of suffering, what we suffer. I quietly gave a brief history of the Holocaust including my own family’s experience. He looked stricken and then said: Yes, you have suffered much more than us. I had no intention of setting it up as a contest in suffering or to have it trump his, but he insisted on acknowledging that.
| 14 November 2008, 11:42 am |
Ami, you have no idea of what radical Muslims suffer when there is no Caliphate and they have to put up with being the equals of Jews, Christians and Atheists. Even women are treated as equals! And the propagate the myth that there were extermination camps in Europe!
I say we need more forthright chaps like Sheikh Yasir Qadhi to show us the true path.
| 14 November 2008, 12:07 pm |
Thogh if he were a Jewish supremacists he’d get a column in a national newspaper
Somewhere in Switzerland, a clock is missing its movement.
| 14 November 2008, 12:10 pm |
Andrew Coates: That radical youth was talking about suffering under apartheid. I don’t even recall if he was Muslim or Hindu. Those identities weren’t an issue back then- it was all black and white.
| 14 November 2008, 1:38 pm |
The replies to this post illustrate everything that is wrong with HP
We have had people using the far right “taqiyya libel” (same as “all jews lie to gentiles”) and denying Islamophobia- hatred against Muslims exists (same as denying anti-semitism)
There is no such thing as islamophobia, only Muslim anger and frustration at having their sharia creep thwarted by the kuffur. When Muslim efforts to acquire territory…ie to islamise a particular public space are blocked…muslims cry islamophobia.
And i see absolutely nothing wrong with hating Islam, a fascist proto-Nazi ideology that divides the world into the pure and the impure.
Such repulsive idiocy ought to be the object of derision and ridicule.
| 14 November 2008, 2:00 pm |
Muslims are individuals, with differing political views, and some of them are islamists. Why do some people find this so difficult to comprehend; fucking morons.
| 14 November 2008, 2:34 pm |
TonyS Muslims are individuals, with differing political views, and some of them are islamists. Why do some people find this so difficult to comprehend; fucking morons.
Perhaps because a not insignificant number of them are trying to blow up peaceful citizens in the London underground?
Need I say more???
| 14 November 2008, 3:04 pm |
Maybe not all Muslims think like this, maybe it is just this one man, but, he ‘teaches’ others about Islam. He has influence. Alan Ji- you’ve mentioned before that you are a Sikh. have the Muslims and the Sikhs always co-existed peaceably in India? This is a genuine enquiry, by the way.
When you hear stories like this, and any number of examples in the newspaper, is it any wonder that ordinary people are distrustful of Muslims. Personally, I think we in the West are on a sticky wicket here because we need the Arabs oil capital.
| 14 November 2008, 5:38 pm |
All you needed was to see Hitler’s face once and hear him say three words. This evidence is more than sufficient. No more is required.
| 14 November 2008, 6:35 pm |
Before I comment on the subject of the post, I do think there is a tendency to broad-brush Muslims. There are over 1.5 billion people on the planet who are Muslims. Especially since 9/11 there has been a tendency to label them all as extremists and predetermined to hate the West, be antisemitic, etc.
Doesn’t this rob Muslims of their individuality? Isn’t this the very definition of bigotry?
In that light, I deplore the fact that antisemitism, even after the Holocaust, continues to grow even in places where there are no Jews. The misuse of the internet, let alone religious and political organizations for that purpose is a troublesome part of the problem. But I think we have to be scrupulously honest and very careful about projecting bias on ANY group of people.
As far as individuals raised in KSA or other places where either religious bias and/or Western antisemitism - Nazism for example - the Protocols - have had a strong influence, I don’t find it hard to believe that people would be predisposed to believe in what they’d been taught. Modern Iran concerns me for this reason, and the plethora of antisemitic articles, TV shows and cartoons in the M.E. reflects a similar kind of propaganda.
Especially in the case of children - how are they to fight such indoctrination? We all tend to believe in what we’ve been taught.
Note I think most of this isn’t intrinsically religious in the ME for the most part, but seems to reflect, in imagery as well as intensity, Western memes while ironically some elements of the cultures in question are actively resisting Western influence and modernity. Israel being part of that, it does put Jews on the front lines and thus increases the levels of fear, hatred and resentment against us Jews as a group.
Dhimmitude by no means explains the level of judenhass now seen in the modern Middle East and reflected by so many people like the Sheik. I think this is something more complex and has to be confronted as such; attributing it to Islam per se is both prejudicial and naive.
In any case it takes time, humility and the courage to change, to study and learn, in order for a person to confront his biases and admit that he has been been misinformed and is just plain wrong. So I welcome statements like the Sheik’s (and hope they aren’t just dissembling!)
In the US we’re still confronting problems with bias against African-Americans and in the Southwest in particular, there’s real hatred in some quarters of Mexicans. This in one of the most open, well-informed societies in the world, where access to knowledge is easy and encouraged and the very ideals of the nation argue against such bias - now imagine growing up in an insular culture, where outsiders and change are not particularly welcomed at all.
I’m not trying to defend either Sheik Qadhi or the critics of Harry’s on this thread, merely pointing out that bias against “the other” is hardly unusual and that in cultures where it’s consciously being reinforced it’s hard to surmount it.
As for antisemitism - it is so universal, has gone on so long and is reinforced constantly from many sources, and has resulted in so many catastrophes, that I’m glad when ANYBODY stands up and says he was wrong.
Meanwhile I think the good liberals/lefties in the UK might want to reflect on some of the Guardian’s anti-Israel cartoons. From an American perspective those are outright antisemitic too. And I’m discouraged that nobody from the British Left saw fit to challenge the Sheik on his previously stated philosophy.
That’s really the rub isn’t it - in spite of all my above stated caveats about the need for ALL of us to be careful about bias, including against Muslims - we’re used to the far right being racist but it feels like a double betrayal when it comes from “progressives”.
Especially in the case of antisemitism, which is so dangerous and has so often erupted into horrific violence, that progressives, Socialists, communists, liberals, et.al., don’t stand up against it is shameful and frightening, regardless of the source.
| 14 November 2008, 9:53 pm |
I’m glad when ANYBODY stands up and says he was wrong.
I’m not. When fascist parties like the BNP or the Vlaams Bloc lyingly claim to have left anti-semitism behind them, it helps them to get elected.
Do you agree?
| 14 November 2008, 10:50 pm |
Well perhaps many of us have special love for redemption stories. That’s OK. Actually, that’s good. Be careful, though, out there.
This is no redemption story. The title of Qadhi’s mea minima culpa post is “When Islamophobia Meets Perceived Anti-Semitism”.
Perceived? Perceived?
Please listen to the mp3. This man is a serious Jew hater.
Called on it, he resorts to attacking Dominic Grieve for “Islamophobia”. Go figure, as they say.
These 2008-and-busted words from Qadhi are particularly revealing:
You’ve been accused of denying the Holocaust and being an anti-Semite,” I was told. Hence, in my case, apparently politicians felt that their appearance with me on stage might jeopardize their relations with their Jewish constituents.
He seems to believe that Holocaust denial is only a concern for Jews, and that politicians take an interest only to get their votes. This is disgusting.
For more on Qadhi in our days, not the classical antiquity of 2001, where all should be forgiven if fools have their way, take a look at this Islam Channel clip on the subject of “Undercover Mosque”, where he:
- Suggests that the makers of the programme were dishonest, with “evil in the heart”, and aimed to “cut and break the Muslim community” and “divide and conquer” it.
- Limits his criticism of the extremists covered in that programme to this: “Perhaps some of it was said in an unwise manner. Perhaps it was a bit harsh” and denies that any of them were inciting violence.
- Notes Islam’s rejection of homosexuality, which is certainly standard fare, but goes on to add this rather sinister formulation: “Are we going to do something against homosexuals? No, we are not, this is not our country or our land.”
- Says that Muslims are Muslims first, before they are nationals of countries, and that they are “loyal to these countries insofar as it does not conflict with our religion of Islam”.
- Claims that it is “hardly possible” to make a documentary that is critical of Israel.
- Says that the term Wahhabi is an “invented label”, as a graduate of the Islamic University of Medina.
Reformed he is not. Nor is he “progressive”, or an ally for those who think they are.
No, he’s an Islamist, a Jew hater, working for division and religious hatred. Don’t be fooled.
| 14 November 2008, 11:27 pm |
Oh, Yasir Qadhi is currently keen on Ali al-Timimi too, as mentioned here before.
I personally owe a lot to Sh. al-Timimi, and I can say (with pride) that fifteen years ago, back in the early 90’s, he played an instrumental role in shaping and directing me to take the path that has led me to where I am today.
This is what al-Timimi did right after the September 11 atrocities:
Kwon recalled driving Al-Timimi home from the mosque Sept. 11, 2001 after the terrorist attacks. He said Al-Timimi and another scholar argued, with Al-Timimi characterizing the attacks as a punishment of America from God, while his fellow scholar decried the attacks.
That night, as they drove from the mosque, Kwon said Al-Timimi had a request.
“He told me to gather some brothers, to have a contingency plan in case there were mass hostilities toward Muslims in America,” Kwon said.
Five days later, Al-Timimi met with Kwon again, this time at the young engineer’s apartment where he gathered a small group of friends.
“He told me to unplug the message machine and turn off the phones.”
Then, Kwon said, Al-Timimi advised the group that the effort to spread Islam in the United States was over and that the only other options open to them were to repent, leave the U.S. and join the mujahadeen — the holy warriors preparing to defend Afghanistan against the coming U.S. invasion.
Four days later, Kwon was on the plane to Pakistan, embarking on a jihad that would land him in prison.
“I made the decision to go, but (Al-Timimi) was a big part of my decision to go,” Kwon said.
Of all the Muslims in trouble in the world, Yasir Qadhi has chosen to campaign for Mr al-Timimi. Colours, showing.
His MuslimMatters.org site is also campaigning and raising funds for the legal defence of Aafia Siddiqui.
Don’t be fooled.
| 15 November 2008, 12:03 am |
This week I read in the Times I think, about a study that the undoing of racist prejudice was just as contagious as the spread of racial prejudice. Just one interpersonal relationship could break down racial prejudice and have a knock on effect. I was dubious as we all know the “some of my best friends” cliche uttered by racists and tales of Nazis having Jewish doctors etc not helping them see the light. But I did mean to keep the article and try and look up the actual study. I can’t find it with the key words I have tried. Did anyone else see it?
| 15 November 2008, 4:26 am |
If I was accused of Holocaust Denial or Antisemitism I’d be MORTIFIED.
| 15 November 2008, 7:31 am |
HPBNP is a spoof ….right?
| 15 November 2008, 7:52 am |
Nick (South Africa) - ‘HPBNP is a spoof ….right?’
Just scroll past his rantings.
I imagine most others do.
| 25 December 2008, 6:33 pm |
Well, it seems people of your extreme mentality would love to jump on any obscure comments made by anyone with whom you have an ideological qualm, and parrot them indefinitely. To go through hours and hours of his lectures and jump on one paragraph simply shows your own hatred.
He has clearly repudiated those remarks, which weren’t preaching hatred of the Jews in the first place. But that doesn’t matter to extremists like the author of this article. To you, anyone that openly sticks to Islam must be defaced and vilified by any means necessary. And any change of views he has is a lie.
It is extremists like you that cause most of the world’s problems.
By the way, the vast majority of Muslims don’t deny the holocaust, but are simply tired of it being used to justify Israel’s war crimes, and generate sympathy for its land-grabs, home demolitions, and blockade of the Palestinians.
One would think that after a people were so oppressed, they would have the humanity not to oppress others.
| 26 June 2009, 1:50 pm |
KIndly read the reply by Man. It rings true and truth is the one that stands out.
Write a comment