Place blame everywhere but where it is due

After the arrests of moslems planning a terrorist attack in Denmark, the local batch of moslem activists, imans and the like have gone into high gear trying to avoid islam having to take even one little bit of blame (source: Berlingske Tidende, but only in Danish. Translation and errors are mine):

Immigrant consultat Fahmy Almajid is not surprised about yesterdays arrest in Glostrup of four youths, under suspicion for planning terror attacks. He is one of the people who, after the bombings in London on 7. July this year, predicted, that there would be an attack on Danish territory, too.

Here in Denmark, he sees the heated debate on islam and moslems as a possible reason, that we now also see terror-planning here.

- I cant see any other motives, that might make kids commit suicide, taking multiple hundreds of innocents with them in death.

*cough* Islam *cough*

He emphasizes, that it of course isnt everybody that will go that far.

- There are those who are weak, and unfortunately become easy victims of terrorist organisation, says Fahmy Almajid.

But he still thinks, that the chances to stop new persons, who might have plans about terror, are big.

"If we try to get the debate back on track again, then I think chances are pretty big. If we try to get the debate back to where it was in the 90s, and not as it has been since 2001. Because I definitely think, that the debate about islam and moslems has run off course.

Background: 2001 was not only the year of 2001, but also the year when the current rightwing government, including the immigration- and islam-sceptical Danish People´s Party got voted in. Many people like Almajid also see it as the year the good days of suppression of islam-scepticism in the media ended.

Imam Abdul Wahid Petersen (Danish drugs smuggler who converted to islam) doesnt think Islam is a motivating factor, either (source: same paper as above, but an article that isnt available online. Translation and errors etc):

Imam Abdul Wahid Pedersen thinks, that it is the political situation in countries like Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine (which of course isnt a country - Henrik) and Chechnya (not a country, either - Henrik), that enrages the youths.

Imam Abdul Wahid Pedersen thinks, that it is the political situation in countries like Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine and Chechnya, that angers the youths.

- It is typically situations like those, that are used widely internally in the moslem community to show the injustice of the world, he says.

Yeah, I guess overthrowing genocidal totalitarian dictatorships and introducing democracy (Iraq and Afghanistan), defending against terrorism (Palestine) and invasion (Chechnya - remember the Jihadi invasion of Daghestan in 1999?) is unjust. After all, it apparently entails beating the crap out of some people the Jihadis consider good people.

And notice, that it is politics, not Islam that has turned them to terrorism. That all the 8 arrestees are fundamentalist moslems, and that two of them only turned to terrorism along with fundamentalist islam over the last year is only a coincidence.

The last representative of the moslem community is Zubair Butt Hussain (and no, Im not making up that name), the spokesperson for the organisation Muslimer i Dialog (Moslems in Dialogue). Source is DR, disclaimers as to translation and errors the same as before:

Lacking accept and lack of knowledge about islam often signifies those young people, who choose to become islamist extremists. One thing is certain, for sure - the oppinions of the youts is not a result of them having become more religious.

That is the general experience with the organisation Moslems in Dialogue, that meets the youths at debate meetings.

They find a new identity.

Spokesperson (cant translate his academic title) Zubair Butt Hussain thinks, that it is more a question of the youths having failed at getting recognition from the surounding society.

- Their oppinions is not a result of them having become mor religious, but more of them having found a new identity. They may have taken part in all social events with friends and classmates, but have still never felt really accepted, says Zubair ButtHussain.

Important not to push the youths away

That (accept - Henrik) is what they are getting with the religious extremist groups. But in reality, the youths according to Zubair Butt Hussain dont know much about islam.

- When they open their mouths, they pretty quickly make a mockery of themselves, because their identity as a moslem isnt solid, but more an identity that they take on to be accepted by a group, says Zubair Butt Hussain.

Wow. This Butt-guy really sounds reasonable, doesnt he? Well, consider one of those "debate meetings" his organisation organisation organizes to meet young moslems. Danish terror expert Lars Erslev Andersen was invited to join a debate with Yvonne Ridlay, a British journalist, islamic convert and terrorist apologist, and got away so shaken that he had to voice his dismay at the experience:

Debate without dialogue

Monday night the organisation "Moslems in Dialogue" had put out invitations to a dialogue on terrorism in the Queens Hall in The Black Diamond (The Royal Library in Copenhagen, Denmark - Henrik). Interest was high, and several hundred mostly young moslems turned up. For the occasion the hall, a public danish space, had been divided into rows reserved for women and other rows reserved for men. The scene was set.

The main name of the evening was the British yournalist Yvonne Ridley, who had been taken prisoner by the Taleban during the war in 2001. She was imprisoned for 10 days, was according to herself treated with respect, and then released. Two years later Ridley converted to Islam and became a strong opponent of the war on terror. So strong that she refuses to distance herself from terrorism.

The spokesman on foreign matters for the social democrats, Jeppe Kofod, was to debate Ridley, and two moderators were to lead the event, namely imam Abdul Wahid Pedersen (Danish convert to Islam) and DR2s (Danish state televisions) Clement Behrendt Kjersgaard.

I had let myself talk into joining the panel as a replacement for David Gress, though I decidedly dont feel at home in the role of debater. The reason I chose to join anyway was, that Id like to support the move to strengthen the dialogue between the moslem immigrant community and the rest of Denmark.

But there was no dialogue that night. Already a short way into Ridleys speech it became abundantly clear that she hadnt come to start a dialogue, but for the sole purpose to propagate a a preconceived ideology based on the tenet that everything evil in this world is the fault of the USA and Great Britain, and that terrorism is nothing but the result of western evilness, while moslems are just innocent victims. Her comparison of Tony Blair to Pol Pot speech volumes in this regard.

Stone-faced

Jeppe Kofoed distanced himself from her views, but otherwise kindly tried to engage in a dialogy, but understandably became somewhat stonefaced when Ridley lectured him that his positive view of the newly held elections in Afghanistan and his negative view of the Taleban regime were merely a result of him being a victim of evil western propaganda.

Personally, I didnt believe my own ears when Ridley, asked by me if she didnt see it as a problem that islamists distribute videos of terrorists butchering hostages in Iraq for recruiting purposes, answered that it was necessary for moslems to have these videos at home as an alternative form of news to the propaganda of western media. To view these scenes of butchery as alternative and necessary news to me is evidence of a sick form of thinking, and the fact that the idea generated applause from the audience saddened me.

A Front

While Jeppe Kofod heroically tried to engage in dialogue, and I tried without much success to contribute a wee bit of matter-of-fact-ness, Jon Kaldan, who had received an award on the behalf of the team of reporters that made P1´s (national public radio) series "The Faces of Islam", showed the courage to clearly distance himself from Ridlays views, which he rightfully pointed out were destructive for the wished-for dialogue.

In the afternoon I had in the Prime Ministry been stenuously arguing in favor of the necessity of a dialogue between the moslem immigrant community and Danish society. I have to admit that monday evening I doubted the use of such a dialogue, if a person like Yvonne Ridley is viewed as a representative spokeswoman for organisations like "Moslems in Dialogue". If so, dialogue is just a front for outright propaganda.

I surely dont hope that is to be the norm for and level of a dialogue that I still think can be of use.

I have talked to Lars Erselv Andersen on a few occasions, and he always comes over as a very nice man with big baby-blue eyes, nice to the point of almost being an excuse for himself. But that evening apparently shocked him out of his nicety, if only long enough to write the above oppinion piece.

Anyway, it goes to show the dubbel-faced-ness of our local batch of moslem pundits.

Taqiyah in action.

Henrik