Muslim Radicalization

Saudi Muslims Non-violently Torture Blogger (Now Freed!)

Raif has been freed

Jan 31, 2015. According to Awad “In fact, there is nothing in our faith that encourages Muslims to be violent.” Really? Saudi Arabia, home to Mecca, and the world’s leading Muslim country, is currently in the process of publicly torturing Raif Badawi who is officially charged with “adopting liberal thought,” “founding a liberal website,” and “insulting Islam” — because he is an atheist. But Awad tells us (video 10:35) “The Koran, in a major chapter, describes the believers that when they are addressed by the ignorant [that would be Raif], their response is peace. [that would be the Muslims?]” Raif has been freed due to international pressure, but who is Nihad Awad? This shocked me.

Most Muslims are peaceful, and I had assumed that Muslim terrorist were freakish sects unrelated to the mainstream religion. That was until I watched a video on the “Root Causes of [Muslim] Radicalization” by the Nihad Awad, the Director of CAIR, speaking at the D.C. Press Club. CAIR is the largest and most effective US Muslim organization concerned with the political side of Islam. It favors religious tolerance and vehemently opposes terrorism. But …

Awad’s view is that anything violent or the least bit off-key is by definition not part of Islam. Islam is, by definition, perfect. So when Raif was removed, in shackles, from a mini-bus outside the Al-Jafali mosque in Jeddah as a large crowd gathered around him after Friday prayers, and when he received 50 lashes under Muslim law, this had nothing to do with Islam. According to Awad’s interpretation of Isam, “Freedom is the foundation of Islamic belief.” …”You have the freedom to believe, even not believing in God, that’s your right.” So you see, Saudi Arabia, mosques, Friday prayers, Sharia law — all this has nothing to do with Islam. Just read the Koran and see for yourself.

Unfortunately, Raif’s medical condition was still too serious a week later, so he was not able to receive his next flogging. He will have to wait another week for the next crowd of Muslims praying. And this will happen another 18 times until he has finished his full 1000 lashes as decreed under Muslim law. But then he will still have another nine years of prison time to serve. [Fortunately international pressure got him freed, but none of the pressure was from CAIF.]

The Muslim mainstream explains terrorists

Nihad Awad, who represents the most mainstream and liberal part of Isalm, holds commendable views on free speech and opposes all terrorists. But he is utterly blind when it comes to his own religion. The result is that he, inadvertently, helps to radicalize Muslims. His talk to the press club does nothing but list injustices of non-Muslims and explains that Muslim terrorists are solely motivated by such injustices and not at all by their religion.

Oh yes. Muslim terrorists feel a need to behead Japanese reporter, burn Jordanian pilots alive and fly airliners into the World Trade Center to protest a lack of Democracy in Saudi Arabia? Iran?

Apparently, Al-Qaeda-in-Iraq’s bombing of Shiite mosques and the ISIS massacre the Yazidi men and sexual enslavement of their women and young girls was due to “legitimate grievances” and had nothing to do with the Islamic religion.

A truly enlightened ex-Radical Muslim

In fact the promotion of such views is exactly what Maajid Nawaz describes as the second step in his radicalization. Nawaz is a Muslim who, unlike Awad, can think clearly about his own religion. He grew up in a middle class British Muslim family, was radicalized in England, went abroad to study in Egypt. He was arrested for his radicalism and spent four years in prison where he read George Orwell’s Animal Farm. Being among some very high-level Muslim radicals he realized they would be tyrants just like the pigs in Animal Farm, were they given half a chance.

After four years he was released and returned to England, where he parted company with his former radical friends, including his wife. He is now running for MP on the liberal ticket.

To be continued

Quotes from the Awad video

[6:50] “Young American Muslims also feel tired of seeing government agencies and media pointing out to them about the issue of radicalization as if we are telling you American Muslims that all of you are suspect not because of what you do but because of potentially what you can do because of your faith.” … “They’re tired of seeing so much resources being devoted by law enforcement on the so-called radicalization and countering violent extremism.” … “When you look at the number only a very few Muslim Americans have been involved in terrorists acts.”

“More right-wing terrorists than Muslim terrorists — disproportionate attention.”

[8:00] “We’re not honest when we talk about terrorist acts that are linked to Muslims vs terrorist acts that are linked to people of other faith communities. We’re not honest. Why? Because it sells more to talk about American Muslims.”

“In fact, there is nothing in our faith that encourages Muslims to be violent.”

He is offended by CNN talking about the war within Islam.

“Freedom is the foundation of Islamic belief.” …”You have the freedom to believe, even not believing in God – that’s your right.”

“If you judge the behavior of some Muslims and blame Islam on it, then you are being selective.”

“Most of these extremists, when they want to justify their violent attacks against civilians, or governments, or anywhere else they cite legitimate grievances. They cite Palestine, they cite Afghanistan, they cite the killing fields in Syria, and they cite Iraq. They cite oppression, and they cite oppressive regimes and lack of Democracy. So you cannot blame Islam. When we know that Western governments and European governments have a lot to do with these important crises and causes. And we should not escape from our responsibility from putting more resources and more attention into resolving these crises … So what is needed is to talk about the root causes of these problems and have an honest debate.”

“When we know that Western governments and European governments have a lot to do with these important crises and causes. And we should not escape from our responsibility from putting more resources and more attention into resolving these crises … So what is needed is to talk about the root causes of these problems and have an honest debate.”

About CAIR

CAIR coordinated a fatwa, or Islamic religious ruling, against terrorism in 2005. The fatwa was issued by the Fiqh Council of North America and endorsed by more than 340 American Muslim organizations, mosques and imams. Among the statements in the fatwa are the following:

“Islam strictly condemns religious extremism and the use of violence against innocent lives.”
“Targeting civilians’ life and property through suicide bombings or any other method of attack is haram – or forbidden – and those who commit these barbaric acts are criminals, not martyrs.”
“It is haram (forbidden) for a Muslim to cooperate with any individual or group that is involved in any act of terrorism or violence.”

zFacts