Excellent response, Berbs - thank you
Dear Islamophobigot, I am never an apologist for Islam. I'm trying hard to open up the eyes of Muslims - my family, friends, colleagues, community - to the supremacist and dehumanising issues within Islam itself. I want Muslims themselves to recognise the problems with Islam, so we can start confronting them rather than the usual denial, anger and blaming others.
Whether I get anywhere or not - who knows - but I will try, because IMHO it is the most human thing to do.
Thanks.
Dear Mr. Hassan,
I think of you as one of the most spiritual, honest, and sincere persons I have come across. I say this from the bottom of my heart: no amounts of words can suffice to applaud and to show my appreciation for what you have done with CEMB, your personal spiritual journey, and your discovery process. In addition, I think you are truly a scholar on islam as well as Arabic. As I mentioned in my first response, I truly hope Allah guides you on the right path and help you succeed in all your endeavors especially where you say, "we have to find a way of defeating the lunatics." Here, I'm assuming, by your current position as an agnostic muslim, you retain full faith in a certain Almighty known as Allah in the Arabic tradition.
Please note also I'm no scholar, of anything in general but of islam in particular. My situation is akin to a scarcely educated person who having read a few books on astronomy starts trying to communicate knowledgeably with a credentialed astrophysicist! I'm generally quite aware of my limitations and normally I tend to be most deferential to anyone learned. If my response came across as derogatory, inflammatory, and cutting, it is only because of an extreme exception I'm making for the politico-religious system under discussion; I feel compelled because of what I find to be extreme deception surrounding it, particularly in public discourse. In addition, there is so much effort to suppress information which is so bothersome to me in consideration of such supremacist views on the other side. In the meantime, death counts are piling up as if human lives mean nothing.
Under such background, your "khutbah" came across as highly sincere and well-meaning but missing some key aspects, to my simple-minded view on what is at stake and what it would take to truly alter the trajectory.
Now one thing I am absolutely firm and unwavering on is the separation of ideology from people. I have been and I will always aspire to be non-violent. I do not ever wish for any form of physical injury to anyone, let alone a paper cut from any of my ramblings (thus no hardcopies) and to generally strive for brevity, lest someone should develop a repetitive stress disorder from repeated mouse clicks
A few bruised egos or cases of hurt pride here and there on account of my words, I do not mind with respect to the system in question
Since I came in cold to this forum and to this thread, it's understandable none of the above views would have stood out in my write-up. Let me assure you I sincerely mean each and above of my words. And I do NOT think you are any form of an apologist. Most importantly though, I truly believe you have nothing to apologize for. I consider your life, a true one, similar to that of Muhammed Ali, totally apart from my views which remain in total agreement with those of Sam Harris et al., as I stated in my first write-up.
If I still have your attention, will it possible to know what exactly made you think I viewed you as an apologist? Are there any particular statements or collection of comments that made you think that way?
Best Regards and sincere wishes to you on all your efforts, mankind truly needs it now more than ever,
P.S.> To what extent you think Wikiislam.net site is reliable?
Topic: Khutbah on Attack in Nice, France.