Indian journalist Kanchan Gupta (hat tip, N.S. Rajaram) admits his naivete, and makes a confessional (in a column from today’s (3/30/08) Daily Pioneer) that our “intelligentsia” in journalism (and beyond), purportedly “covering” Islam, should read, and ponder:
There was a time of innocence when I believed in the thesis that there is more than one Islam. There were those with whom you could swap ideas, share jokes and even the cup that cheers. A decade later, during which time I spent three years in Cairo and traveled more than once into the heart of Islam – well, almost, since non-Muslims are not allowed beyond Jeddah, the gateway to Mecca and Medina – I stand converted to the view that any talk of there being a moderate Islam or Islam as a religion of peace merely because of the salutation sa’laam is so much bunkum.
He adds,
In any event, the ummah sees Islam as a religion that demands absolute submission, which is not really the same as a religion that is predicated on peace and equality. And although the Quran does not stress on compulsion, it does not overflow with kindness towards those who do not submit to god’s will either. The best they can hope for is to be protected by a treaty (dhimmah), which in this day and age would mean unlimited appeasement, and the privileges of the dhimmi are purchased by paying jiziya apart from humiliating conditions of subservience, for instance communal budgeting and a “Muslim first’” policy, as is being done in our country.
And concludes,
The so-called moderate Muslims who till now have skillfully used doublespeak to position themselves as representatives of the ummah, more so in liberal democracies. Their status is now seriously threatened by those who have no hesitation in acknowledging the true nature of Islam both as a faith and a weapon of subjugation.
Being charged with Islamophobia is a small price to pay for securing our future.
Amen. Read the column in its entirety.
2 responses to ““Being charged with Islamophobia is a small price to pay for securing our future””