I came across this article in Pajamas Media on the subject of inter-faith dialogues. It particularly caught my eye because it mentions UC-Irvine, where I teach. I have attended a couple of inter faith meetings in the past two years, of which I have written on this site. They are attached below as as well.
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/where-islamism-starts-interfaith-dialogue-stops/
In principle, it would seem that inter-faith dialogues are a worthy idea. Surely, there are some or many out there where the participants are sincere. Yet, at the same time, I suspect that in many cases, they are an exercise in deception. The imam involved in the Ground Zero mosque project is active in inter-faith dialogue. Yet, I have grave misgivings about that man.
On November 20, 2008, I attended such a meeting at Chapman University in Orange, California. The imam representative was Muzammil Siddiqi of the Garden Grove Islamic Center.
http://garyfouse.blogspot.com/2008/11/muzammil-siddiqi-at-chapman-university.html
On December 10, 2009, Chapman held another such meeting.
http://garyfouse.blogspot.com/2009/12/interfaith-dialogue-at-chapman.html
Needless to say, those two events did not convert me over to the idea of inter-faith dialogues per se. To be worthy of support, these meetings must be open to hard questions directed toward the Muslim representative-without the Christian or Jewish representatives shielding him or attempting to soften the questions, answer them themselves, or shut the questioner down. I also need to be convinced of the sincerity of the Muslim representative.
I am not there yet.
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11 comments:
So in other words for you to be happy, the Muslims have to be held to a much higher standard of questioning and interrogation than do the other participants? Give me a break.
Anonymous,
If Christian and Jews were committing acts of terror around the world, I would ask the same questions of them.
Howz that for a break?
But they are. Ever heard of the Jewish Defense League? How about Hutaree?
But that's a silly argument in any case. Are the Muslims participating in these panels committing acts of terror around the world? No. It is wrong to hold moderate and progressive Muslims (or members of any other religion) responsible for what a small minority group of extremists does in the name of their religion.
Anonymous,
I have bent over backwards trying to point out that innocent Muslims should not be blamed for terrorism. JDL? They were a bunch of thugs, but they were in no way comparable to what is going on today with radical Islam. When was the whole western world under terror alert from the JDL? How many bombs did they set off? How many people did they kill? Be serious. Hutaree? Never heard of them, but I'll check them out.
Let's stop making excuses for what is going on in the name of Islam. Last week it was Stockholm. Today 12 arrests in UK.
I wonder if either you or I know the definition of true moderate or progressive Muslims. To me it's people like Irshad Manji, Zuhdi Jasser or Stephen Schwartz.
Siddiqi? In the early 90s, he and his mosque hosted the Blind Sheikh. Siddiqi interpreted in real time while the Sheikh gave a sermon advocating radical Jihad.
I regret that good Muslims have to suffer because of what is going on, but it is they who need to stand up as one all over the world and rid themselves of this cancer. As to how they do it, I won't ask any questions.
Hutaree,
What??? Nine nuts?? I say lock 'rm up, but al-Qaeda, they ain't.
Sheeez!
As people used to say when "liberals" overly conscious of their "white skin" made stupid remarks while patting themselves on the back "That's mighty white of you Gary."
You deign to acknowledge that the exceptional "innocent Muslims" should not be blamed for what you imply 'most Muslims' ARE responsible for? That's patronizing garbage at its worst.
There are some hard questions worth asking Muslim Imams. But when you speak of the hard questions Muslims must be asked, while omitting any mention of Muslims asking Christians and Jews hard questions, you shoot your integrity in the foot.
I would not ask a Muslim Imam why he doesn't support Israel. I would ask a Muslim Imam whether he accepts the First Amendment as the legal framework for the role of religion in public life in the United States. I would acknowledge that there are plenty of Christians who do not.
And what hard questions do we have to answer?
Here is an even handed question... can any of those of the Islamic persuasion or their supporters or defenders or even those who feel they have been unfairly singled out or discriminated against ... can any of you produce a single, yes, even one video tape of a single Jew or Jewish organization that calls for the killing of all the Muslims and Christians? I never even heard of the Hutarees and yet I bet they don't do this. The JDL never called for the killing of all Christians and Muslims.
Let me see a video that is equivalent to this one
that Gary put on the blog site.
http://www.palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=3895
Post a link to a video... not something you heard or something somebody is purported to have written. Let's see a video tape.
I'm not aware of anything comparable by the Jews ... yet Muslims do this kind of thing daily, many times a day, across the Muslim world. It isn't an isolated incident at all. I've been to the Middle East and seen many walls painted with the likenesses and streets named after suicide murderers.
There simply is no comparison and no moral equivalence at all.
"... holding Muslims to a much higher standard of questioning.." what a ridiculous comment by Anonymous.
.
Miggie, if you sat an average Christian down with an observant Orthodox Jew, thoroughly immersed in Talmudic studies, and asked the Jewish member of the panel to tell the Christian what exactly Jesus Christ is in Jewish teaching, the correct response would provoke rioting among many of the very Christians who consider themselves "friends of Israel."
I won't speak FOR anyone, I won't even quote anyone who had candidly opened up to me on their own thinking. I will note that if Jesus was the Messiah, then Jews, be definition, have rejected him, and if he is not, then Christianity is a fraud.
Somehow, in the USA, we have managed to set aside rubbing each other's noses in such questions, in the interest of civic peace. It is true that Islam has adherents today who feel about their religion as Christians did five hundred years ago, while relatively few Christians indulge such homicidal fantasies. But there are both Christians and Jews who are restrained from killing apostates (in their eyes) only by the absence of any feasibility of doing so with impunity.
Then, there are the really crazy ones who crack and do so anyway. Have you forgotten the Jewish settler who opened up on a crowd of Arabic-speaking children with a machine gun some years back?
Gary... pathetic as usual. You are always willing to back away from the implications of your own words when you are called on them. When you talk about "the good Muslims" you are identifying them as different from "all the rest" who are, by implication, "the bad Muslims." Cut the guilt by association, and start promoting each individual's responsibility for their own acts.
Siarlys,
I suspect by the time you finish these long responses you have forgotten what you were responding to in the first place.
Another convenient non sequitir Gary. You are always ready to evade the implications of your own words.
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