In one short interview, the two Muslim speakers had ensured that: a Zionist conspiracy is in place; ISIS is not really dangerous; the West is at war with Muslims, and the killing must continue; Muslims must not speak out on Western media about violence within the faith, and those who do are liars desperately seeking the limelight. So most Muslims stay silent.
This brand of boxed and packaged Islam, started by Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini, has been so cleverly marketed that most Muslims do not even know what hit them.
Then there are those have moved outside the box — scholars, reformers and academics, who, like me, are considered heretics but are still part of the faith. We do not accept the branded, “boxed” version of Islam — exported largely from Saudi Arabia on the wings of billions of petro-dollars in unobtrusive packaging — that is trying to pass itself off as mainstream Islam.
The debate about “Moderate Muslims” has gone viral. From Bill Maher to Ali Rizvi in his Huffington Post article, it is trending.
As someone who used to call herself a moderate, I am now moving away from that terminology. One reason is a recent interview a cable TV talk show called Bilatakalluf.
On the program were two members of The North American Muslim Foundation (NAMF) — Imam Shehryar and Farooq Khan — and the discussion was about ISIS and being a Canadian Muslim. Below is a translation of some of the “quotable quotes”:
“I honestly think the news about ISIS is extremely exaggerated – there are other interests fanning the flames — we do not know if ISIS is Muslim or not, could be anyone.”
“When we look at history and the way the West has lied, it is obvious… I refer to Iraq — this drama has been done before, so the reports we are getting are not credible as they are coming from Western media, which has a track record of being No. # 1 liars — once you tell a lie over and over again it becomes credible — look at the Jihad/Sharia hype?”
“We must establish authenticity of the [beheading] TV clips — it is a man wearing a niqab so how do we know whether he is a Mossad guy or ISIS?”
“I have heard reports that some people living under ISIS are peaceful — at least the Sunni areas are better patrolled.”
“Having a Caliphate is an integral part of faith. Every believing Muslim prays for a true Khalifah.”