The Dougout

Today's Honolulu Advertiser has an editorial by Hakim Ouansafi who is the chairman of the Muslim Association of Hawaii. In the editorial Ouansafi briefly mentions that he is disturbed and disappointed "that some protesters reinforced existing stereotypes by resorting to violence and inflammatory rhetoric." These "protesters" have resorted to murder, arson and acts of war. There is also no doubt that the governments and religious leaders of some of the nation's were the riots are occuring have facilitated these "protests."

Ouansafi then continues with the obligatory statement:

These very few individuals do not represent the more than 1.3 billion Muslims worldwide. Such violence goes against the very basic tenet of Islam.

This claim can't be supported by the facts or history. If the Cartoon Jihad is a result of a "very few individuals" why are they not jailed? Leading Moslem clerics have led and incited the Cartoon riots. Just a few days ago, for example in Pakistan:

"America is the killer of humanity, and we will keep raising our voice against it, and its supporter (Musharraf)," said Maulana Fazal-ur Rahman, a cleric and opposition leader who led the Islamabad protest, which drew 2,000 people.

The history of Islam's violence towards infidels and Mohammad's call for prepetual war against the dar al-Harb is well documented. Ouansafi's denial of such and his morphing of the Religion of Submission into the Religion of Peace is an insult to the intelligence of the Advertiser's readership.

Ouansafi then, unbelievably, tries to equate the publishing of these cartoons in a free press with the anti-Semitic campaigns of the Nazis. Given the call by Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah and the Mad Mullahs of Tehran to finish the job Hitler started, Ouansafi's contention is obscene. I will also note that it was the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem who met with Hitler in 1941. If Ouansafi is so concerned about genocide he should speak out about the ethnic and religious cleansing ongoing throughout sub-Sahara Africa. But, like a typical moderate Moslem, he doesn't mention it.

Here is another historical analogy: "moderate Moslem" has become the semantic equivalent of "good German."

Based on this absurd analogy, Ouansafi demands that American adopt European style laws against "hate speech:"

And at the same time, and rightfully so, they pass laws that resulted in the sentencing of the historian David Earving [sic] to three years in jail on charges stemming from speeches he gave in Austria in which he was accused of denying the Nazis' extermination of 6 million Jews.

Muslims are not against the right of electronic and print media to publish as they see fit. However, no democracy or legal or political system should allow preaching of hate and insults for the sacred values and symbols of others.

This sensitivity to the feelings of others is touching. This is not how it works in nation's under Sharia Law. In the press of such counties Jews are referred to as "pigs and monkeys." In Saudi Arabia it is illegal to practice any religion except that of Islam. In Egypt the Christian Coptics are under constant attack and when their churches are burned down, they are not allowed to rebuilt. Mecca, the most holy Moslem place, is an entire city where only Moslems are allowed to enter. This is the tolerance of Islam. The insular nature of Islam, notoriously hostile to non-believers, is what he defends in the name of "pluralistic values:"

Defending or encouraging blasphemous acts only germinates extremism and retaliation, which is not in the interest of anyone who wishes to safeguard multicultural and pluralistic values.

Read the above quote closely. Ouansafi means that anyone who defends the First Amendment right to say or publish anything considered by Moslems as "blasphemous" is quilty of incitement to riot.

Ouansafi has this to say about a courageous local weekly that reprinted the Mohammad cartoons:

There should be no place in our society or the world for hate speech. It is time that we all do our share to combat this Islamophobia the same way the world worked to eradicate anti-Semitism. We should all condemn and stand against all acts of intolerance, incitement and disrespect against people or communities based on ethnic origin or religious belief. [Link added]

It is the right thing to do; it is the American thing to do.

No Ouansafi the American "thing to do" when faced with bullies intent on destroying our basic liberties is to reprint those cartoons far and wide. It is sad that only a handful of America's print media has elected to do so.

Mr. Ouansafi, my rights as an American to say or write whatever I please are not subject to your notions' of "blasphemy" or "hate speech." If you find anything on this blog offensive, too bad. If you don't like it, move to a country already under Sharia Law (there are many) and you will never have to feel offended again.

As to American values, if you haven't ever read this then take the time and do so now:

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

How dare you attempt to inflict a Medieval legal code on the United States? You should also try to educate yourself on the extensive case law regarding the above. Mr. Ouansafi if you don't understand or respect the basic values represented in the above quote, you are living in the wrong country.

Update: At the Muslim Association of Hawaii's website there is a post demonstrating the zero tolerance they have for America's and the West's most basic values including freedom of speech and the separation of church and state:

The events in Denmark concerning the Messenger of God represent an entirely unacceptable crime of aggression that has violated the highest sanctities of the Muslim people. Moreover it is devastating to the ideal of convivial dialogue between peoples, as enjoined in the Quranic verse, which reads, ‘And We created you as nations and tribes that you might know one another’.

As the list of demands makes clear, their idea of "convival dialogue" is that us infidels behave as dhimmis should and submit our basic rights to Moslem veto:

We call upon the Danish government and the Danish people to yield to the large number of objective and sincere voices emanating from within their society, by apologizing, and condemning and bringing an end to this attack.

"[A]n end to this attack:" meaning an end to our freedom. I'll take Ouansafi at his word and agree that the Muslim Association of Hawaii represents "moderate Islam."