Project 21 member Mychal Massie interviewed Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) spokesman Ibrahim Hooper on his internet-only talk show Straight Talk last week for about five minutes. And in that five minutes, what started as a civl conversation ended with Hooper's sputtering angrily, followed by Hooper abruptly terminating the telephone interview.
In less than five minutes of air time, the person responsible for putting forth a favorable presentation of CAIR hung up, leaving the audience with nothing to warrant a change in opinion of him, his organization or his religion.Despite his venomous excoriations and half-baked platitudes, it appears to be impossible for Hooper to denounce the terrorist actions of the fanatical elements of Islam.I had assured the gentleman prior to his agreeing to appear that I would not seek to embarrass or diminish him, but I also assured him I would ask straightforward questions. His rhetoric almost immediately degenerated into a puerile phonemic tirade, with him accusing me of "advocating genocide" and of saying "every Muslim on the planet is a member of terrorist organization." He fomented: "You'd kill me, you'd kill my family, you'd kill every member of my mosque ..." – none of which had I even remotely suggested. I submit he is in a much better position to know who within his element is a terrorist than I.
Hooper took offense when I pointed out that of the 400-plus recognized terrorist groups in the world, over 90 percent were Islamist groups. (Peaceful religion is not spelled I-s-l-a-m). But the fact remains it isn't the Amish, the Mennonites or the Seventh Day Adventists who are beheading innocent people and murdering innocent women and children – it is Muslims. It was not the Methodists who celebrated the dastardly attacks of 9-11 during candlelight vigils on certain college campuses – it was Muslims.
And for CAIR to show righteous and outrageous indignation to hand-wringing when writers, columnists, talk show hosts and others rightly criticize them as an organization, and Islam as a religion, only adds to the perception that I and many others have: that CAIR is a front for the terrorist fringe elements within Islam. And I truly have to wonder how close that "fringe" is to the mainline center of Islam. Because Islam sounds less and less like a doctrinal religious faith; and more and more like a lunatic cult.
Posted by mhking at August 16, 2005 01:34 PM | TrackBack