Moderate Muslim Watch: Handy Quick Tools for Spotting the Frauds
Having presented several examples of men and women who are genuine moderates, I now turn to the question apparently on everyone's mind: How do you tell the real moderates from the frauds?
The question is entirely legitimate. Yes, there is a long-established Islamic doctrine of taqqiya--variously translated and interpreted as “precautionary dissimulation,” “religiously-sanctioned deception,” “keeping one’s convictions secret,” “tactical dissimulation,” "holy deception," and "lying." Even if there weren't, any radical with half his wits about him could see that Westerners just adore the word "moderate." The very utterance of the word seems to have a soothing, soporific effect on them. So long as you just keep enjoining the words, "I'm a moderate," a parade of hopeful Western buffoons will assuredly line up on your doorstep with roses and the Barry White mix tapes, eager to embrace you in moist gratitude and admiration even as you face the television cameras and call for their enslavement and destruction. If you do this in a language that your interlocutors haven't bothered to learn, you'll be just fine.
What's more, you can almost always convince the West to do business with you or look the other way if you insist that since you're a moderate, it is important to engage you or support you to stave off the radicals. If you want evidence of this, look no further than what is apparently our new strategy in Afghanistan: cut a deal with Mullah Omar on the grounds that he represents the moderate wing of the Taliban.
So yes, good question.
You can't answer it by saying, "All true Muslims are radicals." This answer is fundamentally unserious and no one concerned with the West's survival should accept it. If you wish to fight this war without all of our natural allies by our side you might also wish to consider renouncing the use of tanks in favor of the outstandingly simple pogo stick. It makes about as much strategic sense.
If you're serious about distinguishing real moderates from faux-moderates, however, here are two quick and easy ways to start. Look for Saudi financing, and look for connections to the Muslim Brotherhood. Both are apt to be opaque--sometimes not very opaque at all, but opaque enough that most people don't notice--and both should immediately raise your suspicions that you're not dealing with a moderate.
The Saudis and the Brotherhood are not the same thing, but they have found each other quite useful:
... broadly speaking, a cross-fertilization of ideas took place between the exiled Brotherhood and the austere teachings of what might be described as the Wahhabi rank and file. That interaction, combined with the new organizational and financial backing of groups like the Muslim World League, would eventually lead to the rise of a new, internationalist form of Salafism. The Brotherhood played a crucial role in shaping this new ideological universe, which is now, in important ways, the dominant cultural force in the Arab Middle East.
The recent position statement of the Muslim Brotherhood's supreme guide, Muhammad Badi', should persuade you that people who hang with the Brothers are not apt to be moderates, no matter what they say.
I'm going to start slowly with the list of American organizations that accept large donations from the Saudis and have close connections to the Brotherhood, because there are a lot, and I'm hoping these names really sink in. The Muslim Students Association was founded by the Brothers. The Council on American Islamic Relations--loads of well-documented Muslim Brotherhood ties. The Islamic Society of North America and Fiqh Council of North America (they're associated): pure Brotherhood goodness, enriched with nourishing Saudi vitamins.
This final observation would have some wry comic value if it weren't so unfunny. ISNA insists on its website that it has nothing to do with the Muslim Brotherhood and "does not accept funding from foreign governments."
On the very same site, it announces the HRH Prince Alwaleed bin Talal ISNA Fellowship program.
I suppose they think most people won't notice that. Alas, they're right.
- Comment (17)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (1)
Comments :
Jun '10
Re: Moderate Muslim Watch: Handy Quick Tools for Spotting the Frauds
Thanks, Claire. That is both helpful and, I'm afraid, confusing as well. The deceit involved in the multitude of organizations with glorious or just simple sounding names is immense. How is the average dummy like myself to know from whence comes their finances? One might be predisposed to first mistrust as a basic starting point. That is not how I normally deal with life. Although I am not naive, I do not consider myself a cynic.
Oct '10
Re: Moderate Muslim Watch: Handy Quick Tools for Spotting the Frauds
Claire – is there a predominantly Islamic nation or government, or prominent Islamic spokes-group, that—in your view—has compellingly and convincingly renounced one or more of the following actions if committed by any person or group claiming to be acting on behalf of Islam or in accordance with Islamic doctrine?
(1) Murdering non-combatants in the context of Jihad or the defense of Islam/Muslims (not ‘collateral damage’ if precautions are taken to avoid it)
(2) Repression of homosexuals, let alone killing them for their “crime”
(3) So-called “honor” killing of those thought to have shamed parents or siblings
(4) Requiring women to wear head/face covering garments
(5) Death penalty or other harsh punishment for adultery
I submit that unless and until significant numbers of prominent Islamic organizations and governments renounce these actions as un-Islamic, there is no such thing as moderate Islam even though there may be moderate Muslims.
Re: Moderate Muslim Watch: Handy Quick Tools for Spotting the Frauds
That's why I thought this topic might be worth a series, Cdor. It is hard to figure out, and I don't think busy people with full-time jobs and many other things to worry about can be faulted for not having the time to sit down and study these groups and their histories carefully. But if you've got access to Google and you're aware that the first words to look for are Saudi financing and the words "Muslim Brotherhood," you can rule people and groups out of the category "moderate" pretty quickly. Most of this stuff is no secret at all--people just don't realize that it should ring alarm bells.
Jul '10
Re: Moderate Muslim Watch: Handy Quick Tools for Spotting the Frauds
Good on you, Claire, for drawing some much needed lines. The information on CAIR, MSA and the other organizations you mention has been available to anyone willing to do even a minimum of research so the question, at least in my mind, is why so many Westerners blind themselves to reality or, worse, act like useful idiots. One could nearly understand the infatuation with the promises of communism but the current obtuseness defies imagination. Since we cannot rely on the media to do any investigative work, it behooves each of us to do our own digging. Fortunately, there are plenty of good foundations researching financial ties, translating charters and documents, and perhaps one day you could highlight them for your readers. Thanks.
Re: Moderate Muslim Watch: Handy Quick Tools for Spotting the Frauds
HVT--I'm no massive fan of Turkey's opposition CHP, for many reasons, but the plain fact is that they were in power for a long time and are currently polling in numbers quite close to the AKP. They meet all of your standards. Given that 99 percent of the population of Turkey are Muslims, they meet your test. If you tell me that they don't count because they're avowedly (arguably fanatically) committed to secularism, you're telling me that you've defined the problem out of existence. (If you add to that the numbers who vote MHP and pretty much every party but the SP, you've got a significant majority supporting parties that would meet your test.)
Re: Moderate Muslim Watch: Handy Quick Tools for Spotting the Frauds
I'm right with you, cdor. Perhaps, Claire, this kind of stuff could make your next book? You are (thank goodness) making this puzzle seem somewhat manageable. It's still a puzzle, of course, but you are doing your heroic part to help us begin to solve it. It's these kinds of posts, by the way, that makes me think you'd be invaluable as a consultant to some of the politicians serious about guiding our country.
Aug '10
Re: Moderate Muslim Watch: Handy Quick Tools for Spotting the Frauds
Claire,
On the question of Saudi financing, how should we feel about things like chairs of Islamic history, Middle East studies, etc at Western universities that were endowed by Saudi royalty? My hunch is to see the scholars who hold such chairs and the administrators who accepted the gift as, at worst, the useful idiots of Islamism but not Islamists themselves. (I'm thinking of people like Karen Armstrong). Is this naive? Is there some distinction I'm missing?
Re: Moderate Muslim Watch: Handy Quick Tools for Spotting the Frauds
anon_academic: Claire,
On the question of Saudi financing, how should we feel about things like chairs of Islamic history, Middle East studies, etc at Western universities that were endowed by Saudi royalty? My hunch is to see the scholars who hold such chairs and the administrators who accepted the gift as, at worst, the useful idiots of Islamism but not Islamists themselves. (I'm thinking of people like Karen Armstrong). Is this naive? Is there some distinction I'm missing? · Oct 11 at 6:58am
I'd say you've got it about exactly right.
Aug '10
Re: Moderate Muslim Watch: Handy Quick Tools for Spotting the Frauds
Ursula Hennessey
I'm right with you, cdor. Perhaps, Claire, this kind of stuff could make your next book? You are (thank goodness) making this puzzle seem somewhat manageable. It's still a puzzle, of course, but you are doing your heroic part to help us begin to solve it. It's these kinds of posts, by the way, that makes me think you'd be invaluable as a consultant to some of the politicians serious about guiding our country. · Oct 11 at 6:10am
I third cdor: Thanks, Claire.
I feel Peter Robinson's voice echoing in my brain. Perhaps a quick guide for the perplexed on this topic would make a good broadside from Encounter Books?
May '10
Re: Moderate Muslim Watch: Handy Quick Tools for Spotting the Frauds
Would it make more sense to identify the Muslim groups that are admirable and work backward from there? The American Islamic Forum for Democracy seems trustworthy. MEMRI (not strictly Muslim, but devoted to those issues) has done good work.
What organizations would you recommend, Claire?
Jun '10
Re: Moderate Muslim Watch: Handy Quick Tools for Spotting the Frauds
I like that concept, Aaron. It might also be illuminative to see just how many for sure good guys there are amongst these groups. One might not have to worry about getting down to their toes once the counting starts.
Re: Moderate Muslim Watch: Handy Quick Tools for Spotting the Frauds
Aaron Miller: Would it make more sense to identify the Muslim groups that are admirable and work backward from there? The American Islamic Forum for Democracy seems trustworthy. MEMRI (not strictly Muslim, but devoted to those issues) has done good work.
What organizations would you recommend, Claire? · Oct 11 at 8:46am
To say that MEMRI is not strictly Muslim is putting it mildly; MEMRI is invaluable, and I wouldn't at all be surprised if Muslims were among the translators, but it would be quite the confusion to call it a Muslim group.
Jul '10
Re: Moderate Muslim Watch: Handy Quick Tools for Spotting the Frauds
I have a bold proposal: let us abandon the term "moderate Muslims".
And replace it with...."Susquatch Muslims".
Rumored to exist, highly elusive and utterly irrelevant in terms of real-world events.
Aug '10
Re: Moderate Muslim Watch: Handy Quick Tools for Spotting the Frauds
Claire Berlinski, Ed.
To say that MEMRI is not strictly Muslim is putting it mildly; MEMRI is invaluable, and I wouldn't at all be surprised if Muslims were among the translators, but it would be quite the confusion to call it a Muslim group. · Oct 11 at 9:17am
The rumor I've heard is that MEMRI is just another tentacle of the Vast Zionist Conspiracy.
I take that as a good sign.
Oct '10
Re: Moderate Muslim Watch: Handy Quick Tools for Spotting the Frauds
No, I wouldn't say that. Indeed, it's welcome news that electorally significant numbers of Turks support moderate parties. But the idea of “moderate Muslims, no moderate Islam” refers to the entire ummah. Given Turkey’s pivotal position, we should take some comfort from your assessment. But we can’t imagine that this moderation extends in any politically significant way beyond Turkish borders, can we? I’m truly hopeful of being corrected on this, but I don’t know of any “Not In Our Name” rallies in the Islamic world, including Turkey. I’m fairly confident that if there have been some, they can’t be seen as significant within the global scope of the ummah’s ideological, financial and political reach. Again, I’m no expert, but has any significant Islamic group or government publicly stood against the outrages I listed (preferably one not shielded from retribution inside a Western democracy, but I’ll take that too)? If not, how are we to conclude that “moderate Islam” has any meaningful evidentiary basis?
May '10
Re: Moderate Muslim Watch: Handy Quick Tools for Spotting the Frauds
I've decided I prefer "sensible Muslims" to "moderate Muslims" by far. The word "moderate" seems to imply secularism, which isn't necessary, and will offput sensible Muslims who take their faith seriously. It's fine for Muslims to talk about Allah, even in political discussions, so long as they don't think Allah demands dhimmitude and murder.
Re: Moderate Muslim Watch: Handy Quick Tools for Spotting the Frauds
I agree that the term "moderate Muslim" is problematic for just that reason--I use it only because it's the mainstream shorthand. "Liberal" Muslim would be much better. Shame the word "liberal" has come to be conflated with "left-wing."