Interesting interview with Stephen Schwartz

[kiwimac]

A very interesting interview with Schwartz about Wahhabi Islam.

http://www.theatlantic.com/unbound/interviews/int2003-03-20.htm

Edited to try and fix the URL problem

Kiwimac

[GrayPilgrim]

The link does not work

[kiwimac]

Its working now!


Kiwimac:smile:

[Solly]

Wow. Let's bomb Saudi.

But seriously, that's thought provoking stuff, and makes the House of Sa'ud the villains of the piece all along. Wonder what will happen?

[Ryokan]

that is a very interesting piece, Kiwi. Hopefully, we will put pressure on the Saudis after the Iraq war. I have heard reports that it is already happening. We will see.

[kiwimac]

Bear in mind,

The Saudi Royal Family is immensely powerful. It is unbelievably rich and has access to more riches. All this means a potential for a very nasty conflict.

Kiwimac

[Epoetker]

The funny thing is, if you'd been reading National Review regularly like I have, you'd have been getting a dose of Schwartz every week or so:smile:

Here's the article that got me liking him:

http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/comment-schwartz102501.shtml

Excerpt:


...here are three citations from oral sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, or ahadith, cited in anti-Wahhabi writings as indicators of how they should be viewed:

They will pass through Islam like an arrow passes through its quarry. Wherever you meet them, kill them!

They are the dogs of the people of Hell.

They recite Koran and consider it in their favor but it is against them.


Here are some comments by al-Zahawi showing that, for the Muslim scholars of his time, Wahhab, the founder of Wahhabism, was a terrorist, a kind of bin Laden avant la letter:

"Even if a person was the most pious and God-fearing of Muslims, he would denounce them as idolaters (mushrikun), thus making the shedding of their blood and confiscation of their wealth licit (halal). On the other hand, he affirmed the faith of anyone who followed him even though they be persons of most notoriously corrupt and profligate styles of life…

Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab clung fiercely to denouncing people as unbelievers. To do this he used Qur'anic verses originally revealed about idolaters and extended their application to monotheists… He applied the verses in the Qur'an, meant to refer to disbelievers among the tribe of the Quraysh, to most God-fearing and pious individuals of the Muslim community. Ibn Sa'ud naturally took this work as a pretext and device for extending his political sovereignty by subjecting the Arabs to his dominance. Ibn `Abd al-Wahhab began to call people to his religion and instilled in their hearts the idea that everyone under the sun was an idolater. What's more, anyone who slew an idolater, when he died, would go immediately to paradise…

As a consequence, Ibn Sa`ud carried out whatever Ibn `Abd al-Wahhab ordered. If he commanded him to kill someone and seize his property, he hastened to do just that. Indeed, Ibn `Abd al-Wahhab sat among his folk like a prophet in the midst of his community. His people did not forsake one jot or tittle of what he told them to do and acted only as he commanded, magnifying him to the highest degree and honoring him in every conceivable way. The clans and tribes of the Arabs continued to magnify him in this manner until, by that means, the dominion of Ibn Sa`ud increased far and wide as well as that of his sons after him."

Awfully accurate reporting for 1905. That bit about profligate and corrupt followers reminds one of Mohammed Atta, visiting the Florida strip bars.


Who do you trust? I know whom I trust. The latter scholars' works, cited by Kabbani, including The Sharp Sword for the Neck of the Assailant of Great Scholars.

Not that I agree with him that the problem is solely Wahhabi, but he's a rollicking good read, and more fun when he attacks from the right than from the left.

[Epoetker]

http://weeklystandard.com/Check.asp?idArticle=2501&r=nlmdb

And here's the unflappable Schwartz in NeoCon Pravda showing how the <i>Muslims</i> under international tutelage in Kosovo are repeatedly, logically, and consitently decrying the corrupt, imperialistic, ineffective, cynical, socialistic, uncaring UN. And calling for the administration of the just, caring, effective, democracy-minded US.

Hearing it yet, Kiwi, Eire, and Vork?