Qatar's First Lady Argues Islam Not The Root Of Extremism
Courtesy Of: The San Jose Mercury News
By PETER PRENGAMAN
Associated Press Writer
Article Launched: 05/16/2007
12:24:24 AM PDT
LOS ANGELES- In a rare appearance of a female Middle Eastern leader, Qatar's first lady argued Islam has been incorrectly blamed for the rise of extremist violence when the real culprits include poverty, a lack of political freedom and "failed U.S. policies."
Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Missned told the Los Angeles World Affairs Council Tuesday that societies worldwide were failing to provide jobs, hope and a feeling of greater good for their citizens.
As a result, youth "are seduced by a global culture of violence that is fueled by cynicism," said Sheikha Mozah, dressed in pants, a business blazer and with her hair covered.
"In the Middle East, youth feel politically paralyzed, and are doubly excluded. Like the general population, they cannot choose their governments and are severely limited in venues of self-expression," she said. "Certainly, failed U.S. policies in the Middle East have provided a fertile ground for radical groups."
Her 15-day U.S. tour includes stops in New York, Los Angeles and Houston to push her country's vision for the future of the Middle East and expand sister campuses with U.S. universities. Outside of more liberal countries like Israel and Lebanon, public appearances of Middle Eastern first ladies are rare, much less by one giving speeches and opining on world problems.
But over the past two decades, gas-wealthy Qatar has become one of the leading proponents of reform in the region. Qatar has women in government posts, held nationwide municipal elections in 2003 and several U.S. universities have opened branches in the nation's Education City.
The tiny Gulf country is home to the Al-Jazeera satellite television network and Washington's Mideast military headquarters, which oversees the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It regularly hosts international conferences of the World Trade Organization, World Economic Forum and others.
Sheikha Mozah is the second of three wives of Qatar's emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, and is a leading voice for increased female participation in public life and education.
Answering questions after the speech, the first lady rejected the idea that Islam is the reason for limited education of women in many Middle Eastern countries.
"Muslim countries prohibiting the education of women is not because they are Muslim," she said. "There are other cultural aspects" that guide those decisions.
She said it was important to educate women because both sexes had to "share in the responsibility of their societies in the Middle East."
Without singling out any leader or country, she said the youth in much of the Middle East had lost faith in their rulers, which made some attracted to extremist movements offering them a sense of purpose.
But she also criticized Western democracies, referencing U.S. participation in Iraq in questions afterward.
"We live in times when we have to swallow the bitter pill of hypocrisy called Western democracy or else be injected with the poison of extremism," she said.
She criticized an increasingly globalized world economy, saying that hyper competition had created a world of "consumerism and survival of the richest, of the man with the biggest gun has the loudest voice."
She said defeating extremist violence and other ills would require "a major paradigm shift," but didn't offer concrete details of solutions.
Despite all the negatives, she said she believed young people would pave the way to a more humane global community.
"You are probably ready to diagnose me with a bad case of naivety, but I can bear this diagnosis," she said in closing. "For I believe idealism is exactly the antidote we need to the cynicism of our times."
Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_5...nclick_check=1
Someone said to the Prophet, "Pray to God against the idolaters and curse them." The Prophet replied, "I have been sent to show mercy and have not been sent to curse." (Muslim)
Yes this is right that Islam is wrongfully blamed for the root of extremism. The fact is that Islam is only used for creating extremism. Anybody trying to use Islam as a moderate religion is termed as a kaffir or a weak hearted Muslim by the extremists. In this way, the western media gets an opportunity to blame Islam as the root of extremism.
Faith, to my mind, is a stiffening process, a sort of mental starch.
It's not an integer. But if we still get its root we get around 1.345 (rounding the number). that's what i got from my calculator. check your calculator if we get the same answer.
Abû Hurayrah relates that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said “This religion is easy. No one becomes harsh and strict in the religion without it overwhelming him. So fulfill your duties as best you can and rejoice. Rely upon the efforts of the morning and the evening and a little at night and you will reach your goal.” [Sahîh al-Bukharî]
It's not an integer. But if we still get its root we get around 1.345 (rounding the number). that's what i got from my calculator. check your calculator if we get the same answer.
^ Har har!
*Without Allah, without Islam, life would be meaningless. If I've ever learned patience, it's because of this. Alhamdulillah...*
Fear, Desperation, Anger, Aggression and Ignorance.
THAT'S RIGHT.
Now the questions are that
1. What kind of fear is there in the extremist Muslims these days?
2. Why they're desperate?
3. Why they are always angry?
4. Why they don't think of solving their problems wisely instead of trying to solve everything with aggression?
and
5. Why there is more ignorance where there is more of religious teachings?
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Last edited by Muhammad; 05-18-2007 at 01:42 PM.
Reason: There is no need to make such requests.
Faith, to my mind, is a stiffening process, a sort of mental starch.
THAT'S RIGHT.
Now the questions are that
1. What kind of fear is there in the extremist Muslims these days?
They fear that 'The Great Satan' (TM) will extend its grip all over the world, choking Islam. That fear will not necessarily come true, but it's a major contributor to such behaviour. Fear has a tendency of causing aggression generally.
2. Why they're desperate?
Because they think the only way they can do anything about their fear is to strap a bomb to themselves.
3. Why they are always angry?
The fear and desperation mix up, and the fact that anytime they do bomb something they are vilified makes them angrier. It's irrational, but there it is. They think the situation is hopeless, and if you don't have hope, you'll always have anger. I'm not agreeing with it, I'm just saying that's a very common human behavioural pattern.
4. Why they don't think of solving their problems wisely instead of trying to solve everything with aggression?
Either they think negotiation will not work, or they are too emotional to pursue such a course of action.
5. Why there is more ignorance where there is more of religious teachings?
There isn't more ignorance per se, since 'extremists' are still in the minority. Maybe ignorance was the wrong word. It's more like 'Distortion', since certain people distort Islamic teachings to justify violence which is clearly prohibited in Islam.
They fear that 'The Great Satan' (TM) will extend its grip all over the world, choking Islam. That fear will not necessarily come true, but it's a major contributor to such behaviour. Fear has a tendency of causing aggression generally.
So you think there's some link between extremism and Islam. Muslim don't have enough faith in Islam and they fear that it'll be completely out because some other lifestyle is becoming popular. We are told to consider the other kind of lifestyle as 'The Great Satan' and go to any possible extreme to block it.
format_quote Originally Posted by Muezzin
because they think the only way they can do anything about their fear is to strap a bomb to themselves.
This is how the extremists justify their actions. They do this to protect nothing but Islam like this. So what do think is the root cause of Extremism, then?
Faith, to my mind, is a stiffening process, a sort of mental starch.
So you think there's some link between extremism and Islam.
I think there's some link between extremism and certain Muslims abusing Islam. Extremism of any religion or even political ideology stems from abuse which is caused by fear that leads to malice.
Muslim don't have enough faith in Islam and they fear that it'll be completely out because some other lifestyle is becoming popular.
Not all Muslims, just a minority. Keep things in perspective.
We are told to consider the other kind of lifestyle as 'The Great Satan' and go to any possible extreme to block it.
I was mocking the label of 'The Great Satan' by putting a trade mark symbol after it. I don't agree with blaming my problems on an external force without doing anything to improve myself, but I accept that some people do blame their problems on external forces. Everybody is scared of different lifestyles to a degree because they're out of their comfort zones, but when that fear becomes violent, it's completely unacceptable.
This is how the extremists justify their actions. They do this to protect nothing but Islam like this. So what do think is the root cause of Extremism, then?
Yeah you're right. Only some people use Islam for their extremism. There're some provisions in Islam with which exploit the sentiments of their followers and lead them to extremism. In this way you could find the roots of extremism in almost every religion. Muslims were making progress when moderate leaders were in the front. They're in this bad shape because the extremists have taken control of the religion.
Faith, to my mind, is a stiffening process, a sort of mental starch.
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And she's definitely right. We need more speakers like that. Especially women cuz u know "we're oppressed."
/Peace To All
(that's not a knife he's wielding, it's a pointed spoon. And the fire, erm his pants are on fire....)
Har har!
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