wafa sultan redux

[sgxnk]

wafa sultan - a courageous hero

transcript here:

http://www.memritv.org/Transcript.asp?P1=1050
and the interview video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wPglHZQf-0


Wafa Sultan: The clash we are witnessing around the world is not a clash of religions, or a clash of civilizations. It is a clash between two opposites, between two eras. It is a clash between a mentality that belongs to the Middle Ages and another mentality that belongs to the 21st century. It is a clash between civilization and backwardness, between the civilized and the primitive, between barbarity and rationality. It is a clash between freedom and oppression, between democracy and dictatorship. It is a clash between human rights, on the one hand, and the violation of these rights, on other hand. It is a clash between those who treat women like beasts, and those who treat them like human beings. What we see today is not a clash of civilizations. Civilizations do not clash, but compete.I am not a Christian, a Muslim, or a Jew. I am a secular human being. I do not believe in the supernatural, but I respect others' right to believe in it.

<...>

Wafa Sultan: The Jews have come from the tragedy (of the Holocaust), and forced the world to respect them, with their knowledge, not with their terror, with their work, not their crying and yelling. Humanity owes most of the discoveries and science of the 19th and 20th centuries to Jewish scientists. 15 million people, scattered throughout the world, united and won their rights through work and knowledge. We have not seen a single Jew blow himself up in a German restaurant. We have not seen a single Jew destroy a church. We have not seen a single Jew protest by killing people. The Muslims have turned three Buddha statues into rubble. We have not seen a single Buddhist burn down a Mosque, kill a Muslim, or burn down an embassy. Only the Muslims defend their beliefs by burning down churches, killing people, and destroying embassies. This path will not yield any results. The Muslims must ask themselves what they can do for humankind, before they demand that humankind respect them.

[Poll_Blind]

1. MEMRI is a racist mouthpiece for the IDF. Research Yigal Carmon.

Wafa Sultan, well I couldn't have done a better job of highlighting his lack of objectivity than your excerpts of him.

PB

[sgxnk]

2. wow. dumb post of the week

wafa sultan is a WOMAN

lol

you exposed not only yer ignorance, but also that you obviously didn't watch the video

here's a hint: WAFA SULTAN is a woman

lol.

"him"

lolol

[Poll_Blind]

3. That's it? I got their gender wrong? How do you defend their racist...

...commentary?

  Is all that negated now?

PB

[sgxnk]

4. what's negated

is you

you didn't even read what wafa WROTE or saw the video of what she said

but since it was archived at memri, you just kneejerked a response

why don't u actually watch the video, THEN come to a conclusion

instead of PREjudging

[Poll_Blind]

5. What's the point of watching her say the racist words you dutifully...

...transcribe?

  Does that make the racism any less so?


  Does it?



PB

[sgxnk]

7. when in doubt

play the race card

apparently, you have your rhetoric manual open to page 1

dispute, agree with, or ignore her words

but spare me the labels

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

6. Oh I don't know.

Posting racist rhetoric seems to go a much further way towards discrediting a person than a simple gender misidentification.

[sgxnk]

8. here's the transcript

here's the transcript. where's the racism? where?


Wafa Sultan: The clash we are witnessing around the world is not a clash of religions, or a clash of civilizations. It is a clash between two opposites, between two eras. It is a clash between a mentality that belongs to the Middle Ages and another mentality that belongs to the 21st century. It is a clash between civilization and backwardness, between the civilized and the primitive, between barbarity and rationality. It is a clash between freedom and oppression, between democracy and dictatorship. It is a clash between human rights, on the one hand, and the violation of these rights, on other hand. It is a clash between those who treat women like beasts, and those who treat them like human beings. What we see today is not a clash of civilizations. Civilizations do not clash, but compete.

<...>

Host: I understand from your words that what is happening today is a clash between the culture of the West, and the backwardness and ignorance of the Muslims?

Wafa Sultan: Yes, that is what I mean.

<...>

Host: Who came up with the concept of a clash of civilizations? Was it not Samuel Huntington? It was not Bin Laden. I would like to discuss this issue, if you don't mind...

Wafa Sultan: The Muslims are the ones who began using this expression. The Muslims are the ones who began the clash of civilizations. The Prophet of Islam said: "I was ordered to fight the people until they believe in Allah and His Messenger." When the Muslims divided the people into Muslims and non-Muslims, and called to fight the others until they believe in what they themselves believe, they started this clash, and began this war. In order to stop this war, they must reexamine their Islamic books and curricula, which are full of calls for takfir and fighting the infidels.

My colleague has said that he never offends other people's beliefs. What civilization on the face of this earth allows him to call other people by names that they did not choose for themselves? Once, he calls them Ahl Al-Dhimma, another time he calls them the "People of the Book," and yet another time he compares them to apes and pigs, or he calls the Christians "those who incur Allah's wrath." Who told you that they are "People of the Book"? They are not the People of the Book, they are people of many books. All the useful scientific books that you have today are theirs, the fruit of their free and creative thinking. What gives you the right to call them "those who incur Allah's wrath," or "those who have gone astray," and then come here and say that your religion commands you to refrain from offending the beliefs of others?

I am not a Christian, a Muslim, or a Jew. I am a secular human being. I do not believe in the supernatural, but I respect others' right to believe in it.

Dr. Ibrahim Al-Khouli: Are you a heretic?

Wafa Sultan: You can say whatever you like. I am a secular human being who does not believe in the supernatural...

Dr. Ibrahim Al-Khouli: If you are a heretic, there is no point in rebuking you, since you have blasphemed against Islam, the Prophet, and the Koran...

Wafa Sultan: These are personal matters that do not concern you.

<...>

Wafa Sultan: Brother, you can believe in stones, as long as you don't throw them at me. You are free to worship whoever you want, but other people's beliefs are not your concern, whether they believe that the Messiah is God, son of Mary, or that Satan is God, son of Mary. Let people have their beliefs.

<...>

Wafa Sultan: The Jews have come from the tragedy (of the Holocaust), and forced the world to respect them, with their knowledge, not with their terror, with their work, not their crying and yelling. Humanity owes most of the discoveries and science of the 19th and 20th centuries to Jewish scientists. 15 million people, scattered throughout the world, united and won their rights through work and knowledge. We have not seen a single Jew blow himself up in a German restaurant. We have not seen a single Jew destroy a church. We have not seen a single Jew protest by killing people. The Muslims have turned three Buddha statues into rubble. We have not seen a single Buddhist burn down a Mosque, kill a Muslim, or burn down an embassy. Only the Muslims defend their beliefs by burning down churches, killing people, and destroying embassies. This path will not yield any results. The Muslims must ask themselves what they can do for humankind, before they demand that humankind respect them.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

9. LOL

"Host: I understand from your words that what is happening today is a clash between the culture of the West, and the backwardness and ignorance of the Muslims?

Wafa Sultan: Yes, that is what I mean."

Replace "muslims" with "jews" then tell me that wouldn't be anti-semitic.

[sgxnk]

10. ok. well at least

you displayed you are wrong

muslims aren't a race.

so, clearly it's not racism

second of all, she is right. the culture of the west does stand in stark contrast with the backwardness and ignorance of the muslims, as evidenced in the following practices among numerous muslim cultures:

slavery: still exists among muslims
clitoral mutilation: still exists among muslims
stoning for adultery: still exists among muslims
prosecution for conversion to other religions: still exists among muslims
rioting over cartoons: still exists among muslims

the western world has largely moved forward into the 21st century and released themselves from these BACKWARDS customs and practices

so, what she says is true

and clearly, it is not RACIST, since islam is not a race

muslims can be of any race

and those customs, and many others, are incredibly backwards

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

11. Sure, and Jews aren't a race either.

Yet usually it's referred to as racism, for several reasons which I won't go into because I'm sure you're already aware of them.

Now as for your reply, congratulations! There were two possible replies that I, the Amazing Bornini, had predicted you would give and I wrote down on the back of the envelope. They are:

1. He will dismiss the blatant bigotry by saying "it doesn't meet a certain definition of racism."

and

2. He will dismiss the blatant bigotry by agreeing with it.

("muslims...are incredibly backwards.")

Ta da!

For his next trick the Amazing Bornini will saw a woman in half!

[sgxnk]

13. you are right

i do agree

and the "backwardness" soundbite aside, the previous paragraph does an excellent job in explaining WHY the backwardness claim is valid (i am referring to the paragraph of her transcript in the interview btw)

the western world has progressed, and in large part the ME muslim world has not

cultures that promote slavery, clitoral mutilation, subjugation of women, stoning for adultery, etc. ARE backwards and i will stand by that statement

and if you disagree, fine

they are backwards imo

[rageagnst]

12. no it's not that the muslims want us all to live like crap...

Muslims are proably mad because we kill or imprison the fathers and sons and rape the mothers and daughters. So basically, their not mad at us because their life sucks... their mad because the US and Israel have made their life suck.

What would I know, though? No body cares about the Wiccans anymore :9