The Inqy On Islamophobia

About what you'd expect, we who question radical Islam are "Islamophobic":

Ibrahim Souadda is only 12, but already he's had a taste of what it means to be "the other."

Sometimes children tease him for being Muslim. "They say it like a joke," he said yesterday, as he waited for the start of a panel discussion on "Islamophobia," or the fear of Islam and its effect on American Muslims.

Note that they really don't seem to pin anything specific on anyone that was "Islamophobic." Just someone saying "the other" whatever that means.

The need for such knowledge and understanding has never been more pressing, yesterday's panelists agreed, citing the escalating political rhetoric around "Islamo-fascism."

The gathering, at Houston Hall on the University of Pennsylvania campus, was sponsored by the Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, based in Washington. About 50 people attended.

Ignorance fuels the fear of Muslims in this country from the grassroots to the highest levels of government, said panelist Parvez Ahmed, the council's national board chairman.

No Mr. Ahmed, ignorance does not fuel fear, it's the terror acts that fellow believers of Allah plan and execute on a regular basis that makes us fear Islam. Regardless of the fact that you say "American Muslims reject extremism in all its forms", we've yet to see the proof of that. CAIR is an organization that is Al Sharptonesque in their knee-jerk reaction to anything that remotely questions Islamic teaching yet they fail to condemn teror group such as Hama and Fatah who attack civilians as they celebrate Passover or men who behead their victims such as Daniel Pearl who have done nothing to you except be a reporter and a Jew.

Panelist Linda Hanna, a business consultant, outlined some of the stereotypes that result: Muslim equals Arab equals "unscrupulous pathological fanatic or terrorist with primitive motives." Especially post-9/11.

Lost on many is the idea that there is nothing inherent in the religion of Islam that promotes terrorism. Rather, Hanna said, "There is a minority using religion for political ends."

But the very tenets of Islam call for believers to spread the word via any means necessary and conquer non-believers. Jihad is a requirement, not a recommendation. No, all followers of Islam are not terrorist, but when taken into account, there sure are a hell of a lot more violent Muslims than there are violent Presbyterians. Christians are indeed encouraged to spread the word or proselytize, yet it has been centuries since it was done by weapons and violence as a normal course of events. Until the same can be said about Islam, many people are going to be suspicious.

By the way, the Inquirer bucked the recent trend of newspapers losing readers in droves.