MUST READ: WHEN CONSERVATIVES ARGUE ABOUT ISLAM

When Conservatives Argue about Islam
By Daniel Pipes

Allies in the Cold War trenches generally, but not always, still work together against radical Islam.

Take the key question of which Muslims are on the enemy’s side and which on ours. With exceptions, the Right shuns non-violent Islamists, while the Left welcomes them as friends.
Conservatives accept as moderates only those Muslims who actively oppose the Islamist goal of imposing the Shari‘a (Islamic law) worldwide; just because Muslim organizations or individuals denounce terrorism or work through the system does not make them, in their view, either moderate or mainstream, nor a suitable partner for government, media, or the academy.

In contrast, liberals usually distinguish between violent Islamists, which they fight, and political ones, which they accept. The U.S. government has, since Edward Djerejian’s Meridian House speech fifteen years ago, adopted the leftist viewpoint and works with non-violent Islamists.

Some examples of the Right/Left divide: New York mayor Rudy Giuliani spurned a check from Saudi businessman Al-Waleed bin Talal while London mayor Ken Livingstone literally hugged Islamist thinker Yusuf al-Qaradawi. Republican Fred Thompson condemns the Council on American-Islamic Relations for often seeming “to be more aligned with our enemies than us,” while Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi congenially met with the group.

But then, exceptions pop up: Robert Leiken of the Nixon Center encourages negotiations with the Muslim Brethren, while Senator Barbara Boxer, a Democrat, rescinded an award to CAIR.

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Pertinent Links:

1) When Conservatives Argue about Islam