Did Saudi Prince Saud al-Faisal cut off the bunny’s ears and scoop out its little brain? Maureen Dowd is the choc bunny candidate here....
I shook my head in amazement at Maureen Dowd’s admission of her ignorance of Islam (“Pilgrim non grata in Mecca”, IHT/New York Times, 11 March 10). For she reveals not only her ignorance (“… on my odyssey to Saudi Arabia, I tried to learn about the religion that smashed into American consciousness on 9/11…”), but also her ignorance of how just ignorant she is.
For example, having by her own admission only just commenced this study of Islam she nonetheless opines to Saudi’s Prince Saud al-Faisal that “… when 15 Saudi hijackers .. flew into the twin towers, Islam had been hijacked as well. He nodded.” Well he might. No doubt he could no believe his luck at having such a naïve and “useful idiot” parroting the favourite line of Islamic apologists, namely that the “Religion of Peace” has been hijacked by a “tiny minority of extremists”.
In fact, al-Qaeda’s aim in attacking the twin towers was clearly set out by Osama bin Laden:
“Does Islam, or does it not force people by the power of the sword to submit to its authority corporeally if not spiritually? Yes. … The matter is summed up for every person alive: Either submit, or live under the suzerainty of Islam, or die.” [1]
These Qaeda writings both before and after 9/11 are grounded in Islam’s roots of jurisprudence. Which is why no Muslim, “moderate” or otherwise, has even attempted to refute them. All mainstream sects and schools of Islamic jurisprudence teach as a matter of faith that Islam is intrinsically political and that Muslims must wage war against unbelievers and subjugate them under the rule of Islamic law. That is a matter of verifiable fact.
A couple of other items: In the second of a series of three articles on her visit to Saudi, “Arabia: Inshallah, Obama” (March 6), Dowd says “With two little words, Barack Hussein Obama thrilled the Muslim world. “Salaam aleikum,” he said, offering the traditional Arabic greeting “Peace be upon you” at the start of his Cairo speech last year.” [2]
As many observers better informed than Obama (and Dowd!) noted at the time, the greeting of Salaam aleikum is used only between Muslims. The greeting from a non-Muslim to a Muslim is Assalaam alaikum. That was ignorant of Obama -- and of Dowd -- and did nothing to halt the scuttlebutt that he is a closet Muslim...
Back in the US, at an Imax theatre [sic!] Dowd was “surprised when the movie said that the Kaaba was built by Abraham…”. Well, Abraham was likely a mythical figure and the Kaaba is widely held to have been build by pagan tribes in the region. That is basic knowledge.
Dowd spent quite some time with the handsome Prince Saud, it seems, mentioning him in all three articles [2], and she’s clearly in thrall to him and his “aviator glasses”, his “black and gold robe and tinted glasses” and demeanor of a “Hollywood mogul.”
But the Prince punked her and punked her good. It would have been easy, one suspects, as she gives off the air of one most willing to be duped by the handsome Arab, with his "stable of Arabian horses and one oversized white bunny”. Little did she know -- though the Prince surely did: there was one other American bunny in the tent. One that had just had its ears nibbled off with sweet sounding words -- the words the west so wants to hear! -- and the brains gently scooped out.
But the Prince punked her and punked her good. It would have been easy, one suspects, as she gives off the air of one most willing to be duped by the handsome Arab, with his "stable of Arabian horses and one oversized white bunny”. Little did she know -- though the Prince surely did: there was one other American bunny in the tent. One that had just had its ears nibbled off with sweet sounding words -- the words the west so wants to hear! -- and the brains gently scooped out.
On the plus side: Well done, Maureen, to have begun your study! I must say, about time, isn't it? Better late than never, though. But keep going; you have much to learn. Start with the Koran. It’ll open your eyes, though it is certainly less pleasant on the ears than the sweet nibbling taqiyya of the Saudi Prince Mogul.
[1] The Al Qaeda Reader. Raymond Ibrahim, ed. Doubleday, 2007. p 42
[2] “Loosey Goosey Saudi”, NYT, March 2, 2010. Here.
“Arabia: Inshallah, Obama”, NYT, March 6, 2010. Here.
“Pilgrim Non Grata in Mecca”. NYT, March 9 2010. Here.
