Day By Day

Saturday, March 11, 2006

Responding to Islamist Radicalism -- It's Not Just What You Say, But How You Say It



One of my correspondents sent me a link to this amazing video a couple of days ago {thanks Tim}. [here] The woman's name is Wafa Sultan, and what she says is important. Take a couple of minutes to view it. It's well worth your while.

Today Wretchard at the Belmont Club compares Dr. Sultan's reaction to Islamist terrorism with that of Tom Fox, the Christian peace activist. First he relates some details regarding Fox and his associates in the Christian Peacemaker Teams' [sub]mission to the terrorists [here]. Then cites the NYT account of Sultan's denunciation of Islamist barbarism [here]. He points out that both responses are nonviolent.

Then he asks:
Which of these, the Arab woman or American man, do you think was a neighbor to those threatened by terrorism?

And urges his readers to,

Go and do likewise.

To which, all I can say is a hearty, "Amen!"

Another point of comparison:

I would point out that more than a year ago the former President of Malaysia, Mohammed Mahathir, also urged Muslims to emulate the Jews and embark upon a peaceful pursuit of power, which earned him widespread condemnation in the Western media because he couched his argument in antisemitic terms. [here] All the MSM cared about was his statement that "Jews rule the world." Nobody noticed the excellent advice that followed.

Mahathir was simply urging Muslims to attempt to match Jewish accomplishments in peaceful areas of endeavor. But nobody cared about that.

This is what Democrat strategists mean when they talk about "framing the issue." Mahathir is denounced, and Sultan is celebrated on MEMRI, for making essentially the same argument. It's all in how you say it.

And for those of you who e-mailed the information -- Yes I know Wretchard is a cat. It is also the pseudonym of one of the most perceptive bloggers out there.

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