It's great to receive the endorsement of Charles Krauthammer on the Jawa view that the only distinction between the 'moderate' Muslim and the 'radical' Muslim is one of means and severity and not of ends themselves. Especially given that Dean decides to wuss out and not respond to any more of criticisms of his conflation of 'liberal' and 'moderate' Muslims (which, by the way, also conflates the endorsement of 'democracy' by many moderate Muslims, but who simultaneously reject the underlying elements of democracy such as freedom of press, speech, and religion--eg, Grand Ayatollah Sistani who universally regarded as a 'moderate' who supports 'democracy' and 'secularism', but who wishes for the secular government to impose the death penalty on those who blaspheme the prophet). Most people wish to believe that they are 'moderate', even when they are the extremes of the Right and Left. Thus, many Muslims who are in fact 'liberal' in comparison to the mainstream, believe they are moderates.

WAPO via Jihad Watch:

What passes for moderation in the Islamic community -- "I share your rage but don't torch that embassy" -- is nothing of the sort. It is simply a cynical way to endorse the goals of the mob without endorsing its means. It is fraudulent because, while pretending to uphold the principle of religious sensitivity, it is interested only in this instance of religious insensitivity....

A true Muslim moderate is one who protests desecrations of all faiths. Those who don't are not moderates but hypocrites, opportunists and agents for the rioters, merely using different means to advance the same goal: to impose upon the West, with its traditions of freedom of speech, a set of taboos that is exclusive to the Islamic faith. These are not defenders of religion but Muslim supremacists trying to force their dictates upon the liberal West....

The worldwide riots and burnings are instruments of intimidation, reminders of van Gogh's fate. The Islamic "moderates" are the mob's agents and interpreters, warning us not to do this again. And the Western "moderates" are their terrified collaborators who say: Don't worry, we won't. It's those Danes. We're clean. Spare us. Please.

Posted by: Rusty at 10:26 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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