Mainstream newspaper “groks” Islam

A mainstream newspaper finally “gets” it about Islam. Going beyond the usual interminable blather that we are “waiting,” and “hoping” to see signs of moderation among the Mohammedans, the Richmond Times-Dispatch comes right out and says that the Malaysian Prime Minister’s Goebbels-worthy speech at the Asian summit claiming that Jews control the world and calling for a “final victory” over Israel and all the enemies of Islam—combined with the complete support given the speech by the scores of assembled heads of Muslim states—is definitive proof of the nature of Islam. Most importantly, the Times-Dispatch specifically rejects President Bush’s idea that militant Islam does not represent Islam’s true face. “Mahathir,” the paper writes, “is the leader not of a sect or a party on the fringe but of a sovereign state. His words contradict the benign picture [presented by Bush]. The lack of outrage in the Islamic world and among the Arab bloc resembles the silence that implies consent. The fair-minded have no choice but to assume the worst.” [Italics added.]

Right on! If more mainstream voices started speaking like this, that is, if they started recognizing unappeasable enemies as unappeasable enemies, who knows, it could be even a sign that we’re not headed for national suicide after all.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at October 24, 2003 02:19 PM | Send