Word: islamics
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Noah D. Oppenheim's piece (Op-Ed, Oct. 22), in its unconditional praise for Steven Emerson's documentary "Jihad in America," unwittingly conflates, Islam and political terrorism. There is a tendency in American society to view Middle Eastern politics solely within the context of Islam. One indication of the fact that people do not separate religion and politics is that people do not know the difference between an Arab and a Muslim. Indeed, in a conversation with me Wednesday night, Oppenheim asked me the difference between the Society of Arab Students and the Harvard Islamic Society. Arab is an ethnicity...
...documentary's ultimate message is simple and forthright: Islam as a religion does not condone violence. Everyone's rights must surely be protected. But, there is a legitimate danger posed by militant groups who claim to act in the name of a distorted version of Islam. Our challenge, as Emerson states it in the film, is to find a way of "combating these groups within the boundaries of the Constitution...
What, then, if you cut through all the uproar, is the precise objection to Emerson and his project? One woman explained to me that she was offended by his use of the term "Islamic terrorist" because it stigmatized an entire people. Never mind that the term is concretely accurate--there are terrorists who claim to act in the name of Islam. Another argued that the use of Arabic chanting in the documentary demonized the Arabic language. The chants in question were in fact calls to violence, naturally spoken in the language that these militants speak. Another man argued that Emerson...
...They're not the only ones. Besides trying to block both the Nation of Islam-sponsored Million Youth March and the Klan rally, Giuliani has drawn fire for his recent attempt to remove city funding from the Brooklyn Museum over an art exhibit. Although the moves seem to be designed to position him at the moderate center, Giuliani hasn't been able to make the transition completely: He plans to appeal the court's ruling, which he sharply criticized as "another example of the '60s ideology." Note to Hillary: There's still plenty of room in the middle...
...Those who do not want this discussion are doing an incredible injustice to Islam," Emerson said...