A Denunciation of the Muslim World, Apparently on al-Jazeera
Today I was sent this powerful speech denouncing the Muslim world as primitive, by an avowedly-secular woman speaking Arabic. It aired purportedly on al-Jazeera. My friend John Coyne says, "The woman is Wafa Sultan, an Arab-American psychologist from Los Angeles."
Watch it, it's fascinating, especially when she celebrates Jewish achievements of the 20th century to counter Arab antisemitism. And the cleric who briefly attempts to brand her as "a heretic" seems to fulfill her description of the Muslim world.
I believe it was provided by MEMRI, the pro-Israel thinktank that translates Arabic publications to show how good we are and how bad they are.
A couple rejoinders. I don't see why backwardness justifies decimation. There are tons of areas of the world that are not as techno-scientifically advanced as we are, and we haven't declared them fascists and bombed them. Also, isn't it a sign of progress that she can express herself on al-Jazeera?
"I don't see why backwardness justifies decimation. There are tons of areas of the world that are not as techno-scientifically advanced as we are, and we haven't declared them fascists and bombed them."
This statement is so perverse that it defies comment.
You suck as journalist and are dragging the Observer down.
Is the Observer editorial staff taking the same meds as Weiss? When will this end?
Save the Observer- lose Weiss.
I am sorry, but your writing is very poor.
Are you an intern or a columnist? This is shocking from what I assumed was a high quality newspaper. And you ought to get out of cozy man world for a minute.. you obviously have no idea as to what it is like to be a feminist from the middle east with death threats. Get on the clue bus for a block or two.
Backwardness justifies decimation? Nowhere in her eloquent interview does Wafa call for decimation. In fact, the only "decimation" she points to is that perpetrated by radical Muslims, i.e. the Taliban that decimated the Buddhist statues in Afghanistan, or the way radical Muslims express their beliefs by killing people, bombing churches, and destroying embassies.
Al-Jazeera is progress, but Mr. Al-Khuri's beliefs are exactly what Wafa is railing against.
Technological backwardness is one thing. Moral backwardness is another.
When you have the courage to denounce the wholesale abuse of women, the practice of slavery, the execution of apostates and heretics, and the relentless subjugation that occurs in the muslim world, then you can speak.