Dear Dr. Jasser

This is a letter to Dr. Jasser from a decent, concerned American.

December 26, 2007
Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser
c/o AIFD

Dear Dr. Jasser:

I am a non-religious yet spiritual individual who has for many years endeavored to educate people about the dangers of radical Islam (or Islamism, as it is now often called), which I consider to be the greatest extant threat to mankind. Since learning about your website a few months ago, I have read most if not all of your articles. While I admire your courage in acknowledging the serious problem we all face from radical Islam, I can’t help but feel that your articles are at best misleading, at worst deceptive. Before justifying my position I would like to state in all sincerity that I believe you to be a moral and righteous man. But now to the matter at hand.

A recurring theme in many of your articles is to blame terrorism and radical Islam on “political Islam.” To the best of my knowledge, you have never explicitly defined this term, nor described what precisely it encompasses. Do you consider the following to be caused by political Islam?
hatred of Christians and Jews women’s subjugation people crashing airplanes into buildings
acceptance of the hatred literature which permeates Mosques in the United States
physicians attempting to blow up airports “honor killings” by men of their daughters and/or wives

In my opinion these actions and beliefs are not the result of political Islam, or at least not solely so, but instead have their origins in Islam itself. But even if, arguendo, one conceded that they are attributable to political Islam, one would still have to ask why there exists political Islam, but not political Christianity, or political Judaism, or political Hinduism, or political Buddhism. In at least two of your essays you have stated that people get the governments they deserve, but you have never taken this to its logical conclusion. Simply put, political Islam exists because of the very essence of Islam itself.

I am not a religious scholar, but virtually every author I have read, both Moslem and non-Moslem (I almost wrote “infidel’) alike, agree on two points: First, that Islam is more than just a religion but rather, a set of rules that regulate almost all aspects of life, and second, that Islam teaches that religion and government are inseparable. As such, political Islam is an integral part of Islam.

You seek to reform/modernize Islam, specifically advocating the practice of that which is peaceful and applicable to a modern society, and rejection of that which is not. At the risk of trivializing a serious - - deadly serious - - situation, when I read your articles I am reminded of the old saying “if my Aunt had a mustache, she’d be my Uncle.” All religions need to grow and adapt but what you are advocating is in essence, a complete re-structuring of Islam. What you apparently fail to consider is that such a religion would cease to be Islam; you might as well call it “Jasserism.”

I apologize for being so forthright, especially as we have never met, but there is no way for me to make my point by tap dancing around the issues. With all due respect Doctor, you have become an apologist for Islam. Each time I read one of your articles I feel I am reading the words of a desperate man, one who is trying with every fiber of his being to convince others, and ultimately himself, that Islam is good and moral, when everything he sees tells him otherwise. No matter how you and others may try to give it a positive spin, the facts as best we can determine them, are that Islam - - literally from its inception - - has been characterized by violence, aggression, dominance and subjugation. I am not a big fan of any organized religion, but Islam seems to truly be in a class by itself. Are there other religions in which the prophet of God killed, either by his own hand or by his commandments, those who opposed his teachings? Are there other religions which teach methods of warfare? Are there other religions which so specifically divide the world into believers and non-believers? Are there other religions which explicitly teach that non-believers be subjugated, and forced to pay a special tax? Are there other religions which advocate death for apostasy? And last but not least, are there other religions which promise the rewards of heaven for killing those of different faiths? I am not aware of any. This is the reality of Islam.

In closing, I would like to repeat something I said earlier, namely that I consider you to be a moral and just human being. But I would now like to add something that I truly hope you will consider: Your morality stems not from your being a Moslem but occurs only because you reject so much of Islam. If you adhered strictly to the teachings of the Koran, you would be a very different man. You consider yourself a devout Moslem yet most Moslems would probably classify you very differently. The significance of this cannot be overstated. There are many paths to God, yet you hang tenaciously to Islam, despite recognizing what it has brought to the world. Alas, there are no more difficult bonds to shed than those of religious indoctrination. For what it’s worth, I daresay any other religion would be proud to have you as a member.
Sincerely,
L. B, Ph.D.