With Respect To Tarek Fatah

Tahira Saliha wrote a letter to the National Post on Monday, October 18.


She says


Re: Fourteen Centuries Of Hatred, Jonathan Kay, Oct. 12.
This column unfairly portrays Islam and Muslims as having a vendetta against the followers of Judaism. This is not true. Islam teaches peace. It lays down the foundation of peace between nations and this includes the Jews. It requires Muslims to respect people of all faiths. Moreover, Jewish individuals have been respected in Islam and Islamic communities. Indeed according to Islam there have been many great Jews including many great prophets that are respected and adhered to by all Muslims.
It must be noted that most of the prophets mentioned in the Koran were Jewish, such as Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon and Jesus.
Jews and Muslims should be bridging peace, not vilifying hatred against each other. The actions of a few, in the past, do not represent Islam and many other Muslims.
Tahira Saliha, Toronto.

Read more: http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2010/10/18/todays-letters-euthanasia-another-form-of-elder-abuse/#more-15097#ixzz12iOJ9HIv


However I must take issue with Tahira's postulation that "Islam wants peace". If Islam teaches peace then where is the evidence? I see much violence, murder, honour killings, rockets lobbed into Israel, Palestinian textbooks full of hatred toward Jews, cartoons depicting Jews doing terrible things to Muslim children and the list could continue.... See Questions for Islam blog.


For her to cite only dead Jews as being respected could lead one to believe that Muslims only respect dead Jews which seems to be at the root of the problem, not the solution.

I have great respect for Muslims like Tarek Fatah   [

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarek_Fatah]

I also have great respect for any Muslims who speak against violence, honour killings and murder as well as Palestinian violence against Israel.

The problem I have is that there is a principle in Islam which basically states that "a Muslim may lie for the cause of Allah". That is why I have a problem with letters like Tahira's or any that defend the violence I see anywhere in the world perpetrated by Muslims.