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Daniel Pipes

Idiots' File

Idiots' File Just as there are especially insightful statements (a few of them collected by me at "Caught My Eye – Noteworthy Quotes"), so there are assertions that dazzle with their stupidity. Here is a sampling, in reverse chronological order:

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Olivier Roy, famed French specialist on Islam, discussing twelve days of rioting by Muslim youth in France: "It is nothing to do with radical Islam or even Muslims." Although many rioters are from Muslim backgrounds, "these guys are building a new idea of themselves based on American street culture. It's a youth riot." (Quoted in James Button, "Paris heat not from Muslims," The Age (Melbourne), November 8, 2005) To which Tariq Ramadan added his assent: "Above all, one must not Islamisize the question of the suburbs. The question that France must answer is absolutely not a question of religion." ("Do not Put Islamic Spin on French Riots: Ramadan," IslamOnLine.net, November 8, 2005) Patrick Seale, British journalist and author : "These riots are the immediate results of social and economic crises and have nothing whatsoever to do with religion." (Quoted in Hadi Yahmid, "UK Writer Urges Europe to Treat Migrants With Dignity," IslamOnLine.net, November 9, 2005)

Faisal Devji, assistant professor of history at the New School in New York, argues in a new book, Landscapes of the Jihad, that violence is less important to Al-Qaeda than ethics. In an interview with the Guardian, he suggests understanding it as a global movement, rather like environmentalism. In his words:

As I see it, al-Qaida's actions are typically "symbolic" - they can be seen as "effects" rather than political interventions. This is because they have no way of planning what they want to achieve. They have no blueprint for the future. This, of course, is also true of other global movements like environmentalism. They, too, have no coherent political programme.

Oh, and "violence is the least important thing about al-Qaida because the violence is ethical in origin and will quite likely flip into its opposite. The most important feature of al-Qaida is fragmentation and dispersal of Islamic thought globally." (October 17, 2005)

Harry Reid, Senate Democratic leader, discussing George W. Bush's choice of Harriet Miers for Supreme Court justice: "I have to say without any qualification that I'm very happy that we have someone like her [on the court. She is] very personable, very genuine, somebody that answers her phone calls immediately." (Quoted in Elisabeth Bumiller, "Bush Names Counsel as Choice for Supreme Court," The New York Times, Oct. 4, 2005) To this, David Kuo, a former special assistant to the president, adds another powerful endorsement:

	From The Weekly Standard, Oct. 17, 2005.

Harriet used to keep a humidor full of M&Ms in her West Wing office. It wasn't a huge secret. She'd stash some boxes of the coveted red, white, and blue M&Ms in specially made boxes bearing George W. Bush's reprinted signature. Her door was always open and the M&Ms were always available. I dared ask one time why they were there. Her answer: "I like M&Ms and I like sharing."

("The Harriet Miers I Know," belief.net, undated)

That returning "phone calls immediately" and giving out candies should qualify a person for Supreme Court justice brings to mind the ditty of Sir Joseph Porter in Gilbert and Sullivan's H.M.S. Pinafore, the first stanza of which goes like this:

When I was a lad I served a term
As office boy to an Attorney's firm.
I cleaned the windows and I swept the floor,
And I polished up the handle of the big front door.
I polished up that handle so carefullee
That now I am the Ruler of the Queen's Navee!

Edina Lekovic, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles-based Muslim Public Affairs Council, commenting on local authorities in Lodi, California, rejecting an application of the Farooqia Islamic Center (whose leadership has been associated with terrorism): "If you replace the word ‘mosque' with ‘synagogue' or ‘church,' would we see the same type of scrutiny and fear?" (Quoted in Neil Gonzales, "Islamic leader mystified by supervisors' decision," Stockton Record, Sep. 29, 2005)

Rachel Zoll, Associated Press religion reporter, in an article on the anticipated ban on homosexuals in the Catholic priesthood: "Several priests challenged [the argument that homosexuals face strong pressures in the priesthood's all-male atmosphere] and noted that heterosexual priests face their own temptations: The overwhelming majority of lay ministers who work side by side with clergy are women, yet no one has suggested banning heterosexuals from the priesthood." ("Expected Vatican Ban Roils American Church," Sep. 22, 2005)

Ali Hamka, 25, the son of Lebanese immigrants and a high school economics teacher in Rochester, a Detroit suburb, discussing the press focus on the London bombings of July 7, killing 52: "The media is always ready to point out that it's Muslims involved in terrorism. I don't think they get the message that, you know, we're a religion, about peace, not killing people." (Quoted in "Michigan Mosque Is Testament to Islam's Integration in American Society," RNS, Aug. 22, 2005)

Ian Blair, Metropolitan Police Commissioner, London: there is "nothing wrong with being a fundamentalist Muslim. … The key issue is the slide into extremism." (Sarah Blaskovich, "London Police Chief Reaches Out to Muslims," July 15, 2005)

David Dickson, a specialist on Africa: "Political Islam, by definition, is neutral. It is any variant of Islam inspiring or serving as a vehicle for political mobilization or activity. Productive scholarship and policymaking must reject definitions that categorically treat political Islam as either a malevolent or benevolent force." ("Political Islam in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Need for a New Research and Diplomatic Agenda," U.S. Institute of Peace, May 2005)

Larry C. Johnson, former State Department counterterrorism specialist (and note the date below before reading): "Judging from news reports and the portrayal of villains in our popular entertainment, Americans are bedeviled by fantasies about terrorism. They seem to believe that terrorism is the greatest threat to the United States and that it is becoming more widespread and lethal. They are likely to think that the United States is the most popular target of terrorists. And they almost certainly have the impression that extremist Islamic groups cause most terrorism.

"None of these beliefs are based in fact. … when the threat of terrorism is used to justify everything from building a missile defense to violating constitutional rights (as in the case of some Arab-Americans imprisoned without charge), it is time to take a deep breath and reflect on why we are so fearful.

"Part of the blame can be assigned to 24-hour broadcast news operations too eager to find a dramatic story line in the events of the day and to pundits who repeat myths while ignoring clear empirical data. Politicians of both parties are also guilty. They warn constituents of dire threats and then appropriate money for redundant military installations and new government investigators and agents.

"Finally, there are bureaucracies in the military and in intelligence agencies that are desperate to find an enemy to justify budget growth. In the 1980's, when international terrorism was at its zenith, NATO and the United States European Command pooh-poohed the notion of preparing to fight terrorists. They were too busy preparing to fight the Soviets. With the evil empire gone, they ‘discovered' terrorism as an important priority. … terrorism is not the biggest security challenge confronting the United States, and it should not be portrayed that way." ("The Declining Terrorist Threat, The New York Times, July 10, 2001)

Posted on Thursday, August 25, 2005 at 9:56 PM | Comments (0) | Return

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