The Bravest Woman in the Whole World
11 April 2006 6:29 pm by Taylor Marsh
The Bravest Woman in the Whole World –updated–
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| Wafa Sultan and Dr. Ibrahim Al-Khouli go at it. Watch the video. Also found here (via reader anonimouse) |
Her name is Wafa Sultan. She's an Arab-American Psychologist.
The video was
filmed on February 21, 2006, by Al-Jazeera (Qatar). It is some of the most remarkable
footage you will ever see. It's been covered some places, but I thought I'd
share it with you because not everyone has seen it.
“The clash we are witnessing around the world
is not a clash of religions, or a clash of civilizations. It is a clash between
two opposites, between two eras. It is a clash between a mentality that belongs
to the Middle Ages and another mentality that belongs to the 21st century.
It is a clash between civilization and backwardness, between civilized and
the primitive, between barbarity and rationality. It is a clash between freedom
and oppression, between democracy and dictatorship. It is a clash between
human rights, on the one hand, and the violation of these rights, on the other
hand. It is a clash between those who treat women like beasts, and those who
treat them like human beings. What we see today is not a clash of civilizations.
Civilizations to not clash, but compete. … … …The Muslims are the ones who began using this expression.
The Muslims are the ones who began the clash of civilizations. The Prophet
of Islam said: 'I was ordered to fight the people until they believe in Allah
and His Messenger.' When the Muslims divided the people into Muslims and non-Muslims,
and called to fight the others until they believe in what they themselves
believe, they started this clash, and began this war. In order to stop this
war, they must reexamine their Islamic books and curricula, which are full
of calls for takfir and fighting the infidels. … … … I am not
a Christian, a Muslim, or a Jew. I am a secular human being. I do not believe
in the supernatural, but I respect others' right to believe in it. …You are free to worship whoever you want, but other
people's beliefs are not your concern, whether they believe that the Messiah
is God, son of Mary, or that Satan is God, son of Mary. Let people have their
beliefs. … The Jews have come from the tragedy (of the Holocaust), and forced
the world to respect them, with their knowledge, not with their terror, with
their work, not their crying and yelling. Humanity owes most of the discoveries
and science of the 19th and 20th centuries to Jewish scientists. 15 million
people, scattered throughout the world, united and won their rights through
work and knowledge. We have not seen a single Jew blows himself up in a German
restaurant. We have not seen a single Jew destroy a church. We have not seen
a single Jew protest by killing people. The Muslims have turned three Buddha
statues into rubble. We have not seen a single Buddhist burn down a Mosque,
kill a Muslim, or burn down an embassy. Only the Muslims defend their beliefs
by burning down churches, killing people, and destroying embassies. This path
will not yield any results. The Muslims must ask themselves what they can
do for humankind, before they demand that humankind respect them.” (full
translation by memritv.org)
It was emailed to me just recently. I'm likely now on the NSA's list of people
who need to be spied upon. So, if I abruptly quit posting, you'll know the reason
why. The Memri TV
video feed is very temperamental. The object is to share the amazing testimonial
of Wafa Sultan with as many people as possible, but the video feed I received is hotlinked so I can't really share it.
Wafa Sultan takes on Dr. Ibrahim Al-Khouli, in a discussion that goes deep
inside Arab and Muslim issues as they relate to the modern world. It is a subject
that matters to us all.
Ms. Sultan considers herself “secular,” not religious, which adds
another interesting facet to what you're hearing and watching. Her forcefulness
and frank speaking has not been seen anywhere. Again, it's simply remarkable.
That she's a woman taking on Islamic scholar Dr. Ibrhim Al-Khouli, on Al-Jazeera,
is stunning.
Wafa Sultan: The Muslims are the ones
who began using this expression. The Muslims are the ones who began the clash
of civilizations. The Prophet of Islam said: “I was ordered to fight
the people until they believe in Allah and His Messenger.” When the Muslims
divided the people into Muslims and non-Muslims, and called to fight the others
until they believe in what they themselves believe, they started this clash,
and began this war. In order to stop this war, they must reexamine their Islamic
books and curricula, which are full of calls for takfir and fighting the infidels.My colleague has said that he never offends other people's
beliefs. What civilization on the face of this earth allows him to call other
people by names that they did not choose for themselves? Once, he calls them
Ahl Al-Dhimma, another time he calls them the “People of the Book,”
and yet another time he compares them to apes and pigs, or he calls the Christians
“those who incur Allah's wrath.” Who told you that they are “People
of the Book”? They are not the People of the Book, they are people of
many books. All the useful scientific books that you have today are theirs,
the fruit of their free and creative thinking. What gives you the right to
call them “those who incur Allah's wrath,” or “those who have
gone astray,” and then come here and say that your religion commands
you to refrain from offending the beliefs of others? (transcript)
Dr. Ibrahim Al-Khouli asked, “Are you a heretic?” Ms. Sultan says
call her what you will. Few American women would take that without feeling they
had to say no, I believe in God and my savior is Jesus Christ, or some similar
statement applying to the woman's religion. Dr. Ibrahim Al-Khouli also said
there is no point in discounting her since she has “blasphemed
against Islam, the Prophet, and the Koran…”
I hope Ms. Sultan lives long enough to see the debate through.
We should all pray to our respective God for her safety. Because what she's
talking about could save the modern world. A debate inside the Muslim and Arab
world is what's needed. If this is being shown on Al-Jazeera, there is still
hope that we may get out of this alive.
Now, if we can just get the Republican Party to have the same discussion, America
might be saved as well.
UPDATE II: This post inspired an important comment from Eric Alterman, which I so appreciate. His comments are right on: “… You know, the world has a lot of problems that are large unsolvable. But many, if not most of them, could be ameliorated if not eliminated, simply by investing in the education of women the world over.” Amen, Eric, amen.
UPDATE: Doing some research on Wafa Sultan, I found out that she is in hiding now.
Dr. Wafa Sultan is in hiding, fearful for her life and the safety of her family, after she lambasted the roots of radical Islam during a debate televised on Al-Jazeera last month. Dr. Sultan is leading a struggle to create a new reality in the Islamic world, which she believes should be led by none other than the women it has oppressed for so long. (source)
In addition, she is listed as part of a fatwa, recently declared, where she and others are warned to repent or “they will be killed.” They will be “followed everywhere they go,” “monitored day and night,” and it goes on and on. Wufa Sultan is at the top of the list. The fatwa and list of apostates can be found on The Jawa Report. (h/t)
