…or just ignorant/stupid?
Based on their previous behavior, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt.
Why yes, I’m not as impressed with their supposed intelligence and hipness as I’m supposed to be. Why do you ask?
It’s really a shame, too. I liked Cat Stephens in my youth, before he became a murderous misogynist nutcase. Or at least, I liked his music.
[Update a few minutes later]
Just how much sanity was on the Mall yesterday? A crowd estimate.
[Update a while later]
Here’s sample of the sanity on offer. Note the abundance of leftist projection (e.g. fear mongers, tools of corporations). And this is classic:
“[Barack Obama’s] made some progress, but the dude’s got to dig out of a big hole,” said an Obama voter from Maryland. “We need him to do what he asked us to make him do what he said he was going to do in the campaign.”
Got it.
Dude.
Oh, it’s definitely the second part. The only thing their PRO, is pro-self.
I find the choice of Cat Islam interesting. Couldn’t they get any better washed-up 60s act to cancel their appearance at Wendover or Laughlin for this gig? And why the need to reach almost a half century into the past for the entertainment of a crowd who can barely remember the Clinton years? (And who generally have been indoctrinated with an aversion to knowing anything about anything that came before them.)
“[Barack Obama’s] made some progress, but the dude’s got to dig out of a big hole,” said an Obama voter from Maryland. “We need him to do what he asked us to make him do what he said he was going to do in the campaign.”
Sounds like a sap on the wrong side of a “heads I win, tails you lose” argument. Either the sap does nothing, and Obama ignores whatever “positions” (that is, promises which Obama doesn’t intend to fulfill) that he might have taken over the past few years. Or the sap tries to hold Obama’s feet to the fire and becomes an “extremist”.
I’m surprised they didn’t get a bigger crowd for a free concert.
What Stewart and Colbert are, is (a) very funny, (b) smart and (c.) more popular than some people I could mention. That was quite a crowd.
Now just how does objecting to the ignorance of the Right qualify as “Islamofascism”, FFS?
Not all Muslims are the enemy. If you don’t get that, then you will continue to support stupid decisions. Refer to the sad history of 2002-08 for a list of some doozies.
Al Qaeda are the KKK of Islam. They have murdered more Muslims than non-Muslims, and all of Islam is very aware of it.
“Now just how does objecting to the ignorance of the Right qualify as “Islamofascism”, FFS?”
It doesn’t, but having as your main act someone who thinks the fatwa against Rushdie is just fine might qualify. I know it would if he’d shared a stage with Sarah Palin.
Since when did any US liberal endorse the fatwa against Rushdie?
I’ve never heard of any instance of such things.
And the “main act” on Saturday was Sheryl Crow.
Not an Islamist, last time I checked.
Now as for attendance, the facts are in. The Saturday rally drew over 200,000, about 2.5 times the number who attended the offensive show staged by Glenn Beck (in his deliberate trampling upon the anniversary of the “I’ve Got a Dream” speech on the same site).
If you may recall, that was the day the vile weirdo Beck claimed to “reclaim” the Civil Rights movement for white people. Skousen himself couldn’t have written a more blatantly nasty script.
Here are the facts:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/30/rally-to-restore-sanity-attendance_n_776547.html
Kevin,
Cat Stevens did endorse the fatwa.
Chris L. –
Cat Stevens did not endorse the fatwa. Cat Stevens is dead. Yusuf Islam, the brainwashed zombie and traitor to America, endorsed it.
Mr. Greene, you are just plain wrong. “Moderate Islam” means “Islam that hasn’t won yet”.
One more thing. The original post is unnecessarily long; it has three words where one would do. “Murderous misogynist nutcase” could be replaced by “Muslim” with no change in meaning.
Fletcher, since you are so admirably concerned about Islamic misogeny, here are some interviews with some Muslim feminists:
http://www.qantara.de/webcom/show_article.php/_c-307/i.html
…and liked mostly of people like you who have no idea what the words “funny” and “smart” actually mean.
whoops. “misogyny”, of course.
Kevin, have you ever read the Koran or the Hadiths, or studied Islamic beliefs in any detail? Al Qaeda are a whole lot closer to the Islamic mainstream than many people suppose. Jihad, or offensive warfare, against non Muslims, is an important part of the doctrine of every Islamic sect. The reason most Muslims are not terrorists is simply because they either don’t know that much about their own religion or they are lax about following it. The members of groups like a Al Qaeda are the ones who do take their religion seriously.
David, ever read Leviticus in any detail?
http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/leviticus/leviticus20.htm
Oh snap! There go my plans to seduce my aunt (and her cat) in the land of Israel… Buzzkiller.
Yes I have. The Jews have spent the last 2000 years interpreting the Law of Moses to keep it relevant to changing circumstances. The result is the Talmud. Many of the most archaic rules are either no longer considered binding or interpreted in a more humane manner. The same is not and cannot be true of the Koran. According to Muslim theology, every word in the Koran is the literal and absolute Word of God. They are not to be considered in light of historical context. They are equally valid in all times in places. The Koran cannot be reinterpreted or updated in any way. To attempt to do so would place a Muslim in danger of being considered a heretic or apostate.
The essential point I want to make here is that few if any Jews would support enacting the rules found in the Torah in their full rigor. Many Muslims would support enacting Shariah in its rigor. And many of these take the Koranic instructions to wage war against the infidel very seriously. Saying that these people are only a very small and unpopular segment of the Muslim population is wishful that and will end up getting a lot of people killed.
Yes, I agree: Any rabbi (with the exception of maybe a very few extremists) will put Leviticus in a perspective that is entirely non-threatening to adulterers, fortune-tellers, and gay people. Christians have a different way of doing the same thing — Jews and Christians who do not like gay people don’t actually go around killing them in the vast majority of cases. Even the Christians who insist that the entire Bible is the literal word of God. We could get into a long conversation about how Jews and Christians manage to re-interpret or just outright ignore parts of the bible, but the important thing is that they do, and again that includes even the Christians who believe that the bible is the literal and absolute word of God. If you look up the wikipedia article on Jihad, you’ll see similar explanations of how Jihad can be put in a non-threatening perspective, even if the Koran is read entirely literally, even if it is seen as an obligation. and even if that obligation is being fulfilled. My goal isn’t to discount the threat of Islamic extremism, but just to point out that only extremists are threatening, not all religious muslims. Islam, like Judaism and Christianity, is flexible enough to accomodate the non-extreme non-murderous majority.
David, regarding your comment at “9:49 am”, I’m not sure what practical difference it makes. I’m for all sorts of anti-terrorism measures, I’m just not for the kind of prejudice Fletcher advocates. Your belief that there are more people who advocate religious war than I do — well so what? We both agree that it isn’t all Muslims. Presumably you want the governments of Saudi Arabia and Yemen to keep cooperating with the West on terrorist threats, as they did this last week. What would you do differently than me?
Throughout history and only until about a century ago, singers and performers were rightly thought of as deranged, licentious, dangerous persons who were asked to leave the town or village after their performance.
No, the problem with Islam is that it is not very flexible in its beliefs. Islamic societies have had more trouble than any other in adjusting to modernity precisely because so many believe the Koran to be the eternal and unchanging Word of God. Christians and Jews don’t necessarily take every word of the Bible literally. A devout Muslim must. There has not been much support among Islamic theologian for figurative interpretations. Innovation in Islamic theology had been strongly discouraged since around 900
As for jihad, yes it idea could be interpreted in many ways, but historically it has always meant war. That is how most Muslims have always understood it. Moderate Muslims could change such ideas but it is difficult and dangerous.
Al Qaeda are the KKK of Islam
Well… not quite. Neither Americans nor American Christians can be found cheering in the streets as the KKK flies airliners into skyscrapers killing thousands.
I don’t really care what a religion teaches or claims to teach. How their people act is what’s important. The fact is moderate muslims, while existing and some speaking out, are about as rare as a virgin hookers… or is it hooker virgins (I’m not quite sure.)
Before you can claim any to be extremists you’ve got to define the moderate. The moderate can’t be whatever you decide they are. They define themselves by there actions. They overwhelmingly support jihad.
The real truth is an extreme muslim is one that denounces the majority that condones.
Ken, I think you’re right that we should judge people by their actions. And while you claim that moderate muslims are rare, places like Indonesia and Malaysia quietly go about their business (including the business of modernization — you read Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur newspapers online). Meanwhile extremist (as in highly religios) Muslims in Saudi Arabia and Yemen were fighting terrorism last week.
A Jewish friend of mine just got back from Morocco. When I found out that she had been in some backwater places, I asked her if she ever worried about her safety. Not at all she said. She wore a star of david necklace every day, she wore a t-shirt and no head covering in many places, and everywhere people were friendly, and happy to meet an American. No one took her as a prisoner of war. I’m sure there are violent extremists in Morocco but it isn’t like the streets are swarming with them…
\
Sorry, KG, but you (and Huff Post) are wrong – shocker – on the attendance for this ‘event’.
There is a great write-up at PJ: http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/so-how-much-sanity-was-there-in-d-c-yesterday/?singlepage=true
From that article: “The Beck rally covered roughly 2.4 million square feet and by AirPhotosLive’s own photographs large parts of that area were packed as densely as any overhead picture of Stewart/Colbert. The Stewart/Colbert rally had, at most, about 6/10th the space — 1.62 million square feet vs. 2.4 million. For it to have had that many people, they would have had to be packed about 6.7 times more densely than the densest parts of the Beck crowd.”
Bob-1 Says:
November 1st, 2010 at 9:50 am
“Islam, like Judaism and Christianity, is flexible enough to accomodate the non-extreme non-murderous majority.”
Yes, and no. Yes, it could be, but it is weighted down by centuries old baggage and is in desperate need of a Reformation.
@Tom W:
Welcome to the party? That’s the same link that Rand posted in his “Update a few minutes later”. Which was something on the order of 26 hours before you posted it…
Does Indonesia need a reformation? Does Azerbaijan need a reformation? Does Senegal need a reformation?
Maybe I’m wrong and people in those countries do need a reformation, but if I’m correct that the Islam that the majority practices in those countries is quite moderate, maybe the sort of Islam simply needs to spread to more countries.
And there is the Dubai model, where I guess the religion was largely replaced with fun and/or profit.
Fletcher,
as a side argument to all this Stewart / Colbert nonsense.
How is Cat Stevens / Yusef Islam, or whatever he’s calling himself this year, a person who was born in London England, a traitor to the U.S.? I looked and can find NO instance where he considered becoming a U.S. citizen, so traitor seems an odd thing to call him.
Spoiled rich kid, turned typical no nothing entertainer, turned shill & dupe is more accurate.
Maybe he called himself “Cat” because he wants 9 different lives.
Der Schtumpy – You’ve caught me in an error of fact. OK then, he is a traitor to Britain. Just as any other Briton is who converts to Islam. Mr. Islam celebrated the 9/11 bombings; I’m quite sure he celebrated the 7/7 ones too. And the attempted Glasgow Airport bombing. And Lockerbie. And…
Bob, people, including some of the most violent extremists in existence, normally “quietly go about their business.” Which proves nothing. Many countries like tourist dollars. So what? I’ve been to Turkey. I met a variety of people. Only one incident was troubling but most of the people were pleasant at the time. Again, so what?
Does this mean I can just pretend that terrorists are not a threat? Do I pretend that the majority of mosques in America do not have literature (not counting the koran) that calls for the destruction of the great satan? Should I ignore the fact that over a billion muslims are “for it.”
I don’t hate people and believe that most are decent, but the extermination of every last person cheering in the streets (or just silently in their hearts) because about 3000 innocent people were killed? I would not lose a moments sleep over it.
“Do I pretend that the majority of mosques in America do not have literature (not counting the koran) that calls for the destruction of the great satan?”
Interesting claim. As you could guess, I’m very skeptical. Why do you think this is true? I would actually change my viewpoint if your claim was correct. Of course, it would have to be the violent destruction of the USA, not the kind of destruction that the Alaska separatists, etc want, nor the kind of destruction that Christians who are looking forward to the Rapture want, nor the kind of destruction that you and I might imagine would happen should technological progress reach a Vingian Singularity… 🙂
Maybe I am a Ostrich but the most part Cat Stevens remark isn’t that much of a capital offense. It was stupid. It also shows he is a robot following the law of the land but most people do that anyways. Unfortunately it take a special person to stand up for their own morals and what is right and not lead to a group think. He pretty much cited the Koran/Islamic law and said he might if he was in Islamic land and was told to. We have Americans killing people because someone told them to everyday and some law justifies it, dose that make them bad?
Rand you just had a comment about supporting water boarding Mahar, for violating your own sensibilities. Cat Stevens says he would execute someone if ordered to by someone of proper authority for violating a 1000+ year old law.
Bob have a feeling you might be eating your own words with only 1209 mosques in the united states according to wikipedia, I can pretty much see that more than 600 being used to recruit ‘radicals’ for activities, pamphlets being handed out inside even if it’s small groups.
Um thought Indonesia has had problems with radical Muslims , though find it funny most of your tolerant Muslim states are islands where they are isolated and can’t come into conflict with a different cultures (and generally been left alone), or a Wealthy taken care of former soviet state, Soviets have done a pretty good job of discouraging religion practice in areas they controlled with a few exceptions so can’t really call them “Good Muslims”. Senegal is a interesting one . Though find it pretty funny can only find a few exceptions of Muslim countries that don’t need a reformation.
Hi Engineer. I only listed three countries, but I think many more moderate Muslim countries could be listed, including India, which has an enormous Muslm population even if it is dwarfed by the overall population. I just listed three countries which are on different continents to show the geographic diversity. I picked Azerbaijan in particular because I was just reading that religion is on the upswing there, but is taking a different form from neighboring Iran *and* from neighboring parts of the ex-Soviet Union. Indonesia isn’t really an isolated island (or islands) – there are plenty of different cultures and religions there, even while having the world’s highest Muslim population. Senegal is influenced by the peaceful Sufis, who I think are oen possible alternative answer to Bart’s suggestion for a Reformation.
Why do you think this is true?
I read some research. I’ll try to find it for you. I think it was something north of 75% of all mosques in America had such literature.
This makes perfect sense when you understand they refer to us as the GREAT (the most) satan.