Determine: Is Your Local Mosque 'Moderate' or 'Radical'?

Dr. Tawfik Hamid

Dr. Bill Smith, Editor, ARRA News Service: On August 6, 2007, I met for over an hour in a private face to face meeting in Saint Louis, MO with a former member of a terrorist Islamic organization. He had recently been allowed along with his wife to enter the United States by the State Department on a visa from a European country to testify before varied national security groups about the dangers of radical Islam. That former terrorist who now boldly speaks publicly is Dr. Tawfik Hamid. I had attended a unannounced special workshop that morning at which Dr. Hamid stunned the audience with frankness about the present dangers of radical Islam and on how many Muslim Clerics calling themselves moderates, are not moderates at all. After the workshop, I interviewed him.

As the only member of the press allowed that meet with him on that day, I asked him, "why should I believe anything that he had to say." His response frankly, "you shouldn't; you should test everything that I am going to say." Since I had heard him at the workshop, we cover his background quickly which you can read now at Tawfikhamid.com. Dr. Hamid had previously been asked if he was afraid of being killed. He quoted his wife, who had said you can only be killed once but if you live in fear, then you have a living death. So, he and his wife have chosen truth and life.

He first detailed the steps to convert Muslims into radical terrorists. Not a pretty picture and these steps are not part of this article. Then on my yellow note pad, he sketched out for me his "A, B, C" Test of Radical Islam which could be used to evaluate a Muslim, especially a cleric who claim to be moderate. His thoughts on this test have transitioned from yellow pad notes to his website where you can read them.

In light of current events, Dr. Hamid now offers a tangible tool: the Declaration of Beliefs of Muslim Moderates. The Ground Zero Mosque controversy has stirred up a lot of discussion and debate about what is a “moderate” Muslim and whether or not the Ground Zero Mosque imam is a “moderate.” Act for America, who has a petition opposing the building of a mosque on at "9/11" Ground Zero, responds, "We are convinced he is not, and in the next few days we will email an extensive dossier on Imam Rauf."

Below, Dr. Tawfik Hamid, himself a Muslim, provides an aid to help answers the question, “What is a moderate Muslim?”
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by Tawfik Hamid: After the problem of Ground Zero Mosque has escalated it becomes an urgent necessity to distinguish 'Moderate' from 'Radical' Islam. Without making such a distinction the US and the rest of the world will remain divided regarding this issue. Debates about the issue can be endless unless we define the words 'radical' and 'moderate'.

Mosque leaders, Islamic scholars, and organizations who want to be considered Moderates MUST clearly and unambiguously declare the following declaration in their media outlets and on their websites.

I suggest that you send this declaration to Mosque leaders and the Islamic organizations inside the US and worldwide to see if they are ready to accept such a declaration or not.

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Declaration of Beliefs of Muslim Moderates

I (We) are Muslims who want contemporary understandings of Islam to replace currently predominant harsh and radical (Salafi/Wahabbi) interpretations of our religion. We therefore declare that:

1 - Redda Law, the Sharia Law that allows the killing of Muslims who convert to other faiths, must be banned in Islamic teachings and in Sharia legal doctrine. Islamic countries that practice Sharia must stop the practice of this law and must admit that Freedom of belief and the right to convert to other faith or believe is a basic right that must be given to all Muslims.

2 - Current mainstream Sharia doctrines justify the use of violence against women. They encourage men to beat their wives to discipline them. They allow women accused of adultery to be stoned to death. These doctrines are barbarically inhumane, non-egalitarian, and teach Muslim children to be violent. These teachings must be ended by reinterpreting the Islamic text that justifies such violence.

3 - Traditional Sharia doctrines teach Muslims that they must engage in war so that Islam will dominate the world. When Islam becomes dominant, Non-Muslims are offered three options: to convert to Islam, to pay Jizzia (a humiliating tax), or to be killed. These doctrines run contrary to modern respect for diversity and for personal freedom of speech and belief. This understanding of Jihad that seeks domination of Islam over other peoples must no longer be regarded as an Islamic value and its teaching as a duty for Muslims must end.

The early Islamic wars known as "Futohaat Islameia" were fought to implement this doctrine of Jihad. These wars therefore should now be regarded as un-Islamic and un-justifiable.

4 - Jews are individuals who deserve the same respect accorded to all individuals. They should not be called "pigs and monkeys." The Islamic teaching that Muslims must fight and kill all Jews before the end of days is totally incorrect and unacceptable as it does not exist in the Quran. All teachings that encourage anti-Semitic attitudes, violence or disrespect toward Jews must be declared un-Islamic.

5 - Slavery is a crime against humanity. All Sharia laws that justify slavery in our modern times must not be taught any more. Muslim scholars must have a clear and loud voice against slavery.

6 - Islamic Sharia laws currently permit the killing homosexuals. These laws also are advocating a crime against our fellow human beings. They must be declared un-Islamic and their implementation must be considered criminal.

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The above violent teachings, which currently are taught in mainstream Islamic books in America, are implemented in countries that allow governance according to Sharia Law. Future Muslim generations must be protected from these destructive doctrines, interpretations and customs.

These violent Sharia doctrines must be replaced with clear and unconditional explanations of why they no longer are valid.

Anything short of a fully clear and unequivocal stand against these doctrines indicates passive approval. Therefore, all Islamic leaders who genuinely consider themselves to be Muslim moderates must post these principles in English and in Arabic in full public view on their websites and declare them in their media outlets.

Failure to publicly post and support these principles should be interpreted as clear evidence that a leader's mosque or Islamic organization must be considered radical.

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Tags: Sharia doctrines, Mosque, Moderate, Radical, Muslim, Muslims, Cleric, imam, 9/11 mosque, Tawfik Hamid, declaration, ABC test, radical Islam, Bill Smith, ARRA News Service To share or post to your site, please use the following link from the ARRA News Service. Thanks!