Analysis of an Article by Muslim Debater Sami Zaatari and why his Defense of the Right to Sharia Law in the Muslim World is Wrong
Recently an article was published by Sami Zaatari,a Muslim debater(his debates are in youtbe) and a member of the Muslim Debate Initiative.The article is here,but I have reproduced it 100% in this article.
He was born in the US and is of Palestinian extraction.
Sami Zaatari’s Website:
It is here:
http://www.muslim-responses.com/
The website of the Muslim Debate Initiative is:
http://thedebateinitiative.com/
Answers by Christians to Zaatari’s Arguments against Christianity
http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Osama/index.htm#zaatari
http://www.answering-islam.org/rebuttals/zaatari.html
Is Islamophobia really a Crime and are Islamophobes really Criminals?
I had written an article about it.I link to it here because in his article Sami Zaatari often uses the word islamophobe.
Sami Zaatari is Getting there
At first reading his arguments are convincing but there is a detail he has not considered.
The Majority is Not Always Right
The best case is that of the American South.There:
1.Whites were the majority and THEY were in favor of slavery since the beginning of the US till it ended in 1865.
2.Whites were still the majority and THEY were in favor of legalized racism and discrimination against black people till it was abolished,by force,in the 1960′s.
3.Racism was part of the culture of Southern whites from 1776 till the 1970′s,some 200 years.
How the Problem was Solved
The end of slavery and of legalized racism did NOT come from Southern whites but is was FORCED on them from the Northern states in the name of human rights.
The Ideal Solution
It is the following:to pass a law that says:
1.It is illegal to pass anti-human rights laws EVEN IF it is the will of the majority of the people,even if it is part of their culture,religion,tradition.
2.If such a law is passed it will automatically become void.
3.It is necessary to do it to protect the human rights of the minority.
So?
So if the majority of Muslims in a Muslim country are in favor of an anti-human rights, discriminatory legal system called Sharia that does mean it is correct and it is proper to oppose the will of the majority because their desire is wrong,bad.Here is Sami Zaatari’s article,he is getting there,but his arguments lack consideration of what I stated.
Sami Zaatari is Against those who Critique the Arab Spring,the Mass Movement of Muslims in Muslim Countries Against their Governments
“With the recent Arab Spring (that is still taking place) we have seen the true vile face of the Islamophobic crowd, the likes of Robert Spencer, Pamella Geller, and the rest of the known gang. Since the start of this historical period, these writers and speakers have been opposed to any Arab Spring, they have been fueling constant negative propaganda about these revolutions to try to paint them as something bad and evil. Now what is the Arab Spring all about anyway? It’s simply a people who are tired of living under a repressive regime and want change, a change that will better the future of society for themselves and their children, so who in their right mind would stand against this right?”
He calls those Critics,in Effect, Hypocrites
“As much as these Islamophobes love to talk about human rights, dignity, and freedom, they don’t actually believe any of these principals and values should apply to Muslims. When they talk about freedom, they only mean freedom for themselves, obviously not freedom for Muslims, freedom for Muslims to run their own society in a way they see fit that is free from repression and filled with prosperity. After all if I am wrong, then why didn’t they support the Arab Spring? Why were they the first to go on the front lines explicitly speaking against the Arab Spring, a revolution for freedom?”
He says they Fear that those Muslims will Install Islamic-Sharia Law
“A lot of these Islamophobes are worried that these Arab Springs will turn the effected states into Islamic states, for example they can’t stop talking about the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, the largest and oldest Islamist political group within Egypt and the Muslim world. They have a major fear that the MB will gain power within Egypt, and will then turn the state into an Islamist state, i.e. an Islamic state that will be run by Shariah Law.”
Then he gives the Specific Reason why calls them Hypocrites
“Now here comes the glaring hypocrisy of these Islamophobes, many of these Islamophobes often rant about Muslims who don’t respect their western countries, Muslims who don’t respect the laws, culture and ways of western countries. They even harp on about how Muslims supposedly want to change western society in place of a society that is more Muslim-Islamic orientated, and so they say that this is a grave insult, and that Muslims need to respect the western cultural values and ways or get out.”
Sami Zaatari is in Principle Not Against Sharia Law
“So if Islamophobes truly believe in this principal, then why don’t they follow their own medicine? If Muslims should respect western countries and their laws and values, then by the same token Islamophobes should also respect Muslim countries and their laws and values and they should also not try to interfere or change them. So therefore if the Muslims do want Islam in their country, i.e. an Islamic state, that is run by the Muslim Brotherhood, then Islamophobes need to respect and accept it, after all this isn’t their country, Egypt is not the west, it is a Muslim country, so therefore Muslims can run their country as to how they see fit in accordance with their traditional values, just as Islamophobes tell us about their own countries!”
He states again that they are into Hypocrisy
“Yet it sadly seems that the Islamophobes do not want to follow what they preach, when it comes to Muslim countries, they do not want to respect the feelings and opinions of the Muslims, if Muslims want Islam and Shariah Law, Islamophobes will be the first ones shouting and howling saying this is something terrible and something that must be opposed. This is precisely why they have been against the Arab Spring since day 1, because they are in fear that this may happen. So this shows you the glaring hypocrisy of these Islamophobes, they could care less about respecting one another’s countries and laws, Islamophobes simply want it all their way.”
Sami Zaatari calls them Imperialists,of a Cultural Type(here I rearranged the Words a bit for Easier Reading)
“Islamophobes are imperialists plain and simple, they simply want their ways, and their ideology in the Muslim world. If there is an ideology and way of life that is different to their Islamophobic world view, then they will stand in opposition to it, just like they have done with the Arab Spring. In fact the Islamophobes:
1.Have shown that they are willing to support brutal dictatorships as long as this keeps Islam out of society! So if you’re a Muslim living in your own Muslim country, and you may want Islamic law or Shariah, Islamophobes will fully support your repression just because they are completely opposed to those concepts.
2.So Islamophobes aren’t simply happy on telling Muslims how to live in the western world, they now want to tell Muslims how to live in their own Muslim country, they now want to tell Muslims even if you want Islam in the Muslim world we will not accept it!”
Then he finishes by Repeating the Cultural Imperialist Statement
“You can see this for yourself; anytime a Muslim calls for Shariah IN THE MUSLIM WORLD (Note:emphasis in the original) these Islamophobes go nuts about it, but why? It’s in the Muslim world, it’s not their country, it’s not their land, so why are they so angry about it, what happened to respecting each other’s countries? As I said they are hypocrites, they are imperialists, cultural imperialists of the worst kind who want to force their ways unto everyone else.”
Related posts:
Category: News
Pingback: The Arab Spring and the Islamophobic Double Standards….Democracy Doesn’t Apply for Muslims! « Muslim Debate Initiative
Pingback: About Sami Zaatari,Muslim,again, and his Critique of the “Double Standards” of Robert Spencer,Pamela Geller and other “Islamophobes” | antisharia.com