I confess to thinking twice before posting today. I know that what is written here will inflame some and enrage others. I remind the reader that the title of the post simply asks a question. I, for one, am not giving an answer. Some Christians, people whom I respect, have written that the answer to the question in the title of my post is an emphatic "No!" They have suggested that to disagree with them on this issue is to "demonize" Islam. Others however, like the Mossab Hassan, answer the question "Are moderate Muslims the most dangerous kind of Muslims?" with an emphatic "Yes." Since there is disagreement, it is at least a question worth asking and thoughtfully considering an appropriate answer.The shootings at Ft Hood that killed 13 United States soldiers is a horrific example of Islamic jihad. What most Americans are hearing on television is that "we just don't know why this moderate Muslim, a United States military officer himself, would do such a terrible thing!" Mossab Hassan says he understands the Islamic ideology that drove Hasan to do what he did. Mossab, the son of of the only surviving founding council member of Hamas, the largest terrorist organization in the world, spoke at our church last October. He said something during his talk that got people to thinking. Mossab Hassan said, (quote) "Moderate Muslims are most dangerous Muslims of all." This former Islamic radical fundamentalist, who himself is now urging all Muslims world-wide to love (not kill) their enemies, explained his rationale as follows (direct from the transcript).
Islamic fanatics are not the most dangerous Muslims.
• Professors, teachers at U.S. universities are dangerous because they support terrorism undercover (raise money here to send to terrorists)
• Most suicide bombers are not fanatics, but moderate, traditional Muslims
• Islam is a religion of steps, like climbing a ladder, with jihad the highest rung on the ladder.
• You cannot measure the speed of a person climbing this ladder. A “moderate Muslim” could reach the top rung in a few months, or in ten years. There is no way to predict it.
• There is no difference between a moderate Muslim and a fundamental Muslim. They believe in the same god.
Islam's god teaches followers to kill the infidels who will not convert. This act of jihad is the highest rung of the ladder in one's effort to please Allah.
Again, you may not agree with Mossab Hassan, but I find it interesting that people in the culture of the United States are urging caution in bringing judgment upon moderate Islam over the shootings at Ft. Hood--implying that moderate Islam is different than fundamental Islamic radicals. Yet,a former radical Muslim leader in the terrorist organization Hamas, a man trained for years to kill his enemies, is unequivocally telling us that moderate Muslims are the most dangerous kind of Muslims because nobody knows how fast they will jump to the top rung of jihad.
Interesting. Maybe US army officer Nidal Hasan was truly a moderate Muslim. I guess it depends on whose perspective one chooses to believe.
