PHILADELPHIA - American Muslims welcome the nomination of Daniel Pipes, a scholar of militant Islam and director of the Middle East Forum, by President Bush to serve on the board of the US Institute of Peace. They note in particular his care to distinguish between the minority of Islamists and the majority of normal, patriotic Muslims.
Many moderate American Muslims, frustrated by and angry at the extremist policies of militant Islamist organizations in the US and their efforts to portray themselves as the sole voice of Islam, have welcomed the nomination of Daniel Pipes.
Jamal Hasan, a free lance writer and scholar in Washington DC, said that Islamist organizations, in their efforts to recruit more and more innocent Muslims are creating a social atmosphere wherein the mainstream America will look at all Muslims with suspicion. He said that American Muslims must and should distance themselves from such radical and militant Islamist organizations.
Khurshid Ahmad, a student of medicine, added that if Islamists will win American Muslim support for their anti-US agendas, they will alienate Americans and cause American Muslims to suffer.
American Muslims, he says, have been watching with alarm and concern, efforts of Islamists in the US. "Organizations like CAIR [Council on American-Islamic Relations] and MPAC [Muslim Public Affairs Council] have deliberately been trying to poison the hearts and minds of American Muslims against America. By subtly suggesting that American policies are controlled by Zionists, they exploit the anti-Semitism that prevails in Islamist - dominated communities," said Dr. Khalid Duran, a renowned scholar and authority on Islamic history.
Tashbih Sayyed, President of Council for Democracy and Tolerance, condemned the policies of militant Islamists and organizations like CAIR and MPAC of demonizing American policies. He pointed out that the United States of America has welcomed Muslims with open arms, irrespective of their sect and ethnicity, and it is the duty of all American Muslims to condemn these representatives of Islamist extremism.
Mr. Sayyed said that Daniel Pipes is a true American, and as an American it is his holy obligation to warn the nation of terror and threat posed by militant Islamists and their representative organizations to destroy American peace and solidarity. He said, "President Bush won my heart that he is serious about fighting terror - and fostering a more peaceful world - when he nominated Daniel Pipes to the board of directors at the U.S. Institute of Peace."
Tashbih Sayyed said that Pipes scares the Islamists because he has their number. "I agree that Daniel Pipes rattles liberals who value political correctness and tolerance for (likely) terrorists above all else. "Pipes is not politically correct. "He's warned of the threat posed by militant Muslims in America, noting the many who are already under arrest or being investigated for ties to terror. In doing so, he's carefully - courageously - documented their backgrounds and their roles in various plots."
Tashbih insisted that Pipes' aim is not to smear Islam or Muslims. "He goes the extra mile to distinguish between Islam, which he respects, and its militant form."
Dr. Khurshed A. Chowdhury of Washington DC expressed his resentment at the efforts of anti-Semitic Islamists to project themselves as the spokespersons of Muslims. He said, "I am a Muslim but I do not support the anti-American agenda of terrorists."
Dr. Younus Mansour, an Egyptian scholar and author, said that Daniel Pipes is doing a service for the Muslims by warning America against the designs of CAIR, MPAC, and their ilk. These organizations want to divide American society. Any country that supports freedoms and democratic values is our friend and all those who work against the American interests are the enemies of American Muslims.
These American Muslims were reacting to comments by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a supporter for HAMAS and Hezbollah, which has called Pipes' nomination "insensitive".
Nonie Darwish, a Palestinian woman, said that she is writing a letter to President Bush to thank him for nominating Daniel Pipes.
Tashbih Sayyed, president of the Council for Democracy and Tolerance said that all American Muslims who have not been hijacked by those elements who made September 11 possible should let President George W. Bush know that his bold initiative of liberating Iraq has won the hearts of moderate Muslims. He condemned the Islamist organization for pushing American Muslims in an anti-American corner. He noted that because of the failure of American Muslims to distance themselves from the extremist and militant Islamist organizations, Muslims already live in a context in which they are viewed with suspicion.
He said that Daniel Pipes has always worked to support Islam and Muslims. Militant Islam is definitely not something that should be supported and Daniel Pipes has a duty to work against Islamists. He stressed that if the world had listened to people like Daniel Pipes, there would not have been any September 11.
The US Institute of Peace is a Washington-based federal institution funded by Congress with a mandate to promote "peaceful resolutions of international conflicts."
David Frum, a writer for National Review Online, has suggested that CAIR will attempt to block Pipes' appointment. "It will be an important symbolic victory for them if they can succeed," Frum writes. "Not just because they will have scored a point against Pipes, but also because they will have demonstrated their ability to bend the U.S. government to their will."
