So you dare me to find a moderate Muslim who supports the State of Israel...

Submitted by Dr. Richard Benkin (United States), Dec 12, 2008 at 06:54

Dr. Guida, it is interesting that you defend the violently and jihadicly anti-Semitic Augustine and others by noting the church's "two millennia love-hate affair with Judaism." Islam has had 700 fewer years to come to terms with us, something you might consider before you write off the third Abrahamic religion as essentially evil itself.

More importantly, you challenged me to find a moderate Muslim who "supports the existence of the State of Israel or who views Hamas or Hezbolla as true terrorist evil." Easy. Read the writings of Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury of Bangladesh. He calls himself a "Muslim Zionist" and publishes a pro-Israel publication from Dhaka. Islamists have tried to kill him and the government of Bangladesh has arrested and tortured him. He remains on trial for his life on the charges of "sedition, treason, and blasphemy"--all because of his pro-Israel positions. You can read his paper at http://www.WeeklyBlitz.net; you can also read about him and my (successful) struggle to free him and end his harrassment at my web site, http://www.InterfaithStrength.com. While in Bangladesh, I have met Muslims who now share his views on Israel and Islamist terror. There's the answer to your dare.

Let me take it one step further. I can give you the name of a fundamentalist Muslim from Bangladesh who supports Israel as a Jewish state--he does support the "Palestinian" call for a state, but he supports the Jewish state of Israel, too. His name is Kazi Huq, and he has written that "neither the Zionists nor the Americans are the real enemies of the Believers or the Muslims." I have met with him and broken bread with in Bangladesh, and while we disagree on several things, he now openly declares his recognition of Israel as a Jewish state and has other Muslims joining him in that.

Bangladesh, by the way, is the third largest Muslim-majority country, and has seen a tremendous growth in Islamist influence there. So, these gentlemen are standing up for Israel when doing so entails some significant jeopardy!

I honor them as real heros. How many "moderate Christians" stood up for the Jews in 1300? Can you point to any who supported--in 1300--equal rights for Jews and freedom of worship for them?

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