Has the "Saudi Lobby" Gotton to Mr. Pipes?

Submitted by Andrew Castellano (United States), Jul 30, 2002 at 10:15

Mr. Pipes needs no introduction and I have agreed with much of what he has written in the past vis a vis Islam and the Middle East. But ...

1. It is true that Pipes has always made a distinction between Muslims and Islamists, the former being the devout, well-behaved believers and the latter being the militant, murderous aggressors we have come to know so well. And I have disagreed with him in this fundamental view of his mainly because the fact remains that no Muslim spokesman of any stature, whether in the US or overseas has ever really condemned Osama Bin Laden for what he did on 9/11. (The few that have condemned Bin Laden have done so out of political expediency and with the obvious sincerity of a cobra).

2. The fact is, there is no such thing as Islamic civilization. Not anymore that is. Any scholar in the field will readily admit (these days, mostly in private) that Islamic civilization ended centuries ago with the fall of Baghdad in 1254 or thereabouts. What we have today are the remnants (and atrophied language) of this dead civilization. I simply add this here because it is a crucial fact to be aware of when dealing with the Middle East, and it's a fact hardly ever mentioned anywhere (for obvious reasons).

3. In this article, Pipes is basically calling for a "reform" of Islam. I can hardly believe that he sincerely has any expectation that this is feasible. Anyone that knows anything about Islam if fully aware that even the mildest talk of "reform" for Islam, is considered blasphemy and anathema by even the most "civilized" and sophisticated of Muslims. Witness the Saudi ambassador to the Court of St. James eulogizing the "suicide bombers" in a now famous "ode" to the "martyrs". Ya, rite....this is really civilized.

4. Granted that the subject is a huge and complicated one, Mr. Pipes nevertheless has written a simplistic article that does him disservice. Almost every line he has written contains fallacies that I could easily tear to shreds had I the time and space.

5. Evil, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. To state that Islam isn't evil may be true as a general statement. But it completely diverts attention from the real problems and dangers festering within an Islamic context. The Taliban and Al-Qa'eda are not an aberration of Islam but the logical extension of it. Most Muslims, when pressed, would readily admit with pride, that this is true. To get into a denial mode about this is not going to solve any problems.

Whether Islam is evil or not is a metaphysical question best left to academic debates. The question has little relevance to the harsh realities that we face today.

---

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".