Unworthy of Honor: Khomeini's tribute is a disgrace 07:54 PM CST on Tuesday, December 21, 2004
Most Americans remember the Ayatollah Khomeini. He was one of the great villains of the 20th century, who bequeathed his patrimony of fanaticism and hatred to the 21st. Khomeini led the 1979 Iranian revolution that overthrew the corrupt shah and replaced the government with a brutal Islamic theocracy that today is locked in battle with reformers seeking to end a quarter century of repression. Khomeini preached worldwide violent Islamic revolution, thundering that "those who study Islamic Holy War will understand why Islam wants to conquer the whole world." "Why do you only read the Quranic verses of mercy and do not read the verses of killing?" Khomeini challenged fellow clerics in a 1981 speech. "Qu'ran says: kill, imprison! Why are you only clinging to the part that talks about mercy? Mercy is against God." The tyrant also exhorted his followers to "kill all the unbelievers just as they would kill you all." That's some vision. Yet a Muslim group based in Irving hosted a seminar earlier this month paying "tribute to the great Islamic visionary." It's chilling to think that any local Muslim would be willing to honor such a man, especially with the United States under the threat of attack by Islamic terrorists. Dismayingly, the list of speakers at the Irving event included some of North Texas' best-known mainstream Islamic figures, including Dr. Yusuf Kavakci of Dallas Central Mosque, widely considered a moderate. He and other leaders shared the roster with Mohammed Asi, a radical Washington imam whom, according to The Washington Post, U.S. officials suspect to be an Iranian agent. Dr. Kavakci declined two invitations to tell us why he attended the conference. We tried to obtain a tape of the conference, but we're told none is available. Another attendee, Mohamed Elibiary, president and CEO of the Plano-based Freedom and Justice Foundation, shares his reasons for attending on the opposite page. Still, we are hard-pressed to understand what good could possibly come from attending - let alone hosting - such a forum. Event organizer Imam Shamshad Haider told us that Khomeini has been unjustly portrayed in the Western media. He complained in a television interview last week that Khomeini had been unfairly judged on only one aspect of his personality. Imam Haider insists that the theme of the conference was Muslim unity. Other area Muslim leaders who spoke at the event support this contention, saying they agreed to speak to foster cohesion between Sunni and Shia Muslims, not necessarily to endorse Khomeini. That may be true on one level. But no amount of good Khomeini might have done can possibly balance his blood-soaked legacy. Unity is a poor excuse for legitimizing the views of Khomeini admirers by appearing at this event, even if it drew fewer than 100 attendees, as one participant told us. If Muslim leaders want to be perceived by the broader community as men of good will and moderation, they need to make clear what they consider radical and extreme and treat it accordingly. Pockets of Islamic radicalism exist in North Texas. We don't believe - and this is important to get straight - that they characterize most Muslims in the Dallas area. But these elements are here, and we cannot afford to ignore them. Neither can the Muslim community avoid the responsibility for policing itself. As former FBI counterterrorism chief and Rowlett resident Oliver "Buck" Revell tells us, "If we continue to be deaf, dumb and blind to what's plainly in front of us, we have no one to blame but ourselves." http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/editorials/storie s/122204dnediayatollah1.256a.html Mohamed Elibiary: We can't afford to ignore opposing opinions Activism is strengthened by being open to distinct views 07:54 PM CST on Tuesday, December 21, 2004 By MOHAMED ELIBIARY I've been invited to the Metroplex Organization of Muslims in North Texas at least three times before, all around the Friday Jumma prayers, to speak about the importance of voting and participating in the American public square. I was always warmly hosted as a visiting guest. In regard to the Dec. 11 event, I was invited by a youth member of the MOMIN Center for a typical 15-minute talk. I was informed that Dr. Yusuf Kavakci, imam of Dallas Central Mosque, had also been invited, as well as an imam from Seattle whom I didn't know. I also did not know the gathering would be labeled a tribute to Imam Khomeini. Also Online Editorial: Unworthy of Honor: Khomeini's tribute is a disgrace My speaking engagement was scheduled for 3:30 p.m. I arrived about five minutes late and found them praying Asr prayers, so I prayed in the last row. During the time I was there I didn't hear much of a tribute to Imam Khomeini. The theme, as their promotional flier showed, was Muslim unity. That's why three local Sunni community leaders were invited by the Shiite leaders of the MOMIN Center to share in their program. Since I began my political activism 13 years ago at the age of 16, I have never been associated with any form of radicalism, simply because those are not the views I believe in. Being raised a Sunni, I must admit, has left me fairly ignorant of Shiite thinkers. I have not read any work by a Shiite religious scholar, much less Imam Khomeini. Over the past couple of days I finished a CD course from the University of Chicago that taught me quite a bit about the man's political views and accomplishments. I also finished another CD by Karen Armstrong called The Battle for God. Her analysis of Imam Khomeini's fundamentalism certainly enlightened me. Since the event, I have learned in my conversations with one organizer that the date chosen for this event was Imam Khomeini's birthday and their aim was to highlight "the aspect of Imam Khomeini's life that promoted Muslim unity." I would liken that to choosing the birthday of Martin Luther to discuss his fight against corruption in the church, without bringing up his anti-Semitic views. I was informed that Imam Khomeini said: "If you call yourself a Sunni or Shiite, then you're neither Sunni nor Shiite. There are only Muslims." I have been asked whether, if I had realized before I spoke that the event honored Imam Khomeini, I would have left immediately. I don't know. My activism, which is designed to bring Muslims into the mainstream, calls upon me not to cede any territory to radical views without presenting a moderating counterpoint. I have learned that, to his supporters, Imam Khomeini is not the hostage crisis, or the one who hated America as the "Great Satan," but a liberator from the shah's hated dictatorship. As Natan Sharansky correctly points out in his book The Case for Democracy, people flock to promises of freedom, because all human beings desire to be free. I have been asked what I would say to someone who believes that there is no good reason to attend a tribute to Imam Khomeini. If their concerns revolved around the American experience of him, I would say that I echo their feelings. But if anyone wishes to learn about their opponent, they must listen, or they'll remain ignorant and make mistakes that cost them in their struggle to defend their values and views. Just because I listen to Osama bin Laden's tapes and agree that the West routinely insults Muslim dignity, that doesn't make me al-Qaeda. By listening I gain a better understanding of a philosophy I wish to counter. Just because I agree with Che Guevara that nonregulated capitalism is exploitive of the poorest in a society, that doesn't make me a communist - just one who sees the benefit of Teddy Roosevelt's crusade against business monopolies. Imam Mohammad Asi, who also spoke at the MOMIN event, is more troubling than Khomeini, in my opinion, because his views are a direct threat, not just a historical one, to our American way of life. He does believe that America is the "Great Satan" and opposes the reformers in Iran who are calling for a dialogue between Islam and the West. He sees "Zionist Jews" as controlling the entire world (outside Iran, of course) and strongly ridicules full political participation by Western Muslims. I don't know what to say about all this other than that it's diametrically opposed to the views of the invited speakers - Imam Kavakci, Iyas Maleh and myself. Mohammad Asi's beliefs run counter to the very existence of our organizations, decades of activism, everything we said and saw from the leadership at the MOMIN Center. Mohamed Elibiary is president and CEO of the Plano-based Freedom and Justice Foundation. His e-mail address is [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/viewpoints/storie s/122204dnedielibiary.9ced.html ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> $4.98 domain names from Yahoo!. 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