"This Column is Not About Islam" – Australia’s Tim Blair, in the Sydney ‘Telegraph’, Says What Badly Needs To Be Said

A corker of an article that deserves to be spread far and wide.  

http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/timblair/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/this_column_is_not_about_islam1/

“This Column Is Not About Islam”.

“The Islamic world is divided into two main groups.  You’ve got your Sunnis and you’ve got your Shiites. The more excitable members of these groups have spent the past 1400 years trying to wipe each other out, a process continuing to this very day in Syria and Iraq – and, to a lesser extent, in Auburn and Lakemba.

Auburn and Lakemba, in southwestern Sydney, are Australia’s two most heavily-Islamised areas. – CM

‘And now there is a third group, possibly larger than both previous groups combined, because it not only draws from the Islamic population, but also from communities with less than direct Islamic connections.

‘This is the group united in the belief – or, at least, the stated belief – that Islamic terrorism has absolutely nothing to do with Islam.

‘It seems counterintuitive, but this crowd gains new members with every latest Islamic atrocity.

‘Last week, following Omar Abdel El-Hussein’s murderous rampage in Copenhagen, Sanna al-Baitam spoke to Danish television about her former neighbour.  “We’re not sure it was him who did it,” she said.  “If it was, it has nothing to do with Islam.  He must have been manipulated.”

‘Yep. Nothing to do with Islam.

‘Why, anyone at all could have reason to attack a freedom of speech conference and a synagogue.

‘That is, if the person in question is the type who, as Danish media reported, enjoyed discussing Islam, the Israel-Palestinian conflict (i.e. the Jihad against the Jews – CM), and his hatred for Jews.

‘The Copenhagen attack followed those other recent nothing-to-do-with-Islam incidents in Paris, which ended with Islamic gunman Amedy Coulibaly’s slaughter of four people at a kosher supermarket.

‘On the subsequent Friday night the Grand Synagogue in Marais – a traditionally Jewish area of Paris – cancelled its Sabbath services for the first time in 70 years.

‘It should give people pause to consider that the last time this occurred, Marais was under Nazi occupation.

‘Well, it should give people pause.

‘But US evader-in-chief Barack Obama, global leader of the nothing-to-do-with-Islam dodge squad, didn’t stop even long enough to identify any possible religious motivation.

Let’s enjoy that scathing line again, shall we? – “US evader-in-chief, Barack Obama, global leader of the nothingtodowithIslam dodge squad…”.  Bravo, Mr Blair, so unlike a certain other Blair with whom we are acquainted. – CM

‘Instead, the President characterised Islamic extremists (i.e. fully-instructed, fully-committed Muslims waging jihad – CM) as “violent, vicious zealots who behead people or randomly shoot a bunch of folks in a deli in Paris.”

‘Of course, there was nothing random about it, just as there was nothing random about the murder of Charlie Hebdo’s staff, who were killed by Islam’s self-proclaimed avengers.

‘Accuracy of language in these cases is important, for reasons that US columnist Mark Steyn explains:

“Lies beget lies. The Obama Administration insists that the Islamic State is not Islamic, Islamic terrorism is nothing to do with Islam, there’s no Islam to see here, no way, no how. You can’t hold the line at one lie, and tell the truth on everything else. The lie on Islam infects everything else.  If they’re just “violent extremists” in general, they have to be violent and extremist in general – or “randomly”, as the President would say.”

‘Recall again the murder of British soldier Lee Rigby, hacked to death in a London street by two men who, still carrying blood-drenched knives, announced, “We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you.”

‘A couple of ABC (that is, the Aussie ABC – CM) types were upset when I pointed out the billion-dollar broadcaster’s failure to notice that comment, or to identify any hint of Islamic motivation.

“Where is your primary and official source that these crimes were carried out in the name of Islam?” they asked.  “What proof do you have that these crimes were even carried out by a Muslim man or in the name of the religion?”

‘That kind of wilful, desperate ignorance is still on display across much of the global media.

‘After the Copenhagen killings, the New York Times ran a headline describing the murderer as “a native son of Denmark”.  

‘The copy claimed that El-Hussein’s attacks occurred “at a cafe and near a synagogue”.

‘The Weekly Standard‘s Tom Gross was moved to respond:

“It wasn’t near a synagogue. It was at a synagogue. The synagogue was the target. Which is why a Jew guarding the synagogue was shot dead.  With the New York Times’ reporting one starts to understand how Obama and his spokespeople could say the kosher attack in Paris was “random” even though the perpetrator – interviewed live on French radio during the attack – proudly boasted that he had come all the way across Paris in order to kill Jews gathering before the Sabbath.”

‘Obama was at it again last week, telling a summit on “violent extremism” that Islamic terrorists who kill in the name of Islam have nothing at all to do with Islam.

“We must never accept the premise that they put forward, because it is a lie, nor should we grant these terrorists the religious legitimacy that they seek”, Obama said. “They are not religious leaders; they’re terrorists.”

‘He continued: “We are not at war with Islam.  We are at war with people who have perverted Islam”.

‘The New York Times and similarly-inclined outlets (and far too many non-Muslim heads of state, including our current Aussie PM, alas – CM) may follow Obama’s line, but rational people long ago tuned out.

‘Sometimes the facts are as obvious as the gun in your face.”

And that is where Mr Blair ended his article.  It would have been perfect – just the cherry on top – had he added one more sentence, perhaps something like this –  “Murderous Muslim attacks on Infidels have everything to do with Islam.”  But even so, it was pretty good.

There were Comments.  Click on the link and check them out, they are interesting.  First up is a sarcastic remark to this effect – “Has anyone applied yet to the Macquarie Dictionary to formally change the definition of ‘allahu akbar’ to “this has nothing to do with Islam”?”  In another comment, someone said, “The Quran online [link].  Sign being held up outside the White House recently – IT’S ISLAM, STUPID.  This practice needs to happen wherever Obama travels – “IT’S ISLAM, STUPID!”.”   – CM