Interview #3 with Dee Perez Scott -- Islam

Ultima: Did you receive the transcript of my last interview with you regarding the 14th Amendment and was it satisfactory?

Dee: Yes, I understand this interview is about Islam. Is that correct?

Ultima: Yes, there have been a number of recent articles about Islam written by various authors pro and con so this is a topic of current interest. I believe you have expressed the opinion that Islam is just another benign religious movement which has and deserves the Constitutional protection provided by the 1st Amendment.

Dee: Only a handful of Muslims in this country have shown any tendency toward violence or terrorism and they have been quickly apprehended. They represent a counterpart to other terrorists like Timothy McVeigh. Both should be treated in the same manner and brought swiftly to justice. The other Muslims among us are just ordinary citizens and are identifiable only through the head covering some of the women wear and the mosques they attend.

Ultima: While what you say is true, it does not go far enough. Although there are some parallels with other religions in the sense that they permeate both the private and religious lives of their adherents, Islam goes much farther. In truth, Islam is a comprehensive political, social, and economic system with its own authoritarian legal framework, Sharia, which aspires to govern all aspects of life. Under Islam freedom is the first casualty.

Dee: If that is the system the Muslims want to live under, why should we worry about it? Our country was founded upon Freedom of Religion. Muslims believe in God. They believe that the purpose of life is to worship God. Muslims have every right to live in America and to worship as they please.

Ultima: Surely you are not suggesting that the entire Islamic system is protected and that Islam is free to do anything it wishes in all of those areas including politics and still expect the protection of the first amendment.

Dee: I am a Christian, an American and I believe in religious freedom, whether it be for Catholics, like me, Protestant, Muslim or even atheists. Think of the different life styles of the Amish or the Born Again Christians or the Jehovah Witnesses or the Mormons. ...gain tolerance and stop preaching Fear. The Muslim people are not planning a takeover of America and the Muslim people are NOT terrorists. That is ridiculous.

Ultima: I think that is a very naïve view of Islam in America. It wouldn't be hard to reframe your comment to reflect the views of Germans during the rise to power of Adolf Hitler. Had you been there then you would have complained or protested strongly and persistently against those who tried to sound warning notes about Hitler and his intentions. Hitler had laid out his plan in Mein Kampf. Islam's plan is laid out in Sharia. We can ignore it or defend it, as you have chosen to do, or we can sound the warning now so that action can be taken in the Congress to limit the application of the first amendment to only the religious aspects of Islam while all other aspects – legal, political and financial--come under careful scrutiny. It is always good to know how much someone you are interviewing really knows about Islam. How would you characterize your understanding of the basic tenets of Islam and Sharia Law?

Dee: Well, I am certainly no expert on either of them. My position is based mostly on the moderate Muslims I know and what I feel to be their appreciation of the freedoms they enjoy in the U.S.

Ultima: Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the Muslim Brotherhood’s spiritual guide and a favorite of the Saudi royal family has stated that “Secularism can never enjoy a general acceptance in an Islamic society.” If you were to say Islam and secularism cannot co-exist, John Esposito, Georgetown’s apologist-in-chief, would call you an Islamophobe; but when Qaradawi says it, no problem — according to Esposito, he’s a “reformist.” But the facts suggest otherwise; Qaradawi has issued fatwas calling for the killing of American troops in Iraq and for suicide bombings in Israel.

Dee: Sheikh Qaradawi cannot dictate the position of all the moderate Muslims in America even if he is “the most well-known legal authority in the whole Muslim world today.”

Ultima: It is worth understanding why Qaradawi says Islam and secularism cannot co-exist. Secularism is nothing less than the framework by which the West defends religious freedom but denies legal and political authority to religious creeds. An excerpt from his books states: “As Islam is a comprehensive system of worship (Ibadah) and legislation (Shari’ah), the acceptance of secularism means the abandonment of Shari’ah, a denial of the divine guidance and a rejection of Allah’s injunctions. It is indeed a false claim that Shari’ah is not proper to the requirements of the present age. The acceptance of a legislation formulated by humans means a preference of humans’ limited knowledge and experiences to the divine guidance: Say! Do you know better than Allah?” So the question becomes, “Do you condone the barbaric practices of Sharia Law such as the stoning of adulterers, the execution of public apostates, and the amputation of a hand if someone is caught stealing, and the murder of cartoonists who depict Muhammad.

Dee: I certainly don’t condone those barbaric practices but I don’t believe moderate Muslims in the U.S. would consider them acceptable either.

Ultima: There is much more to discuss on this subject but our time is up. We will have to continue this interview later.