1. One thing I found striking about the White/Spencer debate was the spectacle of White defending Yasir Qadhi. And he's not alone in that. Because White defends Qadhi, White supporters feel compelled to defend Qadhi. If White defends Qadhi, then defending White commits you to defending who or what he defends. That's a corrupting development.
I don't have a problem with a church hosting a Muslim/Christian debate or dialogue (so long as that's an apologetic debate/dialogue rather than an ecumenical debate/dialogue).
Protestants aren't supposed to be superstitious about religious furniture. The new covenant doesn't have sacred spaces. The fact that the dialogue between White and Qadhi took place within the four walls of a church is of no intrinsic importance.
I don't even object to Christian apologists debating or dialoguing with Muslim spokesmen who are in bed with terrorists. Terrorism is endemic to Islam. That's the nature of the beast. We should be prepared to witness to Muslims with terrorist associations.
Where White gets into trouble is defending the bona fides of Qadhi. That makes White a tool. And unfortunately, I find his supporters following his lead.
2. One White/Qadhi defender said: "in this case, the specific evidence about Yasir Qadhi is that he is anti-terror, not pro-terror."
That's not the evidence I've seen. The evidence I've seen is that he supports the principle of jihad. Moreover, he has his foot in several jihadi front organizations. For instance:
Qadhi is a sharia scholar and works inside the Muslim Brotherhood’s Movement calling for the implementation of sharia and an Islamic state here in America.Specifically, Qadhi is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America (AMJA). Qadhi is also the Dean of Academic Affairs and an instructor at the al Maghrib Institute, which has produced a large number of jihadis over the years including Tarek Mehanna, Ramy Zam Zam – the leader of the “Virginia 5,” Daniel Maldonado, Nuradin Abdi (founder of the Al Maghrib’s Ohio Chapter), and others.Yasir Qadhi has been the keynote speaker at numerous prominent Muslim Brotherhood organizations (eg ICNA), works closely with terrorist organizations like Hamas and its leaders and has a long track record of publicly defending known terrorists such as: convicted terrorist leader Sami al Aria, convicted terrorist Ali al-Timimi, American Taliban fighter John Walker Lindh, convicted Al Qaeda terrorist Aafia Siddiqui, Tarek Mehanna, and others.Yasir Qadhi was a trustee at the Muslim Brotherhood/Hamas’ Islamic Society of Boston founded by Al Qaeda financier Abdurahman Alamoudi. This is the same ISB which nurtured the Boston Marathon bombers.
Maybe White will dispute the accuracy that characterization. The point, though, is why stick your neck out to vouch for Qadhi's bona fides? White can dialogue with Qadhi without taking any public position on the sincerity of Qadhi's disclaimers regarding jihad. At the very least, would it not be more prudent for White and his supporters to withhold judgment? Why in the world are we supposed to give Qadhi the benefit of the doubt?
3. There's a basic principle of risk assessment. One can be mistaken either way. One can be mistaken in believing a Muslim cleric's disclaimers and one can be mistaken in disbelieving his disclaimers. However, the two mistakes don't have equitable consequences. Take the adage that counterterrorists have to get lucky every time whereas terrorists only have to get lucky once.
Suppose a convicted embezzler applies to be church treasurer. Says he's turned over a new leaf. I could be mistaken if I believe him and I could be mistaken if I disbelieve him. But each mistake has different consequences, and one mistake may have graver consequences than the other.
I have no duty to believe the disclaimers of Muslim cleric. To the contrary, I have a duty to be skeptical, given the track record and the mortal danger.
In addition, generalizations can be a legitimate consideration in formulating public policy. Take recalls for defective products or contaminated food. The defective products or contaminated food may be a fraction of the total, but the recall is broad to make sure the truly dangerous subset doesn't slip through. Or take a rancher who's required to euthanize all his cattle if one steer is discovered with mad cow disease.
4. One White/Qadhi defender said "Dr. Qadhi and those in the west agree that live in the west, because of visa agreement and contracts (& citizenship is considered a contract/agreement that a Muslim must follow, as is American citizen)"
And White made the same claim during the debate, citing Qadhi's stated position that Muslims are "under contract...covenant...take an oath of loyalty to a nation".
One issue this raises is the credibility of Muslim religious leaders. Should we take their claims at face value?
That depends. When they make a statement that's consistent with Muslim tradition, that's credible. When, however, they make a statement at variance with Muslim tradition, then that's not credible unless they are taking a personal risk by making that statement.
In the debate, White defended Qadhi's sincerity on the grounds that he "has to protect his family because ISIS wants him dead".
And another White/Qadhi defender made the same argument: "Qadhi had 2 death threats from ISIS against him. Dr. Qadhi is an example who has spoken out against it, as did Shabir Ally and other Islamic scholars have written books refuting Isis, Al Qaeda, etc."
But as Spencer pointed out, that does't mean Qadhi's not committed to jihad or spreading sharia; rather, there are rival jihadist groups. He belongs to a different group. Each group wants its own Caliph. So they play a rhetorical shellgame about the Caliphate. They reject ISIS because they want their own Caliphate.
Denouncing a rival group doesn't by any means imply a renunciation of commitment to jihad or sharia. There's bitter competition for dominance in the Muslim world. Which side has the controlling vision. That doesn't begin to suggest that Qadhi or Shabir Ally are any less militant in their own outlook. It's just that they want their own side to win.
5. One White/Qadhi defender said "Dr. Qadhi and those in the west agree that live in the west, because of visa agreement and contracts, they can only do Jihad of the pen and mouth. (preaching and writing)".
i) But isn't that a euphemism for incitement to commit terrorism? Laying the groundwork? Recruiting? For years I've been reading reports about "radical clerics" (the stock designation) in England who foment animus towards the host country, while the authorities turn a blind eye.
ii) Furthermore, once Muslims have a foothold in the USA, why can't they practice "defensive jihad" which doesn't require permission from the Caliph. For years I've read about how Saudi Arabia uses its vast wealth to plant mosques across the USA to seed our land with Wahhabism. Once there are sizable Muslim communities in the USA and other Western countries, can't that beachhead be a pretext to initiate defensive jihad? It doesn't require authorization from the Caliph. Embedded in the host country, they can say they're now surrounding a culture that's hostile to Islam, so they need to do whatever is necessary to protect their values.
Sure, I've heard Muslims denounce the killing of "innocents," but that's a term of art. In defensive and offensive jihad, what counts as a civilian?
6. White recently said:
James R. WhiteApril 17 ·OK, folks, warning up front: profanity, strong profanity here. That's what you get when you talk to the Zombies of the Culture of Death. And folks, these people will vote for others who will imprison you and execute you. When you worship death, you care nothing for liberty. You will silence those you hate. Remember. They tried that with Jesus.https://www.facebook.com/prosapologian/posts/1507139452644235
And he's right about that. But that's not the only demographic seeking to imprison you and execute you. Guess what–Muslims do that, too! White is acutely aware of the threat posed by secular progressives, yet he soft-pedals the threat posed by Muslims. Why the double standard?
Moreover, the prospect of SJWs imprisoning and executing Christians in America is hypothetical, whereas Muslims in America are actually murdering people in jihadist attacks and honor-killings.
6. In his debate with Spencer, White defended Qadhi on the grounds that White can't read hearts and minds. He can't divine intentions. yet White's scruples are very selective in that regard. Remember this statement from last year:
There is a more than 70% chance he has never met this father. In all probabilities he has no guidance, has no example. He is filled with arrogance and disrespect for authority. He lives in a land where he is told lies every day—the lie that he cannot, through hard work and discipline, get ahead, get a good education, and succeed at life. He is lied to and told the rest of the world owes him. And the result is predictable: in his generation, that 70% number will only rise. He may well father a number of children—most of which will be murdered in the womb, padding the pockets of Planned Parenthood.
Based on this one-time encounter, lasting about a minute, White produces an instant criminal profile. He has no hesitation to stereotype the teenager, but what about the stats on Muslim terrorism?
Or, a year before that, remember his comment on a public meeting about plans to build a new mosque in Spotsylvania, VA:
Ignorance and bigotry is ugly, no matter who the ignorant bigot is. Here's a video of what happens when you combine ignorance, bigotry, fear, and with one guy it seems, way too many roids…You see, when someone can look at the video I posted and listen to a man who is clearly not interested in anything but rage and anger…you took the identification of plain ignorance (when some fellow is saying, "Muslims is evil," well, the poor fellow can't even speak the English language.
Based on one video snippet, White has the speaker pegged. He assumes the worst about the speaker. Why is he so quick to make snap judgments about some people, when he admonishes us to practice a different standard in reference to Muslims?
I can't believe this blogpost hasn't had any comments. It's such a great post. THIS is what Dr. White needs to respond to.
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