[lit-ideas] Re: More on Indonesia Radicalism:


Phil wrote:  "Lawrence may close one eye and stare only in one direction but 
there is no reason why anyone else should."

Lawrence replies:  Baloney!  Since you say you read my notes then you must be 
very forgetful.  I challenged Omar on several occasions to produce these 
vaunted moderates he believed in.  The best he could do were some in Gulf 
States friendly to the U.S., in Christian Lebanon and a professor in Pakistan 
who wrote his moderate articles solely in English.

I have been looking for Moderates with both eyes Phil and haven't found them.  
Note once again for the quibblers.  I am talking about the Middle East, the 
place causing us all the trouble. I am not talking about Moderates in the U.S 
or Europe.  In fact they are an indication of the tyranny of Fundamentalist 
thinking in the Middle East that these moderates feel it necessary to flee to 
the freedom of the West.  We did find one moderate in Iran, but it developed 
that he was part of the original Khomeini revolution and untouchable - sort of 
-- until he got beat up and fled to the U.S.

Where were you when I was challenging Omar?  Where are all these moderates of 
yours and how are they opposing Jihadism in the Middle East.  I know that since 
the Indonesian election there is back and forth between Islamists and 
traditionalists and moderates, but that isn't quite the same as rolling back 
Jihadism now is it?

Lawrence


 ------------Original Message------------
From: "Phil Enns" <phil.enns@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Sat, Jun-23-2007 1:14 PM
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: More on Indonesia Radicalism:

Lawrence Helm wrote:

"As a matter of fact I discussed all these matters at great length.
You must have evaded my long notes."

Nope.  I think I have read most of what you have written.  Putting a
great deal of time and energy into something is not the same thing as
getting work accomplished.  You write a great deal but very little
work gets done.  I do appreciate your putting me on to a variety of
writers, though.


Lawrence continues:

"And you are evading the point that your vaunted Indonesian moderation
IS NOT HOLDING OUT EFFECTIVELY AGAINST EXTREMISM!   They are losing
ground.

It would take a wiser person, perhaps a god, to know this.  But I
understand why you want it to be true.

I return to my original point that there are many Muslims and
influential Islamic institutions self-identifying as moderate in
explicit opposition to extremism.  Lawrence may close one eye and
stare only in one direction but there is no reason why anyone else
should.

Sincerely,

Phil Enns
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