Americans often formulate opinions from media sound bites
Posted By RichC on September 22, 2015
It may not be politically correct for Ben Carson or any other American candidate running for political office to say “I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation” … yet the reasons are more rational than most Americans who are NOT religiously or ethnically prejudicial think. After hearing Dr. Carson’s sound bite, don’t draw a quick conclusion until you understands the Islamic teachings and practice of “taqiyya.” It is prudent to at least contemplate knowing Carson’s reasoning; his intelligence and intellect at least deserve a second look … unlike those candidates purposely being inflammatory and insensitive (see bottom of post).
"Taqiyya is of fundamental importance in Islam. Practically every Islamic sect agrees to it and practices it. We can go so far as to say that the practice of taqiyya is mainstream in Islam, and that those few sects not practicing it diverge from the mainstream … Taqiyya is very prevalent in Islamic politics, especially in the modern era."
In the U.S. alone we have enough recent history (e.g. 9/11, Fort Hood, etc) to know that some radical Muslims have infiltrated and blend into the western secular world, only to use it as cover to carry out “their” extreme beliefs. Unfortunately “their beliefs” are not all that rare, and these extreme views are taught and accepted in greater numbers in the Muslim world than most Americans want to believe. Perhaps Americans would be wise to be cautious when electing a followers of Muhammad to positions of power, particularly President of the United States. (that noted, I personally believe there are many U.S. Muslims that would put America first even though that is not what Islam in most of the world teaches)
Of course the same could always be true for those believers of any other religion or non-religion? Still it is understandable (albeit not politically correct) to see the need for additional scrutiny and a better understanding of Islamic teaching before considering the beliefs and practice of a person who desires to be the President of the United States. In my opinion, if someone is devoted to a religion that teaches it is acceptable to deceive non-believers (taqiyya) in order to pursue the greater and lesser jihad —“inner spiritual struggle and outer physical struggle against the enemies of Islam” – then they may not be a wise choice.
…according to this Islamic principle, if under pressure or threatened with force, not only may Muslims deceive non-believers, it is even legitimate for Muslims to behave in ways normally completely contrary to their faith. For instance, given such circumstances, a Muslim may drink alcohol, skip prayers and fasting during Ramadan, renounce belief in Allah and even pretend homage to a deity other than Allah, and utter insincere oaths. It is important to understand the concept of taqiyya …
Speaking of “not a wise choice” … the GOP field of candidates has a flamethrower among them. Donald Trump continues his loose lipped comments in order to keep the attention on him … and it has been effective so far. I keep hoping the rhetoric will grow old and Republican voters will rally around someone with well thought out views and sensible solutions to complex problems. Sooner or later reasonable heads have to prevail and a conservative principled Republican needs to be able to unite the majority … don’ t they??? I don’t see juvenile comments (physical appearance, pitter patter, etc) from Donald Trump pertaining to Carly Fiorina as helpful.
Sound Bite from Donald Trump — “Pitter Patter” (MP3) September 20, 2015
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