Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser
Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser Exposed: an Overdue Reality Check - 17 MAY 08- (Correction: Ref. Article 2 Section 1 of the Constitution)
Last month a debate occurred at Edison College in Naples Florida. It set Imam Mohamed Al-Darsani of the Islamic Center for PEACE against Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser, a frequent pundit for many mainstream news channels and a praised Islamic Reformer of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy. The purpose of the debate was to answer this question “Is the establishment of an Islamic state a clear and ideological threat to the United States?”. Dr. Jasser was arguing the affirmative and Imam Al-Darsani the negative.
Before we jump into the gritty details of the debate, it’s important to know the back story to this event, without which you may easily fall victim to half truths and twisted semantics that will easily drive you insane. Imam Mohamed Al-Darsani and members of the Islamic Center for PEACE attended a meeting labeled a National Security Briefing hosted by a Florida organization (the Florida Security Council). Dr. Jasser was introduced and indentified as an expert and a guest speaker about Islam and Islamic Terrorism. In his speech he gave praise and supported a documentary entitled Obsession: Radical Islam’s War against the West. This video is important because his support and praise for the video’s content speaks directly to his lack of sincerity and his ignorance surrounding the very issues he writes and speaks about day after day. The video contains numerous verified lies. One example is a note written in Arabic. The makers of Obsession claim that this note is about Jihad and Islamic domination. They go as far as to place the note on screen beside an English translated quote stating “This religion [Islam] will destroy all other religions through the Islamic Jihad fighters.” This quote is credited to a Jordanian and Palestinian school book. The text is actually an excerpt from an Arabic book and when accurately translated from Arabic to English it describes how prejudice corrupts society citing Nazism and Zionism as examples. At no time is there any mention of Jihad or the destruction of any religion.
During his speech Dr. Jasser also arrogantly insisted that no Islamic leaders would engage him or his ideas publicly. When the audience was given the chance to speak, Imam Al-Darsani invited Dr. Jasser to discuss issues in the form of a dialog. It’s also important to note that Dr. Jasser didn’t initially accept this invitation. Rather it was the director of the Florida Security Council (Mr. Tom Trento) who accepted for him, on stage, before consulting with Dr. Jasser who then agreed. This is in stark contrast to what Dr. Jasser said on the Radio during an interview with Mandy Connell of Fort Myers, Fl. the day prior to the event on Connell’s morning radio show “DAYBREAK.” Dr. Jasser is quoted as saying “…basically I challenged him (Imam Al-Darsani) to a debate… I said well if you feel this is not a problem let’s debate it…when we came up to this Debate, when I challenged him, and he finally, he agreed, he says why should we air our dirty laundry, and you know Muslims debating Muslims is, is not good…” Perhaps Dr. Jasser has forgotten that every meeting and every encounter that members of the Islamic Center for PEACE had with him or the Florida Security Council was video taped. Additionally, much of the recorded evidence is available online for anyone to verify at www.ic-peace.com, including Imam Al-Darsani inviting Dr. Jasser to this debate. This was not a simple slip of wording. In fact he makes the exact same claim in his first column about Imam Al-Darsani that was published immediately after the debate. When the Islamic Center for PEACE had an opportunity to speak with Mandy Connell on her show even Miss. Connell indicated that she knew Dr. Jasser did not issue the “challenge” as Dr. Jasser has claimed. It is saddening to see a respected doctor of Medicine who constantly claims’s the moral high ground stoop so low in a pathetic attempt to gain notoriety at the expense his own moral courage and credibility. Over what? Why would he do this? If his message is so sound and he is so sure that he is right. Then why would he go to great lengths to flip the truth especially over a matter that holds no real significance?
Dr. Jasser’s recent article titled “The War of Ideas: Revealing the Moral Weakness and Hypocrisy of the Islamist Imam” is a humorous attempt to vilify an honorable and well respected man, Imam Mohamed Al-Darsani. He makes claims that imply Imam Al-Darsani gives political sermons and uses his pulpit to promote apologetic ideas that gives support to the killing of innocent civilians. All of which is completely untrue. Dr. Jasser must provide evidence to this baseless claim, or retract these statements. Dr. Jasser has never listened to Imam Al-Darsani’s sermons nor had he ever met Imam Al-Darsani prior to the first event in Naples (National Security Briefing). It’s interesting to note that if you read his article he quotes Imam Al-Darsani in an attempt to give credit to his preposterous claims. However, it does not take a Medical Doctor to figure out that he had to dig deep and stretch the truth to even come close. His line of quotations is so scattered that you might find it quite amusing. The Islamic Center for PEACE encourages everyone to watch the debate for themselves in order to form their own opinion. Dr. Jasser took a multitude of quotes and stuck them together to create his own version of what was said. However, it is somewhat understandable that he is so confused! During the debate he seemed entirely concerned with bombarding Imam Al-Darsani with random unrelated questions and refusing to allow him time to answer any of them fully. One particular question was concerning the condemnation of the killing of innocent civilians. Imam Al-Darsani said “Anybody who targets innocent people, whoever they are, wherever they are, whether it’s from Hamas, the Islamic Jihad, or anybody who claims he’s acting within his faith and targets an innocent people, he is a terrorist.” Not happy with this answer Dr. Jasser attempted to twist the question repeatedly until the audience became fed up and many people shouted “he already answered it”. At that moment it became apparent that Dr. Jasser was not there to educate or to have an exchange of ideas. He was there to promote an agenda, a very corrupt and misleading agenda.
It’s a sad reality that Dr. Jasser has been given national exposure and is respected by many as a spokesperson for Islam in America. By his own admission he had no Islamic Training. Everything he knows about Islam was taught to him by his father and self education. After having the opportunity to speak with him and to ask him the tough questions about Islam, one realizes that his understanding of Islam is no better than someone who took a basic introductory course in the subject of Islam. In addition, Dr. Jasser has limited knowledge of the Arabic language and embodies numerous twisted ideas, unrelated to Islam on contemporary and social problems, and therefore should not be misconceived as an expert in Islam. In a private dinner meeting with Dr. Jasser, Imam Al-Darsani, and members of both the Florida Security Council, and the Islamic Center for PEACE, he proudly proclaimed that he had been debating Imams since he was 14 years old. To any objective person, this should sound alarming. At the age of 14, how many Christian preachers have you seen? How many Jewish Rabbis have you seen? How many Bishops, Cardinals, or Popes have you seen? It’s extremely unreasonable to suggest that a 14 year old child has the range of knowledge necessary to accurately and effectively understand the entire faith of Islam, and to have a better understanding than those who have dedicated their entire lives to studying, practicing, and preaching the faith.
Another unfortunate reality is that Dr. Jasser’s family was tormented in Syria. It’s understandable that he and his family will have resentment towards the Middle East and more specifically Syria. That does not give him the right to dismiss 1,400 years of scholarly research and rewrite the History of Islam according to his own interpretations. Dr. Jasser proved in the debate that he can not make a distinction between Islam and the horrible actions of the Secular Governments that are ruled by ruthless dictators throughout the Middle East. It appears that Dr. Jasser has been tainted by an unfortunate past and now seeks to take his frustrations out on Islamic leaders, who do not agree with his ideology concerning Islam.
Unfortunately, because of his rank in the military, his medical training, and his Ultra Neo Conservative points of view, Dr. Jasser has been proclaimed by the media and the government as a Great Hope for Islam. He is not the first person to mislead the American People nor will he be the last. Prior to the War in Iraq, Ahmad Chalabi sold the United States and its unsuspecting citizens the same rhetoric that Dr. Jasser regurgitates day after day. However, when all was said and done the end game was nothing but garbage, lies, and millions of people displaced and or killed. Dr. Jasser sees secularism as the answer to the world’s problems. Imam Al-Darsani stated clearly that he supported the U.S. Constitution and he has taken an oath in front of God to defend it. The main difference is that Imam Al-Darsani has not forgotten his faith. He places his priorities as such. God, Family, and then Country as any religious person would. Dr. Jasser has placed his faith in God in the back seat and he has made a conscious decision to support secularism as a supreme authority to all else. This is his right as an American Citizen.
I am ashamed of Dr. Jasser. I am ashamed that his article about Imam Al-Darsani amounted to nothing more than to that of a child in a school yard calling other kids cruel names. And again, for what? It’s all simply an egotistical attempt to make himself look ‘cool’ in front of his friends. I expected more! I at least expected the truth! Dr. Jasser has perfected the art of telling his followers what they want to hear regardless of how things really are. He lacks regard for reality and dismisses vital facts and historical precedence when it concerns authentic Islam. His inability to separate Islam from the actions of secular governments who simply happen to have a majority Muslim population is unbecoming of an educated man. If one considers the crusades, the inquisition, or the world wars, one would be hard pressed to convince individuals that these actions are becoming of Christian values. In reality, they were perpetrated mostly by people who considered themselves Christian or other religious backgrounds. This is where Dr. Jasser has lost touch with reality; he can make no distinction with Islam and the actions of people who happen to be Muslim. Christianity did not teach or permit the crusades or the inquisition, and religion most certainly did neither for the two world wars. That’s why it’s important to note that when people claim to act out of their faith, if they are acting out of the context of its boundaries, they are not adherent to their faith at all.
Dr. Jasser is a pioneer and at the forefront of a new age of McCarthyism. His rants and his use of erroneous labels such as Islamist, Political Islam, Radical Islamist, Political Imam, and countless other names mimic that of Senator Joseph McCarthy who cried wolf time and time again. He labeled and accused everyone who opposed his meritless views and ideas without evidence and based solely on his own judgment and interpretation of reality. He proclaimed these people were communist or communist sympathizers secretly undermining the United States and Democracy. Dr. Jasser has adopted this senseless doctrine of baseless intellectual aggression. He capitalizes on the fact that the majority of his listeners can‘t read Arabic and have at most a limited knowledge about the true Islam. This allows him to easily deceive the good people of America that sympathize with what he says. He gets away with it because day after day the American people are subjected to anti-Islamic propaganda that intertwines secular cultures and societies into Islam. Rather than properly educate and clarify the faith, he calls his own (Islam), Dr. Jasser chooses to grab the torch of deception and rally for the call of Islamic Reformation, when he should be calling for the resurgence of the true Islam! Imam Al-Darsani indicated that this resurgence indeed fits well within the mold of modern political thought and American Democracy. Dr. Jasser severely mischaracterized Imam Al-Darsani’s reference to George Washington and the American founding fathers. Imam Al-Darsani praised the efforts and intentions of George Washington and the founding fathers for their moral courage to stand against established injustices regardless of domestic or foreign pressure, oppression, and persecution. Dr. Jasser would much rather blur the truth to support and further his ultra neo conservative agenda. His supporters demand a show, and it seems that even at the expense of the truth, and regardless of how out of context he actually is, he will put on that show.
It’s a sad fact that Dr. Jasser’s tactics of intimidation and childish name calling is a proven and very effective method of deception. One can only assume that he is of the Herman Goering school of thought. For those who may not be familiar with Herman Goering, he was a Nazi and 2nd in command of the Third Reich under Hitler. He is infamously credited with stating “Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. This is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and for exposing the country to danger. It works the same in every country.” This embodies Dr. Jasser’s strategy of discrediting Muslim Leaders and Imams who truthfully seek to promote Islam in America. He accuses them of supporting terrorism whether indirectly or directly. He has mastered the technique of fear, and he uses this fear to scare the public and to promote his own self satisfying ideas.
As noted previously, Dr. Jasser indicated that he is indeed a devout Muslim, however, he is a loose leaf floating around in a world that has refused to accept him. His message may be better received by Muslims if he had any basis for his claims, had an Islamic Education, had an advanced understanding of Arabic, and did not posses a misguided interpretation of Islam. On a recent trip to Phoenix, AZ where Dr. Jasser calls home, I made a point to visit many mosques and to question the leaders of the Islamic Community. I found that they have long dismissed Dr. Jasser and written him off as a lost cause. I am somewhat disappointed by this because it is important to engage him. It is important to guide him, however, I understand their frustrations. Here is a man (Dr. Jasser) who because of his appeal to the norms of society has taken it upon himself to bash them and to adolescently criticize them because he has a misguided and misinformed message that is damaging to the peaceful and beautiful message of the true Islam. Dr. Jasser hides behind the statement that Islamic Leaders simply try to marginalize him. Truthfully, he is right. It would be irresponsible of Islamic leaders not to exploit him. It would be incredibly dangerous not to let the good people of America know, that what they hear from Dr. Jasser, is not always accurate. His message merely equates to the blind leading the blind.
I hope that everyone who reads this will come to a common understanding that people who throw around these fantastical and inaccurate labels do nothing in the way of solving problems. Terrorism conducted by people who call themselves Muslims will not cease to exist because Dr. Jasser calls them Islamic Terrorists, Muslim Terrorists, Political Islamists, Islamic Apologists, Fundamental Islamists, or whatever else Dr. Jasser and others can come up with. The reality is that they are what they are. They are murderers, criminals, and ruthless thugs. Dr. Jasser however states that Muslims do not reach out and speak out against terrorism. This is simply not true. The fact of the matter is the Islamic Center for PEACE is holding an anti-terrorism seminar on June 7, 2008 and again on June 14, 2008. The center has also held many other similar programs in which members of the FBI, Sheriffs Department, Local Politicans, and other public servants were invited but did not attend. I would suspect Dr. Jasser would not endorse this program because it is being conducted under the banner of the Islamic Center for PEACE who, as he stated, is run by a Political Imam and Islamist, as is his excuse for not supporting any Islamic attempt to speak out against Terror, Civil Injustice, or any Muslim Charity programs that are outside of his own interpretations. It is understood that some organizations, both Islamic and non-Islamic, abuse the trust granted to them by their supporters. This article is not an attempt to defend any specific organizations. Rather, it is to expose the twisted methodology of people like Dr. Jasser who demand outcry from the Muslim community! But, when that outcry comes, they denounce them as unpatriotic and a threat to the American way of life! The truth is that Dr. Jasser thrives off all of this. He needs these labels and these problems. Why? Because without them he would be just another everyday citizen sitting around living his life as most of us do. That’s simply not good enough for him.
So what now? What is the point of all this?
The point is simply to expose the misleading agenda of Dr. Jasser and those who conduct themselves in a similar manner. Please don’t misunderstand. There is nothing wrong with seeking to promote truth, justice, and equality in every way possible. In fact, I call on every American Muslim to do the same. As citizens and residents of the United States it is our civic and religious responsibility to be law abiding citizens who work to improve the quality of life for all of humanity. It is our responsibility to insure the safety and protection of our family, friends, neighbors, and the community at large. It’s important to understand that being an American citizen or resident is not non-Islamic at all. Everyone should take time to objectively learn about American History, critically analyze the constitution, and contemplate many of the goals set forth by the founding fathers of America. One may be shocked or surprised to see that it mostly echoes the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet (PBUH).
That being said, it’s also everyone’s responsibility to inform law enforcement of any criminal activity of which they may have knowledge. This includes potential threats from all races, religions, or creeds because any unjustified act of violence, especially the killing of innocent civilians, is non-Islamic. Dr. Jasser walks a dangerous line. His message, when heard by some, will give credence to the already apparent calls and implementation of laws and executive orders designed to segregate Muslims and highlight them as potential threats to America and Democracy. Dr. Jasser must realize and understand that Criminal and Terrorist activity can’t be identified or prevented by issuing erroneous Islamic related labels. Rather, we as citizens, non-Muslim and Muslim alike, need to educate ourselves on how to identify suspicious activity and behavioral identifiers that are associated with criminal and terrorist activity. That is indeed the ONLY way to prevent future attacks.
We can’t let our fears allow us to give up
the liberties and freedoms that define America for a false sense of
security. It has been often said, that any nation which gives up its
individual freedoms for that sense of security will have neither. I am
confident that Dr. Jasser will boldly deny any notion that he may be a
contributor to this shameful path to government intervention that may
deny U.S. Citizens their rights as outlined in our constitution. However
his false, inaccurate, and completely inappropriate technique of
labeling is a dangerous tool, which can be used in the future to deny
U.S. Citizens and Residents the very rights that make America so unique
and rewarding. This idea that people can make up the rules as they go is
preposterous. Dr. Jasser praises the rule of the law, however, he
seemingly supports the idea that in order to achieve immediate
objectives those laws and ideas of freedom can be suspended or removed
completely. If this is untrue, I call on Dr. Jasser to unequivocally
denounce the Patriot Act and call for everyone who is currently detained
unlawfully, according to standards set in the constitution of the United
States, to be released immediately or properly charged and given the
rights of due process and adequate council. I call on Dr. Jasser to
stand against the redefining of the Executive branch as done by Vice
President Dick Cheney, who declared that his office was not part of the
Executive Branch to avoid oversight committees conducting inquires into
the actions of his office completely disregarding Article 2 Section 1 of
the constitution, which clearly places the office of the Vice President
in the executive branch. This was simply an action done to prevent
Government accountability to the people. Dr. Jasser needs to speak out
against torture, which includes water boarding. The rule of law in
America is based on precedence and the United States tried and convicted
Japanese Soldiers after WWII for torturing American Soldiers by the
technique known as water boarding. Dr. Jasser must proclaim that
pre-emptive wars of aggression are illegal unless authorized by the UN
Security Council as defined by the United Nations of which the United
States is a founding and permanent member. This was also defined by
United States Justice Robert Jackson while he oversaw the Nuremberg
Trials. “Robert Jackson, the chief U.S. prosecutor at Nuremberg, said:
"To initiate a war of aggression, therefore, is not only an
international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing
only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the
accumulated evil of the whole." Justice Jackson also said: "If certain
acts in violation of treaties are crimes they are crimes whether the
United States does them or whether Germany does them, and we are not
prepared to lay down a rule of criminal conduct against others which we
would not be willing to have invoked against us."”
Without a doubt America above all other
nations, currently allows its citizens the most freedom to practice
their faith and to live their lives the way they desire. However, we as
American Citizens have allowed Government officials to hijack our
Government and to pervert the rule of law that defines our freedoms. We
need to take control and demand that irresponsible leaders are swiftly
removed and replaced. Dr. Jasser serves as a tool for those same elected
representatives who use his views to justify their positions. As Abraham
Lincoln stated “America
will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our
freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.” This is as true
today as it was then.
I want to leave you, the reader, with these final thoughts. Dr. Jasser
needs to make some major and radical adjustments to his position, and
his definition of moral courage, clarity, and consistency. If he is
willing to lie about something so simple as to who issued the challenge
for this debate then how can he claim that he has any moral courage? If
he insists that every critique to the current administration is a sign
of being un-American he needs a lesson on dissent. “My Country Right or
Wrong! When Right keep it, and if wrong to be set right!” (Sen.
Carl Schurz)
It is this moral courage that defines a true patriot. Not the childish,
foolish, arrogant, and dangerous, self defined doctrine of Dr. Jasser! I
feel that we as a nation must work to weed out self proclaimed experts
who sneak through the cracks and gain the trust of unsuspecting,
otherwise honorable citizens. It’s important because these citizens look
to Dr. Jasser for guidance and hope! And because Dr. Jasser says what
people want to hear at the expense of truth and his own moral courage,
he has so far gone undetected. For this, and all of the above
said reasons, we must work to expose his Neo McCarthy tactics of
labeling anyone who stands in his way as a danger to America. I
challenge everyone to confront Dr. Jasser with the tough questions about
his personal beliefs concerning contemporary social problems. Then
scrutinize his lack of moral equivalence regarding the universal
applications of his ideas specifically those concerning the rule of law.
It is blatantly obvious that he has
no
concern for the rule of law but rather he supports whatever is most
convenient to accomplish immediate objectives.
However, in many
regards, Dr. Jasser is right. There are problems in the Islamic world
and these problems must be addressed by the Muslim world. That’s why
organizations like The Islamic Center for PEACE puts
together programs to educate the community and to promote interfaith
dialogue. If Dr. Jasser would objectively look at himself and seek
improvement rather than insist on spreading at best, ignorance, or at
worst, outright lies and speeches of hate. Muslims would be standing
beside him working together to establish peace, justice, and equality
for all. Sadly, instead we are forced to expose him as a fraud. He
appears to be a man with no self respect, who is working tirelessly to
spread his twisted methodology at the expense of perhaps the rights of
innocent men and women from all of America’s citizens. I feel that
Thomas Jefferson said it best “He who knows nothing is closer to the
truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors”. I pray
for Dr. Jasser. I pray that he will come to a fork in his mission and
that he will choose a path geared more towards learning about Islam and
working within the Islamic Community rather than against it.
###’s
The
Islamic Center for PEACE is a dual purpose not for profit religious
organization located in Fort Myers Florida. The mission is it to serve
as a center for quality and spiritual learning and development. It also
serves as a community center dedicated to promoting progress, education,
awareness, cooperation, and enlightenment within the Islamic community
and the local community at large.
If you would like information about the Islamic Center for PEACE, or would like to schedule an interview with Imam Mohamed Al-Darsani you may contact him at 239-671-1761 or by e-mail at moaldarsani@ic-peace.com
References for this article
Dr. Jasser, M. Zuhdi (2008).
The War of Ideas: Finally, a debate occurred between an Islamist and an
anti-Islamist Muslim.
The Investigative Project on Terrorism.
May 16, 2008 , from
http://www.investigativeproject.org/article/644
Dr. Jasser, M. Zuhdi (2008).
The Exclusive: The War of Ideas: Revealing
the Moral Weakness and Hypocrisy of the Islamist Imam (Part Two of Two).
Family Security Matters .
May 16, 2008 , from
http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/id.55/pub_detail.asp
Jefferson, Thomas (Unknown) Quote from Thomas Jefferson. USA
Patriotism Quotes. May 16, 2008, from
http://www.usa-patriotism.com/quotes/jefferson.htm
Schurz, Carl (1872) Quote from Sen. Carl Schurz. Remarks in the
Senate.
May 16, 2008, from
http://www.bartleby.com/73/1641.html
Lincoln, Abraham (Unknown) Quote from Abraham Lincoln. Reference
to the destruction of America. May 16 2008, from
http://www.liberty.com/quotes/
Gilbert, G.M. (1947) The Nuremberg Diary (Herman Goering). New
York: Farrar, Straus.
Forthofer, Ron (Unknown)
No More War Crimes in Our Name! (Justice
Jackson) The Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center. May 16, 2008, from
http://www.rmpjc.org/node/98
Connell, Mandy and Jasser, Zuhdi M. (April 04 2008) Interview with
Dr. Zuhdi Jasser. Daybreak. May 16, 2008, from
http://www.ic-peace.com/dr_jasser_and_imam_aldarsani.htm
Connell, Mandy and Al-Darsanir, Mohamed. (April 18 2008) Interview
with Imam Mohamed Al-Darsani.
Daybreak. May 16, 2008, from
http://www.ic-peace.com/dr_jasser_and_imam_aldarsani.htm
The Islamic Center for PEACE. (April 06 2008) The Great Debate.
Debate. May 16, 2008, from
http://www.ic-peace.com/dr_jasser_and_imam_aldarsani.htm