April 09, 2007

Rusty Gets a Fatwa, Death Threat

Did I finally get my fatwa? I feel so...so...vindicated.

A radical Muslim website has issued a fatwa against me, Rusty Shackleford, editor-in-chief of The Jawa Report. How do I know it's a radical Muslim's website? I'd say the name of the blog, Radical Muslim was the giveaway (pop-up alert: link uses anonymouse for your protection---slow, but worth it).

The fatwa claims it wants our website "peacefully shut down and no longer permitted to exist". But by "peacefully", of course, the website means "kill any one who blasphemes".

How do we know this? Because in his explanation of this fatwa against me he quotes the fatwa against NJOW I UNDERSTAND COMPLETELY.

"The author of The Satanic Verses, a text written, edited, and published against Islam, against the Prophet of Islam, and against the Koran, along with all the editors and publishers aware of its contents, are condemned to capital punishment. I call on all valiant Muslims wherever they may be in the world to execute this sentence without delay, so that no one henceforth will dare insult the sacred beliefs of the Muslims."

What Muslims reading this, though, would understand immediately is that the penalty for blasphemy and slandering Islam under Islamic law is death. And 'radical Muslims', whether they be Shia Khommeinists or Sunni Salafists, would immediately understand this as a call for my death.

In his explanation of why we should be shut down, he makes the claim that this website is "Islamophobic" and that sites like ours 'slander Islam'. A charge which is completely without merit. Unless, of course, by "Islamophobic" the author, Jamaal, thinks that any one who criticizes terrorists, their enablers, or fascists bent on setting up states run by Islamsts such as himself are "Islamophobes". I know dozens and dozens of Muslims who faithfully practice their religion and would agree with nearly 100% of my political agenda. Are these Muslims also 'Islamophobes'?

That agenda consists of nothing more than the promotion of secular liberal values. Values such as freedom of conscience and religion. The freedom to praise or criticize Mohammed, or Buddha, or Jesus, or whoever. The freedom to join or leave any religion. The freedom to read a Koran or burn a Bible.

If that is 'hate' or some kind of 'phobia', then consider me guilty as charged. I hate the Islamist agenda of the Talibanizing of the West. I am, indeed, phobic about Salafist intentions on banning the conversion of Muslims to Hinduism. And I really do think people who support terrorist organizations, such as Hamas or The Islamic State of Iraq (al Qaeda front group) are dangerous.

The specific charge was that we were instrumental in getting the editor of al Jazeerah.info, a professor of sociology at Dalton State College, to stop his publication--an overtly pro-terror website. Alas, this charge is also true. I'm not sure exactly how that is 'Islamophobia', but for the 'radical Muslim' I'm guessing that anyone, like me, who opposes groups listed by the State Department as terrorist organizations, such as The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, is an 'Islamophobe' by definition.

I have to say, though, that I'm a bit flattered by Jamaal's death fatwa. Long time readers know, that its been a goal of mine to get myself one. Not just a death threat from a Muslim, I have loads of those, but an official fatwa. I would consider myself lucky to be included in the ranks of Salman Rushdie, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, or Wafa Sultan--all alleged "blasphemers" and critics of sharia and the traditional understanding of the sunna (example of Muhammed).

I'm also flattered that he decided to name his list of targets "fatwa worthy" in an apparent ironic homage to my own "fatwa worthy" list of links to the right [which seem to be down right now due to a problem at blogrolling]. Of course, irony means something like the use of words other than their literal intentions. So, when I say Charles Johnson's LGF, Ed Morrissey's CQ, Michelle Malkine's Hot Air, or Robert Spencer's Jihad Watch are 'fatwa worthy', I'm being ironic. When he attempts irony, it falls flat. He really means that the links, like mine, are literally 'fatwa worthy'. Nice try. Moron.

Which kind of makes me suspect that Jamal is just some unemployed teenager with too much caffeine in his bloodstream and not enough real spice in his life. Maybe he doesn't have the authority to issue such a fatwa? Bummer.

I also notice that "Radical Muslim" Jamaal claims to live in London. Where the picture above right was taken at rally against some others accused of blaspheming Mohammed. Do we have another Bakri Mohammed follower here? That would explain a lot.

Oh, and last time I checked, death threats were illegal. Even in London.

We're watching you Jamaal. You, and all your 'radical Muslim' friends.

UPDATE: Looks like a lot of others are starting to notice this.

Also 'fatwa worthy': Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch, Pam at Atlas Shrugs, and Infidels are Cool. Those last two links will take you to a screenshot of the links Jamaal considers 'fatwa worthy'.

My guess is that Jamaal found all of those sites by clicking through my own 'fatwa worthy' blogroll and then surfing around from there. Jamaal gives no reason why they're on the list, only The Jawa Report is singled out in the post explaining what the 'fatwa worthy' list is. I'm also happy to say that you'll notice one of our cobloggers, Vicki from Not Ready for my Burqua, is also on the list.