5/30/2013

His name is Ibrahim Sarsur. He is considered a very moderate Muslim. When one reads about moderate Muslims like him, one can’t but wonder what moderate Islam is all about. Here are some narrations about him:

He was born in Israel in a small town called Kafr Qasim in early 1959. The Jewish state treated him right. He is now a member of the Knesset and a party leader for the United Arab List—a political Islamist party that tries to push for more rights for Arabs, and especially Muslims and Islam. Mr. Sarsur finished his studies in English literature in Bar Ilan University. His shadowy religious and political activities always tried to push for more for Islam. His latest stunt is trying to push for legislation against ridiculing religions and their founders. He mentioned Christianity and Judaism, but his main “hip” is Islam. Sarsur’s defense of Islam is not new. In 2007, he spoke against an Arab lesbians meeting, saying that respectable people from all over the world are against sexual deviance. I guess he meant all respectable people except for them lesbians! How nice! He also said that there are no homosexuals around in Muslim communities.

Sarsur also spoke against Israel when it attacked Gaza strip to defend itself from Islamists rockets. He likened Israel to the Nazis. For those who do not know, Israel is the only true democracy in the Middle East. Sarsur also spoke highly and praised Hezbollah; a terrorist organization with strong ties to Iran. He also spoke of an Islamic Khilafat with Jerusalem as its Capital. In short, the man is an Islamic supremacist.

Sarsur’s latest is the proposal of a bill that criminalizes insulting of religion, including prophets Muhammad, Moses, and Jesus, as well as the holy books. Needless to say that such a bill won’t find much support in any civilized country. The bill was voted down this past week in Israel.

It seems to me that despite Sarsur’s apparently good education, he can’t see how insulting Islam is to any other religious groups living beside them in the same society. Islam’s holy book is replete with verses that are nothing but insults to other people and to their religion. Here are some Qur’anic verses to ponder about:

    “Believers, do not make friends with any but your own people…They desire nothing but your ruin….You believe in the entire Book…When they meet you they say: ‘We, too, are believers.’ But when alone, they bite their finger-tips with rage.” (Surah 3:118, 119)

    “Believers, take neither Jews nor Christians for your friends.” (Surah 5:51)

    “Make war on them until idolatry shall cease and God’s religion shall reign supreme.” (Surah 8:36)

The Qur’an is filled with insulting verses to non-Muslims. In fact, one can easily justify calling the Qur’an a book of terror, hate and injustice against non-Muslims. If anything that deserves to be banned for insulting religions, as Sarsur’s bill calls for, the first thing that should be in line for outlawing will be the Qur’an itself.

Now, for Christians, the belief that Christ was crucified on the cross for the sins of mankind is a very basic tenet of their religion. It lies at the heart of their faith. But Muslims, using loudspeakers on the minarets of their mosques all over the Middle East, proudly recite those Qur’anic verses that are severely insulting to this essential belief of Christians:

and their boast, “Behold, we have slain the Christ Jesus, son of Mary, [who claimed to be] an apostle of God!” However, they did not slay him, and neither did they crucify him, but it only seemed to them [as if it had been] so; [Quran 4:157]

and, verily, those who hold conflict­ing views thereon are indeed confused, having no [real] knowledge thereof, and following mere con­jecture. For, of a certainty, they did not slay him. [Quran 4:171]

These verses are outright blasphemy against the Christian faith. Mr. Sarsur has never taken time to ponder how hateful his holy book to other religions is, how hateful and demeaning Islam is to non-Muslims!

This brings me to the conclusion of the article, titled “Sarsur: living up to the name”. In Arabic, Sarsur means Cockroach. It is a small noisome creature that often carries diseases. Ibrahim Sarsur, being a Muslim, is a carrier of the disease called Islam. And he truly lives up to his name.