“Gaza Has Made Me Radical”

Our Swedish correspondent CB sends along a translation of an op-ed by Mohammed Omar, until recently considered one of Sweden’s prominent “moderate” Muslims.

First, a prefatory note from CB:

This is an article from one of the big tabloids in Sweden, Expressen, by a former “moderate” Muslim — Mohammed Omar, by his father from Iran and by his mother from Sweden. He is the editor of the Muslim magazine Minaret and a self-styled poet. Omar has become quite famous in Sweden as a Muslim who is willing to have dialogue between people of different faiths — even Jews. Yesterday (January 9th, 2008), he wrote the article in Expressen and explained why he has become a radical.

I suppose it’s one of many such stories. But in this case it’s a high-profile and lauded “moderate” who has “become” an Islamist, by his own words. And I have seldom seen a “moderate” come out in such a hot-headed fashion before, with the entire Islamist vocabulary and victim-status painted all over at once.

Besides the normal complaints from Muslims about massacres and a bloodbath in “Palestine”, we get the more interesting statements from Omar about the Zionist conspiracy against Islam, since they (the Zionists) know that Islam is the only force able to withstand the great onslaught by the West. Not so usual is a part-Iranian praising Khomeini, and this an Iranian outside Iran. Note that this guy actually thinks Khomeini is a great leader, worthy of emulating. His exhortation of sexual child-abuse, violence, torture and jihad incitement too? Why does Omar think so many Iranians want to escape his paradise?

Irshad Manji as an Zionist? Give me a break! But she’s not an Islamist, so I guess that sets Omar’s standard.

I think it’s revealing that someone who claims to become more Muslim is taking this path, cheering on people with genocidal views who aim to destroy the free world. The same part of the world which has given him freedom of expression and security from police coming in the night to pick up dissidents.

It’s interesting that he says he wants THE religion (Islam) to guide politics and the constitution. I’m quite sure gullible people don’t know that this means the implementation of the Sharia, and not just religious influence on public life (as in the West).

In my mind, he’s either a Islamist who at last has showed his real face — and that’s good for the public to know — or he’s a young man committing intellectual suicide, because of his desperation in the face of war. Ironic that Islam should be the motivating factor for this. Have we seen this before?

It reminds me of how fear has claimed the very best before, so let me end with a paraphrase of emperor Palpatine’s words: “Rise my friend. You shall henceforth be known as Mullah Omar!”

Now for CB’s translation of the Expressen article:

Gaza has made me radical

Last week was the first time I ever demonstrated against Israel. In my heart I have always been against Israel’s bloodstained oppression of the Palestinians. But I hadn’t taken the step of getting involved in the issue until now. The latest bloodbath was just too much. I felt I had to openly make a stand. But not just that. I decided to support Hams and Hizbullah — the Islamic resistance movements.

The ongoing massacre in Gaza is just the culmination of the 60 years of ethnic cleansing perpetrated by Israel, while the international community has watched with disinterest or impotence. The demonization of Muslims has been and is a important part of Israel’s psychological warfare during recent years, because they know that the source of the strong resistance against the USA and Israel’s colonial enterprise is Islam. That’s the belief that gives them strength to fight. That’s the belief that unites and guides them. The propaganda against Islam, spewed forth by Zionists like Bat Ye’or, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Wafa Sultan, Robert Spencer, Irshad Manji, and the like, and then distributed with fanatic fervor through neoconservative networks, shows that its in their interest to undermine Islam, destroy the view people have of Islam, remove sympathy for Islam, scare people away from Islam.

They have been fairly successful. That’s why Palestinians don’t get the support they should have. People buy into the slander about Muslims hating people because they have another faith or lifestyle. And that’s the reason they fire rockets. My answer is to become more Muslim, that is, a political Muslim. I refuse to be demoralized. My choice is to become radicalized.

- - - - - - - - -

Each time I have written a critical article about Islamism, a view of the religion as guiding the constitution, I have been applauded by journalists, talking heads, and bloggers. Why? Every step to de-politicize the religion is actually a step forward for the Zionists. They know that socialism doesn’t stand a chance. It’s dead in the Middle East. They know that virtually all ideologies from the West have been complemented by war, torture and occupation. Islamism is the only ideology that have any credibility among the masses. And it’s the only ideology that has any viable chance to overthrow the corrupt despots.

During these days I have been sitting in front of my TV, heartbroken, and seen Israel’s mass slaughter of children, women, and the elderly while the despots in the Arab world mumble, explain away, or blame the oppressed for resisting. Some of them, like Hosni Mubarak, are in all probability part of the plot against the people of Gaza.

The despots of the Arab world fear Hamas because they fear democracy. The divide between the people and their leaders, the lackeys of the USA, is growing by the minute. Islam is a faith that demands a stand against oppression and injustice. To be vegetative and thinking of yourself is incompatible with the demands of Islam on us. This is my insight. That is why I have become a radical Muslim.

Whenever there have been democratic elections in the Middle East, Islamist parties have won power. FIS in Algeria and Hamas in Palestine. Even in Iraq, in spite of the elections held under American occupation. If democracy ever gained a victory in Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood would take over in an instant. What’s needed in Egypt is a leader of Khomeini’s caliber. He who led the triumphant uprising against the US-agent Reza Pahlavi. A leader like that would open the Rafah-crossing and send in help at once. Khomeini is a role-model for the Islamic resistance.

The Muslim countries need to unite in a federation or a union like that of the EU or USA. That is to be able to defend their populations against colonialism, exploitation and oppression from the west. Therefore I join the worldwide Islamist movement and therefore I now support Hamas, Hizbullah, and Iran. I am a radical Muslim. And I say that with pride.

Mohammed Omar 2009-01-09

Reinhard of FOMI adds these brief items, drawing from comments on Swedish blogs, comments on the Expressen article, and other sources:

From Björn Wiman’s blog, the culture editor of Expressen. Quote: “Omar’s example bodes ill. Not least since it may equate Islam and Islamism, regular Muslims and political extremists.” Another condemning quote from a mainstream liberal heavyweight.

A quote from the comments section to Omar’s article, from a Magnus Braemer: “Mohamed, you are my enemy.” The overwhelming majority of all the comments are in the same vein — and this in the Swedish MSM.

“There’s something sad about someone who voluntarily throws himself over the cliff.” — Translation of the last line in a blog post by Karl Rydå, ledarskribent (opinion editor) at Upsala Nya Tidning, which has previously published several articles by Omar in defense of Islam. It is interesting to note that Rydå has also published criticism of “Islamophobia” in UNT and Expo.

This is from Sanna Rayman, one of several opinion editors at Svenska Dagbladet. One quote from her take on Omar’s article will suffice: “There are so many awful and sad quotes in his article that I hardly know which one to choose”.

These two quotes are from heavyweights in the Swedish MSM. Omar has burned his bridges even with the usually pro-Islamic liberal elite.

This is from Omar’s own blog. A guest essay by Lasse Wilhelmsson, who is friends with Holocaust revisionist Israel Shamir and defends Radio Islam, an anti-Semitic propaganda site whose owner associates with neo-Nazis. More info on him here.

Note especially the picture on Omar’s blog depicting Israelis as Nazis, a classic motif of anti-Semitic propaganda.