A Self-Proclaimed Expert on Terrorism

Hail freedom of speech, as the dubious self-proclaimed former terrorist, Tawfiq Hamid, was featured in DetroitFree Press on 14th March this year. Again, hail freedom of speech when another self-proclaimed reformer in Islam, Irshad Manji was also featured on March 1 of this year. These islamophobes are part of a new wave of speakers recently being brought to Michigan to speak authoritatively about Islam when they represent the same end of the bell curve that Osama Bin Laden does. One wonders why such extremists, who misinterpret the Qur'an and demonize the religion of Islam, are being sponsored so vehementlyby such sponsors as the Zionist organization of America.
The real focus should be to fight terrorism whenever and wherever they appear. Terrorism, unlike Tawfiq Hamid's claim, is not connected to any religion, if correctly interpreted. What is the point of religion if it doesn't promote peace! Terrorists may selectively use passages of any divine text, whether the Bible, The Torah or the Qur'an,mistranslate it and concoct plans to destroy their enemies regardless of method or means, however inhumane and unjustified.
When Tawfiq Hamid is given a platform in the name of freedom of speech, he and those who sponsor the likes of him risk being labelled as discriminatory or anti-islamic. Again, terrorism can have no religion. None of the monotheistic religions have ever supported terrorism. If Tawfiq Hamid and the sponsoring organizations want to talk about terrorism, let them be fair and bring in former terrorists from judaism and christianity as well. Let's bring Timothy McVeigh to talk about terrorism. I'm sure he would be rolling in his grave if he read about Tawfiq Hamid.
Several points about Tawfiq Hamid. He wrongfully claims that Islam promotes violence, and claims that this teaching of hatred will cause us to lose our freedom one day. He says, "that the most critical aspect of violent Islam...is the threat to our freedom". Firstly, there is no such thing as violent Islam, violent Christianity or violent Judaism. Islam does not teach of violence against any other religion, unless for self-defense. Terrorists and former terrorists, are a splinter in the majority muslim world. They reflect an extreme group without sufficient understanding of any religion. So do we fight the splinter or do we fight the entire muslim world! Also, the divine text of the muslims, the Qur'an declares "that there is no compulsion in religion". It promotes the freedom to chose to follow or not follow the text. Yet, the self-proclaimed expert, Tawfiq Hamid, declares that due to Islam, as understood today, we risk losing our freedom? What does "islam needs to be reformed" mean? How about claiming that judaism and christianity need to be reformed? Rather, Tawfiq Hamid needs to reform himself to allow for more sophistication when analyzing the issue of terrorism, as terrorism has no religion.
In the Detroit News, Tawfiq Hamid was quoted as calling for war upon "violent Islam" both militarily and theologically. Let me elaborate an obvious fact. Any war against any sovreign muslim nation, would actually initiate violence against the war mongers themselves. The case in point is Iraq, a country that never possessed any weapons of mass destruction. Tawfiq Hamid should change his message to promoting the peaceful message of Islam. Islam promotes justice, equality of women and recognize christians and jews as being people of the book whom God has commanded in the Qur'an to respect. Tawfiq Hamid's claim that the growth of the hijab is correlated to the growth of terrorism is false. Mother Mary wears the veil, nuns wear the veil, orthodox jewish women wear the veil. Tawfiq Hamid should respect the right of women to practice their religion as they interpret it.
It is hypocritical to address Tawfiq Hamid as a peacemaker when he is in truth a warmonger. It seems that he is still on the same side of the coin. If he is truly a former terrorist, he must have never read the Qur'an, as God surely commands muslims to respect christians and jews as the people of the Book.