Middle Eastern Humanist Sets The Record Straight

Arab-American Psychiatrist Wafa Sultan: There is No Clash of Civilizations but a Clash between the Mentality of the Middle Ages and That of the 21st Century Following are excerpts from an interview with Arab-American psychiatrist Wafa Sultan. The interview was aired on Al-Jazeera TV on February 21, 2006
Link to Video Clip

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Transcript as follows:. Wafa Sultan: The clash we are witnessing around the world is not a clash of religions, or a clash of civilizations. It is a clash between two opposites, between two eras. It is a clash between a mentality that belongs to the Middle Ages and another mentality that belongs to the 21st century. It is a clash between civilization and backwardness, between the civilized and the primitive, between barbarity and rationality. It is a clash between freedom and oppression, between democracy and dictatorship. It is a clash between human rights, on the one hand, and the violation of these rights, on other hand. It is a clash between those who treat women like beasts, and those who treat them like human beings. What we see today is not a clash of civilizations. Civilizations do not clash, but compete.
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Host: I understand from your words that what is happening today is a clash between the culture of the West, and the backwardness and ignorance of the Muslims?

Wafa Sultan: Yes, that is what I mean.
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Host: Who came up with the concept of a clash of civilizations? Was it not Samuel Huntington? It was not Bin Laden. I would like to discuss this issue, if you don't mind...

Wafa Sultan: The Muslims are the ones who began using this expression. The Muslims are the ones who began the clash of civilizations. The Prophet of Islam said: "I was ordered to fight the people until they believe in Allah and His Messenger." When the Muslims divided the people into Muslims and non-Muslims, and called to fight the others until they believe in what they themselves believe, they started this clash, and began this war. In order to stop this war, they must reexamine their Islamic books and curricula, which are full of calls for takfir and fighting the infidels.

My colleague has said that he never offends other people's beliefs. What civilization on the face of this earth allows him to call other people by names that they did not choose for themselves? Once, he calls them Ahl Al-Dhimma, another time he calls them the "People of the Book," and yet another time he compares them to apes and pigs, or he calls the Christians "those who incur Allah's wrath." Who told you that they are "People of the Book"? They are not the People of the Book, they are people of many books. All the useful scientific books that you have today are theirs, the fruit of their free and creative thinking. What gives you the right to call them "those who incur Allah's wrath," or "those who have gone astray," and then come here and say that your religion commands you to refrain from offending the beliefs of others?
I am not a Christian, a Muslim, or a Jew. I am a secular human being. I do not believe in the supernatural, but I respect others' right to believe in it.

Dr. Ibrahim Al-Khouli: Are you a heretic?

Wafa Sultan: You can say whatever you like. I am a secular human being who does not believe in the supernatural...

Dr. Ibrahim Al-Khouli: If you are a heretic, there is no point in rebuking you, since you have blasphemed against Islam, the Prophet, and the Koran...
Wafa Sultan: These are personal matters that do not concern you.
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Wafa Sultan: Brother, you can believe in stones, as long as you don't throw them at me. You are free to worship whoever you want, but other people's beliefs are not your concern, whether they believe that the Messiah is God, son of Mary, or that Satan is God, son of Mary. Let people have their beliefs.
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Wafa Sultan: The Jews have come from the tragedy (of the Holocaust), and forced the world to respect them, with their knowledge, not with their terror, with their work, not their crying and yelling. Humanity owes most of the discoveries and science of the 19th and 20th centuries to Jewish scientists. 15 million people, scattered throughout the world, united and won their rights through work and knowledge. We have not seen a single Jew blow himself up in a German restaurant. We have not seen a single Jew destroy a church. We have not seen a single Jew protest by killing people. The Muslims have turned three Buddha statues into rubble. We have not seen a single Buddhist burn down a Mosque, kill a Muslim, or burn down an embassy. Only the Muslims defend their beliefs by burning down churches, killing people, and destroying embassies. This path will not yield any results. The Muslims must ask themselves what they can do for humankind, before they demand that humankind respect them.
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!! DEMOCRACY IN IRAN !!


I was skeptical, but when I read the comments and saw the video tribute, I was stunned. My dad had spent time in Iran when the Shaw was in power and I can tell you that the Iranian people at one time loved and admired the United States and its democracy.

I have always believed that a good majority of the Iranian people still do. The tribute posted by PersianWarrior on YouTube.com is a reminder that not all people believe as their leadership in any country. Seeing this video tribute to President Bush has given me great hope that the Iranian people and a good majority of the Citizens of the United States can get along dispite our leaderships political differences.

We must be careful to remember that in times such as these that WAR is not always the answer. Political change can come from inside Iran if we show a good example.

Here’s what the producer of the video has to say:

“WE THE PERSIANS THANK YOU PRESIDENT BUSH FOR STANDING WITH US THE PEOPLE OF IRAN IN THESE HARD TIMES. WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR MORAL SUPPORT. YOU ARE A MAN OF DIGNITY. MAY GOD BLESS GOOD HUMANS SUCH AS YOU MR.PRESIDENT. WE CHERISH THIS GENUINE FRIENDSHIP.”

Review the Video then visit PersianWarrior’s YouTube page and check out this video. Please leave a nice comment for him, as others have done.

Here are just a few of them:

---- i am sitting proud of iran ….. why did the connection of america and iran have to seese ? …… iran under reza shah pahlavi was the greatest country in all the world …… i am british but my descendants go back to the time of cyrus ……… we must all remember that islam is not iran …. “iran” is iran ………

---- The people of the United States have always supported freedom, equal rights for everyone and democracy every where in the world. President Bush has done a very good job of reminding America of the struggles of the Iranian citizens aganist its government. I think all of you who are fighting for your freedom and rights are heroes and should be greatly admired. America is rooting hard for your success in changing the government and setting up a real democracy in Iran for all of its people.

---- I admire all the people of Iran who are working to gain democracy, freedom and improvement in human rights of their country. You are heroes in the US and we want you to succeed. God Bless all of you. - An American who wants a truly free Iran where the government is decided by and accountable to the population of Iran.

---- PERSIANWARRIORSI would like to say thank you for your support & know that we will try hard for this goal. I for one will never forget that in the times when the world was ignoring our struggle for FREEDOM in Iran our great friends the Americans stood with us & chose to be on the side of the People in this struggle for democracy in Iran. May god bless our dear friend America !!!!

---- Thank you for your support Mr. President. You are a hero unlike Carter. He is the source behind todays mess. God bless you Mr. Bush. Please free our country from the Mullahs. Don’t you just love this? I knew that there were freedom-seeking humans in Iran, and I’m so glad I found this. I hope they are strong and can overthrow the militant government so they can achieve the freedom they so richly deserve and desire. (And I really glad to know they knew the TRUTH about Jimmie “Peanut” Carter.) ----