What hyena would that be, Dear Boy?

It's no mean feat to know who speaks for what position in dar al-Islam. Whose opinion is authoritative and who but a vague group of elders, scholars, mullahs, ayatollahs, imams, mujtahids, and muftis gets to say boo about various sunnahs, hadiths, and fatawa. Like the shifting desert sands of Araby "true" Islam is a work in progress. Putative moderates can pull out what they will from this omlet and say that "Islam" is this or that, and who's to gainsay them?

The clever joker who circulated a gag(?) letter to Dr. Laura Schelschinger asking why he can't enslave Canadians as permitted by the plain language of the Bible points out that Christianity is not without its "inconvenient" texts. And in matters of practice, apostasy or heresy in some parts of Christendom were dangerous to one's health in centuries past.

However, on a great many fundamental matters of belief and practice it's possible to find the relevant sheet of music from which to read. There are flavors and there are flavors but it's beyond dispute at this stage that one can safely abjure whatever faith one wants in (formerly) Christian areas of the world. Beheadings are out. Slavery is out. Subjugation of women is all but reduced to matters of domestic abuse. In short, you can find your flavor and it basic tenets and basic practice is civilized.

Good luck figuring out what is an authoritative version of the Koran, let alone nailing down an authoritative, universally binding interpretation of it. And the practice of Islam is pretty much what you will. Dynamite strapped around the waists of kids? Groovy. Contact your local, functioning, visible, thriving Martyrs' Pack no. 131 and get a cool merit badge. Join a murderous insurgency? Right on! Contact any one of the 30 or so around the world in which Muslims are involved and you're good to go.

Sanction for any of this? No way. Our lot don't go in for that beastly business. It's really that blighter Abdul's do, Old Boy. Why not check with him?

In the Colonel's judgment, the so called moderates have the burden of going beyond mere passive protestations about The Religion of Peace.

The hypocrisy of these particular sorry "moderates" is obvious. They cry moderation but lionize a hyena:

In fact, the obsession with the Palestinians is the smoking gun that reveals the jihadist sentiments of double-talking “moderates.” Consider how many British Muslims, supposedly opposed to homicide bombings, praised Hamas founder Sheikh Yassim, who engineered the murder of over 500 Israelis in furtherance of his organization's long-term goal to destroy Israel. After the Israeli Defense Forces killed him, a memorial service was held in London, an event attended by “moderates” like Muslim Council Secretary General Sir Iqbal Sacranie, who called Yassim a “renowned Islamic scholar,” an estimation shared by Inayat Bunglawala. Think about the implications: respected, Westernized “moderate” Muslims praise a terrorist murderer as an “Islamic scholar,” and we are supposed to believe that “fanatics” have “hijacked” and “distorted” Islam?

Doublespeak Unveiled. Muslim “moderates” are true to spirit of Islam.
By Bruce Thorton, Private Papers, 7/26/05.