“Jihad: What Muslims say it means and why it matters” was the title of the lecture given by Robert Spencer on Wednesday as part of the third “Islamo-Fascism Awareness week.” Needless to say, I was intrigued by the topic — and the ad attacking the Muslim Student Association the day before in The Badger Herald — so I decided to attend the lecture.
I went with a feeling of apprehension and expectations of a repetition of last year’s charade during David Horowitz’s lecture. And I have to admit I was wrong. Spencer was very respectful in his speech, he laid out his case without attacking anyone, and he even thanked the audience for not interrupting his speech. I personally had a brief exchange with him during the Q-and-A session which was very calm and respectful. And for that, I thank him.
Yet there were still those moments during the lecture when I couldn’t help but shake my head in disagreement. For example, he stated that to prove rape under Islamic Law, four witnesses were required and claimed this was a result of a verse in the Koran. Yet the two verses in Chapter 24 “Alnoor” which mention the four witnesses ruling do not address rape at all. They address the issue of “Qathf,” meaning to accuse a person of adultery, and state if the accuser does not provide sufficient proof — in this case four witnesses — to corraborate their accusation, then they should be punished for slander. Keep in mind this verse was revealed more than 1,400 years ago, when forensic evidence was virtually non-existent.
But, to Spencer’s credit, he did not come up with this idea. There are some Muslim theologians who believe to accuse a person of rape is “Qathf,” and without four witnesses, rape cannot be proven. Yet I cannot emphasize enough how wrong they are. Not only is their opinion a logical fallacy, but it’s also rejected by the bulk of Muslims around the world. Even in Saudi Arabia, where strict and literal interpretations of scripture reign supreme, the judicial system accepts forensic evidence and regards the four-witness rule as a last resort when forensic evidence is insufficient.
Another point of disagreement with Spencer regards the result of his work. Muslims who disagree with his interpretation of Islamic scripture fear his speech will contribute to a climate of hate, in which those who listen to him group all — or even the majority of — Muslims together as believers of the extreme views he references. It’s no secret that attacks against Muslims in America have been on the rise ever since the tragedies of Sept. 11. Now I don’t blame Spencer personally for the verbal and sometimes physical attacks on innocent Muslims in America, but I can’t help but see the views he propagates as contributing to the climate of hate against Muslims, unintentional as it may be.
One mustn’t, however, take this article as an endorsement for those who wish to silence Robert Spencer — or anyone, for that matter. It is my belief and the belief of the MSA at the University of Wisconsin Madison that Mr. Spencer has every right to speak and to express his views freely. And to practically demonstrate our belief, the MSA board discouraged any disruptive protest against Spencer’s speech and encouraged the Muslim students on campus to reserve any questions they had for the Q-and-A session, and from what I witnessed in the lecture, their efforts were mostly successful. Also, it is my belief and that of the MSA at UW-Madison that the freedom of conscience is a basic human right and that Islam does not restrict that freedom. And as far as these freedoms are concerned, we have no difference with Spencer.
If there was anything I learned from Wednesday’s lecture, it’s that awareness is the first step necessary to face the threats of extremism and the erosion of civil liberties. And I believe this discussion should not be limited to a lecture or two. Hence, I invite everyone interested — especially the College Republicans, since they seem so concerned with this issue — to attend an upcoming open panel hosted by the MSA on the same topic, the details of which will be announced soon. This will hopefully be a first of many discussions between Muslims on campus and their fellow students and faculty that will, God willing, lead to a better understanding of what both groups stand for and what they aim to achieve.
Ammar Al-Marzouqi ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in computer engineering.
