More or less on a regular basis I am sent purported refutations of what I say here and in my books -- essays that purport to show that Islam doesn't really teach warfare against unbelievers and their subjugation as inferiors under the rule of Islamic law, although these purported refutations usually content themselves with showing that Christians or someone else were doing something worse, or that some document or other to which I refer in my books is held in no esteem by Muslims, or virtually anything other than actually proving that there exists a sect or school of Islam that teaches that Muslims must live with non-Muslims as equals on an indefinite basis in secular societies, without trying to impose Sharia.
In any case, the fundamental problem with all these alleged refutations is that if I am misunderstanding Islam, an awful lot of Muslims, including Islamic clerics who have devoted their lives to studying the Qur'an and Sunnah, misunderstand it in the same way. And here we have another. Afzali says he betrayed his religion, but that is, I suspect, just in order to bamboozle the unbelievers yet again. I'd like to see him explain exactly how he has betrayed it. "Imam Pleads Guilty in New York Subway Bomb Plot," from Reuters, March 4 (thanks to Twostellas):
NEW YORK (Reuters) - An imam accused of tipping off al Qaeda-trained militant Najibullah Zazi as he plotted to set off bombs in New York's subway system pleaded guilty on Thursday to lying to the FBI about his contact with Zazi.Ahmad Afzali, 38, an Afghan citizen, made the plea in Brooklyn federal court in a deal with prosecutors. The agreement saw him plead guilty to charges of lying and eliminated the more serious charge of obstructing a terrorism investigation.
"On September 11 (2009), I called Najibullah Zazi. ... During that conversation, I told Najibullah that law enforcement authorities had been to see me about him," Afzali, wearing a light gray suit, told the court in emotional remarks where he cried repeatedly....
Afzali said: "When I was asked (by the FBI) whether I had told Zazi about law enforcement being interested in him, I lied and said I did not. My intention was not to protect Zazi but to protect myself."
"In doing so, I failed to live up to my obligation to this country, my community, my family, and my religion. I am truly sorry," he said....
His religion. Ever with the sand in the eyes, eh, Afzali?
Afzali faces up to six months in prison when sentenced, set for April 8. Under the deal, he must leave the country within 90 days of finishing his sentence.Afzali pleaded not guilty to the charges of obstructing a terrorism investigation in November....
Zazi moved to the New York City borough of Queens as a teenager and went to school there. He attended a mosque led by Afzali, a self-proclaimed pro-American imam who cooperated with police in previous investigations.
