Texas: Muslim or ex-Muslim gubernatorial candidate demonstrates mastery of the art of claiming victim status. . .
Farouk Shami is a candidate for the Democratic nomination for Governor of Texas. On his website, he "clarifies" his religious affiliation by making it clear as mud. The statement is notable for its sly obfuscations and detours, which will be familiar to longtime Jihad Watch readers:
"I want to clarify what has been reported in the press concerning my religion. I was born in the land of Abraham, believing in Moses, Jesus and Mohammad, and believing in one God.
While this statement may appear to the ignorant and unwary to be one of religious pluralism and open-mindedness, actually it is a straightforward statement of Islamic faith. For in the Qur'an, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad are all Muslim prophets who taught the same message, the message of Islam. Judaism and Christianity, in this understanding, arose later, out of corruptions of the teachings of Moses and Jesus. So for Farouk Shami to say that he believed in Moses, Jesus and Muhammad is simply to say that he was an ordinary, mainstream Muslim -- although the statement is clearly presented here in an attempt to give readers (and Texas voters) the impression that he was some kind of "all religions are one" multiculturalist or broad-minded ecumenist.
I grew up with members of my family and friends practicing multiple faiths: Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. I was also educated at a Quaker school. All of these things contributes to my relationship with God. To say simply 'I'm a Muslim' or 'I'm a Quaker' is to ignore major parts of my faith. I know it seems complicated that I do not have a pat answer to questions about what religion I am, but without my exposure to many different cultures and religious beliefs I wouldn't be the person I am today.
All right. But here again, none of these statements involve anything that a believing Muslim could not or would not say. So his family and friends include Jews and Christians, and he went to a Quaker school -- none of this necessarily involves his own belief system. And if a Muslim can say that he is a true Christian because he believes in what he believes to be the true Islamic Jesus of the Qur'an, then he can surely say that he is a Quaker -- although Farouk Shami doesn't quite say that, either.
Although I'm not a member of any specific religious tradition, I do begin every day with prayer and meditation and have a strong personal relationship with God. I respect those who practice all faiths because I believe God gave us life to help one another, the poor, the sick and the oppressed. It is through God we can achieve peace, freedom and bring justice to the world. As Governor, I know, with God's help and guidance, I will be able to help every Texan have access to the American Dream just like I did--a good job, access to healthcare, and an excellent education for their children. That's why I feel called to run for office."
He is not a member of any specific religious tradition. That could mean that he is not a Muslim, or that he doesn't believe that Islam is simply a manmade religious tradition, but rather divinely revealed and unquestionable truth. Meanwhile, the statement that "it is through God we can achieve peace, freedom and bring justice to the world" sounds very much like statements from Islamic supremacists the world over, who identify peace, freedom and justice with the imposition of Sharia.
I am not saying that Farouk Shami is an orthodox Muslim who therefore believes in Sharia, dhimmitude, the death of free speech, etc. And I am sure he would deny that he believes those things. All I am saying is that, despite appearances to the contrary, appearances which Shami obviously intended, there is actually nothing in his statement that is inconsistent with mainstream Islam.
And in any case, whether Farouk Shami is a Muslim or not, he has mastered the art of claiming victim status, an art practiced so assiduously by the likes of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and other Muslim advocacy groups in the U.S.: "Shami calls White's political ads 'racist,'" from the Associated Press, February 4:
{...] Farouk Shami, a Houston businessman who was born a Palestinian outside Jerusalem, says former Houston Mayor Bill White makes a "racist" remark by talking about being born in San Antonio....
A spokeswoman for the White campaign called Shami's comment "ridiculous."
Uh, yeah.
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