Harmonies of Liberty

This past Friday March 31, 2006, I attended a "symposium on the Role of Religion in Public Life" entitled "The Harmonies of Liberty." I was encouraged to see that most panelists were near in unison in stating words similar to that of President of Interfaith Alliance of Alabama Nick Foster, that "both faith and policy benefit from separation." One panelist did, in questioning Judge William H Pryor, Jr., ask if a more symbiotic nature might be possible. Surprisingly enough this panelist was no meddlesome Baptist preacher, but instead Yusuf Salaam Alabama House of Representatives, D-Selma, who professes faith in islam. Yusuf Salaam professes faith in islam and defends it in vague and general terms of it being an "Abrahamic and Adamic" faith of "8 million Americans" who are "fervent believers in the democratic process." Even stating that "there is no conflict of islam with science." I had to laugh at that point.

I asked no questions of Mr. Salaam during the question and answer period of the panel, unable to distract myself from other lines of inquiry that were being posed. I was however able to have an interesting conversation with Mr. Salaam after the panel. He did seem to declare the mullahs of iran apostate. Of course these were not his exact words, but in each example that I raised in demonstrating that every creed and color of man was being slaughtered in the name of islam, he declared that, in that situation, true islam was not being practiced. I can not recall him citing any koran. He accused me of being mis-informed and of course he asked me if I read Arabic. I responded by asking him if he read Arabic, if so he should soon start work on a new translation of the koran, pointing out that a large number of muslims had to rely on the very same translations as myself. Interestingly, he pointed out that a large number of muslims were illiterate. I'm not sure what point that was meant to make. But it was in keeping with his continual attempt to distance his "true" islam from any actual practice of islam on the globe. In a March 18, 2004 article with Liz Maziarz, Mr. Salaam displayed more of this desire to separate his "universal Islam" (which seems very exclusive) from any Arab influence.


Salaam yearns to see American Muslims "stop being scaredy cats and consolidate political power." He feels that a lack of cultural identity on the part of African Americans has led to the success of orthodox Islam within that community, but that it is essential for African American Muslims to retain a freedom of intellect, because he sees no point in "trading Caucasian slave masters for Arab slave masters."

He attempted to dissuade me from my denouncement of islam by suggesting he could not , implying a fear of offending me, cite the acts of the Ku Klux Klan in a discussion of Christianity. I told him he certainly could bring up such things, that Christianity had been able to confront and conquer such blights exactly because it was brought to light. And that in emulation of that model, he, who seemed to yearn for a reformation of the practice of islam, should welcome that the onslaught against an islam, did lend a legitimacy to a would- be reformer such as himself.

When I brought up Aisha, he first asked me what I thought was wrong with a nine year old girl being married off to an older man? I asked, What volition can a nine year old child display in choosing a mate? Mr. Salaam, then cited that arranged marriages had occurred in Western civilization ( to nine year olds?). I conceded that arranged marriages had occurred in Western civilization but that having conquered that evil, I saw no reason we should turn back. That mohamed should in no way be emulated.