Truth or bigotry?

  • By Debra Smith Herald Writer
  • Thursday, May 5, 2011 1:30pm
  • Local News

EVERETT — Author Raymond Ibrahim says he wants to help Americans understand the true nature of Islam.

A local Muslim civil rights organization calls him a bigot and questions why a public college provided him a forum to spread what they describe as speech that “incites fear, hatred and violence.”

Ibrahim, who writes extensively on historical conflicts between Islam and the West, was the invited speaker at an Everett Community College forum Thursday afternoon, part of a yearlong “Islam in America” series.

“What I care about is truth,” Ibrahim said just before his talk Thursday. “I know the truth is sometimes ugly and can temporarily have negative consequences, but getting the truth out is good.”

Ibrahim’s talk focused on how the Western “liberal, secular, humanist” mindset makes it difficult for Americans to understand Muslims.

Ibrahim is associate director of the Middle East Forum, a think tank based in Philadelphia. He told the Everett crowd that Islam is not simply a religion but a “legalistic way of life” grounded in the divine. He talked about how religious texts instruct Muslims to be distrustful of non-Muslims and to bring Islam to nonbelievers, even if it requires force.

“I can see why people don’t like listening to this, and it’s incendiary,” he said. “I’m just the messenger.”

The timing of his talk, just days after a U.S. Navy SEAL team killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, coupled with Ibrahim’s reputation in some American Muslim circles, generated far more attention than college administrators expected.

“This somewhat blindsided me,” said Craig Lewis, an Everett Community College dean. “I believed it would be controversial, but I didn’t expect the attention we’ve gotten.”

The “Islam in America” series, Lewis, said, has included an Arabic class, presentations in Islamic art and calligraphy, and a discussion of what it’s like to be a Muslim in the United States.

Lewis said the college considered canceling the event but ultimately decided it’s important for students to be exposed to all kinds of viewpoints.

“People tend to only listen to the things they agree with, and that doesn’t develop critical thinking or reflective thought,” Lewis said.

The college received about 75 calls and 45 emails Thursday morning, evenly split regarding Ibrahim, said John Olson, vice president for college advancement.

The lecture packed the room with students, people from the community and the media. It also got the attention of the Washington chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and some local religious leaders, who sent a letter to the college asking that the event be canceled.

“Our concerns are that he has a consistent pattern of putting out conspiracy theories that Muslims are taught to lie and can’t be trusted and are militarily aligned,” said Arsalan Bukhari, executive director of the civil rights organization.

Bukhari, who is based in Seattle, said a staff member at the college suggested the school bring Ibrahim in as a speaker. Now his organization plans to file a public records request, looking for evidence that somebody at the college may have had a personal agenda in bringing Ibrahim to speak.

Ibrahim was paid $1,500 from student activity fees to speak in Everett.

Ibrahim is a Coptic Christian, born in America to Egyptian parents. He was raised in a bilingual environment and is fluent in Arabic. He worked previously at the Library of Congress, and it was there, he said, that he came across al-Qaida treatises written in Arabic. He translated them into the book, “Al Qaeda Reader.”

He said the texts prove that radical Islam’s war with the West is not finite and limited to political grievances, but is deeply rooted in faith.

Reporter Bill Sheets contributed to this reporter. Reporter Debra Smith: 425-339-3197 or dsmith@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

More in Local News

Chap Grubb, founder and CEO of second-hand outdoor gear store Rerouted, stands inside his new storefront on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, in Gold Bar, Washington. Rerouted began as an entirely online shop that connected buyers and sellers of used gear.  (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Used outdoor gear shop Rerouted finds a niche in Gold Bar

Seeking to keep good outdoor gear out of landfills, an online reselling business has put down roots in Gold Bar.

Naval Station Everett. (Chuck Taylor / Herald file)
Everett man sentenced to 6 years for cyberstalking ex-wife

Christopher Crawford, 42, was found guilty of sending intimate photos of his ex-wife to adult websites and to colleagues in the Navy.

Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers speaks to the crowd during an opening ceremony at the new PAE2 Amazon Fulfillment Center on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023, in Arlington, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Snohomish County executive pitches $1.66B budget

Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers announced his proposed budget Tuesday afternoon. Public comment is slated to begin Oct. 10.

A memorial for a 15-year-old shot and killed last week is set up at a bus stop along Harrison Road on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Teen boy identified in fatal shooting at Everett bus stop

Bryan Tamayo-Franco, 15, was shot at a Hardeson Road bus stop earlier this month. Police arrested two suspects.

Mt. Baker visible from the summit of Mt. Dickerman on a late summer day in 2017. (Caleb Hutton / The Herald)
Hornets pester hikers on popular Mountain Loop trails

“You cannot out run the stings,” one hiker wrote in a trip report. The Forest Service has posted alerts at two trailheads.

A view of a 6 parcel, 4.4 acre piece of land in Edmonds, south of Edmonds-Woodway High School on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Housing authority seeks more property in Edmonds

The Housing Authority of Snohomish County doesn’t have specific plans for land near 80th Avenue West, if its offer is accepted.

Nursing Administration Supervisor Susan Williams points at a list of current COVID patients at Providence Regional Medical Center on Friday, Sept. 22, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Dozens of Providence patients in medical limbo for months, even years

About 100 people are stuck in Everett hospital beds without an urgent medical reason. New laws aim for a solution.

Emergency responders surround an ultralight airplane that crashed Friday, Sept. 22, 2023, at the Arlington Municipal Airport in Arlington, Washington, resulting in the pilot's death. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Pilot dead in ultralight plane crash at Arlington Municipal Airport

There were no other injuries or fatalities reported, a city spokesperson said.

One of Snohomish County PUD’s new smart readers is installed at a single family home Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, in Mill Creek, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
PUD program seeks to make energy grid smarter for 380K customers

The public utility’s ConnectUp program will update 380,000 electric meters and 23,000 water meters in the next few years.

Most Read