Centerfield

Wow. Powerful, but sad to sad my first thought was "I hope she's safe."

I hope she's safe as well, but a word of warning to the terrorist psychos who'd dare to harm her...we've been watching your tactics and taking notes. We know how to lionize martyrs, too, so consider whether you really want to give us a sad inspirational tale for oppressed muslim mothers to tell to their daughters.

I'm sure fundamentalist male muslims are delusional enough to talk themsleves into believing that muslim women are content to exist as subservient property. Go ahead and keep thinking that in private, muslim women don't yearn to be treated as equals and realize their full human potential. Wafa Sultan knows better. And so do we.

I agree that she is incredibly brave and I fear her life expectancy is not long. But I question what impact her message will have. It would be like Noam Chomsky lecturing the American public.

As an avowed secularist and non-believer,she is so far outside the mainstream, I suspect it will be easy for the Muslim establishment to demonize her and/or for the public to ignore her. Also, I think she is making the same mistake that western radicals make in saying "Muslims do this and Muslims do that." It's the same way that western radicals ascribe every sin to the entire society and the mainstream basically ignore them. I think the way she expressed herself will make westerners happy, but does nothing to further her cause.

I dunno Marc. If only a handful of muslim women share this story amongst themselves behind closed doors, to inspire their daughters, that's at least something.

By Rafique posting this, and by us seconding it, we're adding to whatever volume there is that says that this woman deserves an audience. I declare that she does. I hope others do to. I hope lots more people link to this. I hope she's lionized. I hope the story spreads.

Now it's certainly not going to change any of the minds that can't and won't be changed. But I've long since ceased to trouble myself over the unchangeability of such minds. The only triumph over such people is by making sure our ideals outlive muslim fundamentalists by showing the superior efficacy of liberty, opportunity, tolerance, and loving thy neighbor. IMO, that's the only hopeful direction.

Brian,

All I'm saying is that it will be easy for the Muslim establishment to dismiss her. Yes, her story might inspire some people and I hope it does. But I think it would have been better if she had couched her message in terms that did not effectively throw Islam under the bus. If you accept her argument, it's pointless to even think about reforming the society The only solution is to simply get rid of Islam entirely. That's not likely to sell too well.

I think you have to distinguish between minds "that can't and won't be changed" and minds that are open to change from the right message. I'm not sure this is the right message for the latter people.

Having said that, let me be very quick to say that I loved it. It also suggests that Al Jazeera is not necessarily the demon that the Bush Administration has tried to make it. Compare this with the sort of discussions you get on most of the American cable networks.

I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out that Al-Jazeera understands the relationship between ratings and profit.

Presuming there is a receptive audience for the right message, this may not be precisely it. But that's a message, too. Wafa Sultan gets to be who she is, and in this case, it means being a secularist, not some proto-modern muslim.

Notice that this presumed receptive audience needs to see that western ways open one up to a range of possible outcomes. In modern western culture, it's not required that a muslim become as Sultan. But it's possible that a muslim may choose this from among a much wider menu than, say, Sh'aria provides. Fundamentalist islam insists that all must accept islam, western culture simply offers you the choice.

If Islam is the one true way, and you have abject faith in this, how could you possibly fear that all would not choose it? What's so spiritual and uplifting about abject mandatory faith? That's slavery.