Will Muslims Do The "Heavy Lifting?"

In January 22nd issue of THE WEEK magazine, they had the following as their quote of the week:

"If the battle against Muslim terrorism is to be won, moderate Muslims will have to do the heavy lifting. If Americans and Westerners continue to take the lead, it will remain an 'us vs. them' war. If Muslims take the lead, it will be 'them vs. them,' co-religionists battling co-religionists, not 'infidel and oppressive outsiders battling 'victimized' Muslims. [So] where are the funds, the programs, and the personnel to re-educate young ones brainwashed in madrasas, and where are the alternate schools for these children? Where are the programs to show up at mosques everywhere and argue with mullahs who say that Allah wants them to kill fellow Muslims and infidels and enslave women?"

At first I thought it was wonderful that the author (Leslie Gelb from TheDailyBeast.com) used the phrase, "Muslim terrorism." Even that small acknowledgment of the Islamic role in terrorism seemed unusual to read in such a mainstream magazine as THE WEEK.

As Phil Cooke wrote, "I find it interesting that on those rare occasions when someone — no matter how wacked — commits a crime at an abortion clinic, there's no hesitation by the media to label them as a 'Christian.' But political correctness leaves them unable to mention 'Muslim' when it comes to terrorism."

And yet Leslie Gelb does just that and THE WEEK quotes him. But the underlying premise of his questions reveals an ignorance about the situation. Where are the Muslims who will argue with the mullahs? It's a silly question if you know the first thing about Islam. On what basis would these people argue? They cannot argue as Muslims because they would have no ground to stand on. To argue as Muslims they would have to base what they say on either the Qur'an or Mohammad's example, or both, and using those writings, they would have no way to argue that it's anti-Islamic to enslave women or kill infidels.

And if they were arguing against the mullahs on any other basis, they place themselves immediately into the category of infidels — or worse, apostates — and would not be listened to.

In other words, the Muslims cannot win any battle against "Muslim terrorists," and remain Muslims. And if they are no longer Muslims, there will be no co-religionists battling co-religionists.

We will not be saved by good-hearted Muslims, no matter how many of them there are. We will have to save ourselves.

Our first step is to make this understanding very common and widespread among non-Muslims: That it is fundamental to Islam to be at war with non-Muslims and to try to seize the reins of political power wherever they can. This is part of their religious teachings. It is their religious duty and they have no choice in the matter. It is not "fringe" and Muslims following these teachings are not "extremists."

And as soon as this knowledge is widespread enough, our first political action should be to stop importing Muslims into our countries.

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What Does It Take To Get Through To People?

I RECENTLY RECEIVED the following email:

I just read your article on Citizen Warrior, "the struggle to reach people", along with many others. I'm from England in the UK and have to say I've had all the same reactions as Cheryl did in your article when discussing Islam. I've spent at least 6 months now spending my Sundays when I'm not busy researching thoroughly into jihad, Islamic teachings...etc. Everything I say about the issue to people is based on unbiased information and from Islamic teachings and quotes. Yet still, people have this political correctness and "you're a racist!!!" barrier around themselves.

It scares me to think that within maybe 40 - 50 years my children may be living under Shari'a law...all because of the ignorance of everybody even when faced with facts and the truth is just too great.

I began researching into Islam after a conversation with an atheist or "infidel" and a Muslim. The atheist guy I knew was talking to me actually at work about how they were attempting to dominate the world and their view of Jews and infidels...etc., are inferior to believers of Islam...etc. I at that time thought the guy who was saying this to me was just being a typical racist...then this Muslim guy who's a coworker butted in denying everything, and after an intense 2 minute argument...became a fight started by the Muslim.

That situation then actually really made me want to research into it...and by the way, I've even been deemed a "narrow-minded racist" for saying "Muslims" and categorising them as Muslims...now you see how ignorant people are...

Anyhow, I just thought I'd write to express how I got into the whole studying of Islam....and to actually have a conversation with someone who is educated on the topic and doesn't spit on me and march off.

This brought up such an important point, I decided to ask him if I could publish his letter, to which he graciously agreed. Here is what I replied to him:

We have exactly the same problem here in the U.S. Anybody who has learned about Islam and tried to share what they know with friends runs into the same brick wall.

But we will get through to most people eventually. We just need to be smart about it, keep improving our persuasion methods, and never give up.

And this is really the main point I have tried to get across, and the point of awakening for me: That it's not enough to be right. It's not enough to know what you're talking about. We will fail if we can't get through, regardless of how correct we are. We have to be not only informed but good at getting through to people, and that cannot be done with forcefulness. You can't make people get it when they don't want to get it. You have to use "skillful means."

After I wrote back to him, I realized this needs more explanation. What do I mean by "skillful means?" We need to develop the skill to influence what people believe. Simply delivering information doesn't work most of the time, as I'm sure you've discovered.

And those of us who like to learn are in luck: There are so many books (on the subject of influencing others) it is almost overwhelming. As we study about Islam, we should also study how to influence people. It is at least as important. You should spend equal time on the two subjects.

The work we need to do is change minds, change beliefs. Do you know a lot about how to do that? Do you know how to gain and maintain rapport with people? Do you know how beliefs are changed? (Hint: It is not by arguing.)

What kind of books am I talking about? The classic on the subject is How to Win Friends & Influence People. It is about basic things like acknowledging people, listening well, finding common ground, becoming likeable, etc. If someone doesn't like you, they find it much easier to reject what you're saying. And because of the nature of your message, your listener may be looking for an excuse to reject it.

Even though How to Win Friends is basic, my observation is that most of us don't actually practice those principles very often. If you're having difficulty getting through to people, get that book and study it. And then practice those principles. It will increase your success rate.

The best way to take in this information is listening to CDs or a digital audio file, so you can listen repeatedly. Use your drive time to master this material. Take in a little every day and practice it every chance you get.

You are a citizen warrior and this is a key factor in your training. Sometimes a warrior needs to be trained in things she or he may not enjoy learning. Too bad. Trust me, you need to learn this material well if you want to be effective.

Once you've got that well in hand, the next level of skill is using principles of influence like social proof and commitment and consistency. These are from the excellent book, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion.

For advanced influencing techniques, I recommend these two books:

Sleight of Mouth

Magic of Rapport Revised

These deal with more sophisticated methods like matching and mirroring representational systems, posture and gestures, voice tone, tempo and volume, breathing rate, and specific words and phrases.

Those are NLP principles (Neurolinguistic Programming). NLP was created by studying outstanding therapists — psychotherapists who had exceptional success in treating patients. One of the most important people they studied was Milton Erickson, arguably the most successful therapist of all time. They noticed his point of view on "client resistance" was completely the opposite from that of less successful therapists.

The standard way of thinking about resistance in therapy is that it is the client's problem and the client needs to get over it before therapy can proceed. Erickson's point of view was that resistance was an indication that he, Milton Erickson, was being inept.

That's the way we need to think about it. If we did, we could reach a whole new level of skill at influencing people.

You may not want to learn this. It may bother you that people don't just "get it" when you say it straight. But this is how the world is. I know it's not "right." I know people should decide simply based on the facts, but that's not how the world works, and it never will be. Emotions have a strong influence on decisions, on the forming of beliefs, and on behavior.

You already know this. You know that someone with a less-than-cogent argument can have more influence on people (if he gains rapport) than someone with a perfect argument that irritates people with his pompous or arrogant attitude, for example. Emotions trump facts. Rapport is the key.

We need to win. That means you, who already understand the terrifying brilliance of Islam, need to be effective. You need to use all the skillful means at your disposal to change the way others think and feel about Islam. You can do it! You must do it, for all our sakes.

If you don't have time to become good at influencing, you should switch your focus to getting people involved in the Girl Effect. It will be much less difficult, but you will still be doing necessary work toward our ultimate goal of reversing Islam's relentless encroachment on the free world.

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Bill Gates Tells The Truth In Saudi Arabia

I HAVE BEEN reading The Women's Crusade in the New York Times, and came across the following passage and I knew I had to share it with you.

Bill Gates recalls once being invited to speak in Saudi Arabia and finding himself facing a segregated audience. Four-fifths of the listeners were men, on the left. The remaining one-fifth were women, all covered in black cloaks and veils, on the right. A partition separated the two groups. Toward the end, in the question-and-answer session, a member of the audience noted that Saudi Arabia aimed to be one of the Top 10 countries in the world in technology by 2010 and asked if that was realistic. “Well, if you’re not fully utilizing half the talent in the country,” Gates said, “you’re not going to get too close to the Top 10.” The small group on the right erupted in wild cheering.

Bill Gates just went up a few notches in my esteem. The article I've quoted here was written by Sheryl WuDunn and Nicholas D. Kristof, the authors of Half the Sky and the creators of the Girl Effect. I urge you to throw yourself into helping girls around the world. Go to the Girl Effect website and get involved. Recruit your friends and family into the cause. This is a purpose we can all get behind. Join the Girl Effect on FaceBook to get updates.

Read more about how helping girls can save the world in the book, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide.

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Conversation Pieces

WHEN YOU ARE sharing what you know about Islam's relentless encroachment on the free world, it often helps to have something compelling to share. Below are two shareable items to use in your campaign to influence your friends and family.

The first was sent to me by a friend in Hawaii, entitled "Terrorism That's Personal." It is a set of 12 professional photographs of Muslim women who have been horribly scarred by acid thrown on their face. The damage done to these women is terrible to see. Shocking.

Nicholas Kristof, one of the creators of the Girl Effect and a New York Times op-ed columnist, traveled to Pakistan last year. He wrote: "I’ve been investigating such acid attacks, which are commonly used to terrorize and subjugate women and girls in a swath of Asia from Afghanistan through Cambodia (men are almost never attacked with acid). Because women usually don’t matter in this part of the world, their attackers are rarely prosecuted and acid sales are usually not controlled. It’s a kind of terrorism that becomes accepted as part of the background noise in the region."

If you have have the stomach for it, view the pictures here. And share them with people you know. But when you do, make sure you give them some practical actions they can take to do something about it. Whenever you horrify someone, give them something they can do about it. It is unkind to do otherwise. With that in mind, here are the photographs: 12 Images.

If those images don't motivate someone to want to stop the atrocities, I don't know what will. I also recommend you read and share Nicholas Kristof's original article (and video): Terrorism That's Personal.

The second item I want to share with you is from one of my favorite columnists, Phyllis Chesler. In a recent article, she wrote:

The other day, a twenty-year-old woman was sold at an open auction in Badani Bhutto, Pakistan. Her brothers divided up the money. No one condemned this shameless and abominable act.

It is an act that haunts me.

For a long time now, similar kinds of people (yes, mainly Muslims) have invaded — no, immigrated to — Europe, where they have continued to engage in polygamy, arranged child marriage, forced veiling of women, honor-related violence, including honor murders (17,000 honor-related crimes of violence have been estimated to occur annually in the UK alone), and female genital mutilation. According to my new (and about to be published) study, honor murders in Europe are especially savage — even more so than in developing Muslim countries.

You can read the rest of her article here: Battling Against the Islamification of the World.

These two shareable items demonstrate the need to give women and girls human rights in Islamic countries. The situation is urgent, and anyone with normal human feelings will immediately know something needs to be done.

If you're talking to a friend who doesn't want to hear about Islam, simply direct them to the Girl Effect or share with them the book, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. Your friend's efforts to empower women and protect girls will help curb Islam's ultimate goal, and it will be effective even if your friend never learns a thing about Islam.

Read more about how to influence your friends: Think Small Bits and Long Campaigns.

At the back of Half the Sky is a short section called Four Steps You Can Take in the Next Ten Minutes that has practical things you can do right now to help empower women. It has been reproduced online here: Four Steps.
Learn more about influencing your friends:

• How to approach a conversation about Islam
• Answers to objections when you talk about Islam
• How to think outside the persuasion box

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Action Alert: Support Geert Wilders

GEERT WILDERS' trial is two weeks away (it is scheduled to take place January 20, 2010). Geert is on trial in Amsterdam for "inciting hatred against Islam." This is our final opportunity to give him our support. (For more information about Geert's trial, read an Update on Geert Wilders, watch an Interview With Geert Wilders, or read this article on what Wilders is charged with and why.)

The international organization, SITA Action, wrote the following about the upcoming trial: The international establishment, subverted by a variety of Islamic organizations including the OIC (Organization of Islamic Conference) will undoubtedly apply a great deal of pressure on the Dutch establishment to ensure that Geert Wilders is convicted on the charges that have been cunningly brought against him. It is likely that his party will win the next election in 2011 with the possibility of Mr Wilders becoming Prime Minister. The global establishment (especially the influencial Islamic element) does not want Mr Wilders in such a position of influence, even if the people of the Netherlands do.

An SITA action in support of Geert Wilders was established in late January 2009. It has received wide support and generated hundreds of letters designed to educate and inform decision makers in the Netherlands. The Dutch Ministery of Justice even visited our SITA websites: http://tinyurl.com/agl2kn.

SITA action is now reactivated to highlight this apparently politically-motivated prosecution. If Geert Wilders falls, freedom of speech is dead in Europe.

There are three ways that you can participate:

1) By mail – two possible texts; one comparing Wilders to Winston Churchill and another comparing him to Charlie Chaplin (follow either link, and you will find instructions about what to print and put into the envelopes and who to send them to).

2) By putting a message in comments to articles talking about the trial of Geert Wilders in blogs. This message appears at the bottom of this page http://tinyurl.com/yauuelo in 4 languages: FR, ENG, SP, D. So in other words, search Google for "Geert Wilders" and add those pre-written statements into the comments on the blogs you find (or add your own comments).

To support Geert Wilders and our dearly acquired freedoms, please participate in the two suggested actions, and share this message with your friends, especially those who have websites or blogs so they can help spread the word.

3) By giving some money. To donate: http://www.geertwilders.nl.

Take action right away for the greatest impact. Geert needs our help, and he deserves it.

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