The Naivete of the "Dialogue" Priest About Imam's Belief in Sharia Law

These two stories from Jihad Watch illustrate how naive some Catholic priests engaging in "dialogue" with Islam are. Note the priest was absolutely "shocked" when he realized the imam whom he believed to be tolerant and moderate turned out to embrace Sharia Law's call for the thief to have his hand cut off.

Why was the priest shocked? Because he thought the imam would reject the aspects of Sharia Law that he himself considered extreme fundamentalism.

Here's what the padre said:

"I tried to insist violence is unacceptable. The concept is horrific to me. It is equivalent to the death penalty. I know it is what Sharia law dictates but, coming from him, such a moderate and tolerant person, I was shocked."

There are many people who are naive about Islam. Read this eye-opening paragraph:

So he was "shocked." Oh, he knew what the Shari'a said. He knew that it called for the cutting off of the hands of thieves. But still, you see, in all these years of learning about Islam, and meeting with Muslims, and listening to them, including among them this Muslim cleric whom he apparently knew ("such a moderate and tolerant person"), it never occurred to Camilleri that just perhaps, Muslims - including many or even most of those outwardly, to the undiscerning and ill-prepared, "moderate and tolerant" - might actually be Muslims who took Islam fully to heart. And they not only took it fully to heart, but were quite capable, for a long period, and in great numbers, for disturbing reasons, of practicing Taqiyya, which can be defined as "a doctrine in Islam, having its origin in Shi'a Islam but, on the basis of both Qur'anic textual authority, and the example of Muhammad, is a common practice of both Shi'a and Sunni Muslims, and involves religiously-sanctioned dissimulation about both the Faith of Islam and about the beliefs of particular (threatened) Muslims."

Ah, reality...it is such a shock to the liberal priest and to those who believe that one can take the outward expression of the "religion of peace" at face value. We've seen the naivete before:

Communism benefits the common man. Stalin was Uncle Joe. Ignore the millions who died under his regime.

Cuba under Castro is an island paradise. Ignore the persecuted and murdered under his regime. Those boat people just didn't know how good they had it.

Mao's philosophy is something to admire and emulate. Ignore the millions murdered under his regime.

Ho Chi Minh was a good leader of his people. (Just ask Jane Fonda.) Read about the atrocities he committed in his reign of terror.

Well, one can hope that a dose of reality will help this priest be a little more realistic in the future. As for those who believe that everything an imam says can be taken at face value, please read the bold lettering above one more time. What don't you understand about the words "religiously-sanctioned dissimulation?"

Fitzgerald: Father Rene Camilleri and the belated shock of recognition

"What is wrong with Sharia law? If someone steals...why is it wrong to cut off his hand?"