Robert Spencer

[Nightshade]

Robert Spencer speaks about the religion of peace.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... pr=goog-sl

[Firewheel]

WARNING!!! YOU MUST READ THIS!!! Klaxon, the internet Chicken Little, raises the alarm for each and every paranoid conspiracy theory, Federal Big-Brother scheme, internet hoax, and latest computer virus. No black helicopter alert is so ludicrous, no urban legend so implausible, that he will not pass it along as accepted fact (in ALL CAPS with multiple exclamation marks). Congratulations, you are recipient 16,747 of today's Urban Myth.

[WarAdvocat]

Honestly... could you please post an opinion when you post these links? It's difficult to know what to mock you for.

[TechPro]

Robert Spencer speaks about the religion of peace.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... pr=goog-sl

He states at the beginning that he was to speak about "Is Islam the real problem?".

So... Who is Robert Spencer ...

... and why might his comments be important for me to listen to him? (in other words, since I already have an opinion of the subject he speaks about in that video, why would I need to hear his comments?)

[Ford Prefect]

Why, he is Robert Spencer of course:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Spencer

Should you care? Probably not. His critics say:

Spencer's scholarship and interpretations of Islam are fundamentally flawed - that he supports preconceived notions through selection bias - that he lacks genuine understanding and; that 'he has no academic training in Islamic studies whatsoever; his M.A. degree was in the field of early Christianity'. For example, critics have objected to what they describe as Spencer's method of taking a position they deem to be radical (on apostasy, women, etc.) and then attribute that position to all of Islam, rather than situating it within ongoing discussions.

But I'm sure some one loves him.

[TechPro]

Why, he is Robert Spencer of course:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Spencer

Thanks, that helps. Based on the information linked (and cited) in that, it seems "interesting" that someone would choose him to speak on "Is Islam the real problem?" because it would seem to me that he's already quite biased on the subject and could not possibly be objective with regards to the question.

Oh, well. I'll bet his mother loves him.

[Nightshade]

In response to criticism, Spencer states that none of his critics have substantiated their claims of inaccuracy in his work, but content themselves with broad and vague accusations. He says:

\"I present the work not on the basis of my credentials, but on the basis of the evidence I bring forth; evaluate it for yourself. One example: after I spoke at the University of North Carolina, Professor Carl Ernst of the university wrote a piece about me warning that my books were non-scholarly and were published by presses that he believed reflected a political agenda of which he did not approve. That kind of approach may impress some people, but Carl Ernst did not and cannot bring forth even a single example of a supposed inaccuracy in my work. I would, of course, be happy to debate Carl Ernst or any other scholar of Islam about Islam and jihad; this is a standing invitation.\"

He has also said:

\"It is amusing to me that some people like to focus on my credentials, when I have never made a secret of the fact that most of what I know about Islam comes from personal study. It is easier for them to talk about degrees than to find any inaccuracy in my work. Yet I present the work not on the basis of my credentials, but on the basis of the evidence I bring forth; evaluate it for yourself.\"

\"It is not an act of hatred against Muslims to point out the depredations of jihad ideology. It is a peculiar species of displacement and projection to accuse someone who exposes the hatred of one group of hatred himself: I believe in the equality of rights and dignity of all people, and that is why I oppose the global jihad. And I think that those who make the charge know better in any case: they use the charge as a tool to frighten the credulous and politically correct away from the truth.\"

Why not watch the video first and make your own opinion?

[Dakatsu]

At least this guy isn't babbling on entirely about why islam sucks and christianity is the answer. Its painfully odvious that islam isn't that peaceful, it makes me mad when they rabble on about christianity being pure as snow.

This is as much as I will ever right on a drive by posting

[Ford Prefect]

Why not watch the video first and make your own opinion?

Mostly because I don't actually disagree with the ideas he presents and don't expect to learn anything I don't already know.
Islam has been the foundation of some of the most tolerant civilizations on earth, Muslim Iberia as an example, however the basic tenets of Islam allow for behaviour that would not be considered tolerant by any modern standards.
So what would I gain by reading the rantings of some Catholic hate monger that I haven't already heard? Not much I suspect and it wouldn't do my blood pressure any good at all.

[Gooberman]

Why not watch the video first and make your own opinion?

Because just posting in your opening post that:

"______ speaks about ________."

Does not invoke within me a desire to dedicate ~45 minutes of my life to find out who this guy is, and why I sould care about what he says.

[WarAdvocat]

If you're too pusillanimous to form an opinion about it then posting is just useless attention-whore trolling.

But then again...

[Nightshade]

So what would I gain by reading the rantings of some Catholic hate monger that I haven't already heard? Not much I suspect and it wouldn't do my blood pressure any good at all.

It's interesting that you characterize Spencer in this way since he states that he doesn't hate anyone at all. It's not about hating muslims any more than it is about hating christians or jews. If anything at all, he calls for the rejection of violence and religious supremacism.

[Ford Prefect]

Point taken TB. I am lumping him in with a class of people to which he may not belong. I withdraw that remark as ill-considered.