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You Should Be Humiliated
By Fred Taub
February
21, 2007
 One recurring theme
among Palestinians complaining about Israel is the phrase, "You are humiliating
me," which has been used as a justification for terrorist murder. The claim is
largely laughed at by non-Muslims because of its blatant absurdity. Yet, that
very claim was recently used on Fox News by Hizbullah supporter Imam Husham
Al-Husainy, the Dearborn, Michigan imam who delivered an invocation at the
Democratic National Committee Winter Meeting of 2007. At the time, he called
for the end of "oppression and occupation," presumably referring to the US.
The Al-Husainy statement raised many eyebrows in the
US, and the heat was turned up by conservative columnist and Detroit-area
native Debbie Schlussel. Shlussel
went undercover to several radical Islamic events in Dearborn, risking her life
in the process.
When interviewed about his DNC
statement by Fox News host Sean Hannity, Al-Husainy was asked if he felt
Hizbullah is a terrorist organization. In response, Al-Husainy pulled out the
humiliation card to deflect a question for which a truthful answer would not be
in his best interest. This is significant because the "humiliation" claim is
now being used outside of Palestinian Authority-controlled areas; so, perhaps
it is a good time to look at the claim a little closer.
From the Islamic standpoint, there are no
prohibitions regarding humiliating statements. Rather, there is a cultural
superiority complex. The Muslim world feels superiority over all other
religions and that Arabic is the Divine language. Thus, all other people are
inferior and infidels. As part of this, they feel that non-believers do not
have the right to question or contradict them. Moreover, by questioning an imam
publicly, the infidel is humiliating the imam by challenging the imam’s
authority.
The humiliation and authority factor is
not limited to non-Muslims. While a Muslim may ask questions to learn from an
imam, he may not question the imam’s authority or criticize the Koran
without expecting physical retribution. Non-Muslims, for example, may be
criticized for non-flattering comments about the Bible, yet people like Salman
Rushdie have had their life threatened for criticizing - or as Muslims say,
"humiliating" - Islam and the Koran.
The reaction by
Al-Husainy is indicative of Muslim religious leaders in non-Muslim countries
who do not respect the cultural values of their host country. While a dinner
host, for example, may accommodate the needs of the guest, the host does not
adapt to the guest. A respectful guest will gracefully adapt to the customs of
the host. Recently, Imam Fawaz Damra was deported from the US for, in essence,
wearing out his welcome.
One thing is for certain
though. There is nothing wrong with asking a question to better understand
someone’s stance on issues, which is what Sean Hannity did. Considering
Al-Husainy’s immediate claim of humiliation, one must conclude that the
actual humiliation of Al-Husainy would be achieved in the answer he refused to
give. I say, if one does not want to be humiliated, one should not adopt
humiliating stances.
Yasser Arafat, too, used the
humiliation claim, but not in the US. Arafat once stated "[Israeli Prime
Minister] Barak tried and failed to assassinate me... he is humiliating me."
Similar complaints were lobbed against US troops in Iraq for using Israeli-made
bullets. That complaint was not for killing terrorists, but rather that
shooting at terrorists using Israeli bullets was humiliating.
Placed in perspective, these statements have an
entirely new meaning. Arafat’s complaint against Barak was actually that
Barak, as a non-Muslim, did not have the stature to kill him. Similarly with
the Israeli bullets - the complaint was against the US for using bullets that,
in Arab Muslim eyes, have no right to kill Muslims. Their use was, therefore,
humiliating.
It is important to understand the
humiliation factor as more than just a complaint. It is, in reality, an insult
levied by Muslims against those they call infidels and who, therefore, have no
right to question them.
If I am ever told, "You are
humiliating me," I will stand for my own dignity and I will simply respond:
"You should be humiliated, because you and your religion are not superior to me
or mine."
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