Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, a moderate moslem

Mark Steyn was in Phoenix, AZ September 6, 2007 to address the Goldwater Institute and to promote his new book "America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It". Dr. Zhudi Jasser was in attendance. The AZCapitolTimes reported as follows:

One Muslim in attendance, Dr. Zhudi Jasser, a vocal critic of what he sees as Muslims' refusal to rally against its own virulent element, said he agreed with much of Steyn's discussion.....

But Steyn's message falls short, he said, and lacks an urging to ingrain upon Muslims America's "central tenet" of immigration, which he regards as the basis for the nation.

And after escaping at-home dictatorships and theocracies, arriving Muslims should feel free to keep their culture, but should also refrain from segregating themselves and falling under the strict direction of religious authorities, said Jasser, chairman of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy.

A medical doctor and son of parents of Syrian origin, Jasser said he believes his outspokenness and sense of personal responsibility has left him with few allies. Muslim leaders, he said, seem more interested in either weilding faith to maintain followers or promulgating a sense of "victimhood that is monopolizing the media bandwidth."

"Within the Muslim community, the leadership pretends I don't exist because they want to maintain theocratic control," said Jasser, who calls for "liberty-minded thinktanks for Muslims.

"Outside the Muslim community, political correctness refuses to let anyone be crititcal of Muslims or Islam becuase that's a faith issue, and nobody wants to critical of a faith," said Jasser.

"But it (radical Islam) is not a faith issue. It is a political movement masquerading as a faith."

Wow! Never heard a moslem say that before! Well, that's one little step in the right direction.