Left-wing political activist and Muslim-rights campaigner, Linda Sarsour has sparked outrage for a speech she gave last weekend.
Specifically, her words calling for “jihad” against the Trump administration.
Addressing the Islamic Society of North America, Sarsour was recorded saying, “I hope that we, when we stand up to those who oppress our communities, that Allah accepts from us that as a form of Jihad. That we are struggling against tyrants and rulers, not only abroad in the Middle East and on the other side of the world, but here in the United States where you have facists and white supremacists and Islamophobes reigning in the White House.”
Doesn’t sound great, I’ll grant you.
But put into context, Sarsour’s words are not nearly as bad as they might appear.
After all, prior to her “jihad” remarks, Sarsour stated “Our beloved prophet said to him, ‘A word of truth in front of a tyrant ruler or leader, that is the best form of jihad.'”
That context is absolutely crucial. Because it illustrates something that might not be known to most Americans. Namely, the fact that the Islamic interpretation of “jihad” is deliberately subjective. As Siraj Hashmi explains at Red Alert Politics, jihad entails some form of holy struggle. It is not necessarily a call to violence. More importantly, the vast majority of Muslims would define the means of struggle in ways that are objectively good.
That jihad would include, for example, the work of American Muslim soldiers as they fight terrorists. Or the work of a cardiac surgeon who fights past exhaustion to save a life that would be lost without him. Or in the case of Sarsour, it might mean organizing a funding campaign to raise $162,000 to pay for repairs to Jewish graves damaged in an antisemitic attack.
Nevertheless, Sarsour does not deserve praise for her speech. She knew full well that her words would attract negative attention. And her comparison of the democratically elected government of the United States to Middle Eastern tyrants is prima facie idiotic. But while Sarsour could excuse her choice of words if her intent was to broach a broader conversation about Islam and American society, I have little confidence that this was her intention.
Instead, I believe Sarsour sought to attract attention to herself. She wanted to make front page news and stir up antagonistic responses. She wanted to do so, because at her core, she’s a political agitator. An Ann Coulter of political Islam. Not malicious, not stupid, just self-interested. Looking for the next buck.
And that’s a shame. Because American-Muslims need and deserve more positive publicity, such as the kind of publicity that Sarsour attracted in February, when she raised money for the Jewish grave repairs.
Sadly, it’s clear that while Sarsour might occasionally do good, her ultimate objective is to get new, well-paid, and emotive gigs on the American speaking circuit.
