Yesterday, it was announced via press release that the joint Washington Post and Newsweek blog On Faith will be hosting an “online dialogue” from July 22-27 during which Muslim clerics, thinkers, and related figures will discuss “religion, terrorism and human rights.”
Titled “Muslims Speak Out,” the event is being held in conjunction with Georgetown University and perhaps not coincidentally, religion, international affairs, and Islamic studies professor John Esposito will be one of the panelists.
Esposito, along with being a regular contributor to the On Faith blog, is the founding director of Georgetown’s Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding. It is so named after its Saudi patron, Prince Alwaleed bin Talel, who is not known for his moderate views. Neither, by the way, is Esposito who has consistently taken an apologetic stance towards Islamism, not to mention demonstrating a marked hostility towards the efforts of the United States and Israel to combat such forces.
Esposito’s commentary to this effect has garnered him several entries in the Campus Watch “Quote of the Month” feature, including the following gems:
Esposito explained that one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter; and that terrorism, as seen in the case of Israel’s or the Tel Aviv regime’s treatment of Palestinians, can and has been used to legitimate wanton violence and continued acts of oppression.
Esposito blogging on March 28, 2007 at On Faith about Sami al-Arian, the former University of South Flordia professor imprisoned for aiding the terrorist organization Palestinian Islamic Jihad. (link to source)
“I have the world’s greatest job because I’ve been saying the same thing for 30 years. Can anybody else make that claim?”
Esposito speaking about “Understanding Islam” at the University of Missouri, April, 2005. (link to source)
The entire event is emblematic of the continuing blindness in this country as to who constitutes true allies among the Muslim community, as well experts in Middle East studies on related issues. The fact that Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Karen Hughes, who’s in charge of “building bridges” between America and the Muslim world, is a devoted acolyte of Esposito’s work says it all.