Shoddy Reporting on the Religion of Islam by ABC News, Part 8

I came across a critique of the ABC News 20/20 program, “Islam: Questions and Answers.”

That flawed program originally was broadcast a year or so ago. A recent YouTube exposé points out more than 20 errors in the hour long supposed ‘news’ program. This is a eighth of a series of posts that will delve into the various errors made by Diane Sawyer, Bill Weir, and guests on this program. I am not quite sure whether this was just a case of very bad or sloppy reporting, or merely a succumbing to political correctness, or outright lies about the so-called ‘religion’ of peace.

Embedded below is the video, “Whitewashing Islam – 20 Errors on 20/20 (ABC News).” Following the video is a transcript of the next error found in the ‘news’ production.

Error #10

[Transcription below for above video beginning at 10:26 on the video] 

Bill Weir makes the following unfounded assertion:

“And the Qur’an only calls for jihad against invaders threatening a Muslim home.”

Annoyed by yet another misrepresentation, David Wood states, “I’ll tell you what Bill, I’ll read the verse and you tell me where you are getting confused.

Surah 9:29 – Fight (whom? Invaders? No) those who believe not in Allah [so this is based on fighting people based on what they believe] nor the last Day, nor hold that forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the Religion of Truth, from among the People of the Book (that’s Jews and Christians), until they pay the JUZYAH with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.

“Does that sound like it has ANYTHING to do with fighting invaders? No. You know why? Because it has nothing to do with fighting invaders. It’s a command to fight unbelievers. When this was first ‘revealed,’ Muslims began their long tradition of OFFENSIVE JIHAD – fighting to subjugate all non-Muslims!

“You will not learn any of this from ABC News, though."

Error #11

[Transcription below for above video beginning at 11:54 on the video] 

Bill Weir now interviews Ms. Irshad Manji. Manji is the Director of the Moral Courage Project at New York University. He asks her,

“Is there anything in the Qur’an that promises the 72 virgins for the ‘holy’ martyrs?”

Irshad Manji, a thoroughly modern Muslim, straight faced answer is just outrageous,

“I don’t see any evidence of it in the Qur’an for the pledge of 72 virgins. This ‘notion’ of the virgins actually comes from a mistranslation with the ‘real’ translation being 72 ‘raisins.’

David Wood studiously reports, “There are actually 2 separate errors here [11A and 11B!].

“Irshad Manji seems to think that the number of 72 comes from the Qur’an. It doesn’t. it comes fromthe Hadith.

“Then she tell us the Qur’an doesn’t say Muslims will get virgins in paradise. It says that they’ll get ‘RAISINS!’ This is a mangled edition of an argument by Chrisoph Luxenberg.

"The main problem with Irshad Manji’s claims what the Qur’an says about these houtis. The Qur’an says these Muslims will marry the houtis. It says that the houtis will be chaste and beautiful. It says the houtis will have beautiful eyes and large breasts, and that they’ll love their husbands".

See Qur’an 44:51-54, 52:20, 55:54-56, 55:70-74, 56:22-24, 56:35-38, 78:31-34.

"It’s fine with me if Irshad Manji wants to translate ‘houtis as (meaning) ‘raisins,’ but if she does, Islam has got a lot creepier!"

Miss Manji, this past June released a book with the almost laughable title, “Allah, Liberty and Love, The Courage to Reconcile Faith and Freedom.” Based on everything this modern moderate Muslim Madame muffed by her misstatements about Islam above, the book has got to be classified as fiction. One wonders if this woman has even read the Qur’an and other Islamic documents. Or, if she has read the ‘sacred’ texts, why she wants to so distort and to hide the truth of Islam from the American people. In addition, I never associated Liberty and Love with the god of Islam. However, Islam and its god are oppressive, tyrannical, and hateful, inspiring world-wide terrorism, but Love, Liberty, Freedom, Faith? I don’t think so.

For those curious about learning more about Miss Manji (I don’t know why anyone would), Amazon.com offers a bio of this liberal and revisionist Muslim:

(Irshad Manj) “is a Canadian author, journalist and an advocate of "reform and progressive" interpretation of Islam. Manji is director of the Moral Courage Project at the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University, which aims to teach young leaders to "challenge political correctness, intellectual conformity and self-censorship." Manji is a well-known critic of traditional mainstream Islam and was described by The New York Times as "Osama bin Laden's worst nightmare". Manji’s most recent book, Allah, Liberty and Love was released in June 2011 in the US, Canada and other countries. On Manji's website, the book is described: "Allah, Liberty and Love shows all of us how to reconcile faith and freedom in a world seething with repressive dogmas…”

The only repressive dogma seething and bringing terror throughout the world today is theocratic Islam, the political-militaristic-religious system!

To be continued