Dymphna, blogging on September 8, 2006 on Gates of Vienna posted a long excerpt from The Fjordman Report [sorry, link to the original still being sought].  All that this writer has been able to discover of Fjordman so far is that he also styles himself "Free Norway" and can be reached at fjordman789--at--gmail.com.

The many who need no introduction to Dymphna may profitably skip the blurb that follows:

Dymphna, who also contributes to the Alliance, is that great rarity, a devout humanist of the Erasmus/Thomas More genre, equally endowed with a scintillating sense of humor.  As a pointer to the former quality, one could do worse than to check out her interview with Norman Geras.  To savor the latter, just go here.

The piece by Fjordman linked to above is much too long and too loaded with significant detail to lend itself to excerpting.  His theme in general is similar to that of Muslihoon, previously introduced to OWD readers here, but elaborated more deeply and in greater detail.  One common sub-theme is that the alleged practice of "taqiyyah" by some Muslims when they explain Islam to the infidel requires that a rational non-Muslim must take such explanations with a ton of sea-salt.  One can encounter a severely pejorative expositon of taqiyyah on the internet here. Other respectable sources, such as Wikipedia, disagree totally.  You pays your money and you takes your choice.

American spokesmen for Islam such as CAIR, certain bloggers [most notably Dean Esmay and the ineffable James Wolcott], would, if they condescended to read Fjordman at all, very likely dismiss him as a Viking version of the redneck Islamophobe.  Anyone hypersensitive to this insulting epithet can take heart from the following quotation lifted from a manifesto signed by 12 noted writers and thinkers, ranging from Ayaan Hirsi Ali, by way of Bernard-Henri Lévy, Irshad Manji and Salman Rushdie, to Ibn Warraq.

"We refuse to renounce our critical spirit out of fear of being accused of  'Islamophobia', a wretched concept that confuses criticism of Islam as a religion and stigmatisation of those who believe in it."

One final note in passing. The innumerable friends of  Dean Esmay have every right to take umbrage at an attempt to lump him with the exquisite Wolcott.  However, the excellent search engine that he offers to permit readers to search his blog, when queried on "islamophobia" returns no less than 33 citations.  "Islamophobe" returns 22-- doubtless overlapping-- results. Perhaps that fails to qualify as obsession, but it is certainly indicative of a major preoccupation. It goes without saying that both epithets crop up with lamentable predictability whenever criticism of Islam is discussed in the media, but I'll say it anyway. 

We are not at peace when, as Shakespeare's Henry V says in the speech from which came the title of this post, "nothing so becomes a man as modest stillness and humility."  We are at war with a vile and barbarous enemy.  Attentive reading of Fjordman armors even the modest and humble against the slings and arrows of raging peaceniks.

Contributed by John Werntz on September 9, 2006 at 04:49 AM in Islamism Delenda Est, John "72nd TCS" Werntz, Peacenik Stupidity | Permalink

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Posted by: John

CORRECTION

Another boo-boo. It's getting to be a habit. Dymphna posted the first item on September 8. The relevant item is the third one down. Its title is "Why We Cannot Rely on Moderate Muslims." Baron Bodissey wrote it. My apologies to the Baron and anyone who has the misfortune to read this.

Posted by: John | Sep 9, 2006 5:15:26 AM