Mehdi Hasan | Islam Is A Peaceful Religion | Oxford Union (YouTube Video Transcript)

(00:00:00) Your YouTube transcript will appear here (00:00:04) [Music] (00:00:07) [Applause] (00:00:14) thank you very much Mr President ladies (00:00:16) and gentlemen good evening assalam (00:00:17) alaykum lovely to see you all here (00:00:19) tonight we are having a very (00:00:20) entertaining night are we not with some (00:00:22) very interesting things being said uh (00:00:25) from the other side of the house tonight (00:00:28) um let me Begin by saying as a Muslim as (00:00:32) a representative of Islam I would (00:00:34) consider myself an ambassador for Islam (00:00:36) a believer in Islam a follower of Islam (00:00:40) and its Prophet so in that capacity let (00:00:43) me Begin by apologizing to anarie for (00:00:45) the barle bombings I apologize for the (00:00:47) role of my religion and me and my people (00:00:51) uh for the killing of Theo van go for (00:00:53) seven seven yes that was all of us that (00:00:56) was Islam that was Muslims that was the (00:00:58) Quran I mean (00:01:00) astonishing astonishing claims uh to (00:01:03) make in the very first speech tonight on (00:01:05) a day like today where the conservative (00:01:08) prime minister of the United Kingdom is (00:01:09) having to come out and point out that (00:01:11) these kind of views are anathema and I (00:01:13) believe you're trying to stand for the (00:01:14) labor party to become an MP in Brighton (00:01:16) if you do and you make these comments (00:01:19) I'm guessing you'll have the whip (00:01:20) withdrawn from you but then again UK (00:01:22) Kips On The Rise they'll take you the (00:01:24) BNP they might have something to say (00:01:26) about your views this is what n Hasan (00:01:28) always say by the way by the way by the (00:01:32) way by the way by the way just on a (00:01:34) factual Point since we heard a lot about (00:01:35) the second speaker about how backward we (00:01:37) Muslims all are on a factual point you (00:01:39) said that Islam was born in Saudi Arabia (00:01:41) Islam was born in 610 ad Saudi Arabia (00:01:44) was born in 1932 ad so you only (00:01:48) 1,322 years off not bad not bad start (00:01:51) there uh talking of maths by the way a (00:01:54) man named alisi was one of the greatest (00:01:56) mathematicians of all time a Muslim (00:01:58) worked in the Golden Age of Islam he the (00:02:00) guy who came up with not just algebra (00:02:02) but algorithms without algorithms you (00:02:04) wouldn't have laptops without laptops (00:02:06) Daniel Johnson tonight wouldn't have (00:02:07) been able to print out his speech in (00:02:09) which he came to break us Muslims for (00:02:10) holding back the advance and (00:02:12) intellectual achievements of the West (00:02:14) which all happened without any (00:02:15) contribution from anyone else other than (00:02:16) the judeo-christian people of Europe in (00:02:19) fact Daniel David Levering the author of (00:02:21) The poit prizewinning historian and (00:02:23) author of The Golden Crucible point out (00:02:24) that there would be no Renaissance there (00:02:26) would be no Reformation in Europe (00:02:28) without the role played by I Sina and (00:02:30) rush and some of the great Muslim (00:02:31) theologians philosophers scientists in (00:02:33) bringing Greek texts to (00:02:39) Europe as for this being our University (00:02:43) I will leave that to the imagination as (00:02:44) to who is our and who is there I studied (00:02:47) here too um an astonishing astonishing (00:02:50) set of uh speeches so far making this (00:02:53) case tonight uh a mixture of just (00:02:57) cherry-picked quotes facts and figures s (00:03:00) self- serving selective a farago of (00:03:03) distortions (00:03:04) misrepresentations misinterpretations (00:03:07) misquotations uh Daniel talked about my (00:03:10) article in the new Statesman which got (00:03:11) me a lot of flak where I talked about (00:03:13) the anti-Semitism that is prevalent in (00:03:15) some parts of the Muslim Community which (00:03:16) indeed it is uh of course I didn't say (00:03:19) in that piece that it was caused by the (00:03:20) religion of Islam in fact modern (00:03:22) anti-Semitism in the Middle East was (00:03:24) imported from finish the sentence (00:03:27) Christian judeo-christian Europe where I (00:03:29) believe (00:03:30) some certainly bad things happened to (00:03:32) the Jewish people in fact Tom fredman (00:03:34) Jewish American columnist of New York (00:03:35) Times told me in this very chamber last (00:03:37) week that he believed had Muslims been (00:03:39) running Europe in the 1940s 6 million (00:03:41) extra Jews would still be alive today so (00:03:43) I'm not going to take lessons in (00:03:44) anti-Semitism from someone who's here to (00:03:46) defend the judeo-christian values of a (00:03:48) continent that murdered 6 million Jews (00:03:50) uh moving swiftly (00:03:52) on moving swiftly (00:03:55) on you doing exactly absolutely well I'm (00:03:58) about to make that point no no no I'm (00:03:59) about to make that point you're right I (00:04:01) agree with you I agree with you I agree (00:04:04) with you 110% that is my point I don't (00:04:07) think Europe is evil or bad I'm a very (00:04:09) proud European I don't want to judge (00:04:11) Europe on the basis but if we're going (00:04:12) to play this gutter game where we pull (00:04:14) out the barle bombing and we pull out (00:04:15) examples of anti-Semitism in Islamic (00:04:17) then of course I'm going to come back (00:04:18) and say well hold on I mean look let's (00:04:20) be very clear Daniel here was a last (00:04:22) minute replacement for Douglas Murray (00:04:23) who had to pull out and Douglas and I (00:04:25) have a well documented differences but (00:04:26) to be fair to Douglas as to be fair to (00:04:28) anmarie and to Peter atheists atheists (00:04:31) see all religions as evil violent (00:04:34) threatening what the problem I have with (00:04:36) Daniel's speech is that Daniel comes (00:04:38) here to rount this robust defense of (00:04:41) Christianity forgetting that his fellow (00:04:43) Christians people who said they were (00:04:45) acting in the name of Jesus gave us the (00:04:46) Crusades the Spanish Inquisition the (00:04:49) anti-jewish programs European (00:04:51) colonialism in Africa and Asia the (00:04:52) Lord's resistance Army in Uganda not to (00:04:55) mention countless Arsen and bomb attacks (00:04:57) on abortion clinics in the United States (00:04:59) of America to this very day I would like (00:05:01) a little bit of humility from Daniel (00:05:03) first before he begins lecturing other (00:05:04) communities and other faiths on violence (00:05:06) Terror and (00:05:08) intolerance but no thank (00:05:11) you some water some water but I would (00:05:15) say this to address the gentleman's very (00:05:17) valid point here I'm not going to play (00:05:18) that game I don't actually believe that (00:05:20) Christianity is a religion of violence (00:05:23) and hate because of what the L does in (00:05:25) Uganda or what what Crusaders did uh to (00:05:28) Jews and Muslims in Jerusalem when they (00:05:30) took back the city in the 12th or 13th (00:05:31) whatever Century it was I believe that (00:05:33) Christianity like Islam like pretty much (00:05:35) every mainstream religion is based on (00:05:37) love and compassion and faith I do (00:05:39) follow a religion in which 113 out of (00:05:42) the 114 chapters of the Quran Begins by (00:05:44) introducing the god of Islam as a god of (00:05:46) mercy and compassion I would not have it (00:05:48) any other way I don't follow a religion (00:05:51) which introduces my God to me as a God (00:05:53) of War as some kind of Greek god of (00:05:55) wrath as a god of hate and Injustice not (00:05:58) at all as Adam pointed out you go (00:06:00) through the Quran and you see the mercy (00:06:02) and the love and the justice and yes you (00:06:04) have verses that refer to Warfare and (00:06:06) violence of course it does this is not (00:06:07) aemotion about pacifism I'm not here to (00:06:10) argue that Islam is a pacifistic faith (00:06:12) it is not Islam allows military action (00:06:15) violence in certain limited contexts and (00:06:18) yes a minority of Muslims do take it out (00:06:20) of that context but is it religious we (00:06:23) talked about willich Daniel and anarie (00:06:26) have suggested that it's definitely (00:06:27) religion that's behind all of this well (00:06:29) actually (00:06:32) what I find so amusing tonight is we're (00:06:34) having a debate about Islam and the (00:06:36) opposition tonight have come forward we (00:06:38) have a graduate in law a graduate in (00:06:39) modern history a graduate in chemistry (00:06:42) and you know I admire all of their (00:06:44) intellects and their abilities but we (00:06:45) don't have anyone who's actually an (00:06:47) expert on Islam a scholar of Islam a (00:06:49) historian of Islam a speaker of Arabic (00:06:51) even a terrorism expert or a security (00:06:53) expert or a holster let alone to talk (00:06:55) about what Muslims believe or think (00:06:57) instead we have people coming here (00:06:59) putting forward the views putting (00:07:00) forward these sweeping opinions Listen (00:07:02) to Professor Robert Pape of the (00:07:04) University of Chicago one of America's (00:07:05) leading terrorism experts who unlike our (00:07:07) esteemed opposition tonight studied (00:07:09) every single case of suicide terrorism (00:07:11) between 1980 and 2005 315 cases in total (00:07:15) and he concluded and I quote there is (00:07:17) little connection between suicide (00:07:19) terrorism and Islamic fundamentalism or (00:07:21) any of the world's religions rather what (00:07:23) nearly all suicide terrorist attacks (00:07:24) have in common is a specific secular and (00:07:27) strategic goal to compel modern (00:07:29) democracies to withdraw military forces (00:07:30) from territory that the terrorists (00:07:32) consider to be their Homeland and the (00:07:35) irony is when we talk about terrorism (00:07:37) the irony is that the opposition and the (00:07:40) Muslim terrorist the al-Qaeda types (00:07:42) actually have one thing in common (00:07:44) because they both believe that Islam is (00:07:46) a warlike violent religion they both (00:07:48) agree on that they have everything in (00:07:50) common AMA bin lad would be nodding (00:07:52) along to everything he's heard tonight (00:07:53) from the opposition that he agrees with (00:07:54) [Applause] (00:07:56) them the problem is the problem is that (00:08:00) mainstream Muslims don't the majority of (00:08:03) Muslims around the world don't in fact a (00:08:06) gentleman here can started quoting all (00:08:07) sorts of polls Gallup carried out the (00:08:09) biggest poll of Muslims around the world (00:08:10) of 35,000 50,000 Muslims in 35 countries (00:08:13) 93% of Muslims rejected 9/11 and suicide (00:08:17) attacks and of the 7% who didn't they (00:08:20) all when pulled and focus grouped cited (00:08:23) political reasons for their support for (00:08:24) violence not religious reasons and as (00:08:26) for Islamic scholars and what they say (00:08:28) well Daniel talks about our University (00:08:31) of Oxford we'll go down to Oxford's (00:08:32) Center for Islamic Studies get hold of a (00:08:34) man named shik aifi Al akiti who is a (00:08:37) massively well credentialed and well (00:08:38) respected Islamic scholar who was (00:08:40) studied across the world who in the days (00:08:41) after 77 published a fatwa denouncing (00:08:44) terrorism in the name of Islam calling (00:08:46) for the protection of all non-combatants (00:08:48) at all times and describing suicide (00:08:49) bombings as an innovation with no basis (00:08:52) in Islamic law go and listen to she one (00:08:55) of Pakistan's most famous Islamic (00:08:56) scholars who published a 600 page fatwa (00:08:59) condemning the killing of all Innocents (00:09:01) and all suicide bombings unconditionally (00:09:03) without any ifs or buts there's nothing (00:09:05) new here this is mainstream Islam (00:09:07) mainstream scholarship which has said (00:09:09) this for years you don't go out and kill (00:09:11) people willy-nilly in the High Street or (00:09:13) anywhere else on a bus or a mall based (00:09:16) on verses of the Quran that you (00:09:18) cherry-pick without any context any (00:09:20) understanding any interpretation or any (00:09:23) commentary of information (00:09:28) please well it doesn't happen apparently (00:09:32) I didn't say it doesn't happen at all I (00:09:33) never said it didn't happen I don't (00:09:34) blame Islam yes it's a very good point (00:09:36) and a lot of us a lot of us are (00:09:38) campaigning against that and we're (00:09:39) campaigning against it in the name of (00:09:41) Islam we're campaigning against it in (00:09:42) the name of various interpretations of (00:09:44) Islam anarie comes and scares us with (00:09:46) her talk of sharia law I would like to (00:09:47) see the book of sharia law it doesn't (00:09:49) exist people argue over what Sharia law (00:09:51) is and you empower the (00:09:54) extremists by saying there is only one (00:09:57) version you Empower them all I don't (00:09:58) believe you took any interruption (00:10:00) so I think you should stay there for a (00:10:03) moment what we de what we're dealing (00:10:06) with we are dealing I took your point I (00:10:08) took your point here we are dealing with (00:10:10) a 1400 year old Global religion followed (00:10:12) by 1.6 billion people in every corner of (00:10:15) the world a quarter of humanity of all (00:10:16) backgrounds cultures ethnicities and yet (00:10:18) the opposition tonight wants to (00:10:19) generalize stereotype smear in order to (00:10:23) desperately win this debate and here's (00:10:26) my question if we're going to generalize (00:10:28) and smear if okay people say yesterday's (00:10:31) bombers and we've got to be careful (00:10:32) there's a trial going on were (00:10:33) yesterday's attackers sorry motivated by (00:10:35) Islam big debate I don't believe they (00:10:37) were let's say they were let's say fisel (00:10:39) Shazad the Time Square bomber was (00:10:40) motivated by Islam let's assume for sake (00:10:42) of argument that Richard Rees the shoe (00:10:44) bomber was by Islam if Islam is (00:10:46) responsible for these killings if Islam (00:10:47) is what is motivating these people and (00:10:49) Islam is therefore not a religion of (00:10:50) Peace a religion of War then ask (00:10:51) yourself this question why aren't the (00:10:53) rest of us doing it why is it such a (00:10:56) tiny minority of Muslims are (00:10:58) interpreting their religion in the way (00:10:59) that the opposition claim they are let's (00:11:01) assume there are 16,000 suicide bombers (00:11:03) in the world there aren't let's assume (00:11:04) there are for the sake of argument (00:11:06) that's (00:11:07) 0.001% of the Muslim population globally (00:11:10) what about the other 99.99% of Muslims (00:11:13) who the opposition tonight either ignore (00:11:15) or smear the reality is that the rest of (00:11:17) us aren't blowing ourselves up tonight (00:11:18) the reality is that the opposition came (00:11:20) here tonight not worried about the fact (00:11:21) that me and Adam might P pull open our (00:11:23) jackets and blow ourselves up to that CU (00:11:24) we're followers of a warlike Warrior (00:11:26) religion which wants to take over Europe (00:11:28) and Daniel's University the the issue is (00:11:31) this the issue is (00:11:35) this unless the opposition can tell us (00:11:38) tonight and Peter Atkins is here one of (00:11:39) our great atheist intellectuals can tell (00:11:41) us tonight can they can answer this (00:11:42) question tonight why don't the vast (00:11:44) majority of Muslims around the world (00:11:45) behave as violently and aggressively as (00:11:47) a tiny minority of politically motivated (00:11:49) extremists then they might as well give (00:11:50) up and stop pretending they have (00:11:51) anything relevant to say about Islam or (00:11:53) Muslims as a whole ladies and gentlemen (00:11:55) let me just say this to you think about (00:11:57) what the opposite of this motion is if (00:11:58) you vote no tonight think about what (00:11:59) you're saying the opposite motion is (00:12:01) that Islam isn't a religion of Peace (00:12:02) it's a religion of War Of Violence of (00:12:04) Terror of aggression that the people who (00:12:05) follow Islam me my wife my retired (00:12:07) parents my six-year-old child that 1.8 (00:12:09) million of your fellow British residents (00:12:11) and citizens that 1.6 billion people (00:12:13) across the world your fellow human (00:12:14) beings are all (00:12:16) followers promoters Believers in a (00:12:18) religion of violence do you really think (00:12:20) that do you really believe that to be (00:12:22) the case they say that in the Oxford (00:12:23) Union the most famous debate was in 1933 (00:12:26) when Adolf Hitler looked out for the (00:12:27) result of the king and country motion (00:12:29) where they voted against fighting for (00:12:30) king and country and Hitler was (00:12:32) listening out for the result well (00:12:33) tonight 80 years on there are two groups (00:12:36) of people around the world who I would (00:12:37) argue are waiting for the result of (00:12:38) tonight's vote there are the millions of (00:12:39) peaceful non-violent law-abiding Muslims (00:12:42) both in the UK Europe Asia Africa and (00:12:44) Beyond who see Islam as the source of (00:12:46) their identity as a source of spiritual (00:12:48) fulfillment of Hope of Solace and there (00:12:50) are the phobes the haters the bigots out (00:12:52) there who want to push the Clash of (00:12:56) civilizations who want to divide all of (00:12:58) us into them and and ours and their (00:13:01) ladies and gentlemen I urge you all not (00:13:03) to fuel the arguments of the phobes and (00:13:05) bigots don't legitimate their divisions (00:13:07) don't legitimize their hate trust those (00:13:10) Muslims who you know who you've met who (00:13:12) you hear who don't believe in violence (00:13:14) who do want you to hear the peaceful (00:13:17) message of the Quran as they believe it (00:13:18) to be taught to the majority of Muslims (00:13:20) the Islam of peace and compassion and (00:13:22) mercy the Islam of the Quran not of (00:13:24) al-Qaeda ladies and gentlemen I beg to (00:13:26) propose this motion to the house I urge (00:13:28) you to vote Yes tonight thank you very (00:13:29) much for your time (00:13:45) [Music]