Sad, Sad, Sad

(NOTE: PLEASE READ THE UPDATES AT THE END OF THIS POST, AS NOT ALL OF MDI WAS INVOLVED IN THESE EVENTS.)

The Muslim Debate Initiative has posted their version of Mary Jo's debate with Tabasum. If you'd like a good introduction to Muslim ethics, I invite you to watch the intro. Notice that when we post debates, we don't attempt to bias people against speakers, even if we disagree with those speakers. Yet when MDI posts a debate, they find it necessary to spend several minutes attempting to discredit the opposition. MDI posts scenes of Mary Jo in a discussion with me, Robert Spencer, and Pamela Gellar, in an obvious attempt to focus Muslims' dislike for Spencer and me onto Mary Jo. The intent is to get Muslims so angry at Mary Jo that they will not listen to her arguments. But if you don't want people listening to her arguments, why even have the debates? Moreover, if MDI is satisfied with the debate as it stands, why try to bias people from the start? This is simply pathetic. MDI claims that they respect women, when they clearly show no respect for Mary Jo. I think I speak for several of us when I say that I'm done with the Muslim Debate Initiative.



On a different note, I can't imagine why they would attack Mary Jo for being on a program which claims that Islam promotes the death penalty for apostasy. Could she be thinking of passages like these:

Sahih al-Bukhari 6922—Muhammad said: "Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him.”

Sunan An-Nasa’i 4068—The Messenger of Allah said: "Whoever changes his religion, kill him.”

Sunan Ibn Majah 2535—It was narrated from Ibn Abbas that the Messenger of Allah said: “Whoever changes his religion, execute him.”

Al-Muwatta of Imam Malik 36.18.15—The Messenger of Allah said, “If someone changes his religion—then strike off his head!”

How dare this lying infidel Mary Jo suggest that Islam promotes the death penalty for apostasy! (For a fuller discussion of apostasy, click here.)

Anyone care to guess Mary Jo's impression of Muslims? The first time she was around a large group of Muslims, she was physically assaulted by three of them. (Note: The virtually universal Muslim response to these assaults was: "She deserved it, since she was with David and Nabeel.") Now Muslims post her debate, and they try to discredit her before the debate even starts. And Muslims wonder why Westerners are getting suspicious!

*****UPDATE***** I hear from Roger (Mary Jo's husband) that MDI UK denies responsibility for the video. If this is correct, then it seems that the Muslims from the Islamic center in Canada (friends of Tabasum?) have produced the video. Hopefully, we'll have this cleared up soon.

*****2ND UPDATE***** The video has been removed. I assume it will be reposted without the pre-debate attacks. Everything I know is second-hand, but it seems that most of the members of MDI were not aware of the attacks against Mary Jo and did not approve of the content. Based on the little information I have, the attacks appear to have come from Tabasum, her husband, and the Canadian Muslims, and have little or nothing to do with UK or US members of MDI.

Mary Jo Sharp Vs. Tabasum Hussain: "Women in the Bible and the Qur'an"

Uploading is taking a while, but I'll post the videos here as they become available. I haven't seen the debate yet, but I hear it went very well, and that both Christianity and Islam were well represented. Since this is the second formal debate for Mary Jo, and the first formal debate for Tabasum, I'm sure both would appreciate feedback.

OPENING STATEMENTS


1ST REBUTTALS


2ND REBUTTALS/Q&A


CONCLUSIONS

Mary Jo Sharp vs. Ehteshaam Gulam: "Did Jesus Die on the Cross?"

Yes, we've got a girl debater.