Shooting The Messenger

Pages: 1 2

Gurvis’ presence and conciliatory words were used as evidence by the mainstream media to prove that Boston’s Jewish community thinks the mosque is a great addition to the area. Jacobs has repeatedly pointed out that Gurvis is in fact a utopian leftist who doesn’t come close to speaking for Boston Jews, most of whom oppose the mosque, not because of religious intolerance, but because of the kind of people who financed, built and are currently running The Islamic Society of Boston Mosque. The mosque was paid for by Saudi money and Saudi money inevitably means Wahhabi money and all of the implications that follow when radicals make a $16 million investment. The mosque is run by the Muslim Society of America, which federal prosecutors have called “the overt arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in America.” In the short time that it’s been in operating, the mosque has already been tied to or has offered support to several accused and convicted terrorists. Opponents of the project worried that the mega-mosque would become the east-coast center for jihadi activity and the early returns suggest that those fears were not unfounded.

Jacobs took Gurvis on in The Jewish Advocate, presumably both to make the point that Gurvis doesn’t speak for the Jewish community in Massachusetts and to point out once again just what the mega-mosque in Roxbury is really all about. While there’s no accounting for taste, I found Jacobs’ arguments cogent, factual and respectful. He’s critical of a particular viewpoint, not the viewer. Most of his piece is dedicated to recounting the troubled history of the controversial mosque and to criticizing Governor Patrick’s unwavering support for the mosque. Jacobs’ “viscous, personal” attack on Rabbi Gurvis is encompassed in this paragraph:

“Finally, why does Rabbi Gurvis refuse to acknowledge what he has been shown in official documents: that the MAS is a Muslim Brotherhood organization; that the mosque was funded by Wahabbi Saudis, not known to fund moderate mosques; and that the MAS/ISB leaders have invited defamers of Jews and Christians to “educate” the historically moderate Boston Muslim community? Rabbi Gurvis knows all this. Maybe for him it’s “my Muslim friends, right or wrong.” Or maybe the rabbi’s need to demonstrate his moral superiority by caring for the “other” – no matter how radical or extreme – trumps any foreseeable consequences.”

Rather than calling on Gurvis to answer Jacobs’ very reasonable, if troubling, questions, the Rabbi’s defenders chose to defame the messenger instead. Their rose-colored glasses have so blinded them that they refuse to acknowledge that a wolf in sheep’s clothing might just be on the prowl in their midst, even though this particular wolf isn’t particularly careful about hiding its fangs.

Pages: 1 2

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/JasonPappas JasonPappas

    Let's see if those who claim to distinguish between so-called moderate Islam and "radical" Islam will stand up for Jacobs. The idea of two Islams is quickly becoming exposed for the fraud it is. Jacobs' case will prove the point.

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/QK113 QK113

      For the record:

      Rabbi Gurvis did NOT attend the meeting on May 22, which was a Shabbat. He attended a press conference denouncing comments made by gubernatorial candidate Tim Cahill following the May 22nd event, which was a Muslim communitywide action, the first such gathering of its kind, to my knowledge, ever to take place in Greater Boston. A check was handed to Governor Patrick to be delivered to the District Attorney's Office intended to pay for police sensitivity training, but the check was from Bank of America, not from the Muslim community. As I understand it, the money was from accounts of individuals and organizations identified with the Muslim community which had been closed by the government, and the ultimate decision was to use it in this way. The check was handed over ceremonially by an Imam who had recently given a sermon that was, based on a particular phrase, understandably controversial, and that is part of the concern and uproar.

      It is important to understand the facts and get them straight before making some of the statements that have been made.

  • richard

    idiots. they will be their own undoing. self hatred.

  • seels4truth

    Is it anti-Semitic to state that Jews are their own worst enemy? If os then I am an anti-Semite. The 70 religious leaders (No, I do not consider them to be rabbis in the religious sense) have proven themselves to be ignorant fools. Not only do they change religious rulings to fit their daily lives but they change the rantings of Jew hating Islamic radicals to fit into their liberal love-all philosophy. It's not Jacobs that is truthful because that destroys their thesis. He must be lying in order for them to be right. The same goes for their approach to Judaism. When a law is inconvenient they say the Torah is old and just a guide; not to be followed exactly. When these non-rabbis can ignore their own religious doctrine, believed by Jews and Christians to be handed down to Moses by God at Mt. Sinai, how can we be shocked when they ignore the facts in order to curry favor with the Islamist radicals in their midst?

    • ajnn

      Many hold, and quite reasonably so, that 'Reform Judaism' is not Judaism at all but an amalgam of pagan and secualr atheistic teachings which uses a Jewish vocabulary. I understand that the Reform Jews do not require a belief in G-d.

      This should be remembered when we discuss these persons.

  • USMCSniper

    They are bough and paid for. BECAUSE…..Both Patrick and Gurvis visited Roxbury’s “mega-mosque” on May 22, exchanging hugs and mutual admiration with the mosque’s leaders and, in Patrick’s case, accepting a $50,000 check from the mosque so that law-enforcement officials in the Bay State could learn to be more culturally sensitive when dealing with Muslims

  • Rob

    Aren't the radical Muslims actually obeying the dictates of the Quran and following in the foot steps of the countless Muslims who have spread Islam around the globe using violence and threats of violence? Aren't the jihadists actually carrying out the instructions of Mohammed?
    How many people call themselves Christians and don't know the first thing about Christianity? Someone who claims a belief system and doesn't follow their stated beliefs is a hypocrite.
    Remember also, it is OK to lie to an unbeliever in the furtherance of Islam.
    Don't be simple minded when dealing with people who want to kill you or enslave you and who have said so for hundreds of years.

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/Indioviejo Indioviejo

    What a sad state of affairs in Boston. Isn't this official obeisance just following the guidelines emanating from Washington by our POTUS ? It is spreading like poison ivy on bare ass. At least Osama is a closet muslim, but the Rabbi's are just suicidal. Shame on them.

  • http://intensedebate.com/profiles/garyfouse garyfouse

    As a Christian who cares about the issue of anti-Semitism, it is so frustrating to see how fragmented the Jewish community is-even on issues of life and death. As much as I hate to say it, I've probably made as many Jewish enemies as Muslim enemies while speaking out against anti-Semitism by Muslims.

    If there ever is a second Holocaust, many Jews will have it on their own conscience.

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/WilliamJWard WilliamJamesWard

    The short point here is Leftism has adopted Islam as and aid in destroying America,
    If there were not several leftist rabbis, (all religions are riddled with leftists)
    to denounce Dr. Jacobs, several Leftist, Catholic Priests, Lutheran Ministers,
    Presbyterian Ministers, Methodist Ministers or Shirley McLain would have shown
    up to do so and in a pinch Roseanne Barr. Dr. Jacobs didn't have a chance……William

  • steve mann

    What amazes me is that the "Left" and Islam are diametrically opposed.
    How would anyone from the Left thinking elite survive in an Islamic state and keep to their principles?

    I can understand the Orthodox, stupid though they are to support Islam, in being understanding of it- For both desire to live under a theocracy of religious law.

    • Nemesis

      Read The Israel Test by George Gilder, the answer to the mystery of the red-green alliance is in there.

    • MixMike

      "I can understand the Orthodox, stupid though they are to support Islam, in being understanding of it- For both desire to live under a theocracy of religious law."

      Only SOME Orthodox Jews would prefer to live under a theocracy of religious law. Mainstream Orthodox Judaism exists just find under secular laws, like in the US, where they are free to subject themselves to Judaic laws. But thats just it, they subject themsevles and no one else to their laws – there are no Jihads or need for a dar-al-Islam equivalent. In fact, Jews believe that when the Messiah comes all the Jews will be gathered in Israel and all the nations (Gentiles) will make peace with the Jews. No mass extermination of non-believers like in Islam, not even a compulsion to convert to Judaism as Gentiles will exist but just in world peace.

  • bostonian

    A whole pack of dhimmi dummies if you ask me. They should start lining up to give donations to the mega Mosque just to get into practice for giving the tax required of all non-Moslems once their dream of going under Sharia law comes true.

  • Muslim lies exposed

    Lest we forget; both orthodox and non-orthodox Jews went to the gas chambers together.