Ali Dawah - July 13, 2022


JORDAN PETERSON UPSETS MUSLIMS


Episode Stats

Length

8 minutes

Words per Minute

197.42198

Word Count

1,649

Sentence Count

86

Hate Speech Sentences

7


Summary

In this episode, I talk about Jordan Peterson's recent video and how it made me feel about the way he handled the topic of Christians and Jews in the Muslim world. I don't know if it was intentional or unintentional, but it was disappointing in my opinion.


Transcript

00:00:00.000 As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, brothers and sisters and dear friends.
00:00:02.980 Jordan Peterson just released a video a couple of hours ago
00:00:04.900 and I was really looking forward to this video until I watched it and I was a bit taken aback.
00:00:09.380 It was a bit condescending.
00:00:10.700 I don't know if you did it intentionally or unintentionally.
00:00:12.420 We assume the best, but let's watch this video and you guys tell me if you feel the same way I did.
00:00:16.480 Please forgive my presumption if you would.
00:00:21.660 It is time for those of you in the Muslim world
00:00:24.800 to stop fighting among yourselves, you Shiites and Sunnis.
00:00:30.000 And also time to stop regarding the Christians and even more specifically, the Jews as your enemies.
00:00:39.860 Muslims, reach across the sectarian divide.
00:00:45.840 Shiites, find a Sunni pen pal.
00:00:49.320 Communicate with someone on the other side.
00:00:51.780 Sunnis, do the same.
00:00:52.980 And then maybe reach out tentatively to a Christian or even, heaven forbid, a Jew.
00:01:02.700 Let's see if we can unite as people of the book and negotiate our way toward the paradise that we might truly and jointly attain.
00:01:12.500 Guys, before the video starts, I've come together with Khamar Charity to help those in Afghanistan who have suffered the earthquake and are homeless.
00:01:19.940 Before the video starts, please donate to that in the description box below.
00:01:22.960 Enjoy the video. May Allah bless you guys.
00:01:24.500 When I was watching this video, I was actually very excited because I look forward to watching Jordan Peterson's video after his discussion with Mohammed Hijab and other Muslims.
00:01:33.640 You know, it just showed that, you know, he seems sincere, he seems open to dialogue and he opens to, it seems he's open to learning.
00:01:40.740 But, I was a bit taken back when I watched the video because I found it a bit condescending.
00:01:46.860 I found it a bit offensive.
00:01:48.740 Now, yes, okay, like, okay, you know, maybe Jordan Peterson's watching this and be like, oh, here we go, you know, we're living in a culture where everyone gets offended.
00:01:54.900 I'm not talking about it in that way.
00:01:56.440 I found it a little bit disappointed and I don't believe it's coming from a malicious place, but maybe from a place of, and I mean it with all due respect, I do not mean it in a rude way,
00:02:05.620 but maybe from a place of not knowing, you know, I'm not going to use the word ignorance because it has those negative connotations with it, but from a place that he doesn't know.
00:02:13.000 Because, when I was watching the video, it just felt as if, like, I understand he was passionate, he had a message of, you know, there's a greater devil that we all need to fight, etc.
00:02:21.560 And I know exactly what he's talking about, but when he was, keep repeatedly saying, you know, he was making this Sunni Shia thing as if, like, we are in each other's necks, like, we are looking, like, when I see a Shia on the road, I do a drive-by, like, I'm like, I'm ready to kill people or Muslims at large.
00:02:36.100 That's not the reality. Genuinely, that's not the reality. That's not what's happening, you know, and so it's this, you know, colonial mindset of, like, you know, I'm not talking about himself, but, you know, like, the white man talking to us as, like, you barbarians, you know, stop killing each other and stop doing this and stop hating everyone and focus on, that's how it came across.
00:02:57.220 I'm just being honest. Once again, I don't believe it was malicious, but it was disappointing because, and one thing that was repeatedly being said in a condescending way was that, you know, instead of hating, you know, the Shias and the Christians and the Jews, like, there was this kind of, like, the way he was saying it, the demeanour he was using, you know, he was emphasising on the Jews.
00:03:18.400 I mean, if we look at history, Jordan Peterson, Jews were being persecuted by Christians, left, right, centre. And why? Because of the killing of the God of Christianity, which is Jesus.
00:03:29.260 Yes, that's why Christianity and the Crusaders, and in history, you would know that they were under persecution severely, and they would most times run to Muslim lands for, you know, to not to be killed, you know.
00:03:43.860 So, to use this over and over again, I find it very bizarre, you know, it's like we need to know our history. And as a Christian man yourself, Jordan Peterson, you know, when you spoke to Mohammed, his friend, I was right there in that room.
00:03:55.600 It was a beautiful discussion. We saw you, you know, tearing up when you were listening to him. I genuinely believe you're sincere, but this really was not needed.
00:04:03.580 And I understand your call to coming together and united, like Allah says in the Qur'an, in Surah Maidah,
00:04:09.160 وَتَعَوَنُ عَلَى الْبِرِّ وَالْتَقْوَىٰ
00:04:11.020 Come together towards righteousness. And we are told to do that. So much so that the Mufassireen say that in the Battle of Badr, the first war, that the companions, the Prophet Muhammad and the companions were fighting against the pagan Arabs
00:04:24.820 who were persecuting them. We know that in history, that when the Christians, Byzantine, the Roman army, defeated the Persians, the Muslims were also rejoicing at the same time of that double victory
00:04:36.940 because they won the war against the pagans. Also at the same time, they got the news that the Christians, the Romans, defeated the Persians.
00:04:44.900 So this was a rejoicing moment. Why? Because the Ahlul Kitab, the people of the book like yourself, are close to us. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says in the Qur'an,
00:04:54.720 لَيْسُ سَوَاءَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ أُمَّةٌ قَائِمَةٌ يَتْلُهُونَ آيَاتِ اللَّهِ آنَا أَلَّيْلِ وَهُمْ يَسْجُدُونَ
00:05:09.900 Now the people of the book are not the same. There are some of those who worship God Almighty and that follows obedience.
00:05:17.080 The point is this, that we are told that the people of the book are not the same, be it the Jews or the Christians.
00:05:22.960 So the thing is to generalize and make us as if we hate Jews. I'm so sorry, that's not true.
00:05:26.960 Well, the prophet's wife was a Jew. Yes, there was many prophets that were Jew, right?
00:05:34.380 So the thing is, we do not hate them. So this misconception, which has been widely spread by the far right.
00:05:43.340 So once again, please draw the piece. I urge, I like watching your stuff, I binge watch your stuff.
00:05:48.260 The Muslim community loves your stuff and we are shoulder to shoulder on certain matters when it comes to dealing with the big Satan,
00:05:55.140 like we said for example. But the thing is, it is not nice when you make us out to be as these people who are just too busy.
00:06:00.600 Because once again in that video, unintentionally or intentionally, you came across as if you're talking to a group of barbarians.
00:06:06.860 Yeah, you know, it's like the white man's burden. You're there to help us.
00:06:10.980 You're there to tell us, stop being barbarians, stop killing each other.
00:06:14.660 It's not nice. I'll be honest with you, as a Muslim myself, when I watched that, I was very disappointed.
00:06:19.160 And once again, I know it's not malicious, but my point just to wrap it up is that.
00:06:23.720 And I'll finish with this verse in the Quran where God Almighty says that in chapter 60 verse 8,
00:06:28.800 Allah, God Almighty, does not forbid you to deal justly and kindly with those who fought and not against you on account of your religion,
00:06:38.180 nor drove you out of your homes. Verily, Allah loves those who deal with equity.
00:06:43.320 It is only as regards those who fought against you on account of your religion and had driven you out of your homes
00:06:51.200 and helped to drive you out, that Allah forbids you to befriend them.
00:06:55.260 And whoever will befriend them, they are the wrongdoers.
00:06:58.800 So God Almighty is very, and this is not abrogated, by the way.
00:07:00.880 Some people come and say, oh, this verse is abrogated, this was a peaceful verse.
00:07:02.780 No, this verse is not abrogated, which clearly tells us that we are to deal justly and kindly with the Jews and the Christians
00:07:08.380 and the people that did not attack us based on our faith or kick us out of our houses.
00:07:13.340 It's as simple as that.
00:07:14.720 So please, we just urge you as a Muslim community.
00:07:16.980 I mean, we're not writing you off, but we're just saying, please be very careful
00:07:19.880 because it just seems you're saying things that you are not aware of.
00:07:23.800 You know, we do not hate the Jews.
00:07:25.120 Many Jews, rabbis in history have claimed, have admitted that the Muslims took them in
00:07:32.260 when they were under severe persecution by the Christians.
00:07:35.500 And even one rabbi, I actually forgot his name, I can't recall it.
00:07:37.860 He said, if the Muslims were ruling in World War II, or, you know, in Nazi Germany,
00:07:42.860 there would be 6 million extra Jews today.
00:07:44.860 So please, let's get rid of this notion that we Muslims have this hatred towards Christians and Jews
00:07:51.320 and, you know, Shias and everyone else.
00:07:54.120 This is really, really not the case.
00:07:56.500 And I urge you, please, Dr. Peterson, please, if you can read the Quran, and I'm sure you are,
00:08:01.000 but please, if you can, you know, if you have questions on this matter,
00:08:03.820 to get in contact with Mohammed Hijab or anyone else of the likes
00:08:07.220 that can maybe give you some more information
00:08:09.420 because, once again, it was disappointing.
00:08:12.400 But we will assume the best, as Muslims, you know, that you didn't mean it in that way.
00:08:17.400 But it's just a video that I had to get out of my chest.