Letter: Al-Masari's Islamic beliefs, values and goals
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.From Professor Mohammed al-Masari
Sir: In her attempt to prove me a "viper" whom feminists and atheists like her can "tolerate" only through "gritted teeth", Polly Toynbee distorts my views, my character, misquotes and quotes out of context my remarks and thus misleads your readers ("Why Mr Masari is good for us", 18 January).
She shows me apparently admiring Khomeini - whom I admire only in as much as he mobilised 5 million people against the dictatorship - while I made abundantly clear to her that we oppose Khomeini-ism as a methodology and would never replicate his theocracy in our own country.
In an apparent picture of a rake's progress, she distorts my own family life in a most insulting way, for example accusing me of "creating" single- parent families around the globe. The truth is that my wives already had children when I married them, before I had children of my own.
As for the rest of her anti-Islamic prejudices - a shockingly acceptable form of racism among some Western liberals - our organisation is unashamedly Islamic and it follows that we wish to see an Islamic system of law in Arabia.
But I am fighting for an elected and accountable government in Arabia - chosen by men and women - which will make the laws of the country, which will be implemented by an independent judiciary and will be criticised by a free press, free labour unions and free associations.
The regime I fight by fax and by telephone is accountable to no one, elected by no one, loots its own country's wealth and implements its twisted arbitrary and repressive version of Sharia law without legal basis or moral legitimacy. Which should British liberals and progressives prefer?
Yours sincerely,
Mohammed al-Masari
London, SW1
18 January
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments