Solidarity With Imam Nick Pelletier
Warning- Sensitive Content Discussed
Many are saddened and depressed, but life is full of ups and downs, and wins and losses. The idea we should be instilling in ourselves and our children is one of strength and resilience and not one embracing weakness, fragility, the mental-health industry complex, and their play cousin the wellness industry.
This newsletter will be brief as I've been enjoying the fall weather, good food, and watching plenty of sports. NFL season is in full swing, the college wrestling season has begun (and basketball), and we have been treated to another year of great boxing matches (in large part due to Saudi Arabia and His Excellency Turki Alalshikh). “Then which of your Lord's favors will you deny?”
Imam Nick
A few people have asked me to make a video addressing the Imam Nick situation. I've declined to do so because MT (Muslim Twitter) is a cesspool, Muslim TikTok is even worse, and I generally try and avoid these viral Muslim beefs these days. I've had enough and I'm not connected enough anymore to really have a stake. Now, allow me to say the following.
I have supported Imam Nick Pelletier from day one and I will support any religious figure who calls out the sexual abuse of children in their community.
Imam Nick is in my prayers as he seems to really be going through it.
In his recent video Imam Nick said Muslim communities were looking for converts to culturally appropriate and serve as mascots. I agree but I'll add the following. The white convert is good for PR purposes and to put on posters. The Black convert imam has a role to be a Sammy Davis Jr. like entertainer at fundraisers and to present the false image Muslims care about the human rights of anyone else. The Latina and Asian woman convert perhaps becomes the focus of the carnal desires of Muslim men. None, despite any level of piety and religious education, will ever be taken that seriously, nor fully accepted, without forming circles with those of similar backgrounds.
Imam Nick seems to be going it alone and I support this. If they don't mess with you or respect you then fuck them. You don't need them to have a relationship with God or to teach.
Imam Nick refers to celebrity imams as “traveling circus preachers”. This is accurate. These imams, podcast bros, activists and speakers are essentially rock stars and rappers on tour (complete with their mutah groupies and secret and eager wives). They come to entertain and collect a check. Nothing will be said that will interfere with their ability to make more money. The community won't be challenged. This is the Joel Osteen model. Muslim celebrity imams are just a cheap knockoffs of Evangelical pastors who are making a lot more money. Observant Muslims aren't going to bars and clubs. Many don't even listen to music or watch movies. This is their entertainment and there are their celebrities.
Imam Nick calls out names of celebrity imams. I have a lot of respect for Suhaib Webb and he's a friend, so I won't commit on him unless I speak with him. That said, all of us, including myself, have lapses in judgement. What is clear from the overall discourse between Imam Nick and the religious leaders he mentioned is that they seemed unconcerned with the victim and more concerned about reputations and the business model. This is the exact same thing the Catholic Church did and now many parishes are closing. History won't be kind to these men when the victims become adults and start speaking for themselves.
Imam Nick insinuates that he has given up and culturally he isn't a fit for leadership in such communities. I agree. Converts shouldn't be imams particularly at majority South Asian congregations (and really any). Culture will always outweigh religion and you don't share the same culture. Many of these mosques are created primarily to preserve an ethnic immigrant culture. This is similar to immigrant groups starting Greek and Russian Orthodox Churches, Italian and Polish speaking Catholic parishes, and Sephradic Jewish congregations. Yes, religion plays a role, but perhaps the enduring mission of the congregation is the preservation of language and culture. Very difficult to do if you aren't from the same background. There is no universalism in Islam. That's a fantasy.
Bad actors in the Muslim community are protected in three ways. 1. The culture of shame and secrecy imported from places such as Pakistan and others. 2. The difficulty for law enforcement to conduct investigations in communities where they don't get a lot of cooperation and cultural barriers exist. 3. Many in the media beholden to a DEI framework in which highlighting bad behavior within the Muslim community could be equated with Islamophobia.
As Americans there is much we don't know. However, one thing that I have learned is that Diddy Party action is common at Muslim boarding schools, madrasaas, and seminaries. There is the real possibility that a rather high percentage of imams in America were themselves s*xually abused as children. I have also heard from many Muslim men and women here in the US who have told me they were fondled by Quran teachers. In some cultures there appears to be a nonchalant attitude towards this behavior and it seems to be viewed just as a normal rite of passage. Again, the cultural differences are vast. We aren't the same.
While I don't believe a majority of Muslims have been Diddied and perhaps not even a majority of teachers engage in this activity, I think that enough do so that anyone sending their children to spend time alone with these men in religious institutions is crazy AF. Don't let religion turn you into a damn fool.
It's crystal clear from what Imam Nick said, and from what I've personally experienced and encountered, Muslim community leadership gives zero fucks either about kids or pussyhound imams. The focus is on protecting reputations and making more money. That's it. It's a business. The community inclination will always be to cover things up.
Conversion without piety is dick riding and cultural appropriating. For white leftists, conversion is an easy “intersection of oppression” to grab for popularity, political positioning, and profit (akin to changing a gender identity). The recent white n*zis are even worse. For other races the appropriating is similar, but perhaps the math is a little different.
In closing, I will tie this to politics. I'm a St. Louis guy and my politics is through a local lense. I'm not making any political decisions based on the political wisdom of dudes who cover up for pedos. As Imam Nick states, their vision of social justice is one that brings the most donors. That's not justice. That's a hustle.
Remember- every week is a great week to hate on those Dallas Cowboys!
Below is the link to Imam Nick's recent video
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