Wafa Sultan | |
|---|---|
 Sultan in May 2012 | |
| Born | (1958-06-14)14 June 1958 (age 67) |
| Alma mater | University of Aleppo |
| Occupation | Psychiatrist |
| Known for | Criticism of Islam |
| Notable work | A God Who Hates (2009) |
Wafa Sultan (Arabic:وفاء سلطان; born June 14, 1958) is a Syrian-Americanmedical doctor, writer, andcritic of Islam.[1] In 2006,Time magazine named her one of the100 most influential people in the world.[2]
Sultan was born into a modest middle classAlawite[1][3] family inBaniyas, Syria.[4][5][6]
Although Sultan wanted to be a writer, and would have preferred to studyArabic literature, she studied at the medical faculty at theUniversity of Aleppo due to pressure from her family.[7] She says that she was shocked intosecularism by the1979 atrocities committed by Islamic extremists of theMuslim Brotherhood against innocentSyrians. She states that while she was a medical student, she witnessed the machine-gun assassination of her professor, Yusef al Yusef,[8] anophthalmologist from the university who was renowned outside Syria. "They shot hundreds of bullets into him, shouting, 'Allahu Akbar!'" she said. "At that point, I lost my trust in their god and began to question all our teachings. It was the turning point of my life, and it has led me to this present point. I had to leave. I had to look for another god."[9] She worked for four years as a psychiatrist in a hospital.
Sultan and her family emigrated to the United States in 1989, where she moved to Los Angeles, California, and became anaturalized citizen. Initially she had to work as a cashier in a gas station and behind the counter in a pizza parlor, but she found her treatment in these jobs better than as a medical professional in Syria.[7] From the time of her arrival she began to contribute articles to Arabic publications in the United States and published three books in Arabic.
Sultan became notable after theSeptember 11 attacks in 2001 for her participation in Middle East political debates, with the publication ofArabic essays that were circulated widely and for television appearances onAl Jazeera andCNN in 2005.[7]
On February 21, 2006, Sultan took part in Al Jazeera's weekly forty-five-minute discussion programThe Opposite Direction. She spoke from Los Angeles, arguing with hostFaisal al-Qassem and with Ibrahim Al-Khouli, a professor atAl-Azhar University in Cairo (Egypt), aboutSamuel P. Huntington'sClash of Civilizations theory. A six-minute composite video of her remarks was subtitled and widely circulated byMEMRI on blogs and through e-mail;The New York Times estimated that it has been seen at least one million times.[1] In this video she criticised women's situation in Muslim countries, Muslims for treating non-Muslims differently and for not recognizing the accomplishments of Jews and other members of non-Muslim society while still benefiting from using their wealth and technology. The video becameYouTube's most discussed video.[10] The full transcript of the debate, which was made public later, also raised many online discussions.[11]
Following her participation in founding of the Former Muslims United on October 13, 2009, Sultan released her first book in English,A God Who Hates: The Courageous Woman Who Inflamed the Muslim World Speaks Out Against the Evils of Islam.[12] In her book Sultan relates her life story and personal relationship with Islam. She attempts to address the history of Islam from a psychological perspective, and examine the political ideology of the religion's modern form.
In October 2010 Sultan was called as an expert witness to give testimony at theGeert Wilders trial. Wilders is a Dutch politician who was charged with hate speech for his anti-Islamic statements and subsequently acquitted. At the trial Sultan confirmed that she had met Wilders several times in 2009, had seen his filmFitna, and in general agreed with his views about Islam.[13]
Sultan describes her thesis as witnessing "a battle betweenmodernity andbarbarism which Islam will lose". It has brought her telephone threats,[1] but also praise from reformers. Her comments, especially a pointed criticism that "noJew hasblown himself up[broken anchor] in a German restaurant", brought her an invitation toJerusalem by theAmerican Jewish Congress.
Sultan believes that "The trouble with Islam is deeply rooted in its teachings. Islam is not only a religion. Islam [is]also a political ideology that preachesviolence and applies its agenda by force."[14] In a discussion with Ahmad bin Muhammad, she said: "It was these teachings that distorted thisterrorist and killed his humanity".[15]
In her bookA God Who Hates, Sultan writes that "No one can be a true Muslim and a true American simultaneously". Sultan argues that initially, US must help its Muslim citizens give up Islam and embrace Christianity "[W]e first have to help them see their ogre clearly and show them how to exchange their God who hates for one who loves".[16]
In herTime interview, Sultan described herself as acultural Muslim who does not adhere to Islam, yet remains associated with the faith through her birth, rather than belief; "I even don't believe in Islam, but I am a Muslim."[2]
Sultan is a board member ofStop Islamization of Nations, an organization founded byPamela Geller,Robert Spencer andAnders Gravers Pedersen.[17]
In 2006, Sultan was named inTime Magazine in a list of one hundred influential people in the world "whose power, talent or moral example is transforming the world."[2]Time stated that "Sultan's influence flows from her willingness to express openly critical views on Islamic extremism that are widely shared but rarely aired by other Muslims."[2] In 2006, she also received the "Freethought Heroine Award" from theFreedom from Religion Foundation[18]
In the interview, which has been viewed on the Internet more than a million times … Dr. Sultan bitterly criticized the Muslim clerics, holy warriors and political leaders who she believes have distorted the teachings of Muhammad and the Koran for 14 centuries. … In response, clerics throughout the Muslim world have condemned her, and her telephone answering machine has filled with dark threats. … Dr. Sultan grew up in a large traditional Muslim family in Banias, Syria,
Wafa Sultan grew up in a modest middle class Alawite family
For no reason other than belonging to the Allawi sect of Islam - that of the president - while the majority in Syria were Sunnis.
The Syrian-born Sunni Muslim Dr Wafa Sultan has recently completed a visit to Australia, … Sultan's message about radical Islamism is important and she is a courageous critic of jihadist terrorism and societies such as Syria.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
