It's chop-chop, adios from professor who fears defending Islamic law

On Aug. 17, the ‘Florida Atlantic University professor and president of the Islamic Society of Boca Raton, Fla., Bassem Alhalabi, agreed to publicly defend the Shariah Islamiyya (Islamic Law) but ran away in shame from the venue minutes before the program’s starting time.

The title of the meeting was “Interfaith Cafe: Sharia Law and U.S. Law Nothing To Fear.” Dr. Alhalabi was to defend Islamic law, making the case that non-Muslims have nothing to fear from Shariah.

Deep down Dr. Alhalabi knows the facts are not on his side. What Dr. Alhalabi fears most are Americans who are educated on Islamic Law and use Islamic sources with consensus to distinguish his lies from truth.

When people from The United West showed up to film the talk, Dr. Alhalabi ran out of the venue faster than you can say chop, chop adios. Dr. Alhalabi left his audience and event organizers dumbfounded.

Back on May 23, 2016, Dr. Alhalabi was a participant on a Muslim Student Association panel discussion on Islamophobia at FAU. That event haunts him to this day. Dr. Alhalabi made the case that chopping off the hands of thieves is good for society, as per the Shariah.

Professor ‘Chop Chop’ Alhalabi, as he’s affectionately known in South Florida, didn’t realize members of The United West caught the entire exchange on tape. On the panel was Wilfredo Ruiz, legal counsel for The Council On American Islamic Relations—Florida, who said nothing.

Except for Rabbi Barry Silver, nobody on that Islamophobia panel was outraged. There was no outrage from the followers of Islam on the panel because Dr. Bassem ‘Chop Chop’ Alhalabi said nothing that contradicted Islamic Law/Sharia.

Sadly for the Delray Beach Interfaith Cafe Community, their other speaker in the discussion, Dr. Mark Schneider, professor emeritus from Southern Illinois University said, “Non-Muslims have nothing to worry about, since Mohammed, and/or the Qur’an, never commanded Muslims to kill.”  Audience member Roger Gangitano informed Dr. Schneider that Qur’an Verse 4:89 states, “Those who reject Islam seize them and slay them wherever you find them.” 

Dr. Schneider replied, “That is a lie” and ended that uncomfortable moment without any personal reflection or honesty.

In the Islamic culture it is stated, “The most cherished cultural value is honor. No effort and care is spared in order to avoid shame...”

Dr. Bassem Alhalabi left the building rather than be shamed, however, he has lost face in the South Florida Islamic and interfaith communities. I suspect the cumulative effect of Dr. Alhalabi’s running away from a scheduled speaking engagement for no good reason, defending the chopping off of thieves hands, his arrest for assault, and illegally selling thermal imaging equipment to Syria should render him toxic in American lexicon and without honor in the Islamic culture.

Ladies and Gentleman Florida Atlantic University Professor Dr. Bassem Alhalabi has left the building in shame and dishonor.