Wafa Sultan: I know they want to kill me
Fanatic Islam stole 32 years of my life, Syrian-American psychologist tells Ynet in an exclusive interview. Sultan gained notoriety for a televised debate broadcast on Al-Jazeera in which she harshly criticized Islam; now she wants to visit Israel, she tells Ynet
WASHINGTON - Syrian-American psychologist Wafa Sultan defines herself as a leader who “lies on the fence” for the sake of future generations. She says she knows there are some who want to kill her – and may even succeed – but she is not scared. “I have my supporters, and I’m continuing my mission,” she told Ynet during an exclusive interview.
Wafa Sultan, who fled Syria for Los Angeles in 1989, has become the psychologist of the Muslim world. During hernow famous debate with an Islamic cleric on al-Jazeera in March 2006, Sultan publicly criticized Islam and called for a serious transformation. She charged that the clash between Islam and the West was a clash between Islam, who is stuck in the 14th century, and the modern 21st century world.
In a special interview with Ynet, Dr. Sultan described her life in Syria as 32 years lived in fear, “32 years stolen from me by fanatic Islam.”
In the March TV debate, Sultan called on Muslims to learn from the example of the Jews, who endured the tragedy of the Holocaust and forced the world to respect them for their knowledge and not by terrorism.
“By their hard work – not with crying and shrieking,” she said. “Only Muslims defend their religion by burning churches, killing people and bombing embassies. The Muslims need to ask themselves what they can do for the human race before they demand the human race to respect them,” she added.
Since the televised interview, she has been barred from Arab television networks, but she manages to penetrate the Arab and Muslim world through her website and with daily emails she sends to her supporters.
“You may not see an immediate effect to what I do, but I believe it will be possible to see it in two to three generations. In 300 years, the Muslim world will remember the name Wafa Sultan,” she is convinced.
Sultan cannot return to Syria, as she is certain she would be arrested on the spot. She would like to visit Israel, though, and expects to do so soon, she told Ynet.
Sultan was invited to meet with Israel’s General Consul in Los Angeles, Ehud Danoch, next Monday. An official invite to Israel is expected to come out of the meeting.
The full interview with Wafa Sultan will be published on Ynet Thursday.
