Mark Steyn's Polite But Devastating Take-Down of Daniel Pipes' "The Problem Is Islamism, Not Islam" Palaver

Steyn writes:

Daniel Pipes, a regular contributor round these parts, appeared on a somewhat fractious panel in Toronto recently, and toward the end (scroll down) was asked where the “moderate Muslims” were. He responded that many of them were in the room. Indeed, it seems entirely possible that all of them were in the room. Daniel eventually took a crack at the numbers and concluded that “Islamists” made up 10-15 per cent of the Muslim population, “moderates” about one-to-two per cent, and the remaining 85 per cent in between are presumably either cowed or indifferent. 

I’ve no idea whether Daniel’s estimate is correct, although, in my experience, “moderate Muslims” invariably turn out on closer inspection to be apostates or so syncretic as to be barely recognizable as co-religionists to their livelier brethren. But I thought of Daniel’s words after the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich, when as is traditional the vast army of non-Muslim Muslim scholars, from David Cameron down, rushed forward to explain that beheadings on London streets are “nothing to do with Islam”. Unfortunately, it seems to be rather more dangerous for actual Muslims to make the same point...

The rimshot after the line "Indeed, it seems entirely possible that all of them were in the room" is implicit, though loud and clear.