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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Do Not Threaten Humanity |
| 2010-02-17 |
| Many Muslims have an amazing ability of making the world hostile towards them and turning friends into enemies. For example, we find that political discourse in some Arab and Islamic states carries threats and menace toward other states. Yet, these same weak and lamentable Arab and Islamic states are incapable of providing bread and security to their respective peoples and to remedy their illiteracy! I saw on the Al-Arabiya satellite television channel an Iranian reformist thinker deriding his country's regime and saying: I do not know where the death slogan list is going to take us! In fact, the regime began with the slogan 'Death to America,' and then added 'Death to Israel. Then, it had doubt over Britain and added 'Death to Britain!' And when a French newspaper reported news of demonstrations in Iran, they added 'Death to France!' Similarly, if Russia fails to use its veto to bloc any sanctions decision against Iran then they will add 'Death to Russia!' Perhaps Somalia will be the next to be added to the list, in addition to Burkina Faso and Ghana because of their good relations with the United States! In the end they will chant 'Death to the World!' Tell me, by God, are people with such minds showing respect to themselves when they uphold the slogan of Islam? Islam urges you to turn an enemy into a friend, not a friend into an enemy. Almighty God said: "Repel [evil] with what is better; then will he between whom and thee was hatred become as it were thy friend and intimate." [Koranic verse, Al-Mu'minun, 23:96] God Almighty also said: "It may be that Allah will grant love (and friendship) between you and those who ye (now) hold as enemies." [Partial Koranic verse, Al-Mumtahinah, 60:7] Moreover, some imams invoke God, saying: O God, destroy the Jews and those who are complaisant to them, the Christians and those who are complaisant to them, the Magi and those who are complaisant to them, the Buddhists and those who are complaisant to them, the Chinese and those who are complaisant to them. Then, their list of the accursed shrinks, and they invoke evil on political opposition parties, on misled groups and sects who brought innovation in Islam! In the end, the only one to be spared is these imams' neighbors. Some imams have gone to the extent of invoking God to damage the economy of the West and to inflict diseases on the westerners. Yet, if this happens to them, it will adversely affect us because our economy is linked to theirs. Any epidemic hitting them is bound to reach us, because we live on the same planet! Some generalize their invocation of evil on the unbelievers, whether the aggressors or others, yet all those who have made the microphones that are installed in mosques, discovered electricity, prospected for gas, and discovered the telephone, radio, and Internet are unbelievers. Many of them have not fought us because they are busy with their discoveries and inventions. They are always in their workshops, absorbed by their research, while we are preoccupied with folklores dances and popular festivals. Why are some of us eager to make the world hostile to us, to threaten the world, and to invoke evil and disasters on the planet? What interest is there in warning the distracted, waking up those who are asleep, and clamoring that we are coming and prepared to fight the world? Is this Islam's line? Is this the religion's logic? Is this reason? Or, rather, is it foolishness itself, real stupidity? We need to reassure the world, increase the number of our friends, and make our opponents neutral, because our message is a universal one. It includes mercy, peace, and security. Almighty God said: "We sent thee not, but as a mercy to all creatures." [Koranic verse, Al-Anbiya, 21:107] Someone made a speech to hungry, oppressed, and powerless masses. He wore a military uniform even though he had never won a victory. He wore medals on his chest, stars on his shoulders and a crown on his head. In fact, he was the one that had colonized the country and then made inflammatory speeches in which he threatened the superpowers with fire and destruction while his country was going through a crisis of high cost of living and misery. He had never tasted victory. Quite the contrary, he is always defeated, in this life and in the afterlife! O Muslims, scholars, preachers, politicians, intellectuals, and writers, let your discourse be reasonable, wise, and responsible. Let it carry only compassion, leniency, and mercy toward mankind! Enough defeats, misleading slogans, claims of illusory achievements, and thoughtless ideas that befit only the psychologically disturbed, those with juvenile minds, and those who are spiritually defeated! Our Shariaa urges us to have ties of piety with non-Muslims if they do not fight us. Almighty God said: "Allah forbids you not, with regard to those who fight you not for [your] faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them: for Allah loveth those who are just." [Koranic verse, Al-Mumtahinah, 60:8] Why should some of us make the peaceful world hostile to us, and threaten the nations of the earth recklessly and foolishly, while they are incapable of living in peace in their own land? |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #10 Actually... a viral meme calls for an antiviral... |
| Posted by: 3dc 2010-02-17 20:39 |
| #9 Agreed. Snowy Thing, although I'd have gone with "tart comment" rather than "snark". mom can write when she wants to. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2010-02-17 19:14 |
| #8 I'd like to make a nomination for snark of the year: (Footnote: If Jean Jacques Rousseau had bothered to raise his own children, instead of dumping them off at the orphanage in the care of Catholic sisters, his views on the virtue of human nature would have been a lot different. If he had to deal with a two year old's temper tantrums and teenagers breaking curfew, his naive idea that "Mankind is basically good" would have gone out the window.) |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2010-02-17 14:32 |
| #7 I saw on the Al-Arabiya satellite television channel an Iranian reformist thinker deriding his country's regime and saying: I do not know where the death slogan list is going to take us! In fact, the regime began with the slogan 'Death to America,' and then added 'Death to Israel. Then, it had doubt over Britain and added 'Death to Britain!' And when a French newspaper reported news of demonstrations in Iran, they added 'Death to France!' Similarly, if Russia fails to use its veto to bloc any sanctions decision against Iran then they will add 'Death to Russia!' Perhaps Somalia will be the next to be added to the list, in addition to Burkina Faso and Ghana because of their good relations with the United States! In the end they will chant 'Death to the World!' This is what you get when you have a book that doesn't have a plain command to "Love your enemy". Yeah, applying it foolishly tends to hurt oneself unneccessarily, but that results in one learning how to apply it rightly, which is much better than NOT having it and hurting more people. I recommend everything Paul Coughlin writes to help one learn how to apply it correctly. "Pagan Christianity?" by Frank Viola and George Barna is a well documented examination of how the Christian Church got many of its practices. However, I'd ignore Viola's other books, which tend to be rather fuzzy in what "church" ought to be, in contrast to his rock solid view of what "church" should NOT be. |
| Posted by: Ptah 2010-02-17 14:28 |
| #6 In all fairness, many forms of Christianity used to be pretty obnoxious before the age of Enlightenment (18th Century), and it took a heck of a lot of theological tap-dancing to turn it into a more peaceful form. Moose, see Barbara Tuchman's The March of Folly for a discussion of the politics of the Renaissance popes. The problems that occurred before the "Enlightenment" in the church had to do with politicians co-opting the church. When the church became a property concern at the end of the Dark Ages, the politicians and careerists moved in. The church was the career of choice for second and third sons. The Enlightenment did not correct these problems; the reforms--both Catholic and Protestant--began with people who saw that the politicians had nearly ruined the church, and tried to restore God's truth, rather than the pronouncements of politicians. Of course, politicians jumped on the bandwagons on both sides, and used religion shamelessly to further their own power. The Enlightenment was partly an expression of frustration with the venality of church politicians, especially in France. The Enlightenment created problems of its own, and its denial of accountability to God and violent anti-clericalism contributed to the horrors of the Reign of Terror. (Footnote: If Jean Jacques Rousseau had bothered to raise his own children, instead of dumping them off at the orphanage in the care of Catholic sisters, his views on the virtue of human nature would have been a lot different. If he had to deal with a two year old's temper tantrums and teenagers breaking curfew, his naive idea that "Mankind is basically good" would have gone out the window.) |
| Posted by: mom 2010-02-17 09:37 |
| #5 Moose, there were attempts. Lahore Ahmadiyya for instance. Because they have another prophet after Mohammed. Mainstream Islam... color me very skeptical. A substantial rewrite of Koran and hadits would be required to render the creed to a benign form. |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2010-02-17 08:40 |
| #4 Something that is getting very little air time is the discreet Islamic Reformation movement, that is trying to rewrite Islam to a benign form. In all fairness, many forms of Christianity used to be pretty obnoxious before the age of Enlightenment (18th Century), and it took a heck of a lot of theological tap-dancing to turn it into a more peaceful form. Even today there are still snippets of internecine spats between Christians in Ireland, central and South America. There are close to a billion Muslims, so it is about the only sane way to get around this problem. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2010-02-17 08:10 |
| #3 Suggestion: only threaten Jew and everybody will be your friend. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2010-02-17 07:02 |
| #2 It does seem to have brought misery and oppression to those regions where it is endemic. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2010-02-17 05:54 |
| #1 Because Islam is a deadly viral MEME? |
| Posted by: 3dc 2010-02-17 00:38 |