This week, Davis Cup tennis play featured Israel visiting Sweden in the southern city of Malmo. Unfortunately, the Israeli tennis players were treated as anything but guests. That is because Malmo is host to other "guests", their large immigrant population, mostly Muslim, and anything but good guests. Malmo's Muslim population, largely concentrated in the Rosengard section, has basically taken over the city. Periodically, they turn out on the streets to voice their displeasure with their host country-most recently during the Gaza fighting when they engaged in violent street protests.
Because of fears of violence, the Swedish authorities dictated that the tennis matches would be played in a near empty stadium. Only special guests could enter and watch the matches. Nevertheless, the protesters turned out in force on Saturday, throwing stones and incendiary devices at police and vandalizing their vans. Nine people were formally arrested and about 100 others detained.
You can view the festivities below:
http://www.svd.se/nyheter/inrikes/webbtv/artikel_2565305.svd
I am going to say this as carefully and diplomatically as I can. As an American, I am a big supporter of immigration (I am married to an immigrant). Our country needs new blood, especially from those who appreciate our liberties and want to contribute to our country, as most do. What I expect from immigrants is simple; they should come legally, stay legally, obey the laws, give their allegiance, assimilate, and adopt the values of the host country.
Is that asking too much?
Having said all that, what I see happening in places like Malmo and other cities in Europe is outrageous. I don't see why for the life of me, the Europeans are tolerating this. Why are these people not arrested, prosecuted and when the courts are done with them-deported back to where they came from? In Malmo, Swedes cannot enter certain parts of their own city. Ditto for the surrounding suburbs of Paris.
There are parts of London where British Jews dare not enter. In the Netherlands, a film maker was butchered to death on a public street, a prominent Muslim apostate has to live in hiding-as well as Dutch MP Geert Wilders-all for daring to criticize Islam.
Europe has not seen such a dark age since it was occupied by Nazi Germany. When does a self-respecting nation stand up and tell these troublemakers that if they can't obey the laws and respect the nation they have chosen to immigrate to-they can leave? This is precisely what Australian leaders have stated publicly. Why can't the Europeans?
Can you imagine for one moment the riots that would break out if the Swedes or any of the European nations would actually make that a condition on staying in their nation?
ReplyDeleteWhat we've witnessed so far this year and the end of last year would be nothing compared to the riots that would ensue. Do you believe that the governments of those nations do not know this? They fear the rioters more than their own citizens whom they've conditioned for the last 20 years into total submission.
Is it no wonder that they allow this behavior to go unchecked. I expect to witness more and more of it as the years go by, until either these governments finally do kick their asses out, or they give in to all of their demands. I hope it is the former, but fear it will be the latter.
By the way, by banning spectators it cost the Swedish team the Davis Cup. Israel won the match.
ReplyDeleteGo figure.
And for your knowledge, in the world as a whole, most Muslims are not brown. Actually under Islam, Brown and Black skinned people are to be considered nothing more than slaves and to be treated that way. Check the Koran. It is in there.
Some Holy Book they got. Promoting Slavery by the color of a person's skin. And this is to be considered civilized to the world?
HAPPY PURIM!
Bryan, Bryan, Bryan,
ReplyDeleteWhen you look at what some of these people are doing in Europe, such as Malmo (and this is not the first time they have done this in Malmo-far from it) they are indeed scary. Because they happen to be brown does not give them a pass-maybe in your view-but not in mine. Bad behavior is bad behavior and must be called what it is.
BTW, one of "those cary brown people coming to take over our white lands" happens to be my wife.
Race cards don't work on this blog.
Findalis,
ReplyDeleteWhere exactly does it say that in the Koran? From my understanding, the Koran says very little about race (which makes sense, since it was written primarily for the Arabs). Also, it is my understanding that anybody who submits to God is equal before him, and things like race don't matter. This was on of the big lessons that Malcolm X learned when he went to Mecca.
And most Muslims aren't brown? How do you define brown then? What are Indonesians? Aren't there more Indonesian Muslims than any other nationality?
Or am I confusing the issue by bringing up and asking for facts?
Is it safe to assume from Findalis' non-response that the bit about brown and black skinned people being slaves in the Koran is something that she just made up? Or perhaps it was something that some right-wing pundit made up? (Not that they'd ever do such a thing.)
ReplyDeleteI have to wonder who wouldn't consider Arabs to be brown as well.
Actually I was busy with other matters, this being the Jewish holiday of Purim.
ReplyDeleteFor an explanation of Islam and slavery I would suggest you start with Slavery
And the view of black people in Islam
Strange Brew: Islam and Black Pride
In this article you will find the following statement:
Dr. Azumah provides several examples of Islam's early attitude toward blackness:
The hadith in which an Ethiopian woman laments her racial inferiority to Muhammad, who consoles her by saying, "In Paradise, the whiteness of the Ethiopian will be seen over the stretch of a thousand years."
The Muslim Arab and Persian literature which depicts blacks as "stupid, untruthful, vicious, sexually unbridled, ugly and distorted, excessively merry and easily affected by music and drink."
Nasir al-Din Tusi, the famous Muslim scholar said of blacks: "The ape is more capable of being trained than the Negro."
Ibn Khaldun, an early Muslim thinker, writes that blacks are "only humans who are closer to dumb animals than to rational beings."
Classical Islamic law allows a light-skinned Muslim man to marry a black woman, but a black Muslim man is restricted from marrying a light-skinned woman. As the literature of the time put it, "only a whore prefers blacks; the good woman will welcome death rather than being touched by a black man."
Another hadith quotes Muhammad: "Do not bring black into your pedigree."
I could post 100s of such sites, but your mind is closed to the truth Kirsti. It wasn't white Europeans who captured and enslaved Blacks in Africa, it was and is (for it is still being practiced by Muslims) Arab Muslims. Check out the history of Kenya, and you will find stories of the slave caves there called Shimoni.
Arabs are not considered blacks or browns by Islamic standards. They are considered the pinnacle of humanity in Islam.
I would suggest that you start by reading the Koran and Hadiths. There are many good translations out there, and they are loaded with a wealth of information. And truth be known, very few Muslims have ever read the Koran or Hadiths. They are taught them in Arabic by rote memory, and do not know the actual translation of the Arabic in their own languages. In many Muslim nations it is illegal to translate the Koran. Why would that be? The bible has been translated into every language, but the Koran is not allowed to be. What is so nasty in that book that the Imams don't want the average Muslim to know?
When you have done all that, then you can come back here and state what is and isn't in Islam. For right now you sound like an ignorant child, believing only what you hear.
Hey Findalis,
ReplyDelete"Kirsti" was me. Sometimes she (my wife) doesn't sign out of her screen name, and I don't notice when I make a post.
Anyway, even going by what you wrote, your original statement still doesn't stand. The Hadiths are not the Koran.
Regarding slavery, I have little doubt that the Koran condones it. But then again, The Bible (both Jewish and Christian scriptures) don't exactly have a very enlightened attitude on the subject either. Also, isn't there some story regarding Abraham's sons that was used as a justification for racism? I'm a little embarassed that I can't seem to remember anything more specific than that, but perhaps you know the one that I mean.
And regarding translations, that doesn't surprise me. Shoot, ever hear of William Tyndale? He (among many others) was killed for trying to translate The Bible into English. Christianity took its sweet time being translated into the common vernacular, as Latin was the only acceptable translation for centuries. (Which is crazy considering that Jesus probably didn't even speak Latin!) Islam seems to be going through what Christianity did several hundred years ago, so that pretty much just makes sense.
Overall, I probably don't disagree that much with you. However, I take it a step further as I don't think that ancient books of mythology should be used a system for modern morality period, whether we're talking The Koran, The Bible, or The Iliad.
The thing is, there are plenty of legitimate criticisms of The Koran. When you make statements like the one you made though, it kinda hurts your case.
And like I stated before, what I know comes from Malcolm X's book, and he saw a much more enlightened view of race in the Muslim world than he did in the U.S. Of course, I'm willing to concede that as we've moved forward since then, the Muslim world may very well have moved backward.
The Hadiths are considered to be just a small step down from the Koran. The Koran is directly from Mohammad and the Hadiths are written by people who sat at his feet.
ReplyDeleteI was wrong, it wasn't the Koran. But it would be like saying that it was Torah and not the rest of the Old Testament in Judaism. The Torah being directly from Moses and the rest of the Old Testament being from other people.
Malcolm X never read the Koran either. Nor has Louis Farrakhan. Nor has over 80% of the Muslims in the world. It is not because they are illiterate (although it is a blessing to be so in Islam since Mohammad was illiterate), but because they are taught that the Koran can only be written in Arabic and they do not understand Arabic.
Funny how the New Testament couldn't be translated into other languages (Tyndale wasn't the only person who translated the Bible) and I will not go into the horror that was the Reformation and the Inquisition. Yes Christianity changed. It took hundreds of years and millions of deaths. Thankfully they didn't have the weapons that are available today. Could you imagine the horrors of history if Luther had a nuke? We don't have hundreds of years to wait for their enlightenment. Not with the threat of Iran going nuclear. Not with the horrors of global terrorism, Islam cannot take its time. That is the sad fact. The time for change must come soon. They have had 1400 years to become enlightened. The world will not wait much longer.
Findalis, you make an excellent point about technology and extremism. I think if those wacky Medieval Europeans had today's technology, there wouldn't still be a Europe today! Interesting that you say that the Muslims had 1400 years for enlightenment - that's about exactly when Christianity experienced its growing pains. But as you rightfully pointed out, they didn't have the efficient means of killing that we do today.
ReplyDeleteMalcolm X never read the Koran? That's news to me. Where are you getting that from? And what about 80% of Muslims not having read it? (Honestly though, I'm inclined to believe it, as I think that the number is probably the same of most religious people and their holy books.)
The thing is, what you're saying about Islam and attitudes to race just doesn't seem to jive with what's going on the Muslim world or its history. Please, I'm no apologist for Islam, I just think that we really need to always stick to the cold, hard facts when it comes to issues like this. Personally, I'm eager and willing to offend everybody. (For instance, you do know that it's highly unlikely that Moses wrote the Torah, right?)
Malcolm X was a devout Muslim, and ignorant of Arabic. Devout Muslims do not read translations of the Koran. It is forbidden to translate the Koran. So when did Malcolm X ever read the Koran.
ReplyDeleteAnd he didn't write his autobiography either. I do believe that Alex Haley ghost wrote it for him. Many people now believe that he was functionally illiterate. Barely able to read and write on a basic level.
He could speak, but if you listen to his speeches they are in the language of the streets at the time. That could be due to the audience he was speaking to, or due to his lack of formal education. Perhaps both. But remember that King and others of the Civil Rights Movement also spoke to the same audience and did not use the language of the streets. They used a more refined, eloquence that still resounds down through the ages.
Think about the history of Islam. Mohammad first preached in Mecca, and was thrown out of the city due to stirring up religious unrest. When he couldn't convert by his speeches, he converted by the sword. Did any other religion have their founder do that? He turned vehemently on Pagans, Christians and especially Jews who he called the "Sons of Apes and Pigs."
He had contempt for anyone who did not follow his religion and destroy every other faith in the land.
Like I said, read the Koran. I suggest 5 pages a day.
Malcolm X did some admirable things in his life. He turned from being a criminal to a man of discipline though he still felt hatred. Then he turned away from the National Of Islam and died for it when he told the truth about Elijah Muhammed.
ReplyDeleteWhat he did not do was make any contribution whatsoever to integration.
Findalis, I have an English translation of the Koran. How can you possibly say that translating it is forbidden? Don't get me wrong, I'm sure that it's forbidden among SOME Muslims, but you're painting a billion and a half people with a pretty wide brush, don't you think?
ReplyDeleteRegarding Malcolm X, I teach his book to my students, and they see several video excerpts of his speeches, and what you're saying doesn't really match up with reality. Regarding Alex Haley, it's hardly ghost-written, as Haley's name is right there on the cover. Haley explains the process in the epilogue, as it was basically a series of interviews. So, the words are all Malcolm's, but Haley assembled it all into a novel.
Malcolm was definitely illiterate when he went to prison (the book even goes into this), but while he was there he took a number of correspondence courses and even copied out the entire dictionary. Also, while listening to him (and reading the book,) it's obvious that he's a literate man by the sorts of references that he makes.
I suppose the whole thing could be one colossal con-job, and if it is, then it's a damn good one.
You are right though about how Mohammed was a warlord. Still, Christianity was definitely spread by the sword (and so was Judaism if you believe what the Old Testament says) even if it wasn't Jesus carrying the sword. After all, if it wasn't, then why wasn't I raised to believe in Odin and Thor?
And Gary, you're right about the integration thing, but then again, he never claimed that's what his goal was. In the latter years of his life, he thought that integration wasn't possible - at least, not in his lifetime. He pointed out that if a "cosmopolitan" city like New York couldn't integrate, then what hope did the rest of the country have?
While I disagree with his conclusion, I can see where he was coming from.