Paris, Mumbai, Mali, the World Trade Center, Madrid, London, ISIS....
It is never ending. Every day, a new atrocity is being committed somewhere in the world. In virtually every Muslim country, non-Muslims are being persecuted, hunted down, and killed-if not prosecuted by the state. Jews in Europe are leaving by the thousands due to the violence carried out against them by young male Muslim immigrants. In sharia law, the death penalty is mandated for apostates, blasphemers, adulterers and homosexuals. In thousands of mosques around the world hatred is being preached against the West, Israel and Jews. In the West, Muslims tell us that one day we will all be ruled by Islam and sharia. Also in the West, acts of terror are being carried out by Muslims or their acts are thwarted by law enforcement. It is now estimated that thousands of young Muslim men living in the West have gone to join ISIS in Syria and Iraq. Yet we know of not one who has gone to fight against ISIS.
What are we to make of this?
It is undeniably true that most Muslims are not carrying out acts of terrorism or violence. It is true that most Muslims do not agree with ISIS. I have argued over and over again that we in the West should never retaliate against innocent Muslims who live here.
Yet we must speak out even if it offends innocent Muslims. There is something dreadfully wrong within Islam, and it is not just a few disaffected radicals who have hijacked the religion. When thousands of Turkish soccer fans boo and chant, "Allahu Akhbar" during a moment of silence for the victims in Paris, you know something is wrong.
ISIS says they are following the pure dictates of Islam. Muslim leaders in the West who are considered "moderate" say that ISIS et al are misinterpreting Islam.
Who is right?
One has to start at the beginning of Islam-the Prophet Mohammad. When he received revelations from God via the Archangel Gabriel, he began to preach peacefully in Mecca. A few followed him, but the powers to be viewed him as a threat. They drove Mohammad and about 150 of his followers out of Mecca. From there they established themselves in Medina and then spread Islam via war. Thousands died and after Mohammad's death, it carried on and spread through wars far beyond the Arabian Peninsula. To this day, Shia and Sunnis fight and kill each other over a dispute about who should have been the rightful heir to Mohammad after he died.
It is undeniable that Mohammad was a warrior after his move to Medina.
But in spite of that, is Islam really a religion of peace and tolerance-as Hillary Clinton affirmed a couple of days ago- or is it violent and intolerant by its very nature and laws?
Western Muslim imams and leaders tell non-Muslims that Islam is peaceful and does not allow such acts that are being committed. The so-called radicals quote the Koran and the Hadith to argue otherwise. (The Hadith is a collection of quoted sayings of Mohammad as passed down through generations from the original source who heard the saying. Through the centuries, Islamic scholars have collected the Hadiths analyzed them and judged which are valid and which are weak -or not reliably confirmed).
Let's briefly discuss the Koran. It is not enough for the non-Muslim to read a translated copy of the Koran, and I am by no means an expert myself. However, you must realize that the Koran as a book is not ordered by chapters (suras) chronologically. It is ordered from longest sura to shortest. Therefore, one must know in which order they are written. The Mecca verses, which are earlier, tend to be peaceful, tolerant, and similar to verses found in the Bible. It is the later verses during the Medina period which are the most hateful and violent. Sura 9, which is the last major sura, is arguably the most hateful and violent in the Koran. (Again, I am speaking as a "layman".)
So how do we resolve the obvious contradictions in the Koran? Well, the Islamic scholars have come up with a solution to that. It is called abrogation. That means that if there is a conflict between two verses, that recorded later in time abrogates that written earlier in time. In practical terms, that means the violent verses abrogate the tolerant, peaceful ones.
Let's briefly look at the Hadith. Martin Storm, a former Danish terrorist, has often been interviewed on Fox News. A few nights ago, he quoted from Sahih al Bukhari and read a verse (3012) which quoted Mohammad being asked about the permissibility of killing women and children of the enemy. Bukhari is one of the most respected schools of Islamic thought. Here is number 3012 from Sahih al Bukhari regarding Fighting for God's Cause (Jihad). It is from an Islamic source, Sunnah.com.
* Hima is an Arabic word referring to a protected zone.
I could go on and on, but I would encourage the reader to do further research on this site as to
what the major schools of Islamic thought have to say on Jihad as above.
what the major schools of Islamic thought have to say on Jihad as above.
It is imperative that everyone in the West educate him/herself about Islam especially as a
political ideology, which it is. It is on the march, and we as a people need to decide whether
we are going to surrender or fight. I don't mean going out and attacking innocent Muslims on
the street or defiling their mosques. We need to pressure our political leaders to stand up and
defend our countries from this violence. It is obvious that they have to be very guarded as to
what they say and do for fear of alienating all the Muslim world. I get that. However, we as a
people need to speak out and speak the truth even if it offends our Muslim neighbors and friends.
It is they who must stand up and actively fight this scourge-if they choose to do so. Sadly, most
are silent. It is not enough to say, "This is not true Islam". They must join us in this fight. If
they don't, they are irrelevant.
political ideology, which it is. It is on the march, and we as a people need to decide whether
we are going to surrender or fight. I don't mean going out and attacking innocent Muslims on
the street or defiling their mosques. We need to pressure our political leaders to stand up and
defend our countries from this violence. It is obvious that they have to be very guarded as to
what they say and do for fear of alienating all the Muslim world. I get that. However, we as a
people need to speak out and speak the truth even if it offends our Muslim neighbors and friends.
It is they who must stand up and actively fight this scourge-if they choose to do so. Sadly, most
are silent. It is not enough to say, "This is not true Islam". They must join us in this fight. If
they don't, they are irrelevant.
But I have posed a question, and I am compelled to answer it-as to my own opinion. To me, the
monsters of ISIS and Al Qaeda are fundamentalists. That is what we called Islamic terrorists
30-40 years ago and I think it fits more than the term, "radical".That is they are practicing the
purest form of Islam. It is the peaceful Muslims who are practicing a form of secularism. The
peaceful Muslims, with the exception of those like Zuhdi Jasser, are largely remaining silent,
trying to present a positive image of Islam to non-Muslims. However, there are lines they dare
not cross either out of fear or the realization that they cannot win theological debate with the
fundamentalists. Ayaan Hirsi Ali has recently written a book calling for a Reformation in Islam.
That would be wonderful, but how to do it? When Martin Luther led the Reformation, he did
not reject the Bible or Jesus Christ. He rejected the corruption and excesses of the Vatican.
How do you have a similar reformation in Islam without rejecting Mohammad and much of
what is written in the Koran? No, what is needed is for a mass apostasy on the part of hundreds
of millions of peaceful and decent Muslims. But then again, it is not as easy as leaving
Christianity, Judaism or Buddhism. The punishment according to (hudud) sharia for leaving Islam
is death. The Koran says it and Mohammad said it.
monsters of ISIS and Al Qaeda are fundamentalists. That is what we called Islamic terrorists
30-40 years ago and I think it fits more than the term, "radical".That is they are practicing the
purest form of Islam. It is the peaceful Muslims who are practicing a form of secularism. The
peaceful Muslims, with the exception of those like Zuhdi Jasser, are largely remaining silent,
trying to present a positive image of Islam to non-Muslims. However, there are lines they dare
not cross either out of fear or the realization that they cannot win theological debate with the
fundamentalists. Ayaan Hirsi Ali has recently written a book calling for a Reformation in Islam.
That would be wonderful, but how to do it? When Martin Luther led the Reformation, he did
not reject the Bible or Jesus Christ. He rejected the corruption and excesses of the Vatican.
How do you have a similar reformation in Islam without rejecting Mohammad and much of
what is written in the Koran? No, what is needed is for a mass apostasy on the part of hundreds
of millions of peaceful and decent Muslims. But then again, it is not as easy as leaving
Christianity, Judaism or Buddhism. The punishment according to (hudud) sharia for leaving Islam
is death. The Koran says it and Mohammad said it.
When you go to the source, the life of the prophet, the Koran and the Hadith, it is hard for me
to conclude that Islam is a religion of peace.
to conclude that Islam is a religion of peace.
2 comments:
Thanks Gary. This is one of your best articles. You have defined Islam and pointed out what needs to be done and why it is nearly impossible to reform Islam. But one of the points is missing. The point that Western thinkers are allowing Islamic terror to flourish. How is that, one would say? Simply put, Westerners refuse to recognize or rationalize or profit from the huge elephant in the room.
In a recent article, it was pointed out that the Bill, Hillary, Chelsea Clinton Foundation has accepted millions of dollars from Saudi Arabia and other Middle East countries. This occurred even when Hillary was Secretary of State. Saudi Arabia has an arrangement that the monarchy and the clergy keep out of each other's way. So the Kingdom makes the cash and the radical Islamic Wahhabists spend the money to build mosques, world-wide and put radical Imams in place. We do a lot of business with the Saudis and Obama bows to their King. Hillary says "we are not at war with Islam. Susan ("it was a video") Rice still professes that Benghazi was a video. Many more politicians and business men and women do business with the Middle East and do little to fight radical Islam. The EU is lining up to do business with the top sponsor of terror, which is Iran, as sanctions are removed.
Obama went to Cairo for his first foreign speech and demeaned the U.S., as he praised Islam. He also said:#1 “The future must not belong to those who slander the Prophet of Islam”
#2 “We will convey our deep appreciation for the Islamic faith, which has done so much over the centuries to shape the world — including in my own country.”
#3 “Islam has a proud tradition of tolerance.”
#4 “Islam has always been part of America”
#5 “These rituals remind us of the principles that we hold in common, and Islam’s role in advancing justice, progress, tolerance, and the dignity of all human beings.”
#6 “America and Islam are not exclusive and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap, and share common principles of justice and progress, tolerance and the dignity of all human beings.”
#7 “I made clear that America is not – and never will be – at war with Islam.”
#8 “Islam is not part of the problem in combating violent extremism – it is an important part of promoting peace.”
#9 “throughout history, Islam has demonstrated through words and deeds the possibilities of religious tolerance and racial equality.”
#10 “Ramadan is a celebration of a faith known for great diversity and racial equality.”
#11 “We’ve seen those results in generations of Muslim immigrants – farmers and factory workers, helping to lay the railroads and build our cities, the Muslim innovators who helped build some of our highest skyscrapers and who helped unlock the secrets of our universe.”
#12 “That experience guides my conviction that partnership between America and Islam must be based on what Islam is, not what it isn’t. And I consider it part of my responsibility as president of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear.”
#13 "I will side with the Mulsims when the political winds blow bad."
With all this disinformation, how can we expect Muslims, who know better, to trust us when they know what the truth is regarding radical Islam. This is the point. Until the West can see radical Islam as it is, stop funding it and put a stop to the disinformation avalanche, we will see ISIS continue to grow and be successful terrorists.
Squid
Thanks Squid.
Well said.
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