The Islamic al-Shabaab militia is well known for its harsh application of Sharia law in Somalia. However, it turns out that they have the same concerns about the children growing up with the wrong priorities and values as do people in the West. In the case of the al-Shabaab, the problem is a failure of parents to teach children to use weapons and their insistence on educating them on such things as reading and writing. The militia group is now forcing children to watch executions and giving away prizes of automatic weapons and grenades at children events. It is the Somali version of Hooked on Phonics.
The militants have been rounding up children from schools to watch executions in places like Merca, Somalia.
In Kismayo, children competed for the right to own AK-47 assault rifles, hand grenades and anti-tank mines. At the prize ceremony, parents were reminded to teach their children well about the use of weapons and the need to kill.
For the full story, click here.
Bryon/Mike Spindell,
I will agree that they were Zealots if history is accurate the St’s for the day are Simon and Jude.
I agree with Bryon that Jesus was not as passive as he is made to be. There is a book/bible called “The Lost Books of the Bible” and “The Forgotten Books of Eden.” It will give you a new feeling for this area in all aspect.
Now as far as being portrayed as feminine I think this was a sales job for the church to make his personality appear less forceful. I am remiss in the name that Jesus was called in India but it is my understanding that during the time period that is unaccounted for in any modern day bible he studied different manic arts of eastern mysticism.
I know a whole lot more but space is limited here as well as recall at this very instance.
Mike,
Even Asimov does a little speculation along those lines. Not much, but he does explore the theory that Judas was probably a hard-line revolutionary whose role was later minimized. As an aside he points out that Judas Iscariot is a couple of fairly easy “typos” away from something meaning “Judas the Zealot.”
Or we could go with Vidal’s theory that Jesus was killed because he advocated a soft money policy instead of the hard money one that Rome advocated. One of the best touches in “Live from Golgotha”
I cannot remember the name of the short story, but one of Lansdale’s many “alternate Universe” shorts is a letter from one Indian Chief to another (after they and the Japanese had driven out the “savage” Europeans). He mentions that if things had gone slightly different people would be Worshiping that rabbi “Joshua or something” instead of his cousin, John the Baptist.
“I always thought that Jesus was a revolutionary.”
Byron,
Their is historical evidence that most of the Disciples were members of the Zealots, who took the revolutionary lead against the Romans. This stuff has always fascinated me and I’ve done a lot of reading about it. What got clouded when Constantine took over the Church, was that the Jews were the most militant of the
Roman Provinces and were never really subdued, though badly beaten. Jesus was probably not only a “bad ass” but a revolutionary reformer also. The Romans had to clean this picture
up because how could they accept as Lord someone who was to them a traitor. Many historians for instance believe that the “render unto Caeser…” quote was a later insertion. We’ll never know for sure, but for me it is fun reading and historically instructive. In context of the ongoing discussion here the notion that we are today more intellectually/politically evolved than the ancients is a flawed one.
Byron,
Do you feel women are not and cannot be revolutionary forces in the world (because that’s what I get from your first sentence). Also, do you feel that the only way one can be a revolutionary person is to be violent (because that is what I get from your last statement).
Mike/AY:
I always thought that Jesus was a revolutionary. And never did like the feminine Jesus portrayed in the pictures and in sermons at church when I was young.
He took on the entire hierarchy of that time and basically beat them. No turn the other cheek Jesus for me, I like the bad ass avenging Jesus. Think the Terminator and Han Solo combo Jesus.
AY,
The interesting fact is that if Jesus actually had declared he was the heir to the House of David, he would be committing treason towards Rome. Remember on the Cross it read “King of The Jews.” That indicates treason under Roman Law since only the Emperor had the power to designate Kingship in occupied lands.
Mike Spindell,
I am gonna interject here. I read a book a few years ago and the Divine Christ that they were looking for was a mere man with extraordinary abilities. The problem started when the House of David felt that his power management was going to be attacked. The concept of job sharing had not been thought of as of yet.
Gyges,
Good catch. There is a whole historical sub-genre regarding the proposition and evidence that Jesus (or whoever was supposed to be Jesus)was actually a revolutionary against Rome and that was why they crucified him. Many writers on the subject, the best is Hyam Maccoby, whose books make for impressive arguments.
Mike,
Then again, since in all likelihood Jesus might very well have been planning an armed rebellion against Rome…
Or maybe I should say “…one of the people who did the stuff attributed to Jesus in the Bible…”
http://ancienthistory.about.com/b/2008/10/01/christ-the-magician.htm
Jason,
You raise a good point, but I can’t help but think that the Buddha, Confuscious and Jesus would be quite upset at what some of their followers have wrought.
Mike,
I think I agree with your sentiment, but if I were in the prophet’s shoes, I think I would take some solace in knowing I’d not simply given sociopaths new rhetorical fuel, but meanwhile helped a handful of people become more perfect…
As a general rule, I assume the positive outcomes of any effort to be less visible, less televised, less memorialized, than the negative… to choose a secular example, Darwin’s truths may have been perverted by Hitler, but they also inspired more faithful followers to develop medicines that improve the lives of billions.
Gyges,
You’re right I am speaking from my perspective and that perforce can not be all inclusive or definitive. Yes the blindmen and elephant analogy is also apt. It does seem to me though that history has shown the constancy of religion being hijacked for personal ego and gain. In truth you could do it with any religion.
I’ve often pondered how awful it would be to have had God choose me as a messenger, for after God imparting the wisdom, then would come the revelation that after I go, all my teachings would be perverted by someone or other for their own benefit, or to satisfy their own delusions. Thankfully, I’ve received no messages from “on high.”
It’s a tough life there, as in other war-torn regions.
Child soldiers are a big problem in other parts of Africa as well.
How long has it been since public executions became uncommon in the US? Couldn’t we argue that taking the kids to the hanging/lynching would be a “traditional family value” here in America?
isnt this kinda of the extreme next step for 2nd amendment gun enthusiasts?
Mike,
I think we agree that religion is a human institution and since humans are never either completely good or completely bad (both of which are neither well defined or objective), neither is religion.
I occasionally have a discussion about Christianity that goes something like this:
“Those ______ have it completely wrong Christianity is about forgiveness and love not judgment and condemnation”
“All of that’s in the Bible, so actually Christianity is about all of that, people just seem to pick and choose which part they model their life after.”
“No, Jesus was about love and taking care of his fellow man.”
“Yes, yes he was, but for every ‘as you do onto the least of these’ there’s a ‘If anyone does not hate his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, and yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.’ I respect anyone that chooses the first over the second, but you can’t go around saying that those people who happen to emphasize a different part of the Bible from you aren’t good Christians and don’t get it. They get it, they just get a different part.”
I may or may not bring up the four blind guys describing what an elephant is (that’s the only good use for that analogy I’ve found). Usually there’s a moment of silence and the conversation turns to whatever is on the radio at the moment.
The only people that argue that Jesus WAS about judgment etc. are people who are “anti-religion” which in the U.S. almost always means “anti-fundamentalist-Christianity.” At which point I argue the reverse (For every “if anyone does not hate…” there’s a ‘as you do to the least…’).
It’s sort of like how depending on your political persuasion “1984” is about Communists or Fascists, instead of being about both.
Dredd,
Thank you for the video. I watched some of it but finally had to quit. You couldn’t find a more loaded forum for this debate and the opening introduction by the MC, a devout Christian and the debate moderator a former Jew, really stacked the deck against Nadir who acquitted himself very well.
This brought to mind the “debates” set up in the Middle Ages by Christian Clergymen with Rabbi’s. The Rabbi would be handicapped by the fact that his arguments against Christianity could make him a target for heresy and that he was the member of a tiny minority that could suffer repercussions in general. Mr. Nadir, of course didn’t have the same threats hanging over his head, but was really at a disadvantage under the auspices and terms of the debate.
In the end the whole questions is ridiculous. No religion comes into any discussion such as this with clean hands. Even the followers of Buddhism has vicious doctrinal battles. One could certainly read the Holy books of ant religion and find bloodthirsty passages intermingled with longings for peace.
The issue really is that there are many religious sociopaths and psychopaths willing to find backing for their aspirations for power, in the religious texts of their choosing. The enemy is not religious texts per se, but the
“true believers” that misuse them for selfish purposes.
Well raise your children well, teach them all about such trivial issues as execution. Heck they hopefully will grow up and not have to rely on theft by forceful taking, armed robbery, piracy on the high seas.
I wonder why this is such an issue for them. Now a field day I can relate.
Dredd:
good link, I watched part of it and will watch the rest.
A debate has taken place down the halls of time about whether Christianity, Judaism, and/or Islam are fairly represented by those who violate the respective religion’s tenets or by those who adhere to the respective religion’s tenets.
Here is an apologetic for Islam:
http://www.answeringmuslims.com/2008/01/sam-shamoun-vs-nadir-ahmed-is-islam.html