-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
At the Peace Conference Scandinavia 2013 held is Oslo, Norway, nine Shaykhs (Islamic leaders) spoke about the values of Islam to a claimed attendance of over 4000. The chairman of Islam Net, Fahad Ullah Qureshi addressed the question of Islamophobia in western media.
As shown in the video, Qureshi asked the audience, who were common Sunni Muslims, if they “supported stoning or whatever punishment Islam or prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) commanded for adultery or any other crime.” The audience was virtually unanimous in their support for these punishments.
The organizers of the conference then ask the key question:
Now what does that tell us? Either all Muslims and Islam is radical, or the media is Islamophobic and racist in their presentation of Islam.
According to this reasoning, since most Muslims hold these views, they can’t be extremists. They might not be extremists when compared to other Muslims, but they are extremists when compared to those who support the concept of basic human rights.
The freedom to use one’s own mind to justify or reject beliefs is the most fundamental of human rights. When one must conceal their non-belief for fear of death or imprisonment, that individual feels isolated from human society.
Of the seven countries where atheism is punishable by death, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, Sudan, Mauritania, and the Maldives, all have established Islam as the state religion. For atheists, Islamophobia is a rational belief.
To those who project western mores onto Muslim societies, this video should exhibit the folly of such fanciful efforts. This video is the perfect argument for secularism, James Madison’s “perfect separation” between church/mosque and state. Without the power of the state, these Shaykhs can be fearlessly dismissed as fools. With the power of the state, they are fools to be feared.
As written by the organizers of this conference, the problem is not “Radical Shaykh,” it’s Islam.
H/T: Sam Harris, Jonathan MS Pearce, Max Fisher, Barry Duke, IHEU(pdf).
Consider Persia.
The radicalization of the mid-east in modern times is a subterranean story.
They were scientific, musical, peaceful, and a great culture before the advent of Western Civilization’s addiction to oil (“Texas Tea”).
One book in the Western Bible, Esther, is a book about, inter alia, a Persian Queen.
Yes, a book about a Jewish virgin who became the Queen of the Persian Empire of that day (now called Iran).
Some say it is a book written by an atheist, because it is the only book in the Western Bible that does not contain the word “God.”
Anyway, several thousand years after that, our oil was found under the sands of their lands (Viva Egypt – 2).
Who knew?
That changed all of us (The Universal Smedley – 2).
Omar Khayyám was a consumate expert in Algebra:
He calculated the length of the day out to 10 decimal points. Circa 1100 A.D. (feudal period in Europe; U.S.A. did not exist yet).
I would not at all be surprised that some of the best people on Earth are Catholics, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, or Athiests.
Ditto for any I left out.
Music from my Persian brothers:
Give me a flagon of red wine,
a book of verses, a loaf of bread,
and a little idleness.
If with such store I might sit
by thy dear side in some lonely place,
I should deem myself happier
than a king in his kingdom.
A book, a woman, and a flask of wine:
The three make heaven for me; it may be thine
Is some sour place of singing cold and bare—
But then, I never said thy heaven was mine.
-Omar Khayyám
Some Islamic music:
And of course, we can’t discuss our dear DECIDER…
George W. Bush to Speak to Messianic Jewish Group: Why???
http://www.jewishjournal.com/bloggish/item/george_w._bush_to_speak_to_messianic_jewish_group_why
Is George W. Bush a Muslim then?
Sorry, don’t mean to rail on… but…
Catholics in America, Catholics in Ireland, Catholics in Great Briton, Catholics in Australia, Catholics in Italy, etc. You name the Nation that embraces Catholicism, and I’ll show you a Religion of Pedophiles by so called, Christian nations.
WHERE’S THAT HIT PIECE?
It’s comforting to read how so many people subscribe to the idea that all Catholics are pedophiles by nature, as is their Leadership.
NO?
I don’t trust anyone under 30 or any human with a beanie, turban, tent or other religious hat on their head. There is a religious group of muslims in Texas called TentHeadsRuDumb. Google it.
Theocracies are dangerous to all humans.
“Everybody must get stoned …”
There are a lot of example of western mistaken identity when liberal Islam is considered, as Mike S aluded to.
It is exemplified in the “blind me around the elephant” syndrome which arises when Omar Khayyám is considered:
(Wikipedia). Consider how views of something as “cut and dried” as law vary on our Supreme Court, congress, and DOJ.
And the fifty states of laws for each state in the “union.”
Reductionism is a poor way to study or discuss religion, sociology, or law.
I prefer my Shaykhs malted with chocolate. But seriously…
All it takes is the courage to say N-O to this thinking. There is no special protection that even shaykhs are immune from criticism when the stupidity starts flowing. Nothing in the First Amendment requires us to be silent when zealots insist on making magic-thinking and cruelty the basis of our shared public policy, and this includes religious and non-religious people alike. “I believe” is not a suit of armor.
thank you, mr dimon, for the insight. religion and genitals are very much alike..mine is bigger than yours and it would be my pleasure to kill you and torture your family to prove my point.
a tip of the spaghetti strainer, atop the head of FSM, to Nal for the work.
Nal:
here is an interesting article:
http://sultanknish.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-desert-of-islamization.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+FromNyToIsraelSultanRevealsTheStoriesBehindTheNews+%28from+NY+to+Israel+Sultan+Reveals+The+Stories+Behind+the+News%29
“Nothing in Islam exists apart from anything else. While liberals view culture and religion as a buffet that they can pick and choose from, it is a single integrated system. If you accept one part, you must accept the whole. Once you accept any aspect of Islam, you must accept its legal system and once you accept that, you must accept its governance and once you accept that, you lose your rights.”
There is a comment by a poster from Norway, it is near the top [2nd post]and well worth reading.
A small sample:
“. . . last week the biggest group of muslims in Norway (6000 members) had a meeting and all 1500 men who was there raised there hands when asked if gays should be stoned.”
More from Wikipedia:
(Islam).
Unfortunately, as Nal points out, when religion is established by any State (those seven being an example) human rights get trampled. Yes there is a strain of Islam that has gained credence among the faithful that is abhorrent to people who believe in equality of the sexes, the freedom to chose ones sexual partner and the freedom to believe, or not. When governments institutionalize a religion they give a leg up to those who would literally interpret the words of their holy books. The explanation for this phenomenon is simple. Fundamentalists of all faiths are mistakenly considered “more pious” than the rest of the faithful. Those of that religion that are more moderate in their beliefs feel constrained to differ with those “more pious”. Therefore the “fundamentalists” gain more power when a State religion is adopted, since to criticize their views would be a denial of their piety.
The reality is that “fundamentalists” of any religion are made up of roughly two types. The first type, the overwhelming majority are people who crave authority controlling the messy existence we call life. The “authority” tells them how to behave and enforces it pressure on those who don’t toe the line. The second, much smaller group are those who dwell on power over others, for ego or other gain. They manipulate the rest of the faithful and control them through their strict edicts. Those nations that make religion a central part of their governance will always be despotic and are to be feared.
However, before we comfort ourselves with the idea that our “Christian Nation”
is somehow better evolved than these seven nations, let us consider the Dominionists who would institute a Christian version of Sharia Law in our country.
Excellent response Dave, however, this is Islamic beliefs. We all must live and respect one another’s beliefs, correct? I was astounded at all the hands that were raised, but not one bit surprised they stood by their “faith”.
I doubt that the response of “a claimed attendance of over 4000” is sufficient to speak for 1.57 billion (“A comprehensive 2009 demographic study of 232 countries and territories reported that 23% of the global population, or 1.57 billion people, are Muslims.” – Wikipedia, “Islam”).
The Epigovernment and the spread of American Feudalism is more dangerous than the concepts of Islam.
One congressman, a Muslim, recently took the oath of office on a copy of the Koran that was owned by Thomas Jefferson.
Ardent belief in a curiously specific sky-monster leads only to tyranny, for both the individual who self-imposes it and the society on which such ideas are imposed.
Religious zealotry is little more than cult like behavior, be it Muslim or Jim Jones Christianity. Unfortunately, there are billions of Muslims who have found the cult of death, unjustified punishment and intolerance to be more joyful and rewarding in their bizarre afterlife than peace on earth and good will towards men (and women). Of course Christianity, drones, the death sentence and Guantanamo don’t actually mix well either. God is a very handy excuse for doing all things evil.
Were the drones given that day off, by chance ….. ???
Propaganda is propaganda regardless of its source….. Thanks nal….