The Islamic State has continued its campaign of religious fascism in murdering thousands and “cleansing” areas for its view of the true Islamic faith. This process appears to include the burning of books in cities like Mosul, which once held a treasure trove of ancient texts including works dating back to 5000 BC. Some 2,000 books that range from children’s stories to poetry to historical texts were burned in front of residents who were told that such texts “promote infidelity and call for disobeying Allah. So they will be burned.”
It is all a part of the purification of areas, including the destruction of Sunni and Christian places of worship and libraries. A University of Mosul history professor said that IS has been systematic in targeting libraries, including a large Sunni Muslim library, the library of the 265-year-old Latin Church and Monastery of the Dominican Fathers and the Mosul Museum Library. It appears that IS may be selling some of the books on the black market, however. The only thing more motivating for the Islamic State than a good cleansing is cold hard cash. Yet, Islamic State is believed to have been successful in its efforts to burn maps and books from the Ottoman Empire and book collections involving works that are centuries old.
As discussed earlier, the Islamic State has already destroyed ancient shrines including those of Seth, Jirjis and Jonah. Their destruction reminds many of the damage from the Mongols who threw ancient books into the Tigris River.
It is particularly telling that, like so many fascists and terrorists before them, Islamic State views education and books to be some of their greatest enemies. It is a movement that thrives on ignorance and feeding their followers with an exclusive mix of extreme Islamic teachings and pure unadulterated hate. They are now preparing to defend Mosul from an expected attack of coalition forces — a battle that could destroy what remains of the city and costs thousands of additional lives.
As an educator, I can only image the pain of faculty at the University of Mosul in watching the very foundation for learning in the ancient city destroyed by these violent and ignorant men. Academics universally believe that the nature progression of humanity is toward knowledge. Islamic State and its predecessors can only slow that progression. However, the loss of these ancient works is a terrible price to pay since they constitute the very foundational works of Islamic education and development.
The Iraqi people who were no longer tortured by Sadam. Nor having to watch their children tortured might disagree with those who think invading was wrong. We removed the “The Butcher of Baghdad” and the people were happy about that. ISIS wouldn’t be where it is if we had left troops there. I don’t believe all these people saying Iraqis wanted us out. We were their protectors.
How many historical things have been lost, people forced out of their homes. I think Iraq would have been happy we were there. But we were pulled out, why? Maybe ISIS was being helped by someone. Mosul is pretty much destroyed. We should evacuate people and treasures of history.
If we were there maybe little girls heads would still be on their bodies. Boys who watched soccer games would be alive.
Beheading is the lowest act. Why are we standing by watching a Rome burning? Why do we not care about the history of mankind? Why do we not care about human beings anymore? Why weren’t we helping Israel? My God, why are we doing nothing?
We need a crusade. This would take the armed forces of several European civilized nation states. Thus far the Islamic State guys have motivated France and perhaps the United States. If someone could just get the terrorists to attack some Germans, Italians, Danes, Brits, Swedes, and Spanish, there would be perhaps a broader base for the crusade to draw from. One goal should be to burn all mosques and all traces of Islam. Everywhere East of Corfu is the pirate territory to invade.
Isaac – let us not forget that the reason why we are all not Muslim today, is that the Crusades stopped waves of Muslim expansion. They used to capture and enslave infidels. The reason why there is so much Moorish architecture in Spain and Portugal was Muslims conquered the area. The Crusades reconquered the land.
Be grateful. Since extremism is the norm in the ME, the US could have been under something similar to the Taliban if the West had refrained from fighting back.
Karen – the Reconquista conquered Portugal and Spain driving out the Moors.
Isaac – if you have to go back centuries to compare the wrongdoing of Christians to Muslim extremism, your argument is thin.
But I agree that we did not have a clear goal or exit strategy in Iraq. Nation building does not work, against the host country’s will. Obama received a conquered Iraq, and threw it all away.
Now… In NO WAY do I think that Christians in GENERAL are Like
terrorists…
BUT… Many people forget the Murder of George Tiller…
Abortion Clinic Bombings…
and lastly…. The Lords Resistance Army…
The LRA….
If the USA were Governed by the Bible, it would be just as bad…
Instead the USA and other western Societies are governed by the Rule Of Law… This is what separates the West from the Mid East/ North Africa..
It is the Foundation of Civilized Society….
justagurl wrote: “If the USA were Governed by the Bible, it would be just as bad… Instead the USA and other western Societies are governed by the Rule Of Law… This is what separates the West from the Mid East/ North Africa..
It is the Foundation of Civilized Society….”
LOL. What you seem to fail to realize is that the very concept of the rule of law comes from the Bible. The Jews were the very first civilization to have Constitutional government as opposed to the rule of autocrats. Without the Bible, there would be no such concept of the rule of law.
Karen S wrote: “But I agree that we did not have a clear goal or exit strategy in Iraq.”
President Bush was very clear that there would be no exit, and that we would be in there for a very long time. It was pretty obvious that this would be another Vietnam, but in the shadow of 911, that’s what people wanted, even the Democrats.
justagurl:
“The Koran gets twisted, just as the Bible does”
We really do have a big problem with extremist Christians beheading, suicide bombs, terrorism, and kidnapping girls and turning them into sex slaves and unwilling suicide bombers, forcing conversion at at the point of a sword, etc.
Oh, wait . . .
I believe in being truthful. (Unless I ask if an outfit looks bad on me. And then I expect my husband to lie convincingly.)
The only Christian extremists I can think of are the Branch Davidians, Jamestown, and Yearning for Zion. I’ve forgotten the name of that church that harasses military funerals. I don’t know of anyone else at the top of my head. An abortion bombing would have to be done in the name of Christianity, rather than just for retaliation for what the perpetrators considered the murder of children. I actually do not know if all or some of them were Christian extremists, but possibly.
Extremist Islam is a violent movement, and a global threat. Period.
If a Christian movement starts killing people by the thousands, all around the world, spreading terror, preventing girls from being educated, engaging in slavery, then I would not shrink from calling it an enemy, naming it, defining it, and combating it. My being a Christian would be irrelevant, just as it was irrelevant to my outrage at pedophile priests, or pedophile teachers.
Of course Islam may be practiced in peace. Many do just that. That is irrelevant to Muslim extremism.
I did not shy away from calling out pedophile priests because I was afraid it would harm the name of Christianity. It wasn’t even a question what was the right thing to do.
But I was criticizing the treatment of women under the Taliban before it was cool . . .
Karen – I think expecting your husband to lie convincingly about the dress is putting a terrible strain on your marriage. Have you considered counseling?
Regardless of what I say, my wife changes to something else.
Paul
Constantine was working with more pagans but still of the tradition of the Romans which was not based on making others into Romans but allowing others to practice their own religion but understand that they weren’t Roman so they had to do stuff like pay taxes, get out of this or that town when told, etc. The Roman empire was based on Roman citizenship where ever one lived. Trajan, and Hadrian came from Spain. I think some of the Scipios came from North Africa. A Roman was a Roman where ever he or she was and privileged. One had to be awarded Roman citizenship. It was not an issue of taking vows only voluntarily. The rest were allies, a very colonial formula.
Religious intolerance was something that built up over the centuries. Throughout Christian history it was often our way or the chopping block, even between Christians.
davidm1575
The history books were part of the classes I took at the University of Nice in the late 70’s early 80’s. They may not have been German maybe Belgae. The point is that Charlemagne conquered in the tradition started with Constantine, where the emperor or king was established by god, god’s representative etc. Before that Roman emperors were kind of like the President and attached to the sanctity of Rome as our Presidents are attached to the sanctity of the US and its historical artifacts. This continued until Emperors and Empresses allied themselves with their god given position even in the face of death. “The color purple makes a good shroud.’ Theodora, wife of Justinian, or something like that, been a while.
The connection of the Christian god to the power of the terrestrial leader often lead to absolutely no quarter given for non believers. The most blasphemous sort and one that was slaughtered without respect was the person who believed in no god. Even Christians and Muslims respected each other. They killed each other but they respected each other. This new stuff has nothing to do with religion. It is pure thuggery in disguise. Wax em all.
issac – Theodora said that under stress to put a stiffener in her husband before he skipped town with his tail between his legs. It worked. They turned around, slaughtered a bunch of their enemies and took control again. She had a pair. đŸ˜‰
issac wrote: “Before that Roman emperors were kind of like the President and attached to the sanctity of Rome as our Presidents are attached to the sanctity of the US and its historical artifacts. ”
How comforting to know this, considering that before Constantine, the Roman emperors persecuted and killed millions of Christians and Jews. Now you tell us that our President is more like them.
issac wrote: “Even Christians and Muslims respected each other. They killed each other but they respected each other. This new stuff has nothing to do with religion.”
This “new stuff” is not new. It is strange how you say the muslim violence is not connected to religion, but Charlemagne’s violence was.
I see now how you have a framework of understanding history via the French university you attended. I would encourage you to read a few completely different history texts, perhaps some texts from the Eastern Orthodox churches which are disconnected from the western histories that inculcate our culture. Doing so will help you see how much historians slant and couch events to tell a story and that what you perceive to be facts are really not so factual. Histories are more of a way of understanding events, and those events often are morphed to fit the story.
mespo727272
That Constantine didn’t identify with Christ is not surprising. It took hundreds of years for the Cult of Christianity to develop close to what it is today, and we read in the papers how it is still changing. First Mary got knocked up by Joseph then that was not strong enough so she did it with the big guy. An interesting book regarding the humanity of it all is Jose Saramago’s ‘The Gospel According to Christ’. It’s a lot like Kazanzakis’s ‘Christ Recrucified’ and ‘The Last Temptation of Christ’. He introduces the human condition into the tale with Joseph getting crucified himself, picked up in a round up of zealots, an innocent bystander. Saramago ties it to the sin Joseph committed when he over heard about the upcoming massacre of the innocents and didn’t stop to warn anybody else. Lot’s of children within earshot got put to the sword.
The onslaught of Christianity was rapid enough that when you go into a cathedral today the basic layout is the Roman Basilica with the alter where the Roman Emporer’s bust used to be. Early Christianity borrowed most of what was already there in architecture, art, literature, history, fables, etc and slapped on their brand. If you scratch a Christian something or other, you find an Egyptian, Greek, Israeli, Persian, etc. Unfortunately if you scratch a Muslim you find a round peg trying to fit into a square hole.
issac – Constantine had his soldiers put the Chi Rho on their shields, not the sign of the Sun and by the Edict of Milan he did decriminalize Christianity. He called the Council of Nicaea to settle the problems in the Church. He was followed by Christian emperors.
It is Scipio Africanus (Africanus is honorary) because he defeated Hannibal in North Africa, not because he was from Africa. Scipio was a good Roman boy. Supposedly, as the story goes, the Romans destroyed the city of Carthage and salted the fields so nothing would grow. However, the city still exists and things grow there.
The Romans were very good about allowing other gods, but not Christianity, because it denied the existence of the other gods. And some of the emperors were gods and were a little testy about not being gods anymore.
What do these murdering savages have to do before these progressive idiots recognize that they are a cancer that must be destroyed. How many people have to be beheaded? How many women have to be raped or prostituted or murdered?Stop with Bush and Constantine and some imaginary Christian terrorists.
Now I can I stand how intellectuals made excuse for the activities of Stalin and Mao.
These vermin must be exterminated. Period.
Reblogged this on Centinel2012 and commented:
Once they take Europe (by 2050 or so) the same will happen there, and then only America will be left!
alankdkd
“These Islamic religious fundamentalists are ignorant, anti-intellectual thugs, just the ignorant, Christian-fundamentalist anti-intellectual thugs we have over here.”
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I agree those who we are fighting are ignorant anti-intellectual thugs, I would go even farther and say they are murderers and killers with no conscience who want to control the masses but are smart enough to make the POTUS of this country knuckle down and retreat. However, I differ with you when you call Christian fundamentalist anti-intellectual thugs. Many Christians are very intelligent and most have a very generous and loving heart. Certainly not killers. The thugs we have over here don’t know what religion is we certainly have many of them. Don’t blame the Christians for those thugs that mama took to church but they never learned but still say they are Christian. Nothing could be further from the truth.
I say those who refuse to go against ISIS are cowards not Christians. Anyone who cannot name his enemy because the enemy lets it be known that he is a bully and willing to kill is unwilling to face what we call combat and is similar to our own POTUS You know POTUS takes no enemies, he just kills them with drones. He is certainly not a Christian fundamentalist, Possibly a Muslim who can’t hurt those who raised him in childhood and schooled him for he was born Muslim. (Read his books.) Question, Does anyone know why he is acting so childish by not meeting with the Leader of Israel. I say he should grow up and act like a true leader and show us which side he represents.
I would think that if a Christian said God too many times, you would know you are going to be told the truth, certainly not be habitually lied to. Now that is a plus as we have been lied to for the past 6 years. Did you not know that to tell a lie is a sin which seriously practicing Christians TRY not to do. The most of them are not habitual liars as the current inhabitants of the White House appear to be. I would like to ask you not to criticize the Christians of this country as we really are good people not killers or savages.
Question: Do you mean you wouldn’t vote for a Christian, or do you mean you are not a citizen and can’t vote for one? Of course if it the latter, please be patient and Mr. Obama will be happy to let you vote, citizen or not, as he would be happy to let anybody else from any other country come here to vote.
Just my opinion.
issac:
Right you are issac. Constantine the Great adopted the Christian god among the Roman pantheon of gods to aid him in consolidating his empire and insuring the rule of his son,Constantine II, at his death. It’s telling that the First Christian Emperor had no markings of the “Prince of Peace” or of Christianity itself on his triumphal arch built after his conversion. It did have the likenesses of Jupiter, Mars and Hercules as well as well as a “shout-out” to Sol Invictus, the Roman cult of the Sun who had their feast day on December 25th. He credited that “Sun” with his victory at the Milvian Bridge.
Constantine had the eastern part, what became the Byzantine empire for a thousand years until the Christians sacked Constantinople and then the Muslims took the city. He didn’t mess too much with France, Germany, etc. There were others but Charlemagne was a big Christian moment of decision making for a lot of pagans.
issac – considering that Constantine made Christianity the religion of the Roman Empire, I think he was probably working with more pagans than Charlemagne. đŸ™‚
Paul
I think I took our the scrolls just before I had the tribes of the Alps build that trophy for me at La Turbie, just above Monaco.
Re Constantine, it was his mother that took up with Christians. Constantine saw the advantage of linking himself to the big explanation and thus was born, ‘Onward Christian Soldiers, ta ta tadeum. He was the ruler of the Eastern part of the empire and didn’t have that much to do with Europe. Europe kind of fell victim of entropy after the Romans left and tribes went back to being tribes but now with small cities, castles, etc, the legacy of Roman times. These dark ages saw the rise of the Merovingian Empire, Carolingian Empire among others. Charlemagne was just another in a line of those trying to conquer in all directions at once. He got his butt whooped on Spain too-Song of Roland.
Any way, the point is when you got god on your side you can do just about anything you want. Convert or die. Well maybe we’ll kill ya anyway, cuz it’s Tuesday.
Paul:
Constantine was a Christian like Victor Lustig was a Parisian real estate broker – because it suited their purposes.
mespo – I can go either way on Constantine. đŸ˜‰
alankdkd:
And may I be the first to give you a big megachurch-style “Amen”!
nick:
“Islamic jihadists terrorists are defining Islam. It is not fair to the mainstream Muslims. But, that is the reality. That’s the way it works.”
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Just like backwoods, redneck, conservatives are defining us:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2867221.stm
That’s the way it works.
Jill:
” ISIS is a creature of the US. Yes, they are pure evil and they were people who we allied with and armed. We should ask some questions of our own leaders–one of those is why did you arm this madmen? Another is, why are you in general obsessed with arming every side in every conflict? Why will you never consider a peaceful solution to anything? Why are you propagandizing our people? Why do you turn people in this nation against each other? Why is the govt. terrorizing its citizens and making us stupid?”
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I agree ISIS is a creature of the US’s bungling done under the leadership of this PRESIDENT AND HIS CABINET………. certainly not the people of the US. POTUS has refused to name his enemy due to a belief that if you are nice to evil, you can change it. PURE HORSE PUCKEY! Anyone with a brain knows that people who kill like ISIS does certainly do not have any scruples. I call this the thinking of a delusional man. Many of our best generals have retired or taken early retirement because they were in disagreement with the way they were being instructed to run the war… Amazingly, the relationships we had with many of our best allies have been destroyed. ISIS is the type of thing that happens when a man who without any experience decides he knows more about war than our generals and insists on taking on the pseudo title of king and running the show himself, not listening to his war room. Yep, S%#t happens when the wrong person is in the lead.
The Middle East is a mess and as long as we have the present leader in office, it will get no better. What do you expect of a mass of people who are uneducated, want their women as chattel, not being allowed to be educated, and think they are pleasing their God by killing people they disagree with?. Burning books is what illiterates do. If they read them, they may learn something. It appears that we are fighting evil savages who unfortunately live in the modern world. Our leader has unleashed a form of evil in the Middle East that will take a higher power than what we as mere people are to annihilate or destroy it
As far as turning people in our country against each other……. That is what people do who want to destroy something. Nothing destroys an organization better than infighting. What did you expect of someone who came out of nowhere, with no experience at leading even a state, was not truly vetted and his drones voted for him anyway because he was one of them. Others who approved of him were wanting to show that they could cross the racial divide. Sorry, it backfired. We now know that this leader is a great community organizer and learned the Constitution backward and forwards. He knows how to keep the multitudes busy putting out fires so they won’t notice all the other things that are happening around them that they disapprove of. When people have so much thrown at them at one time, by the time they begin to solve one problem, there is another problem starring them in the face. …….the result: Many confused, just throw up their hands and quit. Exactly what our enemies want of us. …………….Remember this statement from one of our leaders, “NEVER LET A CRISES GO TO WASTE” Have we not had enough crises in this country, leaders going after our police, destructive demonstrations, burning of businesses, IRS problems, targeting certain groups, need I go on? Our present leadership certainly knows who to nudge to create crises and knows how to use them. Does this answer any of your questions? Just my opinion.
These Islamic religious fundamentalists are ignorant, anti-intellectual thugs, just the ignorant, Christian-fundamentalist anti-intellectual thugs we have over here.
Never let fundamentalists get control of your government! If a politician says “god” too many times, they don’t get my vote!
If the Islamic ickDayheads are killing people in total genocide its one thing. But to go a step worse and burn ancient books is another. It is time to simply drop a nuclear bomb on them and wipe them all out. Now that the books are gone there is no sense being civilized about responding to the uncivilized.