INQUIRER Volume 4, Issue 10, October, 2001, Long Island Secular Humanists Box 119, Greenlawn, NY 11740, Email: LISecHum@aol.com . A Thumbs Up Publication Editor: Gerald Dantone, Art Design: John R. Wilmarth Copyright LISH 2000 (All articles in this newsletter may be reprinted by organizations affiliated with the Council for Secular Humanism with a reciprocating reprinting agreement with LISH, so long as the article is used in full and with complete crediting. Edited versions can be used with written permission.)
LISH members, our monthly meetings (Calendar) are your chance not only to see and hear a stimulating discussion on an exciting subject, but also to meet with your fellow secular humanists on Long Island.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1) The World Trade Center Attack: Secularism vs. Theocracy?
2) Letters to the Editor
3) Look Who Agrees with bin Laden
4) Is Islam Different?
5) What Do We Do?
6) Jihad
7) Mindless Hate - American StyleTHE WORLD TRADE CENTER ATTACK: Secularism vs. Theocracy? Gerry Dantone
On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, everything changed for the people of America. We have witnessed, in essence, the opening salvo in a war that few have been able or willing to define properly: A war between secularism and theocracy.
Is this really the case?
If the suspected terrorists ADMIT that they are religiously motivated and do it in the name of their God and religion, then it IS about religion. Apologists who claim that this is not the true way of their religion are doing what the terrorists also do - laying claim to an absolute truth. Excuse us for wanting more evidence on either side. Otherwise it is just one opinion against another. Looking at the scriptures or other religious sources may prove embarrassing to moderates who otherwise should be proud they're not fundamentalists.
Consider this "exchange" between Afghan Mullah Mohammed Omar and the President:
Omar: "We are confident that no one can harm us if God is with us. Almighty God is helping the believers and the Muslims. God says he will never be satisfied with the infidels... America has taken Islam hostage. America controls the governments of the Islamic countries. The people ask to follow Islam, but the governments do not listen."
Pres. Bush: "Freedom and fear, justice and cruelty have always been at war, and we know that God is not neutral between them."
As Richard Dawkins says, there is an elephant in the room, that many are trying to ignore or rename, but theistic religion it is and hate is what it is creating.
What is precisely the grievance of those who would kill thousands of innocent civilians? Is it the cause of the Palestinians? Answer: Not at all! Yasir Arafat, though largely to blame for the collapse of peace talks and statehood for Palestine, is a secularist (relative to others in the region) himself and does NOT wish to alienate the United States and hand power over to fundamentalist Islamic groups in his territory. His excuse for not cracking down on such extremists has been his inability to do so. They enjoy the support of a large segment of his population. He now wishes to be a part of the coalition that fights terrorism. His mistake all along has been using and appeasing terrorists to the point where their power threatens his, and he is unable to control them, losing his credibility.
Are the grievances based on misuse of our country's vast powers? Answer: Ridiculous! No regime in the world is more despotic, power mad and sickening than the Taliban, protectors of Osama Bin Laden the lead suspect. Social justice is what they OPPOSE.
It is true that the US has erred in many ways in dealing with other nations, leading to the deaths of innocent civilians abroad. It is also true that our record for social justice is far from perfect here at home. We have made huge mistakes from slavery, to segregation to Viet Nam to carpet bombings of our enemies and other military acts that have, in the past, accounted too little for non-combatants.
This changes nothing in this case. We have been and still are the world's greatest example of freedom, democracy, social justice and hope itself, which is of course, a sad indictment of the rest of the world. Our resolve, though, must be to do better, not give up or resign in self-guilt.
The Taliban and other extremists who would use terror seek to impose their point of view on everyone. Even if they were the majority in a given country, their rule would still violate every single value that our Founding Fathers embraced in framing the Constitution and Bill of Rights. They would seek to eliminate all freedom of speech, religion and assembly. In this case, there is nothing to debate.
Although it is tragic that war or a violent conflict may serve as a vehicle to improve a society, improve we must. We must resolve to let social justice rule our foreign policy, admit past mistakes and do our best to make what was wrong, right.
We must support the effort to eliminate the real threat of terrorists who would not hesitate to kill millions of people, if only they could, to advance a totalitarian way of life on future victims. This is as black and white as it's going to get. Perhaps some of us have thought the US was the bully or the aggressor in one situation or another, or perhaps that the US was completely at fault in some other situation. Perhaps. But the murder of 6,000 persons is unrelated to any social cause for the good of humanity. No, they're trying to kill us for what is positive about America: freedom of religion and speech and our secularism.
It is time to prevent what undoubtedly would lead to the mass deaths of millions of Americans via future terrorism. Not only should terrorists be removed, regimes that support them toppled, and organizations that fund them eliminated, but social justice and hope must be put in their places. The humanization of religion must continue. Secularism is an essential component. Nothing less will stand a chance of success. We hope the President and Congress understand. The job is huge, but there is no choice. [TOC]LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Re: SPECIAL LISH QUESTION OF THE MONTH: What are your thoughts regarding the recent terrorist attacks on the US? LISH will publish a special issue devoted to the topic and the views and feelings of the humanist community are sought. Also, aside from charitable donations and volunteerism, is there anything the humanist community should do in the wake of the tragedy?
9/12/01 Just wanted to point out -- as I'm sure you're painfully aware -- the irony of "President" Bush condemning fanatics and then quoting from the Bible -- New Testament, even. Every time some lackey calls for "prayer," I can't help but point out that "prayer" -- if this was indeed an attack from Muslim extremists (which I'll admit is not proven by evidence at this point, but go with me here) -- is how this whole thing probably started! Not praying, but hoping, Grady via Internet
Response: You're 100% right - the problem is that prayers WERE answered - the supposedly Islamic fundamentalist prayers, as is assumed. President Bush, who is fairly fundamentalist himself, will fail to realize this. G.D.
9/15/01 The tragic events of September 11, 2001 have shown that America is not immune from attack by those who would harm her.
This fact was obviously forgotten when the Clinton administration led NATO's terrorist bombing attacks against Yugoslavia and when Madeline Albright casually dismissed the deaths of 500,000 Iraqi children during her infamous interview with Leslie Stahl on Sixty Minutes on May 12, 1996.
Nor should we forget that American tax dollars and F-16's are enabling the Israelis to murder Palestinians with impunity.
Why America's political leadership should believe that it has the right to bomb the hell out of everyone else in the world and not expect retaliation only shows its arrogance and stupidity.
The criminals who perpetrated the World Trade Center bombing and the attack on the Pentagon must be brought to justice. But we should never forget that the murders of thousands of innocent American citizens did not occur in a political vacuum.
America's blundering and idiotic foreign policy in the Middle East from its use of the CIA to overthrow the government of Iran in 1953 to its present "Israel ueber alles" posture, and its murderous decade in Iraq should have exposed its folly by now for all to see. Robert E. Nordlander via Internet
Response: It is clear that a callous attitude toward civilian casualties will forever haunt any nation, the US included. But this terrorist attack was not in support of any understandable brand of social justice. G.D.
9/15/01 My response to the LISH Question regarding the recent terrorist attack is this: All religions should be declared "Mental Illness."
Another sad observation is how many churches are exploiting the tragedy by scheduling "candlelight vigils." Regards, Rob via Internet
Response: Something that is important to understand is that even religious fanatics are not necessarily mentally ill in any organic way. They simply are not able to think rationally and compassionately from years of indoctrination. As for the response from churches, they are well meaning but ironic in a way that escapes the vast majority of persons. G.D.
9/15/01 Before this suicide attack, I had begun to sympathize with the Palestinian point of view, I saw the injustice of Israel moving them off the lands that they had owned and lived on for generations, I just never agreed with their methods. Now, the only homeland I wish for them would be in HELL! Jim via Internet
Response: It probably is important to divorce the Palestinian question from the terrorist act for a simple reason: They are not necessarily integrally related. What was just for Israel and Palestine remains just. However, the need for a secular solution should have been reinforced, though I doubt many political leaders understand this. G.D.
9/15/01 Please accept my sincerest condolences for the losses suffered by New Yorkers and others during recent days. Joe Beck, Council for Secular Humanism via Internet
Response: Thank you. G.D.
9/15/01 It's a shame that something like this has to happen in order for the US to go above and beyond the call of duty to take care of this evil that has been poisoning humanity for such a long time. And it has to take something on this scale to "bring" New Yorkers together. When will the average New Yorker realize New York will be such a more beautiful place if we all acted as one community with one cause. To respect and love others as we would our family. Lou via Internet
Response: We have proven it can be done. Why not everyday? G.D.
9/19/01 I think that we should figure out how to get rid of the Taliban in Afghanistan. According to a post from an Afghan who has lived here for 35 years, the Taliban is holding the country hostage and the people of Afghanistan are unable to get rid of the thugs. I do not recommend a military war but certainly there may be some way to help the Afghans without helping the Taliban. The women in Afghanistan have lived in terror ever since the Taliban has taken over.
This is the horror that religions are capable of and is not confined to the Taliban. As has been proven over and over again and again in history, religions of the world have aimed to control the lives of people, and particularly women, the Taliban has been particularly good at it.
I also think we should not be taking revenge. (It is always amazing to me how people who believe in Jesus and in "turning their cheek" are always so warlike.) It's not that I don't feel anger, as I most certainly do, and it's not that I wouldn't like revenge, as I most certainly do, but I think that will not solve this problem of terrorism in the long run. E Jetter via Internet
Response: You are right in that the focus must be justice and prevention. G.D.
9/16/01 To President Bush: In the next few hours and days, please consider that there are most likely hundreds of terrorists-to-be RIGHT NOW in the USA, Canada, and Europe just waiting for a good excuse to unleash more acts of violence, chemical warfare and/or nuclear warfare against the Western world should we carpet bomb ANY nation in the Middle East.
The US needs to think through the best way to deal with Israel, the Middle Eastern governments who on our side, the UN, and the rest of the world's governments in finding the proper and effective method of ending not only the action of these religious fanatics, but the poor conditions of the Middle East which leads to the making of such murderers in the first place.
The world is a small place Mr. President; we cannot withstand any biological or nuclear warfare. I am afraid for all Americans, and indeed the human species. We need a UNITED WORLD. We need you to calm Americans down before jingoism blinds us to the horrors of war. We need you to be a rational leader in this time of great crisis. We need you to follow the footsteps of a past Republican leader we all respect - Abe Lincoln - and this time, end this war BEFORE it begins for we cannot wait for any god to bless America, we need to save ourselves, our countrymen, and our world ... ourselves. Concerned, scared citizen, Barry Seidman, via Internet
Response: Unfortunately, this may be a war that has already begun whether we want it or not. It is hoped that our President, not known for his intellectual curiosity or depth of understanding, is capable of discerning the nuances of the task ahead. G.D.
9/16/01 Religiously and culturally diverse cities, when suddenly stripped of all those varied perspectives, and left solely in the moment of a terrible and shocking event, take one common course - they come together.
It re-affirms my belief in the human race, that though we are able to convince ourselves, through religious, political and economic reasoning, to commit such horrible acts at the ones we saw on Tuesday, and even the ones America commits on foreign soil, some of our purest, most visceral reactions appear to be compassion, empathy, selflessness and heroism, as we've seen in New York. Steve DeVries, Center for Inquiry-Metro New York via Internet
Response: Sadly, evil is easy, good is difficult. A handful of evil persons have overwhelmed numerous well-intentioned persons. G.D.
9/17/01 God's punishing us for our sins (Falwell and Robertson), God help us (my mother), God bless America (everybody). The association between God and country has never been stronger. As a secular humanist, I am struck by the irony of it all. Aren't we going to war to protect our way of life? Aren't those ways, secular humanist ways? I guess the religious spin is predictable and relevant to a great majority of people. So I'll bite my tongue and support my country to defend our secular freedoms. John Lucania via Internet
Response: Perhaps it is time to STOP biting your tongue. If the death of 6,000 of our innocent neighbors does not allow us to point out the danger of religious fanaticism, what will? G.D.
9/17/01 I think that the best thing for me to do since last Tuesday, is try to know even more about myself; my wants, my needs, what makes me cry and why I laugh.
The more I know and take comfort from my own diverse ways, the deeper I can appreciate them in others. I will continue to do my best to honor my chosen country by doing the best I can to MOVE FORWARD rather than join others in blaming and downing what we have done in the past.
Nobody "deserves" this type of terrorism, despite of what we have done to others or helped others to harm their enemies. We all need to be proactive in our political, ethical and social thinking and in providing assistance to others. We need to be more serious in the care we give ourselves. Annita via Internet
Response: In the spirit of moving forward, perhaps it is also time to reassess everything - our country's goals, values and policies towards the rest of the world. We cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of the past and allow religious zealots to seize on resentment against us to build their ranks. We must promote hope in the world to the best of our ability. Where hope is lost, people look to martyrdom in the next life, and the US is an inevitable target unless we provide the hope. G.D.
9/19/01 We are at war, and we must respond accordingly, causing maximum damage as quickly as possible with minimum risk to and loss of American lives. We must deliver an ultimatum to Iran, Iraq, Syria, the Sudan, Libya and Afghanistan: within seven days, disarm your military, destroy all terrorist camps within your borders, and allow constant inspections henceforth to guarantee that you do not again become a threat to American citizens.
If these countries fail to comply--which is extremely likely, given America's record of vacillation and weakness in the face of decades of terrorist attacks -- we must unhesitatingly bomb the terrorist camps to rubble, AND raze the capitals of the countries in question, starting with Afghanistan. Blow them out of the 21st century and back to the period that had no respect for life, liberty and property: the Dark Ages. What about the "innocent citizens" in those countries? Many danced in the streets with delight at the news that thousands of American civilians had been burned and crushed to death. If there are any true innocents among them, let them take those seven days to flee the capital and the country, or to rebel.
To retaliate against a country whose government aids and abets terrorists is not vengeance. It is not bloodlust. It is not murder. It is self-defense. They do not want to live: we do. Let's remove their threat so promptly and so decisively that no one will think of making it again - and then get on with our lives. Dianne Durante, Ayn Rand Institute via Internet
Response: When did Objectivists begin to care so little about individuals? The indiscriminate demolition of Afghanistan (or Iraq and other countries) would surely kill many innocent people indeed. After the Taliban is gone, we need to leave them with hope, not bitterness and hate, or the problem will return. Duh. G.D.
9/19/01 The goal of this war is a cold, practical necessity: to eliminate a threat to civilization.
1. We must have a clear grasp of the means, ends, and morality of the war we are about to wage.
2. We must not regard these attacks as a criminal matter. The perpetrators are not just lone individuals, but the governments that support them.
3. We must eliminate the terrorist headquarters and training camps in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya and Sudan.
4. We must also depose these governments, capture or kill their leaders, and put whoever remains on trial for their war crimes--we must accept no apologies or offers of cooperation from them now.
5. "We must replace these leaders with new regimes under the control of the United States--just as we did in Japan and Germany at the end of WWII.
6. We must undertake a military occupation of the Middle East to ensure that no terrorist organizations can ever again form to attack the United States.
7. We must be prepared to use nuclear weapons--just as we did to end WWII--to spare the lives of hundreds of thousands of US troops.
8. We must prepare the American people to accept a very real, protracted, all-out war--to accept the grim task ahead and to prosecute it to the end. From Ayn Rand Institute senior fellow Robert Tracinski via Internet
Response: At this point, the use of nuclear weapons is clearly unwarranted. However, if terrorists were to unleash weapons of mass destruction against civilian populations, the US would be placed in a difficult position. This has not happened. G.D.
9/19/01 A military response, particularly an attack on Afghanistan, is exactly what the terrorists want. It will strengthen and swell their small but fanatical ranks.
Instead, bomb Afghanistan with butter, with rice, bread, clothing and medicine. It will cost less than conventional arms, poses no threat of US casualties and just might get the populace thinking that maybe the Taliban don't have the answers. After three years of drought and with starvation looming, let's offer the Afghani people the vision of a new future; one that includes full stomachs.
Bomb them with information: Video players and cassettes of world leaders, particularly Islamic leaders, condemning terrorism. Carpet the country with magazines and newspapers showing the horror of terrorism committed by their "guest". Blitz them with laptop computers and DVD players filled with a perspective that is denied them by their government. Saturation bombing with hope will mean that some of it gets through. Send so much that the Taliban can't collect and hide it all!
The Taliban are telling their people to prepare for Jihad. Instead, let's give the Afghani people their first good meal in years.
Seeing your family fully fed and the prospect of stability in terms of food and a future is a powerful deterrent to martyrdom. All we ask in return is that they, as a people, agree to enter the civilized world. That includes handing over terrorists in their midst.
In responding to terrorism we need to do something different.
Something unexpected, something that addresses the root of the problem. We need to take away the well of despair, ignorance and brutality from which the Osama bin Laden's of the world water their gardens of terror. From SJC via Internet
Response: Hopelessness breeds fatalism. We need to replace the Taliban with hope. G.D.
9/12/01 (Forwarded from Warren Allen Smith, author of "Who's Who in Hell): Subject: Message to my American friends: Like most of the world, I watched with horror and disbelief the unfolding events of Black Tuesday: local networks gave BBC and CNN coverage for hours.
I and all my associates would like to send our deepest sympathy to those directly or indirectly involved - which by now must mean almost everybody.
And we appreciate the email messages we have received from many friends in the areas affected, reassuring us of their safety.
It has been said that every catastrophe is an opportunity and one can only hope that this atrocity will unite the whole world in an effort to stamp out those responsible.
Meanwhile, life must go on. To quote the words of the greatest Anglo-American of the last century, Winston Churchill: "Never give up - never give up - never EVER give up!" Arthur Clarke (author of 2001: A Space Odyssey)
Response: Thanks Warren, and thanks to Sir Arthur Clarke for this message. G.D.
9/23/01 The Humanist community needs to make itself more audible and visible in the media to remind the public that patriotism and love for America is not the exclusive domain of religion. Despite the fact that most of us know that it is religion itself that has brought us to this sorry state, we must be truly humanist, letting our hearts join the larger community, all the while keeping true to our secular belief systems.
This country is now so very wounded and traumatized; it's a time for us to remind the larger community of our thoughtful presence. We have had to sit by and watch the religions of the world take credit for everything good, all the while watching the various mass delusions eventuate in blood feuds, fanaticism and terror. We cannot "cure" believers. We can only serve to be a voice of sanity when supernatural belief systems become cancerous.
In spite of my usual stand against war and capitol punishment, I recognize that country must defend itself and enlist the cooperation of as many nations as possible in fighting a common, insane enemy. How to do this without further punishing innocent people that live under monstrous regimes is the central problem. Yet, pacifism in the wake of brutal attack is simply giving permission for further violent tragedy. Our earlier involvement in WW2 could have saved countless lives; the lessons of history clearly show that a passive approach here invites further attack. Yet, the battle must be reasoned.
Humanists must make their voices heard so that US doesn't "identify with the aggressor," becoming a fanatical religious force itself. Peaceful American Moslems should amplify their voices. And, adding ourselves to the spectrum of US opinion is crucial. Leslie Wile via Internet
Response: A continuing theme: America is not perfect, but it is the greatest source of hope and freedom there is. G.D.
9/22/01 It seems to me there is one crucial question: Would terrorist cells have been able to hide and grow and would there be violently hate-filled religious and/or nationalistic factions motivated to commit terrible acts of destruction ... would the world be a fertile ground for the nurturance of despair and rage ... if there were no longer any separate nations in the world, and all were states in a democratic federal union? What would happen if all the nations on the globe belonged to a United States of the World, in which the needs of all were recognized and addressed?
There will always be the alienated and dissident, just as there are even today in the United States of America. But their ability to terrorize the rest of us (and I am not discounting the Oklahoma City attack) is far less massive than the level we are seeing today -- not only in New York City and Washington, but in the rest of the world, as well. Gerald Albert via Internet
Response: As long as individual religions and ideologies seek privilege and dominance as opposed to fairness and justice, there is no chance of this occurring. It took a common enemy, the King, to unite our States in our revolutionary war, but predictably they still refused to allow rights enumerated in the Bill of Rights to flow to their own states. Instead, their first allegiance was to the state, not the nation, in a desire to maintain their little spheres of dominance and influence. It took the civil war and the issue of abolition to change this. G.D.
9/14/01 I resent that we bent over backwards to help the Afghans liberate themselves from the Russians and this is how they repay us. Maybe given that there are so many causes needing help, that we can pick ones where some appreciation would be involved. Eric Krieg, via Internet
Response: Whom would the US support if it had the opportunity all over again: The Soviets or the Afghani rebels? Or neither? Or we would nation-build? G.D. [TOC]WHAT DO WE DO? Sally Morem
We now know that the terrorists have tried to do very serious damage to America many times in the past, each time thwarted by our security forces. This time the terrorists succeeded. I am very sad and extremely furious.
The terrorists ripped into America, erasing thousands of our fellow Americans' lives from the universe.
As secular humanists, we can't give their families religious comfort by promising life after death for their loved ones. We can only give meaning to this horrendous travesty by accepting the challenge history and the terrorists have flung at us: The systematic tracking down and destruction of every terrorist organization in the world. We are the only nation with the military and technological know-how for the job. We must take the responsibility. We can't duck it the way we did after World War I. I believe our Jewish friends will not mind if we borrow their saying, "Never Again."
Appeasement is dead. Pacifism is dead. Cultural relativism is dead. Moral relativism is dead. Equivalence theory is dead. We know evil when we see it. The Islamic extreme fundamentalists are evil. They would kill every single American if they could, Israel or no Israel. They would stop at nothing. Why? Because we Americans are sinners in their eyes with our freedom, our wealth, our culture. We stand in their way merely by existing.
So they believe Allah orders genocide.
We are at war. What, besides donations can we do?
We can engage in a secular humanist wartime propaganda blitz. At every opportunity, we can use our humanist connections around the world to spread the word against promises of God's virgins in heaven to murderers of Americans. We can repeat over and over again how secular America is THE force for good in the world, for freedom, democracy, and a satisfying moral life. We could link ourselves again and again to the moral virtues of secular America. We could end any semblance of anti-Americanism we've ever engaged in. We may remain critical of specific problems, but America -- after accounting for all human frailties -- must be named by us as secular humanists to be the grandest political, economic, cultural, and social invention in human history. Why? Because it will help our movement and because it is true.
We are at war. This war will take years. We secular humanists must take sides. Folks, I tell you, cultural evolution has brought us to this: The world can either choose the Enlightenment West led by America, or it can choose the terrorists with their promises (threats) of theocratic tyranny. There is no longer a third way.
I realize humanists normally consider the Christian religious right as our ultimate enemy. This is no longer true. Our religious right is a pitiful joke -- witness Falwell's and Robertson's recent sick statements, practically excusing those attacks on our country. Our new ultimate enemy is the Islamic religious right. They are the ones who are willing to slam airplanes into buildings full of people. Falwell and Robertson are only willing to flap their yaps.
It's time we secular humanists choose America -- our beloved democratic and free secular nation. Our beloved home.
(Sally Morem is President, Humanists of Minnesota.) [TOC]JIHAD Ibn Warraq
Given the stupefying enormity of the acts of barbarism of 11 September, moral outrage is appropriate and justified, as are demands for punishment. But a civilized society cannot permit blind attacks on all those perceived as "Muslims" or Arabs. Not all Muslims or all Arabs are terrorists. Nor are they implicated in the horrendous events of Tuesday. Police protection for individual Muslims, mosques and other institutions must be increased.
However, to pretend that Islam has nothing to do with Terrorist Tuesday is to willfully ignore the obvious and to forever misinterpret events. Without Islam the long-term strategy and individual acts of violence by Usama bin Laden and his followers make little sense. The West needs to understand them in order to be able to deal with them and avoid past mistakes. We are confronted with Islamic terrorists and must take seriously the Islamic component. Westerners in general, and Americans in particular, do not understand the passionate, religious, and anti-western convictions of Islamic terrorists. These God-intoxicated fanatics blindly throw away their lives in return for the Paradise of Seventy Two Virgins offered Muslim martyrs killed in the Holy War against all infidels.
Jihad is "a religious war with those who are unbelievers in the mission of the Prophet Muhammad [the Prophet]. It is an incumbent religious duty, established in the Qur'an and in the Traditions as a divine institution, and enjoined specially for the purpose of advancing Islam and repelling evil from Muslims"[1].
The world is divided into two spheres, Dar al-Islam and Dar al-Harb. The latter, the Land of Warfare, is a country belonging to infidels, which has not been subdued by Islam. The Dar al-Harb becomes the Dar-al Islam, the Land of Islam, upon the promulgation of the edicts of Islam. Thus the totalitarian nature of Islam is nowhere more apparent than in the concept of Jihad, the Holy War, whose ultimate aim is to conquer the entire world and submit it to the one true faith, to the law of Allah. To Islam alone has been granted the truth: there is no possibility of salvation outside it. Muslims must fight and kill in the name of Allah.
We read (IX. 5-6):"Kill those who join other gods with God wherever you may find them";
IV.76: "Those who believe fight in the cause of God";
VIII.39-42: "Say to the Infidels: if they desist from their unbelief, what is now past shall be forgiven; but if they return to it, they have already before them the doom of the ancients! Fight then against them till strife be at an end, and the religion be all of it God's."
Those who die fighting for the only true religion, Islam, will be amply rewarded in the life to come:
IV.74: "Let those who fight in the cause of God who barter the life of this world for that which is to come; for whoever fights on God's path, whether he is killed or triumphs, We will give him a handsome reward."
What should we make with these further unfortunate verses from the Qur'an:
*Torment to Non-believers-IV.56
*Only Islam Acceptable III.85
*No friends from outsiders-III.118
*No friends with Jews, Christians-V. 51
*No friends with non believers-IV.144, III.28
*No friends with parents/siblings if not believers-IX.23
*Fight non-believers-IX.123
*Kill non-believers-IV.89
*Anti Jewish verses-V.82
*God a "plotter"-VIII.30
*Killing Idolators-IX.5
*Idolators are unclean just because they are idolator-IX.28
*Forcing non-believers to pay tax-IX.29
*The Torment of Hell-XLIV.43-58
*All except Muslims/Jews/Christians/Sabeans will go to hell-II.62, V.69
*Cast terror in the hearts, smite the neck and cut fingertips of unbelievers-VIII.12
*Smite the neck of unbelievers-XLVII.4
*Severe Punishment for atheists-X.4; V.10; V.86
*Severe Punishment for non-believers-XXII.19-22; LXXII.23, XCVIII.6
*Punishing non-believers of Hereafter-XVII.10
*Punishing for rejecting faith-III.91
*Non believers go to hell-IV.140; VII.36
*Partial Believers go to hell too-IV.150-1
*Sadistic punishments-LVI.42-43
*Punishment for apostates-XVI.106; III.86-88; III.90; IV.137
*Threat of punishement for not going to war-IX.38-39, XLVIII.16
*God making someone more sinful so he can be punished more-III178
*Intentionally preventing unbelievers from knowing the truth-VI.25 ; VI.110
*Intentionally preventing unbelievers from Understanding Quran-XVII.45-46
*It is God who causes people to err and He punishes them for that-XVII.97
*God could guide, if he chose to, but did not-VI.35
*Intentionally misguiding those whom he pleases to-XIV.4
*Willfully misguiding some-XVI.93
*God causes human to err-IV.143; VII.178
*God deceiving humans-IV.142
It is surely time for us who live in the West and enjoy freedom of expression to examine unflinchingly and unapologetically the tenets of these fanatics, including the Qur'an, which divinely sanctions violence. We should unapologetically examine the life of the Prophet, who was not above political assassinations, and who was responsible for the massacre of the Jews.
"Ah, but you are confusing Islam with Islamic fundamentalism. The Real Islam has nothing to do with violence," apologists of Islam argue.
There may be moderate Muslims, but Islam itself is not moderate. There is no difference between Islam and Islamic fundamentalism: at most there is a difference of degree but not of kind.
All the tenets of Islamic fundamentalism are derived from the Qur'an, the Sunna, and the Hadith - Islamic fundamentalism is a totalitarian construct derived by Muslim jurists from the fundamental and defining texts of Islam. The fundamentalists, with greater logic and coherence than so-called moderate or liberal Muslims, have made Islam the basis of a radical utopian ideology that aims to replace capitalism and democracy as the reigning world system. Islamism accounts for the anti-American hatred to be found in places far from the Arab-Israeli conflict, like Nigeria and Afghanistan, demonstrating that the Middle East conflict cannot legitimately be used to explain this phenomenon called Islamism. A Palestinian involved in the WTC bombings would be seen as a martyr to the Palestinian cause, but even more as a martyr to Islam.
"Ah, but Islamic fundamentalism is like any other kind of fundamentalism, one must not demonize it. It is the result of political, social grievances. It must be explained in terms of economics and not religion," continue the apologists of Islam.
There are enormous differences between Islamic fundamentalism and any other kind of modern fundamentalism. It is true that Hindu, Jewish, and Christian fundamentalists have been responsible for acts of violence, but these have been confined to particular countries and regions. Islamic fundamentalism has global aspirations: the submission of the entire world to the all-embracing Shari'a, Islamic Law, a fascist system of dictates designed to control every single act of all individuals. Nor do Hindus or Jews seek to convert the world to their religion. Christians do indulge in proselytism but no longer use acts of violence or international terrorism to achieve their aims.
Only Islam treats non-believers as inferior beings who are expendable in the drive to world hegemony. Islam justifies any means to achieve the end of establishing an Islamic world.
Islamic fundamentalists recruit among Muslim populations, they appeal to Islamic religious symbols, and they motivate their recruits with Islamic doctrine derived from the Qur'an. Economic poverty alone cannot explain the phenomenon of Islamism. Poverty in Brazil or Mexico has not resulted in Christian fundamentalist acts of international terror. Islamists are against what they see as western materialism itself. Their choice is clear: Islam or jahiliyya. The latter term is redefined to mean modern-style jahiliyya of modern, democratic, industrialised societies of Europe and America, where man is under the dominion of man rather than Allah. They totally reject the values of the West, which they feel are poisoning Islamic culture. So, it is not just a question of economics, but of an entirely different worldview, which they wish to impose on the whole world. Sayyid Qutb, the very influential Egyptian Muslim thinker, said that! "dominion should be reverted to Allah alone, namely to Islam, that holistic system He conferred upon men. An all-out offensive, a jihad, should be waged against modernity so that this moral rearmament could take place. The ultimate objective is to re-establish the Kingdom of Allah upon earth..."[2]
It is surely time for moderate Muslims to stand up and be counted. I should like to see them do three things:
1. All moderate Muslims should unequivocally denounce this barbarism, should condemn it for what it is: the butchery of innocent people,
2. All moderate Muslim citizens of the United States should proclaim their Americanness, their patriotism, and their solidarity with the families of the victims. They should show their pride in their country by giving blood and other aid to victims and their families.
3. All moderate Muslims should take this opportunity to examine the tenets of their faith; should look at the Qur'an, recognize its role in the instigation of religious violence, and see it for what it is, a problematical human document reflecting 7th or perhaps 8th Century values which the West has largely outgrown.
While it should not be too difficult for moderate Muslims to accept the need to denounce the violence of Terrorist Tuesday, I am not at all optimistic about their courage or willingness to proclaim their love for their chosen country, the USA, or examine the Qur'an critically.
Too many Muslims are taught from an early age that their first allegiance is to Islam. They are exhorted in sermons in mosques, and in books by such Muslim intellectuals as Dr Siddiqui of the Muslim Institute in London, that if the laws of the land conflict with any of the tenets of Islam, then they must break the laws of the infidels, and only follow the Law of God, the Shari'a, Islamic Law.
It is a remarkable fact that at the time of the Gulf War, a high proportion of Muslims living in the West supported Saddam Hussein. In the aftermath of the WTC terror, it is now clear from reports in the media that many Muslims, even those living in the West, see these acts of barbarism as acts of heroism; they give their unequivocal support to their hero, Usama bin Laden.
Few Muslims have shown themselves capable of scrutinizing their sacred text rationally. Indeed any criticism of their religious tenets is taken as an insult to their faith, for which so many Muslims seem ready to kill (as in the Rushdie affair or the Taslima Nasreen affair). Muslims seem to be unaware that the research of western scholars concerning the existence of figures such as Abraham, Isaac and Joseph or the authorship of the Pentateuch applies directly to their belief system. Furthermore, it is surely totally irrational to continue to believe that the Qur'an is the word of God when the slightest amount of rational thought will reveal that the Qur'an contains words and passages addressed to God (e.g. VI.104; VI.114; XVII.1; XXVII.91; LXXXI.15-29; lxxxiv.16-19; etc.); or that it is full of historical errors and inconsistencies.
Respect for other cultures, for other values than our own, is a hallmark of a civilized society. But Multiculturalism is based on some fundamental misconceptions. First, there is the erroneous and sentimental belief that all cultures, deep down, have the same values; or, at least, if different, are equally worthy of respect. But the truth is that not all cultures have the same values, and not all values are worthy of respect. There is nothing sacrosanct about customs or cultural traditions: they can change under criticism. After all, the secularist values of the West are not much more than two hundred years old.
If these other values are destructive of our own cherished values, are we not justified in fighting them both by intellectual means, that is by reason and argument, and criticism, and by legal means, by making sure the laws and constitution of the country are respected by all? It becomes a duty to defend those values that we would live by. But here western intellectuals have sadly failed in defending western values, such as rationalism, social pluralism, human rights, the rule of law, representative government, individualism (in the sense that every individual counts, and no individual should be sacrificed for some utopian future collective end), freedom of expression, freedom of and from religion, the rights of minorities, and so on.
Instead, the so-called experts on Islam in western universities, in the media, in the churches and even in government bureaus have become apologists for Islam. They bear some responsibility for creating an atmosphere little short of intellectual terrorism where any criticism of Islam is denounced as fascism, racism, or "orientalism." They bear some responsibility for lulling the public into thinking that "The Islamic Threat" is a myth. It is our duty to fight this intellectual terrorism. It is our duty to defend the values of liberal democracy.
One hopes that the U.S. government will not now act in such a way that more innocent lives are lost, albeit on the other side of the globe. One hopes that even now there is a legal way out in international courts of law. The situation is far more delicate and complex than a simple battle between good and evil, the solution is not to beat hell out of all Arabs and Muslims but neither is it to pretend that Islam had nothing to do with it, for that would be to bury one's head in the Sands of Araby.
[1] T.Hughes, Dictionary of Islam, entry "Jihad"
[2] E.Sivan, Radical Islam, New Haven, 1985, p.25
(Ibn Warraq is the author of "Why I Am Not A Muslim". Please visit the Institute for the Secularization of Islamic Society web site at www.secularislam.org.) [TOC]LOOK WHO AGREES WITH BIN LADEN Gerry Dantone
While the country was still reeling from shock and sadness over the attack on American freedom, there were those who agreed with the suspected perpetrators that those very freedoms we cherish so dearly were the deserved cause of the attacks and permitted by a God who would not protect us on account of those freedoms. It is incredible that this response needed to be written when the nation's focus should be on the victims and their families, but, unfortunately, it is necessary.
On Thursday, 9/13/01, a prominent fundamentalist religious leader made the following remarks:
The US has "insulted God at the highest level of (the US) government, and stuck its finger in your eye" and that "this (the terrorist attacks) happened because we lost God's protection and now we're vulnerable." The US has allowed "rampant pornography and secularism and legalized abortion" he continued. The US must now pray and turn from its "wicked ways," and that the US "must come back to God as a people." He added, "It happened because people are evil and God lifted his protection of (the US)" and that this has happened because the US has "sinned against God." This fundamentalist also blamed "sexual perversion, evil" and the "pervasive secularism and the occult, etc.," that is "exported to the world through the Internet and through (US) films." The US has "sown the wind and is reaping the whirlwind."
Another prominent fundamentalist leader claimed, "This could be miniscule if God continues to lift the curtain" and blamed the lack of "God in the public square" for the US trouble. He added, "The pagans, abortionists, feminists, gays and lesbians ... and all those that tried to secularize America - you helped this happen." The other fundamentalist leader agreed saying, "I totally concur."
Finally in summary, he said "This is God's power and he sent this thing to warn us...(the US) needed a shock..."
All of the above statements could have come from an explicit supporter of Islamic radical terrorist Osama bin Laden, but of course they did not. They are the words uttered by Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell on the Thursday 9/13/01 edition of the 700 Club. Yes, even though the most probable and suspected perpetrators also believe in the above "crimes" of the US, the actual culprits according to Robertson and Falwell are those whose values are the opposite of theirs and bin Laden's! This attempted scapegoating of secularists is not unlike the Nazi scapegoating of Jews in Nazi Germany. Tim LaHaye's recent book, "Mind Siege," is perhaps the fundamentalist version of "Mein Kampf."
It is time that the media takes Robertson, Falwell and other fundamentalists to task: Religious Fundamentalism is the most likely cause of the deaths of 6,000 innocent persons this week in the US, and of untold human misery across this planet. Absolute certainty that one possesses the Word of God is an absolute power that corrupts absolutely. It is time to tell it like it is.
(A video file of the show was available at www.cbn.com, though it may not be available for long.) [TOC]IS ISLAM DIFFERENT? Gerry Dantone
In the aftermath of the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, many apologists are reassuring others that Islam is a peaceful religion. Indeed, (almost) no one seemed to need this kind of reassuring after Timothy McVeigh bombed the Federal Building in Oklahoma City, even though Christian Identity beliefs and the Turner Diaries, written by an adherent, influenced him. What's going on?
Of course humanists have come to the conclusion that absolute moral codes supposedly handed down by a "higher power" are no answer for humanity. In fact we believe that such codes are not amenable to improvements and advances in ethics. The roles of women, the abolition of slavery, the tolerance of other religious beliefs, and treatment of foreigners have evolved away from primitive and scriptural morals because of humanistic influences.
The Christian and Jewish Testaments have many passages that seem to condone a cruel intolerance yet Christianity is thought of as "peaceful." Check the following passages:
Ex. 22:20: He that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the Lord only, he shall be utterly destroyed.
Lev. 24:16: And he that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, he shall surely be put to death.
Ex. 31:15: Whosoever doeth any work in the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.
Ex. 21:15: He that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death.
Ex. 21:17: He that curseth his father or his mother, shall sure-ly be put to death.
Lev. 20:13: If a man lie with mankind, as he lieth with a wo-man, both of them have com-mitted an abomination: they shall surely be put to death.
Lev. 20:10: And the man that committeth adultery with an-other man's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death.
Mark 16:16: He that believeth not, shall be damned.
Matthew 10:20 for ye are not the speakers, but the Spirit of your Father that is speaking in you. 21 `And brother shall deliver up brother to death, and father child, and children shall rise up against parents, and shall put them to death.
Matthew 10:33 and whoever shall deny me before men, I also will deny him before my Father who is in the heavens. 34 `Ye may not suppose that I came to put peace on the earth; I did not come to put peace, but a sword; 35 for I came to set a man at variance against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
Nu. 25:6 And lo, a man of the sons of Israel hath come, and bringeth in unto his brethren the Midianitess, before the eyes of Moses, and before the eyes of all the company of the sons of Israel, who are weeping at the opening of the tent of meeting; 7 and Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, the priest, seeth, and riseth from the midst of the company, and taketh a javelin in his hand, 8 and goeth in after the man of Israel unto the hollow place, and pierceth them both, the man of Israel and the woman -- unto her belly, and the plague is restrained from the sons of Israel; 9 and the dead by the plague are four and twenty thousand. 10 And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying, 11 `Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, hath turned back My fury from the sons of Israel, by his being zealous with My zeal in their midst, and I have not consumed the sons of Israel in My zeal. 12 `Therefore say, Lo, I am giving to him My covenant of peace, 13 and it hath been to him! and to his seed after him a covenant of a priesthood age-during, because that he hath been zealous for his God, and doth make atonement for the sons of Israel.'
The point is clear: One can take Judaism and Christianity and make it what they wish, including a violent, cruel religion. This can be done even though Jesus is typically depicted as peace loving and pacifistic. Still, three of the above quotes are alleged to be his, and they are subject to cruel interpretation.
What about Islam? Just as most Christians and Jews manage to overlook actual unpleasant scripture, Muslims do the same.
For example, the following is indeed a tolerant passage from the Koran:
[109.1] Say: O unbelievers! [109.2] I do not serve that which you serve, [109.3] Nor do you serve Him Whom I serve: [109.4] Nor am I going to serve that which you serve, [109.5] Nor are you going to serve Him Whom I serve: [109.6] You shall have your religion and I shall have my religion.
Also:
[2.256] There is no compulsion in religion; truly the right way has become clearly distinct from error; therefore, whoever disbelieves in the Shaitan and believes in Allah he indeed has laid hold on the firmest handle, which shall not break off, and Allah is Hearing, Knowing.
The above two examples are not alone, but they are contradicted by other passages:
[4.160] Wherefore for the iniquity of those who are Jews did We disallow to them the good things which had been made lawful for them and for their hindering many (people) from Allah's way. [4.161] And their taking usury though indeed they were forbidden it and their devouring the property of people falsely, and We have prepared for the unbelievers from among them a painful chastisement.
[4.76] Those who believe fight in the way of Allah, and those who disbelieve fight in the way of the Shaitan. Fight therefore against the friends of the Shaitan; surely the strategy of the Shaitan is weak.
[22.9] Turning away haughtily that he may lead (others) astray from the way of Allah; for him is disgrace in this world, and on the day of resurrection We will make him taste the punishment of burning
[47.4] So when you meet in battle those who disbelieve, then smite the necks until when you have overcome them, then make (them) prisoners, and afterwards either set them free as a favor or let them ransom (themselves) until the war terminates. That (shall be so); and if Allah had pleased He would certainly have exacted what is due from them, but that He may try some of you by means of others; and (as for) those who are slain in the way of Allah, He will by no means allow their deeds to perish.
[5.51] O you who believe! do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends; they are friends of each other; and whoever amongst you takes them for a friend, then surely he is one of them; surely Allah does not guide the unjust people.
[5.56] And whoever takes Allah and His apostle and those who believe for a guardian, then surely the party of Allah are they that shall be triumphant. [5.57] O you who believe! do not take for guardians those who take your religion for a mockery and a joke, from among those who were given the Book before you and the unbelievers; and be careful of (your duty to) Allah if you are believers. [5.58] And when you call to prayer they make it a mockery and a joke; this is because they are a people who do not understand. [5.59] Say: O followers of the Book! do you find fault with us (for aught) except that we believe in Allah and in what has been revealed to us and what was revealed before, and that most of you are transgressors? [5.60] Say: Shall I inform you of (him who is) worse than this in retribution from Allah? (Worse is he) whom Allah has cursed and brought His wrath upon, and of whom He made apes and swine, and he who served the Shaitan; these are worse in place and mor! e erring from the straight path. [5.61] And when they come to you, they say: We believe; and indeed they come in with unbelief and indeed they go forth with it; and Allah knows best what they concealed. [5.62] And you will see many of them striving with one another to hasten in sin and exceeding the limits, and their eating of what is unlawfully acquired; certainly evil is that which they do. [5.63] Why do not the learned men and the doctors of law prohibit them from their speaking of what is sinful and their eating of what is unlawfully acquired? Certainly evil is that which they work. [5.64] And the Jews say: The hand of Allah is tied up! Their hands shall be shackled and they shall be cursed for what they say. Nay, both His hands are spread out, He expends as He pleases; and what has been revealed to you from your Lord will certainly make many of them increase in inordinacy and unbelief; and We have put enmity and hatred among them till the day of resurrection; whenever t! hey kindle a fire for war Allah puts it out, and they strive to make mischief in the land; and Allah does not love the mischief-makers.
[5.73] Certainly they disbelieve who say: Surely Allah is the third (person) of the three; and there is no god but the one God, and if they desist not from what they say, a painful chastisement shall befall those among them who disbelieve.
[9.5] So when the sacred months have passed away, then slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them captives and besiege them and lie in wait for them in every ambush, then if they repent and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, leave their way free to them; surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. [9.6] And if one of the idolaters seek protection from you, grant him protection till he hears the word of Allah, then make him attain his place of safety; this is because they are a people who do not know.
[9.28] O you who believe! the idolaters are nothing but unclean, so they shall not approach the Sacred Mosque after this year; and if you fear poverty then Allah will enrich you out of His grace if He please; surely Allah is Knowing Wise. [9.29] Fight those who do not believe in Allah, nor in the latter day, nor do they prohibit what Allah and His Apostle have prohibited, nor follow the religion of truth, out of those who have been given the Book, until they pay the tax in acknowledgment of superiority and they are in a state of subjection. [9.30] And the Jews say: Uzair is the son of Allah; and the Christians say: The Messiah is the son of Allah; these are the words of their mouths; they imitate the saying of those who disbelieved before; may Allah destroy them; how they are turned away!
[8.38] Say to those who disbelieve, if they desist, that which is past shall be forgiven to them; and if they return, then what happened to the ancients has already passed. [8.39] And fight with them until there is no more persecution and religion should be only for Allah; but if they desist, then surely Allah sees what they do. [8.40] And if they turn back, then know that Allah is your Patron; most excellent is the Patron and most excellent the Helper. [8.41] And know that whatever thing you gain, a fifth of it is for Allah and for the Apostle and for the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer, if you believe in Allah and in that which We revealed to Our servant, on the day of distinction, the day on which the two parties met; and Allah has power over all things.
[8.15] O you who believe! when you meet those who disbelieve marching for war, then turn not your backs to them. [8.16] And whoever shall turn his back to them on that day-- unless he turn aside for the sake of fighting or withdraws to a company-- then he, indeed, becomes deserving of Allah's wrath, and his abode is hell; and an evil destination shall it be.
The above items from the Koran are subject to interpretation, but it is telling for Christianity, Judaism and Islam, that the more fundamentalist and literal the point of view, the more dangerous. It also must be added that the Sunna, or the ways and saying of the prophet as contained in the hadith, are essential to Islam as well.
From the Answering Islam website (http://answering-islam.org): The following is from "The Life of Muhammad", page 212, by A. Guillaume, which is a rendering of Ibn Ishaq's "Sirat Rasulallah", a biography of Muhammad written by an early Muslim scholar:
"THE APOSTLE RECEIVES THE ORDER TO FIGHT:
The apostle had not been given permission to fight or allowed to shed blood before the second Aqaba [a place where a pledge was made between Muhammad and his followers from Medina]. He had simply been ordered to call men to God and to endure insult and forgive the ignorant. The Quraysh [a leading group of Meccans] had persecuted his followers, seducing some from their religion and exiling others from their country. They had to choose whether to give up their religion, be maltreated at home, or to flee the country, some to Abyssinia, others to Medina.
When Quraysh became insolent towards God and rejected His gracious purpose, accused His prophet of lying, and ill treated and exiled those who served Him and proclaimed His unity, believed in His prophet and held fast to His religion, He gave permission to His apostle to fight and to protect himself against those who wronged them and treated them badly...
The meaning is "I have allowed them to fight only because they have been unjustly treated while their sole offense against men has been that they worship God. When they are in the ascendant they will establish prayer, pay the poor-tax, enjoin kindness, and forbid iniquity, i.e., the prophet and his companions all of them." The God sent down to him: "Fight them so that there be no more seduction," [b] i.e. until no believer is seduced from his religion. "And the religion is God's,", i.e. Until God alone is worshipped."
From Guillaume, op cit, page 369:
"The apostle (Mohammed) said, "Kill any Jew that falls into your power." Thereupon Muhayyisa b. Masud leapt upon Ibn Sunayna, a Jewish merchant with whom they had social and business relations, and killed him. Huwayyisa was not a Muslim at the time though he was the elder brother. When Muhayyisa killed him Huwayyisa began to beat him, saying, 'You enemy of God, did you kill him when much of the fat on your belly comes from his wealth?' Muhayyisa answered, 'Had the one who ordered me to kill him ordered me to kill you I would have cut your head off.'"
A quote from an Islamic scholar - Wensinck writes in his, "Muhammad and the Jews of Medina", page 113:
"It is remarkable that tradition attributes Muhammad's most cruel acts to divine order, namely the siege of Qaynuqa, the murder of Kab, and he attack upon Qurayzah. Allah's conscience seems to be more elastic than that of his creatures."... Ibn Ishaq and al-Waqidi report that the prophet said the morning after the murder (of Kab Ashraf), "Kill any Jew you can lay your hands on."
This incident is also documented in Tabari's History [3], page 97 of volume 7.
Is there something special about Islamic fundamentalism that leads to inordinate violence? There is nothing about it that is not shared with ANY absolute, certain and literal moral system, religious or secular. When doubt is removed, when debate is ended, and questions no longer asked, misery will follow, no matter which God or principle is worshipped. When human happiness and well being is not our central human endeavor, we put at risk our happiness and well being.
(For more information, visit http://answering-islam.org, or read "Why I Am Not a Muslim" by Ibn Warraq, Prometheus books.) [TOC]MINDLESS HATE, AMERICAN STYLE Gerry Dantone
TV political analyst Ann Coulter writes in the National Review regarding the WTC and Pentagon attacks: "We know who the homicidal maniacs are. They are the ones cheering and dancing right now. We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity. We weren't punctilious about locating and punishing only Hitler and his top officers. We carpet-bombed German cities; we killed civilians. That's war. And this is war."
This is sadly too typical of too many on a number of levels. The killing of civilian Germans, such as in the firebombing of Dresden, was notably devoid of purpose, other than revenge. Targeting of civilians who are not involved in the war effort, such as arms making, serves no purpose and saves no American lives if the enemy's leaders care more about themselves than protecting their own people. That was certainly the case for Hitler. Converting them to Christianity is no help either: Christians executed the holocaust, did they not? What Coulter is suggesting is basically genocide for no purpose other than revenge.
Ann Coulter is educated and should have a certain degree of knowledge of the situation. This reckless disregard for individuals is no example to set for those who watch her on TV. Locally one can spot the occasional makeshift "nuke them all" signs on cars and in the windows of homes. Nuke "whom" all? All Muslims? Afghanis? Perhaps the answer is "persons who are different from Ann Coulter."
The NY Post's sickening suggestion was the following: "Who are they? Who cares? Cast a wide enough net, and you'll catch the fish that need catching... Bomb them ...And then bomb their smoldering rubble - one more time! ...They believe that they are on a fast track to heaven. Which is fine. Dispatch enough of them on the journey with no return, and this war will end quickly enough. Bombs away."
It is just remarkable how easy it is spot blind and unreasonable hatred in the enemy (The Taliban, bin Laden, etc.) and how impossible it is to recognize it in oneself! Can Jerry Falwell Pat Robertson really be as stupid as they seem when they "point a finger" at those who want to "secularize" America, and place the "blame" on them? Well, actually, maybe they are that stupid.
The rest of us do not need to be that stupid. We should continue to judge others by their acts and try to avoid developing a bigoted attitude towards others, in this case, Muslims and persons of Arab descent.
We must make distinctions between individuals and classes of persons; between governments and citizens; between scripture and the religion itself; and between all of the above categories above. It stands to reason that some governments are anti-terroristic and some are not, and that a country's citizens can likewise line up one way or the other while at the same time many individuals within the population may be contrarians. We also should not be confused by a religious slight of hand, wherein scripture is cited when more useful than religious practice, and religious practice cited when that is more favorable than scripture. More should be expected of God's laws and words. It just never seems to live up to the claims made for it.
It cannot be said often enough that some of the bravest and most courageous heroes in the world are those who oppose the likes of the Taliban or the ayatollah while within their reach! We cannot forget that the average Muslim seeks what most of the rest of seek - a good life. An important aspect of this country's and the world's campaign against terrorism must be to create hope in as many as possible that life can indeed be good, and that there is more to live for than an afterlife. [TOC]
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HELP WANTED!
Volunteers to coordinate and assist in setting up a Campus Freethought campaign are needed!
Those interested or with suggestions please email LISecHum@aol.com
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BOOK DISCUSSION CLUB
October 12, Patchogue, Book: Richard Dawkins, "Climbing Mount Improbable".
November 9, Oakdale, Book: Corliss LaMont, "The Illusion Of Immortality".
December 14, Bayside, Book: "The Moral Animal," by Robert Wright.
January 11, 2002, Amityville, Book: "The Prince," by Niccolo Machiavelli.
If you are interested email us, or write to Mr. Wade @ Box 631, Southold, NY, 11971.
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CENTER FOR INQUIRY'S INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE: SCIENCE AND RELIGION: ARE THEY COMPATIBLE?
The Center For Inquiry has planned a conference international in scope, to take place November 9th through 11th, @ the Atlanta Airport Marriot, Atlanta, GA.
Guest speakers will include Norm Allen, Jr., Hector Avalos, Susan Blackmore, Ed Buckner, Vern Bullough, Antony Flew, Tom Flynn, Kendrick Frazier, Adolf Grunbaum, Ray Hyman, Barry Karr, Paul Kurtz, Joe Nickell, Massimo Pigliucci, Steven Pinker, Gary Posner, Eugenie Scott, Wole Soyinka, Vic Stenger, and David Willey! Noted "Intelligent Design" theorist Michael Behe will also appear.
Call 1 800 458 1366 for details on the conference and 404 766 7900 regarding hotel rooms.
The website is: https://secure15.cedant.com/secularhumanism/conference/index.htm
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Why? How? Who? What ? When? Where?
Always question!
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Editor: Gerald Dantone
Design: John Wilmarth
A Thumbs Up Publication
Copyright LISH 2001 [TOC]