I get reminded every now and then by the conservative trolls that congregate around this site that I don’t hate Muslims enough, or at least that I don’t talk about hating them enough… So, here, for all of you monitoring this site for good ol’ patriotic Christian content, is my obligatory post about hating Muslims… I hope you enjoy it.
Actually, before I even get started, I’ve got a qualification to make. I hate to get all PC, especially right here at the start of my “I Hate Muslims” essay, but it’s not actually all Muslims that I hate. It’s just the ones that want to destroy the secular democracies I’ve so come to love in my old age.
So, I guess you could say, I really dislike… and, yes, even hate… fundamentalist Muslim extremists. Especially the ones that are hell-bent on jihad.
Generally speaking, I find it hard to like anyone who wants me dead, and that would, from all the signs that I can see, include fundamentalist Muslim extremists.
They are, from what I can tell, even worse than the fundamentalist Christian extremists that we have right here at home, the ones that shoot doctors, bomb abortion clinics and blow up federal buildings.
One of the biggest problems I have with fundamentalists of all stripes is that they seem to revel in the superiority over women that their religious beliefs afford them. I’m certainly not an authority when it comes to such things, but it seems to me that people, especially insecure men, enjoy power, and it stands to reason that these same individuals would gravitate toward religious sects that justify their exercise of power over non-believers and women.
By the way, in my estimation, the single most effective way for us to de-radicalize unstable regions in the Middle East would be to aggressively push for women’s rights in those areas. Unfortunately, however, since our “liberation” of Iraq, it seems as though the women there have seen their rights eroding by the day.
OK, I know I can be awfully negative about the war in Iraq, but it’s not all bad news. On the positive side, our presence in the region has brought old enemies back together again. That’s right, the emerging leaders of Iraq are not only rolling back the rights of women in their new constitution, but increasingly they’re reaching out to the men behind the theocracy of Iran for advice as to how they should proceed in building their religious state… So much for the “shining example of western-style democracy in the Middle East” that we were promised.
Oh, and while we’re on the subject of Iran and how they’re helping the Iraqis in their quest for finding a suitable form of government, you might be interested to know that the Iranians just executed two men for being gay. It’s terribly sad stuff, and, if I were living in Iran, I’d like to think that I’d have the guts to speak out against it. (Or, if not speak out, then at least blow something up.) There are few things in this world that I am certain of, but I’m certain that god (it doesn’t matter which one you believe in) would not prefer murder to a consensual loving relationship, even if it were between two men.
So, how’s that for a start? I hate the way radical Muslim extremists treat women, and disrespect what I feel are inherent human rights. I also hate the way they chop off heads, terrorize people I love, and blow up non-Islamic religious sites. There’s a long list of things I dislike about them, and, contrary to what you might gather from this site, I do feel that they are deserving of our anger. But, I don’t think hatred alone will get us anywhere… and that’s why I don’t dwell on their actions, as offensive as they may be, day in and day out.
So, I guess the bottom line is that, as a believer in civil rights and freedom of religion, I don’t like radical Islam. The truth of the matter is, however, that I feel as though our involvement in Iraq has moved things in the wrong direction, further radicalizing the region… Yes, I tend to do more complaining about the religious forces in the U.S. that have led us into war and kept us there, but it’s not because I am a fan of those “evil doers” we find ourselves fighting. It’s because I don’t see as how cataloging the instances of their offensive behavior will do much good. What might do some good, however, at least it’s my hope, is if I can convince a few people that we’re on the wrong course, and if some subset of that group go on to get involved in politics. As truly terrible as I think the radical elements within Islam are, I don’t think that the president is going about protecting us and disarming them in an effective, sustainable manner, and that’s why I spend most of my time railing against the Christian right on my site… I know that’s a long and jumbled explanation, but it’s the best I could do without coffee on a few hours sleep. I hope it made some sense.
22 Comments
Sir, I have to ask you why you’re apologizing at the end of your post? The extremists of the jihad and the violent members of the right are one and the same. Both parties elect to deny all of our civil rights by committing acts of violence against other human beings. In doing so they have breached the most basic tenet of democracy, that being the primary social contract of respecting the lives of those in the democracy. Of course there is the small matter of their claimed religious affiliations. I am not aware of either the Muslim nor the Christian faith condoning murder for any reason.
I hope you find your coffee. Oh yes and do keep railing.
I love diversity, and I’m all for religious tollerance, but honor killings and clitorectomies are bullshit.
It made sense to me. Very well said.
I know you guys hate him, but I mod this snipped from pipes as insightful (Score:5)
In nearly all cases, the jihadi terrorists have a patently self-evident ambition: to establish a world dominated by Muslims, Islam, and Islamic law, the Shari
I found it interesting that when a couple of reporters were mistreated in Sudan, Condi was all up in arms demanding apologies. However, there has been no reaction from our state department (at least not that I’ve seen) about the two teen agers executed in Iran for being gay.
Where is the outrage?
The pictures of the gay men awaiting their execution is one of the most harrowing I’ve seen in years. Like you, I can’t believe that the story didn’t get more attention here in the states… It seems like we only speak out when there’s political advantage to be won, not just when objectionable things happen.
It’s not a great anaolgy, but you’ll recall that when 15 out of 19 of the September 11 terrorists were found to be from Saudi Arabia, we did the logical thing and turned our military not toward their corrupt regime, but toward Iraq, where we were told there may have been some remote tie.
Well,maybe we could scare some up if one of them had an abortion.
That is a sick story. I didn’t believe it at first because it was in the Daily Kos Hatevitrioldish, but it seems reliable since its from the Irish.
Nicely said, Mark. A fine job, as always.
Britain
You claim Islam is not terroristic it is the fundelmentalists,the person above said ‘like the fundelmentlist right wing’,what Christian group condones violence,the kkk?there not Christians,NO Christians condone killing,perhaps Eric Rulolph,he was a kook,not alligned with any Christian Church,but you people like to just throw these things out there,Timothy McVeigh another kook,the Bible has violence in it,it tells of it,but no where does it tell the reader to go out and kill,yes some have misenterperted it,and killed,but no where does it tell you to kill.Now the Quran Tells muslims they must kill for Islam,for their God, it is their comand to make the world Islamic it tells them not only to chop off heads,but also the fingers and the toes,the oposit side,that is to honor Allah,it also says in the end the trees and the rocks will call out to every Muslim,”there is a Jew behind me come and kill him,that is in the future not the past,Muslims point out that there is a verse that says do not kill one inocent person,for it is like killing all of humanity,but guess what the only one’s inocent are true muslims,and just reinforce that,guess who gets to decide who is inocent,they do,not Allah,just like with Danial Pearl Jews ,Christians,and Unbelievers are not inocent,now do not believe me,go read the Quran,itn is not just the radicles,who are radicle,but the Quran
,Timothy McVeigh,took his guidence from the Turner Diaries,he was a terrorist,following a writen doctrin,Osama and friends follow no such far out doctrin,they follow the Quran WORD FOR WORD,how do you misenterpert when you are going by WORD FOR WORD,how do you misenterpert “kill the unbeliever wherever you find him,and never take a Christian or Jew for a friend”,Islam is ,killing non believers through the world,the Quran and hadiths tell them,to go into other countries,become a religious force,and to dominate the country,all over the world they demand for soverign Islamic rights,and want to make part of that country a islamic state,they are the oppressors and have been for thousands of years.
Wow they have done a job on you people.the gay agenda,and the far left,have truned your brains to mush,they have gotten so many people,scared to death they will be called a racist or a bigot,because of the stigma going back to the 60s.i see people cringe when accused of being a racist,turn red in the face and defend themselves almost to the death,if a racist or a bigot is someone who believes what the bible says about Gays,I AM PROUD TO BE A BIGOT!!!,.and you all be damed,i have a right to believe being a homosexual is a abomination,as the Bible so clearly states,now in 2005 why should i change my belief,what i was taught from the Bible,,can anyone show me where God wrote a new,set of directions for me to believe in
what could be a justification of believing the media,the Gay Agenda,and the left wing,what has changed the word of God????.I do not hate Gays,i hate their sin,and their sin is the same sin a married man commits when he cheats on his wife,no more no less.it is imoral,and to tell me its ok,its a ligitmate life style,a alternitive life style i say bull shit.and no one will make me believe it,It has now been proved,but no one tells you about it,gays are not born that way,a gene therepist,once wrote in a medical journal he was studing,the xy gene,and it could prove gays are born,now thatb same scientist said he was wrong it proves nothing,but the blood is already in the water,and every one points to that as proof gays are born that way.Just think what a great non truth has become
Why would any one today claim Gays are born Gay,for any left winger that claims to believe in God,Jesus or the Bible,has nothing to base ‘homosexual’s are born that way”‘Nothing
Who is this Changing Gods word and more importantly why??,lets see whyo do the gays vote for? the Democrats,and what do the Democrats believe,”Gays cant help it” Poor Gay man,was put in the wrong body,Why would God do that,for a parlor trick?,just to be mean?
I do not believe you can believe in God,and believe Gays were born that way,because then you would have to describe a God who would do such a thing,and more importantly Why
Jojjon-
Your appalling lack of rudimentary grammar aside, let me point out that Jesus ate with sinners and prostitutes. God, himself, reached out to those who were offensive to him with true love. Do you think those dinners were filled with rage? Did he primarily thump the torah and refer to Leviticus, or did he show mercy? Like the parable of the man who had been forgiven his debts, we as Christians are called to mercy, so back off! Now I see why so much of the New Testament is devoted to Jesus’ disagreements with the Pharisees.
this is from a “Progressive” muslim org in Britan, note that the image is hotlinked to a neo-nazi site
http://www.mpacuk.org/content/view/6/867/105/
If I get around to it tonight, I want to link to an article about on the “myth of moderate Islam.”
and please a nice nonpolitical Andy Kauffman article would be nice.
more on the link to the muslim article
The Muslim Public Affairs Committee UK (MPACUK) presents itself as a legitimate community representative of young British Muslims; according to their site they are
I think I’ve written about Kauffman a few times before, haven’t I? I think I’ve even got an interview up with his old writing partner, Bob Zmuda, up somewhere.
I don’t have a link handy, but new word going around the internet is that the two men weren’t hanged for having consentual relations. They were executed for raping a 13 year old boy. I’m not sure that it’s true, but I thought that it was worth mentioning.
Even if it is true, it doesn’t mean that Iran is tollerant of gay rights. It just means that in this instance it may not have been as clear-cut as we once thought.
So under Sharia, you die for raping a boy.. But if you rape a girl (even a gang rape) SHE gets executed for harlotry.. Nice system they have there.
I’ve got the link somewhere to the article about the charge of rape against the two young men who were killed. It was on a gay website. I think it was something like 365gay.com. That’s why I believed it… As for your point about the raping of women not carrying the same sentence, they didn’t get into it in the article, but I suspect you’re right, John.
There was an event recently where a woman was raped (think it was in africa) She got pregnant, the local sharia court scentenced her to death by stoning but only after she gave birth.