LONDON ATTACKS QUESTION OUR HUMANITY
Islam was sent as mercy to humanity, yet some merciless barbarians insist on sullying its teachings by unleashing the evil that corrodes their own souls. Can we find a way to deal with these tragedies in such a way that it does not lead to more deaths, more violence, more anger, and more hatred?
Our reality today questions our humanity, can we reassure ourselves that we indeed constitute a civilization. .. MORE... http://www.ijtihad.org/london.htm
Our reality today questions our humanity, can we reassure ourselves that we indeed constitute a civilization. .. MORE... http://www.ijtihad.org/london.htm
11 Comments:
Seems like this is working. OK...
I've got a big problem with Muslims right now. Can you possibly understand why?
Mark, do you have a problem with Christians whenever a Christian organization, or a person in the name of Christianity, commits a terrorist act as well? Please tell me you've heard of those happenings too? The abortion clinic bombings, the Oklahoma City bombing. How do you react?
Ashleigh,
Interesting how individuals dredge up "abortion clinic bombings" and the Oklahoma City bombings when these are isolated anomalies, not planned and executed by Christian organizations, but 1-3 individuals. The abortion clinic bomber is in jail and we executed Timothy McVeigh. Mr. Nichols, is also in jail.
Now, al-Qaedah, is an organized international Islamic crime syndicate. That, is a problem.
Please give a list of all of the Christian organizations who have committed suicide bombings, bombings by IED's in nightclubs, hotels, ships and restaurants, who have killed women and children in an indiscriminate manner. I would be interested in the "list". That line of reasoning is extremely lame and falls flat. Let's work to address the real problem at hand, instead of the two red herrings which you put on the blog.
Islam has a credibility problem. I am not an Islamophobe. But the frame of al-Qaedah, people like Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the killing of the Egyptian diplomat for apostasy for associating with Christians, is turning the picture of Islam into something which is bringing a distortion to the Ummah that will in the end bring a persecution and growing resentment which will seem justifiable if this continues. Do I want to see it? Not really. But humans react with defensive postures that include the aforementioned.
The hearts of men can turn from flesh to cold stone in an instant. And the issuing of statements of regret after people with limbs blown off come out of the tubes in London pale with the words posted on jihadi boards that the Britains are now burning with fear; the postings with words of congratulations for the carnage.
How will Islam be received in America in twenty years if this continues unabated?
Think about it, my friend. Pull your head out of the bucket and think of some solutions instead of accusations.
R/ Tammy Swofford
Tammy,
Rewinding back to my comment to Mark, I wasn't saying that Christian terrorists are the equivalent to Muslim ones. I was simply asking if he ever has "a big problem" with Christians when he hears about incidents involving Christians.
There is a long history of terrorism in the name of Christianity. There was a time that three of the FBI's top ten most wanted criminals were antiabortion terrorists - Christians, one and all, committing acts of terrorism in an effort to promote their religious beliefs. Organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan, the Christian Identity movement, and the Lord's Resistance Army, who has kidnapped over 20,000 children for use as soldiers and sex slaves and killed over 12,000, are all Christian based. In recent past, there was The Order, which although defunct now,was involved in a series of violent crimes, including bank robberies and bombings of theaters and synagogues.
Although many of our modern day, domestic Christian terrorists have been executed or captured, let's not forget that there are organizations in other countries leading hateful revolutions in the name of Christianity. Many people like to focus only domestically or upon our allies, like those in Britian, and only in modern day. My prayers go out for them because like many victims they are just that - victims. However, internationally, some of the aforementioned organizations are wreaking havoc in the name of Christ.
Not only that, but America promotes itself as a nation of Christian values and ideals. When asked about the number of Iraqis killed, General Tommy Franks once said, "We don't do body counts." That indiscriminatory attitude toward the killing of innocent Iraqis could be the reason why there are organizations that don't like Christians, since they associate Christianity with the United States. http://www.iraqbodycount.org/
Ashleigh,
You are not military. You do not understand the meaning of what General Franks said when he stated "We do not do body counts". I will not discourse with you on that, as you probably have nothing to bring to the table in that arena as far as expertise or background in warfare doctrine.
But you will agree that actions speak louder than words, will you not?
The continued action of targeted and planned civilian mutilations and killings, in the Name of Allah, was merely a faint echo in the subconscious of the West on 9/11. Be contemplative at this point, Ashleigh, for it is becoming a shout. And when this evil begins to crescendo again and again, the battle lines will come into focus with a demarcation which will bring public policy and actions which will work to ensure the public safety, no matter the cost. Anarchy, produces a hard-fisted government. Indiscriminate killings such as the one in London, looks like anarchy to me. The code of pseudo-morality is shown in the fruit of the actions of al-Qaedah.
So bottom line, my friend. What did the people in London that were killed SPECIFICALLY DO to deserve the carnage? Give a reason, the sin of each individual, to deserve such a thing. Justify the death of each one. On what account were they picked? Blood cries out. Really, it does. And when blood begins to cry out, the land is polluted. Islam, is polluted, by the tactics of al-Qaedah.
Tammy
Let's try to remember that there are millions of muslims that are not blowing up trains. Much like the "Red Scare" and other propoganda campaigns this subtle and sometimes not so subtle form of hatred is not a productive thing.It strikes me that the one bomber who worked in a school with disabled kids was not there as a cover. He had a good heart, So what happened ? what turned him into a bomber? Rather than just condemming people and calling then monsters, we have got to realize that these were also people. What 18 year old boy wants to blow himself up? There is a deep sadness here. Some poeple will say that I am condoning thier actions. Not at all . But terror knows know nationality or religion. Bombs are bombs. Death is death. Look at the sad lists of names of soldiers killed in Iraq and you will see ages of 18 and 20 for many of them . Why would someone that young want to die and for that matter kill in a land far from home? It is a sad state of events. I do not have all the answers and I am quite wary of those who claim to know it all . In all this it seems a healthy sense of questioning is a good thing. Make one friend who is from a group you do not understand and you will find that it will nag you in those moments of knee-jerk reaction.
Steve,
I understand your thoughts but take exception to one...."there is deep sadness here" in referencing a suicide bomber. Now maybe it is just because I am a woman, but when I am sad, I cry. I don't kill people. These men, were probably dry-eyed as they entered the subways and the bus in London. I believe they had forgotten how to cry. They became psychologically devoid of humanity.
But I also believe they were systematically brainwashed, pawns used to accomplish a goal.
I am deeply saddened, and touched for the parents of the one young man in Britain who have spoken out against this evil. They have lost a son. If they had only known, they lost him long before he strapped on his pack.
Tammy
As a British Muslim, and a sometimes freelance writer and journalist, i read with great comments made thus far by my American friends, in particular those by Tammy. Unlike Ashliegh who has tried to make a comparison between so called "christian" terrorists and the many acts of terrorism carried out under the banner of Islam, i would tend to side more with Tammy. Simply put, there is no comparison. The root causes of this organised mayhem being generated by an extremely dedicated bunch of murderous zealots, lie in the blinkered version of Islam that has been preached through Mosques and Islamic seminaries over the past few decades. Whilst the overwhelming majority of Muslims, regardless of how they might feel about the supposed injustices inflicted upon them by the West and western interests, have either engaged in peaceful means of expressing their frustrations or simply remained silent, a small but extremely powerful minority has invoked the philosophy of "Jihad" (holy war) to galvanise a generation of young Muslims, some of whom are now engaged in the senseless acts of terror we now sadly witness on an almost daily basis.
What makes this phenomenon all the more remarkable is that both the Muslim community and the West have been aware of this "problem" for many many years. 9/11 did not just happen. It was a well planned, well co-ordinated military operation that was carried out at the behest of people who had been known to Islamic and Western governments, had in some cases been even patronised by them, for many many years. We all turned a blind eye because thus far all the mayhem was being caused in countries too far away from us and most of the dead were Muslims anyway. The Taliban, a murderous bunch who killed many thousands of their fellow Afghans when they were in power, were not just tolerated but in fact begrudgingly admired for being a "unfiying force" that had managed to bring peace to a war torn country.
There was also the small matter of funding for these people coming from Saudi Arabia, the West's biggest ally in the Middle East. All this was common knowledge, most protagonists were known to all the world's major intelligence agencies, most were travelling around freely, preaching their mesage of hate and being allowed to go their merry way so long as they kept to their camps and caves in Afghanistan.
Sadly we have now seen the results of that blinkered policy. I do not just blame the West here. The Muslims themselves have a lot to answer for. As a community (if they can be called that, being the sum of many and varied countries and cultures spread from Mauritania to Indonesia) they could have done a lot more to stop the rapid growth of this deviant version of their faith. They did not, and in many cases remained in denial. Regretfully, it is the Muslims themselves who have paid the heaviest price.
I am no apologist, and the purpose of this comment is not to make negative comments about my faith which is quintessentially based on the ideals of peaceful co-existence. I also believe that comments such as " i have a problem with Muslims" signify a certain ignorance on part of the commentator. Do you, in all honesty, have a problem with a third of the world's population, many of whom want nothing more then to see the back of the likes of Bin Laden and all those who are carrying out these evil deeds in the name of their faith.
If the war against terror is ever to be won, it will only be with the fullest possible co-opeartion from the Muslims themselves. Since the London train bombings, i have notice a sea change in the attitude of British Muslims. They have now woken up to the fact that the young men who ranted and raved outside their mosques on megaphones after every Friday prayers were more then a bunch of attention seeking lunatics. Their is a much greater willingness to confront and weed out the evil in our midst. Together, we will confront and one day, God willing, wipe out those who seek to divide us. But only if we stay together.
Enjoyed reading your thoughts, Anwar.
Tammy
One must remember that all groups have extremists and peaceful members. We can not label an entire religion on the actions of one section. Is it possible to liken the Christian crusades to the terrorist attacks today? There might not be a war for territory, but there is a war going on for the minds and hearts of the world. Whether fear in christian and western minds means victory for extremists, or conversion of muslims to christianity or western ideology means victory for christians and westerners, a crusade of the cultures is underway.
I want to answer the question att he end of the article. There is no possible way to end these tragedies without more death and violence. There is a hatred and grudge betwen the countris that will never be resoolved unless a winner comes out from an all out war. Until one country is left styanding there will bnever be peace between the two.
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