The word being muttered on conservative blogs and other sympathetic information sources is that they have the key to better understanding the situation in Iraq and a crucial element in the "War on Terror". The simple fact, they say, stems from the nature of the single driving force of these terrorists that have us so on edge. What is this force? Religion...but not just any religion. This religion is an irredeemably violent one. The religion, of course, is Islam.
The suggestion is that violence is inherent to Islam, and that the only logical outcome for a person raised in such an environment is fanatical, militant behavior. Therefore, the best way to ward against becoming the victim of terrorist violence is to beware those who practice the Muslim faith. Let's only stop people who "look like Muslims" at the airport. Let's hold Muslim suspects in prison for an invariably long period of time, even though we have no evidence other than their heritage and their religion.
Along a similar vein, these apparent experts in terrorist psychology say we should be wary of those who claim that Islam is a "peaceful religion". They quote organizations like CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations) with sarcasm and disdain. They frequently ask why prominent Muslims who speak of a "peaceful" Islam don't condemn horrific acts we hear of in tyrannical Islamic theocracies. Clearly their only interest, some conservatives insist, is in furthering the illusion of a nonviolent faith that is the victim of the terrible publicity of a smaller set of fanatics that happen to have a disproportional amount of influence.
Well, folks...in my opinion, this is all an excuse for bigotry. I know my last post was about racism, and I hate to beat a dead horse, but this stuff really gets me worked up. You see, there are some very educated, well-read individuals spouting this ethnocentric bullsh!t. They go and quote passages from the Koran out of context with a sort of smug satisfaction, as if to say, "See? Doesn't that prove it?"
Well, don't get me started quoting the bible out of context...or referring to several of the crusades that were started, not by Muslims, but Europeans. Oh, hey, let's not forget...
The Inquisition
What a show!
The Inquisition
Here we go!
We know you're wishin' that we'd go away!
But the Inquisition's here and it's here to stay!
It's real easy to take select samples of anything and make it seem like anything you want. Sure, the Koran does say some pretty violent things, and there are places were it seems to be saying some unflattering things about Christians and Jews, but much of the history of the Koran seems to suggest that a lot of this was fabricated or possibly even mistranslated.
The thing that really gets me is that there are people out there reading this conservative stuff and saying to themselves, "Wow, this guy is really eloquent and obviously well read. What he's saying must be true!" Let's not forget how Hitler practically spellbound Germans with his impassioned speeches. These modern day Torquemadas would have us round up every Muslim in the known universe and interrogate them until they "confessed" to some kind of maligned intent and converted to a more "peaceful" religion...say, Christianity. Sound familiar?
No, of course they don't say this outright. They’d even deny it if you suggested it to them. But what other logical inference can you make from their racist ramblings? If the problem in the Middle East is because of the predominant religion, then what is the most logical solution? Theological cleansing?
Here's the real problem...the tyrannical theocracies and fanatical groups that hold so much sway in that area of the world. They warp the philosophies of Allah's followers and mold the religion's influence to their will. And this isn't a recent thing. Caliphs had been twisting the words of the Koran for centuries to suit their own greedy ends. It's no wonder so much intolerant invective can be extracted from the book. The conservative psuedo-nazi's conveniently overlook passages like the following:
Surely those who believe, and those who are Jews, and the Christians, and the Sabians, whoever believes in Allah and the Last day and does good, they shall have their reward from their Lord, and there is no fear for them, nor shall they grieve. [2:62]
Hmm...sounds dangerous. But what's really dangerous is people just reading the state-sponsored propaganda without seeing what the real deal is. At least if I hear something that makes me mad or that seems like important information for me as it pertains to my freedom and safety, I go check it out. I go look at all the sources, then make a decision for myself. There are people who are going to read this prejudiced drivel, and they won't bother to check the author on his sources. They won't go and look through the Koran to see what it really says, or investigate the history to see why it says it. They'll just take it for granted that the author is offering sound advice.
Well, I have some advice of my own. Let's not be so short sighted and narrow minded. Some say it's ridiculous to search old ladies with walkers and clean-cut, western businessmen at airports. I say if we officially take a stance to not search them, terrorists will search for them. Terrorists will begin using sympathetic westerners to suicide bomb for them or will slip bombs into the little old ladies' carry-on luggage. Granny will unknowingly become a martyr for a terror organization she's never even heard of. And let's not forget the Belgian woman who became a suicide bomber in Iraq, targeting American troops. In this case, judging a book by its cover could turn out to be a deadly mistake.
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