Lets start with you wouldn't be allowed to ask this question in a good ol' Madrassa.
Posted on 02/23/2012 2:18:12 PM PST by bigjoesaddle
Here is the question from my sons 10th grade World History homework.
"In both ancient and modern times, one can see countless examples of the strained relationship that exists between Christians and Muslims. WHy do these disagreements continue to occur despite the fact that the beliefs in both religions are so strikingly similar and preach peace before violence."
Even under the Shah the Mullahs did very well indeed.
Oops. Edicts.
I forgot to mention to you to research the Nazis who left Germany after WWII only to become powerful throughout the Middle East, especially in Egypt. There are names you can lookup.
My teachers didn't like it when I challenged a statement of “fact”. I didn't care, it was not their job to “like” me.
The assignment is impossible, since the point of departure asserts that both religions are “so similar”:
They are not very similar, in fact they are almost polar opposites.
How are they similar? Yes, the Koran recognizes Jesus, Mary, and others. In some sense the “Pillars of Islam” seem a bit like commandments.
How else?
Christianity is not fatalistic, yet Islam is, hugely. EVERYTHING is God’s will, which explains why few Muslims ever really aim their weapons —a hit or a miss is all God’s will, so why bother...?
I hope they keep it up.
Well he could cite the authority cited more than any other during the Founding Era 1730-1805 —according to Donald S.Lutz “The Relative Influence of European Writers on Late Eighteenth Century American Political Thought “American Political Science Review 189 (1984)pp189-97 But that would be the same Book that President Thomas Jefferson required schools teach from in the Classrooms of Washington D.C.,when he was President —The Bible. Genesis Chapter 16 Verses 11-12 And the angel of the Lord said to her (Hagar ,the Egyptian runaway slave) “Behold you are with child,and you shall bear a son.You shall call his name Ishmael, Because the Lord has heard your affliction.v.12 He shall be a wild man; His hand shall be against every man, And every man’s hand against him .And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.”This truth would have been better received by American educators back about the time Dr.Benjamin Rush wrote his pamphlet On Defense of the use of the Bible in Schools.@1830.but it explains WHY as well as any other supposition.
If your son tells the truth about Islam you will be getting a letter or a phone call from the school.
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It would be worth it... I confronted my 10th grade theology teacher who brought in some eco radicals (communists) ... The tone of the class changed considerably after we had our discussion. This was in the 1970’s ...
I’m uncertain that I can think of a single answer that will result in anything but the student being kicked out of school, beheaded, or both.
The easy way to do this is to attack the premise.
“beliefs in both religions are so strikingly similar and preach peace before violence.”
Nothing could be more untrue.
If you’d like, I have a nice deconstruction of Islam in Word Doc format. Feel free to send a private message with your email and I’ll send it to you.
There are about 28 active military conflicts going on in the world right now. 26 have Muslims as one of the antagonists.
Islam, the religion, is actually two religions - Mecca Islam and Medina Islam. Mecca Islam was written during the time Mohammmed was not a powerful person yet. Once he attained some money and military might, he rolled out Medina Islam, which was the ‘kill the infidel, spill his blood’ brand.
One thing to consider here - he’s going to be graded on this, and given how this theme was crafted, the teacher is signalling for a specific result.
He can write for the grade, or he can write the truth.
There’s a scene in Orwell’s 1984 where five lights are turned on, and the main character is tortured until he replies ‘four’ to the question ‘How many lights do you see?’
Being able to argue the other side of an argument, no matter how flawed and devoid of logic it might be, is a legitimate skill.
Don’t make this assignment about personal character. As long as your son looks at this premise from the point of view of an adherent to Mecca Islam, he can write a coherent paper. In fact, he can point out that within Islam itself, Sunni Islam and Shiite Islam would rage even if every other person of another religion were suddenly whisked off of the planet.
If he makes this an examination of how the internal conflct manifests itself not just in its relationship with Christianity, but also with Judaism, and as of this AM, even atheism (read - secular humanism, as opposed to agnosticism), he can stay within the premise, retain his integrity, and still get an A.
Because Islam, since its inception has engaged in military conquest, at different times, of much of the then known Christian world, annexing Asia Minor and the Middle East [including Anatolia, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran,and the Holy Land, the Moslem seizure of which led to the Christian counter-offensive, the Crusades], excepting Saudi Arabia, where Islam started, the North Aes]frican littoral, the Iberian peninsula, the Balkans, Greece, Constantinople, Sicily, southern Italy and invaded [without success] France and Austria.
The statement that Islam preaches peace is false. The word Islam means ‘submission’. Moslems divide ther world in tw3o, the DAR AL UMMA, or House of Peace, and the DAR AL HARB, or House of War. The DAR AL HARB constitutes that portion of the globe that has not submitted to Islam
Islam also constitutes not only a religious system, but one of governance. [the SHARIA LAW]. Under SHARIA, non -Moslem monotheists are second class citizens. they must pay a special tax, the Jizza, and may not testify against a Moslem in a law court. In ancient times they were forbidden from riding horses. they were required to ride mules. While they were allowed to worship [if they paid the Jizzah], they were forbidden from repairing or replacing their houses of worship wghen repairs or replacement was needed. For non-monotheists, such as Hindus [polytheists] there was no Jizzah [they were not “People of the Book”- the Bible]. Their choice was conversion or death.
Finally, one reason Christians and Moslems don’t get along, is Christianity went through a Reformation, and centuries of critical study and analysis. Islam’s still stuck in the 7th century.
Hope this helps.
Christianity teaches forgiveness. Islam teaches revenge. Vengeance establishes a vicious, self-perpetuating cycle.
Islam teaches the domination and destruction of infidels (non muslims)
———There is nothing similar about islam and Christianity.-——
Lent = Ramadan
Your kid is being asked to reason from a false hypothesis. The Muzzies only preach peace to one another, and even that is a lie. If a Muzzie doesn't have a Jew of a Christian to subdue he will practice on another Muzzie so he can be ready when the time comes for a real infidel. He should read up on what happened to Alexandria (in Egypt) which at one time was the city with the largest Christian population in the world. Then the followers of Mo came along.
ML/NJ
Lets start with you wouldn't be allowed to ask this question in a good ol' Madrassa.
Christians preach honesty above all. Muslims preach lying is OK if it forwards Islam.
To even attempt to answer this question -- the way it's framed -- is to capitulate to the multiculturalists at the outset.
I refuse to play, and I refuse to surrender.
I would remove my child from this liberal Gulag on the spot.
For family consumption answer with quotes from Muslims.
Muslim wife: It beats me!
Muslim gay: I'll be hanged if I know!
Muslim daughter: Stop teasing daddy! You're killing me!
Muslim convert to Christianity: Off the top of my head, I don't know!
Muslim widow: I don't want to lose my head over another man!
Muslim girl's night out: Let's get stoned!
For the school, simply copy directly verse from the Quran commanding the killing of all Infidels.
But seriously, for your son's project a cut and paste of the Suras and Hadith traditions outlining all of the above could be enlightening to his teacher and the entire class. A summary of the history of Islamic conquest from 622 to Tours in France and Vienna in 1683, the Armenian massacre in 1902, the Greek cleansing of the Anatolian coast in the 1920's, the anti-Jewish riots and massacres in Palestine in the 20's and 30's, Munich 1972, New York 2001, Darfur, Thailand, Bali, shoe-bomber, underwear-bomber, and Shiite Iranian threats to annihilate all the Jews worldwide would make up a partial but still interesting list for answering "why can't we just get along".
Oh, and he should be prepared to answer that the Crusades were a reaction to the above mentioned conquest and that the Nazis were anti-Christian socialist neo-pagans. I'm fairly certain his teacher will make a statement requiring that correction.
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