Rod Dreher: This Islamic group tends to extremes

Dallas Morning News ^ | 10/23/2003 | Rod Dreher

[ImpBill]

But I don't understand. Islam is "the religion of peace", "that has helped shape the character of the United States, and has made great contributions to the world", according to the top administration official.

I mean, come now AMERICAN Islamists surely must represent the best of that peaceful religion, wouldn't they? The "terrorists" are only a small radical branch of that "peaceful religion" aren't they?

Until we understand and accept that we are at war with Islam only because it is their stated goal to dominate the world and destroy all philosophies that aren't theirs will the western world have any chance at all of living in "peace". Unfortunately, IMO, it is going to take an attack that makes the events of 911 seem like a Sunday school picnic before many will understand the insidious goal of Islam and then act accordingly.

What most apologists for Islam don't understand and there can't accept is that it is not simply a religion. It is a socio/economic/political system using the veil of "religion" and "belief in Allah" to justify their murderous, barbaric actions.

Islam is at WAR with the rest of the world and it is not simply a war of words or ideas. They are raised to believe their will must be imposed upon us by "the sword" and that their warriors who die in martyrdom in that cause receive special adulation in the eyes of their god.

When will their apologists here wake up and smell the coffee?

[nuconvert]

Publicize the names of your enemy.
Educate the people, so they know who they are.
Then round them up & get rid of them.

[nuconvert]

"The "terrorists" are only a small radical branch of that "peaceful religion" aren't they?"

Don't start the all "Islamists are terrorists" mantra.
All Moslems are not terrorists. Yes, there are radical branches. And they're very dangerous and must be weeded out from the mainstream. Just as there are Christians who don't take every single word in the Bible literally, so there are Moslems who accept the Koran as a "whole", but not line-by-line. Many Moslems in Iran consider themselves secular.
Let's try to keep the Islamofascists/terrorists in the catagory to which they belong,(The Enemy) and let the rest
of the people live in peace.

[Kenny Bunk]

Jesus, Bill! What's your problem?

In round numbers, there are a mere 1.5 Billion Muslims in the world. A paltry 5% or so are active terrorist, fire- breathing international jihadist suicide bombers who hate all things un-Muslim and will kill to make that point. OK. Now stop being such a racist!

75-80 million people with very deep pockets want to kill you, your family, your friends, and destroy your country and culture. Relax. No Biggie. Another 15% or so of Muslims support these unfashionable, fanatic anti-social types with money and other help. They personally wouldn't dream of strapping on the dynamite, or hi-jacking your flight. So lighten up, at least 80% of the world's Muslims are not going to hurt anyone.

Unfortunately, that includes their more enthusiastic brothers in the Religion of Peace.

[ImpBill]

You are certainly welcomed to your opinions, as I mine.

My OPINION is that ISLAM IS TERROR!

It is obviously apparent that should you even study the history of this vile philosophy in a small degree that we won't agree. That's the way things are. It is just my opinion that your attitude is naive, but a popular one nonetheless, and will cause us much more suffering as a nation than we need endure. But perhaps it is inevitable that we endure more pain before people really come to understand the insidious philosophy of Islam.

[ImpBill]

See #6. I am not out to convert you or anyone to my view, but I am not going to back down either.

ISLAM IS TERROR! It was built on it. It demands it (Jihad). And it rewards it.

[ImpBill]

BTW, Islam has nothing to do with "race". Calling me a racist simply goes to show that you know little about the "philosophy". It is much more than a relgion in comarison to Western theologies. But it is going to take some study on the part of people unfamiliar with it to understand that.

[Kenny Bunk]

Bill, of course you ain't a racist! My point is all Muslims at least tacitly support the extremists. That is, as an unorganized religion, they cannot discipline wayward members. As a result, Islam is not about what people believe ... it's about what they do.

For example, why aren't the Saudis sending troops to help eliminate the Taliban in Afghanistan? Why has there been no outcry in the Muslim world about slavery and the killing of Christians in the Sudan and elsewhere. There is a great deal of blather (unfortunately, a lot of it coming from the White House) right now about the difference between "Islam," a pure and noble 'Religion of Peace,' soi-disant ... and Isalm-ISM, a bad thing that wants to take over the world and will kill you to do so, unless everyone immediately converts to their religion and way of life.

My point to you is that there is no difference. Islam is not just another religion. Many people in Germany read "Mein Kampf." They ignored it as the blueprint of the Nazis. Hopefully, when people read the Koran, they will not ignore it as the blueprint of Islam.

[DianaN]

Mohamet's original name as given by his birth mother was "Kothan". His mother couldn't afford to raise him. He was orphaned and nd his name was changed after he left his mother to live with relatives.

Mohamet in all liklihood DID know how to both read and write as he was a business man who ran a camel caravan that traveled extensively (his uncle's business). Mohamet had a rich, educated Jewish wife (at that time Jews, including womenm, were well educated in the synagogues). Mohamet came into contact with many Christians (especially heretical Christians), including a Nestorian Monk, with whom he had many long discussions about religion. Mohamet worshipped the same chief pagan god of the Arabs called AL LAT while he was growing up before he founded a new religion. The statement that Islam worships the same God Christians and Jews do is a relatively recent 'observation'.

In all liklihood Mohamet was either an epilectic or a man with some sort of psychological disease (early sources note what sounds very much like some sort of 'fits').

In my opinion, there was and is NOTHING "holy" about this man who approved of slavery and assasinations when it was to his advantage. Likewise with the Islamist's book representing the religion, their black rock (likely a piece of metorite which the ancient Arab pagans also worshipped) or Mecca and Medina.

For those who have read the Qu'ran, a fair minded person could easily notice God obeys Mohamet not the other way around whenever it benefitted Mohamet's current situation. The Qu'ran has been "changed" numerous times, contrary to Islamist's claims, most likely to in order to become more politically correct, especially for Western consumption.

People are being killed every day in the name of what in REALITY is a religion founded upon MYTHS.

Saudi Arabia is a recent historical reality that happened when dissidents joined with religious extremists.
They forced all non-Muslims out of Saudi Arabia without compensation (so much for toleration and equality in "Islam").

[nuconvert]

Hmmm...So using your figures, over 1.4 BILLION AREN'T terrorists?
That's a lot of help in the war on terror.
1.4 Billion against 75 million, that's do-able.
And of course that doesn't include the population
of the rest of the world also fighting against the 75 million. I think the odds are looking really good that we can wipe out that terrorist faction.

[nightdriver]

"When will their apologists here wake up and smell the coffee?"

They won't.

The starry-eyed naive liberals in this country will force us to accept islam as a "religion" protected by the First Ammendment, even though it has been ruled in the courts that it is not.

[ImpBill]

It seems we have much from which we agree. Not all Germans were Nazis, however all Muslims are ... well .... Muslims, following the dictates of the Koran and leadership of Mohammed. I particularily liked what the author of this article has to say when he states, "Silence and a lack of curiosity, however well meaning or unwitting, are allowing a malignant ideology to grow unchecked in this country. American Muslims who want no part of Islamofascist ideology are its first victims. They won't be its last."

[nuconvert]

People are being killed every day in the name of what in REALITY is a religion founded upon MYTHS"

You're making a big mistake getting started on myths.
Want to start with Mormons? Christian mythology?
Stay away from the religious myths argument.
It won't fly as an argument against Muslims.

[nightdriver]

"Don't start the all "Islamists are terrorists" mantra. All Moslems are not terrorists."

No, just the ones that believe their own scriptures.

[ImpBill]

Not only "liberals" my friend. Search the topics here on FR and see what many of the "our President can say or do no wrong" types offer in support of his statements concerning this insidious philosophy.

[nuconvert]

Yes, Bill. You're entitiled to your opinion.

But you're mistaken to believe I'm so naive.
What I DO believe, is that there are radicals in every religion; Christians, Jews, Muslims, etc. They're all dangerous. But they aren't the mainstream. Some Christians believe in the bible, word for word, in its entirety. Others pick and choose what parts of the Bible to live by, what parts are most important to them,
which pertain to their lives and which don't, which stories are real and which are parables. Why would
you think it's any different for the Koran?

[nuconvert]

"No, just the ones that believe their own scriptures."

Exactly. Now you're getting it.

[nuconvert]

Gotta admit.
I support our President. (though he's not infallible)
And I'm not a liberal.
So, I guess I'm a type, too.
(a personality maybe simliar to President Bush,in some ways - not so bad)

[thoughtomator]

Because Christians and Jews haven't been building schools globally for the specific purpose of turning as many of their adherents into hardcore, violent radicals who dream of killing non-believers en masse?

Just a thought.