Winston Churchill on Islam

The River War | 1899 | Sir Winston Churchill

[southernnorthcarolina]

How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy.

The effects are apparent in many countries. Improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live.

A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement; the next of its dignity and sanctity. The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property, either as a child, a wife, or a concubine, must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men.

Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities, but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it.

No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step; and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science, the science against which it had vainly struggled, the civilization of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilization of ancient Rome.

-- Sir Winston Churchill (The River War, first edition, Vol. II, pages 248-50 [London: Longmans, Green & Co., 1899]).

[southernnorthcarolina]

I'm quite sure I've never posted a 107 year old excerpt on this forum. But in light of recent events, including the Chapel Hill terrorist incident last Friday, Churchill's take remains amazingly timely.

[Rummyfan]

Looks like Winnie had Islam sussed a long time ago.

[capt. norm]

Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities, but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it.

Well stated!

[GreatWhiteLionSnake]

Too bad Muslims will be the majority in England by 2010!

They're already the majority in Leeds, Bristol, Manchester and two other cities in Churchill's beloved homeland.

[jdm]

Churchill was not even 25 years of age when he wrote that.

Amazing.

[southernnorthcarolina]

Looks like Winnie had Islam sussed a long time ago.

Interesting, too, that Winston was 24 years old when he wrote this. I'm pretty sure I wasn't that wise at 24. Oh, wait, I'm still not.

[southernnorthcarolina]

Five seconds. Dang.

[Mr. Mojo]

Churchill was not even 25 years of age when he wrote that. Amazing.

Truly. He would've been a helluva Freeper.

[UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide]

Too bad Muslims will be the majority in England by 2010!

With England's nuclear arsenal.

[Rummyfan]

Also came across this quote from Churchill on Islam:

As the horn is to the rhinoceros and the stinger is to the wasp, so the Mohammedan faith is to the Arabs.

[Gordongekko909]

By the way:

vo·ta·ry

n. pl. vo·ta·ries

1.a. A person bound by vows to live a life of religious worship or service.

b. A devout adherent of a cult or religion; a committed worshiper: the votaries of Aphrodite.

2. A person who is fervently devoted, as to a leader or ideal; a faithful follower.

3. A person who is filled with enthusiasm, as for a pursuit or hobby; an enthusiast.

[Rummyfan]

Too bad Muslims will be the majority in England by 2010!

They're already the majority in Leeds, Bristol, Manchester and two other cities in Churchill's beloved homeland.

Frightening! Even more so if I lived in England. Will the Brits wake up? Is it too late already?

[Loud Mime]

I've read three of his books on WWII. Got to finish the set; my writing improves greatly after reading Churchill.

[Mr. Mojo]

How many books in the set?

[SandRat]

The age is of little concern. The words ring true yet today reinforcing the text "He who fails to learn the lessons of history is fated to repeat it."

[NewLand]

...OVER ISLAM!

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

http://www.blackmask.com/Detailed/History/The_River_War--Winston_S._Churchill_7229.html

Above URL is free books in several formats,

[impatient]

Edward Gibbon (of a much earlier age) was even less flattering:

His virtues, as well as the vices of Elagabalus, contracted a tincture of weakness and effeminacy from the soft climate of Syria, of which he was a native; though he blushed at his foreign origin, and listened with a vain complacency to the flattering genealogists, who derived his race from the ancient stock of Roman nobility.

[cmsgop]

Win Da Man!

[Right Wing Assault]

Churchill was born in 1874. He must have written this in his early twenties.

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

http://www.blackmask.com/cgi-bin/newlinks/search.cgi?query=Winston+Churchill

There are 6 of his early books at above URL.
Several formats also.

[JerseyDvl]

What a brilliant man. The eloquence is mesmerizing and unparalleled.

[southernnorthcarolina]

How many books in the set?

Churchill's The Second World War, mostly written after his 1945 defeat and before his comeback, consists of six volumes. Churchill wrote elsewhere: "History will be kind to me, for I shall write it." Certainly true with respect to The Second World War.

I'd never be so presumptuous as to say that a given work is "required reading," but this one is close.

[mosquewatch.com]

You do realize I'm going to steal this picture lol. Well done! :)

Jeff

[mosquewatch.com]

And your text too. :)

[Hiddigeigei]

I can not find this quote in the on-line edition version.

[freedomson]

Great stuff, thanks for posting!

bump

[Mr. Mojo]

Yeah, it's one of those classics that has remained on my "to read" list for .....almost two decades now.

I did finally get around to reading William Shirer's The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, and it was excellent.

[Apercu]

Also from Patton:

"It seems to me a certainty that the fatalistic teachings of Mohammed and the utter degradation of the Arab women are the outstanding causes for the arrested development of the Arab. He is exactly as he was around the year 700, while we have been developing."

General George S. Patton

[Domestic Church]

"No stronger retrograde force exists in the world."

It would be good to have a thread of all such *politically incorrect* statements from famous statesmen and such to stand tall next to some of today's pablum.

[quesney]

"Churchill was not even 25 years of age when he wrote that."

The man was brilliant, brave and blunt -- oh, and I think he was learning disabled in his youth. An extraordinary man. Haven't seen his kind since.

[patriot_wes]

"Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities, but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it."

Proving once again - The more things change the more they stay the same!

[hawkiye]

Great quote! Churchill nailed Hitler and he has pegged the Muslims. To bad people are ignoring him now just as they did when he nailed Hitler. Unfortunately many who don't see his wisdom call themselves conservatives.

[southernnorthcarolina]

[re Churchill's The Second World War]: Yeah, it's one of those classics that has remained on my "to read" list for .....almost two decades now.

Do it. You won't regret it. Great inside account not only of the war itself, but of its root causes, and the buildup to it. Of course, the fact that Churchill was a (or perhaps the) key player makes it better.

Contrast with his A History of the English Speaking Peoples, four volumes ©1956-58. I love Winnie, but God, what a plodder. Of course, he was well into his 80s when he wrote it. But way too broad in scope, and the author didn't star in the work.

[Dustbunny]

Bump

[Huck]

His writing reminds me of Mencken. And that's very high praise.

[JohnBovenmyer]

The Second World War is a fascinating read, right down to the foot notes, but even with the quality of Churchill's writing it takes awhile to finish because of sheer size. IIRC, I finished it not long before Ultra became known, the main secret he had to leave out.

[Robe]

Fer Later

[Emmet Fitzhume]

Absolutely.

:-)

[moonpie57]

“If any religion had the chance of ruling over England, nay Europe within the next hundred years, it could be Islam”--George Bernard Shaw

[OKIEDOC]

Yep a very smart non politically correct man.

[yarddog]

I too have read Churchill's six voulumn History of WWII. An extremely long work but fascinating for all the telegrams orders etc. plus his own writings.

I agree, nearly a must read.

[Reagan Man]

Good stuff from old Winston. Posted many times in threads. Third time in a month on its own. Bares repeating.

[Reagan Man]

Winston Churchill 1896

[MeekMom]

Hey, this is really good. Thanks for the thread.

[pawdoggie]

Churchill had combat experience fighting the fuzzy wuzzy muzzy terrorists of his day.

[Atlantian]

Churchill was also an excellent painter. Amazingly the first time he picked up a paint brush he was 40 years old. He was going through depression at the time and was looking for something to occupy himself.

[GreatWhiteLionSnake]

I've read that he was diagnosed as being barely above retarded when he was a child.

I'll take that to mean merely misunderstood. He must have had a hard life coming up.

We could sure use a world leader like that now. His resolution can only be matched by our own President.

Of course, Churchill didn't have England's press to fight off every time he did something either.

[Black Power 1234]

Some other great quotes by Churchill


I do not agree that the dog in a manger has the final right to the manger even though he may have lain there for a very long time. I do not admit that right. I do not admit for instance, that a great wrong has been done to the Red Indians of America or the black people of Australia. I do not admit that a wrong has been done to these people by the fact that a stronger race, a higher-grade race, a more worldly wise race to put it that way, has come in and taken their place.

Churchill to the Palestine Royal Commission (1937)

It is alarming and also nauseating to see Mr. Gandhi, a seditious Middle Temple lawyer of the type well-known in the East, now posing as a fakir, striding half naked up the steps of the Viceregal palace to parley on equal terms with the representative of the King-Emperor.
Comment on Gandhi's meeting with the Viceroy of India (1931)

One may dislike Hitler's system and yet admire his patriotic achievement. If our country were defeated, I hope we should find a champion as indomitable to restore our courage and lead us back to our place among the nations.
"Hitler and His Choice", The Strand Magazine (November 1935)

I feel that Briton colonization was the main reason why extremism in Muslim countries took hold. From Palestine, Kashmir to Iraq. The British leader in 1900s were racist and they hated muslims so they used divide and conquer method to create artificial boundaries between countries in 1900s.