Adding injury to insult
This is getting ridiculous.
First a cartoon, now a teddy bear's name.
And let's not even talk about the women who are punished for being raped.
There is no need for a vast "Western Conspiracy to Discredit Islam". Islam is doing a fine job all by itself.
EDIT 12/05/07:
I am relieved to hear that Gillian Gibbons, the teacher with the teddy bear, is now home and safe. I noticed that the local Islamic communities in Great Britain have been very supportive of her, and swift to condemn the actions of the Sudanese government.
In perspective, the problem is not with Islam, as I seemed to imply with my statement above. The problem lies with the extremists, regardless of their religious posturing. Calling for the death of an individual for a perceived insult is in no way religious. The pious do not hate. The faithful do not call for anyone's death. They speak of tolerance and forgiveness.
Those who hate often use a mask of religion to cover their actions. The hood of the KKK and their burning crosses are no different. They use the Word like a weapon, but take it out of context. They bend and twist their faith to fit their human anger, and have lost the meaning.
Faith can be a powerful weapon in the hands of madmen. This is not the fault of the faith or the faithful, at least not directly. The problem is that it is often hard to tell the difference between the true faithful and the madmen.
Let's see if we can simplify the issue: Anyone who uses the word "hate" in regards to... well... anything, is not a religious person, and should not be allowed to protect themselves under the mantle of faith. Don't be fooled by the number of beads they carry or the robes they wear. How many times they pray is irrelevant. The true test of faith is in their words and deeds.
The task falls upon the faithful themselves. Stop tolerating madmen speaking for you. Don't let them get away with it. Speak up!
First a cartoon, now a teddy bear's name.
And let's not even talk about the women who are punished for being raped.
There is no need for a vast "Western Conspiracy to Discredit Islam". Islam is doing a fine job all by itself.
EDIT 12/05/07:
I am relieved to hear that Gillian Gibbons, the teacher with the teddy bear, is now home and safe. I noticed that the local Islamic communities in Great Britain have been very supportive of her, and swift to condemn the actions of the Sudanese government.
In perspective, the problem is not with Islam, as I seemed to imply with my statement above. The problem lies with the extremists, regardless of their religious posturing. Calling for the death of an individual for a perceived insult is in no way religious. The pious do not hate. The faithful do not call for anyone's death. They speak of tolerance and forgiveness.
Those who hate often use a mask of religion to cover their actions. The hood of the KKK and their burning crosses are no different. They use the Word like a weapon, but take it out of context. They bend and twist their faith to fit their human anger, and have lost the meaning.
Faith can be a powerful weapon in the hands of madmen. This is not the fault of the faith or the faithful, at least not directly. The problem is that it is often hard to tell the difference between the true faithful and the madmen.
Let's see if we can simplify the issue: Anyone who uses the word "hate" in regards to... well... anything, is not a religious person, and should not be allowed to protect themselves under the mantle of faith. Don't be fooled by the number of beads they carry or the robes they wear. How many times they pray is irrelevant. The true test of faith is in their words and deeds.
The task falls upon the faithful themselves. Stop tolerating madmen speaking for you. Don't let them get away with it. Speak up!
posted by M. B. Dezotell at 10:12 AM
2 Comments:
The zealots and fanatics rarely use the word, "hate," though. They use words like "love" and "compassion" and "righteousness" and other antonyms of their true feelings.
I have much more respect for those who are honest about their hate. I don't like them, but I gotta give them credit for bein' right up front with their agenda.
I also appreciate the honest ones, it makes them easier to avoid.
But, if you can't depend on their honesty, how can you tell if they are dangerous? Just by telling us what to think and believe is enough to trigger a knee-jerk get-away-from-me-you-bleeding-nutjob reaction from you and I. But, not everyone has an instinctive revulsion of any attempt at mind-control.
Heck, I'm reasonably sure most folk like being told what to do. The sheer relief of being handed all the answers on a silver platter must be a great rush! Avoiding, in one fell swoop, all the stress of having to figure out what to do and how to behave all the time. I'm sure its quite liberating.
How can the average sheeple on the street recognize a psychopathic fanatic when they see one, and not merely a harmless follower of an irrational theocracy?
What can we do to help them?
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