The conventional wisdom has always been to think of War and Peace as opposite sides of a coin. Does the absence of war automatically mean peace?
Nobody likes war but does does halting it automatically result in peace? I would argue that Peace is NOT just the absence of war but an absence of hostility. India and Pakistan are not at peace although they have not declared war (as yet). Similarly, The Israelis and Palestinians have not been at peace even before the current round of shelling and counter-shelling. Even after Israel vacated the Gaza strip, peace did not return to it. One can easily see that if Israel were to vacate the West Bank, we will still not have peace.
What we will have is a fragile and a quivering “cease-fire”.
Our standards are so pitifully low that a trembling and transient cease-fire is feted as “Peace”. This is what we seek to return to every time the world community urges Israel to halt its military reprisals. But the peace that they are talking about – i.e. the cease-fire – was long violated by Hamas when they started with rocket-fire into Israel. So what peace are we talking about?
Let’s be brutally frank! We will NEVER have peace unless the religion of peace decides to renounce violence. Do you see that happening? Me neither! Islam has codified violence against kafirs (specifically Jews) as a solmemn duty to be rewarded with eternal pleasures of paradise. Hamas has adopted this instruction as the central theme of its manifesto. Why do we think that land is a sufficient barter for the promise of paradise?
And yet, the conversation ALWAYS returns to “occupied” territories and settlements! Gaza was vacated in 2006 in the face of fierce opposition from ultra-orthodox Israelis. If Gaza is under occupation, then it is under Hamas occupation and not Israeli. It is abundantly clear that Hamas, once in control of territory, has chosen to initiate hostilities against Israel and thus put civilians in danger. Why do we believe the same will not happen if West Bank were also handed over?
And if rockets do rain from the West Bank, how will Israel be expected to keep such a “peace”?
Now coming to the topic of casualties: Israel has so far lost under a dozen lives. Over 700 Gaza residents – many of them civilians – have died. On the face of it, it is excessive and disproportionate. But if Hamas operates from civilian enclaves and melts into civilian neighborhoods after its operations, is it any surprise that targeted retribution against Hamas is bound to carry a huge toll in terms of collateral damage? Why is it Israel’s duty to keep collateral damage low when it is not Hamas’s responsibility to NOT operate from civilian enclaves?
One would have to conclude that bringing about high levels of collateral damage is a VITAL ELEMENT of Hamas strategy. In their calculation, civilian (palestinian) casualties are not just unavoidable but a necessary constituent. What chance does peace have against an adversary that has adopted the Islamic instruction for genocide and offering self-sacrifice (martyrdom)?
In conclusion, we must understand that “peace” is more than just an absence of war. If we want peace, we must have absence of “hostility”. But since “hostility” is enshrined in the Koran and is not just permitted but demanded from the faithful, we should have no reason to expect “peace”.
In other words, we have no reason to expect peace from the religion of war!
Filed under: Islam, Politics, Religion | Tagged: Hamas, Islam, Israel, Religion, war |
Mind Droppings 
Not untrue, but not entirely accurate. Islam, like any other religion, is a mixture of interpretations that leads to political agendas. Like everything in politics, you can get a cornucopia of ideas, beliefs and agendas from the same holy book, from the same religion, from the same “kind of believers”.
While it is true that Islam is highly grappled by extremists and radicals, this does not encompass the entire Muslim world. Egypt and Jordan have their fair share of batshit insane nutheads, but they represent a more moderate form of Islam, that, if not amenable to much criticism, is at least containable. This is not true for the more Shiite segments of Islam.
This applies even for Palestine, and even for Hamas. You must realize that the “cease-fire” before the current incursions was not a cease fire, not literally and not implicitly. It was a “Tahadiya”. Tahadiya translates roughly to “alleviated hostility”, a kind of “moderate belligerence”, if you will.
As far as that’s concerned, Hamas did exquisitely well to preserve the Tahadiya. The only rockets fired from June-October were by rogue organizations who opposed the Tahadiya, and since Hamas is a thuggish and messy organization, it would be impossible for it to rule all of the dissident factions in the strip. In my opinion, a situation such as this is ideal for a rebuild of common trust between the two peoples, regardless of the radical Islamist view of Israeli destruction.
The radical approach Islam fosters is a global issue, not a local one. This is a problem for everyone to deal with, not just us, and in any case, it does not rule out a possible arrangement with the Pals. Israel squandered a lot of opportunities for peace in the past because it’s easy to de-legitimatize Hamas as a terrorist organization (and it should be noted that Israel dealt with regardless when it suited Israel’s interests)
We have to give them a little more credence, just a little more, because right now, they’re the best (admittedly, that’s a corruption of the word) the Pals have. By constantly discrediting them as the thugs they are, we will never reach a settlement with them. To deal with our cultural differences, and that includes those that breed criminal factions a la Islamic Jihad – we must first give them a country they can call their own and make this feud solely a cultural one.
That way, we could finally start dealing with the real problem this country is facing: religion, the war against reason, and the fanatic aspiration for global domination of ignorance and superstition
Friedenker,
While it is true that Islam – like any theology – is open to interpretations, it would be wrong to conclude that Islamic terrorism is some kind of virulant mutation and completely out-of-character of Islam itself. I would argue that it is Islam in its purest and un-adulterated form (what else is the meaning of fundamentalism ??). See my earlier post on Fundamentalists v/s Moderates .
Yes there are moderate societies like Jordan and Egypt – but they are only moderate when compared to Hamas. Secondly their moderation is enforced by the regime and not from within. You describe it better with the word “containment”.
Thank for letting me know about “Tahadiya”. This is something new that I learnt from you.
Yes Islamic terrorism is a global menace and should be treated as such. But since discussion about it comes up when this or that incident occurs, the conversation tends to develop a complexion of a localized occurrence.
My frustration is that when such discussions take place, the issue is framed in purely secular terms (e.g. Land v/s peace). Undoubtedly Israel is blame-worthy for its mis-steps and the Palestinians are responsible for theirs – but the party that goes completely un-noticed and scott-free is Islam and Islamic doctrine.
Somehow nobody seems to notice that Hamas and its ilk are not just struggling for land – they are struggling for the eviction of Israel itself! Somehow it does not get noticed that Hamas is not just opposed to settlements but opposed to Israel itself! And this opposition has its roots in Islam itself. It is a taboo to mention this detail (can you hear the howls of Islamophobia?). In my opinion, Islamic doctrine deserves to put front-and-center and that is the objective of my post.
It may well be true that Hamas for all its defects and flaws may be the only party to negotiate with. And pragmatism demands that we negotiate with it. But that should not blind us to the fact that we are talking about a fundamentalist Islamist Terrorist organization.
Yes Palestinians deserve a country of their own with dignity and a viable future. In the absence of such a country there will NEVER be any peace. But it is equally important to realize that the only thing standing in between us and such an outcome is the awoved determination of Hamas to use such a country to the detriment of Israel.
Therein lies the rub!
Hamas has a formal manifesto that calls for the destruction of Israel. But Hamas is also an organization defined by the opportunistic corrupt thugs who run it. They do not care for their manifesto any more than they care about the Palestinian people. They want power, political, local, power. They can’t get that power if the street hates them and the street wants peace a lot more than it wants Israel destroyed. The Pals are hopelessly poor and miserable, and they don’t care much who gives them solace, Hamas or Fatah. They only booted Fatah once they had it with Fatah’s corruption. Only to replace it with yet another corrupt and much more manic organization (typical for a desperate public to choose a much worse party to lead it)
at any rate, all this goes to show that Hamas is first and foremost its actions and not its manifesto, and as such, it can be negotiated based on the psychology of the Palestinian people and the interests of Hamas’ political desires. In short, this allows us to use their manifesto as toilet paper, so long as we analyze properly what Hamas is *really* about. I’d use it for toilet paper anyway, since it’s a disgusting collection of bigoted, superstitious and vitriolic lies, bullshit and cries for violence.
At any rate, the way to the Palestinian heart, as I said in many occasions since I began obsessing over this issue last month, is not through a bullet to the head, but through books and education. The Israelis as well as the Pals aren’t interested in a real solution. A real solution is tiring, and scary. The idea that there’s no difference between Pals and Israelis scares the average citizen like hell. And since this fear is fomented on both sides (and egged on by greedy politicians who exploit this) – the struggle for unification of Palestine grows even more hopeless.
There will never be peace here unless the Pals and the Israelis become like one, and this cannot happen unless everyone here is educated for co-existence and democracy, everyone is injected with the principles of the enlightenment and liberty.
THAT is the only solution, and the only way for peace, and that requires a wholly different approach rather than just “negotiation” or “fighting back”. It requires the greatest minds in education and science to put forth an age of reason on a region that long ago lost its mind to fear.
Friedenker,
I appreciate your desire for peace. I share it too. But there is ample evidence showing that education has not blunted Islamic dogma. I have mentioned in earlier responses to you that the 19 9/11 hijackers were professional architects , engineers and some with PhDs. Osama himself is a product of affluence and privilege. Zawahiri was also a practicing physician in Egypt. Glasgow bombers were practicing British Doctors. There are nuclear scientists in Pakistan who believe Hellfire is reserved for Kafirs.
The whole of the middle-east is awash with money and resources. They have schools, books, universities and libraries over there. Can you point to a single society that has recognized Israel’s right to exist?
While it is tempting to think that education is the path to improvement, there is preponderance of evidence to undermine that position.
Religion is not something i’d describe islam as being.
Taking a little from the Bible and Torah, Then adding withn those pages what amounts to a manual of terror cannot then be called a religion, more a cult.
Friedenker too much Al-Taqqyi……….History is the better teacher…..three attempted Jihads against Europe doesnt build confidence at all in islam.
Churchills words on islam are better heeded than ignored…………Rabid Dogs.
The muslim brotherhood aka Hamas, try reading the Project that explains the Israeli situation better than anyone else ever could.
I have a 1992 document [interna] memo muslim brotherhood that makes very interesting reading indeed.
Once they actually finish, their Jews are this,Jews are that tirade.
Great post myminddroppings!!
Education does not only mean “better understanding of the natural world”. It also means “battle of ideas”. Islam’s main idea is that the world is separated between miserable followers who will reach paradise and infidels who deserve hellfire to be aided by the aforementioned followers. This idea has a lot of power, but only by battling this idea can it be overcome. Battling this idea might resort to violent feuds, more times than none,
but it won’t succeed in the long run without a blunt and square battle of ideas. The age of reason is under attack by a relic of a medieval death cult – and to defeat it, it would take more than guns.
It will take words. Without education, there isn’t even a basis for showing the wrongness of radical Islam. Without education, reason doesn’t stand a chance.
After there is knowledge, there is also the ground for battling for the right ideas.
There is a strong correlation between poverty and education and irreligiosity and prosperity. That I can actually prove to you by citation. However, the real battle is not just by giving education – it’s also to make people appreciate the idea of liberty and freethought more.
That will take heads-on confrontation between freethinkers and slavethinkers. This is where people like you and me come along.
Friendenker,
We are mistaken if we think this is a battle of ideas. I will borrow a line from Pat Condell who said that “Religion has no ideas! It only has dogma!”.
The Islamic world is not against western ideas. It is against modernity itself. The Islamic world is not battling specific ideas – they are opposed to the notion of Ideas. This is the meaning of being “dogmatic”. Dogma is by definition impermeable to ideas.
What you are talking about is helping individuals reject dogma and embrace ideas. I agree that this cannot be done by bullets. It cannot be done by books either. In fact it cannot be done from outside. It can only be done when people who wear this dogma as their identity decide to shed it.
In the meanwhile we have ourselves to protect and thats where the need for bullets unfortunately comes in.
This us-vs.-them approach is not helping. This is the kind of approach that deters slavethinkers from even listening to freethinkers. We must not look at slavethinkers as our enemies, only as minds lost that might be regained with enough work. This demands more than just textbooks, it demands adroit freethinkers who directly confront slavethinkers with the (mostly) pros and cons of freethought. People eventually have to decide for themselves, since slavethought elevates the human spirit to such heights that often freethought can’t light a candle to dogma ( in some cases) – in such cases, those who are terminally violent and cannot be reconciled with have to be dealt with by force (obviously, if that violence prompts that use of force).
But determining all of slavethinkers as “them” is falling to a similar dogma like that which slavethought teaches: that those who are opposed to our ideas are our enemies, monsters, infidels that must be destroyed.
I say: let us save brains before we try to blow them out of people’s heads. The correlation between education and irreligiosity is not a coincidence. Sure, you’ll always have the odd nut with a PhD and a psychopathic axe to grind – just as you’ get tenured professors of biochemistry (a la Michael Behe) as outspoken creationists.
But life is all about improving matters, not by making them perfect. Perfection does not exist.
For terrorists today, who plan terrorist attacks and set out to execute them – those are to be killed or captured, and I wouldn’t feel too sorry about not giving them much “enlightenment training” after they’re captured – I would never trust a mind that’s been so lost to evil ideas.
But training insane fanatics is expensive and unusual. Most people can act, talk and express themselves as mindless bigots, but training them to be fearless and insanely devoted is not easy and not cheap.
Fanatics might not change their ways, and are, in fact, a veritable “them” for you and me (which is an “us”, I imagine) – but not all slavethinkers.
Friedenker,
You say such lovely things and it breaks my heart to dispute them. Actually I do not dispute them at all. What I dispute is your presumption that we are attempting to change the ways of the Islamic world through bombs and bullets.
My friend, the truth of life is that nobody has brought change or improvement to anybody else from outside. The motivation for progress has to come from inside that very country or society.
India was a tribal and backward society and the British did not bring “civilization” to it for the benefit of Indians. But through that colonial experience, Indians decided to re-make themselves from a tribal and feudal society to a democracy (no matter how clumsily). Two countries were born out of that – India and Pakistan. One has chosen to join the line of progress and growth. The other has decided to go backward and has stultified.
Nobody can “bring” progress to anyone else. They must value it and choose that for themselves. In the meanwhile, we (Israelis and Indians) have homes and schools and societies of our own to protect. That is where the need for force comes in.
Are you implying that you’re Indian? 🙂
Listen, first of all, I’ve been an Israeli all my life, served in the IDF (not in combat, but I was “important to combatants”, and that’s as far as I’m willing to write about that on the internet) and I know my country’s mentality. We *are* trying to change things with bullets and bombs. We’re completely neglecting dialog and education. Even of ourselves.
Regardless, I find your arguments most convincing, but I plan to at least try to make a difference in people’s minds before I am forced to fight against their indoctrinated malice.
Actually I am of Indian origin as my “About Me” page indicates. However I have adopted US citizenship 2 years ago. My wife and kids were born here so they are Americans by birth.
when Islam fight ….he fight those who kill save people … who burn houses ……destroy towns & cities by bombs & forbidden weapons ….fight and kill the bigs who invade his land …who discharge his sons from their houses …kill his children by cold souls …rape his girls ….here ..Islam fight …
Islam which we believe doesn’t told us to kill , destroy , burn otherwise the enemy begin , and when we fight ..Islam order us not to kill womens , children , old people or save peoples who don’t harm us ,,,,order us not to burn any thing even trees & plants ….only fight who begin with fight ….also Islam order us not to destroy praying places of any religion ..to respect other people and when they want the Peace ..we must stop fighting them …..
please …….read about Islam
please …….read about Islam
please …….read about Islam
please …….read about Islam
Islam isn’t the cause ,,,,,….
please revise your history and read about the Christian massacre in QUDS in the 8th century …it was in the name of Allah …
and read what the Muslim leader SALLAH EL- DIN do when he fight them …
if you don’t know , may i tell you ????
if you want to know the truth ,,,,,
http://www.rasoulallah.net
Hello Islamic Girl,
I can see that you have a lot of solidarity for Islam – but that is a poor substitute for reason. I HAVE READ about Islam and the Koran so don’t lecture me about what it says.If you see my earlier posts, you will notice the *exact* chapter and verses where the Koran tells believers to kill non-believers – especially Jews.
Yes it is true that Christians and other religions also have a bloody history. I am not discussing “HISTORY” I am discussing present times.
The Koran and its teachings are not compatible with today’s times and this is THE REASON why the Islamic world-view is opposed to the west. The Islamic world-view is opposed to modernity itself.
The things that you say Islam forbids are *exactly* the things that Islamists have done specifically in the name of Islam. 9/11 is one example of this. Mumbai massacre is another example. Check out my earlier blog posting for videos by Islamists talking about destruction and killing in the name of Islam.
Mr ,
Yes. I know there are peoples who sympathize with Palestinian case,
I think they are fair peoples who see the truth by their humanity, and thanks for them, but I think the other side is more bigger and louder,
As you said (who care?)
you make me sure that you aren’t sincere Christian, may be Jewish, or religion less,
upon the last supposition I will take with you at the point of view of humanity , and human rights as you always defend for it ,
holly QURAN ordered us not to begin with assault against people except when they start ,
and that what happen nowadays , in every site of wars …others start and flame the spark of war ,
and you blame Muslims because they defend their lands ????
In Palestine,
who was the original peoples?
…under which government QUDS was the city of peace ?,
and under which government safety and prosperity spread in Palestine and the mosques were beside churches beside temples??
,,,under which government peoples live in tolerance , peace , and quietness ?
,,,,during these days of prosperity in the Muslim east , west was under slavery of fanatic religion people who burnt scientists because they supposed them magicians , let me talk about this matter after that , now ..
who settle Palestinians land ??
, who kill their people by aid of England in the past who choice these sacred land to be the home of some peoples who love sadism and soaking Muslims blood , now with aid of America which supply them with weapons , money & international support ….why ….??
….to kill Muslim people not to over come “terrorism” the word you play with in every situation to trick simple people , what about sabra and shatila massacre in Palestine , bahr el – bakar in Egypt in sixties , and others ??? …oh ..i forget ….they were against terrorists ….
what shame ,,what shame for international system to hide the truth and make people blind and deceive them by making them suppose that some men with modest weapons threaten Jewish , kill them , and destroy their buildings ,
..oh , why not you show us some of photos for Gaza massacre or Muslim victims in fridges , or homeless crying children without mama or dad , ??
why do you focus on militants with modest weapons and ignore Israel army , tanks , marines and planes which bombs GAZA from each side and every time , some fair please …some fair …..
Excuse me for my anger but if you tried the feeling that your brother is killed , and your child is sacrificed in front of your eyes, your home is raped and your dreams collapsed and went away& you dismissed from your land , you will estimate my feelings ,
That what happen in dear palatine and there are many awful things occur there , may Allah help our brave champions there .
thanks alot .
Islamic Girl,
You are mixing up 2 things: Religion and Politics.
It may be true that Palestinians have a reasonable political complaint. But the battle they are fighting is not political. It is religious. And once you get religion into the picture logic goes down the toilet.
Don’t lecture me about seeing your brother dead or something like that. I HAVE WALKED IN BLOOD-STAINED STREETS OF MUMBAI (India). I HAVE SEEN BODY-PARTS blown up by street-bombs in my city. My mother was almost killed by one. I have smelled burning flesh. This violence was brought about by Muslim terrorists. I agree that there are also Christian and Jewish and Hindu extremists but the MAJORITY of terrorism in this world is Islamic.
There is a BIG gap between Islamic words and Islamic actions. And in my book, actions speak louder than words.
mr ,
you are free , expel all religions as you like , it is very wrong to deal with the matter as you do , you see islam is the major terrorist between religions , you are free , but just ask you ,
have you a GOD ?
please answer ,
I don’t need a god. I am a decent human being just like you. I also don’t like killing and raping and destroying – just like you. The difference is that you think your decency came from some Holy Book. I am sure my decency came from my upbringing and my own ability to think.
very well Mr ,
i respect your words , and it is the words coming from the pure nature in every human beings ,
but let me ask you ,
how we come to life ?
who make us , and who give us that mind ?
why you think religion restrict you ?
sorry for annoying you .
Islamic girl, you say you like history. We can talk about that. There was always war in 5000 years of civilization. I am sorry your People had to suffer so much, but all mankind suffered so much before and still in other places in the world too.
Do you know that in Darfur there were 300.000 people killed, they were mostly black Muslims, killed by Arab Muslims, the Janjaweed. They were sent by Omar Bashir, very Islamic president of Sudan. Literally tens of thousands of Darfuri women were raped by Janjaweed. Darfuri’s have been migrating and allying with Israel after this happened, not before, did you know that? And you must know that Israeli soldiers do NOT rape Palestinian women. You must know that Israeli soldiers did not kill 300.000 Palestinians, but maybe less than 10.000 of them, in all those years.
Now are Darfurians black dogs you don’t care about? Are the Janjaweed brute apes that don’t have responsibilities? Can’t you say to the world: What Bashir and Sudan do is worse than what Israel does and we are no longer friend with them? No, you could not do that when Saddam Hussein was much worse than Israel, in killing the Kurds and the Shiites, or when Hafez Assad killed around 10.000 people, mostly Muslims, in rising in 1982. In Aleppo or thereabout.
And you must know that Islam spread by the sword, so in 632 they stole Palestine from the Romans, who had stolen it from the Jews. Did you know that in 1071-1453, the Turks violently stole the whole of Turkey from the Greeks? Including the holy city of Constantinopel, now Istanboel. The world has forgiven all this, why can’t you forgive Israel?
Did you know Ehud Olmert offered Mahmood Abbas 100 % of WestBank and Abbas refused!!! So the Israeli’s do want reasonable peace, only your own leaders refuse.
In 5000 years of history many people did monstrous things. Not just Muslims or Jews, but also White Europeans and even Buddhist Japanese, I admit to that. Then why do you keep blaming the Israeli’s for what ALL people do? You are hurt by unjust accusations against Islam? Why do you not compare that with your own unjust accusations against Israel?
The solution for Palestine could be that you just share the land, and you Palestinians be generous with land and Israel and America and West be very generous with money, so you get richer, happier.
My dear friend IG,
You are not annoying me. We can disagree without being disagreeable.
Science has taught us far more about life than religion can ever hope to. I don’t mean to be condescending but do you know about evolution and natural selection. Many of the hardest questions about life are explained by that thesis.
If you are sincere in your questions then try and study science, biology, physics, philosophy….. You will understand the importance of using your mind (the most precious thing you have) rather than handing it over to some ancient superstitions thousands of years ago.
by away , iam medical student ,
so , you can explain as you want , i want to know answers about my questions please , iam alse operate my mind as my religion ordered me ,
so please replay .,
waiting
let me give you some thing ,
download it , and think with your mind ,
where is the truth ,
were i a monkey one day ???????
http://us2.fmanager.net/api_v1/productDetail.php?dev-t=EDCRFV&objectId=964
Islamic Girl,
As a medical student you have all the more responsibility to distinguish between science and Harun Yahya’s propaganda. If you cannot do that, I am not in a position to help you. But I believe that you are sincere even if you are ill-informed. I suggest reading “The blind watch-maker” by Richard Dawkins.
No you were not a monkey before and no human was. That is complete nonsense that people like Mr. Yahya keep repeating. The theory of evolution DOES NOT SAY that humans came from monkeys. Monkeys are also modern animals like humans. Both species have ancestors and somewhere along that line of ancestry there is a common inheritance.
Since you are a medical student, I presume that you know what is DNA. Have you ever had your DNA mapped? You will notice that you (and I all humans) share 98% of your DNA with the chimpanzee. And the chimpanzee shares the same amount with other species. In fact you will see hum much similarity is there between you and even plants.
This is “life” at work. It is marvelous and grand. Try and study it or be informed about it. I do not ask you to believe me. I only ask you to study and learn about it.
I suggest a Western Religion college/university course. Your generalizations of Islam are far-fetched and not really grounded in reality.
Dave,
Your statement is a generalization on its own. By all means criticize what deserves critique – but be specific.
Excellent post. And I entirely agree: it is bizarre that the world expects Israel to care more for the safety of Palestinians than their own elected government, Hamas does!
The Palestinians publicly vowed that if Israel left Gaza, and gave them self rule, there would be an end to terrorism. So Israel left – as you again note, aggravating numerous religious Jews by doing so.
Within days of Israel exiting, Hamas was voted into power and it then seized control of Gaza, rampaging through the area and shooting and beheading any Palestinians who DARED to support rival group Fatah!
And where were the European protests at these Palestinians being murdered and sometimes tortured by their FELLOW Palestinians?
There weren’t any!
Palestinians murdering Palestinians does not, apparently, make for good headlines.
It is not the responsibility of Israel, to ensure that Palestinian innocents are safe. It is the sole responsibility of HAMAS – the Palestinians’ elected government!
If the world can’t bear the deaths of any Palestinian innocents when Israel *responds* TO years of Hamas terrorism, then let the world shriek at HAMAS for using innocents AS human shields in the first place!
Hello Tabatha,
The irony lies in the fact that while the world (mostly Europe) goes into convulsions about Palestinian civilian deaths they ignore the fact that the Palestinians (i.e. Hamas) rely on heavy civilian casualty as an instrument of warfare. They conduct their operations in a manner such that casualties accrue. This way they can be the oppressor as well as the oppressed.
Neat Game eh?
“By all means criticize what deserves critique – but be specific.”
You make the claim that “Islam has codified violence against kafirs (specifically Jews)”, yet in your evidence (which is the linked post) you don’t cite any scripture. You don’t even cite scholarly evidence.
You simply cite, “a guy on TV”. Which is not academic at all.
Again, a primer course on religion would demonstrate to you that the very foundation of your argument is incorrect.
I’m willing to wager that if you took a course on Western Religion (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), you’d probably question half the stuff you wrote on this site.
Dave,
It looks like you have not read my previous posts. OK – fine. Here are the specific quotes from the KORAN itself!.
1“Show us the straight path, The path of those whom Thou hast favoured; Not the (path) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who go astray.”
Muslims generally interpret “those whom Allah has favored,” “those who earn Allah’s anger,” and “those who go astray” as Muslims, Jews, and Christians, respectively. 1:6-7
2Allah stamped wretchedness upon the Jews because they killed the prophets and disbelieved Allah’s revelations. 2:61
3Jews are the greediest of all humankind. They’d like to live 1000 years. But they are going to hell. 2:96
4 # Kill disbelievers wherever you find them. If they attack you, then kil them. Such is the reward of disbelievers. (But if they desist in their unbelief, then don’t kill them.) 2:191-2
5 Fight them until “religion is for Allah.” 2:193
Of course this a sampling – but so easy to find because such genocidal instructions are ALL OVER the Koran.
Cheers
I agree with you that peace is not gonna happen while hostility is still around. a cease-fire is just like putting a band-aid on something that needs stitches it wont work. another thing is that they will not even think twice about killing innocent people. you hit this one right on the head. you could also add that the fact that some world leaders let the power take over them and decide they want to rule a much as possible and will do anything to get it is a reason we can not have world peace.