When CBS broadcast that quote by the Reverend Jerry Falwell Muslims in India, Iran and Pakistan responded to Falwell's comments with worker strikes, protests, and some reported attacks on Christian churches. All hell broke loose in Sholapur, India, where riots killed five people. Falwell's remarks were likewise blamed for the Islamist electoral victories in Pakistan a few days later. The reverend Falwell did issue an apology, which was summarily ignored.
More recently, Theo Van Gogh was murdered in Amsterdam by an islamist who pinned an islamist manifesto to his body. And everyone should remember the Danish Cartoon controversy.
This week, Reverend Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach Center has announced his intention to burn copies of the Koran on Saturay, September 11, 2010. The roar of protests have been nearly universal.
On the left, Pundits like John Rothmann (KGO 810 AM, San Francisco) reacted with vehement condemnation. Rothmann stated on Tuesday Sept 6 that he had visions of Nazi Germany. Muslim callers to his program asserted that the Koran was a peaceful religion, and nothing in it allowed for violence (obviously ignoring Sura 8, the Spoils of War).
Similarly, Sean Hannity condemned Jones' intended action as "Unnecessarily Provocative" and that those of us who had a problem with the contents of the Koran should debate it... That last bit frosts me on a very personal level. Quite recently, I was ejected from Sean Hannity's forum for "Debating the Contents" of the Koran, as it was "Unnecessarily Provocative" according to the forum moderators serving under Mr. Sean Hannity.
The last hour of his Tuesay, Sept 7 show, Hannity interviewed Jay Seculow of the ACLJ and Mike Ghouse of the World Muslim Congress. Seculow characterized the intended burning of the Koran as "Angst for Angst" in retaliation for the Park 51 Project at Ground Zero. Ghause, who supports Faisal Abdul Rauf, and his Ground Zero Mosque, likewise condemned the burning of the Koran and stated, unequivically that the "Koran does not tell anyone to kill a soul." Ghause obviously did not read chapter 2 of the Koran.
Sura 2, Verse 191:
YUSUFALI Translation: And slay them wherever ye catch them, and turn them out from where they have Turned you out; for tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter; but fight them not at the Sacred Mosque, unless they (first) fight you there; but if they fight you, slay them. Such is the reward of those who suppress faith.
PICKTHAL Translation: And slay them wherever ye find them, and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution is worse than slaughter. And fight not with t they attack you (there) then slay them. Such is the reward of disbelievers.
SHAKIR Translation: And kill them wherever you find them, and drive them out from whence they drove you out, and persecution is severer than slaughter, and do not fight with them at the Sacred Mosque until they fight with you in it, but if they do fight you, then slay them; such is the recompense of the unbelievers.
For the last twenty four hours, Terry Jones has been completely demonized. It has been revealed that he has IRS trouble in the U.S. and similar problems in his German Ministry. He's even been accused of trafficking in child porn. Rothmann I can almost forgive, he's a lib, and libs act like libs just as snakes act like snakes. But Hannity's cowardice, in the face of this demonization, is beneath contempt.
The ten reasons published on the Dove World website as posted by Fran Ingram (Sept 2nd):
OneThe Koran teaches that Jesus Christ, the Crucified, Risen Son of God, King of Kings and Lord of Lords was NOT the Son of God, nor was he crucified (a well documented historical fact that ONLY Islam denies). This teaching removes the possibility of salvation and eternal life in heaven for all Islam's believers. They face eternal damnation in hell if they do not repent.
Two
The Koran does not have an eternal origin. It is not recorded in heaven. The Almighty God, Creator of the World, is NOT it's source. It is not holy. It's writings are human in origin, a concoction of old and new teachings. This has been stated and restated for centuries by scholars since Islam's beginnings, both Moslem and non-Moslem.
Three
The Koran's teaching includes Arabian idolatry, paganism, rites and rituals. These are demonic, an ongoing satanic stronghold under which Moslems and the world suffer.
Four
The earliest writings that are known to exist about the Prophet Mohammad were recorded 120 years after his death. All of the Islamic writings (the Koran and the Hadith, the biographies, the traditions and histories) are confused, contradictory and inconsistent. Maybe Mohammad never existed. We have no conclusive account about what he said or did. Yet Moslems follow the destructive teachings of Islam without question.
Five
Mohammad's life and message cannot be respected. The first Meccan period of his leadership seems to have been religiously motivated and a search for the truth. But in the second Medina period he was "corrupted by power and worldly ambitions." (Ibn Warraq) These are characteristics that God hates. They also led to political assassinations and massacres which continue to be carried out on a regular basis by his followers today.
Six
Islamic Law is totalitarian in nature. There is no separation of church and state. It is irrational. It is supposedly immutable and cannot be changed. It must be accepted without criticism. It has many similarities to Nazism, Communism and Fascism. It is not compatible with Western Civilization.
Seven
Islam is not compatible with democracy and human rights. The notion of a moral individual capable of making decisions and taking responsibility for them does not exist in Islam. The attitude towards women in Islam as inferior possessions of men has led to countless cases of mistreatment and abuse for which Moslem men receive little or no punishment, and in many cases are encouraged to commit such acts, and are even praised for them. This is a direct fruit of the teachings of the Koran.
Eight
A Muslim does not have the right to change his religion. Apostasy is punishable by death.
Nine
Deep in the Islamic teaching and culture is the irrational fear and loathing of the West.
Ten
Islam is a weapon of Arab imperialism and Islamic colonialism. Wherever Islam has or gains political power, Christians, Jews and all non-Moslems receive persecution, discrimination, are forced to convert. There are massacres and churches, synagogues, temples and other places of worship are destroyed.
Another five reasons were posted here. The most significant is this one:
1. Shock the world into focus
In a day and age where ideas are confined to 140 character tweets, the violence of modern films dulls our senses, and the attention of most is on the frivolous dribble of celebrity gossip, sports and weather, we all know how much it takes to grab our attention.
Petraeus told NBC's Brian Williams: “Our concern, Brian, is that such an act would jeopardize the safety of our soldiers and our civilians, even of our Afghan partners because it’s the police and soldiers of the Afghan forces who would have to confront the kind of demonstrations that we’re afraid would erupt in the wake of such an action. We’re concerned that the images from the burning of a Quran would be used in the same way that extremists used images from Abu Ghraib, that they would in a sense be indelible. They would be in cyberspace forever. They’d be non-biodegradable and they would be used by those who wish us ill, to incite violence and to inflame public opinion against us and against our mission here in Afghanistan as well as our missions undoubtedly around the world.”
The arguement is compelling. No patriotic American wants to in any way hurt our troops or make their mission more difficult than it already is.
But Pertraeus is making two errors in his statement. The first is the comparrison to Abu Garib. Our enemies need only a statement by Reverend Falwell to turn violent, or a picture drawn by a Danish Cartoonist. Abu Garib is just one more in a long list of "gripes" Islam has with the west. Islam is insulted, Islamists riot. It is reminiscent of Lenny from "Of Mice and Men" (Steinbeck) who could not distinguish between killing a puppy and killing a girl. The second mistake is how it will be in cyberspace forever. So will American knowledge of the truth concerning Islam and Muhammad that these events generate.
Hopefully, support for Reverend Terry Jones, and his congregation, will build over the next few days, and he will indeed follow through.
I keep remembering Piss Christ and Dung Mary and any number of images of Old Glory in flames. Christians don't kill over insulting art, and Americans don't kill over exercise free speech. Islam seems to be too immature a culture to deal with insults.
My message to Reverend Jones and his congregation: God's Speed. Islam and Islamists need to grow up.
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