An English teacher in Pakistan seems to have fallen victim to jihadists. The remedy? The British Foreign Office is telling British dhimmis in Pakistan to stay away from houses of worship. From the Oldham Advertiser, with thanks to Twostellas:
Alan Cox, 60, was gunned down by three masked men carrying Kalashnikovs who burst into a room as he gave an English lesson in the city of Multan, in southern Punjab. He died at the scene after being hit by a hail of bullets.Police in Pakistan say his murder may be linked to Islamic terrorists. Seven students have since been arrested. ...
Multan is a centre of radical Islamic groups. Several terrorist attacks targeting minority Muslim sects and Christians have taken place in the region over the past few years.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has recently urged Britons to avoid walking around parts of Karachi and keep away from places of worship in light of a resurgence in sectarian violence.
"The Assassins, a people dependent on Phoenicia, are considered among Mohammedans as being of supreme devoutness and purity of morals. They hold that the most certain way to deserve Paradise is to kill someone of a different religion."
Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592)
"When Mohammed promises his followers a paradise tapestried, adorned with gold and precious stones, peopled with wenches of surpassing beauty, with rare wines and foods, I can easily see that they are mockers stooping to our folly to honey us and attract us by these ideas hopes appropriate to our moral appetites"
Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592)
"The religion of the heathen had no constant belief or confession; and the religion of Mahomet on the other side interdicts argument altogether; so that the one has the very face of vague and manifold error, the other of crafty and cautious imposture"
Francis Bacon (1561-1626)
"There be but two swords among Christians, the spiritual and the temporal…But we may not take up the third sword, which is Mahomet’s sword, or like unto it; that is, to propagate religion by wars or by sanguinary persecutions to force consciences."
Francis Bacon (1561-1626)
"This religion (Mahometanism), altogether contrived for the shedding of blood, delights much in rites and ceremonies, and would be believed without all liberty of enquiry thereinto."
Hugo Grotius (1583-1645)
"I would not have you judge Mahomet by his obscurities which can be interpreted in a mystical sense, but by what is clear, his paradise and all the rest; and herein he is absurd. Wherefore, since here what is clear is absurd, it is not fair to take his obscurity and mystical."
Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)
"Mahomet was an imposter, since he completely abolishes the freedom which is granted by that universal religion revealed by the natural and prophetic light, and which I have shown ought to be fully granted."
Benedictus de Spinoza (1632-1677)
"It is a misfortune for human nature when a religion is granted by a conquerer. The Mahometan religion, which refers only to the sword, is more likely to motivate those with the same destructive spirit that founded it."
Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de Montesqieu (1689-1755)
"One must recognize that equality, which introduces great goods in the world, nevertheless suggests to men very dangerous instincts…
The greatest advantage of religions is to inspire wholly contrary instincts. There is no religion that does not place man’s desires beyond and above earthly goods and does not raise his soul toward regions much superior to those of his senses…
Religious peoples are therefore naturally strong in precisely the spot where democratic peoples are weak; this makes this makes very visible how important it is that men keep their religion when becoming equal…
Mohammed had not only religious doctrines descend from Heaven and placed in the Koran, but political maxims, civil and criminal laws, and scientific theories. The Gospels in contrast, speak only of the general relations of men to God and among themselves. Outside of that they teach nothing and oblige nothing to be believed. That alone, among a thousand other reasons, is enough to show that the first of these two religions cannot dominate for long in enlightened and democratic times, whereas the second is destined to reign in these centuries as in all others."
Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859)
My learned friends, in view of your sincere efforts in denouncing Western injustice and speaking out against the bigots who constantly malign the Religion of Peace, I invite you to come to terms with the bitter truth about the so-called "pioneers of liberalism" and their little-known prejudice towards people who just happen to be different.
Montaigne’s invention of the essay is credited with "holding up a mirror to mankind," but the transparency of his anti-Muslim agenda must have made for an ugly sight. One can only wonder how much sooner the enlightened few would learned to embrace diversity and accept alternative forms of justice had his screeds never been published.
What kind of "scientific enlightenment" can you credit to a hater like Bacon? Better to confuse him with the 20th century painter of screaming popes who shared both his name and contempt for humanity.
What value can we ascribe to Grotius’ contribution to international law when he was so culturally insensitive to Muslims? This so-called "humanist" lacked the imagination to appreciate the full scope of Judeo-Christian-Islamic values.
Pascal has become a household word in computer science, yet this so-called "mathematical genius" made accusations against Muhammad (peace be upon him) that just don’t add up.
Will you continue to credit that Jew Spinoza for his work on behalf of tolerance when he is so intolerant towards another people’s prophet?
Or Montesquieu’s contribution to liberal democracy, when his gross distortions about Islamic leadership pose a threat multicultural harmony?
Last of all, how can you count de Tocqueville as one of your own when he arrogantly promoted the American way over that of the caliphate? It’s enough to make a neo-con blush!
I know full well your support of Islam will not be discouraged by the slander I have elucidated, yet some of you might choose to play down these transgressions as "ignorance of the time."
Nothing could be further from the truth!
The fact that they lived before the time of great scholars like Karen Armstrong and John Esposito does not exonerate them from the moral bankruptcy of Western triumphalism.
Although the ulema is ever grateful for your kind words with regards to everything Islamic, you cannot earn Allah’s full blessing until you stop embracing ideals that are anathema to true Muslims. We must stand firm against all islamaphobes who corrode Western culture with their tainted ideals. You can’t have it both ways. It is time for you to CHOOSE!
Contact your nearest Dawa Center for details.
Anxious mullahs are standing by!
Chapters 12 (Apology for Raymond Sebond) and 31 (Of Anger), pp. 384 and 538, in "The Complete Essays of Montaigne" translated by Donald M. Frame, Stanford University Press, 1958.
"De Augmentis Scientiarum," Book IX and "Essays, or Councils Civil and Moral," Chapter 3, pp. 632 and 739, in "The Philosophical Works of Francis Bacon" edited by John M. Robertson, Books for Libraries Press, 1970.
"The Truth of Christian Religion by Hugo Grotius," Book 6, section II, p. 169, translated by Simon Patrick, printed by J.L. for Luke Meredith, 1700.
Pascal’s Pensees," p. 167, translated by H.F. Stewart, Pantheon Books, 1950.
"Spinoza, The Letters," Ep43, p. 241, translated by Samuel Shirley, Hackett Publishing, 1995.
"De l’Esprit de Lois," Chapter IV, p. 403, from "Ouvres Completes de Montesquieu," compiled by J. Ravenal, L. de Bure Libraire, 2002.
Chapter 5 (How, in the United States, Religion Knows How to Make Use of Democratic Instincts), pp. 419-420, in "Democracy in America" Volumes I and II, translated and edited by Harvey C. Mansfield and Delba Winthrop, The University of Chicago Press, 2000.
Thanks guy for these quotes. Your name is different but the email always says archaves54. Maybe some more of Willy Wahabi on the jw would bring Mahmoud to his knees.
As to this post, the story is indeed sad. What teachers and intellectuals in the ME have to face every day.
Thank you, whoever you are.
The story is so sad that I hesitated to include Wally Wahhabi's parody, but I felt that the quote by Montaigne about the Assassins to too relevent to the tragedy in Pakistan to pass it as an opportunity for the whole set-up.
These quotes are based on about 8 hours of manually going through the indices of dozens of books written by and about great Western thinkers in the library of the University of Maryland.
The trick was to look for any reference to "Mohammed, Mahomet, Koran, and Islam," and not leave any available book on the given philosopher unexamined (Sometimes I would find nothing until I examined the sixth book on the same philosopher!).
I was particularly pleased to know that all these great people are remembered for their liberal/humanist legacy.
What is my point? I want to win over modern liberals to our cause by confronting them with their betrayal of true liberalism. I wish to debate liberals with their own heroes and rub their noses in it.
My cause may seem hopeless to many conservatives, but if we cannot win this war of ideas, then World War IV is as good as lost.
I am trying to expand on these quotes by appealling to scholars to add some more at forum of "www.faithfreedom.org" under the heading "Mohammed," subheading "Humanists and classical liberals denounce Islam."
Islam is Racism. It is a form of religious racism. Islam looks down upon unbelievers (infidels); it calls them pigs and dogs. Islam has special demeaning treatments especially for infidels. Infidels are not fully human in their eyes. Thus they can be killed just for being in their sacred Muslim lands.
Prove it to yourself substitute White Power for Islam and non-whites for Infidels in the above paragraph. Clearly Islam is Racism
"Police say his murder may be linked to islamic terrorists."-- Yeah and the Pope "may" read the bible!!!!!
Rubisco
"World War IV" is as good as lost"
When exactly was World War III???
This is based on the assumption that the Cold War was World War III.
Many involved in anti-jihad accept this consensus (but I don't the figures).
Re the Assassins, I understand that when the Mongols were passing through northern Iran, someone told them about the Alamut, where the Sheikh al-Jabal (chief of the sect) lived. The messenger then explained the Assassins' MO of striking their enemies' leaders. Alarmed, Hulagu Khan ordered his men to storm the Alamut, and leave nothing alive that was bigger than a cat.
Well, things didn't completely work out as planned. After seeing his devoted potheads (Assissins were nothing but has-addled fools) reduced to crowbait, the Sheikh al-Jabal surrendered--you know, typical Great and Fearless Leader for whom bleeding and dying is for the little people. Ultimately, his successors made their way to western India, where they became the Agha Khans, who head a generally peaceful sect of Ismaili Shi'ah.
Also, Quaker Pacifists are nothing but raging Ranters and Levellers who got the worst of run-ins with Cromwell's Ironsides.
Moral of the story: hit a terrorist hard and bloodily and you'll get a pacifist.