Sunni-Shi'ite Jihad Update from AP, with thanks to Jeffrey Imm:
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- Police in the Afghan capital defused two bombs Tuesday near a Shiite shrine where tens of thousands of people had gathered for a religious festival, the country's anti-terrorism chief said.The bombs were discovered hidden near the Sakhi shrine, the second most important Shiite place of worship in Afghanistan, Gen. Abdul Manan Farahi told The Associated Press.
Police defused the bombs and removed them, he said. The festival carried on without interruption as police patrolled the area on horses, in cars and on foot.
Tens of thousands of men, women and children gathered at the shrine before dawn to celebrate Nowruz, an ancient Persian festival marking the first day of spring.
Though predominantly a Shiite festival, Nowruz also marks the new year in Afghanistan and is celebrated by Sunnis.
They want to kill their own people.
Blow up their own shrines.
They soil themselves. They have no respect for anything.
Robert, Hugh, Rebecca, folks, I'd be fascinated with your opinions on the following Muslim preacher.
Question, is he a help or a detriment to our cause?
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/03/20/D8GFGQNO0.html
What is the ranking system for Islamic shrines and the such? I would like to have them categorized by country, sect and nearest nude beach.
Cornelieus:
More likely than not, Robert and/or Hugh will view this presumably well intentioned and sincere fellow as the male counterpart of Irshad Manji -- doomed because their "interpretation" of Islam will never stand the test of the literalists.
And, regrettably, Hugh and Robert would be right. As Ibn Warraq explains, there are moderate Muslims, but Islam is not moderate.
The speakers the Muslim world needs to hear more of are the Wafa Sultans, Ali Sinas and Ibn Warraqs, with the message that it is time for those rational and decent persons who identify as Muslim by virture of their birth to Muslim parents to become secular.
Waterdragon,
The two schools of thought would be:
1) As you suggest, voices such as this preacher only cloud the waters, bending the theology of Islam in disingenuous ways, perpetuating false hopes of moderation and postponing the day of reckoning
or...
2) Anything that contributes to a lessoning of jihadi literalism is welcome
Cornelieus:
I'm not sure I'd describe either Irshad or the Egyptian preacher as disingenuous. I think they are quite sincere, but that they don't stand a chance against the Tariq Ramadans. As a secular Jew I find myself in the awkward position of not wanting to be bothered with religious observances, but happy that some of my co-religionists are keeping some of the traditions alive. I think that's where Irshan and the Egyptian preacher are at: they want to preserve some of the traditions that they found comfort in, but it's going to be a very tough sell bringing over enough of the world's Muslims when they are outgunned theologically by the fundamentalists who are also very, very well financed.
Waterdragon,
I used to hang out with a Jewish physician who thought similarly; he went to Synagogue to celebrate the traditions of his people...but in point of fact, he was an atheist (which may or may not be your own view).
I remember how perplexed I was at this obvious incongruity...but I've come to understand a little better over the years. It's so much easier for a Christian to let go of his religious tradition considering there are close to 2 billion others who will presumably keep it alive.
For the Jewish people on the other hand, the existence of only 20 million world-wide must feel precarious indeed, particularly in the shadow of such poignant lessons as Hitler's holocaust and today's fanatical Jew-hatred in the Muslim world. I can see where he would welcome the chance to affirm his sense of identity...even if he doesn't believe in God.
Nowruz is not a Shiite festival. It is the traditional Zoroastrian New Year that somehow survived the Islamic conquest.
It's celebrated in both Iran & Afghanistan