The restoring of "order" by the Islamic courts in Somalia recalls the Restoration of Order after the supposed chaos and confusion (otherwise known as life itself, so damn messy without the Ordnung of the Totalitarian State) of the Weimar Republic. Watching of sports – strengst verboten. Playing of sports, also haram, unless participation in them is related to skills needed for Jihad. Here is how Al-Qaradawi, in his widely-read “The Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam” (Al-Halal wal Haram fil Islam) puts it:
“There are many kinds of games and sports which the Prophet (peace be on him) recommended to the Muslims as a source of enjoyment and recreation which, at the same time, prepare them for worship and other obligations. These sports, which require skill and determination, and which also involve physical exercise and body-building activity, are related to the amrtial arts, training Muslims for the battlefields of jihad in the cause of Allah. Among them are the following.”
Al-Qaradawi then goes on to mention foot racing, wrestling (Abdullah’s sport at Deerfield), archery, spear play (not yet a varsity sport), and hunting (all those rich Arabs who go bustard-hunting in Pakistan, and elsewhere in Asia, consistently ignoring all the laws designed to conserve certain species). Even paintball, if it improves one's aim (a skill that could be transferred to guns) would -- as a substitute encouraging the same skills -- would be okay.
Soccer? Well, in order to justify the soccer teams of Muslim states, Muslim clerics have apparently decided that soccer can be justified because improving one’s general physical fitness, or honing one’s “strategic” skills, might be interpreted -- and would have to be to meet the demands of Muslim clerics -- as being transferable to Jihad. The same would naturally apply to the Pakistani cricket team. When English gentlemen exclaimed “Well bowled, Anthony Ashley Cooper!” (a queer little chap I knew in London, in the days of the Yellow Book and the Café Royale), little did they know that they were appreciating a sport that prepared for war.
But of course one supposes the Muslims would argue something like “Well, don’t you Christians do exactly the same? Wasn’t it some Christian general who said the war against Napoleon was won on the playing-fields of Eton”? And as always, this kind of thing will confuse the Infidels. They will not be able to spot the difference between the supposed character-building of sports and the quite different view in Islam, which is that if something cannot be related to the aims of Islam, if it cannot be made part of the Total System of Islam, then it is haram, not halal, and must be forbidden. In contrast, that character-building used to be regarded in the same manner in which the study of the classics was supposed to prepare England’s leaders for the responsibilities of rule (as Balliol—not to be unduly confused with Borstal -- boys in the mid-to-late 19th century would have been taught to believe): it was not used to justify the activities, but was merely an observation upon them.
If Saudi Arabia’s clerics permit the fielding of a Saudi soccer team, it is only because the argument has been accepted that the improvement of physical fitness by Muslim youth (with the late Sheik Bin Baz doing his impersonation of Baden-Powell) makes one better able, should the need arise, to personally participate in violent Jihad. But making the case for watching soccer is a much harder one, and apparently the Somali Enforcers of Islam, those Horn-of-Africa versions of the Saudi mutawwa, remained adamant. Watching soccer does nothing to prepare for the Jihad.
The Enforcers of Islamic Order know perfectly well what soccer stadiums are for. They are not for watching soccer. They are, rather, for watching men being beaten half-to-death if they dared to fly kites or sing at weddings in Afghanistan. They are places for killing Enemies of Islam and stoning to death, women accused of adultery (verdict first, trial afterwards; Red Queen’s rules apply), girls convicted of stolen kisses or worse.
And after the spectacle, just as at the end of some television programs in the Western world, the whole audience at the soccer stadium is invited to Come On Down. Come On Down, and participate in the fun. Stomp those corpses, smash them till those bones and flesh become one oozy puddle.
It happens in Afghanistan with islamized Afghanis, it happens in Bangladesh with Islamized Bengalis, it happens in Baghdad and Fallujah, in Gaza and the West Bank where Arabs, to the Muslim manner born, invite onlookers to come and kick and mutilate the bodies of those who have offended Islam, have somehow violated the Shari’a, the dream-goal of so many primitive Muslims, a goal that the “moderate” Muslims refuse to renounce because…. Well, because, how can they and still remain true to Qur’an and Sunnah?
Oriana Fallaci noted this also:
"To make you cry I’ll tell you about the twelve young impure men I saw executed at Dacca at the end of the Bangladesh war. They executed them on the field of Dacca stadium, with bayonet blows to the torso or abdomen, in the presence of twenty thousand faithful who applauded in the name of God from the bleachers. They thundered "Allah akbar, Allah akbar."…..After the twelve impure young men they killed a little boy who had thrown himself at the executioners to save his brother who had been condemned to death. They smashed his head with their combat boots. And if you don’t believe it, well, reread my report or the reports of the French and German journalists who, horrified as I was, were there with me. Or better: look at the photographs that one of them took. Anyway this isn’t even what I want to underline. It’s that, at the conclusion of the slaughter, the twenty thousand faithful (many of whom were women) left the bleachers and went down on the field. Not as a disorganized mob, no. In an orderly manner, with solemnity. They slowly formed a line and, again in the name of God, walked over the cadavers. All the while thundering Allah–akbar, Allah–akbar. They destroyed them like the Twin Towers of New York. They reduced them to a bleeding carpet of smashed bones."
Illuminating post as usual Mr. Fitzerald. Everything they do is geared toward a Spartan-like militaristic regiment, yet without the type of disipline which charactarized the ranks of superior past armies. In place of this void is the all prevading belief that the world is indeed flat because "allah says so" and death is our friend and what we crave most in life. Ironically, this very belief system will always be the cause of islam's recurring implosion.
Here's a answer (fatwa)to a very long question about boxing. I added the link if you want to read the whole question.
http://www.islam.tc/ask-imam/view.php?q=6597
Answer 6597
Physical fitness and health consciousness is emphasized in Islam. Therefore, keeping these objectives in mind, if a person trains as a boxer, it will only be permissible on condition that:
a) His attire conforms to Shar'ee regulations;
) His involvement in such a sport does not make him negligent of his religious obligation;
c) No form of gambling should be involved;
d) Intermingling of sexes does not take place;
e) His intention be solely to build the physique in preparation for Jihaad.
and Allah Ta'ala Knows Best
This answer gives plenty of credence to Robert's
statement about sport and jihad.
Here we can learn about some of the other pillars of Islam - no mixing of the sexes and no gambling.
Ha, a lot Mr Desai knows, gambling and boxing go together like jihad and murder.
The problem Islam faces is not dissimilar to that which was faced by the USSR. Once there was a move to reform, the horse was out out of the barn and it became clear that the internal conflicts of the Soviet belief-system were not reformable. To reform Islam it would be necessary to renounce the mandate to violence against unbelievers, to renounce the portrayal of Jews as a debased people (Jews and Pigs) and to renounce the imposition of Sharia law.
The Koran is dictation taken from God. There is no room for interpretation (as with the other major religions) of passages that call for such things. This is the core of the crisis and the danger to unbelievers. (That's why Muslims must displace the problem to unbelievers by deception and accusations of bigotry against people that see the truth.)
The truth hurts.
People who don't believe the Koran is dictation from God (including me) have to be killed as per Islam. It's a very sick belief-system.
Courtesy of MEMRI.org:
Sleeping With a Devil in Islamic Clothing
Somali Journalist: The Islamists Have a Grand Agenda; They Want to Arabize Somalia and Turn it Into an Islamic Emirate in the Fashion of Taliban
The following is an editorial titled 'Sleeping with a devil in Islamic clothing', in the original English, by Somali journalist Bashir Goth, about the new Islamist regime in Somalia. The editorial appeared in Awdalnews [1] on August 26, 2006.
"They Compare Their Conquest of Mogadishu to That of Prophet Muhammed's Conquest of Mecca From the Quraishite Pagans"
"Peace is sweet but peace without dignity and freedom is no peace at all. The Islamists who took the power in Mogadishu told the people to have peace, go about their business, eat and drink, conjugate and have many children, go to the mosque and pray five times a day, send their children to Madrasses where they get brainwashed and chant Koran interpreted in a s@tanic way by Wahhabist/Salafist clerics and give praise to Allah that the w@rlords who kept them host@ge for 15 years have gone.
"They compare their conquest of Mogadishu to that of Prophet Muhammed's conquest of Mecca from the Quraishite pagans. They believe that they are acting on God's behest and that the Almighty guides their guns. We tell them that they are not the army of Muhammed and that they are not in anyway nearer to Allah than a woman dancing to music in a beautiful wedding or tantalizing people's inner feelings with her melodious voice. We tell them that prophet Muhammed didn't ban music and dance and did not in anyway deny people to enjoy the pleasures of life. He is the one who told Aisha to send a singing girl for an Ansari wedding and who allowed Aisha to watch African dancers on an Eid day in Mecca. Muhammed is he who said that 'God did not send me to be harsh, or cause harm, but He sent me to teach and make things easy.'"
"The Warlords Used Brute Force to Coerce People and the Islamists Use Religion to Dehumanize People"
"The warlords used brute force to coerce people and the Islamists use brute religion to dehumanize people. They ban music not because it is against religion but because it is beyond their realm of control. They close cinema houses and theatre not because they spread v!ce but because they want to keep the people in the dark. They hide women not because Islam orders their mummification but because Islamists suffer from a masculinity problem. They think he who is not a master of his wife cannot be a master of others. Power and tyranny is their ultimate goal and tyranny should first crush and subdue the weak so the strong could tremble. Anyone who wants to see where the Islamists would like to lead Somalia should only see how they treat women, music and ideas. These three elements constitute the beauty, spirit and future of any nation. In a story published by the Islamist Qaadisiya website on the graduation of 140 women who completed a course on cooking and handicrafts at a center called Asma Bint Omair Center, reflects a glimpse of what is in store for women. Only pictures of the Islamist officials who attended the ceremony and row after row of food was shown. It seems as if the photographer tried to accentuate his frustration by showing many food items, as he was not allowed to show the faces of women for whom the ceremony was held."
"The Islamists are Fond of Calling Themselves Such Names as Abu Qutayba's and Abu Mansour's… [Hiding] Their Real Identities Behind Borrowed Names of Legendary Muslim Leaders"
"The Islamists like to call their usurpation of power as a popular uprising but we have seen that the refugee camps in Kenya have more than doubled since the Islamic Courts came to power due to the large number of people fleeing the dreary future waiting for them. Popular uprisings as we have seen in Ukraine and elsewhere do not use militia and firepower to subdue opponents.
"Despite their sweet talk and their modest demeanors, the Islamists have a grand agenda. They want to Arabize Somalia and turn it into an Islamic Emirate in the fashion of Taliban. There is already a drastic cultural erosion taking place. Names of the people are no more recognizable. The Islamists are fond of calling themselves such names as Abu Qutayba's and Abu Mansours in keeping with the tradition of the Al Qaeda and other radical groups who hide their real identities behind borrowed names of legendary Muslim leaders.
"The beautiful Somali women have been buried under layers of heavy cloth just like the Taliban and the faithful have been told to shackle them at home. It is just a matter of time before the Islamists declare the Latin alphabet of the Somali language as Haram and change it with an Arabic alphabet in line with Urdu and Farsi. They have already started flogg!ng people for petty crimes and threatened de@th penalty against those who do not observe the five-times daily prayers.
"It will not surprise anyone if they soon threaten the international organizations not to hire Somali women for work just like Taliban did and as the extremist clerics in the earthquake devastated Kashmir have recently done when they warned NGO agencies against hiring their women or face violence."
"The Union of Islamist Cabals in Mogadishu Have DeclaredWar on Regional and International Peace"
"And above all, the Islamist Rulers of Mogadishu are li@rs. After routing the warlords from Mogadishu they promised that they had no intention of capturing more land and causing any more bl**dshed. They said they wanted to consolidate peace in the capital and start negotiating with the TFG government, but since then they have become so belligerent and have sent their m@rtyrdom brigades to lay waste to any town, city or people that stand in their way. They vehemently denied any desire for power or ruling the country but all their actions show their loathing for democracy and their affinity for dictatorial powers. They denied any intention of applying Islamic Sharia but were quick to incite all Somalis to embrace Islamic Courts. They said they would never impose Islamic clothing on women but they made it difficult for any woman unless she is fully clad to walk in the streets of Mogdishu. They said they wanted to live in peace with neighboring countries but they couldn't hide their intention to unify all Somali territories in the Horn of Africa under the rule of Islam. And by doing this, the Union of Islamist Cabals in Mogadishu have declared war on regional and international peace. Therefore, allowing them to fulfill their agenda under the pretext of returning Somalia to peace is not only myopic but also foolhardy and sleeping with a dev!l in Islamic clothing."
(The restoring of "order" by the Islamic courts )
Hitler "restored order" through his courts too.
Order in the world will be restored when Jihad Islam is brought lower than dirt.