Bruce Thornton is a professor of Classics at Cal State Fresno and co-author with Victor Davis Hanson of Bonfire of the Humanities: Rescuing the Classics in an Impoverished Age and author of Greek Ways: How the Greeks Created Western Civilization (Encounter Books). His most recent book is Searching for Joaquin: Myth, Murieta, and History in California (Encounter Books). This review appears at California Republic.
Ambrose Bierce once quipped that war was God’s way of teaching Americans geography. He could have said “teaching us history,” for the enemy is emboldened by our ignorance not just of where he lives but of how he lives, his beliefs and values, and to understand these traditions we must understand their history. Unfortunately, in the current war against Islamic jihad we persist in ignoring the documented history of Islam and its beliefs, accepting instead the spin and propaganda of various propagandists, apologists, and Western useful idiots.This imperative to know the enemy’s beliefs is particularly important for understanding the jihadists, for Islam is a fiercely traditional faith, one brooking no deviation from the revelation granted to Muhammad and codified in the Koran, Hadith, and the sira or biography of the Prophet. As Robert Spencer shows in his invaluable resource The Truth about Muhammad, in these sources Muhammad is presented as “an excellent model of conduct,” as the Koran puts it, his words and deeds forming the pattern for all pious Muslims to follow. “Muslims,” according to Muqtedar Khan of the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy, “as a part of religious observance, not only obey, but also seek to emulate and imitate their Prophet in every aspect of life.” The facts of Muhammad’s life, then, are paramount for understanding the beliefs that warrant and validate jihadist terror.
Presenting those facts clearly and fairly is precisely what Spencer accomplishes in his new book. Spencer has been for years a bastion of plain-speaking truth. Through books like Islam Unveiled, Onward Muslim Soldiers: How Jihad Still Threatens America and the West, and The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (And the Crusades), and as director of Jihad Watch, Spencer has courageously presented the simple facts of Islamic history and thought that too many Americans, including some in the current administration, ignore or distort. Spencer’s new book continues this important service of arming us with the facts we need in order to understand an enemy who wants nothing from us other than our conversion, death, or subjection.
Basing his description of Muhammad on the same Islamic sources revered by believers themselves, Spencer paints a portrait of the Prophet unrecognizable to any who have been deceived by the idealizations of apologists like Farida Khanam, whom Spencer quotes as claiming that Muhammad’s “heart was filled with intense love for all humankind irrespective of caste, creed or color,” or the British religious writer Karen Armstrong, who claims that “Muhammad eventually abjured violence and pursued a daring, inspired policy of non-violence that was worthy of Ghandi.” Such fantastic delusions cannot stand up to the relentless quotations and facts Spencer gathers from Islamic sources, all of which show us a Mohammad justifying and practicing violence in the service of the faith he invented.
As Spencer traces Muhammad’s life, we see the behaviors practiced by today’s jihadists, who continually site the Prophet as their justifying model. The arrogant intolerance of any other religion finds its source in Muhammad’s assertion to Muslims, “Ye are the best of peoples, evolved for mankind, enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong, and believing in Allah.” The rationalization of violence by invoking the hostility of unbelievers is also warranted by Muhammad: because of the rejection of him by his tribesmen the Quraysh, Allah “gave permission to His apostle to fight and to protect himself against those who wronged them [Muslims] and treated them badly.” Hence the various offenses fabricated by today’s jihadists to justify their aggression against the West. But Muhammad justifies not just defensive warfare but also violence in the service of the faith: “’Fight them [unbelievers] so that there be no more seduction,’ i.e., until no believer is seduced from his religion. ‘And the religion is God’s,’ i.e. until God alone is worshiped.” We see here the jihadist’s hatred of the West and globalization, whose political freedoms and hedonistic prosperity “seduce” believers from the faith.As Spencer concludes, “The Qur’an . . . commands much more than defensive warfare: Muslims must fight until ‘the religion is God’s’––that is, until Allah alone is worshipped. Later Islamic law, based on statements of Muhammad, would offer non-Muslims three options: conversion to Islam, subjugation as inferiors under Islamic law, or warfare.” So much for the protestations of tolerance and co-existence constantly peddled by jihad’s Western publicists.
Every aspect of Islamic practice and belief finds its basis in Muhammad’s words and deeds. When Muhammad’s lieutenant Abdullah attacked a Quraysh caravan during a month when fighting was prohibited, Muhammad’s initial displeasure was changed by a “revelation” [i.e. from the angel Gabriel, who dictated the Koran to Mohammad] saying “persecution [i.e. of Muslims] is worse than killing,” and Abdullah was forgiven. “This was a momentous incident,” Spencer concludes, “for it would set a pattern: good became identified with anything that redounded to the benefit of Muslims, and evil with anything that harmed them, without reference to any larger moral standard. Moral absolutes were swept aside in favor of the overarching principle of expediency.”
As Spencer progresses through the Prophet’s life, the evidence for Muhammad’s model as the source of modern jihadist practice becomes overwhelming. The penchant for beheading enemies displayed by jihadists is validated by Muhammad’s decapitation of his enemy Abu Jahl after the battle of Badr against the Quraysh. A “revelation” after the battle codified this practice and linked it to the terrorizing of the enemy that would help Muslims prevail: “’I [Allah] will instill terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers: smite ye above their necks and smite all their finger-tips off them.’ This because they contended against Allah and His Messenger: If any contend against Allah and His Messenger, Allah is strict in punishment.” Given that “contend against” can be defined as any activity that “seduces” believers or stands in the way of Muslim interests, the divine justification for the violence and terror perpetrated by jihadists from Indonesia to Africa, Israel to England is obvious.
So too with the practice of making tactical treaties and truces only to break them later. “If thou fearest treachery from any group, throw back (their covenant) to them, (so as to be) on equal terms: for Allah lovest not the treacherous,” a statement also revealing of the double-standard many Muslims take for granted when dealing with non-believers. Armed with this loophole, Muhammad moved against the Banu Qaynuqa, a Jewish tribe who had resisted Islam but with whom Muhammad had a truce. As Muhammad famously said, “War is deceit.” This precedent of deceit is obviously pertinent today, particularly for Palestinian Arab dealings with Israel. We have seen agreement after agreement signed by Arafat and others, only to be violated when circumstances seem to favor force.
The mistreatment of women, polygamy, child-marriage, stoning of adulterers, cutting off the hands of thieves, mutilation of enemy corpses, the sentence of death for apostasy, the subjection of dhimmi or Christians and Jews, even the killing of writers who displease the faithful––remember the sentence of death against Indian novelist Salman Rushdie, still in force––all have their precedents in the things Muhammad said and did. And as Spencer documents in his conclusion, this invocation of Muhammad is continually made by the jihadist terrorists themselves, who accurately link their violence to incidents and sayings from the life of Muhammad. To pretend that these devout Muslims are ignorant of their own religion’s traditions or are “hijacking” them is willful blindness.
Perhaps the most important precedent established by Muhammad, however, and one at the root of modern jihadist violence, is the demonization of Christians and Jews. Centuries before the existence of Israel, the actions and words of Muhammad legitimized the hatred of Jews. As Spencer shows, this disdain and resentment reflected the powerful barrier the Jews of western Arabia presented to Muhammad’s new faith and ambitions, not to mention the extent of Muhammad’s borrowings from Jewish scripture and traditions. But the continuing refusal of the Jews to accept that Muhammad was the “seal of the prophets” eventually led to his war against these potent rivals, including the Qurayzah of Medina, 600-700 of whom were beheaded. This hatred was justified by calling the Jews along with the Christians “renegades” who had turned against God and the true faith of their ancestors. Thus throughout the Koran one finds codified an intolerance and hatred of Jews still infecting the Islamic world today. The notion of apologists that Islam offers tolerant accommodation to Jews and Christians is belied by verses in the Koran such as, “Oh ye who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends and protectors,” and in Ibn Ishaq's biography by comments about the Jews such as, “You brothers of monkeys, has God disgraced you and brought His vengeance upon you?”
Given all this evidence, as Spencer writes, “It is nothing short of staggering that the myth of Islamic tolerance could have gained such currency in the teeth of Muhammad’s open contempt and hatred for Jews and Christians, incitements of violence against them, and calls that they be converted or subjugated.” And this historical evidence is ratified by contemporary events that show modern Muslims following to the letter the example of Muhammad, from continuing persecution of Jews and Christians in Muslim lands, to the riots and calls for violence that attended (and validated) the Pope’s quotation of a Byzantine emperor’s observation that violence in the service religion is Islam’s sole innovation.
Spencer concludes with some common-sense suggestions, most importantly demanding that so-called “moderates” condemn jihad and teach against religious intolerance in their schools and mosques. Unfortunately, this is unlikely to happen, given the power of Muhammad’s example of enmity against unbelievers, and given the arrogant intolerance and unwillingness to compromise that typify too many Muslims. The anxiety about appearing “racist” and the sentimental idealization of the “other” dominating American society make it even more unlikely that any politician will challenge Muslims about the facts of Mohammad’s words and deeds that jihadists today use to justify their actions. Unless we heed people like Robert Spencer, it seems that only another graphic example of jihadist violence within our borders has a chance of teaching us the history of the enemy.
Guys, we've got to start a grassroots movement to promote this book. It's being ignored by the MSM and it's vital to our side of the Cause. It should have been causing "muslim rage" all around the world by now.
Any ideas?
Who will buy 600 copies of this book and make sure it is delivered -- not mailed -- to every member of Congress, with a few left over for the members of the Cabinet? All kinds of lobbying groups in Washington have full-time staffs busily distributing literature. But there is no such group devoted to distributing perfectly legitimate studies of Islam. Instead, there is John Esposito and all his tribe, nicely funded --directly or indirectly --- by some other tribes one could name, with their tribal seat in places such as the Nejd.
Why do all the wrong people spend all the wrong money on all the wrong things?
Where are all those lucid and far-seeing billionaires and their attractive, but too-easily-fooled, foundations? Or does a certain kind of intelligence extend only to the making of money, and not to what that money should subsequently be spent on, especially if thoe makers of that money do not take an apres-moi-le-deluge attitude, but indeed do care about what happens, and not in some distant and remote and scarcely conceivable future, but rather within a few decades to their heirs and assigns, and to the entire civilization which, they too blithely assume will always be around for those heirs, those assigns. If you are reading this -- or your lawyer or accountant is -- kindly contact me. I will tell you how to spend your money wisely. [Hint: not on the Republicans and not on the Democrats. And not on any university or college. Try to guess.]
“Muhammad eventually abjured violence and pursued a daring, inspired policy of non-violence that was worthy of Ghandi.”
*Cough... cough... cough...
*Ahemmm...
*Clears throat...
What the F*** did you just say?!!!
Gandhi and Muhammad in the same sentence? What a DISHONOUR for Mahatma Gandhi!
Sheesh!
What the hell is happening to this world? That Armstrong woman must be seriously mentally challenged or something!
Hugh:
If Robert could get 700 books wholesale and we could raise the money to pay for the books and the personal delivery trip expenses, could you arrange for the delivery?
What about making it an e-book?
What the hell is happening to this world? That Armstrong woman must be seriously mentally challenged or something!
Posted by: Atlantean at October 27, 2006 09:32 AM
Let's call a spade a spade here. She is indeed fully retarded for making such a statement.
It isn't just dim bulbs like Karen Armstrong peddling that lie that 'Mo was a peaceful leader. Visit religionofpeace.com (not to be confused with the excellent anti-jihadi site thereligionofpeace.com) and read how truly peaceful and compasionate The Prophet (Piss Be Unto Him) was -NOT! Or visit John Esposito's apologist website at Georgetown and be truly disgusted by the nonsense they spew.
With so many useful idiots passing themselves off as experts it's hard to counter the disinformation so rampant today about Islam. And that's why books like The Truth About Mohammed and others written by Robert and other authors are so important. And we those of us who are "Jihad Aware" have to continue to speak to as many people as possible about what;s realy going on. The fog of disinformation must be blown away if we are to survive.
C'mon, guys. Ideas. Don't settle for being armchair warriors.
greetings...
I just want to be transparent at the start, I am a Muslim, an american Muslim convert. I think that Mr/ Spencer's book is an excellent source for Muslims to have an objective look at their faith. Mr Spencer's book (which i have only read in; I have yet to read it in its entirety), is a must read for those such as myself who seek to know the truth. Almost from the start of my conversion process I always had a problem with how the prophet was idolized especially as an American this was very unsettling to me. I guess one could call me a liberal/progressive Muslim. For myself and I hope for other Muslims, common sense will over rule blind faith. thanks
still fed up...there are progressives out there!
my religious quest has led me from Hare Krishnas, to evangelicals, to Ethiopian Christianity, to Rastafarianism, to judaism where I studied with rabbi Kellemer an orthodox rabbi in Los Angeles, i was even initiated into the afro cuban religion of Palo Mayombe. I was really drawn not to Mohamed but to the prayer cycle and the fact that a beleiver has no intermedaries between self and the Divine. As an American this held a great power for my sense of liberty.
Those on a Spiritual Search or ways to fill up their Hours of Idleness have all kinds of possibilities. There are all the known and plenty of unknown religions, or belief-systems called religions. There is Rudolph Steiner, and Madame Blavatsky, and table-turning, and astrology. There are crossword puzzles. There are charades. There is Sudoku. There are word-games, including Scrabble (see the score-shattering game recently held in Massachusetts --merely google "Scrabble" and "Cresta" for details). There are charades. There is the treadmill or the track or sedate walks in the woods, with identifying field guides in hand, so you can tell a hawk from a handsaw. There is elementary particle physics, and archeological digs in Magna Graecia, and new languages to be learned. There is my personal favorite -- reading.
Why, when there is so much to choose from, choose or, once having chosen, stick with, Islam?
Sikhy: I was really drawn not to Mohamed but to the prayer cycle and the fact that a beleiver has no intermedaries between self and the Divine. As an American this held a great power for my sense of liberty.
Why do you need Islam to institute a personal prayer cycle, and why do you need Islams idea of no intermediaries ( not an original concept) to gain power and liberty? In Islam, you have no power and you have no liberty. If you want those things, you can have them without Islam or its phony book, The Quran. You are a 'seeker'. 'Seekers' have not found, thats why they are seekers. Did you know that as a muslim, you are 'obligated; to participate in jihad? Did you know that you must become an Abdallah (slave to Allah) upon conversion? Did you know that there are mountains of evidence that Allah is NOT God?
Probably you need to give up the idea of converting to this distorted religion and remain a seeker. In Islam, you have found nothing...but trouble...
Thanks for that Question Hugh...
I guess it was because of several reasons...first there is the creed that apart from god there is not other deity. This really apealed to my Christian/Catholic upbringing. I was raised as a strict monotheist and yet the whole notion of a trinitarian god was ultimatly confusing to me. This strict monotheism also provided a means to realize that apart from God there was no mediator between self and the divine. This, to me, was important given my individual nature...sort of like a spiritual anarchy but not spiritual chaos or disorder. The other reason is very personal but it does stem from a relationship of Love between self and Divine. that is really as much as I care to share on that second reason..but i do hope that we can discuss together the issues facing all of us.
For myself and I hope for other Muslims, common sense will over rule blind faith. thanks
Doesn't seem to be working does it sihky?
www.thereligionofpeace.com
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/
The apparently solid Chinese Wall between Bruce Thornton and V. D. Hanson on the matter of Islam would make investment banking/brokerage firms green with envy.
I appreciate your thoughts swami...
Yes I am a seeker and I guess i chose to seek the Divine within a semetic faith, in this case through my own understanding of Islam. As far as the Quran goes, I enjoy reading it but i dont like those areas that reflect its 6th century mentality. Do i consider it as truly and literally the words of God...? No i would not go so far...do i consider portions of it inspiring? Yes...just as I consider portions of the Christian gospels and the Tora, the Bhagavad Gita, the Kebra Nagast, the Upanishads, etc. as inspiring in select passages.
sikhy
Couldn't pass up making a comment on your response. If you are seriously seeking God you will find Him. "Seek and you shall find..." the Christian Bible says. "Knock and it shall be opened..."
Unlike Islam, there is no compulsion to believe in Christianity. Christ is called the Prince of Peace. He never used force to effect conversion, and neither are His followers to use it today. Rather than emulating a fallible and sinful human being, follow instead the Son of God.
I suggest investigating the Gospel of John in a readable translation (NKJV or NIV or NASB versions). There are plenty available online. In biblical Christianity, there is no need for an intermediary between God and man, because that intermediary has come and paid the price for the sins of all who believe in Him.
There is liberty in Christ. There is love in Christ. There is peace in Christ. Please don't pass up the opportunity you have to discover the Truth.
Thanks for your consideration.
CGW and other esteemed JW readers:
Promoting Robert's Book:
This is what I am doing today. Printing out Bruce Thornton's review and taking it along with taking two copies of The Truth About Muhammed to my local library. Our public libraries love to receive donated books,especially NYT Bestsellers. The guy who approves donations will be impressed by Thornton's book review.
Many people will benefit from such a donation. You can help them to know the truth about Muhammed and set them free from the pc blindness.
Also consider writing your local paper's editorial board and recommend Robert's book (include the above review). It may stimulate their interest and they may actually get it.
Spreading the truth about Muhammed is key in halting the spread of the islamic cancer.
All the best. KYPete
sikhy, i feel for you.
there really isn't the precise answer; but islam is just out of bounds; if anything, it seems to me to prove the existence of satan.
think about it: the guy hears the dictated word, which oddly matches his desire for sexual gratification, military advance, and sadism. Too disgusting.
the only thing to be said is that the rituals of islam are simple; none of that catholic bruhaha and less of the droning of judaism.
shall we create a religion, some combination of one-Godism and meditation? some call it unitarianism, which is far superior (and truer) than the grim craziness that you've fallen into.
sihky,
Do you believe that the suns rises on a chariot and sets in a muddy pond?
Do you believe that the devil sleeps in your nose at night?
Do you believe that all Jews should be killed?
Do you believe that all Christians should be "feel themselves subdued" or killed?
Do you believe that Jesus will come back and kill all Christians?
Sorry, I just have a horrible time figuring out how any "western" person can go for mohammad and his hatred. What were you thinking? Do you hate our culture that much?
Isaiah 14
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
You have put your money on the wrong horse.
Read the Bible....starting with the Gospels, then read the qur'an. The difference is complete. One is light and the other is darkness. "Kill, kill, kill"
sihky...I think the posters here are trying to tell you something. You really should be listening...
In the US, we've been fed relativism and post-modern liberalism for so long that we've lost an essential truth: matters of spirituality and religion must be subject to the same law of non-contradiction we apply to all other things we study.
At it's epistemological base, each religion, philosophy, political persuasion or simple proposition has elements inherent to it which are non-negotiable, and irreconcilable with those which contradict them. Given that within religious systems, these elements are held to be authoritative (or else why bother), then it follows that there are profound implications to their logical outworking within larger society.
In public debate, the aggressive secularization of western cultures has relegated ultimate issues such as man's origin, meaning and destiny to the same cognitive scrap-heap as the question of what kind of ice cream one prefers; you like yours better, I like mine better. What's the big deal?
Obviously, it is a big deal. And it's going to be difficult for western civilization to defend itself if it has no idea, beyond some soft multi-culti liberalism, what exactly it is defending.
Sihky with all do respect you have chosen poorly on your faith.
The Quran does not allow for any reasoning or questioning of the word of God. The standards that you chose to see as 6th century are standards that are kept today by your faith.
I've heard apologists describe that Muhammed's treatment of prisoners was proper and traditional for his time. I find that reasoning as nothing short of insane. Muhammed's treatment of the vanquished would never had been accepted by any God of peace at any time in history.
Jesus was long before Muhammed and taught to turn the other cheek, these types of revelations are the only acceptable ones by any man or prophet of God.
The people who have and still follow Islam, are the people who have been part of the greatest deception in the history of mankind. I only fear that this deception will eventually cost the entire world its freedom.
Niv
sikhy -- "I was really drawn not to Mohamed but to the prayer cycle and the fact that a believer has no intermediaries between self and the Divine"
This is hardly an innovation. Jews prayed directly to God, Christians are called to pray directly to the Father.
Mat 6:6 But you, when you pray, enter into your inner chamber, and having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
And of course, the Lord's prayer starts with "Our Father" and
John 16:26 In that day you will ask in my name; and I don't say to you, that I will pray to the Father for you,
Joh 16:27 for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me, and have believed that I came forth from God.
Unlike Muhammad, Christ said "Mat 6:7 In praying, don't use vain repetitions, as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their much speaking. "
Further,while Muhammad taught his followers to wage war, Christ taught -- John 18:36 Jesus answered, "My Kingdom is not of this world. If my Kingdom were of this world, then my servants would fight, that I wouldn't be delivered to the Jews. But now my Kingdom is not from here."
Therein lie the difference, Christ's kingdom is not anchored here, on earth and doesn't seek gain here. Muhammad on the other hand taught conquest and taking booty.
sikhy,
Do you hop around religions just to make your parents angry and upset?
Religion is not fashion.
RasoolalShaytan, you've been duped, you're actaully a Devil worshipper.
Niv
NIV Wrote:
"Jesus was long before Muhammed and taught to turn the other cheek, these types of revelations are the only acceptable ones by any man or prophet of God."
I completley agree with what jesus said here...and since i was a christian monotheist for many years this is ingrained on me. I tend more towards a pacifistic form of Sufi islam practised by the Baye Fall, also called the Mouride brothers. They are often confused for Rastafari as they too grow dreads and smoke cannabis...
but my main concerns are how the radicalization is occuring in Muslim countries and how to counter it...that is why i am here on JW...although I am not an expert by no stretch on Islamic terrorism, it seems that much of the problem stems from the Wahabi/Salafi doctrines coupled with the financial backing of the Saudis...The issue now for all of us is to stop it and as Mr. Spencer stated once on Michael Medved that Islam needs a reformation...
Hearing about someone who converted to Islam is like watching someone walk down the sidewalk and deliberately step in crap.
Pacifistic Sufi Islam?
Baye Fall,Mourid Brothers, Rastafari?
Brother, kneel down and clean the crap off your shoe.
There are word-games, including Scrabble (see the score-shattering game recently held in Massachusetts --merely google "Scrabble" and "Cresta" for details).
I wonder if Scrabble now allows words like dhimmitude, tafsir, ahadith, and kuffar? What would taqiyya with a triple word score get me?
In fact, I think I recall a cozy night, some time during our halcyon pre-911 era, when I had, arranged at random, the letters T-A-Q-I-Y-Y-A upon the little ledge of my little wooden bench and I sat there for a long time staring at them wishing I had a word there somewhere. Now, unhappily, we have a word there, all too grimly, horribly real. Alas, those days are gone forever.
sikhy wrote:
my religious quest has led me from Hare Krishnas, to evangelicals, to Ethiopian Christianity, to Rastafarianism, to judaism where I studied with rabbi Kellemer an orthodox rabbi in Los Angeles, i was even initiated into the afro cuban religion of Palo Mayombe. I was really drawn not to Mohamed but to the prayer cycle and the fact that a beleiver has no intermedaries between self and the Divine...
.................
Sikhy, it sounds like you have been on this quest for awhile.
You need to know, though, that unlike the other religions you have experimented with (Christianity, Judaism, etc) that Islam does not take kindly to those who "change their religion".
If you should decide that the next step on your spiritual journey is Wicca, or Native American spirituality, or a return to Catholicism, you will be considered an apostate by hard-line Muslims, and potenitally subject to being killed by anyone of the faithful.
Just thought you should know this. Keep safe.
gravenimage,
I agree with your advice to sikhy. I just want to add that religion is a fine thing as long as it is practiced in moderation.
Gravenimage is a good song. Sikhy should listen to gravenimage.
OK so we all know that Islamic terrorists need to be stopped...but in our emotional excess how can we be sure not to group law abiding Muslims in my home country of the USA with the radicals...? Like the question asked by the reporter to brigitte Gabriel about how can we prevent the internment of Muslims who are peacefull in the USA...? I think these are issues that need to be addressed to and we must be careful not to scapegoat every muslim...
oh yes Graven image i am aware that there are those hardliners out there...But one cannot let fear of them stop one from doing what their heart tells them is the thing to do...This is part of this war...they cannot tell anyone what to believe...we all have our hands full with the terrorists and need to fight them at every opportunity...
maybe getting all those young Muslims smoking cannabis mught mellow them out..it was Bob Marley who said that the more people who smoked the sooner the System would collapse...in this case hopefully the Wahabists/salafists...
"How can we be sure not to group law abiding Muslims in my home country of the USA with the radicals?"
Sikhy, maybe that is not (or is no longer) the most important question.
here's what a blogger of spiritual belief says:
"Your Curmudgeon dislikes the thought, for the implementation would be accompanied by no small amount of violence, plus hardship for many who've led innocent lives and would probably continue to lead them, but the time to quarantine Islam is now. The accelerating penetration of Western societies by Islam will soon reduce us to a state similar to that of Paris, Amsterdam, and Malmo. In those nominally Western cities, Muslim violence and intimidation of 'infidels' have reduced civil society to a de facto state of war...nor is it clear that the Muslim insurrectionists can be defeated.
"If we don't want to have to nuke a few Islamic cities and expel all averred Muslims within our borders, we must:
"Erect absolute barriers against further access to this country by Muslims or Islamic institutions;
"Institute a thorough program of monitoring of the preachments from existing mosques in the United States;
"Investigate the affiliations of all identifiable imams with access to American prisons;
"Place the governments of Islamic states on notice that we've had enough, by ending diplomatic relations with them and withdrawing our embassies and consulates.
"Today would not be too soon."
from http://www.eternityroad.info/index.php
Still Breathing you posted:
"The accelerating penetration of Western societies by Islam will soon reduce us to a state similar to that of Paris, Amsterdam, and Malmo."
I would hate to see this happen here and it is my fear also given the craziness of political correctness in the states that yes indeed, this may happen here. I agree with all of that bloggers posts...We most definatly need to stop rampant and unchecked immigration under the guise of refugees into this country from radical leaning islamic states. I mean I know the threat is real. When that islamic terrorist killed the relative of Van gogh I was appaled and my senses were really awakened by that to the real and slow growing threat such fanaticsim breeds, 911 aside.
um... okay, so... maybe Islam is not the religion (really, the political system, the social order) for you.
get out before you have children, please. you can slip away now and folks will not care much. when you are a family man and have a home and a multiyear job, islam will be part of your identity, in the sense that many, many people will know if you leave.
now is the time.
sikhy and Spencer book promoters:
Christianity (Catholicsm included) is monotheistic! We believe in only one God, but He consists of three distinct but unified Divine Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is core Christianity. It is surely a mystery, to be only partially understood here on earth, but this is what Jesus has revealed. As the Hebrew exhortation, the Shema, says, "...the Lord our God is One" and Christianity is not a negation of His oneness, but a fuller understanding of it, a fuller revelation. So you can believe and follow Jesus and know that there really is only one God. You're in a good place of seeking. Keep seeking the Truth and He will continue to reveal more of Himself to you and "make you free." Yes, the Gospel of John is a fantastic place to go, but the Spirit of God may lead you to read elsewhere in His Word. Ask Him where you should read to better understand Him. He will not refuse to answer your prayer because He loves you. If you ask Him for a portion of His Holy Spirit, he will give it to you as He has promised. Then you will come to know Him more. We will pray for you.
Now, about promoting Robert's book...what if we were to convince the big talk-show hosts to push it? If Limbaugh says it's a good read (as he did with Joel Rosenberg's novel The Ezekiel Option, lots of peole will get and read it. And we can just keep spreading the news about it. People want answers, and the book has lots of them, thanks be to God and Robert!
Sikhy:
I assume that you were raised as a Catholic (at least a nominal Catholic) but that you along with many others of your generation were disserved by the dismal level of catechetical instruction which has been all too typical in the Catholic Church since the 1960s.
Before you continue any further on your trek to the Dark Side, I would urge you to read at least one (and preferably both) of the following two books. Both are available from Amazon.com:
"Theology and Sanity" by Frank Sheed (ISBN 0-89870-470-7); and/or
"The Belief of Catholics" by Ronald Knox (ISBN 0-89870-586-x).
Neither of these is an easy read, but I am sure that your level of education and sophistication would be more than sufficient for you to master the challenge.
May the Divine Assistance remain always with you.
Hugh, CGW:
It is useless to buy a bunch of Robert's books and send them to congressmen and Senators.
Why? First, the mail is opened by mail clerks, otherwise known as staffers, either in the district (home) office, or in Washington, D.C.
This low level employee (or volunteer) will probably not have direct access to the congressman on any frequent basis. Secondly, the book will be put in the stack with the other books sent in by other organizations, political pundits, idea-pushers, lobbyists, grant-seekers, religious zealots, self-promoters, and miscellaneous constituents. Interested staffers might borrow one or two to take home to read, but, by and large, when the pile gets too big it is donated to charity or thrown away. You will receive a nice thank-you note, however, suitable for framing.
Sending a bunch of books makes some royalties flow to Robert, which is a good thing in itself, and keeps the paper industry humming along. But the trip to the landfill is more efficient if you just dump the books yourself and avoid the postage expense.
If one is trying to influence the mind and actions of a congressman, it is important to know that the appropriate term for this is: Lobbying.
The lobbying for the mind of the congressman must begin with the gatekeeper, unless you already have a personal relationship with the congressman. This gatekeeper is a Congressional Aide. There are several aides, actually. It is a mistake to try to go through the chief aide. The chief aid is there to insure the congressman gets re-elected. He (or, she) is interested in raising money, poll results, speaking schedules, raising more money, meetings with Big Shots; junkets to Europe; the Congressman's vacation plans, and, of course, raising money. He is not interested in new ideas. Or another book. He is not a big reader. Neither are most congressmen.
And take note: The Congressman NEVER READS THE LEGISLATION HE VOTES ON. REPEAT: NEVER. I know, you think this couldn't possibly be true, but it is a fact. And therein lies your golden opportunity to influence the congressman on this matter of jihad and survival.
I don't want this to be a long and useless post, and I will be happy to defer to someone with some more extensive and recent experience, but the readers of jihadwatch can have some FUN and be effective if their energies are directed in the right channels.
There is a technique to this lobbying. It is similar to hunting. In hunting, if we go tromping through the woods, the animals all run away and hide. The same is true of lobbying. We have a deadly war to fight, so our actions must be impeccable.
The muslims are doing this lobbying right NOW. Muslims have some advantages, so far, because they are dedicated, determined, and focused. But they also have disadvantages. Their message can seem "foreign" and confusing. And they are a small minority in most places. However, as long as they are asking for "equality" and "rights" and "tolerance" they are going to make progress.
Nevertheless, this is an excellent time to do some lobbying. In the USA, congressional and state elections are only a few days away. This marks the end of the election season and the beginning of lobbying season. The same is true at the state level, which, by the way, is an excellent place to lobby, and it is often overlooked. Judicial elections can be important, too. This is especially true of elections to criminal courts, where judges are in direct contact with jihadists, or the future jihadists that pass through court on the way to prison, and who will surely be coming around again.
The gatekeeper (national, state or local) will invite you in if you CAN HELP THE CONGRESSMAN. You can always BUY your way in, but this is crass (and has its own strict codes of conduct), and is best left to the mafia, the left-liberal charities, and the real estate developers.
I presume that jihadwatchers want to play the game on the cheap, and invest only the price of a couple of books, some gasoline, and postage. However, the budget should eventually include lunch for yourself and the aide. A nice lunch, but no booze. Chances are this will remain unspent, but you should be prepared. Jihadwatchers might just end up having a sandwich with the aide at the joint across the street from the Federal Building. You could also hit the jack-pot and end up having to buy lunch for the congressman. This is like paying for your own trophy at the end of a race.
The gatekeeper to focus on at the federal level is the Legislative Aide.
CGW,
In addition to what we have said here, we could place a personal ad in our local newspapers with a "read this book" message.
Sikhy
Couldn't you just be a... Sikh?
Re getting Robert's book out far and wide.
It could be turned as easy as wink into an ebook in pdf format. Chapter headings can be all set up as links, and even word searches are a piece of cake.
No doubt Robert's books sell pretty well - unlike one I've published, but it could still be published in the two forms. Plenty of people like hardcopy books, but plenty like ebooks also. I personally like hardcopy, but have read an ebook recently over a couple of days and it was very convenient.
What I have done for mine is say that if you read it as an ebook and appreciate it, please buy the hardcopy.
I think the topic of disseminating the book - or the messasge - is crucial and overlooked in the blogosphere. There needs to be some dedicted space to a positive program or strategy for confronting the jihadist menace. The propaganda war is where the hearts and minds are to be won, and the debate on the usefulness of sending the book to congress is necessary and overdue. These are the kind of practical issues that this kind of blog - excellent and addictive as it is for me - does not address. What can we do? Are there other web sources dedicated to this or shall I make one?
And sikhy - aren't you sikh to death of sikhing the answer to your inner struggle? Infidel Pride hit the nail on the head I think ... but I think you are seriously kidding yourself if you think you are a Muslim - you ain't no Muslim for sure.
texan:
You seem to know the ropes. If we come up with the bucks, can we put you in charge?
CGW
Ok folks why not break it down. I will buy 10 books and distribute them if you will buy 10 book and distribute them. We could start a thread or Robert could start one. We could say where, or who we sent them to and so on. When I can afford it I will do 10 more. This may be a more affordable and less errouneous task. ?? Any thoughts?? Lets not get side tracked here.
Found 3 copies of your book at my local B&N on the Current Events shelf next to your Politically Incorrect Guide. (I'd bought a copy of it two weeks ago right before they put them out). Needless to say, it fits better with the Islam section, so I moved one of the copies right next two Karen Armstrong's suck-up biography.
We need MASS MARKET penetration here.
Silly:
How about taking the books and distributing them personally to mosques?
First of all let me start by stating that I have two copies of Robert's latest book (one so I can lend it out), his earlier works, books by Warraq, Fallaci, Bat ye'or, Bawer and others and I have read them. I was raised as Christian but expanded beyond those teachings (b.t.w. Crusader the Trinity was a concept was added a long time after Christ's teachings). I was lucky to find a good teacher and now study the basic truths behind religions and the practical aspects of what the average westerner lumps together under the heading of Meditation.
Some of you guys are truly amazing and at best hypocritical.
Here is a writer sikhy who is obviously searching for his/her own understanding and truth and instead of support they get attacks?
A number of the obviously Christian writers are standing in their very shaky moral high ground and instead of offering support are suggesting that their faith is the best and most obvious choice.
Sikhy, I recommend you look at Buddhism, they do not criticize people for searching for meaning and a faith. If you can find someone to decode it, even some of Blavatsky's materials have some validity.
So shame on most of you. I regularly read in posts and comments how it is important that Muslims be encouraged to become moderates by questioning their teachings and one comes along and the best you can do is berate and insult the person by telling them that you particular version of the truth is the best one.
Yes I agree that Islam is a cult rather than a religion, yes I agree that their fundamental teachings are morally corrupt, yes I agree that under most interpretations MH was not a good and kind individual.
Who are any of you to suggest that Sikhy is in any way invalid by embarking on a series of searches for their own personal truths?
Step back and get a grip on reality. This forum is not about berating of individuals about their personal search for Truth, is it about the understanding that there are things about the teachings of Islam that need exposure, understanding and change.
A couple of examples for self reflection. How many wars have been fought in the name of Christianity and the Christian God compare this with how many have been fought by say Buddhists? Given this example how many of you Christians support the Buddhist faith? There is also that very well known and often misquoted lesson from the Bible Matthew 7:3-5 : "And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye."
I have been privileged to meet some very great Christians, none of them had a beam in the eye issue.