In my new book Religion of Peace?, I tell the story of a bumper-sticker war that broke out in Cairo a few years ago. When Coptic Christians began putting the Christian fish symbol, long popular with American evangelicals, on their cars, Muslims responded with their own bumper stickers depicting sharks. An Egyptian Muslim explained: "The Christians had the fish so we responded with the shark. If they want to portray themselves as weak fishes, okay. We are the strongest.”
So look at the ad for Al-Jazeera mobile, above. On the right there is a shark about to swallow a fish in a plastic bag. Now of course maybe this image is meant only to refer to the freshness of the news one gets from Al-Jazeera, as fresh as the goldfish the shark is about to enjoy. But it reminded Conservative Book Club Editor Elizabeth Kantor of the above story, and some other people as well. What do you think?
Islam is a shark, devouring everything in its path.
Sharks are stupid and ugly
LOL
That too
I think it is a type of reef fish, as can be found in the Red Sea.
Sharks the strongest? Hmm... they also eat each other as needed. The sea is a balance of imposing predators and microscopic life forms and eveything inbetween.
But I do like the metaphor of separation between incompatible species: sharks in saltwater, goldfish in freshwater. Works better that way.
Obviously, it has to do with the "above story."
Way too coincidental.
The Gulf times which seems to swing from liberalism to extreme ideology has an interesting religion section..
''The responsibility of Da’wah''
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=167138&version=1&template_id=47&parent_id=27
Our Prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam loved Makkah, his birthplace, but made hijra for one reason only: to make the Deen (religion) of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala strong and dominate over other ways of life. “It is Allah who sends the messenger with guidance over other way of life of truth to proclaim it over all (false) ways of life, however hateful this may be to the disbelievers.” (Al-Saff, 61:9),
Disbelievers, and unfortunately many “Muslims”, do not want to hear about the establishment of Islamic social, economic, and political system, even in societies where the majority of the population are Muslims. Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala has described this situation in a very beautiful way: “Muhammad is the messenger of Allah:” those who are with him are strong against the disbelievers but compassionate among each other. You will see them bow and prostrate in prayer seeking the grace and pleasure of Allah... Like a seed that shoots out its blade, then makes it strong; it then becomes thick, and it stands on its own stem, (filling) the sower in delight. As a result, it fills the disbelievers with rage and anger at them. Allah has promised those who believe and work righteous deeds forgiveness and a great reward.” (Al-Fath, 48:29)
Your prophet was a sociopath, pedophile and slave owner.
So Islam is like a shark, hmmm. Read recently how the Chinese because of their fondness for shark fin soup are decimating the world's shark populations...
I was in Cairo from Sep 2005 to May 2007 and saw neither sharks nor fish on cars. In fact, on many occasions I took cabs where Coptic icons and crosses were displayed openly. So I'm not sure if Mr. Spencer's account of it is based on actual eyewitness reports or rumors. (this isn't to say that things are smooth between Copts and Muslims in Egypt--only that this particular account doesn't ring true with what I experienced during my time there).
aggiegabe,
The righteous have a saying: "You shall know the tree by its fruit."
People of your cult have no idea what the fish really symbolizes to Christians. So the "fruit" here dude, besides being a bully, is voluntary ignorance. Not at all honorable IMO.
Do you have the courage it takes to read the Christian scriptures? I think not.
GetBornAgain:
I don't work on the basis of rumors.
My account is based on an Associated Press story by Maggie Michael, “War of Stickers: Christian Fish, Muslim Shark,” which appeared on December 2, 2003.
It in turn is based on eyewitness accounts and interviews of both Copts who had fish on their cars and Muslims who had sharks on theirs.
The fact that you didn't see stickers in Cairo two years later doesn't mean they weren't there in 2003.
The business I'm in is extremely controversial and dangerous, and I never assert anything without evidence. In this case, I am going by this AP story.
Cordially
Robert Spencer
Elric - gotta love your subtlety, lol. I agree, why waste time mincing words? I fear we don't have much time.
Oh, you forgot: Mohammed the mass-murderer, rapist, and thief.
Science has never been a strong suit of islam, so this ad does not convince me that 'journalists' at Al-jiz would have recognized that as a metaphor.
And as the 'bumper-sticker' story reveals, the average jihadi isn't much concerned that as predator 'sharks' in the gold fish's environment - cannot survive.
darcy, times a ticking. I am done playing nice and word games with Muslims and apologists. Its all stalling tactics as they import more of the ummah into the West
As over time I've been learning much about Islam/Mohammed/koran (from JW and books), I've got a lot more intellectual ammunition than I did, say, a year ago.
Right, no more word games.
This is something the Mohammedans do that is eventually going to cause their downfall - they underestimate us.
I believe Sun Tzu has directions in the "Art of War" to allow your enemy to underestimate you so he becomes over-confident, lazy and unsuspecting - then, you strike.
Kind of like what the Greeks did to the Trojans.
Muslims have always reminded me of sports fanatics with eyes rolling back into their heads barracking for their team exclaiming, 'islam will dominate the world.' It defines mental masturbation perfectly...
what the ignorant muslim did not realize is that the fish can be also a "Dolphin" who can kill the shark, and actually is a mammal in disguise of a fish. lol
The implication is unmistakable
what the ignorant muslim did not realize is that the fish can be also a "Dolphin" who can kill the shark, and actually is a mammal in disguise of a fish. lol
GetBornAgain,
I had a Coptic Egyptian coworker who can give you plenty of firsthand accounts of Muslims' treatment of Christians.
Is that enough for you? Or should he have been in Egypt at exactly the same time as you to make it fact?
I am Agnostic, and I KNOW what Christians are suffering at the hands of Muslims...why are you denying even the possibility?
Muslims sporting "shark" bumper stickers....well..yea, I would say thats about right. A shark is a mindless fish that feeds on the weak and becomes excited when it smells blood but as ferocious as the shark appears, a blow to the nose can send it fleeing.
GetBornAgain,
I had a Coptic Egyptian coworker who can give you plenty of firsthand accounts of Muslims' treatment of Christians.
Is that enough for you? Or should he have been in Egypt at exactly the same time as you to make it fact?
I am Agnostic, and I KNOW what Christians are suffering at the hands of Muslims...why are you denying even the possibility?
We should make some Shark Fin soup
Muslims sporting "shark" bumper stickers....well..yea, I would say thats about right. A shark is a mindless fish that feeds on the weak and becomes excited when it smells blood but as ferocious as the shark appears, a blow to the nose can send it fleeing.
This assertion is truly sad.
Why is reporting truth and reality "controversial and dangerous," and at the same time, murder, mayhem, and unspeakable horrors committed in the name of allah are protected forms of speech in some circles.
Truly sad, yet understood as a dismal reality.
Why then should we be threatened by islam? There are all told, only a small handful of elites bent on protecting them.
What about the billions of people on this planet who are not islamic and choose not to be?
Have they no say?
Doesn't Islam forbid pictures of any living creature? Sharks are definitely living creatures. Oh well, you can't expect a Muslim to follow every single regulation of Sharia, especially if it gets in the way of oppressing kaffirs.
... or maybe pictures are just forbidden in homes and Muslims don't care if angels won't enter their vehicles. When I lived in South Asia, I remember a lot of Muslim cabbies had pictures of the latest Bollywood starlets plastered all over thier auto-rickshaws. Maybe Sharia doesn't apply when you want to look at a pretty babe either.
No, that would make too much sense.
Muslims immerse themselves in symbolism. Sexual and violent symbolism primarily, but other areas as well. A fish, Christianity, being eaten by a shark, Islam, is low key sexual symbolism, and high key supremist symbolism. Islam must always play one upsmanship, to retain its own sense of superiority, which shows how weak it really is...
What about the billions of people on this planet who are not islamic and choose not to be?
Have they no say?
Witness,
With each passing day, the answer is YES, we have no say in the matter. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. Islam is claiming all of it.
A Dutch Catholic bishop has recommended that all Christians refer to God as "Allah", in order to ease tensions with Muslims. His rationale is that God doesn't really care what we call him so let's all call him Allah if it will make Muslims happy.
How happy would Muslims really be if we spoke of Allah, the father of Jesus Christ, our lord and savior? Will all our churches be reconstructed so that the congregation faces Mecca instead of Rome? Why not, if that will make Muslims happy? God is everywhere, even in Mecca. (I can imagine that coming from the mouth of this bishop.)
Not only do we have no say, the people who have been entrusted with our heritage and are charged with preserving it would instead throw it away.
Miss_Anthrope, I do not deny the reality of Christian suffering in the Middle East--and if you disagree, please present proof to the contrary. I only stated that during my time in Egypt I did not see the phenomenon described by Mr Spencer (although, as he rightfully points out, I was there some time after the time period he describes). As I stated in my post, "this isn't to say that things are smooth between Copts and Muslims in Egypt--only that this particular account doesn't ring true with what I experienced during my time there." If you had taken the time to familiarize yourself with my previous posts instead of basing your entire opinion of myself on one misreading of one post, you would have a different opinion of me.
I think God prefers the real name along with Jehavah.
This priest will get his in the afterlife by basically declaring war against Heavan and God.
What about the option of making Christians and Jehovah happy?
This idiot so-called priest should be stripped in public of his uniform and thrown over the walls of Istanbul to be rewarded by the Turks.
I know how Cromwell and King Richard would treat him if they were alive today.
So al-Jazzera pictures its consumers as sharks?
Violent, conscienceless predators seeking harmless, helpless victims?
Good marketing ploy.
In the Middle East.
More from Al Jazeera, that professional, unbiased, intrepid, international media giant courtesy of MEMRI,
http://www.memri.org/bin/opener_latest.cgi?ID=SD168507
Nothing to be alarmed about. Just some sensible guys talking some paranoid, delusional, hateful talk, making sense out of vitrolic, irrational, Jew-hating, America-hating, Infidels-are-out-to-get-us, jihad-inspiring nonsense. Just the kind of thing one needs to keep those rating up. All in a day's work.
"GetBornAgain:
I don't work on the basis of rumors.
My account is based on an Associated Press story by Maggie Michael, “War of Stickers: Christian Fish, Muslim Shark,” which appeared on December 2, 2003.
It in turn is based on eyewitness accounts and interviews of both Copts who had fish on their cars and Muslims who had sharks on theirs.
The fact that you didn't see stickers in Cairo two years later doesn't mean they weren't there in 2003.
The business I'm in is extremely controversial and dangerous, and I never assert anything without evidence. In this case, I am going by this AP story.
Cordially
Robert Spencer"
Point taken. I was not claiming you were wrong--only that it did not jibe with what I observed during my time there (and I was there for a long time). The animosity I saw was far more subtle than an ostentatious "sticker war" would be. Then again, if it happened two years before my arrival, I'm in no position to take a position on it. Haven't yet read the AP story; will do so now.
Getbornagain...We have no idea how many cars are equipped with bumperstickers in Egypt. It may have been possible to drive around for a week and not see the subject sticker. I have no problems with your statements, you just reported your non observations.
You see what you see, and you don't see what you don't see, no blame in that...
duh_swami, you're right on that one--there are A LOT of cars in Cairo. More than I've ever seen in one place. Most are crappy old Russian models that are falling apart. It could be that I didn't see any stickers because I didn't specifically seek them out. I did, however, see several cars with a huge sticker across the back that said, in bold letters, "THE NEW VERSION OF HITLER." Gotta love Middle Eastern anti-semitism.
"But I do like the metaphor of separation between incompatible species: sharks in saltwater, goldfish in freshwater. Works better that way." -Posted by: lycaste
Not to be anal about the whole thing but if you look closely at the graphic it is not a goldfish but actually a clown fish that the shark is chasing, indeed a saltwater species.
Maybe it's just me, but I don't see a shark on the right - just a hand holding a plastic bag. However, had there actually been a shark, I wouldn't have considered it co-incidental.
Speaking of fish, wasn't it Jesus Christ, and not Mohammad, who fed 5000 by multiplying a few loaves and fishes? Let's see, the Christian concept uses fish to feed people and the Muslim concept uses fish to eat people.
Hmmmm...there's a lesson in there somewhere.
GetBornAgain -
I did read your post thoroughly, so please don't think I didn't.
I read you were making an assertion about life there, based on the 'rumor' and 'crosses' comments.
I'm happy to say I stand corrected based on your follow-up post...it does clarify things for me, and is appreciated.
Well a bigger ocean symbol for the Coptic Christians of Eygpt could be the whale. It would be a reminder of the time that Jonah was in the whale and the 3 days that Christ spent in the tomb before rising again.
Entrapment! It is the person holding the bag that has entrapped these fish of the sea in which man has domain over them! Fish is a sign of one of the twelve tribes the shark is not! It does not belong. But held there to watch nature only do that which is being forced on it. It really doesn't mean much to me! Another stupid pet trick!
Karen Hughes, please call your office. There's a shark in my news.
It could mean Psalms 37:32 The wicked one is keeping on the watch for the righteous and is seeking to put him to death!
For everyones information the word 'fish' in Greek is 'icthus' or 'ixthus'. The first letters of the word translated from Greek to English is "Jesus Christ is God’s Son, the Savior"
1 Cor 1:27
... God deliberately chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose those who are powerless to shame those who are powerful.
Another analogy is the reference Jesus disciples being "fisher of men".
Mark 1:17
And Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."
The odds are astronomically low that someone would just happen to choose, of a billion possible images that could depict "freshness," the image of a shark eating a goldfish.
Therefore it's virtually certain that Al Jazeera adopted this thuggish image from the Egyptians.
"If they want to portray themselves as weak fishes, okay. We are the strongest.” What a pathetic thug and moron. Nothing worse than someone who is violently stupid and stupidly violent.
Infidel Pride:
There is a shark. I expanded the image. You can see the expanded image if you scroll all the way to the bottom of www.jihadawareness.blogspot.com.
"I believe Sun Tzu has directions in the "Art of War" to allow your enemy to underestimate you so he becomes over-confident, lazy and unsuspecting - then, you strike."
Posted by: darcy
Sun Tzu also said something with regard to knowing yourself and your enemy you will win your battles 100% of the time. Knowing only yourself or knowing only your enemy will result in winning 50% of the time. Knowing neither you will lose.
He also said to use your strengths against your enemies and covering your weaknesses. While avoiding your opponents’ strength and attacking their weaknesses.
The Sheik Yer’ Mami had a great link on his blog on one of the many weaknesses of Islam.
http://sheikyermami.com/2007/07/26/how-to-beat-jihad/
Notice how when we started laughing at Islamic Rage Boy disappeared when westerners began to ridicule how much of a stereotype he was. He’s paymasters pulled him from the “Islamic Rage Parades”, realizing he made a joke of the whole scene. Read the Sheik’s post and you’ll understand.
http://www.slate.com/id/2169020/
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=40655
http://www.snappedshot.com/archives/976-Islamic-Rage-Boy-Parody-Roundup.html
To understand just how much they cling to their pride and their “honor of their past watch this video they posted about an event over 700 years ago
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=54a_1179325713
Hey, cut them some slack...
they're being honest for once...they devour anything in their path, and to hell with anything but their own agenda, aka, "death to all who oppose us!".
As long as they're honest about their conquest of the planet like this, no sense arguing with it...we should help them admit it more, by pasting it all over the world of their intent.
islam-in its own words.
;-)
I accept the theory of evolution so my fish walks!
My goldfish has moved beyond the shark infested seas for bigger and better things on dry land.
Just remember this, sharks are killers!
Sharks? Vicious? Nah, they're just misunderstood. Goldfish are fully equal to them--and sharks demonstrate this equality by eating them!
It's pretty clearly intentional, smug, superior and snarky.
-- One does not carry sharks in plastic bags.
-- One does not carry pet fish that might fight, together in one plastic bag.
The image is obviously intentionally unreal and intended to convey humor.
However the image wouldn't be all that funny unless it had an external referent.
I mean, do you think it's funny that sharks eat smaller fish? Natural, OK. Normal, OK. But actually haha funny?
No. The real humor comes from the reference to the Christian fish bumper sticker story.
And as I said, is intolerably impertinent.
Anything outside Islam is a threat it's a case of my dad is better than your dad which in this case is Allah vs Christ and obviously the Devil plays those games too. Please look at these spiritual patterns it's obvious who the real devil amoungst it all is.
From the attic of absolutely useless trivia, which is my brain:
I remember reading a scene in Peter Benchley's "Jaws", where Quint pulled a small shark out of the water, slit it open, threw it back in the water, and everyone watched as this shark tried to eat its own entrails, before a larger feeding frenzy ensued.
Quint had two points: Sharks have very small primitive brains with little intelligence--stupid enough to try to eat themselves. Secondly, they are vicious beyond reason, wired to consume and be consumed by bloodlust.
The analogy works for me.
This is a picture from Al Jazeera English, and given the vast majority of people working for AJE are British, it's not even clear if the person who designed this graphic is a Muslim/Arab. Also, Al Jazeera is based in Qatar (not Egypt).... so in a nut shell, what a WEAK point!
AP story dated to 2003 claims that some Copts are using gold fish symbol and some Muslims in Egypt are using Shark symbol on cars (a claim not observed by someone who has visited Egypt). Thus, in 2007, an add by AJE on their English website about fresh news that has a picture of a shark eating fish must be a reference to Muslims eating Christians!!!! GET A LIFE SPECNER.
People who worship violence, hatred, and extreme force can only really understand things in those exact terms.
The Muslims instruct us every day on how they must be treated. It ain't with sugar.