The interpretation offered by Muslims is predictable: that the tsunami was divine punishment for not being sufficiently Muslim.

The Infidels should have, and still can (is there a Department of War Propaganda in the offing, or is the tragi-comedy to continue as before?) propose another, more plausibble explanation:

The tsunami took place a day after Christmas. That was no accident. Those who did not observe Christmas were being punished for failing to do so. There is still time: Turn to Christianity.

As false as the Muslim version, it nonetheless is a falsity that for primitive minds may make an appeal based on that calendrical correspondence. Right, God watched carefully that Christmas, saw that we did nothing but continued in our Muslim ways, and decided to punish us.

Use this, of course, not in Thailand or Sri Lanka. But in Aceh yes -- you know, different campaigns for different markets. And the only market right now where that interpretation needs to be flogged is in the Muslim lands.

It will cause a few to wonder, to bethiink themselves, to lose a little enthusiasm about Islam and perhaps decide that this Christianity stuff may be the right way to go.

Every little bit helps.

But of course if we are so busy doling out jizyah and making the Muslim world safe for democracy (another 50 years, and $4 trillion, just might do it in Iraq), that the most obvious kinds of propaganda are not engaged in.

There's still time of course.

And those repeated earthquakes in northwest Paksitan? Well, that part of the world only accepted Islam at the end of the 19th century. Time to rethink. They chose the wrong team. Clearly God is angry that they have been helping the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Or at least: that's what they should be told, repeatedly.

Some of them are bound to believe it.

Posted by: Hugh at December 25, 2005 10:42 PM

Even though this sounds like a very primitive explanation to these troglodytes, I can't think of a better one.

I would have preferred an explanation that ascribed the tsunami to the victims following Islam. However, problem w/ that would have been that the victims in Sri Lanka, Phuket and Chennai were not Muslims, so such an explanation would have fallen flat on its face. However, none of the areas hit were Christian areas, and therefore, such an argument would at least be irrefutable, if not rational.

For the earthquakes in Pakistan, the argument of Islam being the cause - could be used, since in India, Jammu, Punjab, Ladakh etc. are not affected. Same goes for cyclones that hit Bangladesh regularly - none of them have the same impact on coastal India.

Now, if only volcanos could strategically erupt in selective places - Aceh, Peshawar, Lahore, Dhaka, Teheran, Qum, Riyadh, Ramallah, Cairo, Dimashq,... (you get the pattern), it would be that much more difficult for the champions for the "promotion of virtue & prevention of vice" to peddle that argument. A pretty picture of zits all over the ummah.

Posted by: Infidel Pride at December 26, 2005 12:57 AM

This blaming of a disaster on one's "lack of faith" or "failure to abide by dark age religious laws" is the direct responsibility of none other than Muhammad who said much the same thing after his followers were given a hiding at the Battle of ?Uddu after Allah had promise victory.

It is also the biggest lie in the book of the "Man who say that he talks to God" as anytime a promise or prophecy fails it is your fault for not having enough faith and nothing to do with the fact that the "Man" is lying.

At least in JC's case it is impossible to prove that he was telling the truth or not until you actually die. But dear old Allah (see Muhammad) left himself open on this material plane so many times to contradiction that I guess you should have more "faith", that is, if you don't think that he really is telling lies.

Posted by: Zathras at December 26, 2005 1:50 AM

The fact a liberal rag such as the San Francisco Chronicle dares to publish articles about Islamic foibles and risks castigation as "Islamophobes" in the process is notable.

Posted by: yadayada at December 26, 2005 3:43 AM

These religious buffoons also believe the aid that followed the devastation wreaked by the tsunami was willed by Allah, that Allah somehow willed the Western infidel to part with his hard-earned cash to provide aid (I didn't part with any cash myself - why should I give to those who would sooner see me dead and the society I live in utterly destroyed?) and its time to stop being soft and giving aid to fanatics like these. If they want aid, let them go cap in hand to the Saudi princes. It is long past time we put to bed that belief that Allah will ever will a penny out of us whenever disaster befalls an Islamic part of the globe.

Posted by: Spirit Of 1683 at December 26, 2005 5:20 AM

Or alternatively, put out that belief that the earthquake and resulting tsunami was God's punishment for the Bali atrocity of October 2002. Likewise, natural disasters like earthquakes in Islamic lands are retribution for the cruelty meted out to non-Muslim minorities in Islamic lands.

Posted by: Spirit Of 1683 at December 26, 2005 5:25 AM

I was in the area and heard another explanation.
Apparently the night before the tsunami hit four imams from local mosques went to the disco.

Then Allah's punishment came.

The Acehnese should watch those imams

Posted by: rocky at December 26, 2005 5:46 AM

How we in the west should describe the tsunami raises important strategic questions in how to deal with Apocalyptic Moslems. We are fighting a primitive superstitious people. Their ideology must be fought by their ideology.

Core readers of Jihad watch are very knowledgeable about the sacraments of Islam including its sacraments of violence, murder, intolerance and superstition. Fighting apocalyptic Islam requires knowledgeable anti- Jihadists of Islam to translate world events into messages that have meaning and importance for ignorant Moslems. While we readers may think it beneath contempt to attribute the tsunami to acts of Allah punishing Moslems for not waging Jihad against the infidel or for not strictly following sharia, we should use this ignorant superstitious savage belief of followers to argue the reverse.

Tell the Moslems Allah is punishing them because you have perverted his word. Tsunamis, earthquakes, and other great upheavals lie ahead for you. Your fate is grim. You have created a time of war by your idolatry. Allah allows war only is specific circumstances. This is not a time of war. You have mistreated the protected peoples the Christians & Jews. Emphasize that your imams have not tried to get the infidels to convert first as required. You have been reading the wrong fatwas.

While we might think it ridiculous to attribute natural events to Allah directly, the enemy actually believes this. We need Jihad watch core people knowledgeable about Islam to broadcast with footnotes to Moslems by chapter and verse why Allah is punishing the Moslems. Jihad watch readers need to cite Koran chapter and verse to try to create moderate Moslems. If such activity does not create an ideology of moderate Islam at least it may create confusion among the believers what Allah actually wants.

For example, a good place to start is to suggest Allah punishes Moslems for trying to kill the Jews and move them from Israel. Palestine is not mentioned in the Koran. I find Israel mentioned directly once and indirectly twice. The Koran says that the Jews ARE GIVEN ISRAEL 5:20. It also says that the Jews should enter the holy land (Palestine) which Allah has assigned to you (Jews), and turn not back (in flight) for then you (Jews) will be returned as losers." 17:104. Suggest that Allah is punishing the Arabs and the Arab Palestinians because they have been inhospitable to the Jew.

Dear readers, join the Jihad. Attack it from the right.

Posted by: David England at December 26, 2005 8:01 AM

David,

I have problems identifying "Allah" with God.
I don't think Allah is the same God as the God of the jews and the Christians. I have a multitude of reasons.

For example, Allah is a god who demands to be flattered, which is a sign of inferiority, and who asks all prayers to be directed towards a certain black stone, despite claiming that he is the God of the Universe.

I believe that Muslims are being shortchanged.

Posted by: rocky at December 26, 2005 2:11 PM

Rocky: " I was in the area and heard another explanation.
Apparently the night before the tsunami hit four imams from local mosques went to the disco.

Then Allah's punishment came."

Was there too much dancing to the beach boys music by these "rebellious" imans? Angry Allah does not like western music and punishes his faithful by wiping out thousands of innocent Muslims.

Sounds like a god worth worshipping? Only for a stupid Islamic faith that uses coercion
and fear to motivate its faithful to remain true to its faith. Insecurity and ignorance runs deep in the Muslim faith.

Posted by: Johnathan at December 26, 2005 4:09 PM

Rocky,
You are probably right that the Muslim concept of God is not the same as that of the Christians or Jews. However, "Allah" is simply the Arabic word for "God" and is used by Arabic speaking Jews and Christians as well. Allah is from the same root as "ilah" in Aramaic and "Eloi" in Hebrew.

The difference is in concept not language. The Jewish/Christian God enters into a covenant relationship with humanity loving us and expecting us to love Him and love our neighbors also. To the Jew and the Christian, each human being is in the image and likeness of our Creator and thus has rights and dignity.

To the Muslim, God is Creator but is by nature wholly "other" and so the only relation we can have is to "submit" to his commands. While Islam declares Allah to be merciful and compassionate, it does not require the same of us since we are but slaves and it is idolatry ("shirk") to see God in any image or likeness. That is why a Muslim is only required to act justly to another Muslim, because they act only as instruments of Allah's law but lack any true or loving relationship with Him. Even the Muslim Paradise is one of sensual rewards but never of any beatific vision of the Divine.

Let's pray that young Indonesians like Wiwa will see the inherent coldness and emptiness of Islam and will open themselves to Christianity.

Posted by: Provoslavni at December 26, 2005 4:34 PM

It took many centuries of intellectual evolution and finally the Enlightenment to drag most of us in the West (there are still, of course, many Christians who see the wrathful hand of God behind every natural disaster) out of the primitive way of thinking that most Muslims still wallow in. Unfortunately, not only can't this superstitious mindset be easily eradicated (certainly not in the time that we have left before it looks set to overwhelm us), I doubt very much if it can be successfully exploited in our defence either. Immediately after the Pakistan earthquake I wondered to a friend what the Jihadists, who had been claiming that hurricane Katrina had been God's seal of approval for their attacks on America and an encouragement for further and greater strikes, would make of this far more destructive disaster in their very heartland. He merely replied that they would see it as being God's punishment on Musharraf and other Pakistanis for not being Islamic enough. That is the trouble with superstitious fanatics, the possibility never enters their minds for one second that they could be wrong. If it did, then they fear that they would be laying themselves open to receive the same wrathful punishment themselves - if not in this life then in the next.

Posted by: Durandal at December 26, 2005 5:13 PM

Okay, let me get this straight, (no pun intended) Indonesian Islamofeces blame women that don't obey Islamic dress codes as the caused the 04 tsunami? I thought that the U.S. not signing the Kyoto agreement was the cause. Or global warming. The Indonesian Islamofeces just found the cause of hunger in the Sudan, a lack of Islam!!! The cause of the enslavement of Sudanese Christians. The lack of Islam!!! If only those infidels would turn from their wicked ways and embrace the "religion of peace", they would never hunger, be enslaved. If only the infidels in Thailand had turned to Islam, the underground earthquake that caused the tsunami would never had happened. If Bill Clinton had turned to Islam, Monica would have been stoned to death for wearing that sinful thong under her dress. Islam would have made it possible for him to resist her wiles!!! Allah be praised!!! And sacred Islamic monkeys may fly out of my butt!!! The Indonesian religious police is the most facist thing to happen this century. Where were they during the empeachment of the 90's? This just goes to show how far a government is willing to go to spread peace. By coming down hard on a couple on the beach. Married or not, eating corn on the cob. Oh no, a girl wearing the uniform of the "great Satan", blue jeans!!! Can you imagine if this were a Christian country doing this? The United States!? ACLU up the wazoo!!! All the womens groups, the Tampax Commandoes, the NAGS, the abortion now people, PMS 13, Oprah, Dikes on Bikes, the Gay Liberation Front, the let me be be crowd, the pink flamingoes, Rev. Jesse "the Jackass" Jackson, Rev. Al "Slim Shady" Sharpton, the media, and the Hollyweird left would be up in arms. Making cries of Nazism, racism or bigotry at the ones imposing morality, by force, mind you. Calling for apologies and so forth.

Posted by: Ironman Hondo at December 27, 2005 1:27 PM

Provoslavni,

I know that in the translation of the Bible into certain languages of Muslim groups in Asia, the word "Allah" for "God" was avoided, because of its Islamic (or Arabic) cultural baggage.

Instead of Allah, a word based on Sanskrit or local roots was used.

This goes to prove what I said above, at least if not all, a percentage of people from Muslim background feel strongly that Allah is not God.

Posted by: rocky at December 27, 2005 10:28 PM

Hi Rocky,

Actually, Muhammed stole the Jewish/Christian word for God (Eloi/Eli/Illah/Allah) when he was trying to distinguish his divinity from the Arabian moon god. Jews and Christians used it first. Jesus, quoting Psalm 22 on the cross used the same Divine Name )"Eli, Eli, lamach sabacthani").

In some Islamic states such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Malaysia, it is illegal for any non-Muslim writing to use the term Allah or any form of it (illah) in their written publications. Malaysian and Pakistani law specifically require that "Allah" be used only in reference to the god of Muslims.

Because of the dhimmitude, some (not all)Protestant Bible translators opted to use what had been specifically Hindu terms for God (Dev, Brahm) instead of Allah.

This is unfortunate. In the Aramaic and Arabic versions of the most ancient Christian Liturgies, these prayers have remained unchanged: "Quduson Illah" for "Holy God" in the Trisagion, as well as Christians affirming "Insh'allah" (If God wills), Subhan Allah (Glory be to God).

The Spanish word ojalá (a strong form of "I hope, I wish") used almost exclusively by Catholics is derived from "law'sallah" a phrase also meaning "God willing."

As Christians (or Jews) we should never surrender any part of our faith or culture to the enemy but should affirm that these are ours even if they steal them.

Salla Allahu (God bless you)

Posted by: Provoslavni at December 28, 2005 3:07 AM