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I used to frequent a wonderful Afghan restaurant outside Washington. Before 9/11 there was a poster on the walls of an astronaut standing on the moon. Next to him was standing a group of smiling, bearded Muslim men, not wearing moon suits or helmets. The caption was "Houston, we have a problem." The poster disappeared when the Towers went down, but the tendency it embodied remains: a tendency to construct a fantasy world where reality has been disappointing. Khatami's remarks are a prime example of such fantasizing. A broken-English piece from the Iranian Qur'an News Agency, with thanks to Skeetstreet:
Tehran - President Khatami in Inauguration ceremony of Tehran Int. book fair said: long before western Intellectuals emphasize the significant role of intellect in human civilization and progress, Islam 1000 years ago has defined Intellect as an indispensable criteria for progress....
1,000 years ago. As Hugh would say, What have you done for me lately? I.e., if Islam is really responsible for all this intellectual advance, why is the Islamic world in the state it's in? What's that? White imperialists, racists, and Islamophobes? Oh. Got it.
The president pointed out that whenever the intellect has ruled, Islamic culture has faced considerable burgeoning. Islam that has always emphasized the rule of wisdom at least 1000 years before Francis Bacon elaborated on his ideas, in the holy Quran had introduced intellect as cornerstone for progress. President added in the past with the advent of petrifaction the stunning magnificence of Islamic civilization began to retrograde. He also stressed that both Islamic and Western civilization have gone astray in dealing with the concept of freedom and those who confine liberties continue in this trend the collapse of the society will be inevitable. Putting a high price for wisdom always bears its fruit and intellectualism and freedom are undisputed values in Islam and at the same time confining freedom is vehemently condemned in Islam. He also said our problem is ignoring wisdom. President also pointed out that the only way to get rid of the plague of war and insecurity is putting a high value on wisdom. Freedom has also its limits and violating those limits confines liberty.
"President added in the past with the advent of petrifaction the stunning magnificence of Islamic civilization began to retrograde." You got to give this guy points as a prose stylist.
Posted by Robert at May 5, 2005 6:22 AM
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If this is true, how can Islam's 60% illiteracy rate be explained. Or is this the fault of the Jews and Christians as well?
Posted by: DCWatson![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/nav-commenters.gif)
at May 5, 2005 7:45 AM
This modern Sufi leader wrote a whole treatise against various elements of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that are at variance with Islamic law: an “Islamic perspective” on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights [3]. According to Professor Eliz Sanasarian of the University of Southern California, who has analyzed the plight of religious minorities in the Islamic Republic, Tabandeh’s tract became “the core ideological work upon which the Iranian government…based its non-Muslim policy.” [4] His views on non-Muslims, says Sanasarian, were implemented “almost verbatim in the Islamic Republic of Iran.” [5]
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/004940.php
Posted by: hutchrun at May 5, 2005 7:52 AM
long before western Intellectuals emphasize the significant role of intellect in human civilization and progress, Islam 1000 years ago has defined Intellect as an indispensable criteria for progress...What a dolt. These people are more deluded than we could have imagined. The origin of the institution of the university itself is directly traced to Plato's Akademeia in Athens in 325 B.C. and nearly 900 years before Muhammed began halucinating in the desert the Greek mathematician Eratosthenes was refining his calculations of the circumference of the earth.
I know a man who walked on the moon. He assures me that he found no evidence of the Arab moon god Lah when he was there collecting rocks for American scientists.
at May 5, 2005 10:56 AM
Interestingly, although "Islam that has always emphasized the rule of wisdom at least 1000 years before Francis Bacon elaborated on his ideas", the only scholar mentioned by this pedantic press report is...Francis Bacon.
I will make the shatteringly bold leap from Sir Francis' last name that he was, in fact, not a Muslim.
Geoff
Posted by: Geoff at May 5, 2005 12:55 PM
DC... don't you know that EVERYTHING bad about Islam is to be blamed on the Jews? EVERY time a Mulims does ANY bad thing to ANYone ANYwhere, it's the fault of the JOOOOZ!
***********************************************
All of their so-called adcvancements in science were a direct result of having invaded Persia and the Hindu/Buddhist kingdoms of India and bringing all the of gold and scientists (and an infinite supply of slaves) back to Baghdad. Like the "Arabic" numerals that are actually Sanskrit, the "algorithm" and "algebra, " and the number zero. It was all stolen from India.
Posted by: kj at May 5, 2005 1:01 PM
DC... don't you know that EVERYTHING bad about Islam is to be blamed on the Jews? EVERY time a Mulims does ANY bad thing to ANYone ANYwhere, it's the fault of the JOOOOZ!
***********************************************
All of their so-called adcvancements in science were a direct result of having invaded Persia and the Hindu/Buddhist kingdoms of India and bringing all the of gold and scientists (and an infinite supply of slaves) back to Baghdad. Like the "Arabic" numerals that are actually Sanskrit, the "algorithm" and "algebra, " and the number zero. It was all stolen from India.
Posted by: kj at May 5, 2005 1:01 PM
Hog wash. Ten trillion petro-dollars passed to Muslim countries and they still are in ignorance. Who's fault is that? Hmmmmmmm.
Posted by: epg at May 5, 2005 3:03 PM
"Wisdom"?
Not intelligence. Or facts. Or the best scientific theorems.
No. "Wisdom".
Which can mean anything any idiot wants it to mean.
It was once wisdom to think that the brain was just an organ to cool the blood. (Aristotle.)
Or that rotting meat spontaneously generated insect larvae. (Medieval scholars.)
Or that "dipping a fly into your drink purified it, because one wing has the poison, but the other wing has the cure". (Mohammad.)
"Wisdom" sounds wonderful in the abstract, but I'll take a mundane fact any day.
The "wise" in our past have crucified pigs to cast blame on them for spreading the plague. Killed cats as the demonic "familiars" of "witches". And thought that there were crystalline spheres enclosing the Earth, like transparent Russian nesting dolls.
But thanks for the chuckle.
Just seeing the words "Iranian Book Fair" made me ROTFL!
What titles there must be on the tables at the fair? I can just see:
"Etiquette of Beheading- Whetstone or Strop?"
"How to Beat Four Wives for the Price of One"
"Silence is Golden- or We'll pump you full of Lead"
"How to Betray Your Neighbor as a Heretic -for Fun and Profit"
"Popular Wedding Gown Patterns -Scaled Down for 9 Year Olds"
If they could only invent the self-immolating book, they'd be really wise guys.
Posted by: BigSleep at May 5, 2005 10:09 PM
Islamic Appropriation Syndrome strikes again.
And there is more...
"Freedom has also its limits and violating those limits confines liberty".
Say what?
at May 5, 2005 11:50 PM
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