Pakistani protesters shout slogans to condemn Pope Benedict XVI for his remarks about Islam which hurt the sentiments of Muslims, Friday, Sept. 22, 2006 in Lahore, Pakistan. Protests continued to demand that Pope apologize fully for his remarks on Islam and violence. Placard on right reads ‘Enemy of Islam, down with the illiterate Pope.’ — the caption to this photo
Would Americans marching in Washington hold up signs in Arabic? Would French people in Paris hold up signs in Chinese? Would Chinese in Tienanmen Square hold up signs in Spanish?
Of course not. But all over the Muslim world, there have been signs, often badly spelled, but often as well carefully printed in many copies, and all too often in English.
Why?
Just as the “Palestinians” always hold up signs in English when they wish to denounce Israel or the United States, the Muslim protestors want to be on the world-wide television news programs, want to make sure that their slogans are seen by the Western — i.e., English-speaking — public.
These are not spontaneous demonstrations. They are carefully planned. They are orchestrated. They are intended not to convince the Infidels, but to scare them. They are part of the propaganda of the Jihad — the part that says “strike terror” in the hearts of all those who would dare to oppose the spread of Islam. And the Pope, and anyone at all who dares to suggest that Islam is not quite so wonderful as Muslims are taught to think it is, is daring to oppose the spread of Islam.
And to threaten him, to promise to crucify him, to call for the destruction of churches and murder of Christians in Gaza and elsewhere that Muslims rule, to scream that the Vatican will be ours, no all of Rome will be ours, no all of Italy, all of Europe, and eventually the whole Infidel world will be ours — morgen die ganze Welt — is part of the emotional terrorism that, alas, in many places, including the editorial boards of some well-known newspapers, appears to be working.
But really — for how long? How long will this continue, before a sufficient number of people in the West, or in the rest of the non-Muslim world, finally realize that whatever the differences within their own ranks, they are as nothing compared to the abyss that separates Islam from all the rest?
Gazans — would that be the same as “Palestinians”? — are also warning the Pope to become a Muslim. Buonanotte.
Meanwhile, other “Palestinians” are seeing if they can pretend to pretend to utter pretend words, whatever magic formula it takes, to turn on the spigot of Western aid. Not aid from fellow Muslims, fellow members of the umma al-Islamiyya. Not aid from Saudi Arabia, which takes in a half-billion dollars every day from the sale of oil that happens to have been found by American geologists deep under the sands of what is now called “Saudi” Arabia. Not aid from Kuwait, or Qatar, or the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates, or the U.A.E., all of which receive all kinds of oil money and could so easily provide what they take in in a single hour of lassitude, waiting for the checks to come in.
No, we are all to behave as if, for some unstated and quite inexplicable reason, and despite all these demonstrations of murderous rage against the Pope, it is we the Infidels who must “stop the embargo.” What an odd word that is to use in this context; one “embargoes” goods, but it is more than passing strange to speak of an “embargo” on aid which the Muslim recipients have never done a thing to deserve — aid which comes from those whom the recipients would, if they had half a chance, subjugate to Islam. Yet the Bush Administration and previous American administrations, as well as the Europeans who even more unseemly in their desire to get back to supplying that Jizyah, are happy to keep paying it as long as some verbal flimflam or fig-leaf or formula can be found to hide the obscene reality of Muslim refusal to accept Israel, no matter what the sly Abbas — really so unslily, so transparently — manages to come up with.
Even if every single “Palestinian” swears up and down that he and she forever forswears violence, forever accepts the State of Israel, it is nonsense. It is nonsense because of what is written in the Qur’an. It is nonsense because of what is written in the Hadith. It is nonsense because of the figure of that Perfect Man, Muhammad, uswa hasana, al-insan al-kamil, the man who said that “war is deception,” and in that model for all treaties between Muslims and Infidels, the Treaty of Al-Hudaibiyyah, practiced — way back in 628 A.D. — what he preached. As long as these things remain, some Muslims, if not most, will believe them, and act accordingly.
If Western governments can do nothing else this year, at least they can stop the Jizyah. Any candidate who makes “Stop the Jizyah” part of his program will soar to the top of the political charts. Just try it — someone, anyone. Writers are standing by, right here, to help craft the speeches.
With their threatening placards and waving fists and cries of “Allahu akbar,” they are trying to scare us already into doing their bidding. Why should we pay for their placards?