The Muslim Mind
This is encouraging. It’s good to see Muslim voices speaking sensibly. I’m pretty sure Youssef Ibrahim and I wouldn’t agree on much, but I like his editorial in the Middle East Times, by way of Junkyard Blog:
The world of Islam is on fire. Indeed, the Muslim mind is on fire. Above all, the West is now ready to take both of them on. The latest reliable report confirms that on average 33 Iraqis die every day, executed by Iraqis and foreign jihadis and suicide bombers, not by US or British soldiers. In fact, fewer than ever US or British soldiers are dying since the invasion more than two years ago. Instead, we now watch on television hundreds of innocent Iraqis lying without limbs, bleeding in the streets dead or wounded for life. If this is jihad someone got his religious education completely upside down.
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Indeed, jihadis have been killing for a decade in the name of Islam. They killed innocent tourists and natives in Morocco and Egypt, in Africa, in Indonesia and in Yemen, all done in the name of Islam by Muslims who say that they are better than all other Muslims. They killed in India, in Thailand and are now talking of killing in Germany and Denmark and so on. There were attacks with bombs that killed scores inside Shia and Sunni mosques, inside churches and inside synagogues in Turkey and Tunisia, with Muslim preachers saying that it is okay to kill Jews and Christians - the so called infidels.
Do the cowardly jihadis who recruit suicide bombers really think that they will force the US Army and British troops out of Iraq by killing hundreds of innocent Iraqis? US troops now have bases and operate in Iraq but also from Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Oman. The only accomplishment of jihadis is that now they have aroused the great “Western Tiger”. There was a time when the United States and Europe welcomed Arab and Muslim immigrants, visitors and students, with open arms. London even allowed all dissidents escaping their countries to preach against those countries under the guise of political refugees. Well, that is all over now. Time has become for the big Western vengeance.
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In this new cold and hot war, car bombs and suicide bombers here and there will be no match for the arsenal that those Westerners are putting together - an arsenal of laws, intelligence pooling, surveillance by satellites, armies of special forces and indeed, allies inside the Arab world who are tired of having their lives disrupted by demented so-called jihadis or those bearded preachers who, under the guise of preaching, do little to teach and much to ignite the fire, those who know little about Islam and nothing about humanity.
But, in contrast to that encouraging note, there is also this reminder of the mindset we are up against from the Khaaleej Times via The Corner:
ISLAMABAD - A candidate in Pakistan’s Northwestern Frontier Province gave away his 11-year-old daughter to his opponent in exchange for latter’s withdrawal from next week’s local elections, a news report said on Sunday.
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In Pakistan’s semi-autonomous tribal regions and rural Punjab province, girls are also given away in marriage in the settlement of disputes though the custom called Swara or vani, already been declared illegal by a higher court.
Human rights groups and religious scholars also oppose the practice, describing it as un-Islamic.
Meanwhile, tribal elders and politicians have barred women from contesting the elections in some conservative districts of NWFP.
Naturally “most Muslims” aren’t the problem. But, those who are constitute a significant and influential minority. Ultimately, it is up to the Islamic world to pursue its own reformation. Unless and until it does, we will have to defend ourselves in a clash of civilizations for foreseeable future.
related articles
- D’Souza Smackdown (August 29th, 2007)
- C-CPAN Must-see TV (July 6th, 2007)
- Livingstone v. Blair (July 1st, 2007)
- Five Years Later: Americans Trapped in Saudi Arabia (June 27th, 2007)
- Constantly Directing? (June 23rd, 2007)
