THIS HAS BEEN MY MOST DIFFICULT WRITTEN TASK TO DATE. I IMPLORE YOU TO READ IT. COMMENTS MAY BE FOUND BY CLICKING ON THE LINK BELOW THE ENTRY, AND THEN SCROLLING DOWN TO THE END OF THE POST.
I visited Blackfive's blog some days ago from a medical blog I really enjoy. The latter had strongly recommended an 'excellent' post by Blackfive, the content and consequences of which have cost me my sleep.
The entry was an account of a conversation Matt of Blackfive had with an educated but bitter and disillusioned Pakistani by the name of Masood. Masood was under the impression that the attacks of 9/11 were a Jewish conspiracy, and that the Muslim world was a puppet in the hands of the Semitic faith that controlled all.
The post inspired 65 comments, over 60 of which were hell-bent on Paki-bashing, deriding the Islamic faith, or displaying profound depth to their ignorance. Excerpts from the post and comments are shown below. My thoughts follow each box, and my comprehensive reply is displayed in red on the right. It also appears in Degrees of Divinity, Animated Stardust, and Intellectual Properties, among others.
The comments shown below by no means represent the 'worst' which were on display. I urge you to read the original article and the comments that followed.
AARON:
"It is a perfect display of how the Muslims are really a bunch of anti-semitic bastards who are in denial that they were the ones killed thousands of innocents on 9/11. Shouldn't they all just go to hell and die?" |
I will not dignify the above comment with a response. BLACKFIVE:
"How the hell can a guy be so well-educated and smart and successful in America and be so close-minded at the same time?" |
I often wonder. BLACKFIVE:
"How the hell can we ever convince people like Masood that "the Jews" aren't the problem - that his blindness is the problem? And if we can't convince the likes of him, how can we reach countless millions that don't have Masood's liberal education, facility with English, or access to our mediums?" |
How the hell can we ever convince people like Masood Blackfive that "the Jews" "Islam" is not the problem - that his blindness is the problem? And if we can't convince the likes of him, how can we reach countless millions that don't have Masood's Blackfive's liberal education, facility with English, or access to our mediums? BLACKFIVE:
"Simple answer: I don't think we can penetrate that kind of cultural and religious brainwashing." |
I know how you feel. I'm banging my head against a brick wall right now. BLACKFIVE:
"It really is us against them. Us and the Israelis and a few others against 1.6 billion zealots." |
Masood seems to think so too. Yet that bothers you. ROSS:
"...the Muslim culture hasn't contributed very much art, culture, or science in a few hundred years." |
Barring cuisine, music, literature, architecture, and the odd Nobel Prize. Geez, what a moron. PATRIOT:
"Islam is a virus, a virulent and incurable disease that causes planet-wide failure among its victims." |
What does such a comment accomplish other than to encourage a homicidal maniac? 11AS:
(Referring to Moslems) "I don't feel hate toward people like this. I do fear that we can never integrate them into a civil society. They will never be citizens. It's like having a coyote on your property. You can ignore it for a long time, but if it starts gnawing on the pets or livestock, you have to take action." |
Where would I begin to convince Masood that the world is not against him? That the international plundering code-named the "War on Terror" is not a War Against Islam? JOSHUA:
"Let me just boil it down to this for you: Just because the Moslems are paranoid doesn't mean nobody's out to get them." |
Yes, Joshua, I'm beginning to see. RON:
Have a friend from palistine that lost her family home to the jews when she went on vacation. Upon her return she was changed to a homeless person.
Yep she does not like jews. |
ANGUA:
Dear ron,
Have a friend who was raped by a man once. Yup, she hates all men. Including YOU, ron. You sure deserve all that hatred, ron. Even though you were likely not even on the planet when it happened. Certainly if she chooses to kill you, ron, it will be perfectly understandable, since the rape was your fault, ron.
In other words, can you really not see that it may be wrong to lump all people of a certain ethnic group together to get blamed for something one of them did? |
So, Angua, will you wage war on her too. She does dislike you, after all. JOSHUA:
Yeah Ron. Don't lump all people of a certain ethnic group together to get blamed for something a few of them did. Unless they're, like, Arabs. In which case lump away. |
The torrent of abuse that Joshua withstood for daring to defend a faith was incredible. DOC RUSSIA:
"If Islam is immune to pressure to moderate, than it must be destroyed..." |
i.e. Be reasonable. Do it my way. Or die. | ME: It's hard to know where to begin. But after reading the post and the comments above, I have to say that hatred is not unknown to those lamenting the views of some Moslems. I am a proud Moslem of Pakistani, Arab, and British heritage. I have lived in Britain, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan, and am presently a medical student at Oxford University. Much of my extended family is American, and I have had the pleasure of visiting them in the U.S. on many occasions. You have a beautiful country - it has much to be proud of. Following the shameful calamity that was 9/11, the hatred my (very American) cousins have had to withstand is abominable, and I have to say, I am stunned and saddened by the views of Moslems, Christians, and Jews alike the world over. My notions are far from idealistic, but I don't believe in Bush's terroristic strategy of going to war against anyone who doesn't like him. I don't think many do. My closest life-long friends are of all colours and religions: Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, (Welsh ;)). Sometimes we don't agree on everything, but that doesn't prevent us from having an open discussion. And it certainly doesn't fill us with the need to go to war against each other. But there are a few concepts which shouldn't be difficult to understand in an educated mind: - about seven Palestinians die a violent death as a result of one Israeli death
- or, one Israeli dies as a result of seven Palestinian deaths
- this is unacceptable
- there were no weapons of mass destruction
- no Iraqi has ever been implicated in an international act of terrorism
- there will always be differences of opinion; it is up to those with the power to reach out to the masses (like bloggers) to encourage peaceful dialogue and reduce the spread of false terror.
The ignorance of many in developing countries is at times shocking, but I am more concerned about the ignorance amongst those in the 'first world'. I'm not going to preach religion here, I doubt it would penetrate the minds of many, but I will state the four sources of Islamic law as a guide: - The Quran
- The doings and sayings of the Prophet (pbuh)
- The consensus of opinion
- A person's own conscience.
Notice the absence of 'ignorant so-called Imam'. I am a Moslem because I understand Islam. There are many Moslems that understand only the view of the only person in the village who can read the Quran, and he uses his literacy as a political tool. But they are starving, unsheltered, oppressed, illiterate, and very angry. And somewhere in an ever shrinking world there is a huge country with beautiful tall buildings and people with plenty to eat, all of whom can read and write, who look nice and have good clothes to wear. And, many of them hate you. I take offence at the descriptions I read of Pakistani culture. Military dictatorship is not an ideal, but in a land riddled with corruption, for now it is the only way forward. Over 55% of Pakistan's short 56-year life has been dominated by military rule. Alas, it is only under military rule that we have ever seen economic progress. My great-grandfather (an Indian) attended the University of Glasgow. My grandmother was Pakistan's first female lawyer. My grandfather topped the University of Sheffield. My mother is a doctor, my aunts are highly educated professionals who have travelled the world. They are what I am reminded of when I hear the word Pakistan. Many immediate family members are Generals in Pakistan's well trained army. Some have spent time as Prisoner's of War in the horrendous conditions prevailing in Indian jails, following the succession of Bangladesh. They know what war and cruelty is. Alcohol is available in Pakistan to any non-Muslim (the availability of alcohol always seems to be a sore point among those discussing the freedom within a land), tourists resorts are stunningly aesthetic, people are overwhelmingly friendly and hospitable. A tiny country, but Pakistan is home to almost all landforms - beautiful forests, mountains, deserts, and plains. If you haven't been there, you really can't comment. My parents worked as British doctors (haematologist and general practitioner) for the Ministry of Defence in Saudi Arabia on a large military cantonment during both Gulf Wars. All parts of the world that I am from seem to be in constant unrest. America tasted war for a day and is still in shock. People hate the offenders, and they know they have a right to. Then why do you blame Iraqis for hating the power behind the sanctions that have crippled their children? Is the CIA not intelligent enough to remove Saddam without waging bloody war? I have an immense respect for the military profession. The only reason I will not be joining military service myself is that I do not believe in British (=American) foreign policy. It makes me sick. May your family live a long, prosperous, and peaceful life. No true Moslem would wish peace-loving people anything but. I am sorry to hear that you are against me. I hope you have the wisdom to overcome this hatred. God bless you, and yes, Allah be praised!
Happy Ramadan, Mahim In reply: BLACKFIVE: Hi Mahim. Thanks for visiting.
No matter how bad someone has is it in another part of the world, it doesn't give them the right to fly an airplane into a building and kill thousands of people. Those that celebrate it, well, let's just say I won't ever forget the celebrations in certain places.
I have been to Peshawahr and Islamabad. About 20 years ago. It has nothing to do with my story. You are obviously well educated. Do you blame the Jews for everything? Well, do you?
Do you believe that the Mossad was behind 9/11? Well, do you?
I wasn't going to post this story about Masood until the Malaysian Prime Minister spoke his idiotic words. I think it's time that people understood that the hatred for Christians and Jews is very, very deep and is not penetrable in a lot of cases.
And using foreign policy as an excuse to not serve in the military doesn't really make me very sympathetic to you. Obviously, you don't feel like you are British, do you?
Why don't you move to France? They sound like they might be more your style.
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Just because the hatred you feel is your own, it isn't more justified than anyone else's.
"There is no compulsion in religion, for the right way is clearly distinct from the wrong way. Whoever therefore rejects the forces of evil and believes in God, he has taken hold of a support most unfailing, which shall never give way, for God is All Hearing and Knowing."
-Quran 2:256
Through the din of angry voices, only one conclusion is audible: there is little to separate us. We each take a stance, attach it to a different cause, and then believe it presents us with the right to destroy one another. But donning a military jacket does not give us a moralistic license to kill; rather it binds us with a duty to protect. Loving our home does not mean defacing our neighbour's - it's like placing a beautiful photograph in an ugly frame. Raising our children is not contingent upon destroying someone else's future. Believing in the tennets of your religion does not belittle the faith of another. Moreover, not having a religion does not make it a non-sequator.
"Children of Israel, remember the favors which I have bestowed upon you. Remember that I have exalted you above all nations. Be on your guard against the day when every soul will stand alone. At that time no one will be able to intercede for the individual soul; no compensation will be accepted for past sins. Every soul will face me without help."
-Qur'an, Al-Baqara, Surah 2:47-48
There is no difference between the Suicide Bomber, the Israeli tank, and the American political agenda. They are all puppets of Western media, selfish political motives, and frustrated goons that understand nothing about true Islam.
BLACKFIVE:
"No matter how bad someone has is it in another part of the world, it doesn't give them the right to fly an airplane into a building and kill thousands of people."
You're absolutely right, Matt. But no matter how bad America had it for a morning, it doesn't give them the right to fly an airplane into a foreign land and kill tens of thousands of people.
BLACKFIVE:
"Those that celebrate it, well, let's just say I won't ever forget the celebrations in certain places."
They too will taste death one day, and be held accountable for their crimes. But can we, being more advantageous and, I hope, less ignorant, stop to examine why they celebrate? Can we leave room for the possibility that the only logical conclusion is not that they are all sick bastards, rather they are incredibly pissed off? Do you think the foreign policy of the world's only superpower has done them justice?
BLACKFIVE:
"Do you blame the Jews for everything? Well, do you?
No. But I do feel that the Israelis extending the boundaries of disputed land and ousting Palestinians from their homes are committing crimes against humanity.
We believe in Allah, and the revelation given to us, and to Abraham, Isma'il, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) prophets from their Lord: We make no difference between one and another of them...
-Quran 2:136
BLACKFIVE:
"Do you believe that the Mossad was behind 9/11? Well, do you?"
No.
BLACKFIVE:
"I think it's time that people understood that the hatred for Christians and Jews is very, very deep and is not penetrable in a lot of cases."
I think it's time that people understood that the hatred for Moslems is very, very deep and is not penetrable in a lot of cases. Again, that same brick wall.
BLACKFIVE:
"Obviously, you don't feel like you are British, do you?"
I'm damn proud of my marroon passport. I also cherish the green ones.
So. What would I do. I think I'm clever, right?
This is where I get radical:
- The freedom of religion is a salient feature in Islam. There are also laws of warfare, which strenuously forbid the harming of women, children, and the elderly. Murder is a form of Shirk, the greatest sin in Islam for which there is no redemption. Suicide bombing is WRONG. Terrorism is WRONG. Oppression is WRONG. So,
- beat them at their own game
- declare radicals to be non-Moslems
- and give all the reasons why they truly are NON-MOSLEMS
What we are fighting is not 'Islamic fanaticism', irrespective of what the terrorists call themselves. If I were chewing on a rare steak, and looked you in the eye and swore I was a vegan, would you believe me? You belittle anything and everything a fanatic does, except his declaration of Islam. Why?
"O People of the Book! Commit no excesses in your religion: Nor say of Allah aught but the truth."
-Quran 4:171
- Jews have a right to their own homeland. Moslems have to get used to the idea, just as the Moslems of the sub-continent needed Pakistan. It is only right that Jewish people have control over their Holy Sites in Jerusalem, just as Moslems and Christians should remain in charge of their respective areas. Moslems, start warming up to the idea. You will have to co-exist if you are to survive.
- Palestinians must be recognised as citizens of their own state. Only when the nation of Palestine resides in the country of Palestine will they be able to defend themselves with means other than acts of terrorism. Israeli settlers need to re-settle themselves behind the 1967 boundaries.
- The 'I was here first' argument is wearing thin. The conflict between Jews and Arabs has existed long before the revelations of Islam. It is a land war, not a religious war, and battles have occured since the second family moved in.
- Integrate the schools. I'm not stupid, I know the dangers. Make it compulsary for a Jewish child to sit next to a Muslim child in every school in the region. A suicide bomber will think twice before boarding a bus half filled with Palestinian children. It worked wonders in the States for targetting animosity between black and white children. It will help in Tel Aviv too.
- Lose the trigger in Trigger Happy. You'll be left with the equivalent of joy.
DOC RUSSIA:
This leads me to the conclusion that the "extremists" are not the extreme, but the norm, and that the "moderates" are just extremists tempering their overt attitude in order to mask the true face of Islam.
In conclusion, I appeal to the moderate muslims to get off the damned bench, and take back your religion! Your hour for action is passing, and if you fail, then the only outcome is a worldwide conflict where resolution will only be attained through the destruction of Islam forever, or a new, dark age.
I'm right here Doc. Right here. You say the most attrocious things about my Faith, yet I'm still smiling at you. I don't know how to be any more moderate.
Mahim
"So tear down the mosques, destroy the temples, demolish anything destructable. But don't ever break anyone's heart, for the heart is where the Lord resides."
- Punjabi folk song
(Another non-contribution to culture).
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