The Ease of Islam as a villain
Much has been made of the threats of extreme/radical Muslims and what they stand for.
The recent atrocities go back for nigh on 20 years and are strong in our memories. There is a sense of violation which has been brought upon the west from these people dressed in black who speak in gruff, guttural tones and seem to want to destroy our society and way of life. We are infidels! They often appear fearless and death is but a transition into the promises of Allah.
I was in my teens during the late 70s/early 80s. I remember well the ghastly spectre of bits of men and horses strewn across Hyde Park when the IRA bombed the Queen’s Household Cavalry, killing 11 soldiers and 7 horses. That was July 1982.
When the twin towers were struck that dreadful day, 9/11, I can see myself watching the TV in my London office. My business partner and I sat there, agape, horrified as bodies rained onto the pavements, firemen rushed up stair wells to certain death; then in horrific fashion each tower succumbed and fell.
There was one aspect of 9/11 which was a blessing for all in Britain. Funding for IRA terror stopped dead in its tracks. Once the people of New York, Boston and Chicago witnessed first hand what terrorism was all about, they had a re-think. The IRA, as a combat force, was deprived of funds and the talks began.
Earlier in this piece I said we have had nigh on 20 years of terrorism meted out since 9/11. With all due respect, the Middle East has suffered from such acts of barbaric depravity for centuries. Yes, much of this is self-inflicted. However, what right has any nation or coalition to carry out the actions such as the west has inflicted upon all these nations over many decades and many different periods of time?
Presidents and Prime Ministers have sent thousands and thousands of soldiers into various parts of the Middle East to inflict a damned ‘good hiding’ upon millions of people. The justification ranges from Human Rights abuses to the use of illegal weapons.
Recent History.
Irrespective of any conspiracy theories, having finished his reading to class on 9/11, GWB made it clear that the war was on and the Middle East was going to get a slap. Osama Bin Laden in particular was at the centre of the ‘axis of evil’. The Gulf Wars, Afghanistan, Al Qaeda and The Taliban; these were every day conversations and the vitriol was tangible.
The Coalition of the Willing did not target any particular cause. It was a war against Islam and the perceived impending threat. The approach was designed to bring Islam to its knees.
Two Gulf Wars, on-going Afghanistan military operations, funding and arming of terrorists in Syria and countless covert operations across the region have not brought Islam to its knees. They have understandably built hatred to the extent that Donald Trump described Iraq as the Harvard of Terrorism. The modern radicalised Muslim phenomenon stems from their homes being indiscriminately invaded and their families murdered. How would you feel, were the shoe on the other foot?
Present Day.
Radicalised Muslims have set up in many countries and have decided not just to get their own back but to have an agenda of defeating the "infidel". We should not be surprised. They would view their presence as valid as The Resistance in France under German occupation in WW2.
We may not agree with beheadings or such but we have NO right to tell other nations and cultures to change their laws and cultural traditions because we do not like them. I am continually outraged by the mass murders in the US and I am fully entitled to my opinion about gun laws but I am not entitled to assert that the law and culture of the USA will change because I determine it so. This would be abject hypocrisy.
What is the “caliphate”?
The Prophet Mohammad had his ‘religious experience’ in 610 AD and pronounced Islam as the final and only true creed which should be adopted by all people in all nations. When Mohammad died his father in law took up the mantle as head of Islam and was given the title ‘Caliph’ which means successor. The title is no longer used, though some have tried. The Caliphate is the territories which fall under Islamic Rule. The Caliphate was at its peak in 1285.
In the 20th century the re-establishment of the caliphate, although occasionally invoked by Islamists as a symbol of global Islamic unity, was of no practical interest for mainstream Islamist groups. It did, however, figure prominently in the rhetoric of violent extremist groups such as al-Qaeda. In June 2014 an insurgent group known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL; also known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria [ISIS] and the Islamic State [IS]), which had taken control of areas of eastern Syria and western Iraq, declared the establishment of a caliphate with the group’s leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as 'caliph'. Outside extremist circles, the group’s claim is widely rejected.
Intransigence of Islam
Paris was at the centre of the Radical Muslim scene recently. Two Mosques were involved at the core and when these were searched, 2,000 weapons were found along with ammunition. This is a serious operation!
When I discussed this with a Muslim, I suggested that it was clearly not a Mosque of Allah and it should be destroyed as an Islamic gesture to the world against those who use the name of Allah to perpetrate terrorist acts.
I was stunned at the violent reaction I received. I am not allowed to suggest such a blasphemous concept. I had crossed a line. In some respects, I agree with his reaction in that Islam's failings should be rectified by the people of Islam.
Shariah Law
A term which one hears in relation to Islamic authority is ‘Grand Mufti’, which is the title given to the highest authority on Islamic Law in a country.
To many Muslims, Islam is not a religion but a way of living. Many countries are governed under Islamic Law, rather than secular constructs. Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Mauritiana are all Islamic States.
Shariah Law is a tautology as is Sahara Desert, Sahara meaning ‘desert’ and Sharia meaning ‘law’. Sharia is the Islamic legal system as interpreted by a ‘Mufti’. The concept that Islamic Law be imposed upon a country such as the UK is a scare tactic which should not be entertained.
Islam is a very disciplined religion which seems to have very harsh penalties, for example the death penalty is the punishment for apostasy (when one leaves the faith and turns against it) terrorism, piracy, rape, adultery, homosexual activity.
It is worthwhile recognising that out of the 195 member states of the UN, 53 still have an enforceable death penalty.
Religious Constructs
If Christianity is the Religion of Love, then Islam is the Religion of Peace. It is of interest that both religions are viewed as the opposite of their respective tags.
The Christian Faith here, for ease of purpose, includes all versions, Catholics, Protestants, Lutherans, Baptists and so forth. Islam, equally, includes all their variations, Sunnis, Shi’ites, Sufis, Baha'is and so forth.
The distinction between the two is in structure. There is no Papacy in Islam; there is no Archbishop. The leaders, or Imams are local and have free rein of interpretation of the Qur’an, the Holy Book. They are, to any practical measure, indisputable and are seen as unquestionable.
Authority of Islam
When dreadful things happen like 9/11 or Paris attacks or London bombings or Nice attacks or Tunisian attacks or Boston attacks … what is the Muslim response?
To many of us, the response is deafening in its silence. Muslims, under social constructs, cannot be critical of Muslims, especially when they are in the name of Allah.
To put this into technical language, this is bollocks! There are a myriad of voices out there which do speak up and do state that such actions are nothing to do with Islam. The problem is that, within the hierarchy of Islam, where are they? They carry no authority. The corporatised press ignores them and so we are left to assume that Islam does not condemn.
Western leaders are fully aware of this and so, given the frail voices of condemnation, can and do load an immense amount of blame at the feet of Islam.
I hope that it dawns upon western leaders that it is they who have brought about this situation. Hiding behind the veil of Christianity is no adult way to deal with Financially driven Agendas. Funding and arming terrorists whilst publicly vilifying the very same people is hypocrisy on a grand scale.
The allegations of war crimes should be answered. Get out of jail free cards should be scrapped.
Meantime follow @ebryans
Namaste!
Amazing post @ebryans that first image was so saddening how horrid. I to remember seeing what happened with the twin towers at first it seems so unreal that it just couldn't be. Horrors of the world, post upped.
Thank you @simonjay, I remember it very well, Hyde Park, it was dreadful. There is not a pleasant side of terrorism, war, killing, any of it! When people are subjected to it from any angle, innocently, it is just horrific. The drivers behind terrorism are often those who hijack a situation. Both sides here have done exactly that.
Very interesting and insightful post. Some historical facts might sway perception, while much here should provoke thought and self-evaluation.
One difficulty in looking at the history is the means by which Islam spread. The entire Mediterranean region had been Christianized by the time Islam was born. I say "Christianized" because the Roman Empire took on the trappings of the Christian religion, but also adulterated the true teachings. But much good was accomplished as a result too.
A few centuries later, the Muslim hoard began systematically destroying Christianity throughout the region, reaching into europe. This was not a peaceful proselytizing. It was full-on conquest and assertion of Muslim dominance.
It is also inaccurate to include protestants with Catholics. What were they "protesting"? The Reformation is actually misnamed. It should be the Departure or the Shunning, for it never really became a reformation. Luther's 95 Theses became the dividing point between biblical Christian doctrine and Catholic dogma. Protestants consider the pope to be a type of antichrist.
Part of the reason this breaks down is because the Roman Catholic Church is a political entity, to its very core. It was formed from political pursuits since the first Pope, Gregory, assumed the name in 695. And the papacy has been battled over through political means, murders, intrigue, etc., like any other throne throughout the centuries since.
Having said that, I do think you are correct in your assessment that the US (though not alone) has made this mess. If not, then US policy and war mongering has certainly exacerbated it. This is not based on any trappings of Christianity though, but rather an abused presentation of virtue that is actually founded and funded by corporate interests. As you said:
And this gets to the heart of the matter.
Many thanks for your comments @anotherjoe, you are obviously a keen historian!
This post was a lot longer and included a lot of the history but I chopped it down - few people like to read too much! I explained a lot about the spread of Islam through N Africa to Spain which they dominated from 711 till 1492. Crete and Sicily were Muslim. The retreat came through the European push-back and coincide with the death of Islamic scholarship due to Al-Ghazali's book "The Incoherence of the Philosophers" in which he claimed that universal natural laws put a form of restriction on the omnipotence of Allah and so were contrary to Islam. The final 'cleansing' as it was termed was through the Spanish Inquisition - convert or die!
Re. Protestants, they are Christians, as are Catholics. The Borgias were the driving force behind the Papacy. They developed religion into the control mechanism. They were aided and abetted by some of the inventors of currencies who became phenomenally wealthy! The early Fed, if you like but in Italy.
Thank you again - maybe I should have posted the longer version!!
The Crusades always stir up emotion - my point here was that the vilification of Islam has some flaws which should be understood.
Islam has some flaws too which should be understood.
Thanks @ebryans,
There are some flaws in your understanding of Christianity. That's my playground. Many would call Catholicism a Christian religion, but it doesn't stand biblical scrutiny. It is another religion altogether, with the trappings of Christianity. Having said that, it is clearly true that some Catholics are indeed Christians. We can discuss it anytime, but I won't hammer it further here other than to point out that Protestants often found themselves targeted by the inquisitions and there were probably more Christians killed by the Catholic church than any other single group.
Yes, the Crusades are highly misunderstood. And the vilification of Islam is very difficult. It is both deserved and not deserved, depending on time, context, etc. Interestingly, the USA's founding fathers had a lot to say about Islam, none of it favorable.
Your article probably deserves a series to do it justice. :)
I appreciate what you are saying very much and we could have a very fine discussion, semantics aside! Where I believe Catholicism has stumbled is in its overt imposition of non-Biblical 'truths' and its reality as a custom or ritual rather than a faith.
The founding Fathers were a very far-seeing group, as you said, and their envoys to the Middle East were met with a hostile reception. Christopher Hitchens's writings about Jefferson et al are amazing. I am sure that you are familiar with his work. He would be fascinating to hear about the current scenario, especially as he was a supporter of the first invasion of Iraq.
Thank you again. Maybe you should take up the challenge which I started by interplaying two posts: Interplay between two posts
Actually, I'm not familiar with Hitchens. You described the RCC well. Though, for a theologian and/or biblical scholar, semantics are pivotal. :) And, yeah, both invasions on Iraq were corporate invasions. It's a detestable time in US history.
Thanks ebryans!
I studied exegesis and hermeneutics for a while and so I have a grasp but for the sake of convenience in the post, to differentiate between sects of Christians and Muslims was not going to further the cause of my point.
Hitchens died a few years ago now - he was a Brit but spent most of his life in the US. He was a Contributing Editor for Vanity Fair, The Nation and was an ever-present commentator on TV shows. He wrote books such as The Trial of Henry Kissinger and The Clintons and exposed Mother Theresa for what she was. The Youtube documentary about the Albanian misanthrope is fascinating.
Good stuff @ebryans. Thanks for using the tag. :)
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