Clear and Present Danger.
It's a tidy movie from the 90s.
Harrison Ford took over as Jack Ryan from Alec Baldwin, who somehow decided he was too good for a franchise.
(Funny that.)
Willem Dafoe plays a black ops CIA commander who, buried in the Colombian jungle, calls in an airstrike on a summit of Narco leaders. The three major drug lords of South America, all in one place.
Dafoe orders one of his men to tag a truck with a laser signature, makes a call to an aircraft carrier in the Atlantic which launches a lone F-18, which as it flies sub radar, releases a single piece of stealth ordinance, and......The US of A blows the drug dealers to kingdom come.
A neo con's dream.
A little piece of fascist justice that makes even Democrats nod their heads and say under their breath, "Fuck yeah".
Obama with a beer in his hand watching Bin Laden die.
I have friends who carry concealed weapons every day.
Shopping at the local market, feeding their kids lunch, on the way to Zumba: they could drop to one knee and kill you and 7 of your threatening pals.
I have several friends who regularly go down into their basements, unlock their arms cabinets and withdraw assault rifles -which on full automatic could hold off a platoon from their front porch.
I have several friends who, given the chance, would wall off Mexico.
Who would end all aid to Israel.
Who would welcome a Holy War in reverse.
I think quite frankly that some of my friends are mad.
I still love them, but...
This is maybe why...
Because if I was president of these United States, I would have in the air a squadron of murderous stealth jets and helicopters, and I would have on the ground the most secret special Ops team there is, to make and keep the promise that any-single-damn-one, any person, calling themselves a freedom fighter, or a martyr, or ISIS, or a retiree from Isaly's, anyone who so much as disturbed a stone at the ancient site of Palmyra -much less blew the standing history of Civilization (EVERYBODY'S civilization) to bits because of their asinine, anal, infantile, imbecilic take on Islam- I would have them vaporized on the spot.
With extreme prejudice.
No hesitation.
I think we as the "defenders of democracy" and the "beacon of freedom" should for once back that shit up and blow these bastards to atoms.
We should have done it when the Taliban destroyed the Buddhist statues of Bamiyan. We didn't.
We should do it now.
Kill anyone who gets within the perimeter of the City of Palmyra. Just say it. For no strategic reason, for no rational gain, with no apologies for due process or sovereignty or cause: You enter here, you die.
Kill them all because sometimes the stuff of eternity is more important than us. Sometimes men should die so that temples stand, so a painting is preserved, so a song remains. Human blood should flow so human history survives.
No quarter.
Yeah. I'll own it. That's on me.
Part of me thinks this is worse than any hand gun my buddy's wife might be carrying to the Shop and Save.
Part of me wishes my finger was on the trigger and Willem Dafoe was saying, "Paint the target."
I have to say, if all of ISIS/terrorist can be 'taken out' without innocence lost, then you are 'on target'. However, Collateral Damage is something I couldn't handle. As ex-Army who served during peace time, I can say I wouldn't want to be faced with the PTSD of a soldier who had killed kids/families who were innocent (remember the soldiers who went to prison for murder who were only following orders, but hire-ups never got punished during the Bush yrs?). Take out the political factor of rich politicians & oil men playing both sides and a nation can get rid of the 'bad guys'!
ReplyDeleteoh and on a funnier note..tell your gun toting "mad' friends to go to a target range and place 10 cans on their sides, drinking holes facing them, and see how many cans have only one bullet hole (an exit hole). if they miss, be careful not to let a stray bullet hit your tush...lol..
Totally with ya on the sentiment, but gotta agree with Kat about the meatspace collateral damage.
ReplyDeleteMy grandfather piloted B-24s over Germany, so I had bomber fantasies when Bosnia erupted. I figured two runs ought to do it. The first carpet bombing a military target and the second with leaflets saying: We can fight or talk- Choose.
We would have saved an awful lot of innocents. And historic places.
Love it and your passion for it. It's rare.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with want ur saying but it would be messed up that innocent lives would be lost. I have family members that served in the military and one family member that a police officer. My mother has a copy of the Japanese peace treaty, that belonged to my grandfather.
ReplyDeleteThe conviction, frustration, helplessness, and anger you feel definitely comes across in your written words. Implementation of your suggestions would leave innocent civilians defenseless to the overwhelming devastations of war. Regardless of the intentions to only eradicate the evil collateral damage is always a reality that exists, a reality that effects humanity as a whole. There will always be evil in the world, it's human nature, nothing that you can do about that except fight one day at a time, one evil doer at a time, to keep evil at bay someone has to keep their humanity. As a nurse that has held an abused, dying child in her arms, treated broken soldiers with wounds that are visible and wounds that are not so visible is soul stirring. I understand the primal need to protect whether it be to cross a drug cartel infested dessert with a child strapped across your back, placing ones family in a rubber raft to cross an entire ocean for a chance at freedom, or "painting the target". I also understand the complete, absolute soul transforming devastation that ravages the heart and mind when war commences and innocent lives are lost. Palmyra temples, Van Gogh's Starry Nights, or epic ballads of old, they all live in the hearts and minds of the people who have been there, lived it, surrounded and immersed themselves in it, if we remove humanity from the equation who is left to tell the stories, to teach, who is left to revel in its glory and beauty. Without humanity it's just a pile of rock, a blank canvas, and a song that doesn't evoke emotion. What's the point? I'll own it, I choose humanity.
ReplyDeleteDavid I'm with you on this. These people, if thats really what they are, know only one thing Killing, Destroying, Raping, Beheading etc. You have to fight fire with fire and more with these idiots. This is their way of life. I am a woman that carries all the time never go without it. Most of the military thinks this administration is anti America. I for one think he is. As far as ending aid to Israel Hell No they are our allies. Israel wouldn't think twice to help us anytime anywhere. I hate to say this but the war is coming to America heck it's here already just look at all the police killings. Yes there are some bad apples deal with them but to randomly kill the police because of the uniform, that sucks. Isis/Islam destroys everything in their path sick demented disgusting beings. I can't even call them human.Yes human history should be left alone, Palmyra, paintings should be saved. But Obama will not do a thing. I was sickened when I saw the destruction on the news. This is off topic but This "blacklivesmatter" is dangerous, no better than IsIs fanatics they should be called "BlackLiesMatter"! I'm mad as hell. I'd love to paint the target bombs away. BTW watch GhostWhisperer today hope to see you back on the tube soon.
ReplyDeletegood to see others are angered by the destruction of antiquities that tell all of our beginnings. i think religious fanaticism of any flavor is dangerous. the IS (islamic state. because i refuse to defame the name of the egyptian goddess!) is just making shit up as they go along. it's beyond religion now. it's just pure evil power.
ReplyDeletereally, though, i'm that hippie peacenik that wants to see the world evolve past the violence, destruction and hatred. bottom line, we're all in it together. there are no chosen ones. we all bleed and die the same.
on a side note, whenever i see or hear "clear and present danger" i think of a movie critic at a satire newspaper i worked for in colorado. he would write these silly reviews that would get it all wrong or totally veer off subject. his review for this movie was "clearly the president is dangerous". LOL!
You are a writer David... and always have been. I still enjoy your thoughts and words.
ReplyDeleteI had to come back to this one, mainly because my first answer kept getting erased due to a computer error, I figured it was a sign and just left it after that. Also, I am terrified of your friends at zumba, but to each their own. And truthfully I would probably listen to anything Willem Defoe said especially after the first Boondock Saints, but to simply submit to violence in response to violence, I don't want to, I don't want to submit...But my god, the total destruction of Palmyra...I want these ruins to stand for more that the heinous acts of these horrible demons, I wish I could refer to them as people. I wish I could hold fast that these beautiful historical monuments laying in rubble could stand for more that destruction but for what mankind can rebuild, can withstand, can rebound from and make life beautiful again. But over and over seeing the wasteland left by these animals rummaging and pillaging for no reason but to destroy and then to sell antiquities to the highest bidders to continue their horrendous acts, are the buyers any different. I too have had my soul worn thin and want nothing more than to send in the Avengers. I don't know the answer, to any of this, I wish I did, but yesterday I saw the newest aerial photos of the Ancient City of Palmyra looking like what could have been an archaeological dig hundreds of years in the future... everything inside me sank and all I could think of were the immortal words of Kurt Vonnegut "So it goes."
ReplyDeleteTru Dat. ISIS followers (are there any leaders, really?) destroy ancient monuments that have withstood all of earth's roar over the centuries, and the discussion wanders towards killing innocent people? I weep and ask myself "for what?" For what? Why? Are they trying to prove that they are powerful and better than.... Who? They may not have blood on their hands (well, maybe some do) but they have dirt and stone under their nails from ages past - and for that, they are not innocent.
ReplyDeleteWell, it's been a long time I wanted to post a comment but because of of time, and especially I wanted to take the time to think as impossible for me to post 3 lines on this topic.. so important. I'll try to make it short but it will be difficult…
ReplyDeleteFirst I would like to say that I quite frightened by some comments, really.
Therefore Palmyra, this famous site destroyed by these monsters, these barbarians of isis (sorry I believe in an only single God) however I have more difficulty to call these bloodthirsty monsters "islamic state" because the term of islamic state means completely another thing when we know what islam is in reality.
Then it is necessary to clarify that isis, this group of barbarians or I should say this sect has nothing to do with islam and I will try to demonstrate it because reading the posts I understand many people make the confusion between islam and isis, voluntarily or involuntarily I do not know.
Firstly it is important I think to say that terrorism has no religion.
Since when islam promoves violence?
How can we write and associate the words islam and isis together? seriously?
Can we link the klu klux klan or hitler with the Catholic religion? Or Judaism with the bloodthirsty army of tsahal? Boudhism whith the extremist Ashin Wirathu? Of course not. We must dissociate terrorism, what are all these small groups with religions they same which are peaceful.
These are humans who use and exploit religion and not the contrary, do not not confuse this.
As says the Dalai Lama, the religion does not transform men in criminal, but this is criminals who use religion as an excuse for their lust for power.
Isis practice all that islam prohibited ie torture, murder, theft, rape, destruction of sites, etc..
Does anyone read once in his life the Quran?
These people of isis represent only themselves, all Muslims I say all Muslims around the world waist strap of this horrible sect...
So yes, muslims must speak out and explain who they are, what they believe in, what they stand for, what is the meaning of their life. They must have the courage to denounce what is said and done by some "muslims" in the name of their religion even it is unfair because it is only applicable for muslims, only.
Here are some elements of answer... for the undecided. [....]
Ok let us take the case of these monsters and make the parallel with what the Holy Quran says...
ReplyDelete1 / The rape of women.
These monsters rape Christian women and also Muslim women, not forget that.
In islam sexual relation is forbidden before marriage, I'll even further that might offend more than one, a man is not able to shake hands with a woman.
"The Night Journey" : 17/32 "And no approach unlawful sexual intercourse. Indeed, it is ever an immorality and is evil as a way."
2 / Killing innocents.
2nd great sin in islam.
"And do not kill the soul which Allah has forbidden, except by right. And whoever is killed unjustly - We have given his heir authority, but let him not exceed limits in [the matter of] taking life. Indeed, he has been supported [by the law]". 17/33 "The Night Journey"
5/32 "The Table".
"We ordained for the Children of Israel that if any one slew a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people."
93/4 "The Women"
"But whoever kills a believer intentionally - his recompense is hell, wherein he will abide eternally, and God has become angry with him and has cursed him and has prepared for him a great punishment."
The systematic murder of children belonging to religious or ethnic minorities including several cases of mass executions of boys, as well as beheadings, crucifixions and burials of children alive, the rape of children, sold on the markets and the mentally disabled would be used as suicide bombers, that's what practice these monsters of isis!
Does islam preaches these unspeakable horrors and horrendous acts? Of course, no!
"The Criterion" 25/68-69.
"And those who do not invoke with Allah another deity or kill the soul which Allah has forbidden [to be killed], except by right, and do not commit unlawful sexual intercourse. And whoever should do that will meet a penalty.
Multiplied for him is the punishment on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein humiliated."
Stop us 2 minutes to think about one thing… these people who claim being Muslims also kill Muslims...
People need to know that there is nothing worse than a Muslim who kills another Muslim because besides being brother in humanity they are brothers in religion.These are just horrible demons and nothing else!
As says a big Pakistan Sheikh (Ahmed Deedat), "The biggest enemy of Islam is the ignorant Muslim, whose ignorance leads him to intolerance, whose actions destroy the true image of Islam, and when the people look at him they think that Islam is what he is."
3 / The flight.
23th biggest sin in islam. The fief is absolutely forbiden in islam.
"[As for] the thief, the male and the female, amputate their hands in recompense for what they committed as a deterrent [punishment] from Allah. And Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise." The table 5/38.
[....]
4 / Suicide.
ReplyDelete29th biggest sin in islam
The Holy Koran forbids suicide. He is very clear about this.
Another important issue that occupies minds as a result of the terrorist attacks in the United States of America concerning the suicide attacks. Some people not informed about Islam have been quite erroneous statements, claiming that this religion of peace allows these terrorist attacks. The killing of men and suicide are all two forbidden by Islam. God clearly gave the illicit suicide by the following verse:
"O you who have believed, do not consume one another's wealth unjustly but only [in lawful] business by mutual consent. And do not kill yourselves [or one another]. Indeed, Allah is to you ever Merciful.
And whoever does that in aggression and injustice - then We will drive him into a Fire. And that, for Allah , is [always] easy. "The Women" 4/29-30
Whatever the reason, suicide is not allowed by the Quran and this for two reasons, firstly the person kills himself and then he kills innocent people, both things prohibited in islam.
Of course, no one has forgotten the attacks of September 11, and person will never forget them, it in our memories for the rest of our lives, but what is happening in palestine for example is not relegated to the background loss.
THAT 9/11 incident in 2001 caused so much hatred against ISLAM and MUSLIMS, caused America to enter and destroy so many Muslim countries. The whole muslim world and middle east changed due to this event. The whole world changed. It's amazing how much in my country for example muslims and islam are hated!
Is that ben laden represents 1.5 billion Muslims? No, no and again no, never!
5 / Drugs and alcohol.
19th biggest sin in islam
Newspapers reported that isis bolst their force by taking drugs. Alcohol and drugs, any substance that ennivrent is strictly prohibited in islam.
5/90 "The Table" : "O you who have believed, indeed, intoxicants, gambling, [sacrificing on] stone alters [to other than Allah], and divining arrows are but defilement from the work of Satan, so avoid it that you may be successful."
These barbarians are the greatest injustice, here what the Quran says about the wrong-doers..
6/ The wrong-doers.
26th sin in islam
"Abraham" 14/42 à 45 : "And never think that Allah is unaware of what the wrongdoers do. He only delays them for a Day when eyes will stare [in horror].
Racing ahead, their heads raised up, their glance does not come back to them, and their hearts are void.
And, [O Muhammad], warn the people of a Day when the punishment will come to them and those who did wrong will say, "Our Lord, delay us for a short term; we will answer Your call and follow the messengers." [But it will be said], "Had you not sworn, before, that for you there would be no cessation?And you lived among the dwellings of those who wronged themselves, and it had become clear to you how We dealt with them. And We presented for you [many] examples."
"The Consultation" 42/42 : "The cause is only against the ones who wrong the people and tyrannize upon the earth without right. Those will have a painful punishment".
7 / Pride.
17th biggest sin in islam.
When you see on TV how these monsters boast of executing innocent people by making the seflies, here is what the Quran about the proud:
"The Bees" 16/29 : "So enter the gates of Hell to abide eternally therein, and how wretched is the residence of the arrogant."
So please think of these appalling people who claim being Muslim? In your opinion do they practice, do they believe in the precepts of the Quran? of Islam?
Please feel free to judge …by yourself.
[....]
A French journalist (Didier François) who was held hostage by isis for a year was asked is isis was islamic according to him, what was his answer? : isis didn't have any Quran!
ReplyDeletePlease, could anyone imagine a muslim with any Quran in his bag? in his house? I can tell you that it is impossible, just impossible, inimaginable et impensable!
These monsters have for project to attack Mecca… You should know that for a Muslim, three things are sacred: the Quran, the Prophet Mohammed and Mecca.
Without being a Muslim, it is easy to understand...
Then if the atrocities committed by isis reflected all Muslims, if it was their way of life as I read it, I can tell you with almost 1.5 billions of believers and it is the first religion in the world (source given by the Vatican), if Muslims were the picture of isis, it would have few people on earth, believe me!
Here are some quotes from the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh)…
The Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) said: "They are the losers, those who make the religion hard and tough. They imperil themselves who enforce tough practices of Islam. They destroy themselves, those who are extremes." “Those who go to extremes are doomed.”
After describing these horrible monsters, I would like to mention the name of some Muslims, wonderful people who for some of them were Catholic before becoming Muslim... and I have understood many things about islam with them.
Very few people are those people who really understood the meaning of the existence in a general manner and speaks about islam with such intelligence and sincerity.
John Fontain (from UK), Andrea Hamza Tzorzis (Greek from UK), Nouman Ali Khan (From USA and the most funny of them), Dr Zaik Naik (the best specialist of the Bible, the Quran and the Thorah), Yusuf Estes (from USA), Dr Gary Miller, Yvonne Ridley, Dr Ingrid Mattson, Adam Deen, Hamza Yusuf (Mark Hanson), Eddie Redzovic, Yusuf Chambers, Peter Gould etc…so many many interesting muslims!!
There are plenty of videos on youtube and on their facebook! Everyone can see and enjoy!
I have a lot of respect and affection for these men and women who are also full of humor (especially Nouman, John, Eddie and Andrea)!
I have to confess that I'm sick and tired of the bad image of islam conveyed in the media every day and it is one of the reasons which leads me also posting this post… at least for people to give to people food for thought and asking the right questions.
I noticed that most people who had a quite negative opinion about islam and Muslims in general know nothing to this religion, most who wear these negative feelings have neither neighbours nor Muslim friends.
Wayne Dyer said that the highest form of ignorance is when we reject something we don't know anything about.
[....]
Everyone has in his town a mosque, an Islamic Center, it is very easy to go there and ask to try to know what you want about this religion.
ReplyDeleteThis summer there was a rather striking fact that happened at Phoenix, Arizona. For those who have not heard about it, what happened deserves to be related.
Jason Leger from Phoenix, Arizona, former islamophobian, wore a t-shirt with a big insult about Islam; he created an ugly scene outside a mosque on a Friday, day of the big prayer. When he was invited inside the Islamic Community Center, he admitted Islam was a 'beautiful thing' after talking to Muslims and watching them in prayer. What he saw that day changed Jason Leger's heart - and he says that religion is a 'beautiful' thing just few minutes after speaking with these Muslims and said that he would never offend them again. Jason did this intellectual effort to understand Islam because this requires a great openness but also a great faith, what is not given to everyone, unfortunately.
Morgan Freeman, few weeks ago, went to the Islamic Cultural Center in New York to discuss about Islam and to try to why people always associate islam and terrorism. Nice and intelligent man.
There is another story about a man, Arnoud Van Doorn, a political personality in Netherlands, he also had a strong and deep hate of islam and Muslims.
This man had compared the Quran to Mein Kampf, which was a horrible thing.
Here's what he said: "There is so many negative stories about islam that I felt the need to do my own research and determine what was true and what was wrong", said Arnoud. Today this man became Muslim, he is one of the best defender of Islam and he's going to make a film to explain to the entire world the beauty of this religion that everyone disregards like for example what have done recently Oprah Winfrey (sorry to not have seen this show).
There is also a term that I would like to explain, it is "martyr". This word is very very special and unique in Islam; it doesn't mean what the media wants to make us understand, far away. The term "martyr" is used in very very special cases, for example it's used for people who died in awful conditions, like for example someone who died after fighting atrocious suffering, or on a self-defending, people who died under the rubble, people drowned at sea like the little Aylan stranded on the beach in Turkey, a woman who dies in childbirth... or even the pilgrims died recently at Mina in Saudi Arabia during their pilgrimage.
So please, please, be careful with the words we use. It's the same thing for the term of jihad.
"Beware of false knowledge, it is more dangerous than ignorance" (George Bernard Shaw).
So the dialogue with muslim people is very very important to understand.
Dialogue is not trying to convert others to think like you do, but to listen, understand and accept that we do not necessarily have the same opinion because being afraid of ignorance leads to fear, fear leads to hate and hate leads to violence, the equation is very simple.
We surfed on the emotional fear, again and again...with islam and only with islam.
It's also important to emphasize that terrorism is terrorism even if you are muslim or not, white or black, religious or not, what you are doesn't matter your acts are!
For example, Anders Breivik, the Norwegian white supremacist who killed 77 people in 2011, he is not considered by many people and media as a terrorist because he's a white man! We can say same thing about Andreas Lubitz, who intentionally guided the plane he was flying straight into the French Alps and killed all 150 people on board, or Craig Stephen Hicks who killed this year 3 American muslims students near the Chapel Hill etc... They’re just considered as psychopaths but they are terrorists! Terrorism is terrorism.
[....]
Did you also see what happened with the fusillade in Oregon, no one has used the term of "terrorist" (in France, in USA by the media) to call this person and yet he killed nearly 10 people asking them before their religion. Amazing, no?
ReplyDeleteTerrorism is a term used to describe an inhumane act that infringes on a person's life, still differ on the basis of the confession, the color or the origin of a man! Victim or executioner.
So what's happening now everyday in Gaza, Birmania, Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Pakistan, Centre Africa, Syria, Libya, in all these muslims countries, etc.… isn't TERRORISM??
Joke! Big joke!!
The little Palestinian boy called Ali of 18 months old burnt in his house this summer while sleeping with his parents and his brother, it isn't terrorism? And only 6 months in jail for this horrible crime! Is it just for a little boy became orphan?
Killing a vast majority of muslims is a ignoble way, to destabilize muslim countries already well fragile mess every day.
A report published by the winners of the Nobel Prize revealed that a million Iraqi civilians, 220 000 Afghans and Pakistanis 80 000 perished on behalf of the fight against "terror" since 2001: "Collateral damage". But finally, at whom benefits all these crimes?
Killing innocent people for what? Invade Iraq by killing nearly 1,455,590 people for something they didn't do... for petrol? For weapons of mass destruction which have never existed? If we take the example of the invaded Iraq by the USA in 2003, if we compare Iraq of 2003 and Iraq of today, Saddam wasn't probably the best President of the world I confess but the country wasn't what it became now.
And I still think that no one can decide of Iraqi’s (or for another country) fate except Iraqis themselves!
USA (especially Presidents!) seems to have forgotten the $ 94 million that Saddam has graciously offered to Americans living below the poverty line (http://articles.latimes.com/2001/jan/16/news/mn-12883).
I think we should be very careful of the media influence, so we have to make sure our minds are note anesthetized, and our consciousness are not atrophied by what we listen and see on television. As said Malcom X, the media is the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, they can control minds easily.”
"If you're not careful, the newspapers can bring you to hate oppressed people, and love people who are oppressing others". So be careful.
Jim Morrison was a pioneer when he said: "Whoever controls the media controls the mind.”
Most of the time to not say 100% of time, muslims are guilty until proven innocent and non-muslim are innocent until proven guilty, strange equation, isn't it?
[....]
Some people say muslims kill Americans… Here is a message that I found on facebook last week from a muslim, it moved me deeply and I would ilk to share it.
ReplyDeleteTo you…"You invaded my country, you shot my mother, beat my father to death, raped my sister, took my water, burned my trees, destroyed my home, hospitals, schools, stopped electricity, took my job, still stealing our oil, bomb my country daily, starve and humiliate us all.
Yet you want me to greet you with flowers and candy?
When muslims fight back you call them terrorist?
But they are Freedom Fighters. We don’t say they are completely right, we don’t say we agree with everything they do. Your troops wouldn't die if they were with their families and let us be with our families happily. The whole idea of Freedom Fighters is glorified; it is honorable to defend your country, except if you are a Muslim? The muslim is not supposed to defend his country? The muslim is just supposed to get out, walk away, live like a dog, be humiliated, and allow his wife to be slaughtered, sister to be raped? A muslim is supposed to accept this to be a good and an acceptable muslim?
For Indians Mahatma Gandhi was a Freedom Fighter, but for occupiers he was a Terrorist. One man's terrorist is another man's Freedom Fighter. The difference between a Terrorist and a Freedom Fighter is simply which newspaper you are reading. Terrorist is a buzz word used to push an agenda, to push the masses' button, go get them to not think."
-------------------------------
Muslims are always judged by the actions of some radical person. No group wants that. When a christian goes into a church and kills black people, we should not condemn his religion.
History is a long, long list of those who exploited religious faith to achieve their own power-hungry finalities.
When politicians whip up anti-muslim feeling like Ben Carson, Viktor Orban (Hungarian Prime Minister), or Marine Le Pen in France etc.., they feed the anti-muslim feeling because they are using religious fervor to their own ends.
My country is one of the best example!!
Islam is not responsible for the behavior of few reckless muslims.
[....]
The Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) said: "May the extremists perish, May the extremists perish, May the extremists perish!"
ReplyDelete...Narrated from Abu Dawud, (Vol #5, Hadith No.4608).
Islam is not responsible for the behavior of few reckless muslims.
Islam is not responsible for the behavior of few reckless muslims.
Islam is not responsible for the behavior of few reckless muslims.
Very very very sad and shocked again...hard time for all the families and muslims.
"Salaam alaykum.
ReplyDeleteOn behalf of everyone at Zaytuna College, I want to express our deepest sympathies to all the people of France, many of whom are Muslims, in the wake of these horrific criminal acts inflicted upon the people of Paris, and by extension, upon people throughout the world. Any act of violence against innocent people is an act of violence against all innocent people. Security is a great blessing of civil society, and to intentionally undermine that security is an act pleasing to the Devil alone.
In the wake of the carnage in Paris, some will no doubt say that the violence inflicted upon predominantly Muslim countries by Western governments, with their bombs and drone strikes is the same thing. There are problems with such a line of reasoning, not the least being the aphorism that two wrongs don’t make a right. At this time, it is inappropriate to bring up past grievances, and altogether appropriate to simply feel the pain of our fellow human beings in France, not to mention those suffering across the world from senseless violence. Paris is yet another addition to the long list of places wracked with mayhem and misery.
Our hope is that this pain and torment we are witnessing will transform us and make us more empathic people, allowing us to truly sense, in a personal manner, the grief and sadness that now afflicts people in so many places across the world: Crimea, Ukraine, Yemen, Syria, Palestine, Greece, Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Central African Republic, Darfur, Chad, Mali, Myanmar, and the list goes on.
These painful moments should also be moments of reflection on how we ought to respond collectively. Should we fight back in a “merciless” and “pitiless” manner as the French President, in a perfectly understandable moment of agony, expressed? Or should we respond with empathy, love, and charity to counter the hatred that fueled these horrors? By this, I don’t mean toward the heinous thugs who unleashed the bloody terror across Paris, but rather toward the innocent victims living under the cruel conditions – conditions which also engendered these horrific responses from those whose heads were already filled with hate, and who needed only the stones to strike the cold flint of their easily inflamed hearts.
At such a time, it is worth recalling what Aeschylus, the great Greek playwright of tragedies, wrote about war-torn Greece:
“Wisdom comes through suffering.
Trouble, with its memories of pain,
Drips in our hearts as we try to sleep,
So men, against their will,
Learn to practice moderation,
With a grace that come to us from God.”
Hamza Yusuf (Mark Hanson)
President, Zaytuna College - Berkeley (CA).
[....]
"In light of the recent atrocities in Paris, Beirut, Syria, Palestine, and many other places, the Islamic Education and Research Academy (iERA) condemn all acts of indiscriminate violence, terrorism and the killing of innocent people.
ReplyDeleteiERA is extremely saddened by recent events and the continuing cycle of violence around the world. However, these events will only strengthen our resolve, ambition and motivation to create a society that is cohesive, tolerant, peaceful and just.
iERA would like to reaffirm its principles of dialogue, nonviolence, and compassion. Its work is focused on conveying a peaceful, intelligent and rational case for Islam, as well as removing fears and misconceptions in society.
It is important to note that we must not allow such events to create divisions and hatred, it is unfortunate that there has been an increase in Islamophobic attacks, particularly against Muslim women. This Islamophobia must also stop, and iERA’s work presents the solution to the irrational hatred of Islam and Muslims.
In the past few years iERA have focused on, and will continue to work towards achieving tolerance, peace and harmony through:
• Educating Muslims on how to peacefully and lovingly speak about Islam to their fellow citizens.
• Conveying the message that our role as Muslims is to be a beacon of light for Britain and the world as a whole.
• Intelligently articulating Islam to the wider community.
• Removing misconceptions about Islam and Muslims, thereby removing doubts and fears.
• Loving for others what we love for ourselves, as evidenced by our One Community department.
• Discussing points of contention, concern and misunderstanding via our ‘Don’t Hate, Debate!‘ platform.
• Spreading the message that Islam forbids the killing of innocent people and that injustice must never be responded to with further injustice.
• Combatting deliberate hateful and malicious misrepresentations of Islamic orthodoxy and its peaceful for mainstream speakers."
iERA’s chairman and co-founder, Abdurraheem Green, said:
“These acts of terror and murder have no Islamic justification. We at iERA have been at the forefront of teaching Muslims and non-Muslims what Islam says about these issues and that we must all strive for peace, harmony and tolerance.”
iERA will be starting new campaigns to teach the world that Islam is a religion that is not only the antithesis to terrorism and related acts of religious extremism, but that it is also it’s antidote.
We believe that it is now time to stop hiding behind slogans and urge the Muslim community to explain the Islamic ethical approach to these issues. This will dispel myths, promote peace and refute those that aim to cause havoc, death and destruction.
Hamza Andreas Tzortzis.
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"Our position and statement regarding any and all terrorism!
ReplyDeleteAll Muslims must speak out loud about Paris Attacks.
Our thoughts, prayers & sympathy go out to all innocent victims of such violence all around the globe!
Now is not the time to consider political agendas of France or any other government that may be using military action against civilians in their own countries. This a time for proper clarification and explanation of exactly where we as Muslims stand on these terrible crimes analyst humanity.
Anyone who sympathizes with those who commit horrible crimes are guilty themselves!
We Muslims all condemn any such act of violence against anybody, because our faith, Islam teaches us to stand for justice and speak the truth - even if it's against us!
Killing any innocent person, is considered by Islam the highest crime toward humans. Allah says in Quran, 'killing an innocent person is the same as killing all the people" - (Quran, Al-Maida 5:32)".
Yusuf Estes (Dallas)
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"Ok, so, let's review what we're learning so far about the Paris attackers:
Two of them owned a bar. One was a regular hashish user. Another never prayed in the mosque and grew up in a life of petty crimes and a series of girlfriends. None of them studied the Islamic tradition. Disenfranchised, isolated, ignorant. (And before people start saying that this is what the media says, realize that most of this information is being relayed from family and friends).
Oh, and of course: they intentionally left a fake Syrian passport at the scene of the crime so as to make it even more difficult for innocent Syrian refugees to find asylum in Europe.
And these are the people leading the 'jihad' to free Muslim lands?!?
Yup, fits the bill perfectly actually. In all cases, the stereotype of a 'radical terrorist' is exactly as above.
Why is it that only such people are recruited by the extremists? Because they have absolutely nothing to begin with. No knowledge. No intelligence. No education. No life. Because if they had *any* of these characteristics to begin with, they would know how utterly vile and counterproductive such actions are.
Already, dozens of Islamophobic attacks have been reported across the Western world. Many countries and states have announced plans to stop any more asylum seekers from entering their lands. Mosques have been burned or vandalized. More attacks against Muslim lands have already been launched, and no doubt others will continue to follow. And the mood in many circles becomes even more irrational as it spires maddeningly closer to calls for total surveillance, or curtailing of religious rights, or mass expulsion, or perhaps even genocide of all Muslims.
Truly, as our Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said of such groups: their speech is beautiful, yet their actions are ugly, they quote the Quran, yet have absolutely no understanding of it, and those whom they fight in the name of Islam (ie., the majority of the Muslim world!) are closer to Islam than they are.
Yasir Qadhi (Memphis).
And a short video by the specalist of the religions (Dr Zaik Naik) mentionned previously..about terrorism.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwiWF2SQSPg.
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ReplyDeleteI know many many muslims, I live with them and I see nothing of that.
There is a kind of modesty in this religion that exists nowhere else.
For me, Muslims are for me the most beautiful people in the word, sincerely.
A muslim friend sent me a message the next day after the Paris attack because I live 20 mn from Paris by train (Thanks Christine!).
People must know that muslims give more charity than any other faith group in UK, it has been said by David Cameron.
In islam, there are five pillars..One of them is the « zakat » it means giving charity to poor people.
Do people know that Islam is the only religion who imposes to each muslim believer to give at the end of the year 2,5% of his total cumulative welt.
It is an obligation, can you imagine that? It only exists in Islam.
Islam is the only one religion I know of which precepts exist to combat the degradation of the environment.
Islam is the only religion which is the most merciful and kind with animals.
There is a poetry and an unrivalled alchemy of words in the Holy Quran for those who have never read it that exist anywhere else.
It must also be said that politicians are largely responsible for the opinion can have people...
I thought as french we were the only ones to have stupids politics man but I see that in United States you have your quota also.
We have Marine Le Pen, The Prime Minister and the Ex President etc....who are all islamophobe but you have Donald Trump and I have to say that I never seen or heard a so stupid and ridiculous man than him.
Trump hates muslim people but makes business with them.
But the problem is that 40% people believe in him and in his dangerous ideas!!
Now I would like to explain something very very important but before, it is crucial for those who are going to read the following words to understand each word I'm going to write because I'm responsible of what I'm going to write but not responsible of what you're going to understand so please be careful..
ReplyDeleteOk..so If we take one by one all these criminals who claim being muslims (those of the Hypercaher on January and those of November) - I hope now people will understand better that these people are all except muslim, if you listen one by one what they said..all of them says that their acts have been done because of retaliation, to avenge what happens in muslim countries, against the politic made by our French President etc..
No confusion..because the truth is that they had lost their humanity before seeking to take others.
And for each of these losses, they will have to respond.
No excuse to those who made it, those who sponsored it.
But no excuse, not more, against wars troublemakers, to those who spread chaos in the four corners of the world, and who bring it here.
By stealing the wealth of people.
By imposing more of "competition".
By supporting bloodthirsty dictatorships.
By selling weapons to anyone, as long as it pays.
By bombing, by occupying, by murdering.
Wars of religion, slavery, colonization, participation in the imperialist butcher called "world wars", collaboration, complicity in genocide, strangulation and plundering of the countries of the South, institutional racism, etc etc...
No excuse not.
BUT I agree with some french intellectual who say this :
For example..
Michel Onfray (writer and philosopher), that I do not appreciate for its islamophobic positions very ambiguous...
Here's what he said... « We should France, stop bombarding muslim populations throughout the world, arguing that they threaten us terrorism while in fact they have never threatened us when we began to bombard them... You bombard their country, you tear their families, you are drawing their Prophet in the most ridiculous drawings, you encourage the African Christians and you arm them to kill muslims in Mali and Central Africa...
Then you speak out as victims!
Nobody will believe except the idiots and hypocrites! »
There is also a researcher, a great french researcher, Julien Salingue and one of the biggest defender of Palestine that I really love and who wrote an article entitled "Your wars our dead".
http://socialistworker.org/2015/11/15/your-wars-our-dead
So to be clear, if you listen carefully to their revendication about Gaza, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Irak.. you understand easily they will never stop their atrocities until these countries will not be free.
Most politicians have understood that but the most powerful of them do not want to understand and accept it.
Obviously, we will regret it all.
These monsters have to find an explanation, a logic reason and they use the pretext of the horrors committed by USA, by my country France, by Israel, etc.. to commit the same atrocities but worse and please do not forget that in the attack of November there were many muslims.
ReplyDeleteIt is logical for them, simple, very simple equation.
Now to conclude...I would like to say as Francis Coppola said last week, Islam is a beautiful religion.
As he said, “If you know the Quran, the first words are: In the name of God, the Gracious and the Merciful. Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, Master of the Book of Judgement.
Anyone who knows this beautiful religion that was the height of civilization in the 13th Century, knows that at the root of that religion, the two most important words are that God is Gracious, God is Merciful, and we trust to that God to deliver us from this misunderstanding that is hurting people”.
I would like to say as The Prince of Wales, I share his vision whe he says that "The Islamic world is one of the most precious treasures of wisdom and knowledge spiritual placed at the disposal of mankind and has previously stressed that the Holy Quran explicitly qualifies the nature as having an intelligibility and insists on the inseparable link between man and nature. »
I would like also to say that I share the feelings of Sir George Bernard Shaw, Irish writer, critical musical, playwright, essayist, author of plays , pacifist and nonconformist, (in 'The Genuine Islam,' Vol. 1, No. 8, 1936).
« I have always held the religion of Muhammad in high estimation because of its wonderful vitality. It is the only religion which appears to me to possess that assimilating capacity to the changing phase of existence which can make itself appeal to every age. »
I would like to share the video of Lesley Hazlet, an agnostic jewish women who has read the Holy Quran..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Soa5N7TTLX0
I would like to say that « Muslim » means any PEACEFUL person who submits to the will of GOD, that's it.
I would like to conclude this long very long analyse by saying that Islam did not come for perfect men but in the goal to perfect men, which is completely different.
When we understand this, we understand everything.
All these words have been written to try to explain my feelings about ISIS, my feelings about Islam, my feelings about muslims. So I hope that people will understand better certain things.
It was and it is very important because when I decided to post these comments, of course I did not know what was going to happen in my country 3 days later and it is the reason why I've stopped my posts..I was very shocked this time.
These terrorists had planned to put a bomb at the Commercial Center the 18 of November and I had planned also to make shopping as I live 10 mn from this commercial center.
This may happen to everyone of us, to me, to you, to my family, to my friends...Our family's doctor was at the Bataclan during this horrible night..so thank you God and so sad for the other people who left too early...
But what happens every day against muslims starts to look like as the version 2.0 of the antisemitism lived by the jewish with Hitler so be careful.
Yes, the world has become a nightmare but hate is not an american value, hate is not an french value, it is not a value at all anyway.
May God help us to have a better vision and a better understanding of islam (in sha allah), starting by myself. Amen.