Letters to the Editor
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The Strategy. I like it.
Tariq Ramadan is obviously smart enough to understand that it is a lost cause to convince all people to give up their silly superstitions and fantasies about magic men in the sky. As long as humanity exists on this planet, and substantial portion of the population will cling to these beliefs, and act accordingly, even though these actions are inconsistent with what is necessary for humanity to survive on a dying planet.
Those who insult and belittle and condescend those with religious beliefs accomplish nothing. It is only those who gently, gradually and persistently prod those who believe into looking at their beliefs in different ways who can accomplish anything. By encouraging educated Muslims to re-think their interpretations on the Koran, and by convincing Christians that Islam is not as barbaric as they have been led to believe, Ramadan can accomplish more than Richard Dawkins could ever dream of accomplishing. I can never know what is in Ramadan's heart, but a part of me can't help but think that he knows that the Koran, just like the Bible, is just a fantasy, but that he understands that he can do more for humanity than all the athiests and evangelists ever could. And I thank him for that.
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Wonderful article...as an Arab American, though not Muslim I applaud this
Interesting that a man of peace isn't allowed a visa yet all 19 hijackers of 9/11 had no problem at all. Conspiracy?
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Soft words vs reality
How nice of Salon to serve up these softball questions, with nary a countering viewpoint to be seen. Ramadan does not disappoint; he's just another (apparently good-looking!) entry in the race to look civilized and try to explain away the violence and intimidation that the whole world can observe. Notice how many times he deflects even the extremely gentle criticism by the author, with the typical Muslim "Yes, but...." where terrorism and violence are excused.
Ramadan talks about the conflicts between Muslims and non-Muslims, wherever there is a certain critical mass of Muslims. Can anyone name a Muslim-majority country in which non-Muslims are well-treated (please say Indonesia, I dare you!)? How about a country with a significant (>10%) population of Muslims where they get on well with civilized people?
Here is a list of events that happened on Sunday, February 18. What is the common theme here?
Pakistan:
A SUICIDE bomber in Pakistan killed 16 people, including a judge, in a courtroom in the city of Quetta overnight in the latest attack in a series of suicide blasts to have sent shudders through the country.
Intelligence officials have attributed other attacks to sectarian Sunni militants linked to al-Qaeda and groups operating from tribal areas, regarded as hotbeds of support for the Taliban.
Iran:
Police and insurgents clashed after a bombing in southeastern Iran late Friday near the site where an explosion killed 11 members of the elite Revolutionary Guards this week, Iranian news agencies reported…
A Sunni Muslim militant group called Jundallah, or God’s Brigade, which has been blamed for past attacks on Iranian troops, has claimed responsibility for the Wednesday bombing, AP noted.
Turkey:
A Turkish court has sentenced seven suspected Al-Qaeda militants to life in prison for their roles in suicide bomb attacks that killed scores of people in Istanbul in 2003.
Algeria:
A deadly and carefully planned series of bomb attacks in Algeria by an al-Qaida affiliate may signal a new escalation in violence that many Algerians hoped had abated, experts say…
Towns across the Kabylie region awoke Tuesday to a series of seven bombings, some car explosions, that largely targeted police stations. Six people were killed and about 30 injured.
Lebanon:
At least three people were killed and 20 injured when bombs packed with metal pellets tore through two buses traveling on a highway Tuesday, February 13, near the Christian mountain town of Bikfaya northeast of Beirut, Lebanese officials said.
Phillipines:
Police in the Zamboanga Peninsula in Mindanao are now on alert after receiving an intelligence report that terrorists are planning to bomb buses and attack the transport sector there…
Meanwhile, South Korea has warned its citizens not to travel to Mindanao because of possible bombings by the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist groups.
Thailand:
Suspected insurgents shot a village head in a mosque during Friday prayers in Thai southernmost province of Pattani, while eight rangers and police officers were wounded in two bomb blasts in Yala.
Indonesia:
Security forces are on highest alert in Indonesia’s restive Central Sulawesi province following warnings that militants may be planning attacks, the region’s police chief said on Friday…
Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country, has in recent years been hit by a series of bomb blasts blamed on Islamic militants.
Eritrea:
Hundreds of Islamist fighters were flown, with Eritrean assistance, from Somalia to Syria and Libya for military training. Others were taken to Lebanon to fight with Hezbollah, the report to the UN security council has revealed.
This is just one day in the world of the religion of peace. Very interesting against Ramadan's words, aren't they?
Ramadan does have a good point, though, about the Koran being the revealed word of God. Unlike the Bible, written by many authors with many different voices and viewpoints, the Koran is seen by Muslims as the immutable, authentic voice of God. Therefore, it's no good to say "Well they really didn't mean it" when pointing to the more violent and nasty passages - Muslims think it is all the word of God.
Well, let the apologies begin.......
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RELIGION IS A LIE
People create and maintain religion for the sole purpose of controlling other people. Islam, like all other religions, i nothing but a fairy tale. As long as we allow these ridiculous cults to continue, we will have division and bloodshed.
ps I loved the cartoons depicting "the prophet"-what a joke as a suicide bomber. Hopefully, we'll have have more blasphemous acts of free speech in the near future.
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So roll it up
Orthodoxy is not fundamentalism - check
There is a gulf between fanaticism and piety - check
The finer points of Islam are scholarly and nuanced, don't try to read your western media driven nonsense into it - check
Ramadan does not speak for Muslims in the middle east, politcal or otherwise, because he's a Swiss national - check
And yet, and yet.....Do we really care, as non Muslims all that much, that is, within the context of what we have to deal with and confront? Do rational people honestly worry about the Muslims next door down the street in Boise, Toronto or Peoria? Or are we simply giving more credence to rednecks and retards than they are due? See non Muslims don't really know or care much what it does or does not assert in Quran. All they know is what they think is a touchpoint for all the things they fear and hate. Someone told them its in Quran they repeat that to their friends. Soon everyone states it's in Quran. Big deal. Whether it is or not isn't going to change their bigotry.