Powerline has posted a disturbing video of a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The video provokes a lot of thoughts, but I was particularly struck by a moment in the demonstration when a Muslim cleric led the men (no women allowed, apparently) in prayer.
When the leader said “Allahu akhbar” (God is great), the worshippers fell to their knees and bent over. It looked like their heads were touching the ground. I guess they were facing east, toward Mecca. The ritual is a powerful symbol of the meaning of the word Islam: submission. These men prostrated themselves to show their complete submission to God. From what I understand, they’re supposed to do this five times a day.
What does this ritual do to a man’s psychology? How can a man think independently and with pride after utterly debasing himself this way? The ritual is designed to create mindless, obedient followers.
Is it any wonder that Muslim nations are backward when their wretched men must debase themselves five times a day? Is it any wonder they are initiating force throughout the world when they have turned their minds over to faith and destroyed their capacity for independent thought? Is it any wonder that Muslims are, as George Bernard Shaw said about the Germans, either at your feet or at your throat?
It goes against the multiculturalist pieties we are taught throughout public education to ask these questions. It is impolite to question religion or culture. But Islam is a religion, a culture AND a totalitarian enemy that wants to destroy our freedom. Can we afford, in the name of political correctness, to remain blind to the nature of the enemy?
People talk about reforming Islam. I won’t say it is impossible, as Christianity in the dark and middle ages was as irrational and anti-human as Islam is today. It took a philosophical revolution and centuries of struggle to change western culture.
Today Islam exists not within a medieval context but within the context of modern philosophy. There are no Aristotelians to help Islam turn its gaze from God to this world. Instead, modern philosophy questions the existence of an objective world outside of man’s mind. Christianity was given the opportunity to change, and took it; Islam has no chance of reform in such a philosophic context.
This totalitarian ideology that wants to replace freedom with sharia law is not going anywhere soon. It will be here at least as long as modern philosophy dominates the west (and therefore the world).
We need to think clearly about the enemy. We need to consider our long-range plans, rather than fly by the seat of our pants in pragmatism.
Me, I would rather keep this anti-human obscenity, this ideology of submission, at our feet than at our throat.
Myrhaf,
Your posts keep getting better. You are providing some of the best Objectivist commentary around. I almost feel guilty that I am getting it for free.
As for Islam, Robert Spencer “blogged the Koran” for over a year taking a few Suras per week. He just finished. I read the Koran along with Spencer’s commentary. I can say that there is not one redeeming feature in all of Islam. It has about 12-15 repeating themes – and they repeat endlessly.
The essential ones are the punishment of non-believers and the call to Jihad. Plus Islam is far more political and military than Christianity. Its a religious Naziism. None of this excuses Christianity which still may be the worse of the two in that its evils are more subtle and insidious. Islam wants to openly cut of your head. Christianity wants you to slit your own throat.
Happy New Year to all the New Clarion bloggers!
“Islam wants to openly cut of your head. Christianity wants you to slit your own throat.
Happy New Year to all the New Clarion bloggers!
”
The dichotomy between those lines was amusing.
The prospect of reforming Islam is daunting. I can only envision this being accomplished within my lifetime through a lot of violence (defense and necessary violence, but violence nonetheless).
John Lewis commented once on the reformation of Islam, but I cannot remember where. He stated that over 50% of the religion is focused on the infidel and why one should kill him, and concluded if one were to throw out that one single theme Islam would no longer exist.
It is true of all systems. Objectivism, for instance, would cease to exist if one threw out the law of identity or the methodology of concept formation or selfishness or the axiomatic concept of causality and so on. Every idea in a system is vital.
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Madmax: “Your posts keep getting better. You are providing some of the best Objectivist commentary around. I almost feel guilty that I am getting it for free.”
I agree, but don’t give him any ideas! I haven’t the money to expend. 🙂
Ben, I have to agree with John Lewis on that one (as I have want to do). I pointed out in an earlier comment thread that Ayaan Hirsi Ali had said that no reform of Islam is possible – that any possible westernized result would be so different that it could no longer properly be called Islam at all.
Can modern Christianity even be called Christianity at all when compared to the medieval (or pre-medieval) variety? Ah, now there’s an interesting question.