Posted on 02/20/2006 7:46:11 AM PST by Dark Skies
When President Bush gave his "axis of evil" speech he went out of his way to make the world understand that it isn't a war with Islam itself that we were joining — and I say joining because the war had been started by the Jihadists decades before. And, in observance to our Western principles, that must be the correct way to view our conflagration with radical Islam.
Let's face facts, it certainly is uncomfortable to a Westerner who has been brought up on tolerance, freedom of religion, and liberty to contemplate a war against an entire religion. But are we approaching a time when Western nations won't have a choice but to target Islam itself in certain ways to keep their own people safe. The best course of action is to make public displays of Islam and certain of its practices illegal in Western nations.
So, the question becomes are we at that time now? Are we fast approaching a time when Mosques will be closed and banned? Have we come to a time when Islamic literature is turned away from our borders? Have the childish and dangerous reactions of Muslims to this cartoon in a Danish newspaper proven that Islam cannot be trusted to be a vital, peaceful, and law-abiding segment of society?
It is looking like yes is the answer to these queries.
We are already approaching this today. In Ontario they have officially outlawed Muslim Sharia law, that law that uses religious precepts to enforce moral and society codes of conduct. And Muslim "family councils" have been stopped where local community groups may supplement Canadian law with their local custom.
Several members of the John Howard administration in Australia have spoken out against Islamic clashes with Western notions of law and societal comportment many times over the last few years.
Recently Howard himself said, "I do think there is this particular complication because there is a fragment which is utterly antagonistic to our kind of society, and that is a difficulty ... You can't find any equivalent in Italian, or Greek, or Lebanese, or Chinese or Baltic immigration to Australia. There is no equivalent of raving on about jihad, but that is the major problem."
Muslims routinely destroy property, threaten death and bodily harm to those who speak out against them, and they constantly fund terrorism throughout the world. In Syria they have burnt an embassy, in Europe Muslims have been responsible for murdering people who have written out against Islam or made movies, and other forms of art. These actions are also approved by Islamic teachers (Imams) and religious leaders, not just undertaken by warped loners claiming to represent Islam quite against the will of the majority or authority.
With this ridiculous cartoon issue, we have seen that Islam has no sense of perspective. In the west parody or satire is seen as not only common, but completely harmless for the most part. And religion is not immune to parody and satire, though even in the west most people are often uncomfortable with religious satire. Usually only people filled with hate attack religion in parody and most in the West instinctively know this. As a result, most people dismiss such parody as foolishness and bad taste.
But with Muslims overreacting — in western eyes at least — to this silly cartoon issue in the way they have, it becomes nearly impossible for Westerners to view Islam as a peaceful religion, but more as a vicious hate group itself. And that perception is justified with the actions that Muslims have increasingly perpetrated over the ensuing years. So, we find that Islam presents a danger to the safety of the populace all too often. It is violent, oppressive, and reactionary.
But, what is to be done about it? We have been raised to feel that religion should be left untouched by government. Freedom of religion is at the very core of our beliefs. And this concept is an important one to uphold. So, how can we honestly and without hypocrisy begin to look toward making Islam illegal?
There is a parallel of sorts in the USA that might be used as a template for action. The Ku klux Klan.
After the Civil War ended, the KKK arose from the ashes of war as an advocacy group for the disenfranchised white voter in the south. But it quickly became a terrorist organization bent on taking out revenge on the south's newly freed black population for having lost the war. It got so bad that even one of the original organizers, C.S. Cavalry General Nathan Bedford Forrest, denounced the organization and quit it in disgust.
But as the late 1800s rolled on and the south began to re-enter the Union as full partners in government, the KKK began to lose steam and prominence. For a time it subsided. But as the 20th century neared, it re-emerged and this time became a nationwide and powerful force taking on the flavor of religious, civic and racial duty. The KKK became invested in government and claimed millions of members nation wide.
In the 1920s, however, it became too much for a liberty loving country to allow the KKK to any longer exist. In Indiana, the entire state government was scandalized by their fealty to Indiana's Klan leader who had raped and beaten his secretary on a train trip. Violence against and frequent lynching of southern blacks became so pervasive that Congress finally acted and banned the Klan. The organization collapsed never again to reclaim the power and prominence it once had.
Now, the KKK has always based its precepts on Christianity, as well as racial identity. It also reacted with violence, rallies, death threats and killing when it was threatened. It careened far away from being a mere "idea" or religious theology and became a terrorist organization. And it became a terrorist organization even though literally millions of Americans that belonged to or identified with the Klan were not themselves violent, evil, or dangerous citizens.
The leadership of the Klan supported violence. The leadership preached violence. The leadership planned and fomented it. Therefore, it had to go because it became a danger to every law-abiding citizen, whether they agreed with the racial and religious concepts the Klan espoused or not.
Islam has become the KKK of the 21st century. The sooner we awake to this truth and take steps to ban the religion, or somehow curtail its pernicious influence the better. The west is going to have to put sever restrictions on Islamic Mosques and public display of Islam. Further, devout Muslims should not be allowed to hold public office (though it certainly should not become a racial issue — sins of the father should not be visited upon the sons).
This is no religious purge as in centuries past. In the past religions were banned to be replaced by the state sponsored sect and believers of the banned religion were mistreated, tortured, unduly taxed, and terrorized. This is absolutely not the model the west would follow by banning aspects of Islam today. No religion is replacing Islam and no one is suggesting that Muslims be mistreated. But the creed to which they hold is fast becoming the most dangerous one in the world today. It is a fine line that we walk to consider banning Islam, but the safety of society is at risk not to do so.
This is not an easy conclusion at which to arrive. But if we continue to turn a blind eye to the danger that Islam presents to the west, we are signing our own death warrants.
The KKK was put down in the USA and made powerless for the same reason. Communism was destroyed for the same reason, as well. Islam is a danger to the world.
Unfortunately, it is just that simple.
See post 137.
Do you see any evidence that even one would so much as make an anonymous phone call to stop an attack killing millions? If so, where?
If not active jihadists, at best tacit supporters.
You are of course correct Dark Skies but I would ask you and ALL our fellow freepers to STOP using the term "religion" when speaking of the skunk anus maggot hate cult called Is-SLIME. We, for very good reason, do not call the KKK a religion. To do so would allow those sympathetic to the idiots in the KKK to cloak themselves in 1st Amendment protection.
If we keep allowing the MSM, demon-rats, and mudslime apologist to frame the debate by calling this insanity a religion we have lost the battle before the first shot is fired.
"These people have one deep religious belief, they believe that Allah wants them to kill you and me."
They DON'T all feel that way, especially in this country. That kind of generalization is why Nazism happened.
No way and even if we could it wouldn't work.
Actually, the loss of Mecca might be a positive consequence for Islam.
When the Jews were taken into captivity in the east, the forms of Judaism changed radically. Now, worship of God was not tied to the land of Israel or the to the Temple. Worship became a private matter between man and God.
In my opinion, this seperation of superstition from reality is the primary step required for civilized society.
Please see # 138
Ummm, I fail to see how is that. Arguments aside whether there's any 'destroying' of the constitution going on, if we destroy Islam we win.
After that, we could all just go back to our normal ways. Yes, and pretend nothing happened. :)
Many (most?) of the signs displayed at last week's U.K. protests expressed precisely that sort of violence.
Why weren't those people arrested?
ping
Islamites will be the first to short you on your Constitutional liberties.
I think you need to read my post a little more carefully. There is an adjective you missed.
"It goes back to what I said earlier: we need resolve. Badly.
"
Well, you'd have to start by convincing President Bush that we are fighting a war with Islam. I don't think you're going to succeed with that. He seems pretty sure that we're fighting a war against terrorists, not against a religion.
Then, you'll have to get President Bush to get Alberto Gonzales to start prosecuting Muslims in the United States for specific criminal acts. That's not going to be easy either.
Islam is one of the major religions on this planet. There is no question that some factions of Islam have the goal of making Islam the religion of the world by force.
In this country, advocating the overthrow of our government by force is a crime, and can be prosecuted. Yet, there are no prosecutions. Indeed, I'm not sure there are any Islamic leaders who are citizens of this country who are advocating that publically. If you know of some, I'd like to hear them.
So, you have a dilemma. President Bush thinks Islam is a legitimate religion. We have Islamic countries as allies and trading partners.
So, what do you think the odds are that the USA will make Islam against the law here? Let me know, so I can put some money down.
We would appreciate your ideas as to how this might be accomplished in the face of growing Muslim belief that jihad is their only answer to the West and Israel? Also, how do we respond to the sleeper Muslims cells already in the US that are potential centers of the great impending jihad americana?
"Making Islam illegal -- is it the West's only choice?"
Yes, because we must destroy the Constitution in order to save it. (/end Vietnam flashback)
"Wrapped in a phony religion claim, they see no problem in killing or converting all of us. "
Who are you talking about? My Muslim neighbor three doors down? He doesn't want to kill or convert me. Where would he go to borrow a snowblower?
"But to the left, fighting an enemy by his own rules is UNFAIR"
If they are not part of the solution, Then they are part of the problem. With all the consequences that implies.
Suppose some people formed a religion - and a founding tenet of that religion was "The US government is an abomination that must be overthrown". That religion would be guilty of sedition, and any practicioners would be guilty of conspiracy by getting together to discuss that religion.
Soooo, now we have Islam. It's just a matter of defining the fundamental tenets of this religion. But let's first dispense with this concept that every "religion" is allowed any travesty and treason, just because it's a "religion".
But what happens next?
Think about it...
ALL religions at one time or another have been corrupt and in the hands of evil people. What happens to all religions. The deciding factor was simply a subjective belief of 'we're the good guys'.
Don't get me wrong, I think we are at war. I think the radicals Jihadists are out to get us. I have no pie in the sky belief that more blood won't be shed.
I also know what it's like to be at the mercy of those who thought they had god in their back pocket. I'd also rather encourage change within the religion, the culture, the countries. Otherwise, we're them.
Step away from the emotions and think about this.
We all lose if we beomce them.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.