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Making Islam illegal -- is it the West's only choice?
Renew America ^ | 2/19/2006 | Warner Todd Huston

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.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: islam; muslim; sharia; wot; yes
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To: MineralMan

". . . can be arrested, tried, and convicted as well."

Your word, an "idea" could be substituted for the element "intent". A crime is a joint union of intent and act. This is the type of thinking that led some old Bolshie to say of us, "We will sell them the rope that we will hang them with."
I have to get back to work, but let me say that I think you `oldsters' are living an illusion, in the past . . .
Oh, back to our laws, convicting and putting away these maniacs, these people I mean--sorry!--in jail.
You mean like Al-Arian?
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/009322.php

have a good one. back to the salt mine for me.


341 posted on 02/20/2006 9:57:31 AM PST by tumblindice (Libertarian thread in progress)
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To: silentreignofheroes

"Wonder how much of Our Tax Money helped in just the construction in this photo?"

In Dubai? Probably not much. It's a huge global business center. Money flows like water there. Go look up Dubai on the web.


342 posted on 02/20/2006 9:57:48 AM PST by MineralMan (godless atheist)
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To: MineralMan

I'll do that.


343 posted on 02/20/2006 9:58:27 AM PST by silentreignofheroes (When the Last Two Prophets are taken there will be no Tommorrow!)
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To: silentreignofheroes

"The K doesn't need Police protection..The Klan you see doesn't represent the Klan that is."

Yes...yes...I'm sure those Klan folks are everywhere. Feh!


344 posted on 02/20/2006 9:59:26 AM PST by MineralMan (godless atheist)
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Comment #345 Removed by Moderator

Comment #346 Removed by Moderator

To: Austin Willard Wright
Let's stop giving our tax money to the Shi'te ruling government of Iraq and the Afghan government (normally praised uncritically here) which (again using our tax dollars) have called for suppression of the cartoons...

But cutting off Islamists from American taxpayer dollars would destroy our nation-building plans for the region. Being anti-nation-building these days is downright ......anti-Republican!

347 posted on 02/20/2006 10:01:19 AM PST by Mr. Mojo
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To: Javelina; Freedom_no_exceptions

Bullseye, both of you.


348 posted on 02/20/2006 10:03:37 AM PST by Mr. Mojo
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To: Danrec
How about banning Wahabism (sp) because of its radical interpretation of the Koran. If we can ban the KKK, so we can ban Wahabies. No damage to the Constitution.

Hmmmmmmmmmm. That might just work...

349 posted on 02/20/2006 10:05:18 AM PST by null and void (That 12 jurors can overturn the leviathan of "The Law" strikes fear into statists across this nation)
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To: Mr. Mojo

LOL The contradictions is quite interesting. One minute conservatives praise "free" Iraq and Afghanistan (even though both have agitated against the cartoons) and then next they ponder banning Islam.


350 posted on 02/20/2006 10:05:30 AM PST by Austin Willard Wright
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To: MineralMan
There are some distinct differences in this comparison of the (past)Klan to the current Islamofascists. The Klan was planning on letting the country stay intact with the same religion. Yes they were a major threat to minorities but the Islamics want to completely change our infrastructure or religion along with all the minorities and the majorities included.

In addition, they won't have family members here telling them to STFU like our families would tell us if we were doing something really stupid. Ridicule will not have the same effect.

Laws will only go so far to protect the citizens against private jihads..just as in the old days of the Klan. That is why I say as a first measure we need to keep their numbers down on our shores somehow (legally).

351 posted on 02/20/2006 10:05:40 AM PST by Earthdweller ("West to Islam" Cake. Butter your liberals, slowly cook France, stir in Europe then watch it rise.)
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To: MineralMan
"The big difference is that islam still enforces every call for beheading, every call for amputation, every call for stoning."

Not in the United States of America they aren't.

Nope. Not yet, but given the track record they will as soon as they have a plurality.

352 posted on 02/20/2006 10:07:56 AM PST by null and void (That 12 jurors can overturn the leviathan of "The Law" strikes fear into statists across this nation)
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To: mysterio
The First Amendment prohibits this.

Wrong. We allow no other religion to survive that infringes on that basic human right....Life.

The First Amendment does not apply to those religions that kill in the name of that religion and this religion teaches killing and enslavement. The First Amendment does not mean we can not protect ourselves from killers and those who want to take away our freedoms just because they label themselves a religion. We have made that distinction throughout our history.

It is sort of hard to have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness when you next door neighbor is plotting with his fellows at the local mosque to slit our throats, or to kill our kids at the local school so that we do not have a next generation.

It is the governments job to protect us from outside and inside enemies, forces that wish to take away our freedoms. The only way to accomplish this, with the threat we are now under, is to get rid of it at the source...the teachings....the koran. Islam must go.

353 posted on 02/20/2006 10:08:00 AM PST by Lady Heron
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To: wvobiwan
"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.

I have yet to hear one, only one American muslim say that the Koran is wrong or they don't agree with it. Never have I heard them refute the command that infidels must be killed. Silence by any muslim, even an American muslim, on the call to murder any and all nonbelievers is agreeing with and accepting this command as OK.

The Koran teaches it's allowable to lie and deceive to gain final victory. The Koran needs to have a "New Testament" that removes all that killing and murder bull*hit or things will never change.

354 posted on 02/20/2006 10:08:54 AM PST by GlennLivett (Insula est scelestus interficio monastica quod Mohammed est abbas of totus monachus quod volutabrum.)
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To: MineralMan
300+ posts and still not a single reference to Shinto? We already have practiced experience where a religion became the basis of government (Japan) making war against the US. And this included actions taken against the enemy and aliens/citizens residing inside our borders - both during and after the cessation of hostilities (eg MacArthur's occupation).

The question is not whether there are 1b or 150m practitioners - we do not guage our decision to respond depending on the size of the enemy - we merely guage our 'type' of response.

Ultimately, the only thing that matters is the preservation of the Constitution: Lincoln, Wilson and FDR all faced up to situtations where certain liberties had to be suspended in defense of our country.

When it comes to dealing with Islam, we have already have an established track record in which a conservative SC will reference.

355 posted on 02/20/2006 10:09:09 AM PST by lemura
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To: Wombat101
Excellent! You are absolutely correct. I'd say 'The War on Terror' is a bit of a misnomer as well. What's happening now is not the war on terror (there have been many terrorist movements but we never needed a 'War' against them), it's just a war. So far it's sort of like The Cold War, just much closer to the West. To win it while it's still 'cold' it has to be fought on all levels, including religious an ideological ones. We look particularly weak on the ideological side of the conflict - we are still in denial.
356 posted on 02/20/2006 10:09:26 AM PST by aliquis
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To: MineralMan

What does Feh mean? and no,not everywhere.


357 posted on 02/20/2006 10:10:03 AM PST by silentreignofheroes (When the Last Two Prophets are taken there will be no Tommorrow!)
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To: Dark Skies

There is a word too many choose to ignore: SEDITION.
Islam plainly, and openly, declares that it supersedes all government authority and recognizes no laws other than its own. It also seeks the overthrow of all authority other than Islam and the submission of all to its laws.
If that isn't seditious I don't know what is.
It's the term 'religion' that Islam is erroneously protected by in the Constitution. IT may call itself that-but we do not have to agree-especially considering what it is on paper-vs- what it really is.
Refuse to recognize it as a 'religion' and it becomes just another cult of destructive ideas and people.
The Constitution is being threatened BY Islam alright, but not in making Islam illegal. It is threatened by allowing Islam- which by its doctrine CANNOT and WILL NOT be subject to the Constitution- to exist in this country as anything other than a seditious,violent,dangerous cult.
How long its been around doesn't matter. Age should not protect it, nor should semantics.


358 posted on 02/20/2006 10:10:13 AM PST by ClearBlueSky (Whenever someone says it's not about Islam-it's about Islam. Jesus loves you, Allah wants you dead!)
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To: Wormwood
If most of the six+ million American Muslims were tacit or active terrorists, Main Street USA would look like Fallujah.

Fallujah has a majority population of møøslimbs. That's all it takes.

359 posted on 02/20/2006 10:10:40 AM PST by null and void (That 12 jurors can overturn the leviathan of "The Law" strikes fear into statists across this nation)
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Comment #360 Removed by Moderator


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