Posted on 06/25/2008 1:01:49 PM PDT by Righting
American School Books Redefine 'Jihad' to Exclude Violence -- Where is Media?
In yet another example of why the west could be too weak to fight the sort of global terrorism that takes the form of Islamofascism, a textbook monitoring group is charging that American textbooks have been cleansed of mentioning the violence inherent in the Islamic "Jihad." Now, our children will not be taught what "Jihad" truly means, nor that it has been used as an excuse to kill their fellow citizens because our schools have sanitized Islam of all outrage and violence. Will the media follow this story and report that our children are being exposed to Islamic propaganda like this?
According to the New York Examiner, the American Textbook Council reports that textbooks approved for middle and high schools students have caved in to a politically correct cleansing of Islam and dumbed down history critical to a fuller understanding of Muslim history -- one that reflects on our own times.
"Textbook editors try to avoid any subject that could turn into a political grenade," wrote Gilbert Sewall, director of the council, who railed against five popular history texts for "adjust[ing] the definition of jihad or sharia or remov[ing] these words from lessons to avoid inconvenient truths."
According to Sewall, several new textbooks, such as Houghton Mifflin's "Across the Centuries," have gone through an "amazing cultural reorchestration" to erase the history of violence associated with the word "jihad."
Sewall fears that a political process has replaced an academic process where it concerns the production and approval of our textbooks.
Sewall's report blames publishing companies for allowing the influence of groups like the California-based Council on Islamic Education to serve throughout the editorial process as "screeners" for textbooks, softening or deleting potentially unflattering topics within the faith.
"Fundamentally I'm worried about dumbing down textbooks," he said, "by groups that come to state education officials saying we want this and that - and publishers need to find a happy medium."
Sewall is correct, of course, but it isn't just a whitewashing of the violence inherent in the history of Islam that has infected our textbooks. For years the books our children are exposed to have seen our own history erased from their pages.
Naturally, Islamic groups decry Sewall's concerns claiming he is wrong that "jihad" is necessarily defined by violence. In the textbook, "jihad" is defined as a struggle "to do one's best to resist temptation and overcome evil."
Islamic scholar Reza Aslan agrees with the definition. "But that is, literally, the translation of jihad," he said. He added that violence is in the interpretation, not really the definition.
"How you interpret [jihad] is based on whatever your particular ideology, or world viewpoint, or even prejudice is," Aslan said. "But how you define jihad is set in stone."
Strictly speaking, Mr. Aslan is correct. However, to leave the definition of jihad at that would be dishonest. After all, jihad has been used to excuse violence for nearly as long as the word has been in existence. Even if, strictly speaking, the word itself does not necessarily portend violence, to ignore that is has been used that way for generations is a misreading of history. And by leaving that real, true history out of their books textbook manufacturers do a disservice to our children.
Further, when violent jihad is the prime motivation in a day when it is used to kill Americans by the thousands is dangerous in the extreme and leaves our future generations vulnerable. To bring our children up to be caught unawares by the truth because of the sanitized, nonsense they are taught is self-defeating and will more easily lead to the success of radical jihadis everywhere.
Another question needs to be raised about this, as well. Where is the national media to highlight this discussion? We need a national debate that has been denied the nation and the media has so far run away as quickly as they can from the vexing and important questions of the fight between civilization and murderous Islamofascism.
Like the dumbing down of our textbooks, the media has added to this national amnesia and put us all in danger.
Wondering how the government school defenders will defend this?
Islamic radicals’ lobby CAIR,is ruining our clarity language!
The following is adapted from Dr. Peter Hammonds book: Slavery, Terrorism and Islam: The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat:
Islam is not a religion nor is it a cult. It is a complete system.
Islam has religious, legal, political, economic and military components. The religious component is a beard for all the other components.
Islamization occurs when there are sufficient Muslims in a country to agitate for their so-called religious rights.
When politically correct and culturally diverse societies agree to the reasonable Muslim demands for their religious rights, they also get the other components under the table. Heres how it works (percentages source CIA: The World Fact Book (2007)).
As long as the Muslim population remains around 1% of any given country they will be regarded as a peace-loving minority and not as a threat to anyone. In fact, they may be featured in articles and films, stereotyped for their colorful uniqueness:
United States Muslim 1.0%
Australia Muslim 1.5%
Canada Muslim 1.9%
China Muslim 1%-2%
Italy Muslim 1.5%
Norway Muslim 1.8%
At 2% and 3% they begin to proselytize from other ethnic minorities and disaffected groups with major recruiting from the jails and among street gangs:
Denmark Muslim 2%
Germany Muslim 3.7%
United Kingdom Muslim 2.7%
Spain Muslim 4%
Thailand Muslim 4.6%
From 5% on they exercise an inordinate influence in proportion to their percentage of the population.
They will push for the introduction of halal (clean by Islamic standards) food, thereby securing food preparation jobs for Muslims. They will increase pressure on supermarket chains to feature it on their shelves along with threats for failure to comply. ( United States ).
France Muslim 8%
Philippines Muslim 5%
Sweden Muslim 5%
Switzerland Muslim 4.3%
The Netherlands Muslim 5.5%
Trinidad &Tobago Muslim 5.8%
At this point, they will work to get the ruling government to allow them to rule themselves under Sharia, the Islamic Law. The ultimate goal of Islam is not to convert the world but to establish Sharia law over the entire world.
When Muslims reach 10% of the population, they will increase lawlessness as a means of complaint about their conditions ( Paris car-burnings). Any non-Muslim action that offends Islam will result in uprisings and threats ( Amsterdam - Mohammed cartoons).
Guyana Muslim 10%
India Muslim 13.4%
Israel Muslim 16%
Kenya Muslim 10%
Russia Muslim 10-15%
After reaching 20% expect hair-trigger rioting, jihad militia formations, sporadic killings and church and synagogue burning:
Ethiopia Muslim 32.8%
At 40% you will find widespread massacres, chronic terror attacks and ongoing militia warfare:
Bosnia Muslim 40%
Chad Muslim 53.1%
Lebanon Muslim 59.7%
From 60% you may expect unfettered persecution of non-believers and other religions, sporadic ethnic cleansing (genocide), use of Sharia Law as a weapon and Jizya, the tax placed on infidels:
Albania Muslim 70%
Malaysia Muslim 60.4%
Qatar Muslim 77.5%
Sudan Muslim 70%
After 80% expect State run ethnic cleansing and genocide:
Bangladesh Muslim 83%
Egypt Muslim 90%
Gaza Muslim 98.7%
Indonesia Muslim 86.1%
Iran Muslim 98%
Iraq Muslim 97%
Jordan Muslim 92%
Morocco Muslim 98.7%
Pakistan Muslim 97%
Palestine Muslim 99%
Syria Muslim 90%
Tajikistan Muslim 90%
Turkey Muslim 99.8%
United Arab Emirates Muslim 96%
100% will usher in the peace of Dar-es-Salaam the Islamic House of Peace theres supposed to be peace because everybody is a Muslim:
Afghanistan Muslim 100%
Saudi Arabia Muslim 100%
Somalia Muslim 100%
Yemen Muslim 99.9%
Of course, thats not the case. To satisfy their blood lust, Muslims then start killing each other for a variety of reasons.
Before I was nine I had learned the basic canon of Arab life. It was me against my brother; me and my brother against our father; my family against my cousins and the clan; the clan against the tribe; and the tribe against the world and all of us against the infidel. Leon Uris, The Haj
It is good to remember that in many, many countries, such as France, the Muslim populations are centered around ghettos based on their ethnicity. Muslims do not integrate into the community at large. Therefore, they exercise more power than their national average would indicate.
We won't, but we are smart enough to realize that just because it needs repair, doesn't mean you throw the baby out with the bathwater.
O you who believe! Take your precaution, then go forth in detachments or go forth in a body. - Koran, Surah IV: 71.
And fight with them until there is no more persecution and religion should be only for Allah. - Koran, Surah VIII: 39.
"Allah is its goal, the Prophet its model, the Qur'an its Constitution, Jihad its path and death for the case of Allah its most sublime belief." - Hamas Charter, official slogan, Article 8.
"Jihad becomes a duty binding on all Muslims.... We must spread the spirit of Jihad among the [Islamic] Umma, clash with the enemies and join the ranks of the Jihad fighters.... I indeed wish to go to war for the sake of Allah! I will assault and kill, assault and kill, assault and kill." - Hamas Charter, Article 15.
"The Muslim women have a no lesser role than that of men in the war of liberation; they manufacture men.... raising the children upon the moral concepts and values which derive from Islam; and of educating their sons to observe the religious injunctions in preparation for the duty of Jihad awaiting them." - Hamas Charter, Articles 17&18.
"Praise be to Allah, who revealed the Book, controls the clouds, defeats factionalism, and says in His Book: "But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the pagans wherever ye find them, seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war)"; and peace be upon our Prophet, Muhammad Bin-'Abdallah, who said: I have been sent with the sword between my hands to ensure that no one but Allah is worshipped, Allah who put my livelihood under the shadow of my spear and who inflicts humiliation and scorn on those who disobey my orders." - Shaykh Usamah Bin-Muhammad Bin-Ladin, Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders, World Islamic Front Statement, 23 February 1998.
Islamic scholar Reza Aslan agrees with the definition. "But that is, literally, the translation of jihad," he said. He added that violence is in the interpretation, not really the definition.
What?! Is Reza claiming that the literal definition of jihad is "a struggle to do one's best" or is he just playing games? If they really wanted to be neutral, they would have said "a jihad is a struggle. Some interpret that as a personal struggle against drinking, indecency, whatever & others interpret it as an armed struggle against the infidel & the heretic." But no, they had to take it far & claim that jihad can only mean "to do one's best & overcome evil".
A look at jihad and the global jihad:
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/jihad
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/globaljihad
Of course there are other “jihads” that should be looked at, too.
ON THE INTERNET:
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/cartoonjihad
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/filmjihad
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/legaljihad
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/soccerjihad
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/footballjihad
There are studies about jihad one can look at on the internet.
http://www.memri.org/jihad.html
“Jihad and Terrorism Studies Project”
Yes, there is the global jihad connected together by the internet and supported by jihadis and carried out by jihadis:
Some groups like to use the word “jihad” to identify their group(s):
Jihad is often spelled like this J-i-h-a-d.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=jihad&search_sort=video_date_uploaded
Jihad can be spelled different ways, too.
Here is just one example:
“Jihaad”
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=jihaad&search_sort=video_date_uploaded
After looking at “jihad” on the internet since 9-11; one can see that probably a simple term for jihad is “holy struggle.”
Now, I have 10 pounds that I gain/lose, gain/lose.
I’m praying to God that I can permanently lose the 10 pounds.
This is my struggle, but it’s not jihad.
Even though I am praying about; it’s not a “holy struggle.”
That’s the end of our studies today on “Jihad.”
...and as we say on The Threat Matrix on FreeRepublic.com: “Jihad — another day.”
Shouldn’t somebody be teaching this to the Muslims who are running around killing people?
U.S.-Funded Arab TV Channel Slams Israel
CBS | June 19, 2008
Posted on 06/20/2008 3:23:08 PM PDT by Mr. Mojo
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2034103/posts
I hate to say it but I think the west is doomed. Europe will fall first but we won’t be far behind.
What an interesting statistic.
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.