The Philosopher of Islamic Terror

NY Times Magazine ^ | 23 March 2003 | PAUL BERMAN

[homeagain balkansvet]

Comrades, I've just gotten through Paul Berman's long article on Sayyid Qutb, the "philospher of Al Qaida," a review of his masterwork, "In the Shade of the Quran", the seminal work and the intellectual source of the Al Qaida worldview. I've provided excerpts above, but the full article is well worth reading. (*** indicates major 'snips').

[EaglesUpForever]

This was posted already, but you've done a great job of pulling out the high points so this merits the new thread. A great article, helps us see the sickness we are up against.

[homeagain balkansvet]

The problem we're up against is that the only way to counter Qutb is to look him and all of Qaida straight in the eye and say: "The problem here is that in spite of the best intentions and the desire for goodness of Islamic believers world wide, you have placed your faith in a prophet who spoke without Divine authority. You have built your palace on sand." And that which is built on sand will collapse when the quake comes.

[Pyro7480]

Posted already here: Philosopher of Islamic Terror

[ccmay]

this trip to America is pictured as a ghastly trauma, mostly because of America's sexual freedoms

WHAT? In the 1940's? Come on, those were the days when you had to buy the cow before you got any milk! Women wore skirts below their knees. What in the world could have caused such 'ghastly' trauma to the poor little Muslim wacko?

-ccm

[homeagain balkansvet]

The fact that women could read and divorce and that they had all their teeth--not to mention their, ahem, private parts. This bastard was a *cave man*.

[InterceptPoint]

It was an impossible vision -- a vision that was plainly going to require a total dictatorship in order to enforce: a vision that, by claiming not to rely on man-made laws, was going to have to rely, instead, on theocrats, who would interpret God's laws to the masses. The most extreme despotism was all too visible in Qutb's revolutionary program. That much should have been obvious to anyone who knew the history of the other grand totalitarian revolutionary projects of the 20th century, the projects of the Nazis, the Fascists and the Communists.

And so you see the natural and predictable affinity between the Islamic extremists and the world's left wing socialists including the (extreme) current leadership of the Democratic Party.

This is just the "Dictatorship of the Proletariat" Islamic style. It is the inevitable result of imposing an eqalitarian system of governing that attempts to force uniformity of behavior, sharing of wealth and the "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need" philosophies on any human society. It doesn't work, it never will and is the father of the greatest human suffering in history imposed on the world by the Stalins, Maos and Hitlers of the world. The achievement of an Islamic World would require the destruction of 100's of millions of people. Not a world I want to live in.

[homeagain balkansvet]

Not a world I want to live in.

Nor I. But don't worry; they'd see to it that you, and I, didn't.

[rdb3]

Fellaz, for your ping lists, please.

Qutb's "Milestones"

Young, American, cocky, and black. Don't like it? Sounds like a personal problem to me.

[Sabertooth]

You got it, sir.

((((((growl)))))

[knews_hound]

Also see the preview that Pyro7480 posted as part of his paper on this subject where this was perviously posted as pointed out in post 4.

I found it equally as intresting, if less verbose.

I am officially asking Pyro7480 to post it as an article on its own.

Cheers

knews hound

[Diogenez]

Qtib notes with accuracy that man, especially modern man without recourse to the sense of respect and wholeness of his existence that many religions provide, is increasingly alienated.

The error of a Qtib as seer is that he relies on what began as a search for spiritual wholeness but progressed to rabid and often bloody meglomania. It is absurd to believe that Judaism was not and is not Messianic, and right or wrong, that God did not promise to bring the Jews eventually back to himself.

[FITZ]

Under shariah, no one was going to be forced to obey mere humans. Shariah, in Qutb's view, meant ''the abolition of man-made laws.''***

Some of this does help you understand the Muslim-mindset. They believe countries like the US have man-made laws and their own follow allah's laws. They do want peace but only believe peace can exist once everyone is living under the same law --shariah law. Until then they are justified in war.

[Valin]

Ah but American/western women could talk to a man, walk down the street, drive a car, live by themselves, dance the jitter-bug! Compare that to the way woman live in many Islamic countries and you can understand his culture shock.

"Wacko" would be a good way to put it.
For what it's worth there is an ongoing debate in the Islamic world asking them selves, "If we're following the true god why are we so poor and backward?"

[tet68]

Excellent post, very interesting although the circular logic
of Islam gets boring rather like reading the URANTIA book or any cult tract.

Look for a copy of J.J.G Jansen's "the unfulfilled duty"
The Al-Faridah al-Gai'bah.
the creed of Sadats Assassins.
Just the next logical step from the Muslem Brothers of the Nasser era.

[homeagain balkansvet]

For what it's worth there is an ongoing debate in the Islamic world asking them selves, "If we're following the true god why are we so poor and backward?"

Which is the key question. The answer of which is: 1) "the Satanic West and the Great Satan are keeping our Great Culture from dominating the world like it should."

OR.

2) "We're a bunch of fools who believe in a false religion, and our entire civilization is based on a lie."

Tough call, that.

[LiteKeeper]

bump - read later

[snopercod]

Plato was the philosoper that made all Eastern religions possible.

Aristotle believed that reality actually exists - Plato didn't. Plato wrote that what we experience is a mere shadow of the "real world". Plato is the root of all evil, philosophically speaking.

Aristotle is the philopher of the West.

[Valin]

or
3) What can we do to reform our religion to bring us into the modern world?

[tet68]

3) What can we do to reform our religion to bring us into the modern world?

That one doesn't seem to be under consideration at present.