I AM APPALLED at the ignorance and naiveté of Westerners relating to Islam. Ideologically driven neophytes can be found mostly in academic, political, media and liturgical circles near the publicly-funded feeding trough where they enjoy a disproportionate vocal presence.
These vocal few provide Americans with inaccurate, incomplete or false information we use to come to the debate. Few venture beyond CNN, The Associated Press or Reuters to see what is really going on. State-sponsored media knows this and is successful at controlling the issue.
This was clear in the last presidential election. High profile individuals like George Bush and his successor, Barack Obama, extol the virtues, peaceful nature and wonderful contributions Islam has made to this country. I realize we need the oil and I know diplomatically they must say these things to appear friendly. There is only one problem: They are not truthful.
From elementary school, on through high school and college, students are fed a constant diet of sanitized, doctored and airbrushed nonsense. This could be no clearer than the presentations of the world’s great religions, Islam in particular. Seldom will a textbook mention the deterioration of human rights women’s rights, and the economic, educational and agricultural downturns as Islam works its way into the fabric of civil and governmental structure.
The majority of Muslims do not subscribe to the radical demands of the Taliban, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, Hamas, Fatah, Muslim Brotherhood, etc. But 88 million out of 1.3 billion do, as evidenced by terror in Somalia, India, New York, Pakistan, Egypt, Brazil, Turkey, Madrid, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Scotland, London, Indonesia, etc. It only takes a few to cause a mess.
I have put together a quiz, probably not one you would get in Comparative Religion or World History class:
What great religion originated the term “jihad,” which means a permanent holy war against non-Muslims?
What great religion since the mid-600s persecuted, executed, tortured, taxed, enslaved, beheaded and, more recently, bombed those who do not subscribe to their faith?
Under the banner of what great religion, are men and, mostly, women buried up to their waists in dirt and stoned to death?
What great religion permits and encourages the beating of a wife (with limits)?
What great religion permits public flogging for a woman who shows too much skin?
What great religion forces a divorce if one of the spouses defects from the faith?
What great and peaceful religion orders the killing of any individual who attempts to mock or draw a caricature of the Prophet Mohammed or question the veracity of the Koran?
What great religion promises 72 awaiting virgins in paradise for a young man to strap a bomb to himself and take as many innocent lives with him as he can?
What great religion allows the killing of a relative because they have dishonored the family by converting, leaving the faith or simply walking down the street with someone other than a designated family member?
What great religion permits fathers and grandfathers to have unfettered sexual access to their children and grandchildren based on a twisted interpretation of property rights?
What great religion still permits female genital mutilation?
What great religion teaches that deception is appropriate when it furthers their cause?
Under the banner of what great religion has Iran executed more people other than China, and executed more juveniles than any other country? (One-hundred-forty minors are on death row).
Under the cover of what great religion has Iran imprisoned more journalists than any other country?
Under the banner of what great religion is incitement to the genocide of the Jewish people and the nation of Israel standard fare?
Under what great religion is wearing a cross or Star of David rewarded with arrest or imprisonment?
Under what great religion does the U.S. hold the title, “The Great Satan”?
What great religion systematically defaces, destroys and builds over historical and archeological sites to remove any reminder of their existence (particularly Christian and Jewish sites)?
America, do your homework before we have a mosque on every street corner.
