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| ON THE OTHER HAND |
| Fundamentalism
By Antonio C. Abaya Written on Sept 12, 2006 For the Standard Today, September 13, 2006 In the many articles that I have written in the past five years, I have placed much of the blame for the escalating tensions in the world today on the foreign policies of the US, in particular its policy of unquestioning support for the state of Israel as that state interacted with its hostile Arab neighbors. Historically, I have been supportive of Israel myself and I have generally admired the Jews for their intellectual brilliance in almost every field of human creativity. But ever since Ariel Sharon became prime minister in February 2001, the Israelis have been pursuing a hard-line policy towards the Palestinians that has exacerbated their conflict with the Arabs. By sheer bad luck, the rise to power of Sharon in Israel was duplicated in almost lock-step fashion in Washington DC by the assumption to the presidency in January 2001 of George W. Bush, accompanied by his neo-conservative cabal led by Dick Cheney, who became his vice-president, and Donald Rumsfeld, who became his defense secretary. This is not to say that before 2001 there was peaceful co-existence between Jews and Arabs, or between Christians and Muslims. Far from it. The conflict between Christianity and Islam has been alternately simmering and flaming up since the 8th century AD, when the Moors of North Africa invaded Spain and Portugal and occupied much of Iberia until their last armies were driven out in 1492. In the meantime, the Crusades from the 11th to the 13th centuries pitted Christian armies from Europe (mostly from France and Germany ) against the Saracens and sought to dislodge the Muslims from Biblical lands considered sacred to Christianity. But, except for a 100-year hiatus when the Crusaders captured and held Jerusalem � which they named the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem - most of their efforts ended in failure. The 14th century saw the rise of the Ottoman Turkish Empire which conquered most of the Middle East as well as the southeastern part of Europe . The Ottoman Turks captured Constantinople in 1453, and almost captured Vienna in 1529. The defeat of this empire by the British in 1917 during the First World War directly led to the present confrontation when millions of Jews, their ancestors driven out of Judea by the Romans in 70 AD, started to return to Zion, at first in trickles, then in floods after the Second World War, displacing the Palestinians whose ancestors had settled in after the Jews had been driven out. The conflict is no longer just based on land but has spread to religion and the political concept of the nation-state. American support for the recognition of the state of Israel in 1948 � with the Philippines casting the decisive vote in the United Nations � has galvanized Arab and Muslim public opinion against US Middle East policies, Successive wars between Israel and its Arab neighbors � 1948, 1956, 1967 and 1973 � saw the defeat and humiliation of numerically superior Arab armies in the hands of smaller but technologically and tactically adept Israeli forces, which enjoyed US materiel, intel input and geopolitical support, thus dragging the US into the fray.. The rise of Islamic fundamentalism in the modern era � which could be traced to the birth of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt in the 1920s � added an emotional dimension to the conflict. The triumph of the Iranian Revolution under Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979 and the establishment of a theocracy in Tehran gave Islamic fundamentalism a physical face to which Muslims around the world could emotionally relate to. The Soviet invasion and occupation of Afghanistan , from 1979 to 1989, provided the battleground to which Islamic militants around the world, including the Philippines , could send volunteer fighters to, to translate their religious militancy into actual physical combat against the hated infidels. It was in the anti-Soviet struggle in Afghanistan that Osama bin Laden first organized his mujahedin, ironically with the support of the American CIA. But it took some time before the world took cognizance of this development. I recall being invited by President Ramos in February 1995 to join him in a flying visit to Zamboanga City . During the flight in an executive jet, I gave a briefing to President Ramos and then Defense Secretary Renato de Villa on the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and the return home of battle-tested veterans of the anti-Soviet Afghan war � collectively known as �Afghans� � there to become the core groups of militant fundamentalists, in Algeria, in Egypt, in Pakistan, etc, in their war against secular Muslim governments.. I warned that Filipino �Afghans� would do the same here. I was assured by Pres. Ramos that everything was under control, but the day after we left Zamboanga, the airport terminal there was bombed, by a group headed by one of the Janjalani brothers, who was an �Afghan.� In November 1997, I was invited to join in the discussions known as the Gwinganna Forum, an intellectual pow-wow held annually by the University of New South Wales in Australia and a university in China , between Australian and Chinese academics. Held alternately in Australia or China , it was in 1997 held in Manila , which is why several of us Filipinos were invited to join. During the first plenary session, the facilitator welcomed suggestions from the floor on what topics should be included in the open-ended forum. While others suggested poverty, the environment, trade issues, etc, I was the only one who suggested Islamic fundamentalism as a major topic. In hindsight, I must say I am struck by the lack of foresight on the part of the Australians, considering that almost 100 of their countrymen and women would be killed in Bali barely five years later as a direct result of a phenomenon that they failed to recognize in 1997. As I wrote in my article Islam versus Christianity (Sept. 06, 2002), the conflict between Islam and Christianity, which has been going on for at least 13 centuries, is exacerbated by the fact that the two are intrinsically missionary religions. Meaning, the followers of both religions fervently believe in the need to convert other people to their religious view. Corollary to this is the intense resentment that followers of one religion feel when they believe the other religion is trying to steal converts from their flock. Christians, for example, are not allowed to evangelize in Saudi Arabia or Iran . By contrast, Judaism and Hinduism are both ethno-centric religions and have very little appeal outside the Jewish and Vedic communities. Buddhism does not even have a God to get emotional or excited about, only a set of rules on how to live a noble life. A further complication in the relationship between Islam and Christianity is the different historical paths that each followed. Christianity also went through a prolonged period of intolerance, starting with the adoption of the Nicene Creed in the 4th century AD during the emperorship of Constantine the Great, when all other unofficial variations of Christian beliefs and practices were condemned as heretical and their adherents exterminated in their hundreds of thousands. The Spanish Inquisition, which was first set up in the 13th century, forced Muslims and Jews in Spain to convert to Christianity under pain of death, and required practitioners of Gnostic Christianity and other �heretics� to recant their errors, also under pain of death. Up to the 1930s, Protestants and other non-Catholics were not allowed to conduct public displays of their faith in Spain . But Christian fundamentalism eventually had to reinvent itself after the excesses of the religious wars between Protestants and Catholics in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. And the rise of the nation-state starting in the 18th century gradually educed the role of the Church in temporal affairs to virtually nothing. The separation of Church and State is now a universally accepted principle in Western (read Christian) political thought, giving rise to secular humanism as the alternative �religion.� The opposite seems to have happened in the development of Islam, where secularism is now considered the greatest evil and strict religious fundamentalism the highest good, including the use of sharia religious law as the basis for governance, a medieval concept being propagated everyday in tens of thousands of madrassas or religious schools, from Mindanao to Mauritania . In Islam versus Christianity, I had written: �Christianity may be said to be riding the up-escalator towards a secular image of the universe in which God is an existential option for each individual, while Islam may be said to be riding the down-escalator to the basement where Allah permeates everything, including the fast-food counters�As the two escalators cross each other, the two (riders) inevitably clash because each passionately believes that his escalator is going in the right direction, the one and only direction worth traveling in�..� And this provides the conflict point not only between Islamic fundamentalism and secularized Christianity, but also between Islam and the rest of the world. Witness the ongoing conflicts between Muslims and Buddhists (in Thailand ), between Muslims and Hindus (in India and Kashmir ), between Muslims and Orthodox Christians (in Chechnya ), between Muslims and Maronite Christians (in Lebanon ), between Muslims and Jews (in Israel and Palestine ), between Muslims and Christians (in Mindanao ). How are the people of the world going to learn to live in peace and harmony with each other when a major religion, claiming the loyalty of a quarter of the population of the planet, teaches its young people in the madrassas that it is not only their duty, but also their surest passport to Paradise, to kill non-believers? Can moderate Muslims please explain this? ***** Reactions to [email protected]. Other articles since 2001 in www.tapatt.org OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to �Fundamentalism� Dear Tony: Congratulations for this very enlightening column on fundamentalism, a phenomenon now underlying much of the conflict that bedevils mankind on a global scale. My sense is that this escalating conflict, fundamentally between Islam and Christianity, has already reached Samuel Huntington's predicted point where a "clash of civilizations" occurs. Mankind has reached "equinoxtime," and there is no turning back. There is a fundamental and qualitative difference between previous clashes and the present ongoing one: both sides now possess the ultimate weapons of mass destruction: nuclear bombs and the intercontinental ballistic missiles to deliver them. Is there a way out for humanity to avoid the dreaded apocalypse of a nuclear holocaust? The way the conflict is shaping up now, I have very serious doubts that there is. But, nevertheless, I continue to hope that those who now lead mankind on this perilous path will somehow come to their senses. Mariano Patalinjug, [email protected], Yonkers, New York, Sept. 14, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, What a brilliant piece, a tour de force, on this complex and complicated issue! There can be no one way of resolving the religious, historical, geo-political conflict that has been going on, as you say, for 13 centuries. I thought I should share this information there is a group that's trying to do something at least for the youth of peoples in this conflict. There is a site on this at http://www.seedsofpeace.org/site/PageServer?pagename=homepage. We can wish this group success, and hope others doing something to help abate the conflict--efforts we may not be aware of--will also meet with some measure of success. Many thanks for your article. Vic de Jesus, [email protected], Sept. 14, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, Your article "Fundamentalism" only confirms what I learned a long time ago, when I was only 16 years old (I am now 83!), which is that religion has been the most virulent idea ever conceived in the mind of man. My long life has helped me realize that religion has spilled enough blood to float the U. S. Navy. Sincerely, Carlos Esteban, Jr., [email protected], Sept. 14, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Thank you so much for this absolutely enlightening or educational article... We totally share your views... God bless you! Everything is precious because it is from God, and yet everything is relative � precisely because everything is precious only in relation to God." (P. Divarkar) Chris and Ramon Carrion, [email protected], Sept. 14, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww No religion seems to be not guilty of self preservation. Each has committed grave mistakes and surprisingly, continues to do so. No one is perfect - this aptly applies to all religions. And we talk about universality? Have faith - is all that remains. Cesar Sarino, [email protected], Sept 14, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww A brilliant treatise, a complex historic problem simply explained.. Pope Benedict XVI's speech yesterday in Austria on jihad and Christianity is worth reading too. Raffy Alunan, [email protected], Sept. 14, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww (Copy furnished of email sent to two egroups) 1. In terms of numbers killed, Israeli Jews have killed more Moslems than vice versa, like 10, perhaps as much as 20 to 1. The madrassas, it seems to me, are not very effective with their teaching methods compared to the Sunday schools, the Hebrew schools and the catechism classes. In addition, who has suffered most in terms of destruction in properties in the last 50 years in the Middle East? That's not of course even including the long period of imperialism, colonialism and exploitation by various Christian Western powers of Arabs, Moslems (and the expulsion and ethnic cleansing of Jews in England, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and in Germany with their own European Jews -- genocide!) and other infidels in the Middle East, in the so-called Undivided India, Africa, Indonesia, Philippines, parts of China and elsewhere in the previous 100 to 500 years. The war is still being waged in Islamic lands and not out here in America or elsewhere in the West where losses in life and property by terrorists are hardly comparable to those which Moslems are everyday subjected to. To me this is a case of blaming the victim who is rightfully fighting back for his land against forked-tongue conquerors who come bearing gifts of "democracy, liberty and freedom" whose main reasons for all the death and destruction there are in truth Israel, oil, and the advance provocative geostrategic positioning by the jealously competitive, paranoid and warmongering neo-cons and militarists to encircle China. This a preparation for a war with historically peaceful China who wants nothing but simply to trade and get rich. Can moderate Jews and Christians explain all this to me and disabuse me of my perhaps naive views? 2. And while at it, would they also please convince me that Zionism is not Jewish fundamentalism and that it is not the same as the Islamist and Christianist fundamentalists in their extremism and pious certitude. And why in so-called democratic Israel, it is illegal for Christians to evangelize? 3. Ironically, European Jews a k a Ashkenazi (Central European Khazars who converted to Judaism) which comprise perhaps 95% of all Jews and are the ones dominating Israel have no blood relationship with the original biblical Jews. Check out the book The Thirteenth Tribe , by Arthur Koestler Random House, 1976 New York or the reviews http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/13trindx.htm http://www.fantompowa.net/Flame/koestler_review.htm and about Koestler himself http://www.fantompowa.net/Flame/koestlerindex.htm Louie Fernandez, [email protected], Sept. 14, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww One of your most insightful and well-crafted essays...very educational...thank you for sharing it... Congratulations... I passed it on to many of my friends. ...I always enjoy your articles even when I don't necessarily agree with them - they're well-crafted, well- researched and most informative. Max Ricketts, [email protected], Sept. 14, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, Greetings from Madison Wisconsin. Your articles on this subject area are always enlightening. You help explain our current predicament correctly by analyzing historic facts that brought on the problem. There is much confusion in the minds of the West as to the mindset of the Islamic world. I think a look into the problem is simply that Moslems, in that part of the world particularly, see the U.S. presence there as an invasion, and that our talk of democratizing is an effort to destroy their cultural institutions (which it is). They extend their patriarchal family concept into the broader arena of government and need a strong leader. Allowing everyone to cast a vote to put a leader in breaches the system. Jack Sherman, [email protected], Sept. 15, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Thank you for another of your very elucidating articles. There have been many articles written on the subject but present-day rhetoric and the distorted view many Americans (and for that matter, many in the West) have of Islamism seem to suggest that the struggle to bridge the gap between the beliefs of an ancient rival and our Judeo-Christian beliefs will be long, arduous and irrational. But you write fairly and have always put the subject in proper perspective I find Bernard Lewis most relevant when he says in his book From Babel to Dragomans - Interpreting the Middle East : "The movement nowadays called fundamentalism is not the only Islamic tradition. There are others, more tolerant, more open, that helped to inspire the great achievements of Islamic civilization in the past, and we may hope that these other traditions will in time prevail. But before this issue is decided there will be a hard struggle, in which we of the West can do little or nothing. Even the attempt might do harm, for these are issues Muslims must decide among themselves (italics mine). And in the meantime, we must take great care on all sides to avoid the danger of a new era of religious wars , arising from the exacerbation of differences and the revival of ancient prejudices." And George W ? Sure, he brought to office his neo-cons, his swagger and irrelevance! Jess San Agustin, [email protected], LaPlace, Louisiana, Sept. 15, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, Thanks for this great article. I must confess I have very little knowledge of this part of history. If possible, can you send me a copy of Islam versus Christianity ( Sept. 06, 2002 ), article you wrote. Please note I am sharing your article with my brother-in-law Peter Weldon who I am sure will appreciate your article the same way I have. Ciao Jayjay Calero, [email protected], Sept. 15, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww (Forwarded) Dear JayJay, Thanks. What an interesting summary of a very complex situation. Have a nice day Franklin R. de Luzuriaga, Sept 15, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Gracias Tony, That was a good, clear presentation on historical events regarding the Muslim-Christian conflict as well as the US Bush administration in league with Israel's Sharon. Jaime Calero, [email protected], Sydney, Australia, Sept. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, At the end of the last paragraph of your above titled article- you asked "Can moderate Muslims please explain this? " Perhaps the question is better directed to the fundamentalist--- of any religion! Regards, Alexander �Plaridel� Po , [email protected], Sept 15, 2006 MY REPLY. What other major religion in the 21st century do you know that teaches its young people that a) it is their duty, and b) it is their surest passport to Paradise , to kill non-believers? wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, I am very much interested in propagating your views on the issue of Fundamentalism among Filipino expatriates in Australia . On 2 October 2006 , a big Filipino fiesta is scheduled here and we would distribute free our newspaper, Bayanihan News, to the Filipino-Australians and friends visiting the fiesta. It is estimated that about 10,000 Filipinos and their friends will again come to the whole day affair. I thought it is an opportunity for Filipinos to be exposed to such important issue of fundamentalism. Again, we would like to thank you for giving us permission before to reprint one of your important articles in our newspaper. I hope you would againl grant us this permission. By the way, we just published the latest compilation of articles written by Pura Santillan-Castrence who celebrated her 100th year birth anniversary last year. Writer F. Sionil Jose indorsed the publication and wrote a short blurb. I wish to send you your personal copy of Castrence's book, but I don't know where to send it. Could you provide us your postal address so that I could send you a copy of the book which is entitled 'As I See It: Filipinos and the Philippines .' Renato Perdon, [email protected], Editor, Filipino Section Bayanihan News, Sydney , Australia , Sept. 16, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, re your 9/13 article in the Manila Standard (on fundamentalism), nice job!! Here's a book to read on the subject of fundamentalism, and more broadly on religion itself. It is called: "The End of Faith", by Sam Harris. (I can only think of the lament of Ozymandias: "Look upon my works, ye mighty, and despair"). Amen, Regards, Frank Holz, [email protected], Sept. 16, 2006 . wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Sir: I am an avid follower/reader of your column in the Manila Standard because of your incisive analyses. As to your article yesterday, what a strange coincidence that former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger also warns of a possible war of civilizations. Philip Reyes, [email protected], Pasig City , Sept. 15, 2006 Excerpts:: In an opinion column in the Washington Post, the renowned foreign policy expert said the potential for a "global catastrophe" dwarfed lingering transatlantic mistrust left over from the Iraq war. "A common Atlantic policy backed by moderate Arab states must become a top priority, no matter how pessimistic previous experience with such projects leaves one," Kissinger wrote. "The debate sparked by the Iraq war over American rashness vs. European escapism is dwarfed by what the world now faces. "Both sides of the Atlantic should put their best minds together on how to deal with the common danger of a wider war merging into a war of civilizations against the background of a nuclear-armed Middle East ." Kissinger wrote that the big threat lay in the erosion of nation states and the emergence of transnational groups. Iran was at the centre of the challenge, he said, with its support for Hezbollah, radical Shiite groups in Iraq and its nuclear program. Washington must accept that many European nations were more optimistic about talks designed to convince Iran to halt uranium enrichment -- a process Tehran denies is aimed at making weapons, he wrote. But in return, he said, Europe should accept the process must include a "bottom line" beyond which diplomatic flexibility must not go and a time limit to ensure talks did not become a shield for "developing new assaults." In the article, Kissinger, national security adviser for former president Richard Nixon, and secretary of state for Nixon and his successor Gerald Ford, warned the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah was still dangerous, after its month-long conflict with Israel . "Hezbollah's next move is likely to be an attempt to dominate the Beirut government by intimidation and, using the prestige gained in the war, manipulating democratic procedures," he said. He concluded by noting that observers wondered whether, after the Cold War, trans-Atlantic ties could survive the loss of a common enemy. "We now know that we face the imperative of building a new world order or potential global catastrophe. It cannot be done alone by either side of the Atlantic . Is that realization sufficient to regenerate a common purpose?" wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, You write in your column "How are the people of the world going to learn to live in peace and harmony with each other when a major religion, claiming the loyalty of a quarter of the population of the planet, teaches its young people in the madrassas that it is not only their duty, but also their surest passport to Paradise, to kill non-believers? Can moderate Muslims please explain this?" Hence, in response to your challenge I give you a very simple and understandable article about Islam and Muslims that even a Grade 1 pupil can discern. I don't want to go into debates about religion because in the end you will still believe what you believe about Islam. Islam in the Qur'an says, to paraphrase "unto you, your religion and unto us our religion, which is Islam." I leave it up to God to guide those whom He wills, whether that path be Christianity for some of us and Islam for others and all other faiths and religions for the rest of humanity. After all, God in the Qur'an says, to paraphrase that "if He had willed it humanity would have been united as one (in religion), but that He made nations and tribes (and religions) so that we may know one another." Islam means submission to the will of God so we submit that God in his infinite wisdom did not choose to make all mankind as Muslims or Christians, Jews or Buddhists, etc. Ishak Mastura, [email protected], Sept. 16, 2006 We are Muslims. Who are we? Imam Tammam Adi Ph.D, Director of the Islamic Cultural Center, Eugene, Oregon explains basic Islamic beliefs and history for a non-Muslim audience. Beliefs. We are known as one of the three great Abrahamic faiths. Like Judaism and Christianity, our religion was founded by a descendant of Abraham. We believe in Moses and Jesus, the Torah and Gospel. We believe in the Ten Commandments. We believe in angels, in heaven and hell and the Day of Judgment, in the return of Jesus, in the books and messengers of God, and in predestination and free will. Some people think we have a different God because we use the Arabic language name for God, �Allah.� Whether we are Christians, Jews or Muslims, we all pray to the same God. To those of you who are Hindu, Buddhist, or any other faith, we share your love of God and all humanity. We believe God sent a messenger to every nation with the same message: Believe in one God and be fair to each other. We are taught that Islam is just the final brick in the house that God has built through his other prophets. One becomes a Muslim by declaring there is only one God (thus, no one should play God) and Mohammed is his messenger. Duties. We pray 5 times a day, pay a tax to help the needy, fast during the month of Ramadan, and make a pilgrimage to Mecca if we are able. Beginnings. In the year 610 C.E., the angel Gabriel appeared to a descendant of Abraham and Hagar. His name was Mohammed, a contemplative and respected citizen of the trading metropolis of Mecca. Mohammed could not read or write, but he listened carefully, and the messages from God, brought by the angel, were written down by others during the next 23 years of his life and later put together in a book called the Koran, in Arabic �The Reading.� The religion was called Islam, which, in Arabic means �submission to God, peace, safety, purity.� Followers were called Muslims. Both word were derived from the stem �salam.� The Islamic empire spread rapidly throughout the Middle East, all of North Africa, parts of Europe, Persia and as far as China. Those supporting freedom of speech and religion (such as India) joined the empire by treaties. Islamic teachings were later voluntarily accepted by many because they were simple and supportive of diverse culture and science. Muslims led a Golden Age of local rule and pluralism supporting science and culture in Baghdad, Cairo, Jerusalem, Damascus, and Spain for hundreds of years. Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians and Hindus lived together in peace. The Crusades. This holy war was stirred up in Europe and continued off and on for centuries. It was sparked when the Islamic rulers of Jerusalem attacked churches, prevented pilgrimage and persecuted Christians. The Church of Rome spread the idea that Muslims were infidels�godless. Muslims had violated the most fundamental Islamic principle of protection of religious freedom. And when Muslims started attacking churches in Spain, a brutal Inquisition destroyed the multicultural civilization there that had lasted for 8 centuries. Similarly, intolerant Baghdad was destroyed by Mongol invaders and the Ottoman Empire was carved up into artificial states after WWI. Dictatorships followed and continue until the present day throughout the Islamic world, sometimes supported by outside influence. Internal democracy movements are crushed. Many Muslims do not understand their religion well anymore. In unfree societies, one is not taught to think, only to hear and obey. Still, suicide bombings are condemned by all Muslims. The vast majority believe that political grievances should be resolved with demonstrations and fair fights which do not harm the innocent. Muslims see terror as sabotage of their just causes. Terrorists work for political ends. Muslims do not know who they are. They do not hang out in mosques and mix with us. Even Muslims who are very angry at America abhor terror and cannot be recruited into it. Tammam Adi Ph.D is the Director of the Islamic Cultural Center of Eugene, Oregon, USA. Originally from Syria, he is a computational linguist specializing in Arabic. A simple search in the internet would have revealed to you thousands of articles about the religion of Islam. Here is another article from a Christian Priest about Islam: Understanding Islam by Fr. Theodore Pulcini Muslims now constitute a significant minority in Western countries, most notably France, Britain, Germany, Canada, and the United States. Consequently, those in the West engaged in theological discourse and pastoral work can no longer consign Islam to the outer limits of their universe of religious concerns. Islam is no longer just "over there," an exotic feature of distant cultures; it is a well-established component of our own religious landscape and deserves attention from all who work to further the Reign of God in our culture. Having taught courses in Islamic civilization as part of the religious studies curriculum at both secular and church-related institutions, I can give ample testimony to the antagonistic images of Islam obtaining in, and actively perpetuated by, many Western circles. In some cases, it is alarmism that fuels the antagonism ("Muslims are taking over the world!"); in others, the indignation of post-modern Westerners who resent the very existence of a powerful religious tradition which seems to foster "unenlightened" values ("Islam is intolerant, it oppresses women, etc."). It is a situation fraught with the real possibility of bigotry and violence. As "people of religion," we can be particularly effective in shaping religious sentiment toward Muslims in our society. We can either stoke the fires of antagonism, feeding into the dominant societal trend of "demonizing" Islam and Muslims; or we can fight those fires, challenging people to come to a well-informed, balanced appreciation of this "other" in our midst. Most of us, I assume, would affirm the desirability of the latter option. I would like to offer a few suggestions as to how that option might be realized. First, expose the caricatures -- both our own and those of others. Such caricatures are usually based on the assumption that Islam is monolithic and that Muslim communities are homogeneous. Both assumptions are false. Just as there are many "Christianities," there are many "Islams" and most have very little to do with "Islamism," that militant, extremist fringe of Islam which, despite its claim to "traditionalism," actually violates such perennial Islamic values as tolerance, forbearance, hospitality, and broad-mindedness. A number of excellent resources can help you in this process -- see the attached reading list. All the recommended authors are Christians who have done much to dispel the rampant misinformation concerning Islam. Second, reflect on what underlies our tendency to caricature Islam. Many in the Christian world have thrown themselves headlong into the process of challenging the traditional shape of our society and want to eradicate the very memory of its "oppressive" structures. Modernity is uncomfortable with the demands of tradition. When Islam presents itself -- unabashedly, unashamedly -- as a traditional religion, i.e., as a religion based on the structures and values of a traditional cultural system, those who are shaped by secular culture wince. They are reminded of what our own communities once affirmed (and in some quarters, still do affirm) to be true and what was once imposed (and in some quarters, still is imposed) as obligatory. Moreover, I think many recognize, even if only reluctantly, that in dismantling the traditional shape of our religious life, in many ways our religious communities have been debilitated. Islam's vitality and self-confidence reminds us of what we have lost. In short, the growing strength of Islamic identity and the resurgence in Islamic practice only serve to underscore the progressive weakening of Christian identity and the steady diminishment of Christian practice in secularized Western societies. We resent Islam's newly found vitality because it draws attention to our present malaise. Third, appreciate the practical, external expressions of faith that typify Islamic life. We have much to learn in this regard from Islam. A few years ago even Pope John Paul II pointed to the Muslim fast during the month of Ramadan as an example of the kind of zeal and discipline Christians should, but today rarely do, bring to Lenten fasting. Islam also requires regular prayer -- at least five times a day for the observant Muslim. (While at the University of Pittsburgh, I would regularly chance upon a Muslim student in a quiet corner of a library "making salat" on a prayer rug.) How many Christians can claim to set aside time for prayer so regularly? Muslims must give alms (zakat), not just when they feel moved to do so but as a requisite part of their religious practice; year by year they return a certain percentage of their wealth to the community to even up the inequalities that separate the "haves" from the "have nots." Do we feel so obliged to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor in our communities? Islamic life requires pilgrimage, an experience now largely de-emphasized in modern Christian life. It requires bodily acts of worship like bowing and prostrating, gestures often dismissed as archaic to the "sophisticated" modern Christian. In short, for all of our talk of "incarnational" Christianity, we are becoming a religion less and less likely to enflesh our religious sentiments in external _expression. We stress thought and emotion over physicality, enforcing a kind of neo-Gnosticism that sees religion primarily as a "spiritual" sentiment, having little to do with bodily performance. This is, I would say, a most unfortunate trend. Islam reminds us of the need for physical religious enactment. Fourth, highlight the Islamic emphasis on community life and on the individual's accountability to community standards. As Christianity in the Western world becomes more atomized and Christian spirituality more privatized, Islam provides a strong testimony to the power of community. One of my Muslim students once remarked, "Wherever I go, whether in the Islamic world or outside it, even if I cannot find a local community of Muslims, I am always aware that I am part of a worldwide community. This is always at the forefront of my mind. It forges my whole identity. It guides my every action. The umma [Islamic community] gives me strength, and I willingly give it my loyalty." In a culture where commitment to religious community is becoming increasingly rare, and accountability of any sort (whether to a religious tradition or any other "authority") is seen almost as an infringement of personal rights, the communo-centric emphasis of Islam can seem somewhat archaic. It should, however, challenge us Christians in particular to revitalize our communal structures, even if that means drawing boundaries between ourselves and "the world," boundaries that have been blurred by encroaching secularization. In re-thinking our definition of religious communities and re-shaping the dynamics of life within them, we can learn some valuable lessons from the Muslim experience. Fifth, use dialogue with Islam as a way not only to increase our appreciation of the Islamic tradition but also to deepen our appreciation of the distinctive features of our own. Make no mistake about it: despite sizeable areas of "common ground," there is a wide theological chasm between Islam and Christianity. It was largely in reaction to an often distorted presentation of Christian doctrine that Islam formed its own doctrinal heritage. Islamic doctrine challenges us to embrace anew those facets of Christian theology which differentiate us from Muslims -- especially the mystery of the Trinity and the divine Sonship of Christ -- and then to find new and ever more insightful ways of articulating these dogmas. Simple repetition of traditional formulas usually does not suffice to foster greater understanding of Christianity among Muslims (or among Christians, for that matter)! In questioning the central Christian doctrines, Islam serves us well: it requires us to focus specifically on those distinctive beliefs that are constitutive of our view of God and the world and to find more effective ways of proclaiming and explaining them both to those within the "household of Christianity" and to those without. Sixth, and finally, make personal contact with Muslim communities and individuals. It is much more difficult to caricature people we know than those we keep at a distance. Call the local Islamic center and ask to be put on the mailing list. These centers often sponsor lectures of public interest; attend one and talk to members of the host community. Groups from the mosque and your church may want to exchange visits. Social service programs can provide opportunities for mosque and church to join together in a common cause. The possibilities for such encounters abound and, if realized, usually bear much good fruit. Conclusion: On their course evaluation forms, two students in my "Introduction to Islamic Civilization" wrote remarks that I found especially gratifying. The first wrote, "When I signed up for this course, I had nothing but disdain for Muslims; now I am actually able to see the beauty of their religion." The other wrote, "Studying Islam has made me better able to see what it means for me to say that I am Christian." These students articulated well what I consider the two main reasons for us to come to an appreciation of Islam. Doing so will enable us not only to affirm this important "other" in our midst and but also to clarify our own identity. [reprinted from In Communion issue 10, July 1997] Fr. Theodore Pulcini, a priest of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, is Assistant Professor of Religion at Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA 17013. His articles have appeared in Diakonia, The Journal of Ecumenical Studies, Church Divinity, Commonweal, and St. Vladimir's Theological Quarterly. His essay is reprinted from New Theology Review. Recommended reading: Cragg, Kenneth. The House of Islam. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1975 Denny, Frederick. W. An Introduction to Islam. 2nd ed. New York: Macmillan, 1994. Esposito, John. Islam: The Straight Path. Oxford University Press, 1991. Haddad, Yvonne Y., ed. The Muslims of America. Oxford University Press, 1991. and Adair T. Lummis. Islamic Values in the United States: A Comparative Study. Oxford University Press, 1987. Speight, R. Marston. God Is One: The Way of Islam. New York: Friends Press, 1989. To set the record straight regarding your misconception that Islam "teaches its young people in the madrassas that it is not only their duty, but also their surest passport to Paradise, to kill non-believers", below is a simple glossary of terminology in Islam including the quotation from the Qur'an about the sanctity of life: Let's set the record straight! Imam Tammam Adi Ph.D of the Islamic Cultural Center, Eugene, Oregon, tackles widespread misconceptions and stereotypes about Muslims and Islam and the sets out the reality. Allah: Just means God in Arabic, the same God we all worship. jihad: Often mistranslated "holy war," especially against the West, the more accurate Arabic meaning is "struggle." Jihad is the struggle to control one's lower instincts. Jihad also means to use a fair war to give a nation freedom of religion if all other means fail. Islam's main proclamation is "No compulsion in religion" Koran 2:255. The Afghani Mujahideen (those who do jihad) fought against the atheist Russians to keep their freedom of religion. Unfortunately, chaos ensued. extremism: "We made you a nation that should take the middle way in all its affairs before all humanity . . ." (2:143) "God does not love the excessive ones." (6:141) suicide "martyrdom": "Do not kill yourselves." ( 4:29). Self-killers are condemned to hell. Even killing oneself to end extreme pain is unacceptable. Some radical sects, considered non-Muslim by most, view suicide-killing as legitimate. martyrdom: A martyr (Arabic shaheed=witness) is somebody who dies as a witness for goodness or a witness against evil. A martyr testifies before God about the evil-doers that killed him/her and about the goodness his/her death creates in society. terrorism: The punishment for those who wreak havoc is extremely harsh (5:33-34). Terrorism has as little to do with Islam as burning a cross to terrorize a black family has to do with Christianity. Terrorism is often done by haters of Islam, peace and justice to sabotage good Muslims causes such as peace settlements, democracy movements and modernization. No Islamic teaching supports terrorism. on killing innocent people: "And do not kill the soul that God gave sanctity to except by law." ( 17:33) The Koran tells us that killing one person is like killing all humanity. family values: Husbands and wives serve each other. Muslim families cherish traditional family values and close relations with the extended family. Women may work and own businesses, but the husband alone has the duty to provide for the family. Children are expected to take care of their parents when they get old. treatment of women: Misinformation about this subject has fanned much of the hatred about Muslims. Here is what we are really taught: (1) Paradise is under the "feet" of the mother; (2) a good wife is half a man's religion, (3) men are ordered to "treat them in good ways," (Koran 4:19) and that, in the words of the Prophet Mohammed in his last sermon, (4) "the best of you is the one that is best to his wife." four wives: Islam was the first religion to limit the number of wives. But the taking of more than one wife was meant to happen only when there was social necessity, such as during war times when there were a large number of widows and orphans. A husband is required to treat each wife with absolute fairness and equality and to have only one wife if he doubts he can be fair. Polygamy is illegal in America and, according to Islam, Muslims are bound by American law. scarves for women: This is based on a verse in the Koran. "And let them spread their scarves over their shirt openings and not show their natural adornment . . ." (24:31) If Muslim women choose not to cover their head, there is no Islamic law punishing them or coercing them. Styles of dress are cultural and vary according to culture throughout the Islamic world. female genital mutilation: This is found in some African countries and is a very painful tribal practice passed down to the present day. It is not based on Islamic teaching. Many Muslim women, such as the wife of the late Anwar Sadat, are working hard to eliminate the practice. Deviations from the Islamic norm are cultural or political biases not based on Islam. Tammam Adi Ph.D is the Director of the Islamic Cultural Center of Eugene, Oregon, USA. Originally from Syria, he is a computational linguist specializing in Arabic. [email protected] I hope that these articles will encourage you to learn more about Islam, unless you don't want to know about it, which is fine because after all we are all human and we will all die then probably we will know the ultimate truth. The important thing is you believe in God, who will make you accountable for your deeds in this world in the hereafter and that you strive to do good because it is commanded of us, by all religions. I was a student of Christian theology, practically all my school life including at the Ateneo de Manila University, which offers both Catholic theology and philsophy and I always approached the study of religion with respect and understanding. Because ultimately, for the Muslim he believes in what God has said in the Qur'an that if God had willed it the whole of humanity would have been one (in religion), but that He made nations and tribes (and religions) so that we may know one another. I hope that I was able to satisfy your challenge and I pray that God may guide you to have serenity and peace of mind towards your fellow men including us "Muslims", who are as much flesh and blood and will be "dust to dust" as is the fate of all mankind and if one is a believer then God-willing one will meet his Maker. Best regards and Assalamu Alaikum (Peace be upon you). Cocoy wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww (The following article was emailed to us). GATORADE IS NOT THE PROBLEM By John Lonberry Undated Toiletries don�t commit acts of terrorism. Muslims do. So why can�t I take my toothpaste on the plane? How is it that Gatorade is forbidden? Why can�t I have a bottle of water? Because we aren�t really fighting a war with terror, we are losing a struggle with political correctness. It is not so much the evil of outsiders; it is the cowardice of Americans. The cowardice that won�t let us call a spade a spade, that makes us all live in an alternate reality, that puts survival secondary to servility. We are fighting World War III with one arm tied behind our back. Last week was a good example. A group of two or three dozen fascist Muslims in England and Pakistan plotted to blow up 10 or 12 passenger-laden airliners in transatlantic flight. The purpose was to celebrate and reprise the attacks of September 11. The means was the detonation of explosive liquids disguised as common liquids * like Gatorade or shampoo. The plot was discovered, followed and * hopefully * foiled by British intelligence with an assist from Americans and Pakistanis. Immediately, new restrictions were put on airline passengers. Because the plotters planned to use liquids, passengers were forbidden to bring liquids onto airplanes. Not medicines, not cr�mes, not drinks, not nothing. Untold hundreds of thousands of airline passengers immediately and indefinitely lost the right to carry liquids or pastes on themselves or in their carry-on luggage. Which is stupid. Because Gatorade�s not the problem. Muslims are the problem Can we be honest enough to just admit that for a minute? The plotters uncovered in England were all Muslims. They all had Muslim names. They all but one or two were of Pakistani descent. They were motivated by religious bigotry. They wanted to kill because they were Muslim and they wanted to kill the people they wanted to kill because they weren�t Muslim. Yet political correctness forbids us from mentioning that, much less acting upon it. In fact, on the ABC network news over the weekend, the plotters were called �British Extremists� * as if somehow the fact they were in Great Britain was defining of their extremism. The fact is they were Muslim extremists, but the American media is so in bed with the diversity-training crowd that that fact can�t be mentioned. Also on American newscasts over the weekend, the story was told of three men buying thousands of disposable and untraceable cell phones, an activity with possible terrorist linkages. Not surprisingly, very few accounts noted that the men were Muslims with Muslim names. Political correctness has sanitized this fight to such an extent that we are not allowed to even identify the enemy. Which is not toothpaste. It is Islam. An Islam practiced by tens of millions of people around the world and which repeatedly and consistently puts armies and cells of terrorists in action around the world. No doubt there are peace-loving Muslims, it�s just that they have an amazing capacity for keeping a low profile * or demanding that people respect their religion. Our desire not to offend Muslims and their culture stands great potential to cost American/Canadian lives. Countless American/Canadian lives. Here�s what I mean. Let�s lay aside political correctness for a moment and use scientific analysis. Let�s use reason and logic for just a minute. For example: How many terrorist acts have been committed involving liquids carried onto airplanes by passengers? Answer: Zero. Second question: How many terrorist acts involving airliners have been committed by Muslims? Answer: All of them. Third question: Why are we focused on liquids instead of Muslims? Answer: Beats me. Why is it that the protection of our airline industry is focused on products, not people? Why is it that we go to such extreme lengths to screen materials, but purposely avoid screening the people who carry them? Wouldn�t we be safer if we focused our security efforts largely on Muslim passengers? Especially young, male Muslim passengers? Isn�t the fact that every single act of airliner terrorism involved a young, male Muslim relevant? Does it make sense to take away a mother�s bottle of Children�s Tylenol and a grandmother�s bottle of Coke while at the same time purposely not profiling likely terrorists? Can�t we be honest enough to admit that profiling potential terrorists by religion, national origin, gender and age is a good idea? Aren�t we bright enough to understand that asking a few extra questions of a young Muslim airline passenger is not the same as pulling over a black man just because he�s driving in a �white� neighborhood? A group of people was arrested last week for plotting a terrorist attack. They were young Muslim men. Just like the group before that and the group before that and the group before that. And the group before that. So, naturally, you can�t take Chapstick on an airplane. Toiletries don�t commit acts of terrorism. Muslims do. Maybe if the government spent less time looking at your carry-on bag and more time looking at young male Muslim passengers we�d all be a lot safer and a lot less inconvenienced. This isn�t about Gatorade, this is about jihad. It�s time to stop focusing on products and start focusing on people. People who happen to be Muslim. - by Bob Lonsberry � 2006 I hope everyone who isn�t opposed to getting rid of this �political correctness� crap will forward this to as many patriotic Americans as they know. It doesn�t seem to be a democracy when the minorities rule, direct, constrain or have more rights than the majority. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww (The following article was emailed to us) Allah or Jesus? By: Rick Mathes Undated Last month I attended my annual training session that's required for maintaining my state prison security clearance. During the training session there was a presentation by three speakers representing the Roman Catholic, Protestant and Muslim faiths, who explained each of their belief systems. I was particularly interested in what the Islamic Imam had to say. The Imam gave a great presentation of the basics of Islam, complete with a video. After the presentations, time was provided for questions and answers. When it was my turn, I directed my question to the Imam and asked: "Please, correct me if I'm wrong, but I understand that most Imams and clerics of Islam have declared a holy jihad [Holy war] against the infidels of the world. And, that by killing an infidel, which is a command to all Muslims, they are assured of a place in heaven. If that's the case, can you give me the definition of an infidel?" There was no disagreement with my statements and, without hesitation, he replied, "Non-believers!" I responded, "So, let me make sure I have this straight. All followers of Allah have been commanded to kill everyone who is not of your faith so they can go to Heaven. Is that correct?" The _expression on his face changed from one of authority and command to that of a little boy who had just gotten caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He sheepishly replied, "Yes." I then stated, "Well, sir, I have a real problem trying to imagine Pope John Paul commanding all Catholics to kill those of your faith or Dr. Stanley ordering Protestants to do the same in order to go to Heaven. The Imam was speechless. I continued, "I also have problem with being your friend when you and your brother clerics are telling your followers to kill me. Let me ask you a question. Would you rather have your Allah who tells you to kill me in order to go to Heaven or my Jesus who tells me to love you because I am going to Heaven and He wants you to be with me?" You could have heard a pin drop as the Imam hung his head in shame. Needless to say, the organizers and/or promoters of the 'Diversification' training seminar were not happy with Rick's way of dealing with the Islamic Imam and exposing the truth about the Muslim's beliefs. I think everyone in the US and Canada should be required to read this, but with the liberal justice system, liberal media, and the ACLU, there is no way this will be widely publicized. Please pass this on to all your e-mail contacts. This is a true story and the author, Rick Mathes, is a well known leader in prison ministry. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww (The following article was emailed to us) The Robin Williams Plan for Peace By Robin Williams, Undated You gotta love Robin Williams...... Even if he's nuts! Leave it to Robin Williams to come up with the perfect plan. What we need now is for our UN Ambassador to stand up and repeat this message. Robin Williams' plan...(Hard to argue with this logic!) "I see a lot of people yelling for peace but I have not heard of a plan for peace. So, here's one plan." 1) "The US will apologize to the world for our "interference" in their affairs, past and present. You know, Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Tojo, Noriega, Milosevic, Hussein, and the rest of those "good ole boys", we will never "interfere" again. 2) We will withdraw our troops from all over the world, starting with Germany, South Korea, the Middle East, and the Philippines. They don't want us there. We would station troops at our borders. No one allowed sneaking through holes in the fence. 3) All illegal aliens have 90 days to get their affairs together and leave. We'll give them a free trip home. After 90 days the remainder will be gathered up and deported immediately, regardless of who or where they are. They're illegal!!! France will welcome them. 4) All future visitors will be thoroughly checked and limited to 90 days unless given a special permit!!!! No one from a terrorist nation will be allowed in. If you don't like it there, change it yourself and don't hide here. Asylum would never be available to anyone. We don't need any more cab drivers or 7-11 cashiers. 5) No foreign "students" over age 21. The older ones are the bombers. If they don't attend classes, they get a "D" and it's back home, baby. 6) The US will make a strong effort to become self-sufficient energy-wise. This will include developing nonpolluting sources of energy but will require a temporary drilling of oil in the Alaskan wilderness. The caribou will have to cope for a while 7) Offer Saudi Arabia and other oil producing countries $10 a barrel for their oil. If they don't like it, we go someplace else. They can go somewhere else to sell their production. (About a week of the wells filling up the storage sites would be enough.) 8) If there is a famine or other natural catastrophe in the world, we will not "interfere." They can pray to Allah or whomever, for seeds, rain, cement or whatever they need. Besides most of what we give them is stolen or given to the army. The people who need it most get very little, if anything. 9) Ship the UN Headquarters to an isolated island someplace. We don't need the spies and fair weather friends here. Besides, the building would make a good homeless shelter or lockup for illegal aliens. 10) All Americans must go to charm and beauty school. That way, no one can call us "Ugly Americans" any longer. The Language we speak is ENGLISH...learn it...or LEAVE...Now, isn't that a winner of a plan? "The Statue of Liberty is no longer saying "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses." She's got a baseball bat and she's yelling, 'you want a piece of me?' " If you agree with the above forward it to friends...If not, and I would be amazed, DELETE it!! wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww (The following article was emailed to us) Suicide Bombers and 72 Virgins By Pierre Rehov, documentary filmmaker July 15, 2006 On July 15, MSNBC's "Connected" program discussed the July 7th London attacks. One of the guests was Pierre Rehov, a French filmmaker who has filmed six documentaries on the intifada by going undercover in the Palestinian areas Pierre's upcoming film, "Suicide Killers," is based on interviews that he conducted with the families of suicide bombers and would-be bombers in an attempt to find out why they do it. Pierre agreed to a request for a Q&A interview here about his work on the new film. Q - What inspired you to produce "Suicide Killers," your seventh film? A - I started working with victims of suicide attacks to make a film on PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) when I became fascinated with the personalities of those who had committed those crimes, as they were described again and again by their victims. Especially the fact that suicide bombers are all smiling one second before they blow themselves up. Q - Why is this film especially important? A - People don't understand the devastating culture behind this unbelievable phenomenon. My film is not politically correct because it addresses the real problem, showing the real face of Islam. It points the finger against a culture of hatred in which the uneducated are brainwashed to a level where their only solution in life becomes to kill themselves and kill others in the name of a God whose word, as transmitted by other men, has become their only certitude. Q - What insights did you gain from making this film? What do you know that other experts do not know? A - I came to the conclusion that we are facing a neurosis at the level of an entire civilization. Most neuroses have in common a dramatic event, generally linked to an unacceptable sexual behavior. In this case, we are talking of kids living all their lives in pure frustration, with no opportunity to experience sex, love, tenderness or even understanding from the opposite sex The separation between men and women in Islam is absolute. So is contempt toward women, who are totally dominated by men. This leads to a situation of pure anxiety, in which normal behavior is not possible. It is no coincidence that suicide killers are mostly young men dominated subconsciously by an overwhelming libido that they not only cannot satisfy but are afraid of, as if it is the work of the devil. Since Islam describes heaven as a place where everything on Earth will finally be allowed, and promises 72 virgins to those frustrated kids, killing others and killing themselves to reach this redemption becomes their only solution. Q - What was it like to interview would-be suicide bombers, their families and survivors of suicide bombings? A - It was a fascinating and a terrifying experience. You are dealing with seemingly normal people with very nice manners who have their own logic, which to a certain extent can make sense since they are so convinced that what they say is true. It is like dealing with pure craziness, like interviewing people in an asylum, since what they say, is for them, the absolute truth. I hear a mother saying "Thank God, my son is dead." Her son had became a shaheed, a martyr, which for her was a greater source of pride than if he had became an engineer, a doctor or a winner of the Nobel Prize. This system of values works completely backwards since their interpretation of Islam worships death much more than life. You are facing people whose only dream, only achievement goal is to fulfill what they believe to be their destiny, namely to be a Shaheed or the family of a shaheed. They don't see the innocent being killed, they only see the impure that they have to destroy. Q - You say suicide bombers experience a moment of absolute power, beyond punishment. Is death the ultimate power? A - Not death as an end, but death as a door opener to the after life. They are seeking the reward that God has promised them. They work for God, the ultimate authority, above all human laws. They therefore experience this single delusional second of absolute power, where nothing bad can ever happen to them, since they become God's sword. Q - Is there a suicide bomber personality profile? Describe the psychopathology. A - Generally kids between 15 and 25 bearing a lot of complexes, generally inferiority complexes. They must have been fed with religion. They usually have a lack of developed personality. Usually they are impressionable idealists. In the western world they would easily have become drug addicts, but not criminals. Interestingly, they are not criminals since they don't see good and evil the same way that we do. If they had been raised in an Occidental culture, they would have hated violence. But they constantly battle against their own death anxiety. The only solution to this deep-seated pathology is to be willing to die and be rewarded in the afterlife in Paradise . Q - Are suicide bombers principally motivated by religious conviction? A - Yes, it is their only conviction. They don't act to gain a territory or to find freedom or even dignity. They only follow Allah, the supreme judge, and what He tells them to do. Q - Do all Muslims interpret jihad and martyrdom in the same way? A - All Muslim believers believe that, ultimately, Islam will prevail on earth. They believe this is the only true religion and there is no room, in their mind, for interpretation. The main difference between moderate Muslims and extremists is that moderate Muslims don't think they will see the absolute victory of Islam during their lifetime, therefore they respect other beliefs. The extremists believe that the fulfillment of the Prophecy of Islam and ruling the entire world as described in the Koran, is for today |