The saddest part of all this...
Reader comment on item: Identifying Moderate Muslims

Submitted by Abed Safah (United States), Jan 6, 2008 at 21:29

Everyone wants their "gotcha" moment. Unfortunately, it's usually at the expense of someone else's identity or reputation. I have read the many posts since I last posted in '04, and much has changed in the world since then. Much of the sentiment visible here has not, unfortunately.

One poster's gotcha moment came when he argued that you were a bad Muslim if you didn't believe in the wanton killing of "unbelievers", and you simply didn't know or care that somehow, islam in fact perscribes this. It's too bad that someone has the gall to post such an outrageously assinine comment.

I am not going to attempt to even defend Islam for one second. If something must be defended, then the predeliction is that a- the accuser is somehow important enough to illicit a defense from the accused, and b- there is a basis for that accusation. There is neither here. Some internet poster slinging whatever is fancied is taken with much less than a grain of salt.

What is important is how twisted and out of context this whole discussion is. The important points have been missed, in favor of the "exciting" ones. Islam is bad, they're evil people, they hate our freedoms, blah blah blah. Forget that a man like Ron Paul is chided by Rudy for the mere utterance of that term "blowback". Forget that EVERY ONE of the 3 monotheistic faiths can be picked apart and made to be a brutal oppressive and savage belief system. Forget that so many people just want to Live Their Lives and aren't allowed to because of RELIGION.

Instead of pointing fingers like children at one religion or the other, maybe it's time that we as a species enlighten ourselves and cast of the cobwebs of ancient superstition dreamed up by uninformed men. Monotheism is something which is inherently BRUTAL and horrible. It offers it's adherents an excuse to commit the most barbaric of acts so long as they are carried out in god's name. Some might be nodding with the word "Islam" on their lips, but I'm thinking in a more "Joshua at the Gates" kind of way. The Old Testament is replete with god-sanctioned massacres, killing of innocents in so bloodthirsty that these stories are unparalleled in history.

Now, is one a bad Jew or Christian if they don't kill the unclean in their midst? Should someone suffer the Christian Hell for working on Sunday? Apparently so, according to the meausre leveled at Islam here. The fact is that ALL religion can be construed to be whatever one wishes, and someone can find justification for whatever they want is they try hard enough. The Bible can justify anything and has in recent history. Things like Slavery, repression of women, killing of homosexuals, etc were only a century in the past or less, and yet a generation removed is going to judge another?

Until the day comes when all of humanity will embrace reason and throws away the nonsense of religion and faith in things that simply don't exist, we will unfortunately continue to suffer from maniacs who will fly planes into buildings or force a million people from their homes for their land, and the fools that cheer them on.

Just remember, if you think you're somehow better than those evil "Muslims" but you cling to your own religious fairytale mythology, I advise you to bite your tongue and keep your insults for yourself and your own first.

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