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The continuing mini-major fracas[ee] of mini-major sectaries....

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Submitted by Jascha Kessler (United States), May 4, 2008 at 13:58

This sort of [pseudo-] dialectical quarreling about "i-sts" and "-ates" and "extremes" and shades and tints of faith/belief/action reminds me of the fictions and factions long known in literature and political life in the Left and Zionist organizations, not to mention the murderous divisions familiar in the West since Luther.

The whole house, society/civilization, whatever, is burning, and the tenants keep running about from apartment to apartment, looting, shooting, hooting and throwing either oil or water on new flames, or both at once.

In the 1940s, there were the Trotskyites, still formidable debaters; the Schachtmanites, ferocious debaters, especially Schachtman himself; and a small dangerous sect on the docks, the Cannonites, numbering less than 50 members, to which a good friend belonged , who got pretty beaten-up defending picketers. In Islam, historically, any sort of deviation from what this or that major cleric pronounced was declared heresy, and carried a death penalty...the fatwa.. In the 19th century, the Baha'i band of universal, eclectic love for all worshippers of a single God was formed; and their founders were hounded down and killed, the leader eventually in Haifa, where a mausoleum and great shrine stands today on Mt. Carmel. Certainly protected by Jerusalem, let it be observed.

Marxism, progressed, or devolved, from DAS KAPITAL to Leninism within 75 years, and thence to Stalinism, with Trotskyism formed after the 1936, purges and infamous Moscow trials. All of that logical — and, on the mini-level, personal drama, etc., is well described in one of Joseph Conrad's finest later novels, UNDER WESTERN EYES. Later on, Conrad also made savage comedy in THE SECRET AGENT with its refugee terrorist clique; but especially in NOSTROMO. In the latter novel, in Central America in a place called Costa Guana [feminine form of guano, or seabird shit] we can see the makings of Chavez' Venezuela today a century later.

It would be better for all in discussing our intelligence regarding Islam and its many cultural manifestations at this hour than to have the same old banal — and perhaps humanly inevitable — conflicts of fanatic and entrenched beliefs and faiths — Left, Centrist, Rightist — always expressed as absolutes, and not to be constantly bickering while the fuses are being laid for major catastrophes ... meaning nuclear, in the US and Europe. Pipes is describing the puerile and petty cavils that were so bitter in the last throes of the world Communist movement ... and for that matter in present-day Israel's politics.

Submitting....

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Reader comments (50) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
moderate muslims [188 words]alexAug 6, 2008 07:09136348
The New Yorker's Cartoon on the Obama's deserves a bit of thought. [502 words]Uni-faceted New Yorker Responses-let's be real!Jul 14, 2008 16:27135083
Islamism is not Bida [492 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Archimedes2Jul 10, 2008 12:52134783
NO MUSLIM IS OUR ALLY [212 words]Jdamn13Jul 7, 2008 23:50134608
Intellect and Reason will always win out [357 words]Gabrielle CroftsJun 15, 2008 02:29132161
Western Invention [68 words]J TimeJun 13, 2008 22:58132054
Spot on [61 words]Arif Jayish Al AmirkiJun 2, 2008 21:39130927
Islam is a political system not a religion [117 words]PabloMay 29, 2008 20:00130506
To hell with political correctness! [370 words]Nick4693Jul 12, 2008 21:04130506
non Islamic Muslams.. [109 words]donvanMay 27, 2008 10:58130191
Moderates vs. Radicals [116 words]Rebecca MouldsMay 21, 2008 08:04129411
Muslims Against Terrorism [181 words]DianaMay 19, 2008 19:47129212
moderate... [108 words]donvanMay 19, 2008 11:10129133
religion could be bad [140 words]aval31May 16, 2008 08:47128826
Why we are suspicious of Muslims [1921 words]gary fouseMay 11, 2008 22:43128425
Hi Gary [46 words]Straight_Talk_LuigiMay 13, 2008 18:58128425
Islam existing in freedom requires ignorance of Islamic scripture [563 words]jennifer solisMay 16, 2008 03:04128425
Muslims all over the world must learn to respect and be tolerant in order to gain respect and tolerance as well! [362 words]TROYMay 31, 2008 07:48128425
kuran hurts (and intends to hurt) non-muslims [123 words]G.VishvasMay 9, 2008 10:16128202
it would be nice . . . [43 words]Phil GreendMay 8, 2008 22:29128173
An unfailing compass [116 words]Victor TordjmanMay 5, 2008 21:57127830
I concur completely with Victor. [97 words]MarkMay 6, 2008 20:26127830
Joshua Muravchik: the Walter Duranty of our times [116 words]Timothy HunterMay 5, 2008 11:36127769
Joshua Muravchik concerning "Moderate Islamists" [121 words]Sol ShalitMay 5, 2008 11:28127767
Excellent Point [24 words]jennifer solisMay 5, 2008 18:07127767
Absolute Idolatry [931 words]Prof. Paul EidelbergMay 5, 2008 11:11127766
Moderate Islamists (Muslims) [435 words]Nick4693May 4, 2008 19:44127711
50+ "typos" in Commentary Magazine - Daniel Pipes is a gentleman [118 words]jennifer solisMay 4, 2008 18:31127701
Peaceful "Brotherhood"? (When donkeys fly) [90 words]Edgar Malcolm ErvinMay 4, 2008 17:49127695
Painful to see Muravchik lose even more credibility [165 words]Edgar Malcolm ErvinMay 4, 2008 17:11127690
When push comes... [91 words]Randy LeemanMay 4, 2008 17:11127689
A Bridge to "Moderate" Islam Is In Fact a Road to Hell [5706 words]Amil ImaniMay 4, 2008 15:50127685
Amil, you hit the nail on the head! [565 words]Nick4693May 6, 2008 20:18127685
Mr. Imani, that was a very good expose of 'moderate Islamists' [42 words]M.D'SouzaMay 10, 2008 12:41127685
Moderate Muslims? [85 words]Margaret HoodMay 4, 2008 15:41127684
Moderate Muslims [189 words]janusz KowalikMay 4, 2008 18:40127684
Moderate Islamists and western strategy. [141 words]janusz KowalikMay 4, 2008 14:49127676
"Moderate Islam" [75 words]Gail MitchellMay 4, 2008 14:03127674
Muravchik's further response [91 words]Judy HershonMay 4, 2008 14:02127672
The continuing mini-major fracas[ee] of mini-major sectaries.... [412 words]Jascha KesslerMay 4, 2008 13:58127671
Joshua Muravchik is rude and lost [548 words]jennifer solisMay 3, 2008 20:46127603
What is a moderate Muslim? [109 words]Steve KleinMay 4, 2008 13:36127603
Back to basics [249 words]jennifer solisMay 5, 2008 02:34127603
what "moderate" Muslim??? [96 words]JaladhiMay 6, 2008 21:50127603
moderation is a virture, and a moderate Moslem is a virtuous Moslem [331 words]trans-parereMay 7, 2008 08:41127603
"Doing good" without objective perspective [213 words]jennifer solisMay 8, 2008 18:42127603
Moderater Muslims?...Yes, you do find them in India. [56 words]M.D'SouzaMay 9, 2008 17:45127603
exemplify the positive [586 words]trans-parereMay 9, 2008 19:10127603
The "good nature" of man [628 words]jennifer solisMay 11, 2008 02:40127603
nothing cries louder than a liberal who can't impose their idealism on the guy they want to pay for that idealism [994 words]trans-parereMay 12, 2008 22:57127603

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