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True cause of optimism

Reader comment on item: Obama's Misplaced Mideast Optimism

Submitted by Prashant (United States), Oct 26, 2011 at 00:45

Dear Dr Pipes:

No one can read President Obama's mind and it is useless to guess why he feels optimistic about ME. I can, however, tell you the reason why many other people feel optimistic about the recent events in the middle east. While Muslims will deny it, it is apparent to many of us that in the last couple of centuries Islam has failed its people. Whereever the Muslims are in minority they are in perpetual fights with the majority and whereever they are in majority not only they grant no freedoms to non-muslims, they do not live in peace with each other. And they blame everyone else but themselves for this situation.

Why does it happen? A lot of us realize that any system religious, political, or social that tries to control people's freedom to act collapses eventually and causes turmoil before it dies. Unfortunately, Islam, as it is practiced today, is one such system. Islam tries to control a person's life to the minutest detail: who to marry, how to marry, what to think and what not to think, who to make friends with, how to wash your hands, how to pray, when to pray, who to pray, how to rule, who to rule, how to conduct finance, how to kill animals, what to cover and how and what not to cover.

Guidance is ok and good but when guidance becomes stubborn and disctatorial, it causes problems because then it ceases to be a matter of wisdom and becomes a matter of force. And force demands more force which causes more trouble and, in turn, causes even more force. It is not an accident that so many Islamic societies are ruled by some or the other kind of a dictator.

So why do we feel optimistic about what is happening in the Middel east? We are optimistic because we know that while effects of different kinds of freedom are different, the effects of all kinds of force are the same. All kinds of dictatorships lead to unrest, murders, violence and discontent. So if the depotic Islamic socialist dictators of the ME are replaced by despotic Ayatullah style Islamic dictators, things will not change much and the same mechanisms (facebook, twitter and the rest of the media) that enabled the revolt against the depots will enable a new revolt against the Mullahs. Because, as I said, all kinds of subjugation is equally repulsive for humans.

What the Islamic world needs is freedom under which people can think and act creatively and prosper. If Islamic parties can provide that freedom, they can be part of the solution otherwise they will remain a pert of the problem and reach the same destiny that all other draconian system have reached. And that is why we are hopeful. It does not matter whether Islamists or the moderates win the election. What matters is that facebook, twitter and the rest of the media remains available to the voters and thinkers.

Submitting....

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Reader comments (42) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
THE BBC-MENACE. [207 words]Gordon WeareJul 29, 2014 22:33216422
President Obama honestly believes that muslims want peace ! [41 words]Phil GreendFeb 24, 2013 14:02203825
1It all depends... [84 words]Richard KernerNov 1, 2011 18:20190557
2Educating the ignorant [20 words]DavodOct 27, 2011 14:54190454
7Maybe we should just take a "hands off" policy [156 words]Kepha HorOct 27, 2011 05:38190444
8Hello, darkness [161 words]Gloria StewartOct 26, 2011 18:30190427
6"I tried to tell you" [52 words]UgriOct 27, 2011 10:01190427
2Daniel's comments about Iraq's future... [39 words]Gerald A. HonigmanOct 26, 2011 17:37190423
2Excellent Blog [37 words]Barry BlackOct 31, 2011 20:11190423
2Seeing Flowers in Winter [150 words]Jay1Oct 26, 2011 03:51190396
2True cause of optimism [497 words]PrashantOct 26, 2011 00:45190394
2Arab Islam will never give its people freedom [113 words]NuritGOct 26, 2011 00:17190393
2I'm an optimist too [65 words]DaveOct 25, 2011 20:47190387
Agreement with Daniel Pipes foreign Assessments; Disagree with opinions about Obama [126 words]Leonard MarkowitzOct 25, 2011 18:10190378
1Some praise is due [18 words]Andy KleinOct 25, 2011 16:47190373
8Some Praise Undue [103 words]Michael Hanni MorcosOct 26, 2011 08:51190373
2Iran [72 words]Joe Six-PackOct 26, 2011 14:12190373
1Arab Winter [125 words]EuskalHerriaOct 29, 2011 18:10190373
1Iran and BHO [43 words]steven LOct 25, 2011 14:26190372
3Bad timing [96 words]Rebecca MouldsOct 25, 2011 13:04190369
2"Ought for not" or not, Iraq had to be fought ... [158 words]kmanOct 25, 2011 19:37190369
8Egyptian -Benghazi Ikwaan [138 words]Michael Hanni MorcosOct 26, 2011 00:10190369
2Obama's Misplaced Mideast Optimism - CASE OF LIBYA [60 words]Balarabe AbbaOct 25, 2011 12:52190368
5Obama is justifyably happy [109 words]yuval Brandstetter MDOct 25, 2011 12:45190367
1The elimination of Israel, and of the US [27 words]PninaOct 28, 2011 12:38190367
2Looking Beyond Israel's Plight To the Truth of Her Destiny [60 words]M. ToveyOct 31, 2011 17:35190367
16Obama is confused and is confusing [160 words]car313Oct 25, 2011 12:38190366
5Very well spoken. [6 words]Josh GOct 25, 2011 17:14190366
2Will America change Saudia? [258 words]AngelOct 25, 2011 19:12190366
1Leading From Behind [173 words]ArlindaOct 26, 2011 14:07190366
6Differing Kinds of Optimism [184 words]M. ToveyOct 25, 2011 11:58190365
1Very astute Mr. Tovey ... [35 words]kmanOct 25, 2011 19:25190365
3Obama's misplaced optimism [80 words]Nenette GrunbergOct 25, 2011 11:42190363
4Is Obama worse than Usama? [248 words]john w mcginleyOct 25, 2011 11:25190362
4Not quite right: "If Libya goes Islamist, Obama would pine for Qaddafi" [35 words]RobOct 25, 2011 11:16190360
1"Obama rue the day ..." - NAW!! [91 words]kmanOct 25, 2011 19:20190360
3America has always had a soft corner for dictators and islamists [171 words]car313Oct 26, 2011 11:18190360
5And why does India support dictators and Islamists? [122 words]PninaOct 28, 2011 12:29190360
6Following the leader [277 words]car313Oct 28, 2011 23:55190360
5Disgusted by the Indian foreign policy [218 words]PrashantOct 29, 2011 14:35190360
3You make me wonder, car313 [290 words]JeffOct 29, 2011 17:40190360
Pessimistic [9 words]Barry BlackOct 25, 2011 11:10190359

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