Aghh... I just typed a very in-depth reply, only to have FireFox lose it on me by crashing.
So I'll reply somewhat in point form, trying to rememer what I typed before.
any Religion can be misused to unleash evil on the world behind the guise of righteousness. Every "Holy Book" while having some helpful life lessons that can guide us in the right direction, also have misleading, contradictory passages that when followed, spell continued disaster for the progress of the world as we know it.
Islam's Qu'ran is the ONLY Holy Book that contains open calls to its followers to commit violent acts against others. Namely, the Qu'ran openly incites violence and hatred against Jews, Christians, and non-believers. True, violence exists in other Holy Books (the Bible for example) with one major exception; they are retellings of events, and NOT open calls to violence from God to his followers like "Kill the Jews" or "Fight the unbelievers wherever you find them." It's not at all contradictory in the Qu'ran, it's a clear call to violence.
Think about the Inquisition of the Catholic church. Mind you, things have changed since then, but just think of the instruments of torture used against so called "heretics", such as the chair of nails, iron maiden, finger and thumb screws, etc. BTW, the word "heretic" sounds a lot like "infidel". It's the same concept.
As you've noted, things have changed since then. I'm referring the the current global threat of Islamic expansion, not historical events that are no longer a threat to anyone. The important thing is that Christians have changed since then and no longer treat "heretics" in such a gruesome manner. But modern day Muslims are still beheading and stoning to this very day. They haven't changed at all, not even their barbaric methods.
Look at what Hitler did to the Jews during the Holocaust. His murdering of Jews all across Europe was barbaric and evil. This happened with his military conquests in each country he conquered.
Hitler actually murdered the Jews with the assistance of Muslims. And today, we have Muslim countries teaching their children that the holocaust is a western lie, and that it never occurred (the intention: less sympathy for the Jews, more for the Muslims!) Speaking of the Nazi's, Islamic expansion today presents
exactly the same threat as Nazism did in the 1940's, prior to them coming to power. Winston Churchill, then the Prime Minister of England tried to warn government leaders about the dangers of electing Hilter and the Nazi party, but he was ignored and cast aside as a delusional heretic for his views. A few short years later, the Nazis did indeed come to power and Hitler began his invasions, resulting in World War II. Winston Churchill had been proven correct, but nobody had listened to his early warnings. Nobody bothered to take action before it was too late. Consequently, many brave soldiers fought for, died for, and won the freedoms that we enjoy today. We, the ancestors of those soldiers, are the guardians and the keepers of this freedom, yet our idiotic modern day PC politicians are foolishly willing to trade it away for this doomed concept of multi-culturalism. And before anyone says "Hey, that's racist!" No, it's not. Islam is not a race. It's a dangerous ideology that consists of Arabs, Asians, Blacks, Whites, and members of any other ethnicity you can fathom. What these people have in common is their hateful and dangerous ideology NOT their race.
Our politicians will tell us the current Muslim immigration is akin to the original immigrants who built America into what it is today. Nothing could be further from the truth. Islam is a dangerous ideology bent on world domination. Muslims don't want to assimilate and better our western culture, they want to destroy and replace it with Islam. Today, we are faced with an identical situation; just replace Nazism/fascism with Islam. Islam is loudly proclaiming that it intends to dominate the world. But are we in the west listening? We are letting Muslim immigrants in at an alarming rate with no regard to the inherent dangers. History is repeating, and again we have a few brave voices speaking out (Geert Wilders, a Dutch politician for example) just as Winston Churchill did against the Nazis, but our politicians just keep appeasing Islam and letting in more fundamentalist immigrants in who refuse to adapt to western society. Like in the 1940's, Europe, will be the first to fall in this coming century. The Islamisation of Europe is already well underway and if it succeeds, every bit of European national identity will be destroyed and replaced with Islam. Did you know that this year, Sharia courts were introduced into the UK? Sharia is strict Islamic law that permits stonings, honor killings, beheadings, female genital mutilations and other barbaric acts. This is something that has absolutely NO place in the civilized western world and yet the Muslims acts of 'victimization' and ' being oppressed' have forced politicians to introduce it. If you think this sounds scary, well, it is! And it won't stop there. Once Europe it subjugated, the United States will be their next target.
Think of the Crusades, and the ridiculous battles that took place over Jerusalem and other parts of the region. Both Christian and Muslim slaughtered one another equally.
The crusades were defensive battles against Muslim aggression. Islam originated from Saudi Arabia and from there, it invaded and conquered all of non-Muslim lands in the Middle East. It destroyed the Persian Empire and conquered formerly Christian countries like Lebanon. From there Islam expanded it's conquest into Europe and was halted in France. Christians fought the Muslims aggressors back to reclaim their former Christian lands (as they rightly should have), thus the Crusades commenced HUNDREDS of years after the Muslim conquests had already been in effect. Muslim aggressors fought onward and were finally halted at the gates of Vienna, saving Europe from complete Islamic takeover. Islamic Jihad went into hibernation for a very long time, as they were weakened and needed to build up their strength and their numbers. And now, the menace of Islamic fundamentalism has again re-emerged since the 1970's to continue it's conquest of Europe. Only, this time it's succeeding, not through waging direct war, but by using "Taqqiya" or deception, which is permitted in the Qu'ran, to advance the spread of Islam from within. When they are a minority in any country, Muslims are permitted to lie about the 'peace' and 'tolerance' of Islam as long as it helps spread Islam. But when they are a majority, they will vote in their own leaders and laws and then a lot of these silent moderates will become more boisterous in showing the true face of Islam. This is why there is so much silent support from the so-called moderates. Silence is akin to commending these acts, in my mind. Why don't these moderates specifically speak out en-masse against Al Queda, bin Laden, Hezbollah, and other terrorist organizations? Because to do so would be to speak against the these "martyrs" of Islam who uphold the tenets of Islam, and thus would be considered against the writings of Allah.
Our politicians and most gullible people in the west are falling for "Taqqqiya" hook, line, and sinker. We might as well wrap the west in a big bow, stick a crescent moon flag in the White house and hand it over to the Islamists on a silver platter if things continue at this rate.
...think about this war on terror, and the invasion and occupation of muslim and arab nations. From the point of view of these nations Westerners are viewed as perpetrators of genocide, and you have to ask yourself, that if you were one of them, would you agree?
If the west truly wanted to plunder the Middle East, if it wanted to destroy Mecca, if it wanted to eradicate Tehran, and steal the oil from the region, it could easily do so. The Middle East would not stand much of a chance when pitted against the full military might of the united Western armies. Now, if the west was fighting as unfair a battle as the Islamists and their apologists would have us believe, the west with it's military superiority could crush these backwards nations like ants. If the "Christian infidels" were really waging a war to eradicate Islam, don't these pea-brains understand that it could be accomplished in an afternoon by simply carpet bombing Mecca? Granted, the average Islamic mind probably isn't capable of comprehending the fact that the West is trying to help them. But that's beside the point.
We often hear Americans saying things like "If we just pull our troops out of the Middle East, the extremists will go back to mowing their lawns and hanging out their laundry. They'll leave us alone and there will be peace." Not true. It's awfully naive of many Americans to make such assumptions without a deeper knowledge of the history of Islam and Qu'ran. In effect, this is like saying "America is the be-all and end-all of everything that goes on in the Middle East, and our actions define their reactions."
American involvement in the Middle East and the creation of the state of Israel are both modern occurrences in history. Both events occurred within this past century. Yet, the Qu'ran has contained verses like "Kill the Jews" and "Fight the unbelievers wherever you find them" as open calls to violence for ALL Muslims, from its conception 1400 years ago. History shows us that Islamists follow this pattern and adhere to this train of thought unfailingly in their attempt to acheive global domination of their political ideal. Therefore, it
does not matter if the US involves itself in the Middle East.
It does not matter if the state of Israel ever existed or not. These are just ruses designed by Muslims to make the west feel guilty. They are acts of "Taqqiya" or deception. The United States IS a target of Islamic conquest and always will be a target regardless of whether they are in the Middle East or not. The only difference being whether the Islamists attempted USA takeover will be waged through conflict (fighting US troops in the Middle East and on their home soil), or via deception and manipulating the political system from within. More than likely, it'll be a combination of both. Either way, jihad in the United States IS going to happen, and, in fact, it's already underway. These leeches use the very freedom of our countries to deceive and spread their hate cult from within, and they rely on the ignorance of westerners' support to help them grow.
The United States is no more a target than ANY other country in the grand scheme of things. How do Islam's apologists explain mass immigration, Muslim-only enclaves, Islamic riots, and frequent violence against non-Muslims in France, a country which categorically
refused to support Bush's invasion of Iraq? How do these apologists explain the near-daily
Buddhist murders being committed by Muslims in Southern Thailand -- again, these are people who have nothing to do with Israel or US occupation in the Middle East? Americans are NOT the sole targets of Islamic terrorism! Apologists know they can't explain these things truthfully, so instead they choose to focus only on that tired-old guilt trip of US troops being stationed in the Middle East, because they just know this little doozy works wonders at making Americans feel guilty and divided. It makes them believe that they alone have evoked Islam's wrath due to their "meddling" ways. But the truth is that Islam indiscriminately targets anyone for violence and subjugation who is non-Muslim, irrespective of whether they're actively involved in Muslim affairs (USA) or whether they're completely minding their own business (Thailand). Islam's goal is to dominate the entire world. And everyone who values their freedom has an obligation to learn about what Islam is, what it wants, and how to avoid the deception that's being spoon-fed to us. Not all religions are equal. Most religions are personal. Islam is political.
why should we believe that the US, and other nations possessing these weapons can be trusted any more than a middle eastern nation can?
One reason: Islamic ideology.
We have to extend respect to our neighbors, as there are plenty of muslims that are unhappy with how their religion is used for terrorism. We can't expect to "win" a war, when we have an invisible enemy in a region where we show no respect for the cultures and customs of people who could be potential allies. A lot of these countries are trying to help, but lack the wealth of western nations for it to be financially feasible. Look at the recession here in the US....you can understand why Pakistan is nearly bankrupt.
Respect is an important word here. Respect is something that has to be earned. It's never given for undue cause. When Muslims start to act respectfully toward OTHERS; when they move to host countries and assimilate into society rather than demanding that the native culture changes to suit Islam; when they stop making ridiculous demands, rioting, and otherwise acting like victims if they don't get their way; when they specifically condemn known terrorists and organizations by name... that is when people will start to respect them. But asking us to respect a violent and hateful cult, simply because Muslims demand it be treated equally? That's like asking one to respect Nasizm or facism and put it on the same level as secularism. Impossible! The onus is on Islam to adapt or die. Because in its current form, it cannot co-exist peacefully with western liberal values.
As I've mentioned previously in this thread, Bush's mistake with the Iraq war is that he doesn't understand Islam, just like most politicians don't. By invading Iraq, he's fighting the symptoms and not the cause. You can kill 10,000 Muslim terrorists and another 10,000 will be ready to take their place. Why? Because the ideology that incites Jihadists to hatred of the infidels is the root cause of terrorism -- Islam itself. These terrorists are following the true Islam as intended by Mohammed. They emulate Mohammed. Normal Muslims who say their religion has been hijacked are either being deceptive (Taqqiya) or they are just as ignorant about Islam as most westerners are. We must remember that the large majority of Muslims have Islam forced upon them at birth, and they don't know very much about it. Many have not even taken a cursory glance at the Qu'ran, let alone the Hadith. Therefore, strategic wars, although often necessary, are only one front in the fight against extremism. And they are not the most important front. The absolute MOST important tool we have is confronting this hateful ideology is education. Educating others about Islam and
exposing it for what it really is. This can't be done by dancing around the issue in an effort to avoid hurting Muslims' sensitivities. By education, I mean totally pulling down the veil of political correctness, and having the Media report honestly and openly the truth about Islam. Educating Westerners AND sincere peace-loving Muslims alike about Islam's real teachings so that no rational, albeit misguided person, will harbour unsafe notions about Islam being peaceful when it's simply not true. We need to look past these deceptions and be smarter. Taking the word of fanatics at face value is not wise. I think anyone who isn't willing to invest time into
honestly and openly appraising Islam is doing a big disservice to both Muslims and themselves. The west NEEDS TO WAKE UP and deal with this threat, otherwise the coming century is going to see global wars, the likes of which the world hasn't experienced since the Middle Ages.
It is important for our rights as citizens to remain as such. We must always acknowledge security, but not at the cost of our way of life and freedom. The threat is not always foreign, often it's from within.
Can you honestly name any group of people or individual that poses even remotely the same security threat towards a hostile take-over of the entire United States to the extent that Islamists do? Such a thing doesn't exist in this day and age. Islam is the clear and present danger of our time.
I want to give Barack Obama a chance, and I think it's important to reserve judgement, but remain aware when he takes office and serves out his term.
Short of handing over the US and Israel to Islamists, there's really nothing Obama can do to bring peace. His rhetoric was simply to win him votes. What will be interesting is to see how he does intend to handle this hot potato. Islam is a 'peaceful religion', only to the extent that Muslims will deem the world 'peaceful' once all other subjugated countries fall under "Dar al-Islam" (the House of Islam). They reason that once everyone in the world is Muslim, there will be nobody left to fight or convert anymore. Hence, peace will be achieved (deceptive, no?) Every country not yet conquered is viewed as Dar al-Harb (House of War). The United States falls into this category. In fact, what needs to urgently be done is to put an immediate stop to mass Muslim immigration into the west and send those Muslim immigrants who are unwilling to assimilate into Western society back to whatever Middle Eastern country they originated from. Given current levels of western appeasement of Islam, though, I can't see Obama doing something smart like that because it'd make him even less popular than Bush. I'll be very impressed with the man if he does, however.
Unfortunately, Obama will probably bend things even more in favour of Muslims in the United States, allowing more mosques to be built and more Muslim 'rights' (read 'demands') to be passed, allowing Islam to get an even firmer foothold within US society. This will make the situation even worse than it already is. Muslim's didn't endorse Obama as their election favourtite for nothing -- there's a method to their madness (so to speak.) Despite Bush's unpopularity, he HAS unquestionably made the US safer since 9/11. The problem with Obama is that he risks undoing all of that. His policy on closing Guantanamo Bay and trying the terrorists held there in US federal courts seems nothing short of foolish. He will soon learn that the Bush administration kept these terrorists in Guantanamo Bay for a very good reason. These are not common thugs and murderers; many of the detainees are huge threats to national security. As far as Islam is concerned, things can't afford to get much worse before action is taken - certainly not in Europe or the USA. If Obama opens the floodgates for Islamic expansion into the United States, then he will irrevocably open a Pandora's Box and it will be extremely difficult to go back. He seems to want to experiment with a system which is already successfully keeping the United States safe, and his pandering to Islamic sensitivities seems liable to bring more harm than good.
In the meantime, watch the documentary I posted above. Feel free to disagree with it or whatever. I do suggest watching it, however, simply to get some perspective on both sides of the situation. We already know the Muslim's side all to well. But they are masters of victimization and making themselves look oppressed to gain sympathy so that laws will be passed in their favor. Of course, any informed decision needs to weighed up on both sides for the sake of a balanced argument. Besides, It'd also really prevent me from having to type all these long posts because it references everything so much better than I can.
). Compare that with the christian beheadings in India and other muslim countries: they're killing people that did nothing wrong, were just helping poor people and also had taken votes of poverty (I've yet to see a politic doing that).