I agree very much with what ldopas has written here. I will add to that a daily bewilderment on my behalf how such liberal political outlooks even attempt to defend Islam, a religion of which it should be nothing less than wholeheartedly critical for obvious reasons. Once upon a time the left spared no rod when it came to criticism of religion…and rightly so.
Islam, without a doubt, is the most toxic religion. The Koran’s promotion of death for apostates, something missing from other religions, is one of the most offensive ‘truths’ I have personally ever encountered. It is nothing short of repulsive that you, as an individual, are not allowed to exercise your own free will and think for yourself.
A religion in which God (Allah) supposedly spoke through the angel Gabriel to some illiterate paedophile, warlord called Mohammed who faithfully ‘wrote’ it all down and became ‘the only true prophet’ of God? Spare me the badly conceived moral lesson here. Then to top it all off, Islam makes one particular claim for itself which subsequently justifies further violence, intolerance and persecution of non-believers: it is, of course, that it is the last word ever on the subject of God. Therefore, its principles cannot and should not be questioned...by anyone.
However, what makes the ‘faith’ even more spectacularly absurd is a certain 18th Century ‘addition’ to Sunni Islam known as Wahhabism, a radical puritan Islam which is the traditional backbone of the current House of al-Saud and one of the key sources of Islamic fundamentalism. It is, however, not without foundation – its origins rest with ‘the prophet’ himself, and the desire to turn to the original teachings, since the old Ottoman Empire of its time wasn’t particularly good at Islam. Well, at least according to many of the Arab nationalists agitating Istanbul.
Rather than being blind and attempting to frame flawed Western policies for the rise of radical Islam, perhaps we could examine the Koran, the Hadith and Wahhabism for what they really are.
Perhaps we could start to understand what and who really drives ISIL, al-Qaeda, Boko Harem, al-Shabaab, Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad etc… ad nauseam.
Perhaps the next time we blame the West for sowing the seeds of Islamic fundamentalism we could remind ourselves that the same West stood up to Serbia only a generation ago to protect Bosnian Muslims and Albanians, with NATO eventually bombing Serbia itself. The same West also pushed the agenda for creating Kosovo, a state not even widely recognised, at Serbia’s expense. A free man does not walk Karadzic.
I, for one, am never going to respect the ‘prophet’. I am, however, going to place much of the blame for ‘radical Islam’ at his feet, at the Koran itself and his musings in the Hadith. I am also going to frame Saudi Wahhabism in furthering it.
Mohammed’s revolting behaviour towards the Jewish tribes of Medina still serves as a current blueprint for groups like ISIL in their dealings with Yazidis, Christians and a ‘justification’ for anti-Jewish sentiments, something widespread throughout the Islamic world where Holocaust Denial is a way of life to both Sunni and Shia. Despite protestations to the contrary, ISIL’s behaviour owes much to the prophet. They know it, and so too do their critics.
The sooner we realise what Islam really is and the role the prophet and Saudi Arabia play in much of this abhorrent world terrorism network, the better. However, if we in the West simply want to fool ourselves that it is a storm in a teacup and will blow over, then what can we really expect?
