Can the Western mind comprehend Islam?

By Barbara J. Stock

I want to preface this column with a huge We MUST support the Libyan Muslims who are putting their lives on the line to support the US. Those Muslims are trying to push the radical groups out and in doing so, are being shot at and make no mistake, they will be hunted and killed if those who want the power know who they are. They, unlike the ones this column is about, are willing to put their lives at risk for what they believe against their own kind. Courage like that gives me hope and even though the murders took place in their country, these Muslims were not involved and we must not abandon them. Egypt and Pakistan and even Afghanistan are probably lost causes, but not Libya. Those in Libya are willing to break from the 7th century Islam and join the free world in the year 2012 and we must stand with them.

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Yes, the western mind can comprehend the Islamic mind if: 1) You can toss aside all preconceived notions that Islam in its present state is a loving and tolerant. 2) Remove all notions that Islam is logical in any way. 3) You can sort out that there are only two kinds of Muslims. Those who follow the Qur'an to the letter and allow the clerics to dominate their lives and those who do not. We can live quite nicely in peace with the latter. The problem is being able to tell the difference.

The Pakistani leaders gave the population a day off from work to have a "day of love for the Prophet Mohamed." Riots immediately broke out with police having to resort to using live ammunition against their own people. So far, over twenty have died and more will, I have no doubt. Pakistani police did not use rubber bullets after one of their own was killed by raging, mindless Muslims in a killing frenzy. It's being reported that some walked right into the line of fire so they could show Mohammed how much they loved him by taking a bullet for him and dying needlessly.

For the love of Mohammed, they have burned down their own buildings, torched police cars, shot and killed their own policemen, taught their children to hate, and have shown the world just how crazy they can be. For them, it makes perfect sense. To us, it is insanity.

Those now dead fools probably felt they would die as martyrs for Islam, Mohammed, and Allah and will live in paradise forever after. Why do they believe this? They believe this because their clerics, imams, and mullahs have told them so. The Qur'an and Mohammed have told them so. I'm not sure if that paradise part is covered when you are shot dead by another Muslim who fears for his life because you are rioting and burning cars and buildings, and shooting Muslim policemen while showing your love for Mohammed.

Islam has a built in defense mechanism. Anyone who questions Islam, must repent or die. Anyone who says even the slightest thing in the spoken or written word or picture, that can be construed as insulting to Islam, the Qur'an, or Mohammed, must repent or die. Anyone who tries to leave Islam, must be found insane or die. Anyone who is not Muslim and refuses to become Muslim, must die. Muslims who do not follow all of the above rules of Islam, must die and they are considered the worst of all. This is what the radicals, the uneducated they rule and even many educated Muslims believe.

I think you can see a theme here. Instead of drinking kool aid with cyanide in it like the followers of Jim Jones did, Muslims step in front of an armed and angry Muslim policeman. But the reason is the same for both. Someone in power, who they feel is infallible, told them to do so.

Muslims are not allowed to question one word written in the Qur'an. Muslims are not allowed to question those who interpret what is in the Qur'an. They are taught to do as they are told without question, even if that is to go out and die and kill for Allah. When the clerics tell the masses to go out and riot and kill because of a video they haven't seen but have heard it insults Mohammed, they will do it without question. They never seem to notice that the clerics, imams, and mullahs always stay inside where it's safe.

I could (though I would not) do a painting of Jesus, the Pope, and God himself dressed as the Three Stooges and nothing would happen to me. Well, some progressive would want to give me a grant and put the picture in some famous art gallery, but that is another topic.

At no time is my life is danger from speaking my mind on my own church. There would be no calls from the pulpit to riot in the streets and kill people. In fact, any Christian priest or preacher who advocated that behavior would have the congregation making him seek professional care. I have heard from many Muslims telling me I don't understand how loving, tolerant, and kind Islam really is and for that, I should be killed. The more tolerant ones say I should just be beaten since I am a stupid woman and women are not smart enough to understand Islam.

It is always easier to understand something if it is scaled down. In this instance, let's just look at one Muslim.

Recently, in response to a column on the Arab spring, I had a long discussion with a man who identified himself as a Muslim and I have little doubt that he was a Muslim. His unqualified defense of Islam and the Qur'an followed a well worn path. It traveled the trail of "you don't understand Islam and Muslims" and he got more and more frustrated because I would not tuck-tail and bow to his wisdom.

I was told I should read the Qur'an to understand the wonders of Islam. I have read the Qur'an and was not impressed. I was able to find my way around it and put up the quotes directly from the Qur'an and Islamic "scholars" to make my point. I was accused of taking words out of context. It isn't hard to understand the repeated lines telling its followers to kill the unbelievers where ever they find them.

Then his course changed. It rambled over to John Travolta and then on to child-molesting priests, to the rape stats in America, none of which have anything to do with so-called "peaceful Muslims" rioting in the streets over a silly film that none of them have even seen. Those topics have nothing to with Islamic terrorist groups murdering four Americans on what is considered American soil. Those four men had nothing to do with this 13 minute movie shown on the internet some four months ago. But then, we know that their deaths had nothing to do with any movie. It was an Islamic terrorist attack, pure and simple. Al Qaeda apparently hasn't seen the error of their ways because of Bin Laden's death as was preached by Obama. This silly movie was nothing more than an excuse for the clerics to whip up their robotic followers into a frenzy.

When asked why the "peaceful Muslims" such as he claimed to be, don't stand up to the radical not-following-true-Islam branch of Islam, he tried the old "but look at the sins of the West" defense. (Libya is the exception here) I even called him a coward, because he refused to go to mosque or to his friends and say, "We must take Islam back and show the world how tolerant and kind we are. We must show them the true Islam." He did have an answer for this statement and I copy here exactly as written by him: "As usual it seems they couldn't find a better soul to defend the west! We always work in our community to educate more people and educate them about the ill plots of zaionist, and luciferans and so dont get in to trap of such people!"

Now, let's pick this apart. First, I was not defending the West. We have done nothing to defend. This man, who made what I have heard is a really bad, short film, is a Coptic Christian. He probably hates Islam with every fiber of his being because Coptic Christians are tormented and killed all the time by Muslims and no one seems to care or notice. Because he is in America, we have free speech and I will make no apology for his exercising it. My column was about the fallacy of the Arab spring.

This man, who has identified himself as a peaceful, gentle, loving, and educated Muslim goes on to say the he DOES indeed work in his community to educate them. But he doesn't tell them that the image of Islam being shown around the world is a bad one, led by bad Muslims who do not follow the true teachings of Islam, no, not at all. He educates his friends and family about the "ill plots of zaionist and luciferans."

His "educating" was about the evil Zionist. The online dictionary tells us that a Zionist is JEWISH supporter of Zionism. That same dictionary defines Zionism this way: "A Jewish movement that arose in the late 19th century in response to growing anti-Semitism and sought to reestablish a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Modern Zionism is concerned with the support and development of the state of Israel."

So, this gentle man, this gentle Muslim, is more concerned about Israel and Jews, and sees them as a bigger threat to the world than a suicide bomber on a bus or subway or men who hi-jack planes and fly them into buildings in New York City. He must warn his people about the evil Jew instead of Muslims rioting in the streets, not only killing American citizens, but each other.

Facebook is a handy tool these days. People put things on their pages perhaps thinking that no one but their friends will ever see it. On this gentle Muslim's site are articles that strongly indicate he does not now nor did he ever believe that it was Muslims who flew those planes into the World Trade Center buildings thus committing mass murder. My guess would be he falls into one of two Muslim camps. It was either Bush himself, working under orders from Israel, who did it so he could start a war and kill innocent Muslims or it was Israel, who wanted Bush to start a war and kill innocent Muslims for them. But under no circumstances, in his mind, would Muslims ever do such a thing.

When those Muslims who identify themselves as peaceful, tolerant, and reasonable Muslims, will not accept that it was indeed Muslims who killed 3000 people on September 11, 2001 and see only the Jew and "luciferans" as their enemies, the world is in trouble.

Just to explain, luciferans are followers of Lucifer or Satan, which I have no doubt in his mind is anyone who is not Muslim. He would deny this, however because he is a "moderate" Muslim. There is no such thing as a "moderate" Muslim. There are those who live in the year 700 and those who do not.

I am not picking on this man. I use him only as an example. He is typical of the hundreds I have exchanged e-mails with over the years. The pattern of the discussion nearly identical. He is not actively radical. He doesn't take to the streets and riot. But he does quietly believe all the same things the radicals believe, he just doesn't act on it and would never make a move to stop it. He would deny this as well, but admits he won't speak out against it. If you refuse to condemn such behavior, have no intention of changing such behavior, you have no right to claim that you are not like them. Blaming the Jews for all their ills didn't work in the end for Germany and it won't work for Islam.

It's like a lie of omission. People will say, well, I didn't lie, I just didn't tell the whole story. Sometimes, one small detail changes the entire scenario. Yes, I saw a man kill another man. What I decide to leave out is that I know the murderer. A small but rather important fact. I keep that fact to myself because I know the murder's brother will kill me if I tell and secretly, I feel the murder was justified.

There are courageous Muslims, like those in Libya now. They, sadly, are in the minority. Then there are Muslims like the fellow who debated with me last week who says he is tolerant and loving but really isn't. He knows who the murderer is, but is afraid to identify him and secretly believes the murderer did the right thing.

Those in the West who continue to say radical Islam is a small minority cannot comprehend the Islamic mind-set. Are there millions and millions like the man I referred to who are not out rioting and killing? Yes. But do they support those in the streets for what they are doing? You bet they do. In their hearts, they believe Islam must rule the world. They're just smart enough to let someone else die making that happen.

© Barbara J. Stock