Utter Hypocrisy
http://www.radioislam.org/islam/roligt/roligt.htm
So, radical Muslim protestors threaten to kill the cartoonists of those infamous Dutch cartoons (and force them to go into hiding) for "offending" the Muslims' religious sensibilities. They burn buildings in a show of cowardly defiance.
If you look at the cartoons in the link above (all of which were printed in Arab newspapers), you will see some are explicitly anti-Jewish. (That's hardly news; many in the Arab media deny that there even was a Holocaust.) Isn't it kind of hypocritical that they demand tolerance while at the same time refusing to tolerate other faiths themselves? Yeah, I guess they will argue that Islam is the only true religion and Judaisim is for swine (and therefore, making fun of Jews is legitimate and undeserving of criticism), but to argue so would be to resort to twisted logic.
I honestly believe that Islam is a religion of intolerance and violence. I am not saying this out of sheer ignorance or bigotry; I've actually looked into the teachings of Islam and can find many doctrinal instances in which anti-Christianity and anti-Judaism are extolled, inhumane barbarism is commanded (as punishment, against women, against infidels, etc.), and a religion of fear- and works-driven faith is perpetuated. But I do not hate Muslim people (sometimes, I feel so immensely sad for them, that they don't know the peace, joy, and salvation of Jesus Christ). I'm not calling for a world free of the Muslim religion. I don't want to kill them or get rid of them because they hate me and everything that I stand for. They can kill my person; that doesn't matter, because my soul is assured. But I will do anything in my power to fight for my fellow Christians and for the freedom of religion. Not so that the entire world will be forced to become Christian (true faith is between God and man and cannot be coerced by another man), but that if one DOES accept Jesus Christ as his savior, he will have to freedom to worship and serve the Lord. That is why I supported the war in Iraq. That is why I am so passionate about the plight of the people in dictatorial places like North Korea, China, and practically all of the Middle East. Somebody has to stick up for their rights as human beings--the right to think and believe of their own accord.
When Muslims attack the West, I personally see it, in large part, as an attack against Christianity. Not that the West is necessarily Christian, but because the West tolerates Christianity. Christians reject the religious beliefs of Muslims; Muslims reject the humanity of Christians (and everybody else). It's scary to see how powerful the imams are in stirring up blind rage from the mob. It's scary to see that mob resorting to intimidation tactics to get their way. And it's very scary to see that actually working.
I'm sorry for being so worked up about this issue, but this really bothers me. The weak human side of me is starting to be afraid. Afraid and frustrated that sometimes things seem to be reverting from one extreme (postmodernist decadence of a secular West) to the other (pre-modern barbarism of fundamental Islamic law). I hope, however, that I will never be afraid to the point of cowardice. Because cowardice is a concession of defeat. And cowardice, in a feeble attempt to avoid the stinging blows of retaliation, ultimately results in self-destruction and an exacerbation of the original problem.
So, radical Muslim protestors threaten to kill the cartoonists of those infamous Dutch cartoons (and force them to go into hiding) for "offending" the Muslims' religious sensibilities. They burn buildings in a show of cowardly defiance.
If you look at the cartoons in the link above (all of which were printed in Arab newspapers), you will see some are explicitly anti-Jewish. (That's hardly news; many in the Arab media deny that there even was a Holocaust.) Isn't it kind of hypocritical that they demand tolerance while at the same time refusing to tolerate other faiths themselves? Yeah, I guess they will argue that Islam is the only true religion and Judaisim is for swine (and therefore, making fun of Jews is legitimate and undeserving of criticism), but to argue so would be to resort to twisted logic.
I honestly believe that Islam is a religion of intolerance and violence. I am not saying this out of sheer ignorance or bigotry; I've actually looked into the teachings of Islam and can find many doctrinal instances in which anti-Christianity and anti-Judaism are extolled, inhumane barbarism is commanded (as punishment, against women, against infidels, etc.), and a religion of fear- and works-driven faith is perpetuated. But I do not hate Muslim people (sometimes, I feel so immensely sad for them, that they don't know the peace, joy, and salvation of Jesus Christ). I'm not calling for a world free of the Muslim religion. I don't want to kill them or get rid of them because they hate me and everything that I stand for. They can kill my person; that doesn't matter, because my soul is assured. But I will do anything in my power to fight for my fellow Christians and for the freedom of religion. Not so that the entire world will be forced to become Christian (true faith is between God and man and cannot be coerced by another man), but that if one DOES accept Jesus Christ as his savior, he will have to freedom to worship and serve the Lord. That is why I supported the war in Iraq. That is why I am so passionate about the plight of the people in dictatorial places like North Korea, China, and practically all of the Middle East. Somebody has to stick up for their rights as human beings--the right to think and believe of their own accord.
When Muslims attack the West, I personally see it, in large part, as an attack against Christianity. Not that the West is necessarily Christian, but because the West tolerates Christianity. Christians reject the religious beliefs of Muslims; Muslims reject the humanity of Christians (and everybody else). It's scary to see how powerful the imams are in stirring up blind rage from the mob. It's scary to see that mob resorting to intimidation tactics to get their way. And it's very scary to see that actually working.
I'm sorry for being so worked up about this issue, but this really bothers me. The weak human side of me is starting to be afraid. Afraid and frustrated that sometimes things seem to be reverting from one extreme (postmodernist decadence of a secular West) to the other (pre-modern barbarism of fundamental Islamic law). I hope, however, that I will never be afraid to the point of cowardice. Because cowardice is a concession of defeat. And cowardice, in a feeble attempt to avoid the stinging blows of retaliation, ultimately results in self-destruction and an exacerbation of the original problem.