War on Islam

MOUNT ARAFAT, Saudi Arabia (AP) — More than 2 million Muslim pilgrims made the climactic ascent Monday to Mount Arafat, Islam's most sacred site, to pray for salvation, and Saudi Arabia's top cleric urged Islamic unity in the face of what he called the West's war on Islam.

Speaking at a mosque on the plain of Mount Arafat, Sheik Abdul-Aziz al-Sheik, the kingdom's grand mufti, said Muslims were facing critical challenges, among them accusations of terrorism and human rights abuses and calls for revisions in school textbooks.

"Oh, Muslim nation, there is a war against our creed, against our culture under the pretext of fighting terrorism. We should stand firm and united in protecting our religion," he said.

"Islam's enemies want to empty our religion of its contents and its meaning," said al-Sheik. "But the soldiers of God will be victorious."

The faithful called out: "Amen."

Ok, folks, now what could the dedicated liberal possibly choose to misinterpret here? Oh, yes, it is their religion they are protecting when suicide bombers try to obliterate a democratically elected Iraqi government. Obvious, that. Is is the notion of a democracy anti-Islamic? Possibly. Inasmuch as Islam, at least according to the Imams, etc., is meant by its very nature (stemming from the word of God as told to the Prophet Mohammed) to be all encompassing, a way of life. To disturb the way of life is violate the word of God - hence Islam may by its very nature a Theocracy. And of course, that means it should be the Imams and Mullahs who rule Islam, for they are the arbiters of the true meaning of the word of God, and hence how people should live, what they should practice and think. Every little detail.

Given recent experience in Afghanistan, this does not bode well for the female of the species. So women everywhere, get off of your butts and push for democracy, equality and the right to be yourself. Or else get fitted for a burqa.

But this raises the question, since when is the murder of innocent women and children acceptable under Islam? Did the Prophet say that this was acceptable -- or even imply it? Murder of innocents has always been haraam.... So how do we arrive at car bombs? Oh, I get it, it is the Americans and their cronies who are doing the murdering, the suidice bombers simply have to do because of the Americans. Ah, so. So the Baathists can regain power and murder hundreds of thousands more Shiites and Kurds. Is a Shiite even a Muslim to a Sunni? Or is simply OK, if Muslims kill Muslims -- sort of an internal family struggle? I cannot be that the Merciful would condone that. But some foolish unbeliever comes across with the idea that you might have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness -- without someone else's interference ... well that's beyond the pale. I mean, which God would you worship? The Ayatollah's or the Grand Mufti's? OR could you, gasp, have a choice? Now that would not sit well with those in charge of the interpretation of God's word, the Quran. After all, they will tell you how the word is to apply to you, and depending on if you are Sunni or Shiite, you take your directions from different sources.

In that little conundrum lies the reason why Iraq is a snake's nest to the US and allies. Places that are relatively homogeneous in the ways that count (religion be foremost there, above even race) are places where people can decide to elect people to govern and rule them. After all, similar people want similar things. Where, by contrast, you have over a thousand years of hate and mistrust between two groups -- about something so essential as religion, well that tends to put some gasoline on the fire. Iraq is a turf war. First get the foreigners out -- it is an Islamic country, their turf. Then kill the other enemy, those who disagree with their particular brand of Islam. Throw some tribal and regional enmities in there and voila!

Iran might just work as a theocratic democracy -- one group, the administrative secular balances out the religious, sort of. The Ayatollahs always have trump. At least they all believe the same brand of Islam. We don't have to look too far in the European past to see where their Christianity splits got them. Spanish Armadas, 80 years war, 30 years war, the Inquisition, Mary Tudor, slaughters of savages in the New World. And the Jesuits still exist as a noble organization. Opus Dei operates with youth and vigor ... and best of all, the Inquisition still exists under a different name in the Vatican. Northern Ireland.

Last time I checked, Mohammed said that the Jews and the Christians were both people of the "Book." And hence brothers -- although misinformed and wayward.

This Grand Mufti is a Saudi. Bin Laden was/is a Saudi. We know that the bulk of funding for Al Qaeda comes from the Kingdom, although logistical support comes from every government interest that seeks to avoid becoming accountable to a democratically elected government (see Syria, Iran, among others). The 9/11 terrorists were overwhelmingly Saudi. Iraqi forces have noted that many of the suicide jihadis coming to Iraq are Saudi. Now their Grand Mufti is calling the faithful to stand against those who seek to assault their religion -- or is it his position? His audience is the 2 million faithful performing the hadj. An act of religious significance that has almost no parallel in Christianity. Fervour hardly captures the spirit. And in this state of dedication and devotion to Islam they are implicitly told to get on with jihad against the West. And the Saudis are our friends. I don't think so.