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Islamic Extremism
If there had been any question about the need
to face up to and understand Islamic extremism, the recent proclamations of the
President of Iran and the worldwide reaction of militant Moslems to the cartoons
published in Denmark should have erased all doubt. Moslems who profess and
follow such extremism are a threat to the rest of the world. Their stated desire
is to eliminate Jews, Christians, Western civilization and all who in anyway
would disagree with their beliefs.
Many writers have pointed out that Islam is a
peaceful religion. There are in fact many peaceful quotations from the Koran
which can be cited to support that point of view. See, for instance, the final
clause of 9.5 of the Koran ("[T]hen if they repent and keep up prayer and pay
the poor-rate, leave their way free to them; surely Allah is Forgiving,
Merciful."). There are also many who are trying to change the Middle East to
provide a peaceful more tolerant attitude, as noted by Victor David Hansen.
"Losing Civilization," Victor David Hansen, National Review Online, 2/10/06.
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However, as cited in the graphic to the
right, there are violent quotations in the Koran which support the militancy
of the Islamic extremists. While many of these persons may be hypocrites
(See "Losing Civilization" cited above), they can still hide behind parts of
the book which informs and guides their religion. It cannot be ignored that
there is a thread of violence in parts of the Koran. This thread, while not
followed directly by most Moslems, is something which must be acknowledged
if we are to deal properly with the threat of Islamic extremism. |
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From 9, "The Immunity":
9.5: So when the sacred months have
passed away, then slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them
captives and besiege them and lie in wait for them in every ambush, . . ..
9.14: Fight them, Allah will punish
them by your hands and bring them to disgrace, and assist you against them
and heal the hearts of a believing people.
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There are no similar violent admonitions in
either the Old Testament or the New Testament. While there have been many
violent acts done in the name of both Judaism and Christianity, portions of the
Bible contain the foundations for the Western attitude towards tolerance.
By understanding that there is a basis in
Islam's holy book for the violence of Islamic extremists, we may better realize
that the violent nature of these people cannot be easily dismissed through some
modern sociological analysis based upon poverty, other types of depravation and
jealousy. Instead, we must realize that we are dealing with a fanaticism which
finds its roots in the religion of these fanatics. Only then can we understand
that typical Western answers to social problems will not suffice, but that we
are truly clashing with and struggling against people who seek to destroy the
tolerant values of the West and the major religions which flourish in and and
provide the underpinning for these values.
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