Islam a peaceful religion? I think not~

I would first like to say: I’m not given to stirring up controversy.  When I write about politics, generally, I’m only interested in sharing with a few people who happen to read me. But more than likely, because of the title of my entry, more diarists will read this entry and make a comment on it. I’m a tolerant person: yes I am, to those who have never read me before this entry.  I’m wondering how tolerant YOU are, after reading my entry title. *smiles*  Feel free to speak your mind. But I don’t argue politics or religion. In this politically correct age that we live in, it’s not easy to talk about Islam in a public forum. Why?  Many reasons. One is that the majority of Americans don’t comprehend what Muslims believe.  There are just so many contradictions and provocations within Islam for many of us to understand their religion.  Americans are as tolerant as anyone in the world: that’s why millions and millions of people still seek to come here, to be free!  To say that there is a rise in anti-Muslim is misleading and manipulative.  I think that certain Muslims leaders are trying to manipulate their fellow brother and sister Muslims into believing that this is a rise in anti-Islam.  I also believe that the guy who is seeking funding overseas to build the mosque that will overshadow the sacred graveland of the Twin Towers, is also manipulating people into believing that there is a rise in anti-Muslim.  The guy who calls himself a Imam, also said that 9-11 was a plot by our government so that ‘they’ could blame Muslim terrorists for destroying the Twin Towers.  He also has said that our government has more Muslim blood on our hands, than the Muslim terrorists do.  In my mind, nothing further needs to be known about this guy!  One thing that I don’t understand: why aren’t Muslims speaking out against this lunatic?  Do they agree with him?  Are they afraid to speak out?  It seems that the great majority of Muslims in N.Y. city didn’t agree with what that lunatic said about building a mosque over a sacred graveland.  But now that Muslims have been stirred up to believe that there is a rise of anti-Muslim across the country, many Muslims in N.Y. city are changing their minds, and incorrectly believing that since their faith is now under attack, they see no reason why there shouldn’t be a mosque there.  Manipulation…pure & simple.  The issue isn’t not about religion.  It’s isn’t about having a constutional right to build any kind of building they choose to build on that site.   It’s about decency…respect…sensitivity!
 
 America is a Christian nation, because it was founded on Christian principles and values.  The liberal media would not want you to believe that; or they were say that many of our founders were Masons or deists.  Why do they emphasize the idea that some of our founders were Masons or deists?  Because they don’t like the idea of our country being founded on Christianity.  But, the overwhelming majority of people in this country are Christians.  And we all like being a Christian country!  Some Christians may not be so respecful of others.  But for the most part, we respect whatever people chooses to believe or worship, or even if they choose not to worship God.  It truly makes no difference to us, in the sense that we are all Americans. So why have phony polls suggesting that there is a rise in tensions between different groups of Americans? The tensions that exist in this country are when people don’t respect our fellow Americans.  My feeling is: that so-called Imam has no respect for Americans or any respect for this country; else he wouldn’t have suggeted building a Mosque in the place that caused such devastation…and whose effect are still being greatly felt, today.  What kind of person  wishes to inflame emotions and gets our country into such a tumult over an issue like this one?  We have 70-80% of people that are disagreeing with building a Mosque on sacred ground, and the Iman says that he had no clue that he would cause such a division among us Americans; that just isn’t credible, what he says.
 
Since 9-11, 2001, I have tried to understand what a moderate Muslim is.  I have come to the conclusion that the term, moderate Muslim, is a contradiction in terms.  Before YOU go jumping to conclusions, let me explain myself in the following manner…I happen to be a Roman Catholic.  I also happen to be a Conservative.  But I do not consider myself a conservative Roman Catholic.  Why? Because to be a Roman Catholic has nothing at all to do with politics!  ‘It’ has to do with religion. It has to do with relationship with the Lord.  To be a Roman Catholics means that one adheres to all(or the great majority of teachings) of the Church’s teachings in accepting their doctrines and tradition. (tradition is used in the Roman Catholic church as referring to the early writings of the Church Fathers, that are said to be inspired of God.  They aren’t some haphazard teachings that are taught by man.  We believe that tradition are teachings that should be accepted as teachings from God)   If one doesn’t adhere to the Roman Catholic Church’s teachings, they aren’t a faithful Catholic. So political labels don’t define the Roman Catholic Church, at all. Many people will still call themselves a liberal Catholic or a conservative Catholic, but strictly speaking: those are inaccurate statments.  Now, there are many people in this country that makes all sorts of derogatory attacks against Catholicism, even calling ‘us’ a tool of Satan.  I don’t take that as a personal attack, though.  They’re just excercising their freedom of expression. I can seperate the thoughts that some people feel that my religion is not from God, but they will still respect me or any Catholic, as a person. The idea is similiar to, love the sinner, but hate the sin. It’s all about respect for others.
 
  Now, I understand that traditional Muslims don’t seperate church and state.  But those who call themselves, moderate Muslims, would seperate church from state. So the term, moderate, is inaccurate in describing their spiritual side of them. Like the Roman Catholic, there is really no such thing as conservative Islam, or liberal Islam or moderate Isalm..or that’s how I would think.  The Koran is said to be inspired words from God.  God is beyond all poltical labels.  But, I understand what ‘they’ are saying: that they would reject sharia law as not something that they wish to see, which says that Islam should inflict the death penalty for cases like drinking alcohol, pre-martial sex, adultery.. And the moderate Muslims wants to most ofall seperate themselves from the traditional Muslims that feel that Islam should conquer the world; if necessary, conquer it by the sword, if people don’t wish to be converted or become slaves; that ‘they’ wish to seperate themselves from the radical terroists.  But to be a Muslim is to accept the Koran as your guide/authority over one’s spiritual life.  Actually, to accept the Koran is to allow the Koran to guide your political life as well. Because, again: this is no seperation in Isalm according to the Koran, between politics and religion.  So the moderate Muslim rejects MANY of the teaching by Mohammed: there’s where my problem lies!
 
How does one accept Mohammed as a prophet, and yet reject much of his teachings?  In what other religion do we regard one as a prophet, as one sent from God, and subsequently reject their teachings?  How is it possible to reject what a prophet teaches? (a true prophet is relaying God’s word to his people) If we reject a prophet, are we not rejecting God, who sent us that prophet?  And although the Koran is open to interpretation in many passages, all we have to do to judge whether the Koran is from God, (is from a true prophet of God) is look at the kind of life that Mohammed led.  He married a girl who was six years old.  He then have intercourse with her at nine years old. His army proceeded to wipe off the face of the map all Jews & Christians in the Arabian Peninsala.  He promoted hatred, brutality, and killing or enslaving all those who didn’t agree with his creed. Those idea aren’t from God; therefore a true prophet wouldn’t utter such things. And because Mohammed felt that his mandate for war was from God, we can say what we want about the inspiring, or beautiful thoughts in the Koran, Mohammed turned to war to solve his problems. And therefore Islam cannot be called a religion of peace.  To see futher proof of that statement, look around the world.  Most present day wars have Muslims fighting either against their fellow Muslims (It is true that more Muslims die at the hands of their own fellow Muslims, than die from any other non-Muslim group)  or against non-Muslims. Just because we are told over and over again to ad nausea: Islam is a beautiful religion, we can choose to allow our own ears to hear and our eyes to see an ugliness, a destruction, that is not beautiful, that is originating from Muslims who adhere to the Koran.  Even within my own Catholic Church, I’m told that Islam is a peaceful religion.  I choose not to believe that.  There may be much beauty within Islam. It may provide a Muslim with much peace.  He or she may een feel closer to God, thru the practice of Islam.  I won’t dispute any of that.  But I will dispute that it is a religion of peace for an untold number of people around the world who have been killed, and are being killed in the name of Allah.
 
But the moderate Muslim must reject the kind of ideas that Mohammed offered as coming from God.  The moderate Muslim who lives in the Western culture would say that he or she seeks peace; they seek to live in a democracy where they can reap the fruits of their labor; they want to bring up their family like the rest of Americans, send them to colleges and become a finanical success. They want to live under a justice system that is humane. They love their fellow ‘man.’  They are tolerant.  But they also accept the Koran as divinely inspired. I can only wonder if it is possible for such a immoral person as Mohammed was to be spoken to be an angel, and given all sorts of incredible revelations of God?  Anything is possible; is it likely: no.  But we are also told: there is much beauty in the Koran!  Good.  Praise God for that.  God rains on the good and the bad. Maybe we can take all the beauty out of the book and start anew…but I don’t think that that approach is possible, for the words of the Koran are inspired by God, we are told. Surely traditional Muslims will say: how can you say some words given by the angel to Mohammed weren’t inspried, while others were inspired?
 
I can analyze the situation about Islam, over and over.  And I’m still left with an umcomfortableness in my spirit.  For if even the ones that call themselves, moderate Muslims, accept the Koran to a guide of their daily spiritual life, maybe one day they will agree with one of Mohammed’s creeds that justify:
conflict that is legitimately defensive or defensive in the way Osama bin Laden did on 9/11…
 
America can’t live in fear; and we won’t. (unless its fear of our own government *smiles*)  But many of us will be uncomfy with ideas like moderate Muslims changing their minds about building a Mosque on sacred ground.  Their initial reactions were like most Americans: they were horrified at such insensivity to fellow Americans!  And yet, they put aside their sensitivity, and started thinking of themselves; thinking of their religion! What does that say….How many other events in the future will moderate Muslims forego doing/thinking what is right, and thinking of taking care of themselves at the expense of their fellow Americans?
 
Again, I will repeat, I truly don’t think that anti-Muslim is on the rise in America. Oh, when events like building a Mosque near Ground Zero arises, people will get very emotional, understandedly.  And they may say and perhaps do regrettable things, especially if a Mosque actually gets built on that site. I don’t think that N.Y. city is going down without a fight, right Sue? *smiles*  But for any non-American who is reading this entry, we will truly fight for any American’s right, regardless of their religion, race or creed.  Oh, there will always be jerks that won’t stand up for anyone but themselves; but thank God that they are a miniority in America!  But, most Americans do not wish to sign our own death warrant!  We don’t wish to become so desensitized to people’s sufferings, that we will do what is politically expedient, at the expense of what is the compassionate thing to do!
 
Peace!  *smiles*