Ayaan Hirsi Ali
In writing this column, I have been dancing around the 800-pound gorilla in the room as concerns secular freedom and religious fanaticism: To wit, Islamic fundamentalism. Despite the constant claims of "religion of peace," this subject provokes so much violent frenzy that it is tread upon lightly in the mainstream media. From this very timidity, we know we have a problem. This sort of exploration, analysis and investigation has been relegated largely to the non-mainstream media, while individuals critiquing Islamic fanaticism who do appear on the MSM are savagely and relentlessly attacked, again demonstrating that, Houston, we have a problem. And it's a doozy on a par with that national crisis.
In the past month, several terrorist attacks were aborted across the United States. The case of the runaway teenage ex-Muslim Christian convert Rifqa Bary has been all over the news. Islam is continually in the headlines, both globally and nationally, and not in a good way.
Added to this trend are the voices of ex-Muslims who wish to live free of Islamic dogma and often of other religious doctrines as well. These individuals feel threatened, as well they should, based on Islam's very bloody past record, which includes the murders of many such apostates. These folks need to be protected against a very real threat, as unfortunately exemplified in the case of the beautiful Somali-Dutch politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali.
Hirsi Ali escaped an arranged marriage by stopping off in the Netherlands on her way to Canada. She went on to thrive in that lovely, peaceful country, which in her experience was the complete opposite of where she had come from and what the people in her homeland had depicted was the "real world" outside of Somalia and Islam. While in Holland, along with Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh, Hirsi Ali made a short film called "Submission," which showed the Islamic oppression of women. van Gogh paid for his artistic truth with his life, having his head nearly cut off by a Muslim fanatic in the Dutch filmmaker's own country. Stuck by the murder weapon into van Gogh's chest was a note with a death threat against Hirsi Ali.
Hirsi Ali is a firmly convicted apostate who conveys her experiences with elegance and eloquence. She is joined by many others who are speaking out and courageously taking the platform to ensure their basic freedoms and human rights are respected. For one thing, these ex-Muslims have the right to live!
At About.com, atheist columnist Austin Cline has the presence to discuss the issue of ex-Muslims receiving death threats in the U.S. In doing so, he raises the case of Sabri Husibi, who has been stirring up a ruckus in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by criticizing religion in general and Islam in particular.
Says Cline:
"Muslims who criticize atheism and atheists don't get death threats in the name of Darwin, but ex-Muslim atheists who criticize Islam do get death threats. Do you suppose that's an important difference worth considering when evaluating the relative worth or reasonableness of Islam versus scientific, secular, skeptical atheism in contemporary America?...
"Atheists aren't morally perfect, there's no question about it, but their failure to engage in the sort of violence, thuggery, and intimidation we so often see from religious believers can't be dismissed. Such behavior is, sadly, only to be expected from many traditional religions because of their totalitarian nature. A totalitarian system can't abide competition, dissent, or critique, whether that system is religious, political, or economic in nature.
Of course, even within any religion not everyone agrees with totalitarian, thuggish behavior and not every tradition supports such behavior. Technically, Islam teaches that there should be 'no compulsion in religion,' but in reality Islam has frequently practiced forced and even violent compulsion in religious matters. That is undeniable and, in fact, even unavoidable when it comes to a religion that also teaches that it has the only truth directly from the ultimately, only, absolute authority over all existence. "
According to a number of authorities, the "no compulsion in religion" sura in the Quran/Koran is abrogated by later passages, an apparently correct contention in light of the fact that this passage is so widely ignored, even by whole states that have the death penalty for apostasy.
All people who step away from enslavement and oppression need and deserve our support and protection, especially those who are under death threats. If something is true, it does not need the might of the mob to force it upon others. The truth relies on the intelligence of its beholder, not its compulsion through threats and terror.
Sources & Further Reading
Sabri Husibi: Atheist Gets Death Threats Over Criticism of Islam
Ex-Muslims in U.S. want civil rights assurances
Ayaan Hirsi Ali Saves Civilization
Comments
Great article! I hope this makes it to many eyes. If a muslim knows he/she is signing their death warrant by leaving the faith, many will stay put and stand no chance of having a voice in reason.
There is a difference between what some hypocrites do and what Islam teaches...many things that happen in the so called Islamic world are not Islamic, but rather pagan and cultural. It is not mandated in Islam. Here is an article regarding this topic in detail: http://www.examiner.com/islam-in-columbus/islam-apostasy-no-punishment
Re the comment titled: "Islam & Apostasy: No Punishment"
According to many if not most Islamic authorities, apostasy is punishable by death. Wishing it otherwise or defaming "Pagans" will not suffice in changing that fact:
"The majority of [Islamic authorities], including the four main schools of jurisprudence (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi`i, and Hanbali) as well as the other four schools of jurisprudence (the four Shiite schools of Az-Zaidiyyah, Al-Ithna-'ashriyyah, Al-Ja'fariyyah, and Az-Zaheriyyah) agree that apostates must be executed."
For more, see this article:
Malaysia: Islamic agency vows to enforce Islamic apostasy law
Unfortunately, when Muslims themselves make such false statements as you have about the death penalty and apostasy, it tends to make one skeptical of other claims.
Hilarious that a Muslim matrimony site is advertised alongside this excellent article. Guess the lak of irony of automatons is woefully similar to the fundamentalists of any belief system.
Yes I agree this is a great article. It beaks my heart to see people become a victim of an oppressive belife syste. And sinve all religion is mostly the tool that is used to control the masses, all religions and dogma's have the potential for this exact same violence.
It was the christians in the middle ages who were attempting to stamp out everyone else, and today it is islam.
sorry for the typos:)
It's always the psychotic religious leaders that pervert the doctrines of their beliefs to further their insane agendas. They'll take the bits of certain wordings out of context and then emotionally pump up their captivated audiences to a feverish pitch, using all the con-artist tools at hand to drive home the programming. This happens in almost every organized religion. Most atheists are rational, but there are bigots everywhere!
I find that even Christianity hates to get criticised as well. If we put Christianity in the same time frame as Islam, Christianity also burnt alive at the stake and killed infidels, and alleged witches. Christianity and Islam are all tarred with the same brush.
It is so very sad that it is still happening, In the christian world people are not so violent, i guess people is now passing through and they hust want to live their lives without prohibitions, but this muslim people are so reactionary, and they don`t want to face the truth.
I agree with, Cline, his last sentance shows us where religion is not. He furhter demonstrates that the truth is in the intelligence of its beholder. It is demonstrated by islam that they are not very intelligent. Any religion that uses force backed opression to perpetuate its blind ignorance has no truth intelligence or light.
Articles that make you think. That is goooood
This article exemplifies the fact that the religious meme has gone astray. At one time in the evolution of mankind when the earth was considered flat and the sun was thought to rotate around the earth, religion and myth was a great pacifier. In light of our present knowledge of the universe and science in particular, the religion of those days comes off as insanity. We have some difficulty recognizing this because we have been evolving with this insanity and now have difficulty seeing the truth. The truth is that religion at its best is totalitarian and at its worst a condition of mass delusion which borders on if not steps over our present idea of insanity. Many of us find it hard to believe this because we are so involved in a culture where a delusional mass hypnosis is the status quo. We need to break out of this mindset and come to the realization that religion is an insane proposition. Until we do, we are forced to live in this insane asylum we call reality.
I might add that we therefore are faced with a “Catch 22.” Psychiatry today recognizes that no amount of rhetoric can change the mind of an insane delusional individual, therefore we are faced with few alternatives, institutionalize half the population of the world and treat them or make them disappear. Both of these alternatives are totalitarian in nature.
While I agree that any system of thought that leads people to believe as fact propositions which are unsupported in fact or reason I think some are getting a wee bit carried away. First, every person holds a complex set of ideas thoughts and values derived from the culture of their societies. Religious people reflect not only their religious thinking but the thinking of the society around them. We, in the U.S. have a society shaped by enlightenment thinking which regarded religion as a private matter and created a value of "tolerance" i.e. allowing differences in thought without regarding them as inimical to social order.
The problem seen in terms of Islamic violence isn't so much the religion itself since, as stated, the religious texts don't support it, but the societies which failed to modernize thought. Our enlightenment grew out of the bloodshed of the reformation. Islam was more uniform and stable and so didn't go through this bloody learning experience. It will.
Another excellent column. If I may add to the discussion.
1. It is false to excuse today's violence by saying that Christian's once did that too. Two rights don't make a wrong. When we fall into this line of thinking, we empower the Islamists whose actions are not justified by any reasonable measure.
2. When Christianity and Judaism went through their 'reformations' (Crusades, Book of Esther), they did so in a much different world. Combat was hand to hand, not nuclear. The consequences were atrocious, but did not have the potential for widespread global annihilation.
3. Islam, rooted in a tribal mentality, does not allow for enlightenment as several of your readers pointed out.
4. Muslims categorically are NOT taking responsibility for their actions - the rhetoric we most often hear, with the exception of a few brave souls, is that it is everyone else's fault - the US, the Jews, Western democracy, etc.
5. Look how a nation treats its women, and you see it's soul.
What a well-written and balanced article. It is neither hysterical nor "tub-humping", but quietly makes its points, which are devastating.
The constant threats of violence from Islam's followers against the religion's critics betray a truth that needs to be addressed. I hope this article gets greater exposure.
What a well-written and balanced article. It is neither hysterical nor "tub-humping", but quietly makes its points, which are devastating.
The constant threats of violence from Islam's followers against the religion's critics betray a truth that needs to be addressed. I hope this article gets greater exposure.
Religion is slavery but Islam is the mafia. I don't see why the people put up with it. If a westerner wanted to leave a church (or religion) you'd hear nothing from the congregation. Imagine what it would be like if you quit attending church and the people started threatening your life. What a strange gangster mafia mentality.
The Suras of the Quran are a jumble of sometimes nearly incoherent contradictions, as bad or worse than the Bible. Books like this can be cherry-picked for aphorisms of timeless wisdom. But so can the Bhagavad Vita, the Puranas, and an other assortment of ancient texts.
People who live in contemporary post-industrial society, and yet devote their whole lives to be guided by the dotted 'i's and crossed 't's of these fragments of archaic literature, cannot function with adequate critical thinking skills. The consequence is to the detriment of global population. This proves to be especially the case with Islam.
Right back at you - you too are a breath of fresh air! And I hope this column gets read by thousands. I'm posting it to my FB page...NOW!
I praise you for bringing this to people's attention I try to do my part and send this to my friends as well to get the word out there.You are brave for talking about this and I know you are taking a big chance putting yourself in the firing line and I hope nothing happens to you for doing it. Keep up the good work!!
Miss Murdock's articles are well written and they have a clear message to the readers. But, it is not enough if we read these articles and just convey our appreciation. If conviced that what is said therein is true, it is for every one of us to see that its contents is dissemianted to as many persons as possible from our side. One of the reasons why evil spreads and is perpetuated, is because the good people refrain from doing what they ought to do from their side on such matters and occasions. The writer makes a humble appeal to all readers of this web page to spread awareness about the threat faced by ex-Muslims to the different sections of the society. This may be the least we can do to help the endangered section of our community.
Thank you, Acharya Satyakama and Rick, for your encouraging comments. I am very glad to help out my ex-Muslim friends by publicizing their need for safety assurances and protection. And they are so kind and grateful about the effort. It's hard to believe we live in a world occupied by so much savagery. This cultic mentality of hatred and death really should be ashamed of itself - and all those who adhere to it freely, thus keeping it alive, should be embarrassed, frankly.
I'm a bit shocked at how people are so violent towards Islam in their responses. The Qur'an preaches peace and tolerance with both believers therin and those who do not believe. Fighting is only called for in defense of the religion, to free those oppressed by a tyrant, or to protect their right to choose their religion. Muslims are strictly forbidden from harming women, children, elderly or non-combatants both in and out of warfare. And there is nothing in the Qur'an that says a person who leaves the faith is to be harmed or killed. It's unfortunate how people will use individuals that do not represent the values of a faith to make slanderous statements about it.
Denver-Muslim-Examiner,
Jason Blair
"Atheists aren't morally perfect, there's no question about it, but their failure to engage in the sort of violence, thuggery, and intimidation we so often see from religious believers can't be dismissed."
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I bet the tibetan monks butchered in Mao Tse Tung's cultural genocide would disagree with that. I believe the Chairman's last words to the Dalai Lama were "religion is poison."
Sorry, Jason, but you are a typical deluded revert who has blinders on.
See these sites:
thereligionofpeace.com
islam-watch.org
Alternatively, if you are an adult, take a look at some of the videos at truthtube.tv and find out a little more about the real face of islam.
That'd be the face that it doesn't want you to see when it's preaching its message of peace and tolerance...nothing more than lies with which to mollify you.
Just five minutes' research would provide enough evidence to convince any rational person of the evil that is islam.
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