Christians in the crosshairs…
Egypt’s persecution of Christians, once controlled by a brutal dictatorship, is now sanctioned by an equally brutal military junta. ISIS’ persecution, at best forced conversions of Christians to Islam, and at worst their bloody beheadings, are in the news, the stories often accompanied by gruesome YouTube videos. A recent CBS Sixty Minutes’ segment portrayed the plight of Christians in Iraq, ironically more protected under Saddam Hussein, once persecuted by al Qaeda in Iraq, and now threatened by ISIS. Iran’s persecution of Christians has only diminished because the Ayatollahs want to remove the West’s sanctions. Recently, Christians in Kenya (most of the 147 victims) were separated from Muslims and shot exection-style by Somalian al Qaeda members. Where Christians and Muslims once coexisted, Christians are now in the crosshairs of radical Islam.
Religious intolerance isn’t new, of course. It’s inherited from the ancients who followed the doctrine “My tribe…good; your tribe…bad!” It’s inherited from that long evolutionary development of ape men and women mimicking their gorilla and chimp cousins (ever see one group of chimps wage war on another?—geez, they seem almost human!). In the Age of Enlightenment philosophers tried to argue against ALL discrimination, but religious discrimination was so ingrained that our Founding Fathers made religious freedom #1 in the Bill of Rights. (Never mind that it’s now being used to discriminate in Indiana and elsewhere—until we modify the Bill of Rights to bring it up to date and prohibit discrimination for sexual orientation, this will continue. One right being used to attack another is ironic, at best, and dangerous—we consider freedom of speech a right, but you still can’t yell “Fire!” in a theater, because that tramples on other rights.)
Enlightenment implies tolerance. ISIS and other radical Muslim groups aren’t enlightened. They’re trying to return the world to the 6th century, to a radical Muslim Caliphate where the law of the entire planet is their bloody version of Sharia law. Just hand out rattles to the ISIS shamans and let them cry out to “the faithful” as anyone opposing them is killed, just like in those primitive tribes. That’s what they want. It’s a cancerous growth eating away at the world, and it will only send every living human being into a hell on Earth. ISIS members are the agents of Evil. They have distorted and gone against any good that might be found in Islam; they have sullied the name of the Prophet as they justify their bloody lust for greed and power in his name. They would deny their Muslim brothers any chance for secular enlightenment.
Religious freedom is more important than any particular religion, and that freedom can only be maintained via a strong secular authority. Good Muslims know that. There are many of them, but not enough to force their will on practitioners of other religions…at least, not without a major bloodbath reminiscent of those marauding chimpanzees. Co-existence is the better alternative. I’ll even give cults like Scientologists or radical Mormons a pass as long as they follow the secular laws of the land (they don’t, so my gift is just rhetorical). Enlightenment for me means tolerance for what people believe. I might not agree with it, but I’ll defend your right to believe it (in most cases—I won’t tolerate certain sects putting their children at risk, or those engaged in brainwashing for exploitation and control). That goes beyond religion. Modern progressive society can only exist as a secular society that rises above all faiths and ensures that its citizens tolerate them all. Radical Islam doesn’t do that.
Peaceful Muslims share some of the blame. Sure, they might abhor the killings, but if they only kneel on their prayer mats and beseech Allah for peace and understanding, they’re part of the problem! It’s like the Israeli Torah students who refuse to fight for their country. It’s indifference to the Nth degree. If you have a stake in something, sometimes you have to stand up for it. Either support religious freedom or be prepared for the consequences. I don’t care if Islam is fractured too, basically in two groups, the Shi’ites and the Sunnis, with neither group has any love for the other, whether peaceful or not. You have to get above the religious agendas and go secular. Just look at the different Protestant sects and even the different versions of Catholicism. There’s a diversity in belief systems; live with it.
Muslim indifference to the violence against Christians—“It’s not my problem,” they say, burying their heads in the desert sands—is an insult to their own religion. How can anyone continue to support tolerance of Muslims when they’re a huge group of do-nothings? Let’s face it: all Islamic extremists form a minority. A general uprising against their bloody and murderous campaigns by their Muslim brothers would overwhelm them by sheer numbers. Maybe the peaceful Muslims think living under 6th century-style ISIS rule will be paradise on Earth? That’s just naïve and stupid!
It’s time to stop religious intolerance in this world. It’s ironic we’re talking about going to Mars when radical groups like ISIS exist. When the ebola outbreak occurred, people flocked to the affected areas to help out. The cancerous growth of deadly fringe groups like ISIS is far worse than ebola. It’s time to perform some radical surgery and eliminate the tumors in world society, once and for all. I appeal to all good Muslims everywhere to join the surgical team. Your lives will be better for it!
And so it goes….
