A Critical Analysis of 'Real Islam'. Its People ... - Bukti dan Saksi

Chapter 24
Liberty Threatened
The appeal of Islam has many roots, some are even noble, but those mandating violence against nonbrothers
are not, or at least not by the standards of non-Muslims. When Islam is judged against
universally accepted standards of morality, this Arabian religion fails to qualify as the friend and guide of
humanity it claims to be. Muslims will protest against this point of view, and as usual will produce weak
tidbits or far-fetched evidence to prove that Islam advocates the love and brotherhood of mankind,
ignoring the larger realities of Jihad and 1400 years of history. This type of sorcery has worked wonders
for Islamists and their apologists in the past, but with modern dissemination of knowledge, one hopes it
will become more difficult to cloud the truth with the magic of misinterpretation and spin.
America has appreciated and duly noted the official moderate Muslim perspective, but in addition to
well thought-out official releases … what action will Islam now take to manage its own? What are
Muslims going to do to reign-in and punish clerics inciting hatred, violence, and constantly calling for the
most popular interpretation of Jihad? Are moderate Muslims strong and powerful enough to actually do
something about the fire-breathing clerics and militants amongst them? Can they wrest power from the
militants and take control of defining and administering the central tenants and teachings of Islam? Will
effective action ever be taken against the supposedly holy clerics inciting and celebrating hatreds and
violence? To have any chance to ultimately win what promises to be a long war against Islamic fanatics,
we must, as Sun Tze in "The Art of War" says, "Understand the enemy." To date America has done a very
poor job of identifying to its citizenship just exactly who is the enemy and what is the ideology driving
them. There is also a constant stream of misinformation spewed by Islamic apologists and propagandists,
which has resulted in confusion and lack of focus, with its resulting ambiguity of policy and inadequate
responses. Islamic terror continues unabated in Iraq, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sudan, Israel, and
elsewhere, with no end in sight. Islam, the so-called "Religion of Peace", continues to be a breeder of
hatred and an incubator of willing foot soldiers, having neither boundary nor limits. Nor is there any
semblance of humanity in Islamic extremists’ brutality. The beating and hanging from a bridge over the
Euphrates River of four lifeless, mutilated, charred American civilian bodies, and the brutal beheading of
Nick Berg are just more graphic and indelible testimony of their inhumanity.
Responsible members of the human race hope that among the first things Islam would do is to
officially condemn the racist use of the word INFIDEL, and to recognize in both its teachings and law the
equality of all races, religions, and sexes. It should also apologize for all past prejudicial teachings and
practices. Sadly, the only intelligent conclusion which can be drawn by a pragmatic analysis of
fundamental Islam, is that hope for reform and modernization is impossible for the majority of Muslims.
To admit any flaw whatsoever, or to reform any basic wiring or tenant of Islam is to discredit the whole
philosophy to its roots. Another fundamental weakness of Islam is that it does not have a central
administration or organized self-regulatory mechanisms. This weakness leaves the door wide open for the
hijacking of individuals, families, clans, mosques, sects, regions, or countries, by any despot with a
personal agenda. Anyone can claim to represent Islam and rise to be a holy man without any appointment,
education, or actual calling. The first and only requirement appears to be a strong aspiration to the
position, or in other words, greed for power and influence. Islam needs to correct this mistake, or it will
continue to be used as it has in the past, to inspire and express hatred, for violence, and as a lever used to
gain personal power.
Some think, and it seems reasonable, that Islam herself was the most injured by the attacks on 9/11.
Could it be that those four airliners inflicted a wound on Islam that will result in untold turmoil and
sorrow amongst her own? God is not subject to interpretation by mere mortals, nor is He the personal
property of any group or individual. Certainly, if there is only one God, then the question begs asking; are
these extremist Muslim leaders actually affiliated with Him? Whether they represent the majority or
minority in their cultures, angry hateful Muslims could not possibly be acquainted with a kind,
benevolent, and loving God of us all. Further, as long as their minds are so clouded with Hate, the
probability of spiritual enlightenment or an intellectual epiphany is at absolute zero. However, one might