There is nothing more frustrating, or useless, as those who practice the Islamic faith. This author typically feels the necessity to shower to get the grime of the endless stream of sleaziness that seems to follow any discussion of the actions of this particular faith.
To be fair, the delusionally devout of any faith are a challenge to deal with, but with those of Islam they feel that the only way to be devout is to endlessly attack those different from them. This Xenophobic attitude is, if not acceptable, necessary for when one is a new religion among many and is seeking converts for its self preservation.
For those religions that are established exclaiming, “Kill It, Kill it!” to anything that is different or philosophically contrasting with your values is more detrimental to the society that you are attempting to preserve.
For Catholics, of which I am a member, this revelation came with the rise of the Protestant Revolution. Ideas and practices that had been unquestioned before suddenly became under fire, as well as the emergence of the new religion of science.
The Catholic Church which had been the standard of Christianity in the Western World, now found itself countries, but also as a new minority. A minority that was looked upon with disdain and even targeted for violence to settle scores, or show one’s legitimacy.
There are one of two decisions that one may take when faced with such humbling circumstances, Republicans should be taking notes, they can either lash out violently and ruining the future for all. Or redefine what makes one a devout follower of ones particular faith.
One cannot allow scientific research to exist without moral parameters in place so that, while the end result may be noble the methods used do not undercut the achievement. It is also true that if by destroying those who wish to learn the physical nature of the world, one undercuts the ability of a society to grow.
The West has dealt with these questions in the past, and thus redefined the nature of their religion against that of the written word, and to delve into the spiritual truths those words were to get across. So it was that the practice of slavery, which was allowed by biblical teachings, was eventually seen as a practice that went against the very nature of how a Christian was to live their life.
What seems to be lacking in the Muslim world is the ability, or the desire, to move past the strict interpretation of the written word and examine the Koran philosophically. Much of the resentment that the Arab/Persian region has towards the rest of the world is that they were once the cusp of technological advacements.
Philosophically, Technologically, and Culturally, the Middle East was once hailed as the standard from which all other empires would be measured. It was when the stifling of creativity, due to the crackdown of Islamic rule that we can see the devolution of their society.
Thus arises the ideology that if they only became more devout, then they would be placed at their, suppose, proper place as among the top of the global pecking order. So they have governments like the Taliban, which despite its adherence to the most violent of Islam’s teachings is still a toilet bowl of the world.
With the Middle East being a place of vast economic in-opportunity segments of the population then emigrate to places that do offer the possibility of a better life. These places most often exist in the decadent West, but they seem to overlook these facts.
So they travel to the places where the reason for opportunity is directly proportional to the level of interference religious leaders exert in the society. Much of the West has a separation of the spheres of influence between civil and religious institutions, so the diverse economy can be fueled by diverse people.
What then seems to occur in Islamic Muslims is the culture shock of freedom and opportunity, also comes with a feeling of isolation since they are now a minority the new country they travel to. This leads them to define themselves as devout Muslims by seeking to do violence to the very place that allows them the freedom to practice their faith, unopposed. (Try being a Christian in Saudi Arabia)
It is the level of competition that has seen the West attempt to one up each other that has driven our societies forward. A world where everyone is on a level playing field, because everyone is at square one is not a staple of Western thought. It is however the foundation of Islamic Idealism.
