Islamic Fundamentalism: Puritanism and Evangelicalism Revisited

They say that America was founded upon many tenants, of which the escape from religious persecution in Europe was one. As a result, where we live today has become the most religious diverse nation in the world. But insofar that this is historic truth, the query remains, is such our strength or weakness?

I make this assertion as a form of observation rooted both in historic accuracy and human action. The latter in many respects being feculent and absurd, in particular if what people display reflects what they actually think and feel. Especially as it regards the practice of Islam in modern America.

Personally, modern day Islam, or really I should state Islamic fundamentalism is equal too or the same as the Christianity that was presented that found and established this nation. This is why I am confused by protesting against an Islamic community center in NYC near or around ground zero, or anywhere in America to the proposed burning of books by zealots. This to me reaffirms the selfish edict, that we alone, are the chosen people of God – a lesson refuted via the practice of slavery and cemented via the blood of many before, and during the civil war.

The simple summary is that Islam is no more or less violent than Christianity. Just like some in Islam believe all outside of their belief are infidels, so was the view of the Spanish, who came to the new world, and forced with the Bible and threat of death the native Americans to accept Christianity (Catholicism) without question. But this lead to war and they eventually left New Mexico in 1680. This is one reason Pope Alexander VI in 1493, decreed that it was alright for Europeans to use non-whites in the name of God. Which was good for Bartolome de Las Casas, a Christian who came to the conclusion that African slaves were needed in Hispaniola after he had killed many of the indigenous people.

The lesson learned was that we cannot use political machinery to force our beliefs on others. A lesson the puritans would learn, albeit in theory it is purported that they left Europe to save Christianity from the politics of the European Church. Another reason for them as now. I can not discern any difference between Christianity during the founding of America for a group of people who saw themselves as the chosen people of God, or the fervor that arose out of the protestant reformation or evangelicals, or fundamentalist Islam and its predilection for Shari law.
Yep, the actions of John Winthrop are just like those of Osama Bin Laden. They both say the same thing: that if we are good by our God, that God will bless us. Just Like Billy Graham, for it was the Reverend Billy Graham and other white ministers who told Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights bus boycott that his actions were “not Christian and ungodly.”

The aforementioned examples tell me that all, regardless of religious affiliation are off base – for intolerance and absolute conformity is never good or godly. Unfortunately, this is what defines both Islam and Christianity historically globally. Yes the intolerance of Islam by American Christians and fundamentalist Muslims hatred of the West are the same. Just as slavery showed that whites perceived themselves selfishly as the chosen people of God, I see the same today. How the perspicacity of scripture is used to suggest how some selected few, if different is less than others. Unfortunately regardless of what men say, no God would assert such a premise. The bottom line is that truth fears no light and no man can love God yet orate hate for his brother at the same time, for it is written that he that lives by the sword, shall die by the sword, and both Christianity and Islam should take note.

Them

I was trying to stay as far away from this Muslim community center and Quran burning stuff as I could. I feel that talking and or writing about it gives it credence as a legitimate issue — although it is not.

First of all, the much-talked about Ground Zero mosque will not be located at ground zero, nor is it a mosque, which makes the venomous opposition so difficult to understand. I expect such attitudes from hatemongers, extremists and anyotherpeoplephobes. To date I have heard no valid argument against it, unless one accepts emotion as a logical construct for an argument. This perspective is so sophistical and wacky because it seems make it acceptable to block building an Islamic center in New York but gives tacit approval to the Quran burning proposed by Gainesville, Fla.'s self-proclaimed Guy Montag (the fireman who burned books in Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451).

I remember as a child the day Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered in Memphis, Tenn. His death was the result of illogical emotionalism and racial extremism. How quickly we forget that from Memphis to the Alabama cities of Birmingham and Selma, King, too, was asked not to March, although many acknowledged his constitutional right to do so.

Then there is the attempt to make the irrational rational using statistics to infer that Americans are not radical, extremist or anti-Muslim just because 70 percent of them oppose the Islamic center in New York. It is obvious we do not follow history, because we have forgotten that more than 70 percent of Americans disagreed with the Supreme Court ruling (Brown vs. Board of Education) that abolished segregation in schools. Not to mention that the majority of Americans were also against equal rights for African Americans.

Historically, America seems to conveniently forget its history and gets defensive when the truth is impinged on their senses. The simple fact is that America is the land of racists and anyotherpeoplephobes. The newest target is Islam and Muslims. We refer to this group as THEM, just like we do and did Native Americans and African Americans. This is sad. Now I know why white folks are scared of all black people if one black person robs them. To whites, all Muslims are the same as the ones who flew planes into the Twin Towers; just as all black folks are the same. I call this racist, for anyone who isn't white in America is the pronoun THEM.

The Lost art of saying F*** it

It is difficult for me to understand why politicians and our civilian population in America are so distracted and seem to display the ability to see through the shady penumbra of what is promulgated both in the media and inside the beltway.

I have been told by the aforementioned that we as Americans should be worried about what a fringed right wing psychopathic zealot in Florida plans to do on this up coming anniversary of 9/11. I cannot see how this man with a following somewhere around the size of a professional football team.

The more it is discussed the more I am able to figure out why it is news worthy unless there is some unseen or unspoken back room motive behind it. The truth is that I could care less as to what this man does as well as other Muslim fundamental extremist. So what really can this idiot do to put us at risk after all that we have done in Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan already?

I obviously have a different purview than Secretary Clinton and General Petraeus. It is lucid that they separate what our military and political actions are and have been in the past. From our documented torture of detainees, targeted assassination and drone strikes, our incessant occupation of Muslim countries, tens of thousands of civilian casualties and the recent report of US soldiers killing Afghan civilians for fun and collect their fingers as trophies.

How quickly we forget or worse do not see, that we are doing exactly what extremist desire for us to do. To hate and openly discriminate, to retract the freedoms we take for granted from others. I am an American and although and African American, I know there is much more that can be done to make this country support me as the mainstream. However, still, I am not afraid

I just don't see how this is less of a provocation that a confederate throwback preacher oral plan to burn Qurans. We as Americans are so used at deflecting blame and impetus too others that we can't even own up to our own shit. Personally, I say fuck it, fuck what the extremist think here and abroad. But I do see that America has become sissified, for saying such is truly a lost art.

Universal Nincompoops

Wanted to thank all yawl for the kind words and support via last post. Now back to our regular scheduled programming. I love to make fun of stuff; I mean Satire is in my blood. I have always looked to the works of folk like Miguel de Cervantes and the greatest satirist of all from my purview – Voltaire. I even like some of the modern cats including but not limited to Dave Chappelle, Aaron McGruder , Jon Stewart, and Mel Brooks and don’t add SouthPark.

Through satire, me as a writer, is in a position to holds prevailing vices up to ridicule via the employment of wit and humor such to criticize any institution or individual – hopefully in an attempt that they might be improved. However, it appears that even satire is not safe from the fangs of political correctness and the new world order.

The United Nations committee has passed a “defamation of religions” resolution that seems to over ride the significance of free speech and the freedom of expression. For some reason, it seems that the UN doesn’t see that such expression is a right and freedom connected directly with individual thought, conscience and belief, and seems to miss the point that as an international body, that they should first proceed to protect people in exercising their freedom of religion, versus the singular protection of religions.

This single resolution says that satire is nothing more than defamation of religion and even Blasphemy. Blasphemy, like you can actually defame a thought or idea or even something that may be true. The main sponsors of the resolution are predominantly Muslim nations. This is the 4^th year in a row in which the resolution has been approved. Do they know that folks like me or the writers of South Park, if ever in them countries, by the UN understanding, these got the places to arrest me and even put me to death, just cause I make fun of say, the Pope, or George Bush, or Christianity, or Islamic fanatics or even a monarch (by the way, the King of Saudi is supposed to be equal to a God). Guess talking about them off limits.

Satire is what keeps folks honest. It’s called humor, and the main outcomes are a smile or a laugh. I guess I will be held for I see the UN stands for Universal Nincompoops more so than United Nations and for all them Islamic Nations pushing this – suck a dic*. And while I'm at it throw on a vfew more years to my sentence for the terrorist should have flown planes into the UN. Now that is satire. Blaspheme that.