Enough
Is it possible for me to admit that Islam has failed? Is it fair? I've defended Islam, castigated it, reproached it and exalted it. I've tried to qualify its ugliest moments in the context of an even uglier history, spoken out against the minority extremists who've hijacked what is, at core, a religion of peace.
A religion of peace.
How can I say that still, how can I cling to that myth when Palestinian factions slaughter one another over...what? Power? Prestige? How can I abuse that word by applying it to a religion whose supposed followers rampage through the streets of Mumbai indescriminately murdering civilians? I don't care what the world has done to you, you fucking monsters. No one deserves this.
A religion of peace. Is it peace these fanatics are after? Is it peace that keeps millions of Muslims around the world silent in the face of such brutality? I have to ask: do you feel peace in your hearts, you, the "moderate majority", when innocent people die? Do you feel some kind of solace, a little quiet satisfaction maybe when those infidels get a little payback? Do I insult you?
Oh...so sorry. Didn't mean to hurt your feelings. But let me ask you something else: why do you get all up in arms when a few Muslims are killed in a raid in Afghanistan, or Iraq, or in a clash with Israeli forces yet when Muslims slaughter mercilessly, you say nothing? Do you realize you condemn yourselves through silence? Can you blame the world for interpreting your reticence as tacit approval?
Whatever Islam was meant to be, whatever its original followers intended, is irrelevant now. Islam today, Islam as it exists, is cruel. It is a religion of subjugation. It is a religion of cowards. I want nothing to do with it.
posted by Adnan R. Khan @ 6:51 PM
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Me neither. It's a religion my family follows. That is the only link. All religions say things we know already anyway. If we need a religion to tell us those things we must be monsters.
I come to your blog to read when something in world politics does not make sense. I was hoping you would have written about Gaza. Especially given that Israel is refusing to allow foreign journalists to enter there. Is this common? You are a war journalist, no?
Yeah, I haven't really been writing much on politics these days. For assignments of course but for my own personal writing I've been more focused on fiction.
Foreign journalists have always had a problem in Palestine. The relationship between them and the Israeli army is, well...tense, to put it lightly. It's common practice for Israelis to prevent journalists from accessing areas in Palestine where operations are going on. And they apparently harass and delay foreign journalists regularly at checkpoints. It was the same in Lebanon during the war last year. A photographer friend of mine wrote to me while she was there and said that the main danger was the threat of being bombed by the Israelis. Basically, they didn't care if you were a journalist or not. If you were on the road, you were a legitimate target.
Reporters Without Borders has a lot of information on the treatment of foreign journalists by the Israeli army. You can check out their website for more info.
I was in Iraq 3 months ago and heading off to Pakistan shortly, so yes, I am still a war journalist
:-)
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