[From a religio-sociological perspective]

Rev. Father Maximiadis

WARNING!

This article contains newsworthy
graphic images depicting explicit
cruel, and violent images.

 

Is Religion the Cause of All Wars?

War, is a natural primitive instinct inherent in human consciousness, that has been expressed in violent circumstances predating the evolution of religion. Perhaps dating back to Homo habilis, circa 2-million years ago (q.v.), and indeed in some places even today. Wars are the quintessence of human’s continual propensity for violence, the primitive residual in the collective psyche.

“Groups of humans likely engaged in occasional violent encounters in order to increase their territory … this may have continued up until about a million years ago, when distance weapons like the spear were invented and increased the risks of attacking other groups”.

Raymond C. Kelly.^_1.

“Prejudiced confessors … misuse religion for their earthly gains”.

Kılıç Ali, Atatürk’ün Hususiyetleri,

Ankara, 1930, p. 116.

“Fight them! Allah will chastise them at your hands, and He will lay them low and  give you victory over them, and He will  heal  the breasts of folk who are believers.”

Qur’an, 9:14.

Rousseau, the Genevan philosopher, suggested the concept of the ‘Noble Savage’ in 1755, 2. but this view has since lost currency. Civilized man has recently waged wars of an unparalleled magnitude ever recorded in human history. While six million Jews were systematically slaughtered in continental Europe, a civilized nation across the Atlantic, who had the power to stop this, did nothing until they were forcefully involved. Subsequent to Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbour, Hawaii (7 December 1941). Sentiments of peace are foreign to the human condition, an unnatural component in human consciousness, born not out of politics, but religion. The Jewish prophet Isaiah (v.i.) promoted this concept; circa 701-681BC. c. 701-681B.C.

“καὶ κρινεῖ ὰνὰ μέσον τῶν ἐθνῶν καὶ ἐλέγξει λαὁν πολύν, καὶ συγκόψουσιν τὰς μαχαίρας αὐτῶν εἰς αροτρα καὶ τὰς ζιβύνας αὐτῶν εἰς ὁρέπανα καὶ οὐ λήμψεται ἔτι ἐθνος ἐπ’ ἐθνος μἀχαιραν, καὶ οὐ μή μάθωσιν ἔτι πολεμεῖν.”

Ησαιας, 2:4 LXX.

“He shall judge between the nations, and shall rebuke many people; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.”

Isaiah, 2:4 NKJV.

The Birth of Islam.

The “prophet” Muhammad [also spelt Mohammed or Mahomet] was the founder of Islam (i.e., ‘surrender’ or ‘submission’); circa 613AD. He was born in the Arabian City of Mecca c. 570AD and died in Medina c. 632AD. He was a merchant, as well as a shepherd. He is said to have had thirteen wives, although there are differing accounts as to whether some of them might have been concubines. Some of his wives were widows whom he married for their protection and survival. He is said to have been kind towards his wives and seven children (three sons and four daughters) and played an active role in domestic duties. At age 40, he claimed to have received a revelation from the angel Gabriel, who recited a verse from the Qur’an, after which he elevated himself to the status of a “prophet” of God. Many of his teachings were borrowings from the pre-existing Abrahamic traditions, id est., Judaism from c., 1800BC, and Christianity from c. 33AD. 3. Both his teachings and sayings were mostly prevalent in the ancient civilisations of the Middle East and corresponded to the Judaic-Christian ‘wisdom literature,’ which were documented by his friend Zayyid; because he was illiterate. He overemphasised a fundamentalist understanding of monophysitism, focused on a doctrine to unite the tribes of Arabia into a single Muslim religious polity at the expense of discounting the monotheistic teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. 4. His teachings reveal an extremely limited, and flawed understanding of monotheism and erroneous understanding of history. For example, Pharoh’s minister is mistaken for Maman, (Sura 28.), and the sister of Moses was Mary the mother of Jesus, and Moses and Jacob are displaced. His deeds have, over the centuries, been the subject of much debate amongst Islamic and other scholars.

The Aisha Controversy.

Muhammad is said to have been betrothed to a 6-year (q.l.) old girl named Aisha and had consummated the marriage when she was nine (q.l.). This has, in recent times, been disputed. Some suggest that she was between fifteen to twenty-four. However, the Persian Sunni scholar, Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Bukhari (810-70) who authored the Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bu khārī, wrote:

Narrates Aisha’s father: “He Married ‘Aisha when she was a girl of six years of age, and he consummated that marriage when she was nine years of age”.

al-Bukhari Hadīth, 5:236. p.153.
(cf. Bukhari 5:235. p.152. et alibi.)

The Hadīth, q.e., the collection of the oral tradition, is the most respected compilation of canonical Islamic jurisprudence, and is second to the Qur’an. The practise of marriages between older men and children were an acceptable customs, in Bedouin culture. 5. Notwithstanding the accepted past cultural traditions, and the present day stance of Muslims insisting on the immutability of Islamic laws, the Sharïʿah laws will find no acceptance in the 194 countries [except the United States and Somalia] who ratified the ‘Declaration of the Rights of the Child‘ (United Nations General Assembly, November 2009). Critics have suggested that Muhammad was a “paedophile,” e.g., Netherlands’ right-wing political party leader Geert Wilders. 6. Whether or not Muhammad was a paedophile – from the Western perspective – depends upon the actual age of Aisha at the time, of which are by no means conclusive amongst Islamic scholars. Although paedophillia is perceived as a heinous crime to the Western mindset, this ought not to dull one’s awareness of the difference between ‘allegation’ and ‘exculpation,’ and the judicial principal of innocence until proven guilty. However, the Sharïʿah are principles of civic and personal laws based upon the Koran, and examples set by Muhammad himself, of which all Muslims are required to emulate. Labelling Muhammad as a ‘paedophile’ might have popular appeal for anti-Islamists, but has no currency for those who are au fait with the cultural norms of the Bedouins.

Sh’ma Yisrael ( שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל‎ ).

The Sh’ma Yisrael (“Hear, [O] Israel”) is one of the conspicuous borrowings Muhammad plagiarised from the Hebrew Shema; written circa 700BC (v.i., Deuteronomy, 6:4). He placed an excessive emphasis on the ‘Oneness of the Lord’ with the audacious addition of himself included as “the messenger of God” in the following Shahada [aš-šahādah]:

There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God. (lā ʾilāha ʾillallāh, Muḥammad rasūlu-llāh).

The Sh’ma Yisrael, predates Muhammad by circa 13-centuries which reads:

“Ακουε, Ισραηλ κύριος ὁ θεὀς ήμῶ κύριος εῖς ἐστιν;”

Δευτερονομιον, 6:4 (LXX).

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! ( יִשְׂרָאֵל‎ )”.

(Deuteronomy, 6:4 NKJV).

Ahl-Kitãb (“People of the Book”).

Muhammad acknowledged the three Middle Eastern monotheistic traditions (i.e., Judaism, Sabianism and Christianity) as the‎ “Ahl al-Kitāb” (“People of the Book”.) [vid: Qur’an, 29:46, 3:113-15, 2:62.] Followers of those traditions, were in theory, not coerced into converting – or “willing submission” (v.i.) – to Islam, but in practice they were heavily penalized, under the compulsory Jizyah toleration poll tax, et alii., which were introduced by the Caliph Bbd-al Malik (685-705).

“Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued”.

Qur’an, 9:29. (trans. ‘Noble Quran’).

Fire and Sword on The Pretext of Religion.

At the fledging stage of the movement, there evolved territorial and ideological ambitions to expand the movement into other’s jurisdictions, e.g., Spain, Africa, and the borders of China and the Subcontinent, to become a world power – behind the veneer of a world religion – which had metamorphosed into an imperialistic political identity. Muhammad waged a 25-day genocide of the Jews and the Qurayzah clan, at the ‘Yathrib’ oasis (627AD); banu_qurayza[Qur’an, 33:26-7] now referred to as the ‘Banu Qurayza Massacre’. [In this article, the noun ‘massacre’ is understood to mean a deliberate, indiscriminate, and savagely violent; the cold-blooded slaughter of human beings. This definition excludes ‘battle’ that is a continuous fight between two, or more, organised armed forces, but may be included if one, or more, of the victorious troops, continue slaughtering; subsequent to battle’s end.] This was a ferocious incident – The Sunni scholar al-Bukhari (v.i.), says between 600 to 900 were decapitated and mutilated. 7. 8. The beginnings of the ǧihād (i.e., “Holy war”) begun with the seizure of ‘Yathrib’ oasis, which was proposed by Muhammad’s companions (aṣ-Ṣaħābahiya) which he himself endorsed, that ‘all pubescent males should be beheaded, women and children taken as captives, and properties and booties divided amongst the victors’. 9. Subsequently, systemic campaigns to expand his empire continued in the centuries ahead. Their first push for a neo-Arab Muslim empire was into Persia (633-644).

Illustration above right: A 19th century text by Muhammad Rafi Bazil.

“But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war); but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practice regular charity, then open the way for them…”.

Qur’an, 9:5 (trans. ‘Noble Quran’).

In the conquered territories, Muslims and the dhimmîs (Those who surrender to Islamic rule and accept the Jizyah.) enjoyed the benefits of full citizenship, while un-proselytized Jews and Christians were socially and economically disadvantaged. Consequently, many Jews and Christians voluntarily converted to Islam to gain full citizenship and avoid paying the Jizyah.

Islam’s Conquests Further Afield.

Islam’s thrust into other countries was enormous. During its heyday, from circa 16 to 17-centuries, Islam had subjugated 52-territories (q.v.) throughout Africa, Asia, and Europe. Between 633 to 644 it invaded Persia (633-44), Spain (711-18), Central Asia (751); and India’s southwestern Malabar Coast (7-century). In 1000, It invaded Afġānistān which was a Hindu nation. A part of the population fled to safety elsewhere, whilst those who remained were either Islamized, or slaughtered (Thus the name: ‘Hindu Kush’ i.e., ‘Hindu Slaughter’); The Hindu identity was completely annihilated from the nation’s landscape. Other seized countries included: North India, Indonesia, Malaya (12-century), and China (14-century (q.l.)). The Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, who reigned on most of the Indian subcontinent, from circa 1658 to 1707, took the lives of thousands of Hindus, and devastated in an excess of four thousand Hindu temples including the sacred Kashi Vishwanath temple, the Krishna temple in Mathura; and the Vishnu temple overlooking Benares over which was built the Alamgir mosque. Islam left a 811-year (q.l.) legacy of continual violence against Hindus, Buddhists and Sikhs, which has been exacerbated, even to recent times in other regions (viz., Bangladesh, Kashmir and Pakistan.), e.g., the recent outbreaks of violence, in February 2002, between the Hindus and the Muslims. The Hindus composed of 80% of the population, and the Muslims 14%. 10. A clear example of a minority creating factional conflict with the majority.

Non-Muslims (‘Zimmis’) on the subcontinent were deprived full citizenship, and were heavily penalised under the Sunni Hanafiyyah law (Founded by Nu’man Abu Hanifah (699-767AD)) with the ‘Jizya’ tax. Briton’s Governor-General, Louis Mountbatten, partitioned the British Indian Empire into two separate states viz; Union of India (3 June 1947) [Renamed, Republic of India.] and the Dominion of Pakistan (15 August 1947) [Renamed, Islamic Republic of Pakistan]. Millions of Hindus crossed the border into India and Muslims in the reverse. Violence broke out costing the lives of hundreds of thousands. In the conquered territories, Muslims and the dhimmîs enjoyed the benefits of full citizenship, whilst un-proselytized Jews and Christians were socially, and economically, disadvantaged as were their religious practices; compared to those of the Muslims. Subsequently, many Jews and Christians voluntarily converted to Islam to gain full citizenship and avoid paying the Jizyah.

“Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued”.

Qur’an, 9:29. (trans. ‘Noble Quran’).

Monotheism vs. Pantheism.

In the ensuing centuries, Muhammad’s extreme form of monotheism took a crucial volte-face – out of ideological convenience, id est., territorial control, unrestricted trade quotas and tariffs – in extending the monotheistic status of the‎ “Ahl al-Kitāb” to the four other movements: Hinduism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, and Sikhism. Notwithstanding these traditions being quintessentially pantheistic and atheistic. Hinduism has many gods, and Buddhism has no gods. It is a contradiction in terms classifying polytheists and atheists (‘Fitnah’ id est, Atheism and polytheism.) as “Ahl al-Kitāb”, particularly when Muhammad gave clear mandates for their annihilation.

“Fight them until there is no more Fitnah and the religion will all be for Allah alone. But if they cease, then certainly, Allah is All-Seer of what they do”.

Quar’an, 8:39 (trans. from the ‘Noble Quran’).

“Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued”.

Qur’an, 9:29. (trans. ‘Noble Quran’).

In the conquered territories, Muslims and the dhimmîs (Those who surrender to Islamic rule and accept the Jizyah.) enjoyed the benefits of full citizenship, while un-proselytized Jews and Christians were socially and economically disadvantaged. For example; they had no statutory rights to ride horses, carry arms, nor reside in premises overlooking Muslims, et cetera. 11.

A Blight on The Christian Past.

Cruel and severe likewise laws were also implemented, at various times, by Christians, e.g., the sorrowful history of the cruel persecution and Holocausts of the numerous number of Jewish kedoshim (martyrs) who died at the hands of the Inquisitors throughout Continental Europe, and England between 1232 and 1834. Notwithstanding Papal bulls issued by Popes Clement VI (1342-52), Boniface IX (1389-1404), and Pope Nicholas V (1447-55) ‘denouncing the activities of the Inquisitors,’ their decrees were ignored. The Inquisitions were yet other precursors to the horrific exterminations camps in Nazi Germany, circa June 1941 to May 1945.

“When the Nazis came on the scene in Germany they were able to draw upon the legacy of Christian anti-Judaism even though biologically-based antisemitism went well beyond classical Christian anti-Judaism by arguing for the annihilation of the Jews rather than only for their misery and marginality. Christian antisemitism provided an indispensable seedbed for the success of Nazism on the popular level. It led some Christians to embrace the Nazi ideology and many others to stand on the sidelines as masses of Jews were exterminated”.  ^_12.

The extreme English Protestants viz., the Puritans’ thirty-one witch trials at Salem Massachusetts (et al.) (1692 and 1693). Where fourteen women and four men were convicted and hanged; and another defendant was crushed to death under heavy rocks. The Inquisition was the socially accepted solutions, at that time, to the dangers that individuals, or groups, were attempting to fragment the unity and security of the established institutions of the period. Evaluating the Inquisition by the today’s criteria is tantamount to assessing events absent of the zeitgeist, i. e., the historical factors, and accepted judicial practices, prevalent at earlier times. Citing the Inquisition as a precedent to justify primitive draconian practices is not de rigueur in today’s civilised societies.

 

 

 

Secularization of the Islamic States.

In the 19-century (q.l.) Islam’s Sharīʿah laws were replaced, in some Islamic jurisdictions, with European secular laws, e.g., The Republic of Turkey, who under its secularization programme adopted a modified version of the 1926 Swiss code (Zivilgesetzbuch). Subsequent to the Ottoman Empire ceasing as a de jure nation, and the abolishment of the Khalifa on 3 March 1924, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, proclaimed the Republic of Turkey (Türkiye Cumhuriyeti) on 29 October, 1923; by the Treaty of Lausanne (24 July, 1923) However, seven other Islamic countries retained the laws, viz: Afġānistān, Irān, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, and the Sudan (v.i.). Mohammed Salih Ph.D. Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, University of Leiden, the Netherlands said:

“Christians and other non-Muslims in Sudan have suffered since the imposition of Sharia over ten years ago, during the rule of then-President Jaafar el-Nimeiry … “During Nimeiry’s time, more than 250 southern Sudanese Christians got their hands amputated. The number of hands cut in Sudan during the first three months of the implementation of Sharia during Nimeiry’s [rule] was more than 100 times more than the total number of people whose hands were cut off during the time of the Prophet Muhammad and his four successors”. 13.

Sharî’ah Laws.

The Sharīʿah laws (id est. the ‘way’ or ‘path’) are intertextually woven into the Quar’an including the occasional violent deeds of their “prophet” Muhammad. These laws control the private and civic lives in the Islamic States. Sharīʿah laws endorse polygamy of marriages of older men to minors. Muslims regard these laws as being inspired by Allāh. Furthermore, reveal a draconian and lethal streak that must be faced objectively, in their naked state, unhindered by censorial niceties; to expose the dark side of Islam. Faintheartedness is cowardliness not to face the truth as it is. For example, the primitive practice of flogging (Sûrah, 24:2) and stoning (rajm) to death for adultery (Sahih Bukhari, 2:23:413). Muhammad, himself also stoned to death a Jew and his wife:

“Narrated by Jabir ibn Abdullah: Allah’s Apostle stoned (to death) a person from Banu Aslam, and a Jew and his wife”.  ^_14.

“…they will be killed or crucified, or have their hands and feet on alternate sides cut off, or will be expelled out of the land”. Koran, 5:33

(trans. from the ‘Noble Quran’).

Afġānistān.

The Sunna or Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā’al (‘people of tradition’) constitute 80% (q,v.) of the modern Muslim population  ^_15.  whose ambitions are to establish Islamic States under the Sharīʿah laws which would diminish secularity, democracy, and in contravention of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (10 December 1948). On 24 April, 2000, a woman ‘was stoned to death for adultery in a sports stadium before a crowd of several thousand spectators’. ^_16.  Another stoning took place on 15 August 2010, in Dashte Archi, in the Kunduz province in North Afġānistān. An estimated crowd of a few hundred including two mullahs (Islamic clergy) who sentenced 23-year-old Siddqa and her lover Khayyam age 28, to be stoned to death. Siddqa survived the stoning after which she was shot in the head three time with a Avtomat Kalashnikova AK-47 rifle whilst the crowd shouted “allahu akbar”.  ^_17.  This stoning was recorded on a mobile telephone which can be seen on the ǧihād Watch web site. Warning:this movie might be disturbing for some viewers. Stoning to death is not open to debate. Zabiullah Mujahis, a Taliban spokesman, in a BBC interview, said: ‘Anyone who knows about Islam knows that stoning is in the Koran, and that it is Islamic Law … there are people who call it inhuman – but in doing so they insult the Prophet”.  ^_18.  Some Muslim scholars suggest that stoning to death is not within the Islamic canons.  ^_19.   

A most gruesome report, concerning a beheading of an adult male, under the Sharīʿah law, by a 12-year old boy; in the mountain ranges between Afġānistān and Pakistan in December 2010. The report, inpart reads:

“Amid cries of ‘Allah o Akbar’ (god is great), a young boy, barely 12 years old, lifts his machete and strikes at his victim who is lying on the ground, all tied up for the kill. Waving a ‘V’ for victory sign with his right hand, the boy picks up the severed head and shows it around to the chants of applause from an audience gathered in a remote part of the region straddling the mountainous range which divides Pakistan and Afġānistān. The performance in this chilling episode which may simply shock most people around the world, is the case of militant justice meted out to supposed traitors. It involves Al Qaeda and the Taliban slapping exemplary punishment to an individual suspected to be a spy for the government”.  ^_20.

This beheading was captured on video, and is at present hosted at the Ajuaa.com web site. It can be viewed on the following link, but be Warned: this movie is gruesomely graphic.

Irān.

Irān has been put on notice by a United States Human Rights Organization, ‘to cease executions of juvenile offenders,’ publicly hanged Mahmoud Asgari and Ayaz Marhoni, age 16 and 18 (q.l.); in Edalat (‘Justice’) Square in Mashhad on 19 July, 2005.  ^_21.  Subsequent to the Irānian Islamic Revolution (1979) an estimated 4,000 homosexuals were put to death.  ^_22.  Irān continues to violet the International treaty in respect to executing juvenile offenders.

Indonesia.

The local government in the province of Aceh, in Indonesia, has introduced Sharīʿah laws in 2005 to appease separatist rebels, to end the 30-year insurgency; and to have independent status from Indonesia’s central government.  ^_23.  There are already twenty Sharīʿah courts established in the district with legislative powers to impose the death sentence by stoning. ^_24. Subsequent to Aceh’s newly gained independent status, other provinces have followed e.g., the Bulukumba District. Fourteen people were publicly flogged, in front of a Mosque (Masjid) before a cheering crowd (including children) in the district of Serambi (photograph above right). Amongst the victims were Beni (photograph left below) and a female called Zuliana, who were both convicted for consuming alcohol which carries a penalty of 40-strokes. Both were admitted to hospital afterwards for treatment for shock. Others were found guilty of khalwat [i.e., a female being in close proximity of a person who is not her khalwat (guardian)] which is a violation punishable by public flogging of 9-strokes, and 40-strokes for those who consumed alcohol;  ^_25.  Serambi Indonesia, Banda Aceh, 31 January 2006.

These form of punishments are in breach of the statutory provisions established by the National Government (Law no. 23/2004) that local governments are not decentralized from the central government in Jarkata. Furthermore, Indonesia is in violation of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states: “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment,” (Art 5) and “Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law”. (Art 6) Indonesia’s National Commission of Violence Against Women says, there is an ‘absence of the principle of presumption of innocence,’ and ‘the process of Sharia Law deprives the defendants access to natural justice’.  ^_26.  No representation by legal counsel, no court of appeal, no leeway to prove innocence. Under these circumstances there is a high risk of many innocent women (and men) being punished. The women who are caught up under the Sharīʿah law system are continually denigrated by the community long after the floggings.  ^_27.

Muslims Push for Sharīʿah Law in Australia.

The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC) is conducting a well-planned and financed campaign to persuade Australian politicians for the introduction of Sharīʿah law into Australian legislation as part of the ‘Federal Inquiry into Multiculturalism’. The AFIC calls for the government to finance Islamic schools, and ḥalāl (حلال‎ ḥalāl, “lawful”) food outlets throughout the metropolitan districts; to be paid for by the Australian taxpayer. Member of Parliament, Luke Simpkins, conducted an informal survey of South Australia’s electorate Division of Cowan, and discovered food outlets (including Coles and Woolworths) were surreptitiously marketing unmarked ḥalāl meat to unwitting non-Muslim customers. This is tantamount to the first step into Proselytizing (da‘wah) non-Muslims into Islamic practices; at the expense of taxpayers. Proselytization of Australians has, according to Luke Simpkins in his speech to Parliament; ‘already begun’:

“By having Australians unwittingly eating Halal food we are all one step down the path towards the conversion, and that is a step we should only make with full knowledge and one that should not be imposed upon us without us knowing … what is happening is wrong. Too often the minorities in this country are looked after without regard to the majority”.  ^_28.

Australian journalist Patricia Karvelas in her report titled: “Our Muselmanic Invaders demand we rearrange the furniture,” says the AFIC submission said: “Some Muslims believe Islamic law is immutable, regardless of history, time, culture and location [and] Muslims may change, but Islam will not”.  ^_29.

Hundreds of thousands of others who immigrated to Australia (during the 1940s to 1960s till now) have never made such demands on the government as the Muslim community. Islamic laws (Sharīʿah), although limited at first, could over time, expand much wider. For example a suchlike precedent of the case of a non-Muslim Malaysian police woman who was ordered to wear an Islamic veil during a parade. 30. Some Islamic local governments prohibit ownership of dogs, and holding hands and kissing in public places. 31. A suspected Sharīʿah inspired whipping was meted out, by Wassim Fayad, age 43 with accomplice Tolga Cifci; upon Charles Martinez, age 31, in Sydney’s west. The victim was held down and flogged 40 times. He told police ‘he was being punished under Sharīʿah law for drinking alcohol. 32. Attorney-General Robert McClelland, and the State Premier of Victoria, Ted Baillieu, have ruled out the incorporation of Sharīʿah law in Australia. McClelland said: “There was no place for it [Islamic law] in the Gillard government’s debate about multicultural policy”. 33. Radical Muslims are at home nowhere unless democracy is replaced by totalitarianism. Australia is a multicultural society that both Australians and emigres have benefited, however, there are those in the Islamic community who devalue Australian values and laws, e.g., the Muftï, Sheik Taj Aldin Alhilali, of the Sidon Mosque, (Masjid) west of Sydney; who gave a scurrilous sermon concerning Australian women:

“If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside on the street, or in the garden or in the park, or in the backyard without a cover, and the cats come and eat it … whose fault is it, the cats’ or the uncovered meat? The uncovered meat is the problem. If she was in her room, in her home, in her ḥijāb, no problem would have occurred”.  ^_34.

~ Conclusion ~

Western European civilization was entering into the period of the Reformation; between the 14 and 17-centuries. During this period, the Islamic countries lapsed into isolation whilst the West was advancing in science, technology, and expanding its territories. Additionally, the increasing military powers of Tsarist Russian and Habsburg’s Austria were posing a threat to the Islamic countries. Islam in now attempting to regain its previous status in the West. The West’s recent military invasions into some Islamic countries has exasperated Islam’s aspirations to claim rightfully a peaceful and harmonious place amongst other nations. Whilst Western Crusader-minded Christian nations wage “missions from God” (see image right) against Arab nations, and militant Sunni Muslims wage their ǧihād (i.e., “Holy war”) against the West, and activists stage rowdy and threatening “Religion of Peace” demonstrations (Photograph below left, London, 3 February 2006), 35. against the West – particularly the United States – there can be no hope for both Muslims and Christians to coexist in peace and harmony.

The present day West’s “missions from God” [or Crusade] has no parallel with the first Crusade’s expeditionary forces liberating Jerusalem (July 1099) from the Muslims; for safe access for pilgrims, who held significant memories of the Holy Land’s history of Jesus, the tombs, and relics of the saints. The subsequent fourth Crusade, abandoned the original Christian ideals, and invaded Constantinople in April 1204, with brutality towards Eastern Christians and the Jews; more of which will be discussed in the forthcoming article: ‘The Origin of the Great War 1914-18’. When militant groups from both sides of the divide cease their campaigns, Mosques (Masjid) and Churches can co-exist together in peace and concord; rather than being desecrated or destroyed. Radical Muslims (similar to fundamentalist Christians) retrograde to the past, rather than seeking solutions in the progressive present.

Muslims have for centuries lived in isolation under the repression of tyrants and despots who have imposed cruel and primitive punishments (v.s.) as they, indeed, continue to do today; in some Islamic countries. Other Islamic militants engage in terrifying campaigns (ǧihād) on a global level implicating the Shar’iah law. These attacks appear to be driven by political motives. Some Muslims perceive the West as a decadent society. The West’s invasions into their lands are seen as a Westernization of their culture.

Muslims are at present in a period of transition from domination by attitudes of Western colonial powers, and antiquated rulership by despotic regimes. However, there can never be hope for a peaceful coexistence, in any pluralistic society, while anger and violence of the dark side of Islam, is meted out to their people, or others (non-Muslimes) under the Sharïʿah laws, through ǧihādist activities; neither of which can be legitimized in venting anger and frustration.

 

The vast majority of Muslims, in Australia, are peaceful and uphold high ethical values, and respect for Australian laws, whereas the minority of extremists or ǧihādists are totalitarian, and supremacist – with a primitive desert mentality – and have closed views. They are tenacious demagogues, who disallow legitimate disagreement, or critique, on grounds that it “insults the prophet”. They are determined to replace democracy with dictatorial regimes, and introduce cruel antiquated draconian Sharïʿah laws, as they have repeated time and again in other countries. The ǧihādists proselytize, and recruit from among minority groups to act as fifth columnists. They are not representative of the vast majority of Muslims. They would be well advised to consider relocating, to rustic desert locations far away from civilized countries, where they can continue meting out their cruel and sadistic punishments on their unfortunate victims.

These are the obstacles the vast majority of Muslims must face, especially if they desire to co-exist harmoniously with those of other faiths in a pluralistic society. Christians and Muslims, are quintessentially, bound in Monotheism – inherited from Judaism – which, above all other concerns, ought to unite the three faiths together in community; rather than separating them. The Sharïʿah laws will be an ongoing obstacle preventing Muslims and Christians from ever coexisting in peace and harmony. The vast majority of Muslims have the power of voice to publicly denounce and disempower radical minority groups who bring Islam into disrepute, and diminish the light of its culture.

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