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Textbook Lies About Islam
Political correctness and fear have led to the whitewashing of Islam in books used by American students.
In recent House hearings dedicated to examining Islamic extremism, I stressed that the fundamental stumbling block to effective policy-making is educational and epistemological. What people are taught about Islam needs a serious overhaul before we can expect to formulate strategies that make sense.
Worth heeding is former top Pentagon official William Gawthrop’s 2006 lament that “the senior service colleges of the Department of Defense had not incorporated into their curriculum a systematic study of Muhammad as a military or political leader. As a consequence, we still do not have an in-depth understanding of the war-fighting doctrine laid down by Muhammad, how it might be applied today by an increasing number of Islamic groups, or how it might be countered.”
Three years later, the situation appears worse. After the War College published something of an apologia for the terrorist organization Hamas, defense analyst Mark Perry concluded, “It’s worse than you think. They have curtailed the curriculum so that their students are not exposed to radical Islam. Akin to denying students access to Marx during the Cold War.”
Why, at a time of war, are students at top U.S. military schools denied an objective treatment of Islam’s war doctrines? A report by the American Textbook Council sheds light by showing how these academic failures have much deeper roots.
After reviewing a number of popular textbooks used by American junior and senior high schools, the report found that, due to political correctness and/or fear of Muslim activists, “key subjects like jihad, Islamic law, [and] the status of women are whitewashed.” Regarding the strikes of 9/11, one textbook never mentions Islamic ideologies, referring to the 19 al-Qaeda hijackers as “teams of terrorists” — this despite the fact that al-Qaeda has repeatedly articulated its hostile worldview through an Islamist paradigm, with a stress on hating “infidels” and waging holy war (see The Al Qaeda Reader).
Speaking of jihad, one seventh-grade textbook explains, “Jihad represents the human struggle to overcome difficulties and do things that are pleasing to God. Muslims strive to respond positively to personal difficulties as well as worldly challenges. For instance, they might work to be better people, reform society, or correct injustice.” By not informing students that all these aspects mean something different for Muslims — killing an apostate is considered “correcting injustice” and spreading Islamic law is “reforming society” — the textbook misleads by projecting Western interpretations onto Islam.
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Raymond Ibrahim is the author of The Al Qaeda Reader, translations of religious texts and propaganda.
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72 Comments
1. David Thomson:Much of the blame for this nonsense belongs to politically correct Republicans like George W. Bush and John McCain. Needless to add, the Democrats are usually even worse on this issue. They all are fearful of being unfairly charged with racism. Only center-right politicians seemingly have their act together. The rest of them are inhibited by race guilt.
Apr 5, 2009 - 2:23 am 2. Terry Gain:Elections have consequences. Remember that the next time you vote in 2010.
Bottom line: if children are sheltered from ugly truths today, how can they ever be expected to confront them as adults tomorrow?
Great article but the bottom line IMHO is that Islam is winning and will win so long as its practitioners refrain from any further attributable attacks on American soil. And the clear bend in Obama’s right knee as well as the stoop of his upper body when he met the leader of Saudi Arabia is but one more piece of evidence to support my opinion. The notion that Islam can be appeased is as idiotic as anything heretofore conceived by man.
Apr 5, 2009 - 2:30 am 3. Michael Velikin:I don’t believe that in a long term Islam is capable of winning more adherents. A critical and intelligent person cannot wholeheartedly accept tenets of Islam. It’s in its present state the religion of hatred and murder.
Apr 5, 2009 - 2:46 am 4. Eric Dondero:The more politically correct these textbooks and other mainstream media sources become on Islamic Jihad, the higher the readership will be for Pajamas Media, Atlas Shrugs, LGF, Creeping Socialism, Libertarian Republican, and other news websites who report the truth.
Witness, just yesterday it was announced that the 150+ year old Boston Globe will most likely be closing their doors within a month.
Apr 5, 2009 - 5:22 am 5. bill:They definitely won’t go anywhere near the methods Mohammed used to finance his holy war. He and his thugs used to lie in wait for jewel caravans, kill the driver and take the loot. When this was brought up in a history class long ago, my instructor claimed that it was just part of the culture at the time and nothing to get self-righteous over. Just think if Jesus had done anything like that.
Apr 5, 2009 - 5:26 am 6. davidingeorgia:amen on comment 1, Mr. Thomson…I first started to realize that George W Bush was not up the job of leading a nation in wartime by listening to the number of times he played fawning, drooling apologist for the jihadis (esp. of the Saudi variety)…it was disgusting and still is. From Obama, it’s exactly what I expect. Silly me, I expected better from people like Bush and McCain…my mistake…won’t happen again.
Apr 5, 2009 - 5:41 am 7. e:Ban words? Refer to them only as extremists without saying exactly what kind of extremist they are?
Completely idiotic. Lets violate the second rule in the Art of War “Know your enemy” so we don’t look racist or religiousist or whatever they’re worried about.
This suicidal BS from the left needs to end.
Apr 5, 2009 - 6:21 am 8. Terry Gain:From Obama, it’s exactly what I expect. Silly me, I expected better from people like Bush and McCain…my mistake…won’t happen again.
Brilliant. If there are enough people who can’t think like you Obama may get a second term.
Apr 5, 2009 - 6:39 am 9. MiamaMan:This trend may be new in the US, but is not new worldwide.
It happened in India, and it continues happening today there.
For years, politically correct pundits and Marxists professors in influential universities in India, many in Delhi, has engaged in negationism regarding the numerous atrocities committed by Islam and the Muslim invasions in India. These professors influence, gloss-over, hide, change, historical facts of the Mughhals and their massacres of Hindus, destruction of temples and relics in the thousands, which find their way into school curriculum all over India. Point in case, Marxist professor Romila Thapar and her controversial Penguin History of India.
The best publication available on this dishonest practice is by Belgian Indologist Koenraad Elst (who lived in India for many years). Check it out: Negationism in India, Concealing the record of Islam, it is free here:
http://voiceofdharma.org/books/negaind/
The reasons are the same: Political correctness, fear of the Muslim backlash, mistaken believe that this will pacify a vocal minority, which never does.
Apr 5, 2009 - 6:59 am 10. MiamaMan:1. David Thomson
Totally agree with you about Georges W. Bush and McCain. It is a combination of political correctness, and, I am afraid, simple ignorance. Knowledge is powerful, ignorance always a handicap.
a) Bush: Repeatedly stating, like a donkey, that Islam is a religion of peace. It does not take a brain surgeon to find the fallacy in the statement.
b) McCain: Same statement. Soft, apologetic, to Obama, in my opinion a traitor to me who voted for him expecting to attack, and unmask, Obama. Cut any relation with him, funding, which I did, don’t want to see his face again.
Let me quote an excerpt from Eric Hoffer’s book in 1954 “Reflections on the Human Condition”.
“It is maintained that a society is free only when dissenting minorities have room to throw their weight around. As a matter of fact, a dissenting minority feels free only when it can impose its will on the majority: what it abominates more is the dissent of the majority.”
So, appeasing Islam and Muslim minorities is, and has proven to be, like feeding a small shark in your swimming pool and expecting to freely swim there later.
As for ACORN, this quote from the same book:
“The untalented are more an ease in a society that gives them valid alibis for not achieving than in one where opportunities are abundant. In an affluent society, the alienated who clamor for power are largely untalented people who cannot make use of the unprecedented opportunities for self-realization, and cannot escape the confrontation with an ineffectual self.”
Apr 5, 2009 - 7:22 am 11. David S:Singling out Islam seems a bit short-sighted. Why not address the lies and omissions in our history texts regarding all religious traditions? Certainly the ‘whitewashing’ of Islam can’t be any more misleading than the portrayal of Christian religions in most texts.
It is true that misinformation is harmful to our ability to properly address the world. But we should not allow ourselves to be persuaded that Islam is uniquely misrepresented. It is true that Islam has been spread by the sword – but it is hardly unique in this regard. Christianity has been promulgated using the very same strategies of conquest – and any historical treatment that portrays Islam as a violent, expansionist faith should not omit the same truths as they relate to the Christian tradition.
Peace.
DS
Apr 5, 2009 - 7:38 am 12. Will:America has been worked over for over forty years.It’s nothing short of a slow death. Wake up friends!
Apr 5, 2009 - 7:42 am 13. MiamaMan:11. David S
Please allow me to disagree, your comments have a kernel of truth, but are not accurate in that:
“Christianity has been promulgated using the very same strategies of conquest – and any historical treatment that portrays Islam as a violent, expansionist faith should not omit the same truths as they relate to the Christian tradition.”
Christianity WAS promulgated…
Comparisons must be done according to age and date and while comparison centuries ago may not be very dissimilar, nowadays the differences are stark.
1) It is correct the Christianity once used the same strategies of conquest as Islam, but it EVOLVED, there was a Renaissance, and now has changed. BUT ISLAM HAS NOT. Are you willing to assert that both religions propose TODAY the same goals, a Jihad. Which one uses stoning, execute homosexuals, cutoff hands and heads, slave women, uses widespread women castration, prevent them often from going to school, discriminate against other religious practices like in Saudi Arabia, and on, and on?
2) Yes, we must address the lies and omissions in our history books, and many have been already addressed, such as the case of Native American history that was usually distorted or omitted, and African American history. In many cases, I may say, we have even going overboard on this.
Apr 5, 2009 - 8:31 am 14. Delia:David S.,
Christianity had a reformation. Islam has NOT. YOU are an INFIDEL if you are not a muslim. Get it, numb nuts? Christians don’t want to remove other faiths from the face of the earth.
Good gawd. I feel like I’m talking to a frickin’ 5 year old child half the time, DS!
Apr 5, 2009 - 8:40 am 15. Alex:Saudi Arabia is the largest supporter of wahhabi schooling, financed by the Royal house of Saud. It is from these schools that hard line islamic radical theology is born, nurtured and spread unto the world.
It is these same people the Bush Family has formed a corporate marraige, and flew them out of the USA to avoid unpleasantries the week after Sept 11, 2001. The US govt has protected the House of Saud even though most of the terrorists attacking New York were from Saudi Arabia, and it looks like we will continue to protect them. Some of our presidents have Financial relationships (The Bush Family), some have Political(Clinton and now Obama).
The truth is we actively support and protect the same people spreading radical Islamic beliefs. We are financing the spread of Islam.
Apr 5, 2009 - 9:18 am 16. LynnS:President Bush calling Islam a peaceful religion puzzled me and it was odd that the press didn’t call him on it since they love to point out that he was a liar. That’s another story.
The only thing I could think, assuming he had the best in mind for this country is:
1. We depend on Islamic Countries for oil, something that he was continually blocked from doing something about. I believe that there were those who were chomping at the bit to cut off our foreign supply of oil just as they did to Carter in the seventies.
2. Anarchists really don’t need any excuse to cause well….anarchy. With the September 11th attacks, the postal attack, etc. this country did not need to deal with that element of society who longs to commit violence and doesn’t need a reason to further spin this country into mayhem.
Above all, I believe President Bush loves this country and everything he did right or wrong was to protect and preserve this Union. He didn’t do everything right and didn’t do everything wrong but I knew when he went overseas or sent our troops overseas it was to defend this country from enemies both here and abroad.
He might of been dancing with the Saudis or holding their hand but it is we who watched and did nothing about it. Most used it for an excuse to hate him more, yet they are oddly silent to this new President bowing.
If anyone needs another man to lead them to the truth about Islam, your being lazy. It’s out there easy to see, easy to hear, easy to read. I don’t need a President to hold my hand.
Textbooks can teach about Mohammad and Islam in a way that does not cause our children to become bigoted toward Muslims, but should not hide the truth from the history of it’s violent past and present.
Apr 5, 2009 - 9:42 am 17. Joe Bison:David S. is a product of the equivalence school.
The US is equivalent to the USSR or Nazi Germany
because of past or present actions in their
minds. The same principle applies to religion.
Also under such thinking Hitler or Stalin could
be seen as Christians although they hated them.
In essence any wrong committed by a “Christian”
at anytime in history justifies present day
Islamic violence.
One difference is that the violence committed
by the Islamofascists is guided by accepted
religious doctrine. I can’t find any
violence perpetrated or endorsed by Jesus.
Maybe I read the Bible wrong.
Oh yeah by the way I had some heart to heart
with some “moderate” Muslims at times. They
basically told me that they did not wish to
kill non-believers because in the future
many will convert to Islam and they may be
killing a future believer. This is what we
call “moderate”.
Don’t blame Bush etc too much. Those higher up
Apr 5, 2009 - 10:06 am 18. BJ:only see guarded representatives with prepared
speeches and scripts. You need to spend a lot
of time with the mass until they trust you and
open up.
My Son was working in Saudi Arabia for 18 months prior to the start of the Iraqi War teaching English to Officers in the Saudi National Guard. He actually had an apartment in the blown up building featured in the Jamie Fox film, The Kingdom. Fortunately, he was in King Khalid City near the norther border at the time of the attack.
His response to the myriad of questions about Islam and the Jihadists he received from his extensive email correspondents was “READ THE QURAN”! So I did. It was a frightening experience. Every justification Osama Bin Laden ever used is right there. No misinterpretation required. In fact, to make the case that Islam is a peaceful religion requires that about 30% of what is written be completely ignored.
I am completely baffled and more than a bit concerned that more people in this country (and the rest of the world) especially our political leaders don’t take this threat more seriously. The danger does not just come from a few criminal malcontents, it is systemic to the entire culture. Their books says, give the infidel the opportunity to embrace Islam but if he rejects it, smite him and cut his throat. But, don’t take my word for it, READ THE QURAN for yourself.
What part of “We will destroy America and kill all of the Infidels” is difficult to understand? They have declared war on us even if we don’t want to be at war with them. In fact, the US has been at War with Islam since the founding of this country. Remember the Barbary Pirates? And will be until Islam undergoes its own Reformation. For Christianity it happened in its 14th and 15th Century’s. It is now the end of Islam’s 14th Century. Let’s hope that they won’t require another hundred years.
Apr 5, 2009 - 10:39 am 19. mhr:The “spread” of islam is often referred to in textbooks as “the expansion of islam” as if islam were a type of balloon that mysteriously inflated- what happened in that a militant religion acted like one. The same textbooks refer to Western “imperialism.” Shortly after Mohammed arrived in Medina after leaving Mecca he and his gang killed 700 Jews, setting the pattern for his religion of peace. The islamic caliphate ended early in the 20th century soon after the end of World War one, in which islam sided with Germany- they repeated that mistake when they sided with Nazi Germany in WW11. Osama Bin Ladin is “working” , ie killing, for the reestablishment of the caliphate. Obama will be sure to protect the rights of terro, oops, militants, under the US Constitution, rights they never knew they had until recently when US liberals discovered they possessed them all along.
Apr 5, 2009 - 10:57 am 20. El hefe:Christians are not warlike or to be blamed for the wars that governments have fought possibly under the guise of Christianity but really fought for other reasons mainly evil or in the defense against evil. These same so called Christian countries or governments managed to kill tens of millions of real Christians while claiming to represent God. I don’t think they were from God or Christian.
It may be said that the USA is a Christian nation but what we really are is a nation tolerant of every religion because our founders had no interest in setting up a religious kingdom. Our laws are based mainly on Old Testament law and Anglo Saxon law along with other great thinkers of history and some pretty smart founding fathers.
Jesus said:
“My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” and His apostle stated elsewhere “for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.”
God in the Old Testament commanded Israel to war but that all changed in the New Testament as quoted above.
We do not advocate war in this realm.
Islam however promotes advocates and encourages its followers to kill and conquer and convert all unbelievers including Jews and Christians (the people of the book). Islam does not believe Jesus Christ is the son of God or that he is come in the flesh as proclaimed by Islam in the Dome of the Rock. Defiantly this is the Anti Christ sentiment in Islam.
Apr 5, 2009 - 11:08 am 21. Marie Claude:Islam will force you to choose as they have in Europe and elsewhere in the world or they will kill you in the name of their god Allah. Not to be mistaken with the God of Love who lives forever and has given His Son Jesus Christ the keys to Heaven and Earth.
Brave choice, requires faith, but will He find it when He comes?
It is correct the Christianity once used the same strategies of conquest as Islam, but it EVOLVED, there was a Renaissance,
yeah, Mamadou was happy to learn about Renaissance, when missionaries burnt his artistic idols, er umm, from the 19th century until the fourties
I appreciate your sources !
Apr 5, 2009 - 11:23 am 22. David in Europe:I think George Bush got bad advice and made a very bad mistake by calling Islam “a religion of peace” and he didn’t repeat it anymore. He needed an adviser like Robert Spencer or Raymond Ibrahim. Now the U.S. has a president who is far worse than Bush(I’m not defending Bush) and only comparable to our own worthless, treacherous, ignorant, politically correct, appeaser and coward politicians in Europe.
Apr 5, 2009 - 11:47 am 23. MiamaMan:Hey, Ma Cherie Marie Claude…ja, ja…Franzosen Maedel Marianne…eh, uh, kaput.
eh, ah, eh, ah, uh…
Who is this Mamadou? eh, uh, LMAO, Or is it better Monjour the Twitter?
OTOH, eh, uh, my sources are the website lapizlazuli mentioned before.
Le Boche, eh, uh
Apr 5, 2009 - 11:53 am 24. Marie Claude:Miamaman,nah, no Renaissance for the Bambaras, check the bar
Apr 5, 2009 - 12:20 pm 25. Eric:You can find the unvarnished truth about Islam and the advance of the Islamization of the West at Gates of Vienna: http://gatesofvienna.blogspot.com/
Apr 5, 2009 - 1:09 pm 26. venividivici:And will be until Islam undergoes its own Reformation. For Christianity it happened in its 14th and 15th Century’s. It is now the end of Islam’s 14th Century. Let’s hope that they won’t require another hundred years.
Mark Steyn always brings up the point that organizations like The Muslim Brotherhood and the Wahabbist school may actually represent the Islamic “reformation”. It can’t be denied that the MB went “to the texts themselves” to formulate their more austere brand of Islam.
Islam is a “religion of peace” if you happen to believe the exact same thing as the Muslim standing next to you. If you don’t, all bets are off on that peace thing. Islam is just the sacralization of standard primitive behaviors, typical of people who lack the cognitive capabilities of rational problem-solving. Implying that Islam has anything to offer the modern world is like saying that Einstein could have learned a thing or two about physics from a chimpanzee.
Apr 5, 2009 - 2:10 pm 27. Don:#3, Mike: Islam doesn’t have to acquire one more conversion to become a majority throughout Europe within 50 years (and probably sooner when Euros start seeing what’s coming and leaving Europe in mass for Australia, Canada, and America); it’s birth rate is more than three times that of any other European state, and over four times in a few. America is the only major democracy that has a positive birth rate – more people being born than dying. Still, even the Muslim communities here are out breeding us double. Islam doesn’t need conversions to take power in the long term.
And to David S., #11: Read the Koran and then the New Testament before making really ignorant, stupid, naive comments like the one you made in your post.
Apr 5, 2009 - 3:40 pm 28. Marie Claude:Don, what a gloomy future !
Though, I wouln’t escape from it, even for a montain of dollars, umm cuz they would be likely overated, and the situation ain’t any better by yours
Cair is far more dangerous !
Apr 5, 2009 - 4:28 pm 29. Jordan:Textbook lies about the “civilized” jeudo-christian west that is propagated through western press will fill the library of congress.
Apr 5, 2009 - 5:29 pm 30. Oscar the Grump:#13 Miamaman
Apr 5, 2009 - 5:57 pm 31. Oscar the Grump:The Moslems don’t call for the castration of women. Its circumcision not castration. If you don’t know the difference, go to your doctor and ask to be castrated.
Marie Claude
Apr 5, 2009 - 5:59 pm 32. Oscar the Grump:How are you doing?
Its not the textbook lies that worry me. Its the misinterpretation of the violent acts by Moslems on the rest of the world that bothers me. The whitewash of facts and the acceptance of lies. We live in a world that can list attacks by these “animals” on pages and pages of incidents. You only have to turn on your TV to hear of new bombings in Pakistan or Iraq. There isn’t one threat that the Moslems have made that they haven’t attempted to carry out. Yet the nations of the world cry for peace with these “animals”. What is it going to take to make the world wake up!
Apr 5, 2009 - 6:12 pm 33. Oscar the Grump:Delia
Apr 5, 2009 - 6:20 pm 34. Marie Claude:Do you still have your see thru Burkha?
Oscar,
Delia, I am OK, got some disputes sometimes, as we say here, they maintain good friendship
umm, I have seen that your beloved president wants us to adopt the Turks, little Sarko replied, “it ain’t your business”, hope he’ll stay on that line, we do not need 70 millions more muslims in EU ; it’s the globalisation project that says we are all brothers, I am afraid that some anonym “organisators” have concepted this scenario since a long time, so I don’t know how we can manage to stay “individual”, may-be with underground connections… to infos and reliable friends
Apr 5, 2009 - 7:07 pm 35. California-Dreamin:To all those trying to liken the Quran to the Bible, or the jihads to the crusades, see this superb article written by the same author: http://www.meforum.org/2105/judeo-christian-violence-vs-islamic-violence It makes clear that nothing in Jewish or Christian history or scriptures comes close to Islam’s history and scriptures.
Apr 5, 2009 - 7:18 pm 36. Moogie:I believe Bush’s statement that “Islam is peace” post 9-11 was to hopefully keep the American public from going postal on Muslims and their mosques. I remember officials urging Americans to not take revenge or engage in acts of retaliation.
Should he have said it? No – he should have said “They just declared holy war on us. So be it: holy war they’ll get.” But, like Obama, he tried to play nice. And so it is with this pathetic P.C. garbage.
When will these guys figure it out: Islamic terrorists don’t play nice.
Apr 5, 2009 - 8:42 pm 37. Oscar the Grump:Marie Claude
Its good to hear from you. I’m glad you’re still as feisty as ever. I had some things to say about Obama on the OBAMA IS THE “ARROGANT, DISMISSIVE, AND DERISIVE ONE blog. Isn’t he special? Check out this hyperlink.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JGK-xbXxMw&feature=related
Apr 5, 2009 - 8:47 pm 38. Delia:33. Oscar the Grump:
“Do you still have your see thru Burkha?”
~
LOL! I sho-nuff do and my 6-inch stiletto heels too. he-he
Apr 5, 2009 - 8:49 pm 39. BobNweave:OscarTheGrump — not to put too fine a point on it, but female equivalent to male circumcision (removal of prepuce) would be removal of (some of) the clitoral hood (circum=around). The practices approved / required by Islam include complete removal of the clitoris itself and scraping away of labia so that scarification almost shuts the vaginal opening. Is there some more severe female castration concept that I am missing?
Apr 5, 2009 - 8:53 pm 40. Delia:39. BobNweave,
OUCH! I won’t sleep tonight. Thanks.
Apr 5, 2009 - 9:03 pm 41. rr:We need only remember that what is now the heart of Islam,i.e. North Africa and Asia Minor, was once the heart of Christianity. It was conquered by Moslems.
Apr 5, 2009 - 9:11 pm 42. Marie Claude:Oscar, I have seen this video, um, someone should teach him that he is the president of a western democraty.
as far as the term for femalemutilations, its called here “infibulation” (sew) and “excision” (cut)
Apr 5, 2009 - 9:24 pm 43. PatriotUSA:“READ THE QURAN”! So I did. It was a frightening experience. Every justification Osama Bin Laden ever used is right there. No misinterpretation required. In fact, to make the case that Islam is a peaceful religion requires that about 30% of what is written be completely ignored.
You all have it right there, READ THE qur’an, hadith and suras. This is not the lilly whitewashed islam that is being spoonfed this ignorant nation of obamabats, liberal diversinuts and multicultural KOOL AID addicts.
islam wants us all converted or dead. There are no moderates in islam, just jihadists in many different forms with the same agenda. Some of us are awake and not being silent.
THERE IS NO PEACE WITHIN ILSAM, AND WITH islam THERE CAN BE NO PEACE!
Be the watcher of the gate for no man knows the hour!!
Apr 5, 2009 - 10:26 pm 44. Oscar the Grump:BobNweave
Apr 5, 2009 - 10:34 pm 45. Benson:Thanks for that description, I think I’ll throw up. This subject is not worth any more discussion. Mutilation is mutilation no matter what you call it. Male circumcision is a minor thing. What you describe as female circumcision or castration or mutilation is horrible. Call it what you want….
Like to see the Encyclopaedia of Islam, but the link is not working for me.
Apr 6, 2009 - 1:47 am 46. Blackwater:http://www.brill.nl/default.aspx?partid=227&pid=7560
I’m sick of the political correctness and double standards leftists always show. They praise criticizing and trashing Christianity. But not islam. If you criticize or bash islam you’re a racist and a bigot in their view. Criticizing islam is as evil and taboo as criticizing race or gender. You just don’t do it or the leftists will chase you down with torches and pitchforks and demand you be hanged or at the very least get chared with committing a hate crime. Which makes absolutely zero sense since everything they hate about Christianity islam has in droves. Islam sanctions and supports religious warfare, the systematic discrimination against all kinds of people, and it supports in no uncertain terms all kinds of other various barbaric behavior that you could imagine. Leftists are simply ignorant. They haven’t done the research. They think we’re all just racists or Christian bigots who hate arabs or something. If they actually did some basic research on islamic teachings they’d realize that we aren’t actually racists but that islam is even worse than we anti-islamic advocates have described. They need to realize that islam is the greatest threat to human civilization and all the values liberals claim to stand for. And that isn’t an exaggeration.
Apr 6, 2009 - 2:56 am 47. Don:Marie Claude: I’m not so gloomy about the US; we´ll fight and keep our culture. I am gloomy about the EU; they won´t fight and theey are already losing their culture. They appease and conform to the minority. You know that – it sounds like you are in Europe. If you’re lucky you’re a middle aged or older lady and have lived most of your life in an enlightened society. If you are young, I feel for you because the dark ages for Europe are around the corner. But you know we love people who come here to become Americans, so there’s always a place for those (who won’t fight) but are being over-run by the Muslim horde.
Apr 6, 2009 - 4:30 am 48. Marie Claude:Don I am a middle-aged person, I deplore the political correctness of our liberals too, but, if you knew our history then you would knew that we are also the people that made the religions war, that made the terror revolution… (even our resistance, yes !), so, it seems that when our people reached the bottom-line of what they can bear, they reverse into the bloodiest terminators, and I am sure that if the muslims want subjugate us, they’ll get the same response : didn’t de Gaulle manage to get independant from the anglo-saxon predominance ?
Apr 6, 2009 - 7:33 am 49. David S:@13. MiamaMan:
Let me expand that kernel for you.
“Christianity has been promulgated using the very same strategies of conquest – and any historical treatment that portrays Islam as a violent, expansionist faith should not omit the same truths as they relate to the Christian tradition.”
I will be happy to confine comparisons to the last 100 years. The differences are stark, but not in the way you appear to imagine. I am willing to assert that both religions are being used to promote very similar goals, as one would expect given their commonalities. Both promote capital punishment, both have been used to justify the persecution of homosexuals, both have been used to advocate the notion of people as property, and both have been used to discriminate against people based on their race, gender and/or religion. The main differences come when you consider the scale of the warfare conducted by adherents of either faith. Christians have been by far more violent and more lethal. That many Christians and Muslims abhor such violence, regardless of the source, is undeniable. To pretend that Christians are less violent and less dangerous than Muslims is to ignore the recent history of the world.
I think your contention that we have gone overboard with addressing the lies and omissions in our history books is either naive or overly optimistic. We have a long way to go in recovering the historical records to repair the gaps and fabrications in our collective understanding of history. Native American history is still very poorly understood – even very modern history has mostly been lost. African American history is likewise very poorly understood. Granted, a great deal of progress has been made in the last century – but any scholar of history could explain to you how far we have left to go.
@14. Delia:
Yes, Christianity has had a number of bloody and violent reformations over the centuries. Islam likewise has reformed to various degrees over the centuries. Both Muslims and Christians assert that they have a unique connection to their God – and that all other faiths are flawed. In many ways, both would prefer a world where everyone agreed with them – and unfortunately they are mutually exclusive. Your idea that all of Islam is somehow out to cleanse the world of infidels is rather obtuse.
@17. Joe Bison:
You may not personally have read the Bible wrong – but clearly there have been a few misinterpretations throughout history. Violence is endemic to both the Muslim and Christian traditions.
Clearly you understand that there is a distinction between Islam and violence perpetrated in the name of religion. You even provide an anecdote showing that Muslims are not all out to get us. If we’re going to fix our textbooks, there’s no reason to exclude our own culture’s history.
@27. Don:
You make a compelling demographic point about the rise of Islam. The fortunate long-term news (in my opinion) is that secular values are taking root worldwide, and providing a common understanding that will make religious violence less acceptable over the next few centuries, provided that secularism is not devastated by ongoing religious warfare.
You might want to make your criticism more specific. Simply calling my comments ignorant, stupid and naive doesn’t do much in the way of educating me about your wise, intelligent and well-reasoned alternative interpretation of reality. The truth is that violence committed by Christians has killed far more people than violence committed by Muslims. We need to address both as we are re-evaluating our history textbooks.
Peace.
DS
Apr 6, 2009 - 12:02 pm 50. Noah Guttman:Most people here are missing the point:
Christianity is for the most part peaceful in its origins and texts. The violent nature it took on was a corruption that occurred as the Church gained power and became a political entity. Eventually Christians rejected the Churches authority which lead to the fragmentation of the church and a return to Christianity’s origins.
Islam has been from its inception a violent intolerant political movement as well as a religion. It has no peaceful origins that it can return to. There is therefore no reason to believe that it will reject the use of violence to expand its influence. In fact the use of violence for that purpose is and always has been doctrine.
Apr 6, 2009 - 12:26 pm 51. Annie:Like several of the posters here, I have read the Koran, too, and it is pretty frightening. The Old Testament is pretty cruel, too, though-the New Testament, I think, is of all of these the most in line with modern Western culture.
Apr 6, 2009 - 12:34 pm 52. MD:There is one very clear point being missed on this “discussion” regarding the comparisons of Christians and Muslims. The Bible clearly states, one day (and this day will surely come) every knee shall bow and every tongue confess, Jesus is Lord. On that day, I can assure you, all questions as to what Christianity is about will be completely clear. My only concern is, on that day, will you face Jesus Christ knowing Him or not knowing Him as your Lord and Savior???
Be surely advised, this day will come. And some believe, as do I, this day is very soon.
Apr 6, 2009 - 1:56 pm 53. Abraham H, Miller:This is an excellent piece that every educator needs to read. Drawing on such apologetic materials as the author mentions and taking them for fact, I too once made the comment about Jihad being the internal struggle for purification. Fortunately, I had several Iranian students in my class who quickly corrected me. They turned to the class and said that when the religious leaders called them to Jihad it was not to struggle within themselves but to wage war against the West. They then admonished me that I needed to stop reading the politically correct nonsense that proliferates in academia. It is a lesson I have not forgotten, but it is also one that needs repeating.
Apr 6, 2009 - 2:21 pm 54. MichaelST:This is excellent!! I love the straight forward no nonsense approach to our self deceiving political correctness.
Apr 6, 2009 - 2:33 pm 55. Pedro Gomez:Where can I buy some Koran Toilet paper? Some with Muhamad’s face on the sheets will do too!
Please help!
Apr 6, 2009 - 2:39 pm 56. David S:@55. Pedro Gomez:
You can get whatever you want on your toilet paper here.
I especially like this pattern…
Peace.
DS
Apr 6, 2009 - 3:36 pm 57. Joel B.:@David S. “Your idea that all of Islam is somehow out to cleanse the world of infidels is rather obtuse.”
…tell that to bin Laden, or Ahmadinejad, or any number of radical Imams!
Bottom line is, it doesn’t matter what we believe about the Bible or the Koran. What’s important is that these guys believe it is their holy book’s imperative to spread Islam by the sword and kill infidels. We can sit here all day and debate religious philosophy but that will not stop them!
Apr 6, 2009 - 4:41 pm 58. David S:@57. Joel B.:
It’s true, the beliefs of the majority won’t stop a determined minority – though misrepresenting the religious beliefs and convictions of the majority can certainly backfire by adding fuel to the fire for radical interpretations.
Religious intolerance is dangerous no matter whether it is based on belief in the Bible, the Koran, or any other “holy book”. The ironic thing about your comment on religious philosophy is that it might be one of the few things that can stop the radicals. Change their beliefs and you can change their behavior.
Peace.
DS
Apr 7, 2009 - 5:20 am 59. LynnS:The truth is, it does matter what we believe about the Bible or the Koran.
The problem is, when attempting to examine what the Koran teaches or what Mohammad the founder taught to his followers, someone comes along and talks about Christianity and what humans did under it’s banner, in my opinion to silence the discussion or attempt to lump all religions into one problematic issue.
Everyone knows, because it has been discussed and discussed and discussed, and rarely does anyone deny, the evil humans do using God as an excuse. What they deny is using the name of Jesus to commit violence is acceptable. He often rebuked religious leaders for hypocrisy and the laying of heavy burdens on the people and refusing to help lift them.
This article is about how some are attempting to silence the violent history of Islam’s founder and his follower. Soon people must come to realize the difficulty of changing the behavior of a so-called violent minority when they are in fact following the life, words, and behavior of the man who founded Islam.
On top of that, with the penalty of death for anyone who leaves the faith, speaking in general terms like “Changing their Beliefs, or Change their behavior”, does not address the fact that to do that would be to deny the Koran and the founder.
Also the teachings of Islam are not necessarily intolerant to other religions except in times of necessity or strong resistance, it requires that anyone who is not a believer in Islam, and that Mohammad is the final prophet of Allah, and that Jesus is not divine, is in some cases granted protection by becoming dhimmis and becoming subservient to Muslims. If one refuses, the threat of the sword is always there, with forgiveness from Allah for the slaying of a disobedient infidel.
This is from the words, and from the deeds, of Mohammad and his followers with the blessing of Allah. This faith came after Jesus, and negated everything he taught, and we have an absolute right and an absolute duty to examine it.
We have a right to demand that our children learn about it historically in an accurate manner just as they should be taught what violence man and womankind has committed in the name of other Faiths and in the name of no Faith or belief in a Diety.
Apr 7, 2009 - 7:22 am 60. ster:A huge majority of Christians believe in the Bible, but also know that it was written by men… and therefore, fallable. It is only the kooks that believe the dinosaurs lived with cavemen 5,000 years ago that do not believe this. Even my former Catholic Church taught that the Bible was “inspired” by God, not God word-for-word.
However, Islam believes that the Quaran is the actual word of Allah, there were no mistakes, so there can be no “interpretations”. If it says to kill Jews, that’s what one must do. Period.
That… is the problem.
Apr 7, 2009 - 1:51 pm 61. HasItBeen4YearsYet?:@#3
“A critical and intelligent person cannot wholeheartedly accept tenets of Islam. “
But, with a sword to your neck, and your life on the line, intelligence and the ability to think critically may not be uppermost in your mind. If you are not willing to die rather than convert, then your “choice” would be the same as that of the many converts who have preceded you. Why else do you think they made so many? It’s obviously not the most user friendly “religion,” nor the easiest. One doesn’t choose to be a slave. One must be coerced.
Apr 7, 2009 - 2:33 pm 62. David S:@61. HasItBeen4YearsYet?:
The major monotheistic religions have both used the same techniques for spreading their faith. Christians have simply been more effective – and more lethal.
Peace.
DS
Apr 8, 2009 - 9:31 am 63. LynnS:“Christians have simply been more effective – and more lethal.”
A blanket statement that will not do anything to stop a discussion about the teachings of the Faith called Islam, nor should it.
It’s easy to find in the history books and there is no attempt to hide, the terrible things done under the banner of different religions. Islam seems to have had the good fortune to keep their secrets under wraps for too long, and it is time the light shines on it.
Some would like us to believe that religion is the cause of all the turmoil in the world past and present yet most know better. Humans do not need the excuse of a Deity to commit grave sins. In fact Faith has also been the cause for great good.
I seems strange that some are afraid to discuss Islam especially if it’s history has been white-washed. That would not be good for anyone. Other religions have had to face the bad deed done in their name and so should Islam.
Apr 8, 2009 - 6:48 pm 64. David S:@63. LynnS:
I think you dismiss the extent of history that has been omitted from history books. The terrible deeds done under the banner of Christendom have mostly been excised or excused in the typical text. If we are going to look at textbook lies about Islam, it would be wise to extend the same examination to the lies about other religions.
I don’t know anyone who would claim that religion is the cause of all turmoil in the world. Humans may not need the excuse of a Deity to commit grave sins, but it sure seems to make their sins less troubling to their consciences. Faith has indeed been the cause of great good – but far too often it has been the excuse for wanton bloodshed.
Islam has been maligned in our culture. No other religion is currently painted in such broad strokes as the source of religious violence. What seems strange to me is that you think other religions have had to face the bad deeds done in their name. I think that’s a lark.
Peace.
DS
Apr 9, 2009 - 9:19 pm 65. Jaisingh Thakur:Every Indian, who has read this post cannot, but feel a sense of deep gratitude towards the learned writer if this post. We, in India, have been long exposed to this sort of intellectual charlatanry, practised by our leftist intellectuals and perfected into a fine art by our self-seeking politicians. Ever since Independence, we have been told ad nauseum that islam and muslims did not bring about the worst crime ever to have been perpetrated against this ancient land and its people, viz, the partition of the motherland and the tragic happenings associated therewith. Quite recently, even some of our politicians have bent over backwards and given Jinnah the clean chit saying that he was
Apr 9, 2009 - 10:20 pm 66. LynnS:’secular’, although this secularism was nowhere in evidence when he and his henchmen gave a call for “direct action” against helpless Sikhs and Hindus in Calcutta on 16th August, 1946, leading to a wholesale massacre of thousands and thousands of them in the streets. Again, even after partition, when there were several crores of muslims left on our soil, we were told that this was good for our country, and would project a ’secular’image of India to the world at large.The consequences of this perverse thinking are now for the world to see. Already having undergone the pangs of partition once in 1947, our politicians, and our intellectuals-the perverts who have prostituted their wisdom to the whore of power and pelf-have brought our country on the brink of another round of vivisection, this time, involving the North-east region, subjected to decades of demographic onslaught by the illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators and their mentors in our ranks. The realisation that Mr. Ibrahim Rahman has written about, is therefore, to be welcomed with open arms by every individual who has still managed to retain his sanity and independence of thought.In fact, these thoughts need to be given as wide a platform as possible and a general awakening be brought about all over the world, particularly in societies plagued with an ever-increasing muslim population. THANK YOU, Mr. Ibrahim Rahman for this timely and wqell-written piece of information.
David S: Everything you write in your last post is a testament to the fact that we should no longer re-write history to protect human systems of belief, including religions, from the truth of their history, to appease, or spare them from shame.
It could possibly be that we agree on something. Now I hope the conversation can continue on whether Islam should be protected from revealing or discussing it’s history and belief system for appeasement or to spare it from questions or observations.
Apr 10, 2009 - 6:45 am 67. ZAC D.:After cross-checking your book “the Al-qaeda reader” I’m became fully convinced Al-qaeda is the true face of Mohammadian islam.( may death be upon him) Though he would like that.
Anway, my question is, is there any way we can introduce a bill to congress inorder to correct this PC education? The rationality of it alone is buffoonery. It would be like white-washing Christian slavery and racism.
Apr 11, 2009 - 5:48 am 68. ZAC D.:“Islam has been maligned in our culture.”
on what basis?
Apr 11, 2009 - 5:50 am 69. Heloise:Islamic religion is a corruption of Judaism and Christianity and bedouin tribalism mixed with the ravings of a woman-hating warlord. However, Islam is not only a religion but also a culture and, most importantly for the West, a political system.
The Islamic political system is founded on sharia laws based on the koran and the words and deeds of Mohammed. As a political system, Muslims believe sharia must be the dominate in any relationship with the subservient kafir (non-Muslim)and their man-made laws.
It is this primitive, tribal political system and its propellent, jihad, that is so insidious and, when it’s even partially instituted, brings ignorance and poverty to its adherents (see Pakistan and Afghanistan). It is the stealth jihad of sharia that we must concern ourselves with at this time or we will loose the few freedoms we have left. I agree with many of the comments here. Read the koran and the hadith of Bukhari and the truth will be crystal clear.
Apr 13, 2009 - 1:15 pm 70. saxon:with the current direction of appeasement to islam by the west & the almost total refusal by members of parliments to speak or address the two biggest issues wich are
Apr 17, 2009 - 2:57 pm 71. profitsbeard:1:islamification
2:mass immigration
ide have to say that first i do not support terrorism in any forms but i think it needs to be said,
europe wide far right to extreme right parties are growing in strength because there are no places in europe that islam intigrates into host societys, this anti islam sentiment is likley to continue growing, untill iether
1:western governments stop appeasing islam
2:new right wing governments come into power
3:civil war breaks out in several countrys possibly leading to ww3 !!
4:the west submits to its new islamic rulers
5:islam over runs the west & wipes out all infidels
not every one is going to agree on this messy issue wich makes me think it may just be a matter of time befor europe sees the birth of a new force, for egsample if you were to cross the second world war french resistance with say the ira from ireland & add some very modern technology, i`m sure you get my drift ?, as i said i am in no position to change things in government & it seems the growing hate towards islam is a direct result of governments refual to address islam & the quran wich is a book of war, but if governments do address the anti west quran it will likley lead to a civil war because muslims will attack the west because its offensive to tell the trueth about the quran.
so far muslims have there terrorists & the west doesnt know what to do. but both inaction & action over islam being a problem will lead to civil war at the very least !!.
so since it seems “not if but when” type of situation my last suggestion is this:
1:what are your plans ?
2:can you & your family defend your selves ?
3:do you have a plan B?
4:do you understand who are enemy`s & friends ?
what i have said here may sound extreme but i have only said it because thats what i can see happening in
uk/france/germany/itali/sweden/norway/denmark/holland/spain/austria/australia/usa/canada/russia/africa
its a global caliphate being waged by islam against the west & its intent is to dominate the world.
will you fight against islam ?
or
will you surrender to islam ?.
To paraphrase Santayana:
Those who do not read the Koran are doomed to repeat it.
The “leaders” in the West are NEARLY ALL utterly derelect in their duty to KNOW THY ENEMY.
The enemy knows us, that’s for damned sure.
Islam is an anti-human rights intolerant, violent totalitarian tyranny posing as an “Abrahamic religion”, using this “protective coloration” the same way a virus mimicks a benign lifeform to invade and destroy its host.
May 30, 2009 - 7:07 pm 72. Richard Nicks:“Political Correctness” Murdered those people at Fort Hood in Texas. Muslims should not be allowed in our military in ANY capacity. Our leaders in washington are Insane with political correctness. They are the ones responsible for these people being killed.
Nov 9, 2009 - 8:51 am