Chesler Chronicles

October 20th, 2008 11:49 am

Islamic Religious and Gender Apartheid: The Murder of a Christian Woman in Kabul.

When a woman friend of mine recently called to tell me that she had been offered a well paid position in Afghanistan I told her not to go. When she insisted, I said: “Alright then, you’d better get a gun, learn how to use it, and get psychologically prepared to shoot yourself in case you are captured but not instantly killed.” She was shocked, shocked. And so I continued: “But you might be easily disarmed. Better have a dentist implant a cyanide tablet, (or something more merciful), in your teeth so that you can opt out of the repeated rapes or the video-ed be-heading.” Now, she was silent and listening carefully. I continued. “You may not be held for ransom, so if you absolutely must go, I would request that your do-gooder work be carried out entirely within an American Army base–but please understand, they, too, have been successfully attacked.”

I, who once traveled everywhere, including to Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the Uzbeck Republic, would not dream of going to these countries again. Not in these savage times. My long-time dreams of visiting Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, etc., have been permanently put on hold. I will visit these places in books and paintings and in friendships with those who have either chosen exile over tyranny or who can visit me here.

These places are too dangerous to visit and increasingly, too dangerous to live in. For example, just this morning, the Taliban murdered a beautiful, 34 year-old woman, Gayle Williams, in Kabul, Afghanistan. She was a British aid worker, a pure soul, who had come to work with disabled Afghans. She was not a Christian missionary. Williams’s organization, “Serve Afghanistan,” is careful not to proselytize–doing so is against the law. However, her Christianity probably motivated her to take on this dangerous and selfless work. The Taliban-on-motorbikes gunned her down this morning, shooting her seven-eight times.

She was killed because she was a Christian, a woman, and a foreigner and because she actually wanted to help. Unlike most Afghan dignitaries, she was not corrupt, she was not expecting any “bribe” money for doing her good work on earth.

No proselytizing in Afghanistan? The same is true in every other Muslim nation. There is something wrong with a “religion” that does not allow its followers to leave to embrace another religion–or no religion at all. It kills such apostates and it kills those who would dare offer them another approach to God.

Yesterday, I was interviewed by the very wonderful Rabbi Joe Potasnik and Deacon Kevin McCormick on WABC’S longest running show, “Religion on the Line.” We talked about Islam’s history of imperialism and about the imperialist nature of jihad. This point is important enough to repeat again and again not only because it is true but also because so many western intellectuals believe that the West has been the only imperial power–a crime for which we must now atone.

But we also talked about the current Islamification of Europe and America and about the persecution of infidels in the Muslim world. Muslims, mainly radically reactionary Muslims, demand more and more visible, separatist, religious freedom in the West but Muslim countries absolutely refuse to allow “infidels” to practice their religions in the East. Thus, the Muslim Middle East is now completely “judenrein,” (free of Jews), except for tiny Israel which remains under perpetual and existential siege. Muslims in the Middle East always persecuted, taxed, jailed and murdered its Arab Jewish citizens but when Israel became a state, the Middle Eastern and North African Muslim nation states brutally exiled its Arab Jews who sought–and received– asylum in Israel, Europe, the United States, Canada, and Australia. This story, by the way, is the biggest story of refugees in the Middle East. See my friend Pierre Rehov’s excellent film, “The Silent Exodus,” which poignantly portrays this long, forced march. Back in the day when Pierre could not find network distribution, I once mounted some of his films on my website; the films drew enormous traffic.

But, this is not only a Jewish story.

Historically, Muslims also persecuted all “infidel” inhabitants (Zoroastrians, Baha’i, Hindus), and of course, its large Christian populations which preceded Islam in these regions. Islam continues to persecute Christians today. Christians are being forcibly converted; young Christian girls are being kidnapped, and then forced to convert and marry Muslim men. Churches are being destroyed, foreigners (diplomats, business people, students) who visit the Muslim world are cautioned to practice their religion indoors and to refrain from displaying any religious insignia. Recently, in Egypt, a mob stormed a Christian holy site and beat and murdered a number of monks and priests.

Will the new American President take a stand against Islamic religious apartheid, and demand reciprocity in terms of religion? If mosques can be built all over Europe and the United States, will Saudi Arabia allow a church to be built in the Kingdom? Will other Muslim countries, beginning with Egypt do likewise? Our government has got to deal with this issue vigorously and seriously but our professors also have to tell the truth about Islam, namely, that it is not tolerant but is, instead, murderous towards other religions.

Pajamas Media appreciates your comments that abide by the following guidelines:

1. Avoid profanities or foul language unless it is contained in a necessary quote or is relevant to the comment.

2. Stay on topic.

3. Disagree, but avoid ad hominem attacks.

4. Threats are treated seriously and reported to law enforcement.

5. Spam and advertising are not permitted in the comments area.

The clause regarding "hate speech" has been deleted because readers criticized it as being too loosely defined. We agreed.

These guidelines are very general and cannot cover every possible situation. Please don't assume that Pajamas Media management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment. We reserve the right to filter or delete comments or to deny posting privileges entirely at our discretion. If you feel your comment was filtered inappropriately, please email us at story@pajamasmedia.com.

16 Comments

1. Tom:

Thank you, Phyllis, excellent explanation of Reality to those who live in Fantasy. Will they get it? No, most won’t. But a few will. That’s why this is such a work of courage and patience. Swimming against the historical tide. But, if you are a person of conscience and understanding, what choice do you have?
The whole world is dizzy in anticipation of Obama’s election. The Muslim world in particular. Many there believe he really is a Muslim, having been born to a Muslim father. They no doubt believe they are winning in a way beyond their fondest hopes and dreams. A half Arab man with the middle name of “Hussein” as President of the United States! Surely their time has come! Surely this shows Allah’s favor and power!
Then the only thing left really is to kill off the last of the Jews.
God help us.

Oct 20, 2008 - 12:22 pm 2. Nancy Kobrin, Ph.D.:

Thank you, Phyllis. I read the news reports this a.m. It is sobering and tragic and once again you are right.

Oct 20, 2008 - 12:39 pm 3. Tony DeCarlo:

The incredible insecurity of Muslims, even so-called “mainstream” Muslims may be astonishing to those who have little knowledge of the faith. Reading the Koran and related islamic texts one begins to understand that this is a religion which encourages violence and hatred. Moses and Jesus were introspective and peaceful men (according to scripture). Mohammed was a warlord, a sexual predator and perhaps a pedophile. Hardly the type to organize a religion. Apparently he took bits and pieces of Judaism and Christianity and coupled them with his own peculiar beliefs and instincts to create a faith based upon abject fear of G-d and the preachers and Imams who followed him. While both Christianity and Judaism, along with Hinduism and other religious beliefs have less than ideal histories, nothing in any of them equates to the misery that Islam has inflicted upon the world. Maybe that insecurity so apparent among Muslims is due to the intellectual barrenness within its writings and structure.

Oct 20, 2008 - 1:56 pm 4. Norman Simms:

Thanks as always, Phyllis, for a sobering, perceptive and incisive piece of writing.

Although I have known several Muslim students and colleagues, females and males, over the years and have faith in their sincere friendship, I can also see that they have to set themselves against the pressures in their own countries and religious institutions.

So while I find that the more I read about Islam in all its variations and historical manifestations, the less I can trust it as a body of moral knowledge and humanizing culture, I hesitate to make sweeping condemnations. But caution–caution and vigilance are needed.

I am also worried not just by Barak Obama’s vague rhetoric (which he learned as an adult in the churches he attended and which he did not grow up with) and by the advisers he has associated himself with, but most of all by the uncritical adulation of the press and the crowds: not least by the press photos always showing him in a halo of light, by the newspaper images of hand-raised salutes with which crowds greet him, and by the excessive praise given by the press and other media. Whether he as an individual is ready or not to be president of the USA is one thing: the whole phenomenon of “transformation” and “light channeling” is very frightening.

Therefore, the reality of the gender hatred so deeply embedded in radical Islam makes evident that we are indeed in a Clash of Civilizations–or a clash against civilization–and the next generation of leaders in the Western World need to know what they are up against.

In deep sadness and fear of what is to come,

Norman

Oct 20, 2008 - 3:18 pm 5. John Peter Maher:

In Sarajevo shops you can buy videotapes of the mujahedin torturing, mutilating and impaling Serb prisoners. The trial of the “Fort Dix Six” is now beginning. Never mentioned is that they are Albanians from Kosovo, the hottest prostitution and heroin market in Europe. The good heroin comes via Turkey from Afghanistan

Oct 20, 2008 - 5:57 pm 6. Lauren:

If “O” is elected president I have one word for you to let you know he won’t do anything you ask for: ODINGA.

Oct 20, 2008 - 9:08 pm 7. cfbleachers:

A religion that does not celebrate the joyous and full exploration of faith’s foundations in order to expand the soul, but rather, commands fealty through duress, thereby shrinking the soul… is no religion at all.

A good life ended, but not wasted. Not if other good souls raise their voices in chorus, not to produce an echo, but to produce a promise. “May God keep you safe and warm in His embrace, and on any day He doesn’t, we will.”

Phyllis, your writings and speeches and media appearances are worthy of a place in the front row of that chorus. You are loved and cherished for your brave and worthy work.

Oct 21, 2008 - 6:01 am 8. George Jochnowitz:

Everything evolves, including religions. Christians no longer execute witches and homosexuals. The wars between Catholics and Protestants that took place in the 16th century—wars that made the struggles between Shia and Sunni look like a game—are over and will never return.

One day Muslims will read the words of the Koran and interpret them to be teaching peace, equality, and tolerance.

Oct 21, 2008 - 7:07 am 9. Fausta’s Blog » Blog Archive » If you’re John Murtha’s constituent,:

[...] Islamic Religious and Gender Apartheid: The Murder of a Christian Woman in Kabul. [...]

Oct 21, 2008 - 7:17 am 10. Dave:

In the meantime George, we need to look for a few good crusades just to move the process along.

In the USA, some mosques and orgainizations need to be put under a peace bond. If—-make that when—- the bond(s) are forfeited,
the proceeds should go to benefit non-muslims
in muslim countries. That might get their attention.

In addition to which, CIA-like organizations need to extend helping hands to those who
proselyte where illegal to do so and visit
retaliation upon those who persecute the apostate.

Yes, this is suppressing a religion. Suppression is legit when practiced upon those who repress.

This is going to require some out-of-the-box thinking. Want to call Charlie Wilson out of retirement to get things started?

Oct 21, 2008 - 8:15 am 11. Gianni:

Contrary to what conservative evangelicals tell people not all mainline protestants are mute on the issue (although I admit many are, to their shame).
For you all here is this press release from german lutherans:

http://www.ekd.de/english/ekd_press_releases-080925_iranian_law_on_apostasy_unacceptable.html

By the way WHY noone is mentioning oil? If we don’t switch SOON to renewable energy nothing will change. Petrodollars are fuelling islamic indoctrination and terrorism, and yet getting rid of oil dependency seems not a hight priority for christian conservatives.
It is indeed a high priority for the jewish people. Jewish are the most environmental consciuos group, and the do the talk, not just lip service. They do wonderful things for the environment.
Just finished a research on green jews for an upcoming article and I can’t tell how I admire them for what they do.
That’s one of the reason I LOVE AND SUPPORT jewish people (but not haredim).

Oct 21, 2008 - 9:47 am 12. George Jochnowitz:

Caro Gianni,

Since you are an Italian Judeophile, you might be interested in my http://www.jochnowitz.net/Essays/PrimoLevi.html
Cordiali saluti,
George

Oct 21, 2008 - 11:38 am 13. Gianni:

Thank you very much George, kind as usual.
I am a progressive feminist judeophile, and I am aware unfortunately I am of the rarest breed, sort of member of an endangered specie.

Oct 21, 2008 - 1:12 pm 14. Artikel af Phyllis Chesler « Veritas Universalis:

[...] det hele her på bloggen Chesler [...]

Oct 22, 2008 - 8:22 am 15. Kenny:

Thank you very much such useful information, however, I regret to inform you that I am facing a lot of problems due to my conversion.can you you help me, so that I amy forward my further details.

Have nice weekend!!

Kenny

Nov 1, 2008 - 4:36 am 16. G Thind:

Following letter was sent to The Editor, The Dawn. As expected, The Dawn did not print it. Problem is that the Muslim world wants stay in a cocoon woven by ancient Saudis sitting in caves.
‘Worried-Pakistani’ (letter to the editor dated October in Karachi has awakened my memories of March, 2004 when I visited Pakistan. Being from Canada it was hard to understand why unlike any country in the world, be it communist, secular or in between every sentence started with Allah and ended with Allah. In Pakistan Airways all one could hear were prayers at takeoffs and landings; no one cared about relaying emergency procedures to passengers before takeoffs and necessary instructions to them before landings; crew absolved themselves by leaving safety of passenger to prayers. With the exception of Africa and Middle East I have traveled all over the world and I did not have to divulge my religion but while visiting Moenjodaro (in Sindh) I had to mention it on a form.
In western countries where ‘one wife is one too many,’ many Pakistanis have multiple wives resulting in over population, poverty, and disgust resulting in diminished value for human life. It’s not out of place to mention of a typical example of my 35 year old guide at Moenjodaro who had three wives and six children whereas my wife and I have three children out of whom eldest was a boy and then came a set of twins, a boy and a girl. With my pay cheque which was better than 80% Canadians and wife working as cook in a cafeteria we had a hell of time sending them through university to enable them to be professionals.
Pens, pencils, screwdrivers, and spanners dropped five minutes before Nimaz time and were not picked up for 30-40 minutes. In a whooping population of over 160 million, over five times more than with which Pakistan came into being only 60 years ago, there must have been 40% i.e. about 64,000,000 wage earners resulting in total loss of at least 32, 000,000 man-hours and that only for one Namaz; multiplying this by 5 Nimazes a whooping figure of a loss of 160,000,000 man-hours is nothing but shocking to a western. For me, I can never afford a worker who will work no more than 6 hrs. 30 minutes and expect to be paid for 8 hours in the dayshift. Add another few prayers on the afternoon shift; in addition to two which are part of five regular ones – add Maghrib prayers at 8.30pm and then, after dinner Isha prayers by 10.30pm and Taravee ending by 11.30 p.m. Yet, Hundreds of people staged a public rally on the occasion of the 20th death anniversary of former military ruler Gen. Zia-ul-Haq. They marched from Rawalpindi to his grave and demanded that Islamic system be enforced in Pakistan as visualised by Zia. His son Ejaz-ul-Haq led the rally that was attended by delegates from across Pakistan. Ejaz-ul-Haq is clamoring for political power; if successful he will add few more prayers and rituals.
When hundreds of millions of hours a day are wasted in prayers and mind boggling marches how could Pakistan afford to help the earthquake stricken poor Kashmiris? Check the bank accounts of army generals and colonels; check their lavish Kothis (palaces) and farm lands; that is where American’s 10 billion dollars disappeared. On top of everything else do not forget to check the flight of funds to the safety of the Gulf oil states. It’s disgusting to observe that Pakistan’s president has to go out of his way to beg the world for a dole.
In the Western world woman are the backbones of economy; to my surprise I saw no woman shopping in the open and the ones I noticed were clad in burqas. Having been born in India in 1923 and now a resident of Canada since 1953 it shocked me to observe that the same Muslim women who like any Hindu or Sikh women folks lived a free life in Punjab of India were now clad in Burkas in the Punjab of Pakistan.
It surprised me, rather, upset me to experience that when I visited my so called friends in Karachi and Lahore not even one of them introduced me to their families whereas they had stayed in my home for two days while going through training in Aeronautics in Boeing at Seattle with me and paying visit to Vancouver. My wife and teen aged children (two sons and a daughter) had gone out of their ways to make all of them (supposed to be my friends) feel at home; my wife even prepared some Indian sweets and packed full dinner for them to eat on the evening of Sunday at Seattle. They never felt a ting of shame for treating me Persona-non-grata as if introducing me to their families was below their dignities whereas they considered themselves to be worthy of staying in my home. All of a sudden they turned into Saudis who treat their women folks as nothing but slaves and baby producing machines probably in accordance with:
SURA XXIV: 31 (LIGHT) – “The Koran’ ISBN 0-8041-1125-1.”
“And speak to the believing women that they refrain their eyes, and observe continence; and that they display not their ornaments, except those which are external; and that they throw their veil over their bosoms, and display not their ornaments, except to their husbands or their fathers, or their husbands’ fathers, or their sons, or their husbands’ sons, or their brothers, or their brothers’ sons, or their sisters’ sons, or their women, or their slaves, or male domestics who have no natural force, or to children who note not women’s nakedness. And let them not strike their feet together, so as to discover their hidden ornaments. And be ye all turned to God, O ye Believers! That it may be well with you.”
In reply to a letter to the editor: “Causes of Muslim militancy” by Mr. M. P. Chishti of Karachi I request him to ponder upon his analysis of the world afresh, not irrationally, but with cool mind, stop suckling the thumb and read the following with an open mind.
Dr. Pervez Amir Ali Hoodbhoy in The Washington Post, December 30, 2001 (washingtonpost.com) said,
“Today, Muslims number 1 billion. Of the 48 countries with a full or near Muslim majority, none has yet evolved a stable democratic political system. In fact, all Muslim countries are dominated by self-serving corrupt elites who cynically advance their personal interests and steal resources from their people. None of these countries has a viable educational system or a university of international stature. You will seldom see a Muslim name as you flip through scientific journals, and if you do, the chances are that this person lives in the West. There are a few exceptions: Pakistani Abdus Salam, together with Americans Steven Weinberg and Sheldon Glashow, won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1979. I knew Salam reasonably well; we even wrote a book preface together. He was a remarkable man, terribly in love with his country and his religion. And yet he died deeply unhappy, scorned by Pakistan, declared a non-Muslim by an act of the Pakistani parliament in 1974. Today the Ahmadi sect, to which Salam belonged, is considered heretical and harshly persecuted. (My next-door neighbour, an Ahmadi physicist, was shot in the neck and heart and died in my car as I drove him to the hospital seven years ago. His only fault was to have been born into the wrong sect.)
Though genuine scientific achievement is rare in the contemporary Muslim world, pseudo-science is in generous supply. A former chairman of my department has calculated the speed of heaven: He maintains it is receding from Earth at one centimetre per second less than the speed of light. His ingenious method relies upon a verse in the Islamic holy book, which says that worship on the night on which the book was revealed is worth a thousand nights of ordinary worship. He states that this amounts to a time-dilation factor of 1,000, which he puts into a formula of Einstein’s theory of special relativity.
A more public example: One of two Pakistani nuclear engineers recently arrested on suspicion of passing nuclear secrets to the Taliban had earlier proposed to solve Pakistan’s energy problems by harnessing the power of genie. He relied on the Islamic belief that God created man from clay, and angels and genie from fire; so this highly placed engineer proposed to capture the genies and extract their energy.”
Sincerely,
G. Thind