Goldsnow,
Such a noble opinion of yours: The weakness of Moslem Societies making them non-compatible with any other religion/thinking is not just fundamentalism....but lack of Democracies in the Islamic World...
Well, how about starting with Algeria? About 7 years ago, the Algerian people was called to the polls. As you may know, the Islamic FIS party gained a landslide majority --only to get crushed out by the military junta.... But who's supportive of this brutal military junta? Here's a tip:
anp.org
BTW, when I hear of some American folks who've just gone mad about their own religion (whether Catholic or Protestant), when I realize that the US itself is prey to televangelists, to sectarian fanaticism (Unified Church/Rev. Moon, Scientology, Mormons, etc.), I doubt that Americans are best suited to label other countries as 'fanatic' or 'theocratic'.
Actually, from a French, secular-minded viewpoint, the US is a theocracy as well!! Since the US executive routinely refers to 'God' regardless of the fact that not all US citizens believe in God (in his Christian meaning).
BTW, you should be aware that Islam, at least in North Africa's Maghreb, is basically a political instrument, that is a value framework leveraged by the destitute educated class in order to foster a radical change in their social fabric. Hence, we are not dealing with the same fanaticism as in the US: Arab folks don't go to the mosque driving their BMW, to pray and cry together, before going back home to dabble in stocks over the internet!
The so-called Islamic leaders refer to Islam in the same way as materialist socialists in Europe referred to Marxism --as to a revolutionary's handbook. Although XIXth century Europe was mainly rural and Christian, the Catholic hierarchy has historically always stood by the rich. The Catholic Church has always been part of the power elite, reflecting society in its own organization: Cardinals, Bishops, and Archbishops were top positions intended to the upper crust of the bourgeoisie whereas the mendicant orders were a good fit for the faithful plebs....
Since you don't find Bishops, Cardinals, and Popes in the Muslim fabric, the Islamic religion itself was never compromised as an 'opium of the people' (according to the Marxist zinger).
So, to go back to Algeria, I suggest petitioning for the FBI to display the following list of dangerous political criminals on its FBI Most Wanted shortlist.
anp.org
Aures habent, et non audient,
Os habent, et non loquentur,
Manus habent, et non palpabunt....
(Excerpt from In exitu Israel de AEgypto, Psalms)
Cabbie Gus. |
