Two Cent Rant: Islamophobia

The Prophet said, 'There are some who see me by the same light in which I am seeing them. Our natures are one. Without reference to any strands of lineage, without reference to texts or traditions, we drink the life-water together. 

- Rumi

While gunshots were still ringing inside the offices of Charlie Hebdo, one could already hear the cries:

"Islam is violent!"

"Islam is intolerant!"

"Islam is savage and barbaric and hateful!"

Islamophobia is a prime example of blaming the wrench for the mechanic's incompetence. The wrench, in this case, is the Koran and the mechanic is anyone who uses it to destroy rather than to repair. Instead of painting all Muslims with a broad brush, we would do well to step back and employ some critical thinking.

Here, I'll get you started.

First off, anyone who accuses "Islam" of being anything admits their ignorance right off the bat. Islam, like Christianity, is an umbrella term used to describe a bunch of different sects. The only thing uniting all these sects is their belief in the Koran as the word of God. That might sound like a lot but it really isn't because everything comes down to interpretation.

Let's take Jihad, for example. Some Muslims believe it to mean holy war against infidels while others see it as an internal struggle waged not against real people but the animal self and its destructive passions. Same book, radically different interpretation.

Having realized the foolishness of lumping all these different brands of Islam together, educated Islamophobes turn their sights instead to the source: the Koran.

This is only slightly better than criticizing "Islam."

The Koran, like all holy books, is a mirror that reflects our best and worst qualities back to us. It contains powerful truths about human nature. It reveals the good, the bad, and the ugly that resides in every human's inner-world. It's up to individuals to decide how to interpret these messages and apply them in their lives.

You know how ultra-right conservatives cling to a pair of obscure passages in Leviticus to justify their hatred of gays ("it's a sin!") but ignore almost everything else written in that particular book? That's just one example of selective interpretation.

Do you know why I'm almost positive conservatives ignore the rest of Leviticus? Because wedged between the two chapters that condemn homosexuality God warns us not to breed different kinds of animals together, plant two kinds of seed in one field, or wear clothing made of mixed fabrics.

"Let's see the tag on the inside of your shirt there, mr. Bible Thumper! It's just as I thought. Cotton and polyester. Everybody grab some rocks: it's time for a good old fashioned stoning, Old Testament style!"

This kind of selective fixation and interpretation is the extremist's most powerful tool. Of course the Koran contains passages of startling violence, brutality, and intolerance: so does the Old Testament. To say that the Koran is exceptional in its brutality is hypocritical to say the least.

People tend to overlook or downplay the nasty parts of the Bible because Jesus rolled up and softened things up a bit. You could almost say that Christ tried to reboot the Old Testament. He gathered people into a crowd and was like "Hey guys, you know those old books you're all really into? Forget all that shit. Stop cutting your dick-skin. You can even eat pork if you want! It's all good. As long as you love your fellow man, you're doing right by me!"

And Christians still managed to twist and distort this message of universal love and salvation to justify acts of unimaginable violence! Notice I say "Christians used the Bible," not the other way around? Books don't use people. They're just paper and ink.

Terrorists are not created by holy books but by socio-economic and geopolitical conditions. The Koran isn't training these zealots to strap up and go ka-boom: people are.

Imagine you can't feed your family and your neighbourhood gets bombed every other week. Imagine that your country is being attacked, invaded, and occupied by foreigners for reasons you either don't know or don't understand. Imagine holding your little son's body in your arms after a misplaced drone strike. Now when some AK-47 wielding extremist comes looking for recruits and promising eternal life as recompense, well, I don't blame anyone for signing up. It's all about perspective here, folks

Victims of botched drone strike that hit a wedding in Yemen.

Two wrongs don't make a right but push someone into a corner long enough and you better expect some backlash.

To blame religion or a holy book for this is nonsense.

Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Jew, Taoist, Hindu, Scientologist: these are labels, nothing more. And when we dig beneath the labels down to the foundation of these belief-systems, we find that they sprang from a single source.

In any case, the Koran is no better and no worse than any other holy book. Case in point: if the Koran truly were a despicable text filled exclusively with hatred, violence, and intolerance, you would expect all who believe it to reflect its contents. With 23% of the world population identifying as Muslim ( approximately 1.6 billion people) you'd think we would be fighting World War X by now.

Clearly Muslims don't all fixate on the same passages. Clearly they don't interpret it the same way radicals do, or else terrorist attacks would be daily occurrences here in the West.

If you want to judge the Koran, you can't just look at the words and deeds of its most unstable and violent adherents: that would be like me judging your entire family based on your one crazy uncle who brought a hooker to thanksgiving dinner at your parent's house that one year.

If you want to gauge the Koran, you have to take in the full spectrum of Islam. Doing so will reveal that the majority of Muslims, just like the majority of people regardless of religious affiliation, are decent people trying to find their way through life.

/rant over

Two Cent Rant - Je Suis Charlie

"It is clear that not in one thing alone, but in many ways equality and freedom of speech are a good thing." 

- Herodotus 

"People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use." 

- Soren Kierkegaard

Let me preface this little rant with the following statement: I rate all acts of unprovoked and unjustified violence, whether against individuals or the masses, as despicable and inexcusable. There is in my opinion no valid reason to harm or kill people who haven't attempted to harm or kill you first.

I also support freedom of speech. You should have the right to voice your opinion whenever you like without fear of violent retaliation. You should also have the right to ignore other people's opinions or to engage those who hold opinions you disagree with in open discourse.

That being said, I believe that freedom of speech, when placed in the hands of the ignorant, short-sighted, and ego-driven, is a double-edged sword that can cut both ways. The shootings in Paris last week are a painful example of free speech backfiring on those most eager to exercise it.

Before you accuse me of victim-blaming, allow me to elaborate.

Let's pretend for a moment that you hate Mike Tyson with a passion. If you ran into him at the airport, would you exercise your free speech? Would you tell him he's scum or call him a wife-beater, rapist, and ear-biter?

Why not?

Body, head.

There aren't any laws against insults but there are laws against assault so you should have nothing to fear, right?

It's not that Tyson would be justified in beating you senseless for insulting him, only that you should know better than to poke an angry bear.

Al Queda, ISIS (or ISIL, or whatever the fuck they're calling themselves now), and other extremists are crazed, wounded bears. Free speech your ass off bro, but if you toss insults at those bears, you should expect to be mauled.

Is this to say that radical Islam should be left untouched? That we should reprimand people who criticize religion or sensor magazines, blogs, and news articles to avoid offending certain people?

Of course not.

Radicalism, be it theological, ideological, or political, is a mind-virus that spreads like wild fire under the right conditions. These conditions are ignorance, poverty, oppression, and disillusionment. Anyone who tells you that all the answers to your problems can be found in a 1,500 year old book is a bold-faced liar, and the only way you'll believe that lie is if you're poor, ignorant, and angry enough.

The answer is never found at the polar extremes but somewhere between the two, in the nebulous grey zone. Radical ideologies are oversimplifications; they create the illusion that only two valid answers exist to a certain question. They force a "this or that" scenario onto people even when no such scenario exists.

When you buy into one of these answers, you trade freedom of thought for freedom of speech.

A lot of these "new" (see: radical) atheists pretend to be modern-day crusaders liberating believers from the shackles of religion. They claim that, behind the sarcasm and venom lurks a concern for the wellbeing of their fellow humans.

They would have us believe they champion truth and education, but one need only look at their methods to see that words and deeds don't align.

If radical ideologies perpetuate themselves best when certain conditions abound, and we know what those conditions are, shouldn't we try to alleviate them? Isn't that the best way to fight the good fight?

I'm no teacher but I'm pretty sure scorn, mockery, and insults are horrible ways to teach anyone anything. You want to convince a group of people that their ways are wrong? Try not profaning their holiest symbols first. That sorta kills the dialogue.

These anti-theists and radical atheists aren't solving any problems: they're making them worse.

Charlie Hebdo, the magazine targeted by the radicals in Paris, made a point of taunting some of the most unstable and dangerous people on the planet. These terrorists are so disillusioned with the world they live in and so hateful of Westerners that they would gladly die just to take a few of infidels down with them.

Those twelve people certainly didn't deserve to die, but is it surprising that they did? Not really, especially considering Charlie Hebdo was bombed only three years ago. The people who worked and died for that magazine are the sorriest martyrs I've ever heard of, but they're martyrs nonetheless: they died for their cause.

Do you own a magazine and want to wage war against radical Islam? Here's what you do: superimpose pictures of atrocities committed in Allah's name with passages from the Qu'ran that prohibit said atrocities.

"What actions are most excellent? To gladden the heart of human beings, to feed the hungry, to help the afflicted, to lighten the sorrow of the sorrowful, and to remove the sufferings of the injured." 

Or point out the contradictions between radical Islam and its moderate cousins. Or highlight the good, selfless deeds of Muslims around the world. Or educate people on the different branches of Islam.

"How is that a solution? Terrorists are beyond educating. They don't want to talk or 'be saved;' they just want to kill infidels."

True, education and respectful dialogue won't stop terrorists, but neither will drawing pictures of Muhammad blowing the pope. Truth is, the most extreme cases are beyond repair.

The goal isn't to save the guys wearing bomb-vests--once you resolve to give your life in Allah's name, it's probably too late for you--it's to prevent Muslims from putting on the vest in the first place.

If you want to help, do anything but troll.

Unless of course you never wanted to help in the first place. In that case, be a troll. Say what you want, poke fun, satirize, whatever: it's your right and I'll defend it with you if anyone tries to take it away.

Just don't pretend you're on a noble crusade to spread truth and save those who have been deceived by evil organized religion.

/rant over

(P.S. Terrorist attacks always spark off a bunch of this "Islam is a religion of hate" nonsense. People love to demonize the youngest of the Abrahamic religions, quoting brutal passages as evidence that it is far worse than both Judaism and Christianity. I'll tackle this topic in my next post so stay tuned.)

Restless

Have you noticed what's going on around the world lately? Whether it's Mexico City, Hong Kong, Ferguson, or New York, the story is the same.

People are starting to wake up to reality and their reaction is one of outrage and anger.

When cops shoot unarmed kids, governments place corporate interests ahead of planetary ones, and laws are broken by the very people paid to uphold them, we should push back.

I probably don't need to tell you that all these protests are connected. If you trace the issues back to their source, you will find the same three culprits grinning sheepishly: greed, hatred, and ignorance.

Thankfully information technology is helping dispel ignorance all around the world. Try as they may, the 1% can't keep a lid on all the dirt they're doing. All it takes is one brave whistle blower  and the whole world finds out.

If you want to know why so many people across the planet are taking a stand, it's because, for the first time, they actually know what's really going on.

Our honeymoon of blissful ignorance is coming to an end. Soon enough we'll have to take a stand and affirm what we all know intuitively and factually: that rule by the few at the expense of the many is a broken model which has and always will result in corruption.

Things simply can't go on like this indefinitely. Sooner or later, something is going to have to give. Either we let short-sighted elitists drag our planet into the dumps or we rise up and take charge, not so we can install a new oligarchy to rule over us but so we can tear the rotten system down and replace it with something better.

Before we can get to this stage though, we have to learn a few important lessons.

Love Your Enemies

Moral outrage is good. So is unrest. It motivates people to get off their asses, put down the gossip mags, and act against the destructive forces lined up against us. The problem, as I outlined at the end of this post, is that we can't combat greed, ignorance, and hatred with greed, ignorance, and hatred.

We have to be above the scum, not swimming in it. Our cause might be righteous but when we employ violence, we defeat ourselves.

I totally understand the impulse to act violently in the face of corruption. I can only imagine the acidic hate that would boil in my veins if one of my (unarmed) kids got shot by a cop.

That being said, police officers are not the root of the problem, only a symptom.

Sure, there are plenty of racist cops out there. Then there's the straight arrow who got bullied in school and signed up so he could finally get a taste of power. And guess what power does? It corrupts. Aside from these unfortunate cases though, cops are just like everyone else, average Joe's and Jane's trying to make a living.

There are easy and effective remedies for police brutality. You could equip cops with body cameras, as some departments have already done. Here's another idea: you could stop giving them second-hand tanks and military-grade weapons. That might slow things down a bit.

So why isn't this happening on a grand scale?

Who do you think is giving police departments enough artillery to take out a middle-eastern dictator? The same people who have the power to mandate body cameras on all officers but choose not to.

The same people who are trying to kill net neutrality, spy on their own citizens, and allow corporations to ravage our planet.

There's no conspiracy anymore: our would-be masters do their dirt right out in the open. Their arrogance borders on madness. They think they can do whatever they like, that they stand above the unfair laws they themselves set up.

They're confident because they've met resistance before and overcame it with ease by sewing discord, distracting, and downplaying. Which leads us to lesson number 2.

Move with Purpose

In a lot of ways, Occupy Wallstreet was a massive blunder. It raised awareness on the widening gap between the richest 1% and everyone else but it failed to produce a coherent strategy to level out the playing field.

Occupy Wallstreet was a child's tantrum. Mom and dad know we're pissed, but they also know that we're powerless, leaderless, purposeless. All they have to do is keep baffling us with bullshit and we'll never rise up and take what's rightfully ours: the world.

As I said, outrage and unrest are great motivators, but alone they lead to... nothing. Corrupt governments are immune to protest because they don't give a shit about what protestors think. What do they care if a few thousand people make a fuss? So long as their bills get passed and donations keep coming in, all is well.

Protests send a statement, but without follow-through, without a way to hold those in charge accountable--without leverage, in other words--those in charge wait patiently for protestors to get tired and disperse.

The way I see it, protests are networking opportunities. "Oh, you're against this pipeline too? Let's be friends!"

A protest is the birthplace of revolution, not revolution itself. A protest is the means, not the end. It's where like-minded people meet and design a proper strategy for change.

More than protests, we need plans. More than anger, we need wisdom. More than violence, we need purpose. What's the endgame? What's the goal? To stop a pipeline from being built? To put an end of police brutality? To eliminate political corruption and strip corporations of their influence in government?

Whatever the cause, it starts with you.