Right before the June 12th, anniversary of last year’s fraudulent presidential elections, the opposition leaders, Mr. Mousavi and Mr. Karoubi, canceled the planned demonstrations and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called it regrettable.
Regrettable indeed! Apparently the requested authorization for the demonstration was not forthcoming from the government, which was obvious from day one. However, what’s more regrettable is the fact that, this U.S. Administration, like all those before it, still remains delusional about the political infrastructure of Iran and the so called hardliners and moderates.
What is truly amazing is that, after three decades of deceit by both the hardliners and the so called moderates, our politicians don’t get the very simple fact that both factions are dedicated to the establishment of the Islamic Republic, the destruction of Israel, and the support for Hezbollah and Hamas. The only difference between hardliners and moderates is who should rule and perhaps whether there should be a more lenient domestic policy within the framework of the Islamic Republic towards its people.
It is imperative to understand this and recognize that, for over thirty years, both hardliners and moderates have been torturing and executing the Iranian people. This also includes acts of terrorism against the people of America, Israel, Lebanon, and many other nations. It also includes assassinating Iranian opposition figures around the world.
It is time for America to get over the idea that Mr. Rafsanjani and his cohorts will change Iran for the better or will change Iran’s behavior. The negotiations with Hashemi Rafsanjani go back to the 80s when, during the Reagan Administration, Mr. Rafsanjani promised the Americans a normalization in relations after Ayatollah Khoemeini’s death. However, they continued expanding their terrorist activities, repressing the citizens of Iran, and secretly pursuing their nuclear bomb project.
It is time to realize that what the ordinary Iranian truly wants, and has wanted since this regime took over in Iran, is a regime change – a new government. If we listen closely to them, we can clearly hear that the Iranian people want an end to this Islamic rule and an end to this barbaric religion that forces a way of life on them that they don’t want. They simply want to be free and to be able to choose a democratic government where human freedoms and dignity are respected; where the phrase “political prisoner” will no longer exist; and where rape, torture and execution are no longer practiced.
It is time to say enough is enough and stand up for our principles and call out evil as we have done many times before in our great history when we helped end slavery, Nazism, segregation, apartheid, ethnic cleansing, the evil empire of Soviet Union and communism.
It is time to once again rise up in the name of human dignity and defeat the Islamic fanatics ruling Iran, who are on the brink of taking Iran and the rest of the world to the edge of destruction.
Listen to the people of Iran. Support them. Give them hope. Give them strength. Let them know the people of the West are behind them. Look at history. It’s all there to help guide us to a better future for all mankind.
Reza, I am interested in knowing your views about the religion of Islam.
Basically, do you think that Iran could ever be the kind of nation you want it to be as long as Islam is the primary religion? In a way, I suppose that I am asking if you think that Islam is the basic problem and that freedom and tolerance are incompatible with Islam?
My own poorly informed opinion is that there can be reasonable freedom and tolerance in the Islamic religion, mainly because I think that there are hundreds of millions of Muslims who reject terrorism and fanaticism, and want what most people want and that is to live in peace with their neighbors, whatever the religion of the neighbors. Am I wrong?
What do you think about the efforts of those Muslims who say they are trying to reform Islam? Do you think that Islam is or can be compatible with peace, and with the kind of freedom which you want for people?
That is a very good question.You see there are two kinds of Islam, one that is traditional and most Muslims practice, like my grandmother, who believed that one should not lie,not steal, be good to all human kind, help the poor… And one that is fanatical.The traditional majority don’t even know whats in the Quran, their beliefs are based on stories passed from one generation to the other;be good and you will go to heaven and if you are bad, you go to hell. However, what has happened to Iranians under the rule of the mullah has destroyed the belief of even those traditionalists and has brought much resentment against the religion. I think if there is a change in Iran and the regime falls, the religion of Islam will be gone from the land from decades to come. It will act like rubber band, the more you pull the harder it snaps! And for that we have to thank the mullahs for they showed the true face of this religion.
Thanks very much, Reza, for your reply.
You seem to be saying that a religion based on the Koran cannot be a good religion, that is cannot be reformed and still be based on the Koran.
What bothers me is that I can’t imagine that the religion of Islam can be done away with, at least in the foreseeable future, since religion is such a strong element in people’s lives. If it cannot be a peaceful religion, and it cannot be eliminated, that makes for a pretty dire future for Muslims.
Based on my reading of the books by Greg Mortenson, Rory Stewart and Jared Cohen, I had come to believe that many Muslims who do read the Koran are nonetheless non-violent people who want peace. So I’m surprised that you seem to be saying otherwise.
Your book mesmerized me, particularly because of all the detail you provide about life in Iran as you saw and lived it. I hope you do some more writing. I see that you have written some articles, apparently under another pseudonym. Can you tell me how I can access them? And can you recommend other books that provide details about the life of Muslims?
Thank you, Jerry
Thank you for your kind words about the book.You see the majority of Muslims are none violent as I described above and are good people. However what I meant was that, the radical minority who take literary what the Quran says are the violent ones, because they believe Islam has to conquer the world and all none believers have to either convert or die. But this is not shared by the majority.
It is a complex subject and needs much conversation but I have tried my best to show the differences in my book.
All my articles are also written under the name Reza Kahlili and are all here on my website under the tab “Media and Press” and then articles. You could also listen to all my interviews under Radio&TV shows.
Dear Reza, Thank you for the truly great article and illustrating the truth. If you allow me I make some comments about Islam and Iranian culture.
Most of Iranian youth specially those who are middle class and educated are actively going back the roots of being an Iranian rather than a Muslim. Let’s say they are mostly interested to revive an Iranian Iran than an Islamic Iran. A model Cyrus the great established as a first democracy in the world some 3000 years ago. but as of religion most of Iranian youth turn out to be a huge fan of agnosticism and secularism.although some of us joined Christianity and Zoroastrian. Islam or any other religion can not govern people and we know it very well. As Reza put it very nicely, thanks to Islamic regime and Mullahs that confirmed these facts to us. Although we have payed a grave price for what we learned but I think it worth it. After Arab invasion of Iran 1400 years ago we couldn’t revive our culture. because first we were neighbors of Arabia and like Spain who kicked out Arab invaders, we could not get rid of them easily, so we almost lost our culture. but today is the day that we value our history and country by going back to Persian values of equality and democracy.
Islam to us is a worst thing, I personally don’t consider it as a religion so I call it the cult of death. Islam is not only a religion but a political system that tries to convert the infidels or kill them, capture the world and impose Sharia law, has no value for women and considered women and none muslims a second class citizens. all these factors show that Islam is not some thing you can compare as religion to Christianity or others. The message of Zoroaster or Christ was peace and love where as the message of muhammed was war and sword. but unfortunately lots of Muslims choose to be brained washed rather than being a critical thinker. what we promote in New Iran is the critical thinking Iranians who question everything before they accept it or not. the age of bigotry and slavery is over. Thank you for the opportunity to let me express my opinion. Free Iran
Dear Hooman,
Thank you so much for your great post. I couldn’t agree with you more on this.I hope we see a free Iran real soon.
Reza, what I don’t know how to reconcile is the view of you and Hooman that Islam is bad, so that I presume you must think Muslims need to get rid of it, on the one hand, and, on the other, those Muslims who are versed in Islam and the Koran but who think it is essentially a peaceful religion and who think the current take on the religion needs to be reformed, rather than getting rid of Islam.
To me, the idea of getting rid of a religion practiced by something over a billion people is a long term idea that might take a few hundred years. So it would seem that in the meantime the effort should be the so-called reform movement.
I participate in some online forums and it has been my experience that the ones who say we need to get rid of Islam are the same ones who claim that we can’t trust Muslims and should keep them out of the country.
There were many things wrong with Christianity around the time of the Inquisition. But the remedy was to reform Christianity rather than get rid of it. I think it would have been futile to have tried to get rid of Christianity. I think the same thing of Islam.
Apparently, there are countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan in which Muslims had a good deal more freedom than they do now. I have also read in the history of Afghanistan that there were rules in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries who did away with some of the more onerous practices, such as the veil and keeping women at home, only to have those reforms disappear later. That makes me think in terms of reforming Islam rather than getting rid of it.
My impression is that sharia, like jihad, is not by its essence violent. In other words, it appears that the sharia law in any particular place is shaped by the leaders in that place and that there are a lot of sharia laws that make sense.
What mainly concerns me is that what I take to be your attitude, and that of Hooman, encourages, not so much islamophobia, but muslimphobia, with so many narrow minded and right wing people not distinguishing between the religion and the individual.
I think here is the misunderstanding, we are specifically talking about Iran and how it will change if there was a regime change but you are addressing the whole Muslim population. You are very correct that we need to avoid islamophobia as it would be totally wrong to judge over a billion people because of the actions of a minority.As I said many Muslims believe in the same principles that other religions do and I guess Islam is going through the same phase as what Christianity went through during the dark ages.However, I personally do not agree with Islamic teachings and definitely against Sharia law which is inhumane and against all principles of humanity.
Reza, my understanding is that Sharia law is not a code like the United States Code that contains all the laws that uniformally govern all of the U.S. Rather my understanding is that there is no one place you can go to in order to find out what Sharia law says because it differs from place to place and is authored by different people in different places. And also that Sharia law contains many civil laws that are needed by governments.
From Wikipedia:
“Sharia (شريعة Šarīʿa; [ʃaˈriːʕa], “way” or “path”) refers to the sacred law of Islam. All Muslims believe Sharia is God’s law, but they have differences between themselves as to exactly what it entails.[1] Modernists, traditionalists and fundamentalists all hold different views of Sharia, as do adherents to different schools of Islamic thought and scholarship. Different countries and cultures have varying interpretations of Sharia, as well.”
“Sharia deals with many topics addressed by secular law, including crime, politics and economics,”
If the leaders in a Muslim community set out the Sharia law for that community but did not include in it, for example, cutting off hands, and did not include other such provisions, wouldn’t that be okay?
I understand that Indonesia, for example, where the most Muslims live, had rejected efforts to make cutting off hands part of the law there.
Many anti-Christians criticize Christians, not just the religion but its adherents, because of the Inquisition and dark ages. I don’t agree with that because I imagine there were many Christians at that time who did not agree with what was going on.
Likewise, as I previously said, the danger, and I think it is a big one, is that people who are worried about Muslims will think that if Islam has to go then Muslims in general are dangerous people.
Do you propose anything to replace Islam?
My concern is Iran and the injustices being done under Islam. What I hope to see is the fall of this barbaric regime in Iran and a return to respecting human dignity and joining the world community for a better future for human kind.I pray that we see that day sooner than later and I pray no innocent lives are lost in that process.
When you write about the religion of Islam, you are not just writing about Iran. If I didn’t like the way the Catholic faith was being practiced in my country, and said that Catholicism needs to go, rather than saying the Catholicism practiced in my country needs to change, that would be misleading.
I appreciate your participation in my blog and thank you for this discussion. My view of the religion of Islam is what it is, and that is mainly due to what I have witnessed first hand;the cruelty, the injustices and the inhumanity of it but what I am trying to champion is change in Iran and that is the point I am trying to make.
It is unfortunate that you argue that Islam is the cause of the problem in Iran and then refuse to discuss Islam. Good bye.
My review at Amazon:
There are two reasons that A Time To Betray kept me turning pages. Of course, one was the amazing main story, a member of the Republican Guard becoming a CIA spy. There are few fiction thrillers that can match that. I simply cannot imagine what the tension must have been like to spend ten years pretending to be the opposite of what he really was, and in the midst all the while of those who would have killed him had they known. And not just the tension at work, but also at home where he had to continue his pretense with his wife and other family members. How in the world he was able to keep his marriage together is beyond my comprehension when at home he had to pretend almost the opposite of what he pretended at work, acting like he was on the side of the terrorists even though Samoya, his wife, was against them. He must be one sweet-talking guy to be able to hold onto her in that circumstance.
Imagine having to watch innocent young girls being murdered by terrorists and then having to pretend that you were one of them when, in fact, you not only hated them but were working right under their noses to bring about their defeat.
The second reason the book mesmerized me was the detailed look into life in Iran. Because of the richness of Reza’s description, it was almost like watching a movie of what went on . We are not often exposed to the human side of the Muslim world this way. The different roads taking by Reza and his two best friends present that humanity in a way that makes you feel like you are accompanying them.
The book certainly turns on its head that oft seen notion that Muslim means terrorist. If you like thrillers, or history, or knowledge, then this book is for you.
My complaint is not about the book but about Reza’s attitude toward Islam. He makes it clear in his blog at http://atimetobetray.com/blog/what-do-the-iranians-want that he considers Islam to be the crux of the problem. My first criticism is that he refuses to discuss Islam in his blog, that is, he refuses to support his claim. My second criticism is that his attitude is one that puts Muslims at risk. He is unintentionally supporting those who claim that Islam is evil and because it is evil Muslims are our enemy. If, in order to improve life in Iran, we must get rid of a religion with 1.2 billion adherents, we face an impossible task. A clash of cultures is not in the best interests of Muslims anywhere. I think that the vast majority of Muslims are peaceful people who do not agree with the terrorist Muslims. I think they will react defensively to attacks on their religion, just as I think that Islamophobes will react offensively, not just to Islam, but to the Muslim people.
I assume grandpaw is rather taking a apologetic stand in his/her approach.we are living in the 21st century and as a modern human being we should accept other point of views, I am totally for freedom of religion, whether they are Muslims or Buddhist or Christians. You can make fun of Jesus in America or you can make fun of Moses in Israel and government will value you freedom and protect you. but try making fun of Muhammed in Iran or Saudi Arabia then we will see how Sharia law can be seen in the Liberal point of view.
We regretfully undermine the genocide in Sudan because most of Islamic countries leaders don’t like to talk about it, even some of them approve of it, (Let’s kill the infidels) when a Christian is chopped in pieces by a Muslim brotherhood. The aim of this so called religion and the definition of it is wrong. Only educated critical thinking people can get this cancer away from their society. when was a last time you saw a Christian suicide bomber or a Jewish suicide bomber who blow up him self for Jesus or Moses??!! I admit that there are extremism in all the religions and it should be modernized and condemned. but we can’t validate Sharia Laws by being apologetic. Sharia laws undermine the women basic rights, it will consider them as a second class citizens. Men are encouraged to keep their beard and not to shave them because Muhammed wouldn’t do it, I suppose he didn’t have a proper Gillette blade! they cut hands and fingers and behead their enemies in the public!!! this is sharia law! you wanna modernize it?? good luck “grand paw” but be careful because one of the followers of religion of peace might want you dead. the different is Christianity or most other religions promote peace and love, their only stand is to not accept homosexuality or even abortion but not to kill the jews or other none-believers!!, Christianity could be modernized but you can’t modernize a cult of death because in it’s book it is ordering the followers to kill the none-believers.
Quotes from Quran:
“Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.”
Qur’an 9:29
O ye who believe! take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends and protectors: They are but friends and protectors to each other. And he amongst you that turns to them (for friendship) is of them. Verily Allah guideth not a people unjust.” Qur’an 5:51
finally I totally respect freedom of religion and encourage education over any religion but I’m against “putting it mildly or being politically correct”, I say it like it is.
On the other side if Muslims countries wanna keep their religion and their beloved sharia law we can’t simply approve it but it is their country and they wanna kill each other until they reach mental puberty let them be our guests. we have had enough in Iran, it has been 1400 years of torture, lies, rape and murder. Enough is enough! we say no to the cult of death !!! but we honor religious freedom as every democracy should do. Thank you Reza jan for giving me a freedom to state my opinion. Free Iran.
Thank you so much for your kind words about my book. Isn’t it great that we can agree to disagree without consequences, isn’t great that in this country no one is tortured and executed because they don’t agree with its leaders.Almost all my relatives are Muslims and as I have showed in my book, they are just like other people of faith who believe in love and respect.My problem is with the Islamic rulers who have shown nothing but disgrace to humanity. I do not claim nor promote the idea of Muslims are terrorists so I don’t know where you get that, perhaps you liker to believe that but if you read what I say and what I have written you will see that my problem is with the religion itself that allows stoning of woman to death for adultery,cuts one’s hand for stealing,gauges eyes and lashes men and woman as punishment for not adhering to Islamic dress code or for drinking. I have a problem with a religion that rapes a teenage girl prior to execution so that she won’t enter heaven and tortures and executes anyone who questions their authority because those who question are enemies of God. I am sorry, I cannot believe in such God.
I know its easy living in America and providing opinion but one should live among the people and see the consequences of such religion and feel the pain and suffering of the victims before jumping to conclusion.
However we are blessed with freedom in this country and that’s what its all about.
God Bless
Of course, Reza, you are attempting to put words in my mouth when you imply, falsely, that I accuse you of promoting the idea of Muslims as terrorists. What I said was that your position unintentionally lends support to those who say that Islam is evil, therefor those who practice Islam are evil. By the way, religions do not rape, torture or kill people, and I venture that the Muslims who do are a very small minority.
I hope that you and Samoya are enjoying life, something you both richly deserve.
Thank you for asking about my wife and wishing us well. I really appreciate that. She has been through a lot and has always been supportive. I could not have asked for more.Lets pray for a free Iran and a better future for the whole world and humanity.
Grandpaw: I see no evidence of Islam, or Muslims being “at risk” — as you say yourself there are over 1 billion Muslims today! Thus the Islamic religion is clearly very strong to have so many adherents. You also seem to agree that there would be *some* use or “benefit” to Islam going through a process of reformation — as did Christianity (and Judaism as well — which did so much earlier, roughly around the year 0 when the Rabbinical movement took over and started crossing out various “archaic” lines in the Torah and “reinterpreting” them in a different light — before that, there was no significant Rabbinical power versus the Priestly class — but all that changed with the second, and total diaspora — but I won’t get into that any more, other than to mention it in passing).
So, it would appear we are all in agreement that Islam *should* ideally go through a sort of reformation process. Unfortunately that is typically a *very* difficult and *highly* violent process — at least it was in Christianity. Also in Judaism, it took the Jews being literally scattered to the four corners of the earth — a “catastrophe” if you will, for *their* “reformation” to begin to occur.
Thus for the two major religions upon which Islam is based, reformation has always been accompanied by some sort of “major upheaval” if you will. It is not the type of thing that people calmly get together, sit around the table and hash out… . Of course, anything is possible I suppose. But as you have rightly indicated, there are practices which Muslims… well practice, that are not strictly speaking “within the Quran.” They are *cultural* practices — for example “Female Genital Mutilation” and the wearing of the Burqa — just to name two major ones (which are deleterious to the female population — one would think this is so, at least). And so then one has the dual problem of
1) reforming a religion
and
2) changing *cultural* practices which seem to follow, or correlate to the religion, but which are not strictly speaking “spelled out” by the religion (Islam)
This strikes me as a phenomenally difficult challenge to Islam as it is *only* one which *Muslims themselves* can “effect.” That is, these cannot be “forced onto” Muslims as they would then mean nothing but an “external” set of rules that someone with a stronger military has enforced upon them.
So it seems to me, that the fundamental question is how is *Islam* going to go about “reforming itself.” And that is a question to which Reza simply does not address himself.
It’s a very interesting question. And it’s also one which *you* seem to be interested in — and I think that’s fine. But then the onus really becomes *yours* as to answering how *you* would recommend reforming Islam since, again, that is not Reza’s 1st, 2nd, or 3rd concern in life. That is, if *I* had to guess what those concerns were! I think they’d be:
1) How to dispose of the current and clearly evil / dictatorial government in Iran (which merely happens to use Islam as a “cover” for their edicts).
2) How to *create* (the first was to destroy something, the second is how to create something) a government which allows the people to choose whatever religion they’d like to follow — much like the United States or a European Country — but keep that *separate* from the government.
3) How to do (1) and (2) above with the least amount of violence and killing.
This is my own personal “guess” as to what Reza is “thinking about” and the issues he is “concerned with.”
You are clearly free to be concerned with *other* issues — like the very interesting issue of how can Islam go about reforming itself — you cited an interesting example, albeit a small move by the population of Indonesia to disallow hand-chopping of thieves. I think that is very interesting. For example, how exactly did that “come about.” How was it “implemented.” Etc.
But as I mentioned above, these are not Reza’s concerns. And certainly when it comes to the American saying of “put your money where your mouth is” — Reza has most *certainly* done that(!) — can we not both agree on that(?) That this man, whatever your disagreements might be with him, put
– his money,
– his life,
– the life of his wife and son,
– and more “where his mouth was”
That is a formidable quality, I would say, in *any* man. I know that *I* have not done anything which even approaches this type of “real-world” commitment in a cause!
I say this in part because I feel your comment that Reza “refuses to discuss Islam in his blog, that is, he refuses to support his claim.” is unfair. Now I’ve read the same book as you and I’ve also read the preceding comments here and further, I am of no relation to “Reza” — I certainly know no more about him than you. But I think the comment which I highlighted — the one you made towards the end of your Amazon review, is something of a “straw man.” I perhaps may not be using that phrase well — but what I mean is that I don’t think Reza *does* make (any sweeping) “comments about Islam” (as a whole), he merely makes comments about the *highly distorted* version of Islam as “practiced” (*abused*, really) by the *rulers* of modern-day Iran (and I think you would agree that the rulers of Iran practice, if anything, a very “distorted” version of Islam — certainly one which is terribly and unnecessarily heavy on violence and torture).
So I would only suggest that we back off for a second and look at this man called “Reza” — he spends close to half or maybe a third of his life (approximately) in a situation which, frankly, I would crumble in. I would imagine that in many ways, a man like that must be *singularly* committed to only one or two goals (the ones I listed above as what I think his goals are). He could not have the “luxury” (so to speak) of waxing eloquent about many of the interesting ideas in the world — he had to concentrate at ALL TIMES. Thus, I think that this man has, in a sense, “earned the right” *not* to engage in every (albeit interesting) argument, point of view, or question that a well-meaning person may bring forth onto his website.
Let’s remember, this is *his* website. I would highly recommend you start your own as you appear to be a well read and intelligent man. Then, if Reza posts a comment on your website, you can properly “take him to task” as it were if you disagree with him. But he did not “reach out” and personally grab you by the collar (so to speak) and pull you into this place, he merely published a book — which you too are free to do — and I, for one can tell you that if you *do* write a book or create a blog about the “reformation of Islam,” *I* would personally be VERY interested in it.
I think Reza has been eminently fair in the course of this dialogue with you as well as phenomenally polite given that you start an entry “Of course, Reza, you are attempting to put words in my mouth…” — that’s seems a little, if you’ll pardon me, unnecessarily insulting — I mean couldn’t you have said, “we appear to have a disagreement, or perhaps a misunderstanding Reza…” — would that not have perhaps been a more proper way to address someone who has shown you nothing but courtesy as I read it? (A rhetorical question)
And there, I think I should leave this already overly lengthy attempt to mitigate what I see as perhaps a misunderstanding as well as a little impoliteness on your part Grandpaw.
I think having an apologetic approach to Islam is what makes the west and some liberals unaware about the nature of this cult. Islam is not only a religion but it orders believers to establish the Islamic government. You can make fun of Jesus in America or Moses in Israel but try making fun of Muhammed in Saudi Arabia or Iran or Yemen. then we will see how flexible sharia law can get for you Jerry. You can perhaps walk in to one of the mosques in Saudi Arabia and propose your reform idea to the Mullah at mosque,of course if you can make it alive from there others will get you sooner or later. Islam is not just a religion that you can play with, even South Park cartoon in America censors itself because of the threats they got from Muslims.
I would agree that Muslims are generally peaceful and looking forward to the normal life but because they are mostly brained washed and not educated enough. Muslims usually pay attention when their fellow Jihadists are at danger, they don’t care if there is a human genocide in Sudan where Muslim brotherhood slaughter Christians or in Russia where Russian government attacks Chechnya even though they are Muslims. People like Jerry which I assume are liberal democrats could never possibly live in Iran or Saudi Arabia for five minutes.
Lets not take it mildly when you talk about Sharia laws, Sharia laws are the most inhuman laws that anybody can encounter, even stone aged human being had more respect for their fellow human not to impose veil on their women or stone them to death due to adultery. If a Muslim army comes to your country your women is theirs as of your properties. if you convert it is ok but if you don’t you can be executed in the spot. I have no idea how reformable this law can be. If you witness what Reza have witnessed you will agree with him too. If you are a Christian or Bahai living in Iran then you can see how they take you and whatever you have got because they consider you an enemy of God. no matter what you do or say can convince them otherwise. to them you are an infidel and they have orders from Allah to eliminate you! now if you wanna reform it be my guest and start reforming it, I will be supporting you on that. I’m all for religious freedom but if Nazism is a religion I don’t wanna extend my freedom right to it, because if Nazism is free I will not be free. Not every religion can be acceptable in general public. when a symbol of a religion which is a prophet of that religion has a child bride then you can assume the rest of it.
Examples from Quran:
But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, an seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war); but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practise regular charity, then open the way for them: for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.”
Qur’an 9:5
O ye who believe! take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends and protectors: They are but friends and protectors to each other. And he amongst you that turns to them (for friendship) is of them. Verily Allah guideth not a people unjust.” Qur’an 5:51
If you can reform Nazism then you can reform Islam I wish you good luck in it.
Thanks, Hooman, for your comments. If you can figure out a way to get 1.2 billion people to give up their religion, I wish you good luck with it. I’ll check back in a couple of hundred years to see how it’s going.
Grandpaw,
Sarcasm is generally a sign of weakness in an argument. Further, on an emotional level it typically betrays an inner anger.
If you are angry, why not be open about it and clearly state that.
But anger does “get in the way of”, or obfuscates, presenting a coherent argument. And only one who can either “compartmentalize” their anger or, have had the good fortune to have lived a life which hasn’t caused them significant amounts of anger (obviously we ALL have some), will have success in presenting cool-headed arguments “sans-sarcasm.”
Sarcasm merely betrays you, nothing more.
Thank you Jerry, We are changing people and people in Iran realize it, as of other countries they will be reaching to this point sooner or later, but our politicians shouldn’t be politically correct like Obama who bends over to Saudi king or keep it quiet to talk about Genocidal regime in Sudan and extends his hands to Mullahs in Iran, unaware of the facts that those regimes despise US and what freedom US enjoys. We rather educate people to drop what is clearly a cult of destruction rather than a way to salvation. Best wishes to you.
Thanks, Hooman, and best wishes to you as well.
While there are different ideas about how to best deal with Iran, I think there is unanimity that the current regime is evil. The fact that Obama has a different opinion from yours as to how to deal with Iran does not mean that he is “unaware”. I also think that the view that we need to get rid of Islam creates a very difficult climate for the many peaceful Muslims here in the U.S.
I join you and Reza in the hope that the evils being perpetrated in Iran and other Muslim countries will come to an end soon.