I just found out about the Pope making some statement that really ticked off some Muslims. (I know I'm behind! It's hard to keep up with the news here.) Something about the religion starting in violence I think? I'm hazy on the details. Supposedly the Pope was taken out of context. I dunno, I'm not Catholic so I don't care if he did or not.
Anyway, I found the Islamic response to his comment(s) pretty funny. What they should have done was peacefully objected to his comment(s) through letters and petitions and stuff. What they did end up doing--and what's being showed all over the world--is the exact OPPOSITE of that. Burning images and mock-dolls of the pope, saying means things about him. They're pretty much shooting themselves in the foot.
Now of course not all are doing that. The ones trying to live in peace with some understanding of how the world works are calling for peaceful protests. For sanity. But the very fact that they HAVE to ask their brethren to be peaceful, to act rationally, proves that they aren't going to do either. And they haven't.
I think I should clarify my position on Muslims and the Islamic religion. I think it's wrong. I think it's founder was a violent man, and therefore, the religion can easily lead to violence. However, I don't believe that's the CAUSE for violence in the Middle-east. No, the religion is not the cause of it.
I think the CAUSE of the violence is similiar to what happened with Christianity during the middle ages. Leaders (religious or government) were evil and greedy. They kept their people ignorant and poor. Then they used the religion at hand to manipulate their people into subserviance and violence. Ignorance and cruelty are the greatest breeding grounds for violence.
Even the leaders of [Muslim] terrorists groups are doing the same thing. The greatest (and worst) terrorist leaders in those groups didn't believe in the Muslim God, much less any god at all. They just wanted power. The easiest way for them to build up an army without tons of money and benefits was to talk people into believing they were serving God.
Hopefully those of a more open mind can appreciate the distinction I'm making here. Disagreeing with a religion does not make me intolerant, nor does it mean I hate all the believers in that particular religion. I simply disagree with it.
Recently, I read a story about a group of young people who were dressed up in the traditional Islamic head gear for women. (They were women, but not all Muslims.) They entered a resturant where the owner scowled at them. Then he changed their waitress when the first was being too nice. He also refused to let them eat anything but the sandwiches.
Of course it was his business. He has the right to refuse service (even give subpar service) to any one he wants. I would not take that "freedom" away from him.
However, that behavior is appauling. The last time I looked at the calender it was 2006, not 1906. There's no excuse for such ignorance and stupidity. People like that need a swift kick in the ass.
*leaves and comes back*
Well, I had to leave for a while. I lost my train of thought. Very unfortunate. But that was pretty much all I had to say anyway. Toodles!
No comments:
Post a Comment