FIGURING WHY RELIGIOUS PARTICIPANTS LIKE TO KILL Part One

FIGURING WHY RELIGIOUS PARTICIPANTS

LIKE TO KILL

Part One

            I want to be candid. What I’m sharing is not about Muslim bashing. I have Muslims in my family, and I have known high-minded Muslims of devout faith. I earnestly try not to interject theological or political persuasions in these blogs. My point is to bring clarity and understanding.

I am reminded that Anwar Sadat was a devout Muslim. What I am writing about are the type of Muslims who killed him.

Sudat brought peace with Israel and received the Nobel Peace Prize. Shouldn’t that have been applauded? Muslim fundamentalists radicals thought not. Soldiers who were also part of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad killed Sudat. In the roundup of terrorists, Sheik Omar Abdel Radman was jailed. Radman also conspired to blowup New York City landmarks.

How could a religious group specialize in killing? Let’s take a hard look at where the extreme fundamentalist Muslim world came from.

Before he became a prophet, Muhammad had been a warrior and a raider. Beheading had been common in those days. He believed those who reject Islam are “the vilest of creatures,” and anyone who insults or opposes Muhammad deserves a humiliating death. (Qur’an 98:6, 47:4) The idea of jihad came from the Koran. Muslims believe they must fight until man-made laws are replaced by Sharia (Muslim’s idea of God’s law). We’re talking about your hometown.

Christians and Muslims stand at very different places. Jesus said, “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”(Matthew 5:44) Though often forgotten, for the first three centuries of the Christian era, believers were pacifists. In contrast, Muhammad said, “Against them make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, …, to strike terror into the hearts of your enemies. (Qur’an 8:60) Does sound a little different, doesn’t it?

Today the war between Shi’ites and Sunnis accounts for much of the on-going killing in Iraq. Because the Al-Assad rulers are from the Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shite Islam, their faith is  part of what heats up the war in Syria. If the Alawites fall, the Sunni attack will be vicious.

Shi’ites and Sunnis continue to fight with each other. Shi’ite hostilities reach back to 661 B.C.E. when Ali was killed. His son Husayn were martyred later. The battle between these two groups started here and has never stopped. Today, Saudi Arabi is a bastion of Sunni orthodoxy; Iran is the leading Shi’ite country. The struggle continues!

Enter the Christians. From 2003 to 2010, Muslim terrorist attacks on Christians in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia increased 309%. On March 8, 2011 during a large Christian demonstration in Cairo, 13 were killed and 140 injured by Muslims from surrounding neighborhoods.  No one claims that the violence was planned. Rather, it appears to be a spontaneous outburst against Christians. In Saudi Arabia, police regularly raid the homes of Christians. When brought to court, Christian testimony means less than Muslims statements. This is simply the way it is in the Muslim world.

In the midst of the uprisings across the Muslim Middle East, these tensions fuel the fire. Nothing suggests the battle will be lessened. The extreme Fundamentalists groups are at war and the battle rages on.

Doesn’t sound promising.

Please remember, I’m not talking about all Muslims. Just fundamentalist radicals.