Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id PAA07056 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Tue, 16 Oct 2001 15:18:37 +0100 Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2001 07:14:15 -0700 From: Bill Spight <bspight@pacbell.net> Subject: Re: reply to nurturing young Islamic hearts and hatreds To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Message-id: <3BCC40B7.DE5B6ADF@pacbell.net> Organization: Saybrook Graduate School X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.72 [en]C-CCK-MCD {Yahoo;YIP052400} (Win95; U) Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT X-Accept-Language: en References: <F1626gFEoODXZSpsGyj00007dcb@hotmail.com> Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Dear Scott,
> Is Islam truly a peaceful religion at heart,twisted by the fundies into a
> perverted pletora of calls for global jihad and fatwas against those whom
> profane Islam by their presence (and perhaps very existence when one
> considers Islamic fundie views on Israelis, secular or otherwise)? Is
> bloodthirst something which stems from the heart of Islam or just from
> twisted minds which would figure a way of rationalizing their hatred via
> Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, or Hinduism if those were the religions
> under which they grew up?
>
Despite their generally pacifist teachings, all the great (widespread)
religions have had a militant history. How do you think they got to be
great? Christian factions are still warring among themselves.
I think fundamentalism depends upon writing, and upon having relatively
few basic texts. These provide an apparently objective standard to judge
thought and action. Being deistic helps, too, if the text is considered
the Word of God.
Historically, I think that Islam has had a more favorable view of
Judaism and Christianity than the other way around. They were both
established when Islam came into being. Islam was a challenge to them.
But Islam respected them as "people of the Book" (the Jewish scriptures,
the Christian Old Testament). Until recently, Jews were accepted in
Islamic countries while they were persecuted in Christian lands. Now,
Christians are glad to support Jews *in Israel*.
I think that the fundamentalist strain is strongest in Islam. Jews and
Christians believe that God inspired their scriptures. Muslims believe
that God dictated theirs. That is why the Koran has no official
translation, why the emphasis on learning it by rote.
Just a few morning musings. :-)
Best,
Bill
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