(New York Sun) Youssef Ibrahim - Muslims need to re-evaluate where religious practice ends and tyranny practiced in the name of Islam begins. While Islam may appear a tolerant religion, that tolerance is highly conditional on the submission of others to Muslims' collective will. Virtually all Muslims, including self-described moderates and liberals, believe that Islam was God's final monotheist revelation. As such it supersedes, indeed cancels out, all previous revelations. It follows, then, that those who belong to any other faith are in need of conversion. Islam as practiced today in virtually all Muslim countries does not fashion itself merely as a spiritual value, but as a conquering force with a need to dominate. This orientation, relayed to the faithful by texts and preachers, has led to Islamic regimes such as Saudi Arabia, which uses its huge wealth to export reactionary Wahhabi ideologies to the world, setting up madrassas, mosques, and theological seminaries across the globe. The West does not have to bend backward. Indeed, it is time to push back - at the edge of the sword, if need be.
2006-06-22 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive