Tidbits Of Note In Islam
In countries of the West, it is thought to be expedient in the name of education and the forestalling of young peoples' hormone-stimulated experimentations, to introduce them in their teen years, to biological facts about procreation.In the hopes that they will learn about their emerging physical-adult status as their bodies change and their emotions are pulled in areas not quite understood by them. In the fervent hope that they will remain curious, but sensible enough to employ patience and behave circumspectly, lest they compromise their childhood.
In the world of Islam the very same worries beset societies; that children - encouraged by a growing sense of curiosity and impelled by physical and emotional strains they cannot quite comprehend - will beget children themselves, long before they're prepared, both physically and mentally for that life-altering situation.
And while in Western societies the dreadful shame that once accompanied unwed teen pregnancies has been lifted - though still not an acclaimed event - in Muslim societies, girls whose sexuality has been tried are considered sordidly promiscuous and there remains to them no decent future, no expectations for a normal life.
It was an ancient Jewish tradition among scholars to marry young, although not that young. It was recognized that young men whose minds were confused and continually beset with thoughts of sex would be incapable of focusing on intellectual pursuits. Early marriages were suitably arranged to free up the intellectual capacities of a young male, enabling him to pursue his studies.
News just out of Saudi Arabia tell of an 11-year-old primary school-boy being engaged to marry his 10-year-old cousin. The marriage, contracted under shariah law, has been scheduled to take place in the summer, after which the child-pair will live together. "I am ready for this marriage. It will help me study better", claimed young Mohammed. "I invite all my classmates to do like me."
And from that bastion of shariah law obedience comes news that Iran has seen fit to free a woman who had been convicted of adultery, and who has spent 11 years in incarceration. She was spared the sentence passed upon her male partner who was stoned to death a year ago, for his transgression against societal and religious mores. The woman was freed, along with the son she had conceived with her partner.
And now, from the Al-Arabiya.net site a report issued that a U.S. newspaper, Human Events, has plans to distribute free copies of The Truth About Muhammad: Founder of the World's Most Intolerant Religion, authored by Robert Spencer, he of the much-visited Jihad Watch blog spot. Interesting, even if they're just catching up to 2-years-stale events. Al-Arabiya is frothing about the book's anti-Muslim tone.
Hamas violently inveighs against the Western campaign to sully values sacred within Islam, their website claiming that the purpose is to distort the view of Islam, through a series of calumnies. It's too much to bear for the terror group, in the wake of the re-publication of the Danish Muhammad cartoons, along with a forthcoming Dutch film purporting to show Islam in the ugly light of reality.
Such hateful and deliberate lies are despicable, according to Hamas. Al-Arabiya states that the book by Robert Spencer attributed inflammatory views about The Prophet, that "Muhammad said terrorism made him victorious and that he used to tempt people with paradise so they would crush his enemies". Which, amazingly enough, is an apt description of the agenda that Hamas so diligently pursues.
"On the day of the battle of Umhud, a man came to the Prophet and said, 'Can you tell me where I will be if I should get martyred?', and the Prophet replied, 'In Paradise'. Whereupon the man fought until he was martyred, said Spencer, citing the Sahih Bukhari hadith collection. The obvious inspiration for Hamas whose adherents take great pains to entice young people to sacrifice themselves, and as martyrs they ascend to the heavens, there to be entertained by beautiful virgins.
No one can claim Muslims are not devout in their submission to Islam and its precepts. So much so that the death penalty is meted out to those who would leave Islam to embrace another religion. Apostates, homosexuals and all other extreme sinners have no place in Islam. Their sentencing is swift, and according to Sharia Law, just.
In Pakistan, now reputed to be one of the most violently dangerous places in the world next to Iraq and Afghanistan, dacoits roam where they will, victimizing ordinary citizens, claiming - pointing down the barrel of a gun - ownership of cellular phones, bank cards, money. Home invasions are common, and one's life is secured as long as one does not protest.
There are anecdotes coming out of Karachi, of armed robbers entering homes, greeting the inhabitants with Assalam alaiku (peace be with you), then quietly requesting money, jewels, anything of value. In departing, with the householder's belongings in hand, they leave, wishing their unwilling hosts Khuda Hafiz (may God protect you).
In Jerusalem, German Chancellor Angela Merkel addressed the Israeli Parliament. Before her address the Knesset Speaker appealed to her, "on behalf of the State of Israel, I call on you, I ask you, when you return home to Germany, to stand at the head of the European camp that will do everything necessary to prevent Iran from creating a [nuclear] bomb. Do not deny us this request.
"On behalf of the millions of children in Israel and their mothers, on behalf of the fathers who do not want war, I turn to you again and ask you: Rise up and take action, do not remain silent!". To which Chancellor Merkel responded "If Iran were to obtain nuclear weapons, it would have disastrous consequences. We have to prevent this."
For the unfortunate fact of the matter is, the Islamic Republic of Iran, as devout a Muslim country as there could conceivably be, as dedicated to the sacred writings of the Koran, as committed to the precepts of Islam as they are, aspires to present Allah with the fruits of their diligent labour in producing nuclear technology.
And this great defender of Islam and Islamic virtues, values and verities, makes no secret of its great antipathy toward other religions and the democracies of the West. Nor does it shy from publicly proclaiming, ad nauseum, its intent to destroy the State of Israel.
Labels: Middle East, Realities, Religion
posted by Pieface @ Wednesday, March 19, 2008
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