Scott Atran: What are the conditions for Islam to be strong?
Abu Bakar Bashir: The infidel country must be visited and spied upon. If we don’t come to them, they will persecute Islam. They will prevent non-Muslims converting.
SA: What can the West, especially the US, do to make the world more peaceful?
ABB: They have to stop fighting Islam. That’s impossible because as Allah has said in the Koran. If they want to have peace, they have to accept to be governed by Islam.
More thoughts on achieving peace in our time from the man who brought you the Bali bombings.
Abu Bakar Bashir was released from prison in Jakarta last week.
It would be a good thing if this clown was to join Zarqawi.
They all need to join Zarqawi. Send them all home to the middle east and push the button. Then we can polish the resulting big glass bowl and use it to catch some rays! Or maybe the worlds largest punch bowl.
‘moderates’ claim islam is a ‘religion of peace’.
no it isnt.
it is what it evolves into. a religion which acts as a stepping stone, a platform and convenient back door for those perpetrating violnece for the sake of violence.
and ‘moderates’ have only themselve to blame in any socio-political usurption of the mainstream.
including islamists. islam isnt just a religion, its a political and military force. THAT is what is different right from the start with that religion.
No offense Robert J, but you aren’t telling us anything we don’t already know. Tell it to the Lefty blogs.
WARNING: long rambling rant. Can someone please explain how western “Liberals” can continue to believe that western Christians are the scary fanatics in this picture? Bush is a fascist and liberal western Christians are oppressive, while Muslim terrorist racist haters are either benign, inert, or our fault. Upon what is this self-hatred based?
As a former capital “L” Liberal, (and still a true liberal) how can the “L”s continue to align themselves with the likes of Bashir, bin Laden, Zawahiri, Pol Pot, Stalin and Saddam? Do they pay no attention to what their default allies actually SAY and DO?
I know, I know. Saddam had nothing in common with radical Islam, other than the “acceptable” level of totalitarian/sectarian supremacy, tendancy to international aggression, and affection for genocide. Saddam was the most open state sponsor of Islamic suicide terrorists because it’s the right thing to do. The throat-slitters in Iraq would be happily at home bouncing their babies on their knees instead of waging jihad if only we didn’t _____ (fill in the blank)? 9/11 wouldn’t have happened if we hadn’t _______? Surely, you can see that it’s not the ME, but Western Democracies, that are in dire need of political reform. Our bad.
ME rulers, populations, ideology and society are not to blame for the poverty, desperation, and lack of upward mobility. If only Henry Ford had not brought the car to the common man. If only we never bought ME oil on the world market and transformed a sandbox into a wealthy society, the ME would be a happy Eutopia. We need to HELP them more, only not by buying an evil capitalist product that we were foolish enough to create a world market for and those poor sweet charitable fools sell. Oooops. Off with our heads!
Inevitably, “Liberal” arguments deteriorate into inane babble about the Inquisition, slavery, Indians, and imperialism, as if only the modern western man is accountable for the exclusive sins of the past. How do “Liberals” completely ignore evolutionary theory only when it comes to western civ?
News to “Liberals”: (and I say this as a thoroughly unreligious person) Jesus Christ is the father of all western liberal thought. Christianity evolved and REFORMED ITSELF. After the invention of the printing press, a chain reaction broke loose. People learned to read and interpret the Bible on their own. Martin Luther nailed his thoughts on a church door and BAM: power to the people. No more Imans. The modern day “Liberal” movement did not cause Christianity to become tolerant and liberal. It happened the other way around.
From it’s inception to today, Islam has never stopped expanding through ethinic clensing, imposing second class status, and genocidal murder. In 640 AD, there were no Muslims in the ME, North Africa, Asia, Europe. Where have all those Buddhists, Hindus, Christians, Jews, pagans and aethiests gone to make these places “Muslim” homelands/nations? Disappeared?
“Liberals” should be do 4 years of community service living IN the thoroughly illiberal ideologies they espouse. Can you imagine Barbara Boxer in a hijab?
“Liberals”, the USA is not “Imperial”. Democracy is INHERENTLY NOT IMPERIAL, you brainwashed idiots. Stop it with this insane, baseless, self-hatred. You’ll get us killed for good, and we do not deserve it. Might I suggest that you commit suicide (the lonely kind) if you really think we’re that bad.
Very well-said, Tom Penn.
I’m in complete agreement.
“From it’s inception to today, Islam has never stopped expanding through ethinic clensing, imposing second class status, and genocidal murder. In 640 AD, there were no Muslims in the ME, North Africa, Asia, Europe. Where have all those Buddhists, Hindus, Christians, Jews, pagans and aethiests gone to make these places “Muslim” homelands/nations? Disappeared?
“Liberals”, the USA is not “Imperial”. Democracy is INHERENTLY NOT IMPERIAL, you brainwashed idiots. Stop it with this insane, baseless, self-hatred. You’ll get us killed for good, and we do not deserve it. Might I suggest that you commit suicide (the lonely kind) if you really think we’re that bad.”
Tom, you want to run for president? Finally someone who says it like it is….of course no one asks the questions about Muslim ethnic and religious cleansing!!!!
It would be refreshing if a tolerant wise and gifted Muslim leader were to come forward and lead followers to a more moderate practice of the faith.
It would be great if a moderate charismatic Muslim leader were supported by good Muslims world wide.
A leader who was the antidote to the evil diseased leader known as Osama Bin Laden.
This is an invitation to Muslims who follow this blogsite to appiont and support the good and wise leader that you know could lead Muslims back to worldwide respect. TG
The so called religion of peace they sound a lot like the BORG they say FROM NOW ON YOU WILL SERVE US