Hello Peter,
Just thought I’d give a quick and brief insight into Islam’s history, for the sake of better understanding the stakes that are at hand not only in the Near East but for all countries and regions as well as, if need be, to those folks that consider that this problem is one that can be solved by love and kisses! (Read my lips!)
In the seventh century, just about all of the Near East was run by the Jewish religion and businesses as well as large pockets of Christian well routed regions; Palestine, large parts of Egypt, Ethiopia, Turkey and more. (Sorry for the anachronism of names, but for the sake of the argument it makes it easier!) Desert pagan nomadic tribes where all over and everywhere, and as such were worshipers of stones if they worshiped anything at all. One such guy of the name of Mohamed living in Mecca became fairly interested about what the Rabbi of Mecca was teaching, but he also listened to the Christian teachings and in no way was he a dimwit. His conclusions were simple, rather ‘avant garde’ liberalism in so far as if these two religions did not agree and both stemmed from Isaac son of Abraham and Sara then it’s because they got it all wrong and the truth lies with the descendants of his other wife Agar namely Ismaël. So Mohamed started writing the Koran; a ‘soft’ version and integrated the laws of the Old Testament (from Isaac downwards because from Ismaël there was nothing much to write home about!) and started preaching. The initial success of this new book hit the stores as a local best seller, but was of course growled upon by the Jewish community. So Mohamed moved north to Medina to further his new found lucrative biz, but here it did not catch on as hoped. In no way was it possible to convert these nomadic tribes with his ‘soft’ Koran so what usually happens in these circumstances also inspired Mohamed. He needed a dream, he needed something Divine, he needed to spread his teachings by force and so from ‘soft’ verses we see the man plunge into Mythical madness and terror binding insanity. Grant him as a good and brave desert warrior is probably the only attribute he may keep, but not the ‘hard’ rewrite of his ‘bestseller’.
After his death his followers set out to impose by death or Hmmm… by death these teachings (somewhat more elaborated for the cause!) that basically limit themselves to plundering and rule of terror for those that do not convert or by granting tax dismissal to the converted, and ruining the remainders. It would of course be far too long to fully expand on all details here that govern their social and moral lives that I seem only fit to be bundle up as a totally perverse package construed by the princes of the underworld. There is NO ‘soft’ and trusty Islam. Similarly as there is NO sympathetic and cuddly black adder or alligator, even if you saw one and it simply went on its way with no harm done. Again, one does not kill a lost alligator; one brings it carefully back to its own environment, unless it has gone wild and is snapping away at your family members.
Friendly yours,
Robert.
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