The "Value" of Ignorance
Absolutely great materials which explain Islam truthfully exist within all but the poorest of budgets. Two or three books, all of which are well-written, arm the most ignorant of Americans and Westerners. The names of Spencer, Ibn Warraq, and Trifkovik trip lightly out of the old memory banks. (These and others, we have listed on our Recommended page). Why mention all of this?
The big reason for mentioning this is because of the level of inexcusable ignorance coming from news and talk purveyors who should no longer be tripping over such ignorance.
Yesterday, a very well-known conservative talk show host simply could not get "dar al harb" out of his mouth correctly, despite several attempts. He then went on to tell what this term means as though all of us were just waking up in the cabbage patch--look, Ma, what I just discovered.
This morning, one of the hosts on Fox and Friends reported how stunned Britains are to learn that the perpetrators of the 7-7-2005 assault on London were "British." How could Brits do this to their own country?
Another host on the same program simply could not grasp the motivation of the four bombers of London. Afterall, she said, they all came from well-to-do families.
Sun Tzu and every military theorist worth his or her salt since has made the point: know your enemy. Here we are, approaching the fourth year anniversary after the 9-11-2001 assault on America, and vast numbers of people in journalism, literate talk radio, and government act like they have not read one thing about Islam. Their knowledge has not progressed since 9-11. Worse than inexcusable, this is utterly frightening.
That same talk show host mentioned in the foregoing still prattles on about "Islam, the great religion of peace, the extremist hijackers of a great religion, and evil distortion of a great religion to fit the selfish ends of these radicals." Obviously, he talks, but he does not read. Somebody many years ago said something to the effect that God gave us two eyes and two ears and one mouth, meaning that we should spend most of our time taking in data and making information before opening our mouths.
By contrast, two other conservative talk radio hosts who used to sound just like this fellow now "get it." They see Islam for what it is, and they say so.
Nothing about Islam is complicated. That is one reason it is so widespread among dirt poor ignorati all about the world. But, knowledge of Islam will not leap into one's frontal lobes without some effort.
The slightest effort made to learn about Islam from truly outstanding and crystal-clear sources prevents people from making some really absurd remarks. For example, that these London bombers are "British" and their "mysterious" motivation since they come from well-to-do families is unbelievably easy to understand.
Islam exlicitly puts itself not only ahead of national identities, but forbids national identities. These bombers were "British" only by naturalization or by birth. Both naturalization and citizenship by birth were utterly meaningless to these dedicated Muslims. They considered themselves part of the ummah, the great global collective of Muslims, which follows Islam. They also considered themselves soldiers for Allah, using the amenities provided by their host country against the host in every way possible. Their goal was jihad, to go to Islamic paradise by striking at the rotten infidel, England.
This is why Muslims in any country, whether England, America, or wherever, make themselves untrustworthy because of this allegiance to Islam and pseudo-allegiance to whatever country in which they are legal citizens. They follow Islam which tells them to deceive and to turn the benefits of the host to its own destruction.
Oh, yes, and it is not radical Islam that they follow. A little reading makes the reality unavoidable: Islam is Islam--for everybody, all of the time. You may choose not to be orthodox, but if you do, you then become classified by Islam as a "hypocrite," subject to the death penalty.
The same answer applies to the motivation of these London bombers. "Well-to-do" has nothing whatsoever to do with what they did, but it does tell a great deal about someone's confusion. Marx taught that one's environment made the person, among other teachings. Thus, we have the liberal and too often conservative mouthing of how poverty creates evil doings. That type of thinking error has percolated deep into the culture; only thinking can extirpate it.
Well, most of these nefarious Muslims are "well-to-do." They have money, or they come from money, and they are educated either to a general level or even to a graduate level. So much for Marx.
The bottom line is that such ignorance can only cause Americans, or Brits, to hurt their country. The minds of the American ignorati have no vigilance because they are so lazy. For about $50 to buy and the time to read, say, three books, Americans and Brits can be transformed intellectually and stop offering as well as buy pabulum regarding Islam. They will start putting transformative bullets into their empty mental six-shooters, instead of holding what amounts to a poorly designed metal club, thinking they have a weapon.
The big reason for mentioning this is because of the level of inexcusable ignorance coming from news and talk purveyors who should no longer be tripping over such ignorance.
Yesterday, a very well-known conservative talk show host simply could not get "dar al harb" out of his mouth correctly, despite several attempts. He then went on to tell what this term means as though all of us were just waking up in the cabbage patch--look, Ma, what I just discovered.
This morning, one of the hosts on Fox and Friends reported how stunned Britains are to learn that the perpetrators of the 7-7-2005 assault on London were "British." How could Brits do this to their own country?
Another host on the same program simply could not grasp the motivation of the four bombers of London. Afterall, she said, they all came from well-to-do families.
Sun Tzu and every military theorist worth his or her salt since has made the point: know your enemy. Here we are, approaching the fourth year anniversary after the 9-11-2001 assault on America, and vast numbers of people in journalism, literate talk radio, and government act like they have not read one thing about Islam. Their knowledge has not progressed since 9-11. Worse than inexcusable, this is utterly frightening.
That same talk show host mentioned in the foregoing still prattles on about "Islam, the great religion of peace, the extremist hijackers of a great religion, and evil distortion of a great religion to fit the selfish ends of these radicals." Obviously, he talks, but he does not read. Somebody many years ago said something to the effect that God gave us two eyes and two ears and one mouth, meaning that we should spend most of our time taking in data and making information before opening our mouths.
By contrast, two other conservative talk radio hosts who used to sound just like this fellow now "get it." They see Islam for what it is, and they say so.
Nothing about Islam is complicated. That is one reason it is so widespread among dirt poor ignorati all about the world. But, knowledge of Islam will not leap into one's frontal lobes without some effort.
The slightest effort made to learn about Islam from truly outstanding and crystal-clear sources prevents people from making some really absurd remarks. For example, that these London bombers are "British" and their "mysterious" motivation since they come from well-to-do families is unbelievably easy to understand.
Islam exlicitly puts itself not only ahead of national identities, but forbids national identities. These bombers were "British" only by naturalization or by birth. Both naturalization and citizenship by birth were utterly meaningless to these dedicated Muslims. They considered themselves part of the ummah, the great global collective of Muslims, which follows Islam. They also considered themselves soldiers for Allah, using the amenities provided by their host country against the host in every way possible. Their goal was jihad, to go to Islamic paradise by striking at the rotten infidel, England.
This is why Muslims in any country, whether England, America, or wherever, make themselves untrustworthy because of this allegiance to Islam and pseudo-allegiance to whatever country in which they are legal citizens. They follow Islam which tells them to deceive and to turn the benefits of the host to its own destruction.
Oh, yes, and it is not radical Islam that they follow. A little reading makes the reality unavoidable: Islam is Islam--for everybody, all of the time. You may choose not to be orthodox, but if you do, you then become classified by Islam as a "hypocrite," subject to the death penalty.
The same answer applies to the motivation of these London bombers. "Well-to-do" has nothing whatsoever to do with what they did, but it does tell a great deal about someone's confusion. Marx taught that one's environment made the person, among other teachings. Thus, we have the liberal and too often conservative mouthing of how poverty creates evil doings. That type of thinking error has percolated deep into the culture; only thinking can extirpate it.
Well, most of these nefarious Muslims are "well-to-do." They have money, or they come from money, and they are educated either to a general level or even to a graduate level. So much for Marx.
The bottom line is that such ignorance can only cause Americans, or Brits, to hurt their country. The minds of the American ignorati have no vigilance because they are so lazy. For about $50 to buy and the time to read, say, three books, Americans and Brits can be transformed intellectually and stop offering as well as buy pabulum regarding Islam. They will start putting transformative bullets into their empty mental six-shooters, instead of holding what amounts to a poorly designed metal club, thinking they have a weapon.
posted by George Mason @ 7/13/2005 07:00:00 AM
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