By Douglas V. Gibbs
After spending a long conversation with a friend this morning who was concerned that my Email of the Week was outside the norm of the kind of material you would normally find on Political Pistachio, or associated with yours truly, I decided against his recommendation that the post be removed from the website, but I did decide that a commentary regarding the bit should be provided. This commentary will also be linked to on the page that has the observation about jihadists.
At the beginning of the post in question I added the words "seems logical." I am about observations, and to make an observation is different than making a judgment. I don't mince words, I refuse to compromise, and I am not one that adheres to the silly notion of political correctness. However, I do understand that when you are in the political arena, messaging is important, and though the opposition tends to dictate the definitions regarding what is acceptable, we must also remember that it is not wise to paint a picture of one's self that can be easily manipulated, and used against you. Disagreement with the liberal left already makes us, in their eyes, "haters," "bigots," and "intolerant." Therefore, off-color humor is probably not the best thing to put out there. However, I refuse to let go of humor so easily, as well. Perception is important, but not to the point of compromising one's beliefs.
Comedy is funny because there is always a piece of ourselves, and a slice of reality, in the jokes. A little truth, extended out to exaggeration, is a common theme used by the greatest comedians, and is a common theme in the funniest of jokes. The "Why Muslims Are Suicide Bombers" bit last night on Political Pistachio, tinkered in that arena. I thought the email had some truth to it, and provided a quick laugh while it was at it. However, because we need to mind our p's and q's, and ensure that we are tasteful, sometimes humor has to be tempered, or the message has to be explained.
There is no doubt that Islam is a radical ideology that ranks right up there with Nazism, and if anything, it is worse than Hitler's Third Reich because it uses religious fervor to agitate the believers, and to make sure they are willing to do anything to defend their system. The jihadists, the Islamists if you must, have then taken those teachings and have put the most violent aspects of the Muslim faith into practice. All Muslims, in my opinion, are capable of Jihad. All Muslims are potential terrorists. And I am saddened by that reality.
My distaste for Political Islam, and the radical jihadists the religion of the false prophet Muhammad has spawned, does not place a veil over another reality that exists. As a Christian I do not hate those that have fallen victim to this sinister ideology. I recognize that in the end, they are simply people without Christ.
Over the years I have befriended a number of former Muslims, who have turned their back on Islam and have embraced Jesus Christ as their Savior. These are good people, and I am sure while they were in the grips of Islam, they were good people. Unfortunately, even good people can be deceived, and in many cases, that is what Islam has done. But how does one reach those that may someday escape the clutches of Islam, while ensuring that Islam does not kill them, or those trying to reach them?
Islam is a religion of fear, as is every tyrannical system in history. And because of the fear embedded into these people, they have become irrelevant, just as the Germans were when the Nazis ran Germany. Many Muslims, even though they may be peaceful, and they question the violence in the teachings of Islam, do not step away because of fear.
In the email in question, a list is presented to reveal why Muslims are unhappy. The list is designed to point out what Muslims do not have, which in turn must be making them unhappy. Many of the items on the list are things here in America we love. The Muslims have No Christmas, no football, no bacon, and so forth. Other items listed are the by-product of their culture, or geographical location in the world, and once again the writer of the piece assumes these things must be making Muslims unhappy. Some of the items listed is rags for clothes, towels for hats, more than one wife (and in turn more than one mother in law), the smells of life in the desert, and the realities of life in the desert. It creates a good chuckle for those of us who live in America, and do not have to burn camel dung in order have a fire, or for those of us that don't have to worry about unsanitary conditions, or the inability to bathe.
In those conditions, I suppose I would be unhappy, as the writer points out.
They are not happy, the writer concludes, in Muslim nations. But, we are happy in Australia, Western Europe, and in the United States. We do not live under the iron fist of Islamic clerics who preach that violence and the shedding of blood is what Muhammad demands. We do not live in unsatisfactory conditions, where even a good meal can be considered a luxury. Again, though the presentation may not be in the most compassionate manner possible, the writer's conclusions are accurate.
Then comes the punchline, and the truth of it all is incredible.
The email asks, "and whom do they blame? Not Islam. Not their leadership. Not themselves. They blame the countries they are happy in! And then, they want to change those countries to be like the country they came from where they were unhappy!"
Which is the final point in all of these issues. If life under Islam in a third world country is an unhappy life, why would Muslims desire to turn the prosperous nations into the same thing? It runs parallel to the illegal immigration issue. Rather than fix their own countries, illegals are coming to America, but many with the attitude of "taking back the American Southwest" and turning it into where they came from. If where they came from was so bad that they couldn't stay, so they came here for a better life, why would they want to tinker with the system that made us prosperous and turn our country into what they left behind?
It makes no sense.
It is funny, but yet it is not. We find humor in the lack of sense, and we seem to find humor in the conditions these people are willing to endure in order to abide by an ideology they have had pounded into their skull since their birth. . . but we fail to understand that there must be a solution.
To a Christian, the solution is Christ, and as I said earlier, Muslims are simply people without Christ. They have fallen for the teachings of a false prophet who was angry, barbaric, violent, and a pedophile. They have failed to recognize the love of God, that Christ, because He so loved even those who have fallen prey to Islam that He was willing to sacrifice Himself on a Cross, dying the death of a criminal, spat upon, and ridiculed. . . all for us, and by us I mean all of humanity.
I am not going to compromise what I think about Islam, and the threat I believe that dangerous ideology poses to Judaism, Christianity, the United States, and the entire world. Their aims are clear, a worldwide caliphate and global domination by Islam. The jihadists are willing to die for their unhappy religion, and it is true that on September 11, 2001, when the twin towers collapsed, even the peaceful Muslims were dancing in the streets. Even a peaceful Muslim denies that Israel should be allowed to exist. Even a peaceful Muslim will agree with me that Islam, and sharia, is incompatible with the United States Constitution. Both cannot exist together.
Sinister. Deceptive. People without Christ, and shielded from the truth.
The joke was funny because of the success of our culture. We have trouble putting ourselves in another's shoes. I am in no way saying that we must capitulate, or compromise, but at the same time let's not forget that though they are fooled people that blindly follow Islam, they are still people, and they are still children of God who deserve a chance to know Christ. We must find a way to reveal that to them.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
No comments:
Post a Comment