The recent terrorist attack in Paris by extremist Islamist Jihadis poses a double whammy for free thinking people. On the one hand, these Jihadis totally disagree with laws to combat this threat. Where does this leave us? It is becoming increasingly likely that most of our cherished freedoms will cease to exist (that is if you ever believed in “freedoms” in the first place). Throughout the history of mankind, freedom has always been a handmaiden of power.
The really sad thing, apart from the loss of innocent lives, about these terrorist attacks is that they give the looney right a political leg up in their quest to promote a totally miserable and inequitable world. Lying idiots like Tony Abbott and Campbell Newman (I haven’t even called into question their honesty or political integrity) make headway under these conditions by distracting the populace from the major issues closer to home.
I must apologize for the miserable image of Mohammed at the top of this post. It was the most reasonable one I could find. Having never personally met the man I have no idea what he looked like. However, if he and his religion are worth anything whatsoever (which I doubt), he would be rolling over in his grave at what the extremist Islamist Jihadis are doing in his name. If the Jihadis are offended by my post, bring it on! They simply cannot kill all of us.
To me, the ignorance and stupidity behind this extremism have its roots in the Old Testament of the Christian bible, the Koran (obviously) and the Talmud and Torah of the Jews. Sure we all need to believe in something beyond ourselves, presumably. Nonetheless, we could choose to believe in positive things. The tenets of Buddhism and also Hinduism do not preach violence at all. Buddhism particularly reveres all life. Acts of violence committed by Buddhists and Hindus are not committed in the name of their religion. They are committed by their followers in the name of all too human concerns and exhibit a lack of spiritual understanding of those religions or else are simply a result of human weakness.
Most Muslims despise terrorism of any sort but it does seem odd that so many followers can interpret their beliefs by supporting savage violence. I am not forgetting about the killings done in the name of various sections of the Christian religion in previous centuries. All I am asking is, “What is it about Islam that seems to be malleable enough to lend some support to obviously deranged and hideous views.
The Jihadis seem to have a great appreciation of death. That in itself isn’t necessarily a bad thing since we all die. Nonetheless, a true appreciation of death and life allows life to take its natural course without wanton violence and killing.
There are of course political and economic causes also behind the upsurge of extremist Islamic Jihadi behavior. The Arab spring has gone wrong, the misery of the poor in the Islamic world (and the rest of the world) and the greed of the wealthy powerbrokers in much of the west have further fuelled it.
It seems whatever we do, we are condemned to lose. It is likely that Islamic extremism will be defeated but at what cost? 1984 is coming to a country and neighborhood near you!
Creativity And Power 