Balance and Counterbalance
Irrespective of the state religion, ethnic mix and political
persuasion, the way out for the secular governments of the West, is
to strike a just balance between East and West, as far as religion
is concerned. The West should insist on the Muslim sectarian regimes
to reform their system to secular democracy, or allow the Christian
indigenous to practice their Christian religion freely, as the
Muslims do in Europe.
The intransigent position and blatant attitude of Islam, in
disallowing preaching and practice of other than their Islamic
religion, openly and freely, in their Islamic countries, is
indicative of their defiant stance and adamant persistence against
all other religions. Islam is following the course of open
confrontation against all religions, in the belief that it is the
only one, true and acceptable religion by (Al-Khaliq) the Creator.
Since humanity believes in the existence of one Creator, so should
there be, only one religion. In the opinion of many true believers,
Islam by being a latecomer causes doubt in its genuineness.
Catholicism, also being a latecomer, seems to have a closer
rapprochement with Islam towards a mutual compromise. These two
advocates of peace and philanthropy have caused bewilderment and
untold suffering to humanity. It is like the blind, leading the
blind.
By behaving in this hostile manner, they assert their belief in that
the Muhammadan message extends to all humanity, concluding that
other religions have reached their end, are undesirable and should
be abandoned. Islam looks at all faiths as superseded by its
religion, in an attempt to phasing them out with intent. Both,
Catholicism and Islam claim as being God’s Vicegerent, representing
His Majesty on earth. Not many are convinced of either of the two.
Two thirds of the population describe one as “The Foolish Shepherd”
and the other as self-conceited bigot.
If the Western government system is secular, why do certain European
governments, like in England for example, allow, even encourage, the
religious body of the Muslim Council of Britain to enforce sectarian
laws on community members in defiance of the local judicial system?
Bearing in mind, they are British citizens and the British law has
precedence. Yet, Muslim governments lack reciprocity of freedom of
religion in their States of the Abode of Peace.
Freedom of worship does not mean that when a Muslim leaves his
cocoon, he should disrespect the cultures of other ethnic groups
when it does not suit him. Or for that matter go ahead and apply his
sectarian law on others publicly and forcibly, infringing on the
rights of good law-abiding citizens of other faiths. Islam seems
determined to extend its arm of religious coercion outside its
Islamic Abode of Peace with open defiance, banning the practice of
other religions at home and criticising and threatening them with
reprisals abroad.
One of the main objectives of the government of Iraq is to arabise
and islamise the indigenous Assyrians. Its aim is to rid Iraq of the
“Assyrian problem” and omit their name from the ever-forthcoming
permanent constitution of Iraq. The regime’s feverish attempt is to
arabise the Assyrians before its barbaric rule ends to gain credence
among its radical members. There is no distinction between the
current Islamic rulers in the Abode of Peace and those in opposition
to them in exile, abroad, about their hidden agenda of total
Islamisation of their States. All comers to power, in Iraq, hold on
to the same policy. In as recently as September 2001, the Iraqi
central government issued Decree #199, encouraging non-Arab
nationals to change their identity to Arab nationality.
Islam believes in its hidden agenda of the Abode of War and the
Abode of Peace. It advocates it and practices it covertly among its
fanatical adherents. Their Mulla elders teach it and preach it to
their members in Mosques, and other places of worship. Islam does
not teach or preach its religion direct, in person, in the open in
public, to non-Muslims. Through its secret network, scattered,
throughout the world, it spreads its (Da’awa) mission, very
vigorously. Its main base is firmly established, though covertly, in
Saudi Arabia, of the Ultra-Wahabite cult. Progressively, other
mobile offshoot bases develop and establish themselves in support of
the main base, in both, the Abode of Peace and Abode of War,
clandestinely. Yet, their Agenda is one and the same, regardless of
their locale.
With its firmly established mobile sleeping cells and mobile bases,
in an Islamic country, such as Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Sudan, and
Afghanistan, adherents of the faith continue with their operations
and acts of terrorism. They use their host countries as launch pads.
Several Islamic Governments are aware of this fact. Yet, they feign
ignorance. They justify their existence by describing such bases as
legitimate, such as HAMAS, Hezbullah, Ikhawan Al-Muslimeen and Al-Qa’eda
of the former barbaric Afghan Government of the early nineties.
Adherents of Islam believe that by practising their religion and
applying it literally to non-Muslim is a religious duty. Its
implementation becomes mandatory according to the Islamic Shari’ah
Law.
Moslems practice their faith publicly as commonplace, by observing
their dress code, fasting month of Ramadhan, Feast and time of
prayer, considering religion as part of their inherent culture. The
prayer calls amplified through their mosque and sermon broadcast on
the Radio are specifically meant to adherents of the faith. Islam
does not teach or preach its religion publicly or outside the mosque
to non-Muslims. Neither do they engage in a religious debate
publicly. It confines preaching and teaching of the propagation of
the Islamic Mission (Al-Da’awa) in Islamic (Madrasa) schools,
Mosques and other Islamic designated venues. Such an environment
gives clerics the freedom to teach and preach the faith with courage
and vigour against other religions without restriction. Adherents of
the faith become so impressed and taken by their elders’ preaching
that they become strong converts of deep conviction and unshakable
faith, ready to give their life, in martyrdom of the Islamic Mission
(Da’awah), through open Jihad.
Islamic governments allege that they are against such killings of
the non-Muslims by the mujahideen. They describe such crimes as
isolated incidents, expressing lukewarm regret. They promise to
pursue the matter and bring the perpetrators to justice. Yet, they
hardly condemn them as cruel and barbarous. Government officials and
clergy discuss the issue amongst themselves to reach a decision.
After a lengthy deliberation, the majority agrees on “the saying: WA-MA
FI- LYADD HEELAH - It is out of their hand. They are unable, or do
not know how, to find a solution, to solve the problem. They just do
not know how to tackle the problem, or set about dealing it.
Actually, they did know how to resolve it, yet, they declined. Not
following their conscience, none of them dared speak out for fear of
being accused against the practice of Jihad – an important factor in
advancing the concept of (Al-Da’awah) propagation of Islam. To stop
such terrorist acts, in the name of Allah, the clerics need to
revise their precept of killing non-Muslims haphazardly.
Alternatively, not killing a non-Muslim infidel, by a Mujahid when
he should, is contrary to the Islamic Shari’ah Law – an unpardonable
blasphemous act. Being active members of Allah’s Messenger of AL-DA’AWA,
perhaps the mujahideen have been issued with Carte Blanche to
absolve them from the guilt of homicidal murder. Who is controlling
the Legislative Council and running the judicial system of the
Islamic government, the Magistrate or the Mullah?
Islamic governments never bring up the subject of extortion. They
consider it as Jizya. Jews and Christians, in Islamic countries, are
classified as (Ahl Al-Thimma – under the sacrosanct Islamic
Thimmitude Law. [Protection of Christians and Jews, from Islamic
persecution, against payment of an annual fee called Jizya, that is,
poll tax, and liable to punishment on default].
Although this Thimma pledge has since long been suspended,
mujahideen use their extortion as a means to supplant their finances
in support of Jihad struggle, as a substitute for Jizya. To be able
to continue with their Jihad, their religious leaders issue fatwas
in support of their practice, considering such exaction as (Halal)
lawful.
Considering it lawful (Halal), the mujahideen continue implementing
it heedlessly as a normal practice. Their justification is that
their government is Islamic. The Government constitution is mainly
established on the principles of the religion of Islam – its Koran
and Hadeeth. (Al-Jihad Wa Al-Ijtihad Fe Sabeel Llah) The struggle
for the sake of Allah and with diligence. Being part of the Islamic
system of the Shari’ah Law, Islamic governments remain mute and
ambivalent, unable to contradict or challenge them. Extortion and
deliberate killing seems to have become part of their governing
system.
The permanent constitution of Iraq was abolished in the aftermath of
the July 1958 Revolution. The Arab Ba’ath, as a one-party state,
under the Arab Revolutionary Command Council has since ruled by an
interim one. All political parties, except that of the Ba’ath, are
proscribed. The Ba’ath motto calls for pan-Arabism of (Umma Arabia
Wahida Thatu Resalaten Khalida) “One united Arab nation, of the
eternal message” of Islam, implying that other political parties and
religions would be negated. Four decades on, and Iraq is yet to
replace its temporary constitution with a permanent one.
Iraq is described by its media as the throbbing heart of
Pan-Arabism, the heartbeat of Arab nationalism. With such an
attitude, secularisation and democratisation will remain absent from
Islamic governments no matter how many leaders are replaced.
Instead, it is the constitution that needs to be changed, together
with their rulers - the so-called revolutionary leaders.
The Assyrians have suffered terribly at the hands of the past and
present Islamic regimes, breaking every civil code and denying the
Assyrians their human rights to exist as a people. They have denied
them equal employment opportunity and freedom of expression by
suppression and by closing their schools and all their cultural
centres (Pryce-Jones, 1989: p18). The Assyrians have at times been
harassed, beaten, imprisoned, squeezed out of their wealth and
driven to near starvation. With little prospect of improving their
lot and of survival under such harsh treatment, the Assyrians’ only
hope is to resist, fight and die on their soil, or escape the bleak
future and immigrate to a Western country. During the Iraq-Iran war
of the 80s, over forty thousand Assyrians were killed, wounded or
lost in action. Thousands more perished during the Iraqi invasion of
Kuwait in 1991. This number of casualty for such a small nation is
high indeed (Nisan, 1991: p 166).
The native inhabitants, whose traditional land has been taken away
from them, by Dar Al-Silm States of Islam, are subjected to
continuous oppression and humiliation. They live in total anxiety.
They are in constant fear of losing their jobs, their properties and
their lives. They live in discomfort, seeing their culture and
identity being gradually eroded by the domineering rulers. Such
repressive measures and inhumane actions have wreaked havoc with the
Assyrian way of life and have led to the dislodgement and
disintegration of the Assyrian family. Thousands have already lost
their jobs and their properties; loved ones are parted from each
other and live in destitution. And thousands more are stranded all
around their neighbouring countries, in more than 20 other countries
throughout the world, extending from Iran to Thailand; from Turkey
to the Balkans; from Syria to Armenia and Russia, and from Cyprus
and Lebanon to Greece and many other European countries. In Jordan
alone, there are over 30 to 40 thousand Assyrians. They have
gathered there, seeking a way out of their affliction. Many have
been trapped in world bureaucratic entanglements, uncertain of their
future. Many have lost nearly everything and live miserably. Many
depend on donations from their overseas relatives and friends. They
are stuck there, awaiting the result of their applications for an
entry visa to a western country.
Over eighty years on, and the international community has yet to
find a solution to the Assyrian problem. Or, is the international
community watering the issue down, hoping that it will melt down and
in time sort itself out, and go away? Perhaps they are too busy in
draining the Middle East oil to have time to reflect on the inhumane
treatment of the Assyrians and other native inhabitants of the
Middle East.
Although giving alms is one of the five (5) pillars of Islam,
according to their teachings, its religion does not extend charity
to non-Muslims; it is unlawful. Preference is given to Muslims. It
is the Islamic (shari’ah) law. Yet, it donates millions of U.S.
dollars to Western educational institutions in order to gain praise
and win their future academic support. One does not hear of an
Islamic charity organization that includes non-Muslims as
recipients. The Assyrians are not asking for charity. The Assyrians
demand restoration of their legitimate rights as human beings (Kharroufah,
1991: pp 26, 27).
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