Views

Welcome to our audio and video theater portion of the Age of Jahiliyah. Here you will find an assortment of topics and issues to watch and view.

 

TerrorStorm (Alex Jones)

Alex Jones at American Scholars Symposium

911 Loose Change

Turning Muslim in Texas


8 Comments

  • Dan Welch
    February 24, 2007 at 10:49 pm

    Thought you might like this one. Danny
    ******************
    No One Here Gets Out Alive:
    Americans’ refusal to look in the mirror presages our own demise

    Synopsis: US writer Daniel Patrick Welch argues that it is not just
    the neocon crazies in Washington, but ingrained aspects of US culture
    and politcs, most of all Americans’ unshakable belief in our own
    nobility, that drives us toward the newest chapter in global war.

    by Daniel Patrick Welch
    http://danielpwelch.com - translators please visit website to
    volunteer

    I often have the dubious pleasure of listening to smug liberals
    whining about their “discomfort” with what they refer to as “Arab
    culture.” There is an amazing phenomenon among Americans, so
    convinced of our own superiority, that we can be simultaneously
    ignorant about the world we dominate and yet utterly uninterested in
    our own history, culture, and society. The shit is about to hit the
    fan, folks–no more free passes for liberals and so-
    called “progressives” who prefer either to criticize foreign cultures
    or confine their domestic ire to the cabal in the White House.

    Notwithstanding the innumerable war crimes committed by the neocon
    thugs, their little enterprise would have come to nothing without the
    full complicity, not to mention head start, of their “friends across
    the aisle,” the other half of the American War Party. Nor would this
    glorious and historic moment in US history have been possible without
    decades of training, of culling the working class into
    the “volunteer” armed forces, militarizing every nook and cranny of
    society from children’s fashion and toys to the Pentagon-enhanced
    budgets of all our major universities. Stroll through the “boys”
    aisle of any local toy store, strewn with plastic tanks and bombers,
    complete with removable missiles. Pick up a pink camouflage shirt,
    headband, bookbag, or any of the other items that serve to instill in
    our children the notion that our ubiquitous warriors are cool and
    fashionable. We are a culture on the warpath, though culture is a
    term to be used loosely.

    Long despised around the globe for our lack of culture, it is perhaps
    unremarkable that we facilitated the looting of some of the most
    ancient cultural treasures in human civilization in Iraq, or aided
    and abetted the disintegration by air war of another ancient
    Mediterranean culture in Lebanon. Through it all, liberals will tsk
    and cluck about how Arabs treat their women, prevented, perhaps, by
    their “discomfort” from stopping the impending holocaust against
    Iran. Dithering seems to be a favorite distraction for the US middle
    class (don’t say bourgeoisie or you’re a communist), who hold the
    wealth and power necessary to force change in US policy. “Usted no es
    nada”, Victor Jara once chided the Chilean middle class. “No es
    chicha ni limonada.” At the cusp of history, they could have acted to
    prevent Pinochet’s murderous reign. But they were too comfortable,
    too scared, too dithering.

    The Arabs about whom we are talking are actually Persian, but such
    distinctions mean little when they are about other people. How many
    Muslim women have been murdered by US and Israeli bombs and bullets?
    How many women and their children starved and kept in murderous
    poverty by US-backed policies at the World Bank and the IMF? No
    matter: Americans are as blind to these numbers as we are to the
    dearth and death of culture all around us. Our national gluttony is
    ruinous to our own lives, to our natural resources, and even to the
    planet itself. We condone and try to thrive in a culture that has
    raised blaming the victim to a sophisticated social science, from
    those who managed to escape our founding genocide to the vestiges of
    our imported slave population. US treatment of immigrants, of
    workers, of minorities, of children, is by regular measure among the
    worst in the “civilized” world we like to crow about representing.

    And when the uranium dust from bombs over Iran wafts across south
    Asia, will liberals bemoan the preventable deaths of Muslim women,
    Hindu women, and their children, whose air, water and bodies will be
    poisoned for a century? This war is already started: any idiot can
    see it in the press frenzy now being forced down American throats.
    But we are experts in looking for blame elsewhere.
    Congressional “leaders’ pontificate about Iraq, four years behind the
    curve: the war on Iran started when staged footage of Saddam’s
    falling statue capped the war porn coverage of Iraq’s “liberation” by
    an embedded press.

    In fact, war porn is about all that is on the menu in a culture where
    news outlets paste in identical photos of “suspected nuclear
    facilities” in Iran and North Korea. What difference does it make,
    when what passes for journalism is almost exclusively filler to take
    up the space between the ads.

    And war pimps from both “sides of the aisle” are happy to oblige,
    mouthing empty rhetoric that matches the press in its fury to say
    nothing quickly. When the ruling party can’t manage to get a debate
    on a nonbinding resolution, it’s because they aren’t trying–and
    worse, they don’t want to. But try they had better: the BBC recently
    ran a story predicting that members of the US Congress, should the
    Americans actually go ahead and attack Iran, would be subject to
    arrest and detention should they venture into Western European
    capitals.

    Even Phony Tony Blair is announcing plans for a withdrawal from Iraq.
    Could it be that the Brits are eager to avoid being caught up in the
    coming slaughter? There will be no escape from this Armageddon:
    Democrats are already up to their elbows in blood. And nobody gets a
    pass this time. Americans will have to give up the fantasy of
    ourselves as a noble nation, the ones wearing the white hats. But it
    is precisely this myth that keeps the bubble intact: if we were to
    face Pogo’s enemy in the mirror, the whole enterprise would burst.
    Without a crusade and a self-important destiny, our quest for world
    domination would seem more on a par with Genghis Khan than we would
    like.

    Binyamin Netanyahoo, speaking of war pimps, and other wackos scream
    the truly perverse mantra that it is 1938, and Iran is the Third
    Reich, a historical lie that even Condi couldn’t swallow. This should
    be a sign of how crazy the analogy is, not any measure of clarity on
    Rice’s part. But the loyal opposition still clings to the white hat
    theory so strongly that it pulls the hat clear down over our eyes.
    Only by removing the hat can we begin to see that the analogy is not
    only wrong but backwards: it is we (through our Israeli “allies” ;) who
    destroyed Lebanon while the world sat by and did next to nothing. The
    world watches the plight of the Palestinian people, being slowly
    wiped off the map; watches us destroy Iraq; and now, destroy Iran?
    Look in Pogo’s mirror and say which culture makes you “uncomfortable.”

    © 2007 Daniel Patrick Welch. Reprint permission granted with credit
    and link to http://danielpwelch.com. Writer, singer, linguist and
    activist Daniel Patrick Welch lives and writes in Salem,
    Massachusetts, with his wife, Julia Nambalirwa-Lugudde. Together they
    run The Greenhouse School http://www.greenhouseschool.org.
    Translations of articles are available in over two dozen languages.
    Links to the website are appreciated at http://danielpwelch.com.

  • mshahin
    March 1, 2007 at 3:27 pm

    Hi Dan,

    Thanks for showing us this article. I agree with everything you said. I will try in the future to make it a feature on our blog. I haven’t updated it in a while, but I should be updating it soon. Thanks for visiting our blog.

  • Ken Berg
    April 9, 2007 at 11:54 am

    I like your website - it is very interesting. As a Roman Catholic, I want to let you know that after pope Benedict’s visit to Turkey last year, it became clear to most rank and file Catholics that we need to be more open minded about, and more considerate and respectful of traditional Muslims. For my part, by traditional Mulsims, I mean reasonable; quite separate from radical or fundamentalist Muslims.

    During his trip, of course Pope Benedict made it very clear we Roman Catholics need to find a way to reunite with Greek Catholics, and he also made a point of showing all Catholics how important it is to be welcoming and respectful of traditional Muslim people of faith. Regarding the pope’s theme on the balance between faith and reason, while of course the American media put great focus on, and emphasized his inference that radical Muslims should use more reason, they Totally ignored his equally (perhaps more) important point that the West is far too materialistic & secular, and is in dire need of more faith. I guess this is typical, since our western media is mostly quite secularist, and generally anti-Catholic.

    While of course we do not agree on everything theologically, from a social and cultural standpoint, we Catholics do have much in common with reasonable Muslims. We both believe in one almighty God. Culturally, we both abhor abortion and euthanasia, we both love and cherish our families, we both value modesty in manner and dress, and neither of us likes to have our women or children scandalized by debauchery, decadence, or low morals. I am 42 years old, but I remember when I was a child in South Dakota, mass was in Latin & Greek and all the women wore a lace veil, a simple cloth scarf, or a nice hat on their heads whenever they went inside the church building. Nowadays however, while a few Catholic women still observe this custom when going to mass, the majority do not observe it at all.

    My point is that it is important for the average Muslim to understand that slowly, little by little, Roman Catholics are waking up to what pope Benedict said, and that while we cannot of course abide radical fundamentalism (we Catholics do not agree with Christian fundamentalism either), we are coming to understand that Roman Catholics will not be the enemy of traditional Muslims.

    In order to help reasonable, peace-loving Muslims stand up to radicals and beside us in this conflict, we need to give them reason to believe we are not the Godless hedonists that radical Muslims say we are.

    Now, I voted for Bush both times, and while I think he is an honest man and do not regret voting for him, I think he is wrong about this war. I wish he had heeded the pope’s advice before taking us into Iraq but in any case, once he decided to go to war, I think he was wrong in how he chose to go about it. We Americans will not go for a hundred-years war; this has in my opinion dragged out long enough.

    I prefer Pope Benedict’s approach of trying to engage reasonable Muslims and if possible, find some way to steer clear of violence. I think we need to be very firm and probably need to use a lot of violence against militant radical Muslim terrorists, but I do not think the whole of Iraq or the rest of the Muslim world is composed of such radicals.

    Ultimately we need regular, garden variety, “reasonable” Muslims, both those at home and abroad, on our side. However as long as even traditional (i.e. reasonable) Muslims think we are a godless people with a vulgar, repugnant society who truly want to undermine their culture and values, and disgrace their women children with our decadent ways, it is doubtful many of them will come to our defense and risk getting on board with our plans to help build a democratic society in Iraq.

    I mean; we can build as many schools and hospitals as we like, and we can even get the water & electric running, but as long as regular (i.e. traditional, but non-radical) Muslims honestly believe we are part of a Godless society that they both fear and loathe, we will not win.

    I have read where even radical Muslims are not so much against democracy (witness the elections in Palestine, where the radical Hamas group actually won the election), as they are appalled at what we Amercians have decided to do with our freedoms. Don’t misunderstand me; bin Laden is not a democrat. However it seems that, the way they see it, rather than use our freedoms to advance things civilized, Godly, and gentle, the image we put out to the world is that we have chosen the way of abortion, gay marriage, free love, drugs, and a host of other decadent things that have lead to a society plagued with violence, mental and physical illness, a high divorce rate, a real drug problem, troubled, scandalized, or very cynical children, and the like.

    While of course we need to fight radical Muslims terrorists (and we need to be serious about them, by the way), we also should take a look at ourselves. Slowly, Roman Catholics will begin to engage traditional Muslims, but as a society in general, at the very least we American should examine the image we put out to the rest of the world.

  • mshahin
    April 12, 2007 at 11:56 am

    Hi Ken,

    Thanks so much for your comment. I agree with a lot of what you said. We have a lot in common as you mentioned, and all religious faiths and their adherents should bond together over the similarities and not separate over differences.

    People are waking up to the fact that we are living in a Godless society that is filled with emptiness, and they are looking for spiritual answers. If we fight among ourselves and see other religions different from ours as an enemy, it does not help us and those who are searching for answers.

    Bringing back God into people’s lives is important, but more often we scare people away because we show lots of hostility towards those of other faiths, and seem to support hatred against others.

    In all faiths, you will find extreme people whose goal is to manipulate and twist the message of a religion into their own agenda. It is very sad to see people hijacking a faith and supporting murder and cruelty in its name.

    Most Muslims (and there are over a billion Muslims in the world) are moderate and reasonable Muslims, who also live in the West and are law abiding citizens. They work, take care of families, and want peace in the world. Of course Muslims do not agree with the morals of Western society which has gone down the drain, but at the same time they don’t hate the people but the actions. They would like to see more morality in society.

    As I’m sure you can tell from our blog, we do not support bush, and I do not believe that he is a good Christian. Iraq had nothing to do with terrorism, and no weapons of mass destruction was ever found there.

    Many of the hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, and there were no Iraqi’s so why did bush go after Iraq? bush has killed many innocent people and for what reason? A lot of the answer has to do with oil. I want to see him impeached as soon as possible, and the sooner we get another leader I think the better our nation will be.

    I agree that we have to fight terrorism, because it affects everyone (and Muslims need to make loud and clear that murder and terrorism has no place in Islam, and many Muslims are saying that but the media doesn’t really show us that because they like to make Muslims into monsters) but I think we need to make sure we punish all those who commit terrorist acts, and not just some, especially not just those living in the Middle East and sitting on enormous oil fields.

    What bush did in Iraq is a terrorist act to many and he should be punished accordingly. What is being done in Guantanamo Bay, to many people who are completely innocent is a terrorist act that should be punished.

    Individuals who call themselves Muslims are not the only ones committing terrorist acts but leaders in our own nation are too. The fight against terrorism needs to be wide and broad. If we only punish some and not others, terrorism will continue.

    Although the world looks in a dire situation, believers should always continue to pray. I pray that the world returns to peace again and that people of different faiths can respect each other, and help each other. The world is not getting a better place, and hatred and hostility is not working. It’s time to forgive and overcome differences because that is our only answer.

    Thanks again for stopping by our blog and reading.

    Peace and may God bless you.

    M.

  • Katelyn
    September 16, 2007 at 8:08 pm

    I am doing a project on the hijab and i came across your site on http://www.hijab.com. I need to know if you are a ligitimate site with completely correct information? PLease get back to me as soon as possible! Thank you!

  • mshahin
    September 16, 2007 at 9:32 pm

    Hi Katelyn,

    We are a legitimate site dedicated to Islam and Muslims. Three Muslim women run this blog, and we all wear hijabs, and provide correct information as far as we know it and practice Islam ourselves.

    We wish you the best on your hijab project. If you have any questions regarding the topic, please let us know. If we don’t have the answers to your questions will try to find the information for you and provide the source.

    Peace.

  • Ken Berg
    January 24, 2008 at 2:27 pm

    I found this and thought it appropriate to show how the Vatican has for some time (that date of this speech was 1980) that Catholics understand we will not be enemies of trditional Muslims. Pope Benedict has reiterated this idea recently.
    ————————————–
    MEETING OF JOHN PAUL II
    WITH THE MUSLIM LEADERS
    Nairobi (Kenya), 7 May 1980

    “Dear Friends,

    1. During my visit to Kenya I am very pleased to be able to greet a group of Muslim leaders. Your coming here today is deeply appreciated as an expression of your fraternal courtesy and respect.

    Be assured that I reciprocate these sentiments in your regard and towards all the Muslim people of this land.

    2. On other occasions I have spoken of the religious patrimony of Islam and of its spiritual values. The Catholic Church realizes that the element of worship given to the one, living, subsistent, merciful and almighty Creator of heaven and earth is common to Islam and herself, and that it is a great link uniting all Christians and Muslims. With great satisfaction she also notes, among other elements of Islam which are held in common, the honour attributed to Jesus Christ and his Virgin Mother. As the Catholic Church makes every effort to sustain religious dialogue with Islam on the basis of existing bonds, which she endeavours ever more to reflect on, she likewise extends the invitation that her own heritage be fully known, especially to those who are spiritually attached to Abraham, and who profess monotheism.

    3. On my part I wish therefore to do everything possible to help develop the spiritual bonds between Christians and Muslims.

    Prayer, almsgiving and fasting are highly valued in both of our respective traditions and are beyond doubt a splendid witness to a world that runs the risk of being absorbed by materialism. Our relationship of reciprocal esteem and the mutual desire for authentic service to humanity urge us on to joint commitments in promoting peace, social justice, moral values and all the true freedoms of man.

    4. It is in this perspective that our meeting today offers us much hope. May it prove beneficial to humanity and give glory to God, who made us in his image and likeness, and who has revealed himself to us.

    With renewed sentiments of brotherhood I would ask you to carry my greetings to all the communities from which you come. Thank you again.”

  • Ken Berg
    January 24, 2008 at 2:28 pm

    And likewise, I thhought this appropriate:

    ADDRESS OF POPE JOHN PAUL II
    TO THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE COLLOQUIUM
    ON «HOLINESS IN CHRISTIANITY AND ISLAM»

    Thursday, 9 May 1985

    “Dear Friends,

    It is a special joy for me to be able to welcome you, our guests who follow the faith of Islam, to Rome for the colloquium on “Holiness in Christianity and Islam”. My fraternal greetings go as well to those Christians who have been taking part in the colloquium. As I have often said in other meetings with Muslims, your God and ours is one and the same, and we are brothers and sisters in the faith of Abraham. Thus it is natural that we have much to discuss concerning true holiness in obedience and worship to God.

    All true holiness comes from God, who is called “The Holy One” in the Sacred Books of the Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Your Holy Qur’an calls God “Al-Quddus”, as in the verse: “He is God, besides Whom there is no other, the Sovereign, the Holy the (source of) Peace” (Al-Qur’an 59, 23). The prophet Hosea links God’s holiness with his forgiving love for mankind, a love which surpasses our ability to comprehend: “I am God, not man; I am the Holy One in your midst and have no wish to destroy” (Os. 11, 9). In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches his disciples that holiness consists in assuming, in our human way, the qualities of God’s own holiness which he has revealed to mankind: “Be holy, even as your heavenly Father is holy” (Matth. 5, 48).

    Thus, the Qur’an calls you to uprightness (al-salah), to conscientious devotion (al-taqwa), to goodness (al-husn), and to virtue (al-birr), which is described as believing in God, giving one’s wealth to the needy, freeing captives, being constant in prayer, keeping one’s word, and being patient in times of suffering, hardship and violence (Qur’an 2, 177). Similarly, Saint Paul stresses the love we must show towards all, and the duty to lead a blameless life in the sight of God: “May the Lord be generous in increasing your love and make you love one another and the whole human race as much as we love you. And may he so confirm your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless in the sight of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus Christ comes with all his saints” (1 Thess. 3, 12-13). In today’s world, it is more important than ever that men and women of faith, assisted by God’s grace, should strive for true holiness. Self-centred tendencies, such as greed, the lust for power and prestige, competition, revenge, the lack of forgiveness, and the quest for earthly pleasures - all these threaten to turn mankind from the path to goodness and holiness which God has intended for all of us. The countless numbers of good people around the world - Christians, Muslims, and others - who quietly lead lives of authentic obedience, praise, and thanksgiving to God and selfless service of their neighbour, offer humanity a genuine alternative, “God’s way”, to a world which otherwise would be destroyed in selfseeking, hatred, and struggle.

    May the God of holiness bless your efforts throughout these days!”

    Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana

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