Thursday, December 23, 2004

Recognize The True Enemy

I ran across this post today at Framptonia, it's a team blog run by my buddy Nathan. Today's post was a well-written defense of the ACLU by Sarafenix. Now as most know, I am no friend of the ACLU and while I don't wish to debate the merits of that organization yet again, my opinion is well documented. (Here, Here, and Here.) Below is the snippet that I take offense with, but don’t believe me, go read the full post here.

“The ACLU would stand for these same "Christians" if their belief system was going to be limited if the religious majority in this country were Islamic. The ACLU would and will stand for all who find themselves oppressed from having what I see to be the greatest freedom...and that is the freedom to express one's self without fear of reprisal...the thing that this blog forum allows for us now, the freedom of speech.”

Again a well-written post by Sarafenix, and while I have a different opinion about the usefulness of the ACLU, I can point out one thing you are dead wrong about.

If this was a country with an Islamic majority, there is no way in hell they would allow an organization such as the ACLU to exist. It would be disbanded, its members watched by agents of the Religious establishment and most likely killed or tortured, kind of like what happens to Christians in Muslim countries all over the world.

While most followers of the Islamic faith are peace loving individuals, most of their governments and Oman’s think differently. Please don't think for a minute that a group such as the ACLU could protect or fight for you under such conditions. Here's are some links to examples of Muslim vs. Christian violence as well as Muslim vs. other religions.

http://www.asininity.com/comments/P1058_0_1_0/

http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/islam/blis_extrem_clash.htm

http://www.religioustolerance.org/news_00jan.htm

http://www.barnabasfund.org/News/Archive/Iraq/Iraq-20041103.htm

Allow me to close with a prayer for my Muslim friends and offer my wishes for peace in the coming New Year.

Allahumma ya mowlana antas-salaam, wa minkas-salaam, wa ilaika yarjaus-salaam, haiyyina rabbana bis-salaam, wa adkhilna daras-salaam, tabarakta rabbana wa-ta'laita, ya zal jalali wal ikram (English Translation below)

O God! O our Master! You are eternal life and everlasting peace by Your essence and attributes. The everlasting peace is from You and it returns to You. O our Sustainer! Grant us the life of true peace and usher us into the abode of peace. O Glorious and Bounteous One! You are blessed and sublime.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night. Later…………..

4 comments:

The Mad Tech said...

Bloke you are so right and yet I thought I had been specific enough. I do not criticize anyone lightly and spoke to a close friend of mine from Egypt about this very subject at great length today.

I don't usually share my posts with anyone other then Mrs. Tech (for proofreading) before then are posted but had him read it since he is very active in our local Muslim community.

I did fear the broad stoke backlash but he thought I had been clear. I hope that he will guest post here soon, but back to you comment. I accept your criticism and take it to heart. I think it is important that people realize who is really fighting this war and that really is the purpose of this post as well as the others I have published on terrorism.

Thank you for your comment and Merry Christmas.

The Mad Tech

Princess Wild Cow said...

So, if I exchanged Hindu or Buddhist for Islamic nation would that make it any more understandable for you. I, too, have many Muslim friends and find that the Islamic faith can be just as tolerant as many others. It is the extremists in the areas of religion and politics that I find to be the most intolerant. I agree that the ACLU could probably not exist in many other totalitarian countries, but, that only shows me the need for it. Thanks for the feedback.

Internet Lawyer Sam Redlich, Esq. said...

At first I wondered whether you called yourself the "Mad" techie because of anger or lack of rational faculty. I have become an adherent to the latter belief.
First, A.C.L.U good or A.C.L.U bad may be a legitimate debate, one that I will stay out of at this time. Muslim v. Christian religions as the fulcrum from which you analyze how the A.C.L.U would be allowed to exist under hypothetical circumstances rests on largely fallacious grounds.You write"If this was a country with an Islamic majority, there is no way in hell they would allow an organization such as the ACLU to exist." Well, this may be a debateable argument if we were developing the A.C.L.U today and the Muslim majority was here for reasons different than the early Christians who came here and developed the political culture that has allowed the A.C.L.U and other associations to develop. But you commit the Fallacy of Switiching the Premise.Had the settlers in Plymouth been Muslims who also were escaping 1) Persecution as a minority 2) the lack of a right ot dissent on religious grounds 3) The untenable State Church organism that stipulated that yu could only find god through them and not personally, then they may have come to a similar conclusion as the early christians. Without the groundwork and context of what it was that allowed organizations like the A.C.L.U. to come into being, it is downright silly to hypothesize what a Muslim majority would want or do. Your line of reasoning is a straight line to "My religion v. Your religion".We all know where that leads. The bottom line is that your thoughts are non-constructive. You should pick up a copy of the Federalist Papers and think about what is called the "Right of Association". Some light may seep inside your noggin.

P.S.: Have a Merry Christmas!

Internet Lawyer Sam Redlich, Esq. said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.