This is by far the best explanation of the Muslim terrorist situation I have ever read. His references to past history are accurate and clear. Not long, easy to understand, and well worth the read. The author of this email is said to be Dr. Emanuel Tanay, a well-known and well-respected psychiatrist.
A German's View on Islam
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Lastly, anyone who doubts that the issue is serious and just deletes this email without sending it on, is contributing to the passiveness that allows the problems to expand. So, extend yourself a bit and send this on and on and on! Let us hope that thousands, world-wide, read this and think about it, and send it on - before it's too late.
Only one part about this i agree with, and that is extremists are very dangerous, and in this case Muslim extremists are indeed very dangerous, and shouldn't be taken lightly.
However, there are lots of things that i disagree with:
1) His appeal to supposed similar situations in history, is far from accurate. As all of them without exception are dealing with individual countries that this happened in. As in, situations where a country, where taken over, such the case of Nazis. Whereas Islam is a religion that is spread all over the world, containing an extremely big number of people spread all over these countries, which have different cultural and political conditions. They can not control or hijack the religion followers as they are spread all over the world. Nationality is different than religion. In Germany's case for example, those are people which have in common that they all are germans, they are born or live in germany. When the Nazis took over that country, they took over germans naturally as they control the country. However, in the case of Islam, this is a religion, not a country. You don't take them over or control the followers in the same fashion, and its extremely more difficult if not utterly impossible to do so, because of the point that they are spread all over the world. Also, he claimed that we
are already ruled at this point in history, which is not true in any sense, particularly the ones he's comparing this to.
2) Most people, of any kind are not active, or are moderate somehow. Most people do not influence the world or make a change, so naturally the majority of muslims will be so too.
But, he generalized. Most certainly not all Muslims are silent or not doing anything to fight the terrorists. Also lots of the Muslims who don't do anything to fight this, still openly condemn the actions of those extremists. So, we're not silent, and they are not taking over us in anyway shape or form. They are not hijacking the religion.
3) Yes they are the ones (the extremists) bombing and killing people etc... So what? of course they are. That doesn't mean they have the "lead". The mere fact that they do this, doesn't indicate so, not to mention that this has happened, and still happens with other religions as well. Religions and groups in general naturally contain extreme factors, and bad elements.
4) Naturally also, the actions of these extremists attract much more attention. Which is more national news worthy, a muslim group helping people in various ways, or a couple of suicide bombers hitting some place in the US for example?
5) Afghanistan, a country in which extremism has made it to the power, is experiencing this due to political reasons, not religious ones. So this isn't an indicator that muslims are being "hijacked" or "ruled" by the extremists in general.
6) This part:
We are told again and again by 'experts' and 'talking heads' that Islam is the religion of peace and that the vast majority of Muslims just want to live in peace. Although this unqualified assertion may be true, it is entirely irrelevant. It is meaningless fluff, meant to make us feel better
Has two problems:
a) Him saying that it is an unqualified assertion, and that it may be true, doesn't indicate good intentions on his part, neither does his tone in general.
b) I don't care to make anyone feel better. May be thats why experts say it, but i want to clarify that when muslims defend themselves, at least when i do, its not to make anyone feel better. I'm merely stating the obvious.
7) Finally, the point that DeitySlayer has made. That the actions of extremists very easily and obviously contradicts with the teachings of Islam. At least, if you want to call it their version of Islam, fine. But its not the same version that the majority of Muslims follow.
