Commonalities
in Islamic People

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his is a little piece that my nephew emailed me. I don't know the author but apparently he wanted to have it sent around as much as possible. I shall add my two cents (of course) on the other end.

"Please pause a moment and reflect back, by taking the following Multiple Choice test:

1. In 1972 at the Munich Olympics, athletes were kidnapped and massacred by:

  • a. Olga Corbitt
  • b. Sitting Bull
  • c. Arnold Schwartzeneger
  • d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
2. In 1979, the U.S. embassy in Iran was taken over by:
  • a. Lost Norwegians
  • b. Elvis
  • c. A tour bus full of 80-year-old women
  • d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
3. During the 1980's a number of Americans were kidnapped in Lebanon by:
  • a. John Dillinger
  • b. The King of Sweden
  • c. The Boy Scouts
  • d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
4. In 1983, the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut was blown up by:
  • a. A pizza delivery boy
  • b. Pee Wee Herman
  • c. Geraldo Rivera
  • d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
5. In 1985 the cruise ship Achille Lauro was hijacked and a 70 year old American passenger was murdered and thrown overboard by:
  • a. The Smurfs
  • b. Davy Jones
  • c. The Little Mermaid
  • d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
6. In 1985 TWA flight 847 was hijacked at Athens, and a U.S. Navy diver was murdered by:
  • a. Captain Kid
  • b. Charles Lindberg
  • c. Mother Teresa
  • d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
7. In 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 was bombed by:
  • a. Scooby Doo
  • b. The Tooth Fairy
  • c. Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid
  • d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
8. In 1993 the World Trade Center was bombed the first time by:
  • a. Richard Simmons
  • b. Grandma Moses
  • c. Michael Jordan
  • d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
9. In 1998, the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed by:
  • a. Mr. Rogers
  • b. Hillary, to distract attention from Wild Bill' s women problems
  • c. The World Wrestling Federation
  • d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
10. On 9/11/01, four airliners were hijacked and destroyed and thousands of people were killed by:
  • a. Bugs Bunny, Wiley E. Coyote, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd
  • b. The Supreme Court of Florida
  • c. Mr. Bean
  • d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
11. In 2002 the United States fought a war in Afghanistan against:
  • a. Enron
  • b. The Lutheran Church
  • c. The NFL
  • d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
12. In 2002 reporter Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and murdered by:
  • a. Bonny and Clyde
  • b. Captain Kangaroo
  • c. Billy Graham
  • d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
Nope, no patterns anywhere to justify profiling!

So, to ensure we Americans never offend anyone, particularly fanatics intent on killing us, airport security screeners will no longer be allowed to profile certain people. They must conduct random searches of 80-year-old women, little kids, airline pilots with proper identification, Secret Service agents who are members of the President's security detail, 85-year old Congressmen with metal hips, and Medal of Honor winning former Governors."

I would add this.

Concerning American Muslims ...

There is much being said about the immorality and illegality of singling out the Muslim segment of the population for scrupulous attention after the WTC attack. Arabs citizens feel betrayed by their government which in their opinion should treat them evenhandedly ... because ... they are innocent of any misdeed in that regard and by law and philosophy ought to be given the benefit of the doubt.
True enough. They are in this instance, by and large, innocent.

Yet we have an intuitive sense that that isn't quite right either.
Why? What is the source of that "intuit".

Well, there is something which differentiates Muslims in America from other American citizens. It is this. Their first loyalty is to their religion ... then ... to the United States. I don't mean loyalty to the dirt or the government but rather to the much deeper extent of philosophical principle ... that is ... they have no loyalty to our most cherished "Western" traditions which are, primarily, freedom of thought and expression ... freedoms antithetical to Islam.

Unlike the religious beliefs of "regular" Americans which are vigorously abandoned by nearly all in favor of carte blanche (at the merest hint of emergency) ... Islamic people hold to their faith. It is not considered a "Santa Claus" tradition destined for the dustbin of history as are the various christian religions.

They really, really believe in it (because they are more ignorant of reason generally speaking).

Thus, the following litmus test reveals the big difference.

If any adult American Muslim found out that Osama bin Laden was hiding in his basement ... he would not turn him in to police for arrest. With great or small consternation, they would ... to a man ... leave him alone (and a goodly percentage would actually assist him). It is impossible for me to picture a single Muslim American citizen turning in Osama. It just wouldn't happen.

On the other hand, it is equally impossible for me to picture any "regular" American who would not turn him in. The picture I get is of legs trying to run so fast to the nearest telephone that cartoon foot slippage occurs ... "Feet don't fail me now!".

But why would they not turn him in?

Because he is the true representative of Islam ... Islam as martial philosophy ... Islam as Bushido.

Imagine Islam (or any other social movement) as an amoeba. This protozoan moves by the mechanism of "pseudopods" (false feet). A bulge moves out in some direction and the rest of the animal follows.

The fundamentalist movement of Islam constitutes such a pseudopod. It is not a little appendage sticking out tentatively, but rather is a big strong popular outgrowth indicating the future movement of the whole organism. Fundamentalism is where Islam is going. Not all Muslims agree that it should be so ... not even half probably ... but ... ALL of them know that that is the way it is heading and that Osama bin Laden is at the tip of that false foot and is therefore the defacto leader of all Islam.

To betray Osama is to betray Islam in the deepest sense possible. They could not turn him in without betraying their god, Allah.

All these people (American Muslims) may be decent people ... but ... they are decidedly un-American is the deepest possible sense. This amoeba, like any amoeba, can be "turned to another course" by simply putting something truly undesirable in its path.
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