Tolerance in Islam?

Submitted by John Reisner (Australia), Jul 31, 2002 at 03:05

Why tell us about how tolerant Isalm was in the good old days of 1000 years ago, as if tolerance then is the same as tolerance now.

This "tolerance" was only bought by the clear subjugation of others who submitted to their rule as second and "protected" class citizens. Its just rubbish to tout the tolerance of 1000 CE as some proof of the possibilities of contemporary moderation. What Muslim society TODAY is tolerant? Not one.

The fact is that a mild Muslim is one that is a subject to someone else. Only as a subject are Muslims sort of under control.

Islam is an aggressive, militaristic expansionist religion. Except for Turkey, it has not undergone any reformation or convulsion separating the powers of church and state. Even in Turkey it was not driven by noble ideas, but by the fact that the Muslim empire was corrupt and decrepit and could not produce the results of secular societies nor maintain its empire.

Its true that every religious text contains incitement etc. But the emphasis of these aspects have been downgraded, socially, theologically and politically over many hundreds of years. Islam is just as virulent as it was in 1200. There is no containment of its verses and no social counter which mitigate/relegate religious outcomes to eschatology.

Islam is just a form of modern paganism which translates temporal events to theological efficacy. My god is stronger than your god, so when I win the war, we'll tear down all your idols and you will pray to ours instead. What puerility.

Its not out job to "civilise" Muslims. I couldn't care less about them. It is not our job to change their societies. If Iraqis want a better society, THEY must do the bleeding and the dying to achieve it not us and not Israelis. That is the only way to execute social change. Otherwise, if they want to live in Mideaevil splendor, let them.

But when they seek to export their volence to others, lectures about good and bad, mild and aggressive is a waste of time. Talk yields talk and fire yields fire. Civilization has nothing to do with it.

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