grammatically corrected version of previously submitted comment

Submitted by Halal McPiggly Wiggly (United States), Jun 6, 2014 at 01:59

Dr. Pipes, one of the world's truly brilliant students of the faith, espouses a hypothesis that asks us to imagine the inception of a kinder gentler Islam. Noting that Islam, during the past fifty years, has changed significantly for the worse, Dr. Pipes conjectures that perhaps twenty or fifty years hence, Islam may change significantly for the better. Would that it could be so.

Unfortunately, there are several rather problematic flaws with Dr. Pipes' line of thought. The first is that Islam has no Golden Rule. The second is that Quranic jurisprudence must factor abrogation into its analyses and the inherently aggressive Medinan surat trump the more passive Meccan passages. These are intrinsic issues. There are extrinsic factors, which act as nails in the 'peaceful Islam hypothesis' coffin.

Perhaps the most dangerous of these is the moral equivalence, politically correct ethos holding Western civilization in its thrall. All faiths are valid. Islam brings fresh thought to our White man's polluted mind, etc.

The weakening of the Judeo-Christian faith is equally troubling. It is said that a man who stands for nothing may fall for anything. Where, in our hearts, is the passionate love for the glorious freedoms we have inherited from our parents and they from theirs? I fear it has largely burned out.

Be assured, our Islamic foes burn with a passion that drive them to sacrifice life and limb for what they believe. Never mind that their beliefs are founded on misogynist, atavistic 7th Century evil. Regardless, the fire burning in their souls engenders a momentum we can only hope to emulate.

Finally, Dr. Pipes may observe that with each outrage committed against us by "a few zealots in the name of Islam" the silent majority of Muslims grows ever more still and silent. These are not allies in the war we are fighting. On the contrary, it is the so-called moderate Muslims that are acting as background to camouflage the acutely dangerous Islamists kidnapping, raping, and murdering from one end of the globe to the other.

Actually, I wish Dr. Pipes was right. I wish there was an ocean of Muslim moderation just waiting for the right moment to inject sanity into the equation. Unfortunately, the evidence demonstrates that quite the opposite trend is occurring. And, for those who wish to protect themselves against the scourge, this leads me to a simple but profound conclusion. Want peace? Ban Islam.

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