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December 12, 2006
Commentary: Thoughts on Pro-Islamic Myths
During the Cold War, which was mighty hot in some places, the United States and Europe were subject to the greatest influence operation--propaganda--the World has ever seen. We are seeing a rival operation these days, although what is being propagandized is not that wonderful Socialism, despite its remaining advocates, but the latest, most wonderful wave of the future; the magnificently peaceful and tolerant religion, Islam.
In this short article we will examine five of the most prevalent myths told and retold to advance the Islamic cause. We hope to make our readers aware of these myths so they are better equipped to fight them.
1. The Myth of Past Islamic Greatness:
This myth has several variations, all amounting to the same thing; Muslims were once great, and infidels owe them a lot, if not their whole civilization. Variations of this myth include the Andalusian utopia, the tolerant Baghdad Caliphate, and the golden Ottoman rule. According to the myth of the Andalusian utopia, for example, tolerant al-Andalus served as a beacon of light upon dark Europe during the worst of the dark ages. (At this point all morally upright people are supposed to exhale in awe of the wonderful Islamic past.) Thomas Aquinas himself stole his philosophy from the greatest philosopher of all, al-Ghazali.
2. The Myth of Islamic Tolerance.
This is a variation of the Myth of Islamic Greatness but it is so prevalent it deserves its own paragraph. According to this view, Islam has a great record of tolerance and peaceful coexistence with other religions, in contrast to that awful Christian religion or the obscurantism of Hinduism. This is a tergiversation of the first order and a reckless denial of the past, but it doesn't matter; it has become the conventional wisdom. It has been argued (1) that Jews were better off under Islam in part because, under certain circumstances, Muslims would marry Jews, but Christians would not. This overlooks the rather crucial fact that only Muslim men would marry Jewish women, which is in a far worse oppression to Jewish men than not marrying Jews at all.
3. The Myth of the Inevitability of the Islamic Victory.
This is a standard myth advanced by almost all proselytizing ideologies. Its objective is to demoralize current or potential opponents. It amounts to "Islam is the wave of the future, so why bother fighting it. You are better off joining the bandwagon instead." Many efforts are spent to show Islam victorious everywhere, and to exaggerate Islamic victories to the largest extent possible. However sad the fact that Islam has been advancing in recent decades, we should not fall for this myth. Victory is earned, not guaranteed; that is true for Islam as it is for any other ideology.
4. The Myth of the Wickedness of the Infidel.
This is the "other side of the coin" to the Myth of Islamic Greatness. For infidel societies to be worthy of destruction, they must be wicked beyond belief. This is how the failings of our societies--some real, some not--are exaggerated and falsified. It is not that we are imperfect, as we surely are, but that we are beyond redemption.
5. The Myth of the Great Zionist Conspiracy.
Just as it is necessary to exalt the failings of the infidel, it is necessary to explain away the failings of Islamic societies, and for this nothing has proven as useful as the Myth of the Great Zionist Conspiracy. Think of the possibilities: we are poor; it is the Zionists' fault. We lose wars; blame the Zionist devils. The price of oil falls; it is those clever Zionist bankers. Some of our children and unmarriageable (true story); it is those clever, clever Zionists. As Eric Hoffer once observed, alibis are to be preferred to achievement, because an alibi doesn't expire while an achievement is only a temporary solution. The Great Zionist Conspiracy is the ultimate alibi.
Note:
1. I have erased an allusion to a passage in Daniel Pipes' Conspiracy: How The Paranoid Style Flourishes and Where It Comes From in which Dr. Pipes argued that since Jews participated more in the mainstream cultural life and had more social interaction with Muslims they were less vulnerable to assault. I do not agree with the conclusion (I'm agnostic on the matter), but Dr. Pipes didn't claim intermarriage was a sign of Islamic tolerance, just that it was part of a pattern that made violence against Jews less likely. Apologies to Dr. Pipes.
Posted by Ruy Diaz at December 12, 2006 6:15 PM
Comments
Q: which country is going to be the first one to kick EVIL ISLAM out?
A: IRAN.
And this historic event has already started:
URGENT NEWS URGENT INTERNATIONAL NEWS
F.Foladvand 04 Dec 2006 23:49 GMT
The islamic terror regime of Iran is about to be overthrown
URGENT URGENT
Dr Foladvand is now nearing Iran
Anjomane Padeshahi Iran (API), or the Kingdom Assembly of Iran, with the leadership of Forood Foladvand has set out on the last stages of "Operation Tondar" (Operation Thunder) which will hopefully be the "Liberation of Iran" before the Iranian New Year (March 21st, 2007).
Mr Foladvand after months of unjustly being denied his travel documents, which were seized in a raid by the British MI5, on the eve of the Islamic Republic's Presidential S-elections, has through the help of an Iranian lawyer in London been able to retrieve his travel documents. He has embarked on a journey to Iran and will be joining forces with members of Anjomane Padeshahi in Iran at an undisclosed date. He currently delivers short messages, as he advances towards Iran, which are broadcasted on Anjomane Padeshahi Iran's television channel - which is a channel solely dedicated to the overthrow of the Islamic Republic.
The way this operation will be carried out has not been disclosed for obvious reasons. Although many who are not familiar with Mr Foladvand might not take this seriously I believe that what API has achieved in the past two years is enough evidence of their sincerity.
Amongst the four most significant "operations" were:
-The act of civil disobedience by around 70 Iranians, on a Lufthansa flight in Brussels which attracted the world's attention to the Iranian peoples' plight
-The 150 chained cars outside the European Parliament in Brussels (Belgium) protesting, in act of civil disobedience, the European Unions shameless support for the terrorist and bloodthirsty Islamic Republic occupying Iran
-The act of civil disobedience outside the International Court of Justice in the Hague (Netherlands) where around 60 cars were brought to a stop outside this court in act of civil disobedience.
-Damaging the Sivand Dam project of the Islamic Republic which if put into operation will flood an immense area of Iranian cultural heritage/sites. (The Islamic Republic has announced now that the opening of this damn will take place early next year!)
Mr Foladvand has sworn that either he will be successful in this mission or he will loose his life trying to save Iran from the hands of these Anti-Iranian savages which are occupying our motherland.
Please call:
London API 02084411636
Dr Foladvand phone number whilst on the move towards the boarders of Iran
00491724022186
Posted by: malihe ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.westernresistance.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at December 12, 2006 9:55 PM
As your article indicates, there are a large number of Islamic myths. Some additional myths include:
1. Abraham was in Mecca
2. Allah is another name for God
3. Bible no longer agrees with Islam because the Bible was corrupted
4. God didn’t “create” a son, Jesus.
5. Ahadith are equal with Koran in authority
6. Headscarves are a requirement of Islam
7. Ishmael was to be sacrificed by Abraham
8. Islam is a Black Religion
9. Islam is mentioned in the Bible
10. Islam is a religion of peace
11. Islamic Renaissance was due to Islam (You mentioned this)
12. Jerusalem is the site of the "Farther Mosque"
13. Jesus was not crucified
14. The Koran contains no errors
15. Mohammed was foretold in the Bible
16. Necktie is a symbol of the Crusader cross
17. The Koran contains sufficient laws for regulating mankind for all times
I have researched and documented some of these myths, but perhaps someone with more time and better resources could put all of them in their proper place -- the dustbin of history.
Posted by: Chris at December 13, 2006 10:59 AM
As your article indicates, there are a large number of Islamic myths. Some additional myths include:
1. Abraham was in Mecca
2. Allah is another name for God
3. Bible no longer agrees with Islam because the Bible was corrupted
4. God didn’t “create” a son, Jesus.
5. Ahadith are equal with Koran in authority
6. Headscarves are a requirement of Islam
7. Ishmael was to be sacrificed by Abraham
8. Islam is a Black Religion
9. Islam is mentioned in the Bible
10. Islam is a religion of peace
11. Islamic Renaissance was due to Islam (You mentioned this)
12. Jerusalem is the site of the "Farther Mosque"
13. Jesus was not crucified
14. The Koran contains no errors
15. Mohammed was foretold in the Bible
16. Necktie is a symbol of the Crusader cross
17. The Koran contains sufficient laws for regulating mankind for all times
I have researched and documented some of these myths, but perhaps someone with more time and better resources could put all of them in their proper place -- the dustbin of history.
Posted by: Chris at December 13, 2006 10:59 AM
As your article indicates, there are a large number of Islamic myths. Some additional myths include:
1. Abraham was in Mecca
2. Allah is another name for God
3. Bible no longer agrees with Islam because the Bible was corrupted
4. God didn’t “create” a son, Jesus.
5. Ahadith are equal with Koran in authority
6. Headscarves are a requirement of Islam
7. Ishmael was to be sacrificed by Abraham
8. Islam is a Black Religion
9. Islam is mentioned in the Bible
10. Islam is a religion of peace
11. Islamic Renaissance was due to Islam (You mentioned this)
12. Jerusalem is the site of the "Farther Mosque"
13. Jesus was not crucified
14. The Koran contains no errors
15. Mohammed was foretold in the Bible
16. Necktie is a symbol of the Crusader cross
17. The Koran contains sufficient laws for regulating mankind for all times
I have researched and documented some of these myths, but perhaps someone with more time and better resources could put all of them in their proper place -- the dustbin of history.
Posted by: Chris at December 13, 2006 11:00 AM
Ruy,
Nice work. We are addressing many of these pro-Islam or Islam apologist myths in a project hosted at the Islam-Watch Forum (see "Tools for debates with the Islamists"). Here's the link:
http://islam-watch.org/CommunityServer/forums/permalink/918/918/ShowThread.aspx#918
Posted by: Archimedes at December 13, 2006 2:24 PM
This article could be used to create a new website on the history of Islamic myths. Such a website is long overdue.
Posted by: Christian at December 15, 2006 10:08 PM
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