Honor Killings: Women of America – Wake Up!

Especially you liberals and feminists out there.

You are inexplicably silent about the Islamic cultural practice of “honor killings” – the culturally/religiously sanctioned practice of killing wives and daughters who stray from the faith and shame the family.

Lest any are skeptical or ignorant of such practice in the US, here is some evidence for you.

First…

Next, a July 2008 news report titled “Murder in the Family: Honor Killings in America.”

Next, a September 3, 2009 news report titled “Honor Killings on the Rise”.

And then we have the case of 17-year-old Rifqa Bary, the Christian daughter of Islamic parents, who very legitimately fears for her life due to threats from her parents and the teachings of her parents home Mosque.  The courts, ignorant of or simply ignoring this foreign cultural oddity, and more skeptical of Christianity than of Islam, recently ruled to send Rifqa back to her parents.

So, why are so many of us so oblivious to the reality of such practice?  Several reasons:

1. Cultural-ego-centrism – we cannot fathom the thought that any culture would really condone such a thing.  It is so “un-Judeo-Christian.”  We are so accustomed to our own value system that we ignore the reality of others.
2. Cultural equivalency – the idea, mainly held by liberals and progressives, that all cultures are equal in value and legitimacy; who are we to judge.  After all, our culture, our heritage isn’t so great.  Look, we killed off the native Americans, will brought slaves from Africa, we are all capitalist pigs.  Any other culture and cultural practice must be at least as good as ours.  Ya, right.  This is “cultural diversity” run amok.
3. The desire to “get along”.  This is a mixture of fear and misplaced graciousness.  We don’t want to get anyone mad at us.  Graciousness is a great cover for fear and not wanting to address an issue that will kill our culture.  A psycho-babble word for this is “co-dependant.”

When will most of us wake up to the fact we are basically a good and noble nation with a culture and values worth sustaining; that other cultures are less inspiring, less prosperous, less free, and less humane than ours?  Every human being has a past containing events they are not proud of.  But should that destroy the goodness of the person?  The same applies to nations.  We are a nation with a culture worth preserving and defending against insidious foreign cultural practices such as honor killings and Sharia law. 

Remaining ignorant and blind to the reality of these cultural perversions and doing nothing about them is admitting to the valuelessness of our own culture.  How much garbage behavior from other cultures can or should we absorb?

Rifqa, I’m sorry our culture, our legal system, our people, let you down.

My response to a clueless reporter about Islam…

An Orlando Sentinel reporter (Daryl) recently published the following request for insights on several subjects relating to the runaway Columbus, OH teen escaping from her Muslim parents.

Here is his request:

I'm seeking expert insight (e-mail observations are welcome) regarding an Ohio teenager who ran away to Florida, saying she was afraid her father would kill her for converting from Islam to Christianity. She had been living with a husband/wife pastor team, whom she met through a prayer group on Facebook. They took her in after she ran away, rode a bus from Ohio and popped up unannounced in Orlando. I'm looking to discuss the prevailing issues of sanctuary, religious freedom, anti-Muslim bias, honor killings, jurisdiction, propriety of clergy housing a teenage runaway, etc. The full story is found at: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-bk-rifqa-bary-ohio-teen-runaway-082109,0,2812365.story

Contact: Darryl Owens, dowens@orlandosentinel.com

Here you go, Daryl, from a mainstream American who is paying attention.

He said “I'm looking to discuss the prevailing issues of:”

(My responses follow each topic heading)

Sanctuary: Just as our various states establish wildlife sanctuaries for animals threatened by predators and excessive hunting, humans should have no less opportunity to find a sanctuary, a safe place where they are not threatened by predators, whatever the religious motive the predator might have. The duration of such sanctuary needs to be for at least the period of time necessary to assure the individual’s safety if she should return – even if that quest takes years. A life is at stake – Muslims who change their faith are not blowing smoke when they express concerns for their life.

Religious freedom: This is what this nation is all about. Liberty is what they call it. The liberty to choose one’s own faith and life path. The concept is complicated when the individual choosing to exercise her religious freedom – separate and apart from the influence of her parents - is a minor. But remember, in 99.999999% of the cases in this country, minors who decided they wanted to “change religions” have not changed from Islam to another religion. In such cases, the child is not in jeopardy of being terminated when possession and control is maintained by the parents.

Things get dicey when Islam is involved. There needs to be a whole new set of considerations. Islam is relatively new to this country. With its recent surge in numbers, there is a renewed boldness to invoke the more radical practices (from an American and Western European perspective) of fundamentalist Islam. It just so happens that one of those fundamentalist practices, clearly taught in the Quran, is killing the apostate family member. This places a whole new twist on the scenario where a minor (a late teen, in this case) overtly expresses her belief in a religion other than Islam and embarrasses her family. She clearly feels her life is threatened – and with legitimate reason. When threatened with death, religious freedom for a teen becomes very significant – a matter of life and death – the same as it was in 16^th century England.

Anti-Muslim bias: You need to make a distinction between a judgment based on fact and experience, and one based on misinformed fear or hatred. Those of us who have been paying attention to the resurgence of fundamentalist Islam – both in the middle east and in this nation – have made this distinction. Those who remain relatively ignorant of this resurgence view those who bring these radical Islamic teachings and practices to light as harboring an “anti-Muslim bias.” That is a dangerous accusation because it dismisses the truth. I personally do not understand how so many Americans can remain so blind to the literally thousands of malicious and inhumane actions against those with whom Muslims disagree. See this web site for examples that occur every day. How else do you explain the psychotic intolerance at the depiction of Muhammad cartoons, or toward an author critical of another’s religion (Rushdie) by Muslims. Sharia Law is not just another political party. It is a form of fascist suppression of the freedom and liberty that has been the basis of this nation’s founding and most of the wars we have fought. You need to know that a large majority of those practicing Islam in this nation would like to impose Sharia throughout this nation someday – the sooner the better.

Honor killings: See above and here and here. Granted, Pakistan is an Islamic nation and the practice of honor killings is much more common there. But wherever there is a concentration of Muslim population in this nation, such as in and around Columbus, OH, those folks are emboldened by their peers and numbers to practice the purer form of Islam, which includes honor killings. Where is the “moderate Muslim”, this article asks?

Jurisdiction: Consult your legal counsel who specializes in such matters.

Propriety of clergy housing a teenage runaway: If that teenager appeared on my doorstep, knowing what I know about the facts of this case thus far, she would have a place in our spare room. What would you do? One would be a perverse idiot to do otherwise. Because her protector happens to be “Christian clergy” somehow makes his actions suspect? Give me a break!

Etc: I am glad you are seeking an understanding of these issues. Hopefully you will not be deceived by the common Islamic practice of Taqiyya: The Islamic practice of lying and deceit for the sake of Allah. Muslim ”insight” will have this tendency.

Gee - do you really think God might judge nations and people afterall?

Remember after 9-11 how certain right wing religious commentators and several Immans representing the Muslim community suggested that the terrorist massacre in New Yonk and the Pentagon just might be Gods' (or Allah's) judgement on a corrupt nation? Remember how the "reasonable" among us criticized and ridiculed all who would dare suggest such a thing? That might be the only time that Christians and Muslims agreed on anything.

Does God really judge and mete out justice to nations and peoples who turn their backs by not honoring at least most of his standards (morality) He established? Or are we to believe that is all an outdated fable?

Are there consequences to selfish, careless, lazy, or immoral behavior of either individuals or societies? Islamic religion certainly believes this. Reviewing some of the central tenants of Islam, such as the "honor killings" depicted here should provide a wakeup call to the "clueless about the real Islam" among us.

Islam is a hyper-moral religion that interprets God's judgement not as patient and loving, but as vengeful and immediate. Its principle leaders of our day, as in the years of its founding, believe Allah demands believers to mete out immediate "justice" according to their Koranic requirements (Sharia law). Sharia law is the system of government that promulgated 9-11 and that instigates hundreds of terrorist acts every month around the planet - justice on behalf of Allah. That is how Islam sees it - Allahs justice against an immoral and corrupt society.

I believe the God of Israel and of Christianity is a different God from Allah. In His justice, He is loving, patient and kind. But He is just. He is just in a different manner from Allah. Allah, who more closely matches the stereotypical Satan, the devil, the Son of Perdition, the rebelious one who forces his will on his subjects, apparently missed the classes on "love", "patience", and "free will."

If there is such a thing as "immorality" and "sin" and "corruption", God needs to be just, eventually, in cleaning things up in His creation. He lets such behaviors prevail for awhile - sometimes for a few days, years, or even decades or centuries, depending on the magnitude and seriousness of the behavior. But He does prevail with His justice.

The population growth of those who practice Islam in Europe is mushrooming - greatly outpacing the rate of population growth of all other religions combined. It is estimated that in several European countries, Muslims will constitute a majority within the next decade or two. When Islam is the majority religion, Sharia law is the form of government of all. Forget about a "loving, patient, and kind" God at that point. Forget about "free will" and liberty. Things will get cleaned up in a hurry in a most unpleasant manner.

It is wierdly uncanny that the liberals, the "tolerant, open-minded" ones in this and other nations, are the ones who defend Islam the most. They are the ones who deny its recent resurgence of radicalization. Their political philosphy is the one that is enabling Islam, the relgion of intolerance, to gain a foothold and, ultimately, supremacy in western nations. It is wierdly uncanny that the liberals are the ones who's tolerant, inclusionary, "embrace diversity" cultural diversity-loving political philosophy will be most ripped to shreads by the intolerance of Islam and Sharia law.

I have to ask myself where is God in all this? Is Islam really a means by which He will be meting out His justice to rectify our corruption, greed, and denial? Have we morally declined to the extreme point where God feels the need to apply the stronger medicine of "third party" Islamic intolerance on our behaviors? This nations' drift toward the embrace of Islam, most notably via the emerging policies of the Obama administration, strikes me as insanely supernatural - like we are helplessly being sucked into an inescapable vortex.

I find myself increasingly coming down on the side of believing that God includes in his judgement "toolbox" the actions of the unGodly against us. Whether He merely "allows" such things to happen or "directs" them to happen is a useless distinction. The fact is, they happen.

We, as a nation, are traveling ever distant from being in awe and reverance of God. That distance, I fear, will lead us through a difficult and painful vortex of separation before His existence, love, and laws become real to us once again.

The Challenge of Islam in America…

These comments are in response to those who wonder why some of us seem to be so concerned about the Muslim religion, including its’ practice in the United States. Let me explain my concern in a reasoned way – an argument other than “I’m not paranoid – they really are out to get us!!!!”

First, see if you agree with any of my opinions:

• Most Americans consider the great majority of Muslims to be moderate, benign, freedom-supporting people.

• The great majority of Americans don’t understand the basic doctrines of the Islamic faith nor the alignment of their “moral compass” as contrasted with that of practicing Christians.

• The great majority of Americans consider Islam through Christian-colored glasses, that is, from the religio-moral perspective of Christianity

• The great majority of Americans believe that most Muslims in the US are Americans first (believers in the values of freedom of expression, choice, etc.) and Muslims second.

• Most Americans greatly underestimate the Muslim threat in this nation.

Many Americans probably do not agree with the last bullet. So, I will especially focus on that issue: Why we are underestimating the Muslim threat in this nation.

Here is why I hold these opinions - based on the reality many do not yet understand.

Muslim growth and numbers:

Nothing is wrong with the growth of a benign group which has no intention of imposing its moral will and their form of government on me and my country.. I have no concern about the growth in numbers of Hindu’s, Buddhists, Shinto’s, Jews, or Baptists. It is the growth of an organization whose primary beliefs include coercion as the ultimate means of essential conversion and a highly repressive legal/moral code that is enforced by means that our culture believes is barbaric that is a problem. This spells trouble, especially for our culturally liberal friends (who are defenders of the Islamic faith) who hold the ability to do anything they please, no matter how morally outrageous or irresponsible, as their highest value. What an irony this will prove to be in the coming years! I almost wish I could be around to watch.

Back to the numbers. There are currently about 1.3 billion Muslim in the world and 3.9 million in the United States. The numbers of Christians is in decline in the world and in the United States. The rate of increase in the numbers of Muslims is increasing in both the world and in the United States.

Based on the rate of growth of Islam and the rate of decline of Christianity, in 2025 (18 years from now) Islam will be the majority religion in the world, with 30% (over 2.3 billion) versus 25% Christian. The number of Muslims in the United States will almost double, to over 7 million.

What difference do these numbers make? Let’s assume for a moment that the great majority of the 2.3 billion are “moderate” Muslim. Let’s say 90% are peaceloving and don’t really want to blow people up as an acceptable means of imposing their Sharia law and placating Allah. That leaves only 10% who tend toward the more literal version of Jihad…but how many constitute “only 10%.” Let’s see, that would be only 230,000,000 people that want to blow themselves up in our malls, restaurants, subways, and aircraft for their reward in heaven.

Muslim doctrine:

The point is, even 3, 4, or 5% who believe in and practice violent Jihad is a lot of folks creating a lot of trouble. But that is not my major concern. What exactly is a “moderate Muslim” and what does he believe?

Christianity went through a “reformation”, a return to traditional teachings of the faith, back in the 1500’s. These rebels against the Catholic church attempted to expunge the sectarian abuses and influences that crept into the Catholic church up till that time. They returned to the teachings of Christ, which centered on love, forgiveness, mercy, worship. The Catholic church itself instituted many reforms to correct the acknowledged abuses. In any event, neither coercion nor forced conversion were ever a teaching of Christ or of the early Church.

Many considered Islam a benign religion up until the last two or three decades. (Unfortunately, many still do.) A number of Muslim leaders themsleves have acknowledged that they have been a religion in decline in need of resurgence. Islam is felt to have strayed from its' roots, its' basic doctrinal teachings. That is why they have been benign until recently – they have not been practicing what their founder, Muhammad, has preached.

Islam is in a period of reformation – a return to their roots. Although unlike Christianity, their roots are not love, forgiveness, mercy, the sweet Christ-like attitudes that we take for granted. They are the attitudes of Muhammad. Let’s just say that they are the opposite of Christ. While during the early part of his life Muhammad practiced a degree of tolerance, during the latter part he practiced anything but. He taught war, he taught retribution, he taught conquest. He developed Sharia law (this is a whole topic unto itself). Let’s just say it involves the removal of various body parts for various infractions of the law. And oh yes, it does not involve freedom of expression, or religion, or women’s rights – take note, cultural liberals!

Those who point to portions of the Koran that sound peaceful and Kum Bay Yah-like…those are mostly in the early sections, the equivalent to the sequence of our Old Testament relative to the New Testament. The violent teachings occur in the latter portions of the Koran. And just as in Christianity where the later teachings of Christ supercede the teachings in the Old Testament (turn the other cheek, not eye for an eye), the Koran sequence is just the reverse. It started with turn the other cheek and later became “cut off the other cheek”. These later sections of the Koran supercede the earlier sections in this current Islamic “reformation.

So, who is a moderate Muslim? Who are the 90+% who are not involved in violent Jihad? What do they really believe? Are they the equivalent to the liberal Christians who doubt the literal messages and real significance of the New Testament? Are they in fact liberal Muslim who do not literally believe the teachings of Mohammad in his later life? Or are these “moderates” to some degree sympathetic to the recent Muslim reformation – the return to the glory days of the conquests of Muhammad? How many are sympathizers and in what ways are they lending support to the "reformed" core values of their faith?

Violent Jihad aside for the moment, there are several basic tenets of Islam. These deserve separate study apart from the space I want to allocate here for their understanding. But I will simply remind you what they are:

· The strictly narrow and subservient role of women
· Sharia law: Muslim law that takes precedence over all other forms of national government
· Dhimmitude: The second class and extra taxed condition of those who do not claim the Islamic faith.
· Taqiyya: The divine right to lie to advance the cause of Islam.. Examples of the use of this doctrine include Muslims deceptively pointing only to the early portions of the Koran to illustrate how peace-loving they are. A more outrageous example is the President of Iran claiming there was no holocaust and others claiming 9-11 was perpetrated by the United States or Israeli government to incite anti-Muslim outrage.
· Role of free choice in selecting a religion or no religion: None.

This latter tenet, the suppression of free choice, presents a real moral dilemma for this country. We cherish freedom and free choice as our highest value. Yet there is an organization out there (Islam) that wants to use our freedom of choice as a means to install their form of government and religious values that contends that free choice is evil.

Many of us question what business is it of ours to be concerned about a religion that does not share their values with most of us. How narrow minded and bigoted it is to be concerned about another religion in this manner.

Let’s pretend, for a moment, that Islam is not a religion, but is a political party. Let’s say that political party desires to overthrow our government by violent means and install an oppressive government that the political organization promotes? What would our attitude be toward that political party? Should such political group be outlawed?

This is exactly what is being taught in many of the Islamic schools within this nation, and certainly in most Muslim nations. Except for the fact of it being a “religion”, the resurgent “Islam” is another organization that desires to impose an oppressive form of government and faith on the people of the world and of this nation.

We are grossly and dangerously under prepared for the next jihadist event in this nation. Our national ignorance of the basics of the reformed Islamic faith are a big part of our problem. Blind tolerance and political correctness is another.

There are more Islamic jihadi sympathizers and helpers willing to assist in the next attack and the establishment of Sharia law in this nation than the public and possibly the federal government imagines.

For every example that can be shown of an American Muslim condemning terrorism or Jihadi terrorist acts by fellow Muslims, there are ten examples where they defend such actions, make excuses for such actions, or express outrage and offense that we are singling out Muslims for their terrorist acts. Nine out of ten times, Muslims express more concern over protecting their rights and privacy than they do over Islamic violence, murder, and terror.

I want to elaborate on this last point through the words of Brigitte Gabriel. She says it much better than I because she has lived through the Muslim torment.

Brigitte Gabriel is a Lebanese Catholic who, as a child in Lebanon experienced the Islamic revolution in her former Christian country. In her book “Because They Hate”, she ponders the "moderate" Muslim American…

“It is certain that there are genuinely moderate Muslims, perhaps a substantial number, who do not seek to impose Islam on this country and the world through violent jihad. However, they are conspicuous by their silence regarding the more problematic doctrines of Islam. To the extent that Muslim “leaders” and lobbying organizations in the United States even address the issue, they offer nothing more than vague, tepid condemnations of terrorist violence and heated denials that the behavior of Islamic terrorists has any connection with Islam.

Where is the Muslim outrage in this country over the supposed few who hijacked their religion? Where is the Million Muslim March on the Mall in Washington, D.C., sending a message to all Muslims in the Arabic world condemning the killing of human beings in the name of Allah? Where is the cry to raise the consciousness of the rest of the Muslim world about their hijacked religion? If something of yours had been stolen, wouldn’t you scream to the world that someone had hijacked it?

Where are the voices of Western Muslims, particularly the American Muslim community, sending a clear message to the Arabic world that we are American, and when you attack one of us you attack all of us? We condemn and consider the enemy Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, al Gamaat al Islamiya, and the rest of the collection of barbaric Islamic thugs and murderers who have neither conscience nor humanity. Where is the outrage of the Muslim community? Why aren’t the imams of every mosque holding press conferences, and inviting the media to tell the American public, “We are Americans first. Any enemy of America is our enemy. We will work to find, stop, arrest, turn in, and condemn anyone in our community who aspires to radicalize our religion and harm our country”?

Why do we not hear this condemnation? Because their allegiance is to their Muslim religion, not to America. They may be “moderate” Muslims. But that moderation is only an abstention from violent Jihad. They still maintain their allegiance, and it does not include us.”


Sources for further information:

http://jihadwatch.org/
http://jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/
“Because They Hate” by Brigitte Gabriel (book)
http://www.danielpipes.org/
http://www.homelandsecurityus.com/