"Muslim" Lands

Faisal Shahzad, during his sentencing hearing, made the following statement:

"We are only Muslims trying to defend our religion, people, homes and land, but if you call us terrorists, then we are proud terrorists and we will keep on terrorizing you until you leave our lands and people at peace.

The problem I have with this statement is the claim that any land in which there is a Muslim majority is a Muslim land. I have a problem with claiming that America is a Christian land and Italy is a Catholic land and China is a Marxist land as well. Religions do not own countries anymore. One might have able to say that the Papal States was a Catholic land because the Pope owned them, but to call Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, and Afghanistan "Muslim" countries is to ignore the people and history of those countries.

There is a dominant majority in each of these countries of one sect or another of Islam. However, Iraq has had a Jewish presence since 530 BCE and a Christian presence since 45 A.D. It is home to the Mandaeans, the disciples of John the Baptist and has Ba'hai religionists as well. No religion can claim it. Lebanon was home to the Ca'anites, the Christians, the Jews, the Muslims, the Druze, the Ba'hais, the Gnostics, the Nazoreans, the Alawi, and numerous other religious groups. Syria is dominated today by a heterodox group called the Nusairyi or Alawi. If Shahzad and many liberals who claim that America is attacking Islam were to have to prove the point, they would find that they are wrong. The war against Arabs is real. The war against Islam is not. The largest Muslim population lives in Indonesia, not in the Middle East.

Shahzad would claim that Israel is an occupied country, a Muslim country under Zionist domination. Someone forgot to tell him that there has never been a time when there were not religionists of other faiths in Israel. Judaism has existed in Israel at least 3000 years and Christianity for at least 1987 years. The United Nations declared Israel to be the homeland of the Jews, not the Palestinians.

Therefore, Muslims in predominately Muslim countries have no more right to maim, destroy, murder, and hate than any one else.

The Koran however teaches Muslims to hate. It is not a book of love. Its virulent attacks on Christianity and Judaism cannot be called loving. Is it a surprise that this virulent, violent religion engenders such hatred and warfare.

I hope that in my lifetime Afghanistan will become a multicultural mecca. I also believe in the spirit of Santa Claus and the idea that a bunny lays chocolate eggs. Don't hold your breath. It is not going to happen. Hate is strong and we have not even started loving yet.