oldreliable67
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Together facing the new totalitarianism
After having overcome fascism, Nazism, and Stalinism, the world now faces a new totalitarian global threat: Islamism.
We, writers, journalists, intellectuals, call for resistance to religious totalitarianism and for the promotion of freedom, equal opportunity and secular values for all.
The recent events, which occurred after the publication of drawings of Muhammed in European newspapers, have revealed the necessity of the struggle for these universal values. This struggle will not be won by arms, but in the ideological field. It is not a clash of civilisations nor an antagonism of West and East that we are witnessing, but a global struggle that confronts democrats and theocrats.
Like all totalitarianisms, Islamism is nurtured by fears and frustrations. The hate preachers bet on these feelings in order to form battalions destined to impose a liberticidal and unegalitarian world. But we clearly and firmly state: nothing, not even despair, justifies the choice of obscurantism, totalitarianism and hatred. Islamism is a reactionary ideology which kills equality, freedom and secularism wherever it is present. Its success can only lead to a world of domination: man’s domination of woman, the Islamists’ domination of all the others. To counter this, we must assure universal rights to oppressed or discriminated people.
We reject « cultural relativism », which consists in accepting that men and women of Muslim culture should be deprived of the right to equality, freedom and secular values in the name of respect for cultures and traditions. We refuse to renounce our critical spirit out of fear of being accused of "Islamophobia", an unfortunate concept which confuses criticism of Islam as a religion with stigmatisation of its believers.
We plead for the universality of freedom of expression, so that a critical spirit may be exercised on all continents, against all abuses and all dogmas.
We appeal to democrats and free spirits of all countries that our century should be one of Enlightenment, not of obscurantism.
12 signatures
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Chahla Chafiq
Caroline Fourest
Bernard-Henri Lévy
Irshad Manji
Mehdi Mozaffari
Maryam Namazie
Taslima Nasreen
Salman Rushdie
Antoine Sfeir
Philippe Val
Ibn Warraq
oldreliable67 said:On the other hand, another comment was deragotory: "What a bunch of overblown, self-important, pretentious, indulgent rubbish. The people protesting those ridiculous, offensive cartoons aren’t all Islamists, folks — they’re mainly ordinary Muslims who were freaking pissed off that Jyllands Posten published the cartoons."
oldreliable67 said:Several prominent writers and journalists have written a manifesto calling for resistance to what they term "a new totalitarian global threat: Islamism...
Goobieman said:Suffice it to say that if you replaced all the references (in this and in general) to Islam with Christianity, there'd be a LOT more people calling for 'resistance'.
oldreliable67 said:Have to confess that I don't quite understand your point...would you elaborate a bit on exactly what you're getting at????
If you'll note, it's discussing Islamism, not Islam. Islam is the religion. Islamism is the (quasi)political movement. Huge difference.Goobieman said:Suffice it to say that if you replaced all the references (in this and in general) to Islam with Christianity, there'd be a LOT more people calling for 'resistance'.
Simon W. Moon said:Bernard-Henri Lévy
IIRC, I just read about this fella this morning re the resistance in Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion. IIRc, he was involved with a radio Free Kabul or some such. I've been reading about the first five years of Soviet occupation, a book by Amstutz.
Simon W. Moon said:Iff you'll note, it's discussing Islamism, not Islam. Islam is the religion. Islamism is the (quasi)political movement. Huge difference.
I'm not sure what the exact analogues are for the other main Abrahamanic religions are.
What's Christianism?Goobieman said:Whatever.
Change the my post to read Islamism and Christianism.
The point remains the same.
Goobieman said:Certain people are willing to overlook Muslim exremism, in the name of "tolerance".
These same people are quick to condemn 'acts of Christian extremism' that pale in comparison to the acts committed by the Muslms.
Imagine, the reaction to the Pope calling for a holy war against (x).
Simon W. Moon said:What's Christianism?
So, hypothetically, if something were called Christianism, it would have more people opposed to it than Islamism, arguably the focus of the US's GWoT, does now?Goobieman said:It's a made-up word, just like Islamism.
Whatever meaning you assign to Islamism, apply it to Christianity rather than Islam.
Simon W. Moon said:So, hypothetically, if something were called Christianism, it would have more people opposed to it than Islamism, arguably the focus of the US's GWoT, does now?
And this explains why Christian Reconstructionism is not only a focus of US fopreign policy, but a target of governements worldwide just like Islamism, only more so?
I call bullshit.
Goobieman said:Call bullshit all you want. Doesn't mean much to me.
Fact of the matter is, there ARE people that give actions driven by Islamic extremisn a pass while at the same time jump all over far less severe actions taken by far less extreme Christians.
Commonly cited estimates of the Muslim population today range between 900 million and 1.4 billion people (cf. Adherents.com); estimates of Islam by country based on U.S. State Department figures yield a total of 1.48 billion, while the Muslim delegation at the United Nations quoted 1.2 billion as the global Muslim population in September 2005.
Only 18% of Muslims live in the Arab world; 20% are found in Sub-Saharan Africa, about 30% in the South Asian region of Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, and the world's largest single Muslim community (within the bounds of one nation) is in Indonesia. There are also significant Muslim populations in China, Europe, Central Asia, and Russia.
Goobieman said,
“Fact of the matter is, there ARE people that give actions driven by Islamic extremisn a pass while at the same time jump all over far less severe actions taken by far less extreme Christians.”
Funny how the media and those who just hate Christians, portray Christianity as being unfair….about who gets into heaven….then they turn around and say how peaceful and fair Islam is."If anyone desires a religion other than Islam (Submission to Allah), Never will it be accepted of him; and in the Hereafter he will be in the ranks of those who have lost ." (Koran 3:85; cp. 5:10; 25:68)
doughgirl said:According to Freedom House, which tracks persecution worldwide, about 160,000 Christians are killed every year for their faith.
doughgirl said:Why do we never hear about this?
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