Throughout the Quo’ran one can find passages that give indisputable proof that Islam is a religion of violence and intolerance. A number of articles I have read recently on freedom have made some long enumerations that give such evidence. I do not feel that there is much value in trying to address those arguments because I am a repelled.
I am repelled because I find intolerance is hypocritical to any praxic or theoric application of freedom.
Freedom and liberty do not coexist with intolerance. Intolerance, appeals to fear, teasing at the anxieties of “not one of us”. Intolerance at any level of exhibition is an escalation. The display has no other purpose than to force the wills of men through the generalized threat of impending violence.
I can identify many passages in the Quo’ran that instruct the use of violence. I can identify passages in every social text, every set of law, all attempts man has made at a systems of rules and ethics that instruct on the “proper” use of violence. All of them including the Quo’ran, the Bible, the Code of Hammurabi, and the US Code define under what conditions the use of violence is justified. I can even find (brace yourself) attempts at trying to define the proper use of violence in the most erudite libertarian and anarchist essays, treatises, and discussions.
The basis of all ethics is violence, containing it or finding justification in it. Even the NAP is defined by it. There is no incompatibility of Islam with freedom, no incompatibility of Christianity, Judaism, Utilitarianism or Existentialism with liberty any more or less than all of history is incompatible with freedom; or that man is incapable of being free.
It is simply not reasonable to point at some group of people and set them off as enemies to freedom just because there is a cultural history of imperfection. Imperfection is a universal truth for all men. Congratulations Mr. Obvious.
To incite intolerance of any group with such tactics is itself the beating of war drums itself. To corrupt the concept of freedom to call for war on such biogrty is a puerile pursuit
What evil is it then that would drive men possessing great passion for liberty, to turn on their own ideals, isolate groups for the actions of individuals, quote obscure scriptures written hundreds or thousands of years ago as proof of inhumanity, and apply that venom to some poor sod seeking spiritual meaning to his life?
The same fever for vengeance, control and dominance that drives men to twist scripture into violence, can and does drive men to twist liberty into war.
To itemize hate in the guise of a treatise on freedom is an act of vulgar conceit, hubris in face of reason – It is hypocrisy to liberty.
Sorry. I’m not buying the multiculti line, nor should those who care about liberty. Different groups of individuals operate differently, and should be held to account accordingly. To turn a phrase, it is completely reasonable, and indeed just, to point at some groups of people and set them off as enemies of freedom because they have in fact historically acted in such a manner. To suggest otherwise is silly at best or suicidal at worst.
This article appears to be prompted by recent comments here and elsewhere regarding islamist terror. For the moment, let’s not even consider islamist extremism at all. Because there are plenty of historical examples of cults or religions that have nothing to do with islam that have shown themselves to revel in murder as an expression of religious doctrine. Some of the more famous examples include the ancient religions of Carthage, the thuggees in India, as well as the more recent manson cult in California. Each were thankfully suppressed. Are we seriously suggesting that setting such murderous religious groups aside as enemies of freedom is uncalled for? What sort of insanity is that?
Now as regards islam, I don’t think that there are all that many who are seriously asserting that all expressions of islam are by their nature inimical to freedom or are murderous. I certainly am not. To the contrary if that were true, we would all be dead long ago. But it’s delusional and counterproductive to fail to acknowledge that there are groups using religion as an excuse for murdering, raping, robbing, and enslaving. Liberty is not served by self delusion.
I believe that for every man, there is a distinct culture as expressed in personality, lifestyle, and activity.
Within a family unit, among different sets of friends, within community groups, at workplaces and at churches, within a block, a neighborhood, and a city; further at a county, state, and country level, as a religion, adherence to a philosophy, and at multiple levels – every single man lives in a myriad of multi-cultures.
Multi-culture is the natural state of things – there really isn’t an “ism” to it.
On the other hand, people using violence to try and unify culture is pure evil regardless of the excuse. I see plenty in the history of all men to indicate that evil doesn’t come from a “collision” of cultures. Cultures are constantly colliding and mutuating and coexisting. Evil comes from intolerance of those identified as being “not one of us”.
At the heart of the entire matter is one single logical phallacy: You cannot make observations about a group and then apply that observation to individuals pro forma. Any argumentation that does that is pure bigotry.
Now as regards to Islam, it is delusional to speak of it as a unified “thing”. Islam is one of the most decentralized Abrahamic religions on earth.
You make a good point: militant Islam is just another manifestation of empire.
It is not intolerant to despise the doctrine that it is moral and right to set up a conquering state and subjugate others by violence for any reason, whether for holding to a particular creed be it philosophical or religious, for being chosen by fate or by God, for being elected by a majority of some set of people, or just because one can.
For statists who despise militant Islam, it is merely hypocritical.