i’m sorry…
for the first time since the tragedy happened i’m truly terrified. the taliban have officially declared a jihad, a holy war, against the united states.
as a word of explanation, there are five pillars of islam (i know this because i did some religious studies when i was at university).
to be a muslim you have to accept the ibadah, which is loosely translated as ‘holy slavery’. the five pillars of islam are:
1-acceptance of the creed of islam, which is to accept allah as the only god, and muhammed as the messenger of allah.
2-ritual prayer 5 times a day, every day
3-payment of a poor tax, for muslim poor
4-fasting for the month of ramadan
and 5- a pilgrimage to the ka’bah and the other sites in mecca.
jihad is often referred to as the sixth pillar of islam.
jihad basically states that if islam is under attack then all muslims must fight to defend islam. sayid abdul ala mawdudi, a leading fundamentalist islamic scholar, states:
‘one who shirks is a sinner. his very claim to being muslim is doubtful.’
this is why i’m terrified.
i am a pacifist. i believe strongly in the tenets of non-violence.
i believe strongly in the idea of freedom of religion. but i’m terrified by the idea that to fully practice their faith muslims must wage war upon the united states and the western world.
please, someone explain to me why this isn’t the case. will it come down to a situation where people who practice islam will have to choose between their allegiance to their faith and their citizenship in a western country? and, if so, what will the ramifications be?
if anyone reading this is a practising muslim, please explain why we should or shouldn’t be terrified.
i keep hearing islamic leaders saying that islam is a religion of peace.
please, god, i hope that they’re right.
if the taliban are not fully and comprehensively ostracized by the islamic world then the ramifications will change the whole world to it’s very foundations. for who in their right mind declares war on a nation that has the most powerful military in the history of the world? what are the taliban trying to accomplish? will afghanistan and yemen and iraq be able to stand up to nato, russia, and china? oh, god help us.
-moby