I try to keep an open mind. Really, I do.
But the white Moslem has made me nervous today. He found out I’m going to Iraq and immediately began proselytizing and justifying the resistance to the occupation of Iraq. Yes, the man with the Scottish last name and the Arabic wife lectured me on fatwahs, when it is justified to kill soldiers (do you suppose he was including me) and why the Quran justifies killing unbelievers, among other details.
The world can be a kind of spooky place some days.
We invaded Iraq because Saddam Hussein was a destabilizing influence in the region, wont to attack his neighbors and sow seeds of discontent throughout the Arab nations. Saddam is done and Iraqis are running their own country now, for the most part. But the blind hatred that has been with us from the cave days continues mostly unabated.
I told the white Moslem that I had considered the idea of adopting an Iraqi war orphan. He said that would not be possible because unbelievers are not allowed to raise Muslim children. Intolerance. I hate it in all its manifest forms.
I want to live in a world where we all value the protection of life and the creation of choices and opportunities more than we value the spreading of our own flawed outlook. If you think you have a handle on what God wants for everyone else’s life, here’s a hint – STFU. God doesn’t need self-proclaimed enforcers of His will. I don’t care what your religion is, keep it to yourself unless you’re asked.