Walid Shoebat and Kamal Saleem
May 1, 2008
Walid Shoebat and Kamal Saleem, self-described (former) Palestinian terrorists, spoke at the University of Colorado here in Boulder the other night. I had the opportunity to attend.
It was interesting timing. On Sunday, after a couple of days of web surfing, I had ordered Walid Shoebat’s book “Why I Left Jihad.” On Monday, I happened to open the local paper while waiting for an oil change on my car (no irony intended). The front page article was about Walid Shoebat. I discovered he would be speaking at the University that evening.
All (free) tickets were gone, but they did have about 200 tickets available at the door. I arrived early, anticipating quite a turn out.
Indeed, the hall was full, and security was tight.
Kamal Saleem spoke first. He described his life growing up in Palestine. It was a mostly unsurprising account: the education his family and school gave him about how the Jews were the enemy, the Holocaust was a hoax, America was the ‘Great Satan,’ Israel was the ’small Satan,’ and one day Islam would be the one true religion displacing all the others, worldwide. At that time, he became resolute for jihad. Obviously, at a very early age. I found particularly humorous how, given the education he had at the time (which, again, said the Holocaust had been a hoax), he asked his teachers in his school “how did they get the Jews to be so skinny? What diet were they on?”
Walid Shoebat was next. I might call him “the headliner.”
His descriptions of his childhood were similar. He emphasized the impact it had on him at a very early age. He held and fired an AK47 at the age of 6. At 7, he ran his first bomb supply mission from Syria through the Golan Heights. Like Saleem, he was instilled with the desire to fulfill jihad; to become a martyr.
“In my right hand, I had the Koran. In my left, the AK47″
Walid Shoebat is a darling of conservatives, particularly among Christians (since, of course, he converted to Christianity).
He is a self-described member of the “far right.” A quick search on YouTube will turn up many of his appearances in prophecy-oriented Christian discussions. I haven’t bothered to watch all of those (I pretty much know what to expect). But I know he is often a speaker in such arenas.
Walid Shoebat is also a focal point of controversy. Some say his story of being a (former) terrorist is unverified, even perhaps fabricated. Some say he is simply a mouthpiece for the Christian Right. He is never a critic of the current administration. From him I found not the slightest criticism of the invasion of Iraq.
Boulder being “liberal” (albeit mostly “limousine liberal”), and this being a presentation at a university, you can imagine the reception.
Actually, it was somewhat mixed. The members of the Arab Student Association were none too pleased. He was heckled a few times, and during the Q&A session the discomfort of Arabs in the room was palpable. A few people were escorted out by rather well-armed police.
On the other hand, he received a huge applause for describing what he wanted to see from American Muslims if, indeed, they loved America: “I want to see you with headbands in Arabic and with signs in English: ‘Allah bless America.’” There were other points in his presentation where he aroused substantial emotional support. Again, please keep in mind I’m referring to the notoriously “libral” Boulder, Colorado.
Mr. Shoebat invoked many of the well-known passages in the Koran that support what we today call terrorism. “What part of ‘kill’ do you in the West not understand?” he said.
Koran: 9:5
But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the unbelievers wherever ye find them, an seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war); but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practise regular charity, then open the way for them: for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.
This Sura in the Koran is oft quoted by both critics of Islam and terrorists themselves. In fact, Muslim terrorists cite it to justify their violent jihad. Critics of Islam claim that it commands Muslims to act with aggression towards the non-Muslims (polytheists) of that period, and contributes to Islam’s final theological doctrine of aggression towards all non-Muslims of all times. Apologists for Islam claim that this passage is purely defensive.
Personally, I find the apologists’ argument to be simply ludicrous. Of course, when I say that, I find more than one Muslim telling me that, since I can’t read Arabic, I have read a mis-translation. Also, it seems, even if I had a proper translation, I wouldn’t understand the context.
Y’know … I have to say….I don’t read German. But I don’t think I need to be fluent in German and German history to get the overall gist of “Mein Kampf.”
I had the opportunity to chat with Mr. Shoebat (briefly) after the event, before he was whisked off by his handlers. I pointed out to him that, during his presentation, he had mis-quoted Mr. Richard Dawkins. He invited me to engage in a discussion with him over email. I have started that discussion — we will see where that leads.
To be honest, I am not expecting much. He has a great gig going, and he doesn’t need some pinko like me confusing him with the facts. On the other hand, he apparently admires Christopher Hitchens, which I found quite ironic.
If you would like a taste of Mr. Shoebat’s lecture, this series on YouTube is pretty much the script he followed at CU Boulder.
Enjoy.
This is where our morality comes from?
April 24, 2008
From the book of Judges, chapter 19:
20 “You are welcome at my house,” the old man said. “Let me supply whatever you need. Only don’t spend the night in the square.”
21 So he took him into his house and fed his donkeys. After they had washed their feet, they had something to eat and drink.
22 While they were enjoying themselves, some of the wicked men of the city surrounded the house. Pounding on the door, they shouted to the old man who owned the house, “Bring out the man who came to your house so we can have sex with him.”
23 The owner of the house went outside and said to them, “No, my friends, don’t be so vile. Since this man is my guest, don’t do this disgraceful thing.
24 Look, here is my virgin daughter, and his concubine. I will bring them out to you now, and you can use them and do to them whatever you wish. But to this man, don’t do such a disgraceful thing.”
25 But the men would not listen to him. So the man took his concubine and sent her outside to them, and they raped her and abused her throughout the night, and at dawn they let her go.
26 At daybreak the woman went back to the house where her master was staying, fell down at the door and lay there until daylight.
27 When her master got up in the morning and opened the door of the house and stepped out to continue on his way, there lay his concubine, fallen in the doorway of the house, with her hands on the threshold.
28 He said to her, “Get up; let’s go.” But there was no answer. Then the man put her on his donkey and set out for home.
29 When he reached home, he took a knife and cut up his concubine, limb by limb, into twelve parts and sent them into all the areas of Israel.
30 Everyone who saw it said, “Such a thing has never been seen or done, not since the day the Israelites came up out of Egypt.
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And this book is where our moral code comes from?
Why Hate Religious People?
April 16, 2008
Sometimes, as someone who is an “unbeliever,” I am asked why I hate believers; why am I so against their beliefs?
It’s a funny question. Maybe I come off arrogant and intolerant. That’s entirely possible (I’ve been known to be so), and if that is the case I must apologize both to people of faith, and atheists. I apologize to the people of faith because I really don’t mean to project hate. I apologize to the atheists because I don’t want to contribute to the stereotype “angry atheist” that is often portrayed.
Let me be perfectly clear: I don’t hate “believers.” I hate their beliefs.
What people of faith are probably picking up from me is impatience and my discomfort with an absolute certainty on their part, and a double standard.
Somehow, it is okay to question and debate someone’s beliefs about physics, astrology, medicine, politics, psychology, parapsychology and astrophysics. Yet it is (as far as I can tell) not acceptable to debate someone’s religious beliefs.
Here I am simply re-phrasing Sam Harris. None of this is new to atheists, though I am sure it is new to some people of faith. For them, I would suggest reading Mr. Harris, or at least spending twenty minutes watching him here:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=J3YOIImOoYM
He’s not perfect, and I don’t agree with everything he says.
But I do think he makes quite a few good points.
Let me be clear: I don’t hate religious people. I just hate their religion. I’m not entirely sure how different this is from “love the sinner, hate the sin.”
I hate what religion does to people. I hate the evil that has been committed in this world in the name of God/Allah/Jehovah — whatever.
To be honest, that’s kind of a funny thing because I don’t believe in evil. Let me quote Robert Jay Lifton of Harvard (visiting professor of psychiatry):
“…one has to be aware of any claim to absolute virtue, because it’s absolute virtue that you call forth to kill large numbers of people. It may be impossible to do that without that claim.”
I’m hard-pressed to come up with a more apt description of the horrors of history.
Most of the evils of the world can probably be traced back to such sentiments. It is the adherence to absolute virtue, the belief one is serving God, that provides us with the means to commit unspeakable horrors. Some evils can be traced to selfishness, competition for resources, exploitation, racism, untreated mental illness and just plain stupidity. But I still believe the majority of the atrocities that have taken place on our planet were done in the name of “absolute virtue.”
I’m posting this on an atheist site, obviously. I suppose I am posting this to ask all of you atheists to recognize that we don’t hate people, we just hate what their beliefs have contributed to.
In a future post, I’ll address the popular belief that atheism has given us the dictators of the world. What makes that ludicrous is the belief that atheism is a philosophy that has adherents.
But for now, let’s agree that people of faith are not people to be hated, and we (atheists) don’t hate them. We just don’t like the bi-product.
I’m new here. But ….. Is that a fair start?
I want the Witnesses to leave me alone!
March 24, 2008
I can’t stand it anymore! I came home from the store the other day and found my husband standing at the back door talking to a young lady. In the driveway, blocking my way into the garage is a minivan being driven by a young man dressed in a suit. Great, I thought, another one. My husband and I have lived in our new home for less than a month and this is the third time we have had a Witness on our door step. The first thing that I wanted to do was whip the door open and apologize to the girl, maybe tell her that he was visiting for Easter from his group home or something…anything to save her from all of his questions. The poor girl had no idea what she had gotten herself into when she knocked on our door. None of them ever do. She finally left after stuttering a little about Easter and her beliefs. I don’t know if she cried. Maybe she got into the van and they all prayed for our family. Maybe (please please PLEASE) they crossed us off the list of places to stop. Either way, we got noticed, for you see, I am married to a special man. My husband is TJM admin, and the Witnesses will never leave me alone. First I was invited to the memorial service for Jesus, and then they had a meeting of some sort to talk about who was qualified to rule the world. I would have LOVED to go to that one. I can’t remember why this poor girl was here this time. She told him that she had talked to me before, so I guess I am in her precinct. I should go back and read the “Porch Monkeys” article again. When we were first married we lived literally right next to a meeting hall. We would watch those little 6 year olds run into the building carrying their little brief cases. We were there for 4 years and were only visited once. I miss those days. My hubby told me that those “No soliciting” signs don’t work either. Did you know that? They aren’t solicitors. I guess I will just have to let TJM admin keep answering the door! Poor little Witnesses…
New Year, Same Quiz…Just for Fun
March 7, 2008
Last February was our first year on the net so not many came across this Easter quiz. I still think that organized religion as a whole makes about as much sense as rabbits laying eggs… Of course, if you are one of our fine readers that know your history, then you know that Easter was celebrated long before Jesus came along which means that you already know about the rabbits and the eggs…… Read more
Is it Still a Sacrifice?
February 24, 2008
As defined by Webster, the word “sacrifice” has multiple meanings.
- an act of offering to a deity something precious; especially : the killing of a victim on an altar
- something offered in sacrifice
- destruction or surrender of something for the sake of something else b: something given up or lost
Given these definitions, I can hardly call the crucification of Jesus a “sacrifice” for several reasons. First of all, there is the age old adage of “God sacrificed himself to himself to appease himself for a mistake that he made.” A superior being (omnipotent, in fact) that MUST require a sacrifice in order to forgive is a bit odd, yet does not negate the term “sacrifice.” Read more
An essay on free will - Section 1
February 21, 2008
I thought I would tackle the topic of free will. Some of my argument will relate to any religion involving a god or gods (or no god at all), but when I use scriptural references, they will be biblical, as that is the religion I am most familiar with, and it is the religion of most people I argue with. I made this essay fairly detailed, because I have addressed this topic again and again with people, and I always end up banging my head against the wall. I feel this tends to be because most people do not understand psychology, and if you don’t understand what forms your personality in the first place, then you really aren’t in a position to debate the topic. It’s like debating the big bang when all you think you know was that it was a literal explosion, or debating car engines when you’ve never even looked under the hood of one.
First, let’s lay down the basics of what a personality is and where it comes from. According to Columbia Encyclopedia, “personality, in psychology, [is] the patterns of behavior, thought, and emotion unique to an individual, and the ways they interact to help or hinder the adjustment of a person to other people and situations.” I’m sure you’re all saying “duh,” but I want to be clear.
So, how do personalities develop? Today, the majority of psychologists agree that it is a combination of nature and nuture, that is, there are both biological and environmental factors that help shape and change a personality.
Let’s look at the environmental aspect. Sociology is the scientific field of study that focuses on how a person’s environment affects them mentally. In sociology, “environment” isn’t just talking about trees, grass, bears, rainbows, and other hippy stuff-it’s talking about any stimulus that is perceived by the brain. So, our interaction with other people, animals, smells, tastes, sounds, etc-these are all stimuli which make up our environment. These help shape who we are.
Look at a culture on the other side of the planet. Why are they that way? Has their biology driven them to have a culture different than yours? No, because you can take a baby from any culture around the world, bring it up in your culture, and it will speak your language and for the most part, follow your ways.Children are not pre-programmed for their culture. Now, there is always the exception, in which you will have someone go outside of the norm, but these are never cases of someone having the instinctual drive to behave according to the culture you took them from.
Is it a coincidence that most religious people believe in the same religion as their parents, regardless of whether or not they are adopted? Is it a coincidence that children who are abused are more likely to grow up and abuse others? Is it a coincidence that most children grow up to have the similar political views as their parents? Is it a coincidence that children of overweight parents often grow up to be overweight as well? Is it a coincidence that children with parents who have addiction problems tend to grow up to have similar issues?
Anyone who spends time around children knows what sponges they are. You can shape them to a large extent. There is a well known story of a girl called Genie, which every North American psychology or sociology student learns about at some point. It’s a sad story of a thirteen-year-old girl who was found locked in a closet. She had been locked in there for ten years. She spent her days tied to a potty chair, and her nights tied in a sleeping bag. She was never let out for social interaction. (http://www.feralchildren.com/en/showchild.php?ch=genie)
She was studied by many scientists, and ended up being fostered by the head of the scientific group that studied her. She behaved like an animal at first, and after about six months, she was more like an 18-20-month-old child. Throughout the years, she showed great improvement, learning complex ideas and non-verbal communication, but she never learned to form normal sentences. The scientists determined that she was not retarded, but that the lack of stimulus during crucial development stages had caused her left brain to become virtually inactive. As far as we know, she never aquired the skills of sentence construction.
When you look at the story of this girl, you realize just how much your environment (socialization) determines who you become. Without a “normal environment, you do not develop a “normal” personality. There are countless cases of abused children growing up to become abusers themselves, or be attracted to one. They are also more prone to substance abuse and criminal activity.
Now, some of you are probably thinking “oh, he’s just making up excuses for them.” You might even have your own personal experience, where you went through a tough childhood, or know someone who did, and you think things “turned out just fine.” Well, that’s great for you or them, but that only shows that you or others are biologically more resilient than most. Do you think it’s just a coincidence that adults with certain problems are more likely to have had a terrible childhood? Do you think those children chose to grow up and have terrible lives? Who really wants a drug problem? Or anger issues? Who wants to ruin their life and everyone elses life by being an alcoholic? Who wants any number of personality disorders caused by a tragic child hood? Anyone?…..Anyone at all?
On a superficial level, you may think we have choices, and we all choose who we are, but can anyone really deny that everyone struggles with certain problems? According to the bible (and many other religions), everyone sins (Romans 3:23). I’m sure you have your own “vices.” There are “sins” or bad behavior that you wish you had no desire for, but you do, and sometimes, you partake in that activity. People end up with addictions. Would you deny that a person with a clinical addiction to alcohol has a harder time staying away from a drink? Or that a person addicted to pain pills, or other drugs has a harder time staying clean? Or that someone who’s smoked a pack a day has a harder time staying away from cigarettes? These addictions are actually caused by physical activity in the brain. It’s not due to some magical entity, like a demon, or some other spirit. Scientists can observe this activity in the brain.
People who believe in free will within their religion tend to think that, ultimately, the choices are up to us, and we can either seek help from god, or give in to the devil, who’s making it difficult. But when you can observe the physical causes and effects that define our actions, there’s no room for “spiritual warfare” in these cases. We can observe the cause and affect in the lab, and that’s all there is to it.
The tobacco industry doesn’t put satan in their products-they put in nicotine. Pharmaceutical companies don’t put demons into their products-they put in elements that cause a chemical change in the brain, which can cause addiction. There are physical explanations for these behaviors.
Now, let’s talk a little about the biological factors. Biology is hard to separate from the environment, because, technically, the enviroment affects our biology. Our senses pick up information from the environment, and cause a physical reaction to our biology. But in this instance, I mean biology as it relates to your genetic makeup, and how that affects who you are.
Reposted with the permission of the author AKR
Can the Bible be Used to Prove Jesus’ Divinity?
February 5, 2008
Ru laid down the following argument at the forum. Thanks Ru. Read more
Atheism & the Rationality of Deism
January 28, 2008
We want to avoid saying beliefs when talking about Atheism. Why are we afraid to label our non-belief as a belief? Because when you label something as a belief or belief system there are some negative connotations that come alongside it:
- The stench of religion
- The erasure of individuality
- Group Morals
- Easily Manipulated Political Agendas
All that being said, I find it illogical to place those without firm beliefs in any category. How can you slap a broad label on millions of individuals with completely different viewpoints? You shouldn’t, but as many of you know; it happens everyday. You wouldn’t label “not collecting stamps” as a hobby or “bald” as a hair color, but it would seem as though many others may not have the same scruples doing similarly. Are there any associations or assumptions that can be made about those which do in fact remove God from the equation of existence? The lack of religious belief is the lack of the Arguments from Supreme Authority which attempt to interfere in even the most personal and private pieces of our lives; instilling guilt and fear. There is no absolute about any group. There are exceptions to everything it seems. Just because one is an atheist does not even guarantee that they accept any scientific explanation of anything.
One could dismiss it all and remain content with the understanding that we cannot know or trust in ill-motivated and government owned men. We can hope at least that there are enough checks and balances and the requirement of verifiable evidence to protect us at some levels from the establishment. There is no way to know at this time what occurred prior to singularity, but surely even this must have originated somewhere. Perhaps it is my limited understanding of this topic that makes this such an unattainable answer. Perhaps it is because it cannot be positively known. And if religions are correct, perhaps it is not for us to know. If you consider this life an experience, and an opportunity to learn the difference of good and evil than philosophically you can rest easy. If you assume that everything will be explained upon death, than the now might just become more important because you realize that you will have eternity for cosmic pursuits. The now could be spent doing good for your fellow humans in the now and for the future. There are a few issues I have with this method of thinking as well.
Whether you admit it or not you are making assumptions. Religions, holy scriptures are all tainted by man. Men with motivations for power and control. As a lowly peon you are not privyed to truth. You are force-fed what is determined you can handle, because you are stupid and irrational; like stampeding buffalo. Who is to know what is real and what is manifested in our best interest? As one who has not researched all areas of discovery first hand, I could not with all honesty tell you I am certain of anything. I have not witnessed the birth or death of a star, galaxy, nebula firsthand. I have not reconstructed the human genome or split atoms in the storage room of my third floor apartment. I accept that I simply do not have the time or ability to encompass all areas of understanding in my lifetime. There are too many societal pressures that do not allow for a life of exploration and understanding. Here in the now we must focus on where we are and where we are going. America could eat you alive. Ask our homless millions. The forgotten and ill-labeled. The used and spent. The erased.
My Christian roots have certainly affected my way of thinking. A total disconnect has certainly not occurred for me. A desire for immortality, the need for greater meaning and importance still haunts me. Perhaps my thinking is too expansive because I require something more. If you consider existence at such an expanded perspective it is easy to feel small. If even our Universe must die than all pursuits are ultimately futile. But we do not exist on a timescale that large. In existence as we know it humans encompass less than 1%. But you could examine things from an alternative perspective. We are the universe. The same particles that have inhabited and explored the universe are within us all. Stardust. Organic elements such as carbon(from methane) carried here on comets whose reach stretch throughout our galaxy and farther are within us. When we die we shall return to such simpler places to perhaps become a piece of something or someone else. We become our parents because we are in some sense our parents, we are but an abberated clone of the combination. No matter how we attempt to disconnect ourselves from who our parents and even our society are we cannot escape because we are at some level, the same.
Deism, the belief in a god outside of religion. A personal relationship with whatever force is responsible for our creation, and what we are ultimately a piece of. To some degree this way of thinking is still illogical, because we cannot know. There is no verifiable evidence or any logical method with known evidence to assume that a creator exists. Where understanding stops, god is born. The problem is where in the chain, the equation, is god necessary? The more we know, the more we realize how little we truly know. The god concept, as far as I can tell, is the imagination of man in full effect. Internal debates wage inside many of us. Logic and desire conflict and struggle to overcome one another. Personally, there is no way to be 100% sure of anything; but as long as we remember to practice altruism and remember that we are just a piece of the whole we may just make our ignorance a little easier to tolerate. Irrationality on a theological or philosophical level is irrelevant unless it leads you to negative interactions with your fellow human. None are valid. All are valid. What’s the difference?
That’s the Feeling I Get…
January 17, 2008
The following is a comment made by a “Christian” on a separate post. No, I don’t believe that all Christians feel this way, I just love to point out the nutters! Okay, here goes: Read more
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