Thoughts on Islam

The death of Osama Bin Laden has provoked violent reaction in some parts of the Muslim world particularly Pakistan but we can expect it to expand elsewhere. Hopefully our police and security forces can prevent situations like the subway bombing in London and the rail bombing in Madrid. We hear of the arrest of cells of young radicals in many cities in the west including Toronto. Why do followers of the Prophet act like barbarians? Generally they have done so for generations but in addition the Shias have no problem killing Sunnis. The Shia sect in Syria has been busy killing Sunni protesters in the street just as Qaddafi was willing to murder thousands of his people until the west stopped him. This begs a huge question about Egypt where the mass murder during the uprising which everyone expected would happen didn't happen. Maybe President Obama had enough influence in Egypt to prevent it. 

             Winston Churchill was the leader of the west for much of World War 2 and he had been active in the late 1800's during the height of the British Empire.He observed the Muslims (Mohammedans as they were called in those day) in many of their home countries and here is what he wrote;

"How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries!  Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy.  The effects are apparent in many countries, improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live.
A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement, the next of its dignity and sanctity.  The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property, either as a child, a wife, or a concubine, must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men.
Individual Muslims may show splendid qualities, but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it.
No stronger retrograde force exists in the world.  Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith.  It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step; and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science, the science against which it had vainly struggled, the civilization of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilization of ancient Rome ."


              The sheltering arms of Christianity and science he speaks of have dramatically weakened in the west since he wrote these words. Our only protection may be military power, specifically the US military, but it may not be sufficient to support western ideals over the long run since the Mohammedans now live among us. Maybe they can adopt western values, maybe not. Western values are almost diametrically opposite the Sharia laws and the interpretation of the Quoran. I would not want to predict the world one hundred years from now.