DefSufi

An Open Letter to LiveLeak and Google Video, and to all my readers:

Dear LiveLeak and Google,

I am saddened that the hosting of "Fitna" on LiveLeak was stopped, and terribly saddened at the reasons. The dampening of the exchange of ideas only promotes ignorance which fuels hatred. I applaud your attempt to promote one of the most precious rights of humanity, that of freedom of speech.

I thank Google Video for taking on the film and leaving it online (as of 6.55pm US EDST, 28 March).

Do I agree with the content of the film "Fitna"? NO. I do not agree with either side. Islam is NOT a religion which promotes terror, and taking bits and pieces of the Qur'an to "prove" that it is so, as this film does, is outright lying. However, that being said, Wilders and the terrorists he shows in his video are Muslim and non-Muslim sides of the same coin, the same issue: taking bits and pieces out of a book considered holy by its followers, and then inciting actions which are completely the opposite of the composite message of the revelation. Is he right in making this film? NO. His point of view is tiny and prejudiced. Does he have a right to do it? Under law, yes, he does….and no, he doesn't. Here's where the boundaries of free speech and “hate speech” cross, and the result is messy.

There is the "shouting fire in a crowded theatre" boundary, commonly accepted as the line where free speech ends and incitement begins. Doubtless there will be some who will once again liken Wilders' film to doing just that. But it’s quite different. If you are in a crowded theatre with limited visibility and someone shouts “Fire!” the only thought in your head is "I'm going to die, how do I get out of here?" because you can't see if it's true or not, and fear and self-preservation take over. But in the case of this film, just as in the case with the cartoons of the Prophet (pbuh), the viewer / believer has a CHOICE of how to react. Do they react by presenting the truth of the message of the Qur'an and intelligently and peacefully put down the idea of Islam as a terrorist religion, or do they react with death threats and violence, thereby confirming Islam's critics' and attackers' position that Islam is a threat against modern civilization?

By suffocating free speech, the only thing served is ignorance. This helps to fuel prejudice and fear by preserving misinformation, misinterpretation, misapplication of concepts. Without free speech, we do not know who we need to educate, who is our ally, and who is our adversary.

The time has come again to quit protecting each other with "PC" attitudes and regulations as if we were small children who cry at the smallest insult. The time has come for all of us to stop ACTING like small children who cry at the smallest insult. Unlike the small children whose behaviour we have adopted, we are adults with weapons and the stupidity to use them against each other. If we are to advance as a species, if we are to survive into the next era, we must learn to listen to and accept our differences, acknowledge them, and work within our common ground. Otherwise, we and all we have are doomed. And we will do it to ourselves.

I hope that this film is allowed to remain on Google video. I hope that soon some quiet comes back to LiveLeak and that the film can be hosted there once again, as an expression of freedom of speech, however unpalatable and untrue the message may be.

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." (widely attributed to Voltaire)

I agree.

Blessings to you all.

Different? Depressing? Thought provoking? Misguided? You decide!

I was just polled a few minutes ago. The poll had to do, in the general questions, about the Republican primary....but in the details, it has Giuliani written on it.

There were the standard questions: How likely are you to vote in the Republican primary?   100%

Who are you most likely to vote for, and how likely are you to vote for them?   Ron Paul, 100%

Have you heard of the following candidates, and if so, how favourable of an impression do you have? Huckabee came out the best of the bad lot....but only just.

What is the issue you're most concerned about? Religion? Economics? Iraq? Foreign policy? Moral issues? Immigration?

Like Bill Clinton (who I didn't vote for) used to say, "It's the ECONOMY, stupid!" If we can't feed our families, the rest is pretty much a wash.

 And then.....the next several questions were about......RUDY!

Oh FUCK! I nearly lost my breakfast, lunch, 3 pieces of fruit I'd had for snacks throughout the day......

On economics, did I see him as conservative, moderate or liberal? Conservative....and not the kind I'd vote for.

On the war, did I see him as a conservative, moderate or liberal? Once again, I had to say conservative....but on the fanatical, ignorant side of the balance.

On pro-Life/pro-Choice, immigration, Iraq, did I see him....you get the idea.

When a poll like this comes to a telephone near you, you know one thing for sure.....there's a worried candidate out there, and he's just about to pander to the biggest sector his pollsters find.

One thing I like about polls...it's a bellwether of what a candidate or party is worried about. One thing I hate about polls is that they're over-simplified.

I'm somewhere between liberal and moderate. I've voted for conservative candidates when I felt the issue they were strongest on and most likely to have an effect on was what I felt was best for the majority. I've voted for conservative candidates when I felt the issue they were weakest or even strongest on was one that they were unlikely to have a measured effect on, and I felt that that ineffectiveness was best for the majority. One of the hottest emotional issues is the pro-life/pro-choice issue. I don't think the Executive office has as much to say about the outcome of that debate as the American populace think they do..... at least not unless the Executive office is able to wipe out every living judge in state and federal courts in the country and plant their hand-picked own. I noticed there were no same-sex couple questions, or the legalisation of marijuana for medical purposes, or stem-cell research. Also hot-button issues for a lot of people.

It's not just whether someone is conservative, liberal, moderate.....it's what TYPE of conservative, liberal, moderate are they? What issues are they conservative, liberal or moderate on? Ron Paul could be considered a conservative in many ways....he's certainly a Goldwater type conservative, one that's conservative with government power and intervention, government intrusion into our daily lives, conservative with spending, mindful of where the pennies are going, AND of where they're coming from. Currently, most conservatives come across as only being conservative with compassion and honesty. Liberals sometimes seem to be liberal with shooting off at the mouth. Moderates right now seem to be playing the lukewarm card about as much as they can. And few people are really saying what they mean.

Ron Paul and I disagree on the pro-life thing....I think that many pro-life people are only pro-birth, and that bothers me. But his stance won't stop me from voting for him. I think that there are some other issues that we don't quite line up on, like immigration, but again, he's got my vote. I registered as a Republican specifically to vote for him in the primary. If I'd stayed a Democrat, I'd be voting for Kucinich. To me, they're the ones who make sense, and the ONLY ones who haven't changed their tune in the face of phone and exit polls.

To ALL who read this and can vote:  VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! I don't care who you vote for, it's a right that you must exercise! In some countries, they still don't get to vote. In some countries, like Australia, it's MANDATORY to vote, and you get a fine or prison sentence if you don't. (Not a bad idea....)

I'll end with 2 thoughts......one from Steve Earle ...follow the jump....

...and one I'll leave here, from Tom Stoppard: "It's not the voting that's democracy.....it's the COUNTING."

Remember.....the United States of America is NOT a democracy, it's a republic. (Don't believe me, just say the Pledge of Allegiance.... "and to the Republic for which it stands.....") There's a difference. Learn it. And read the Constitution. After the holy books of your choice, it's the most precious document this country has.

Blessings to you all.

I came across this FABULOUS website today, and I'd like to share one of my favourite vids. And then, check out Kareem Salama after your jump Great stuff all around!

More later....Salaams and Blessings!

DefSufi 

What is necessary, O Gift-giving God , for us to have a fulfilling Thanksgiving? Our heads are already busy making plans for this festive day. Many have been to the store, groceries are bought, recipes are laid out, and soon the turkey will thaw.

What are the necessary ingredients for this day, O God?
FOR SOME it will be Thanksgiving when all the traditional foods are laid out before them on the table, and someone calls, "Come and get it!"
FOR SOME it will be when all the family arrives home again, and all are gathered together.
FOR SOME it will be when they finally leave the hustle and bustle of the airport's busiest travel day.
FOR SOME it will be when that phone call comes from the loved one who is not present, who cannot make it across state, or across country, or across the walls that alienate or define a broken relationship.
FOR SOME it will come when the dinner is over, the dishes are done and the mess is over for another year.

What will make it Thanksgiving for each of us this year, O God?
REMIND US again that it isn't about food, but about remembering and giving thanks.
REMIND US that it isn't about stressing out, but about experiencing family and relationships.
REMIND US that it doesn't matter what we eat, but that any and all across this world have something to eat.
REMIND US that it isn't about everyone being together, as much as it is about everyone being with someone, about no one being alone.
REMIND US that it isn't as much about giving thanks with our lips as it is about living thankfully with our lives.
REMIND US again, O God, that it is not about what we have been able to acquire materially, but about what we are aware of spiritually -- that it is never about what we have gotten ourselves, but about what we have given to others.

So may each one who gathers around a table filled with food remember one who is hungry.
MAY EACH ONE, surrounded by family, remember one who is lonely or alienated.
MAY EACH ONE who has so very much, be motivated to give to one who has little.
MAY EACH ONE who is warm and comfortable in their home remember one who is without a home, or necessary heat, or a place to lay their head.
MAY EACH ONE who laughs with joy remember one whose life right now is without joy.
MAY EACH ONE whose heart overflows with love for another remember one whose heart is broken over a loved one gone.
MAY EACH ONE who knows family harmony and peace be reminded of one whose family relationships are complex and mired with too much history and too little reconciliation.
O God, are not these the necessary ingredients for each of us who gather to give thanks this week? Do you not call us to always treasure the blessings and do you not beckon us to always share of what we have? Do you not call us to the table, with one hand reaching forth in humble thanks for all we receive, and the other hand reaching out with all we have to give?
“Come ye thankful, people come” we sing.
And, we are here.
“Now thank we all, our God”
And, we do.
“What gift can we bring?”
We bring ourselves, in grateful response to all the gifts you offer to us.

We gather around your table, O God, where all are invited, where each is fed, and where none, by your grace, is ever alone. Continue to feed us, O God, in your living and loving ways.

AMEN.

Originally published on Read the Spirit ( www.readthespirit.com ), and written by Rev. Marsha Woolley, pastor of the Newburg United Methodist Church in Livonia, Michigan. Thanks to David Crumm Media LLC, and Read the Spirit for re-publishing rights under Creative Commons.

I came across a blog posting on one of my favourite sites,  Get Religion today that caught my eye. The title was "Pushing my 'moderate' button again". It's a quick read, and there are some decent comments below it. But one thing that got me was the statement:

"Of course, in Islam, there are no lines drawn between faith, culture and government, but let’s set that aside for a minute."

 And below, is the posting I left behind there.

"Hang on....I beg to differ. I am a female American/British Muslim. My culture is American/British, down to the jeans, T-shirt and Converse Chuck Taylors I wear every day. I listen to rock music, eat pizza, and hamburgers from MickeyD's, watch Bill Maher on the tellie. American.

And there's more. The Islam I signed on for 12 years ago did not have a political agenda. Islam that has a POLITICAL agenda is either rooted in a culture that has a strong tribal history (like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan), or a history of constant chaos where politics and power go hand in hand (perhaps Pakistan is an apt example), and where telling someone that something is the "will of God" will guarantee you some sort of "success". The modern face of the majority of "political Islam" amounts to little more than gang leaders who hoodwink their gang members into something that is anathema to their own religion in the so-called name of God. They are misguided, dangerous, and stupid.

Political Islam is not representative of the FAITH of Islam. It amounts to the desperate and uneducated being controlled by someone with a hunger for power. They are told that they are doing something important, something that God wills, and are taught bits and pieces of religious side-stories to "clarify" the meaning of bits of the Qur'an taken completely out of context. This is done in many religions....the Bible has been used to justify slavery, and is still used to justify the denial of civil rights to many. ((Addition for my blog in italics: There are also archaic passages about stoning people who work on the Sabbath, commit adultery, and selling your daughters off into slavery. But Christians don't do that anymore, do they, although their holy book would technically still allow it? No, they don't, because their culture has changed, and in time, so will the rest of Muslim culture change, if we all nurture it along instead of trying to bomb it into the West's idea of modernity!))  I knew a KKK member in WV who quoted the Bible to me to prove that it was still alright to kill non-whites and non-Christians. I don't see anyone holding her (or Edgar Ray Killen, who is a segregist Christian, convicted murderer and KKK member) up as a mainstream and true example of what it means to be Christian, even though they do what THEY do in the name of Jesus. And they shouldn't be held up as an example of that faith, either. Nor should bin Laden and his ilk be held up as examples of Islam, although the media and Western politicians would love for you to continue to think they are.

The FAITH of Islam is what I signed on to. It is a faith that like Christianity, will take take the colour and flavour of the country it takes root in, for better or for worse. The Christianity of India, such as the regions of Karala, looks and sounds quite different to Christianity in England, France, the United States. And the difference isn't only language and music, but custom in both the Church and in the ordinary daily lives of the faithful. Muslims also change culturally when they immigrate, IF THEY ARE ALLOWED TO INTEGRATE WITH THE LOCAL POPULATION OF THEIR ADOPTED COUNTRY. (This is where there is a difference between Muslim immigrants to the US and to, say, France or Germany where ANY immigrant population finds it difficult to integrate into mainstream society.) The majority of American-born Muslims are like me, and the majority of the teenage children of foreign-born/immigrant American Muslims are more like your teenager than they are like the teenagers where their parents came from. I know this from personal experience. I see it every day. I have seen it every day for 12 years. In Iowa where I converted, in Florida, where I now live, and in England where I lived for several years. And many places in between.

SO does Islam draw a line between faith, culture and politics? In theory, it does. Yes, in reality it does where it can. And we all should learn that. And we should make it possible. Step 1: Throw away your pre-conceptions. Step 2: Educate yourself with knowledge and experience with REAL sources, not the popular media and their anti/ex-Muslim darlings who have their own agendas. Step 3: Educate others."

Any questions, email me. 

Blessings to you all.