Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them.
Open Society and its Enemies – Karl S Popper
The debate regarding lack of reform among followers of Islam results in most observers with Historians’ tendencies try to reason it out in cautious calculated tone that would not arouse wrath of mob.
Some even go as far as to suggest that in its (visible) imperfection lies the perfection of Islamic society and the only way it can be reformed is if they are left alone and allowed to be reformed from within. This thought is akin to a set of birds forced inside a cage to somehow find the strength to break the iron shackles.
This thought is also fundamentally flawed because any hope of improvement in a society presupposes some basic conditions that must be met.
Free Speech, A culture of Debate and Discussion .
The most important strategy of a cult sustenance is its ability to control free information, stifle debate and have a heavy visible penalty for a deviant. On the other hand cornerstone of an open society is Free Speech, most importantly an ability to criticise beliefs held by an individual or a group.
The ability to discuss, debate and sometime thrash beliefs without incurring a risk of life is what separates a democratic society from a tribal one.
Every country where followers of Islam constitute more than 50 percent of population already have some sort of apostasy law that could be as severe as death by stoning or just life time prison. A tiny Island nation called Maldives require by law that all citizens need to follow Islam, freedom from Islam could mean losing citizenship.
The acceptance of tribalistic values as normal part of United Nations has cost the world a great degree of Liberal values. Condoning such tribalistic laws by member states has reduced the effectiveness of global respect for such organisations.
Watch Bill Maher arrange a balanced Debate or farid jakaria feel bad and sugar coating
Unequal Society as a Constitutional Norm
Many Islamic societies decided to incorporate Sharia Law as part of constitution of their respective countries. Unlike most other sects or cults Islam differs in the degree of intermingling between social, faith on god and political Life.
In Islam Faith on God, Social structure and Politics is inseparable , it is part of the holy book, Criminal Code of legal system is built in as verses of god or their explanation by clerics.
This intermingling ensures a non Islamic individual will have no escape from Islamic diktats as it is part of constitution and sooner or later the individual either learns to lie low and accept subjugation, convert and mingle with the rest or fight the apartheid and suffer the consequences including a possible death. This inequality has made Islamic countries one of the biggest killer of diversity and free speech on the planet far ahead of Communism or capitalism.
Why islam lost its way by richard dawkins
Diversity Killing Machine
Monotheism as a concept isn’t new! In a tribal society god acts as a rallying point in festivity, in misery and in war, consolation derived from god is actually a result of camaraderie shown by the cult members.
In fact since the beginning of “god” people are trying to find a common ground to make sure their respective sects/cults grow. Monotheism as an idea attracted many tribal heads to grow their influence beyond blood relations and recruit a faithful army who hold a simple belief that can be manipulated to serve political purpose.
Monotheism proved to be the best weapon in the pursuit of absolute power and helped collect mass of followers who would lay their life for very little without demanding much. While other tribalistic cults tried to discover its importance, Judaism and later christianity got it right and attracted tons of followers.
Islam took this to an even bigger level, It not only reinforced Loosely defined Monotheism of previous sects and took it to a ritualistic peak that allows no escape for a follower. it also ensured that chain of command remains in the hand of few in a primarily paternal society with limited decision making roles for woman with clearly defined boundaries.
though this is not a unique feature of monotheism it is far more prevalent in monotheistic cults than is possible in a polytheistic society. a polytheistic society by nature contradicts supremacy of one god and usually allows a natural environment for coexistence of multiple gods and reduces god based frictions.
For example in a polytheistic society like India you would rarely hear a Ganesha followers fighting a Ram Follower. Both completely different Gods!
People will fight alright and for many reasons but its hard to rally around god for fighting, festivity and misery still unites people under god, but god is not a rallying point for war (in polytheism) cause there are too many of them and people believe or the close ones believe in multiple ones.
Science seeks the truth, and it does not discriminate for better or worse. It finds things out. Science is humble, it knows what it knows and it knows what it doesn’t know. It bases it conclusion on hard evidence, evidence that is constantly updated and upgraded. It doesn’t get offended when new facts come along. It embraces the body of knowledge, it doesn’t hold on to medieval practices because they are traditional – Richard dawkins
Inequality of Sexes
By our time (2020) it is quite clear that women’s place in most religion barring few is at the bottom, they are either an accessory to support the male or their whole purpose is to be a child bearing and rearing machine. Now that was quite an acceptable proposition in Victorian England, a woman at the age of 25 who hasn’t bore a child is termed wasted (of course with marriage, without marriage she is a whore in England, in Islam she is dead!).
Islamists defend right to enforce burkha (veil- a long, loose garment covering the whole body from head to feet, worn in public by women in many Muslim countries to remove identification and not arouse a male with sexual contours of a female body.)
A woman wearing a burkha is equated with expressing her freedom of speech (akin to a parrot sitting in a cage all by itself because it doesn’t like to fly!). Yes!! such parrots exist, believe it!
Woman in Islam is for fun of man, they need to cook food, accept a bit of competition with other wives, bear children, as many as possible before dying (its about productivity, my dear) and in heaven be a source of entertainment for the male who after trying to convert many to righteous path has died and landed in heaven. In heaven they need to be virgin, yes literally!
Though I am not sure if these are new women or the one who were shipped from earth. Are we doing a disservice to the woman who do not have a choice other than become a faceless cog in an Islamist machine by condoning unscientific belief? It affects close to a billion Muslim women.
Where is the reason?
Secular Islam is a myth because in order to reach there one (or the society) need to be able to question the five principles of Islam. Without prejudice or fear, just like scientific principles including the idea of god, any jealous god that does not approve of other god is a threat to the society.
- The belief that “There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God” is central to Islam. Any comments on either can result in a lynching mob of thousands or a knife wielding terrorist. but why doesn’t anyone else make the comment or those rational sounding muslims like Javed akhtar who got richard dawkins award make a comment because javed akhtar is afraid and is trying to circumvent.
- Prayer: five time Namaaz – its a way of making sure everyone follows in line, if you repeat something sufficient number of times it fits in your psyche.
- Alms- Another principle that goes against equality, if you have no one below you who would you help? Hence you have to find someone who is economically below you and you don’t have one make sure you get someone!
- Fasting – nothing against this, this is and has been the basic principle of being healthy since 300000 years, nothing that is introduced by Islam, it just adds the conventional wisdom
- Pilgrimage: Mecca? Again a Muslim cannot question it, one has to agree with the Quranic stories, no question or debate allowed.
Conclusion
Islam is a society that helped humanity build large empires using gullible people but time has come to let these flimsy ideas expire and the science and reason take its place, and if we believe that it is possible from within Islam! That is a delusion. Islamic thought is enforced since childhood, in order to change the psyche , one has to have some external influences.
