2006-02-05

It's In The Koran

About the song: It’s In The Koran, by ‘Patrick Henry.’

From the author:

Commenters have argued that the Koran doesn’t say what this song claims the Koran says. To everyone who holds this view, I answer - and this is very important, so I’ll be stating it again below - that I agree with you. I agree that the Koran says what you claim it says. Islam is one of the world’s great religions, and I don’t believe that billions could have followed it if it weren’t, at its core, beautiful and life-engendering.

The problem is this: all the incidents I describe in the song have happened, and all were caused by men who disagree with you. These men have a different view of Islam. They find in the Koran inspiration and justification for their horrible acts.

To these men the Koran says that it’s proper that girls fleeing a fire should be trampled to death because they aren’t wearing headscarves. To these men the Koran says, even demands, that these girls die. The Koran says this, not to you, not to me, but to them.

The same goes for the other deeds I name: rape, torture, massacre, beheading, defilement of shrines. To these men, the Koran insists that they commit such acts.

I wrote the song from the point of view of these men because they’re the dominant force in Islam now. If you don’t believe me, remember this: Palestinians have just elected Hamas to lead their parliament, knowing that Hamas plan to institute sharia. Muslims had a choice, and they chose as leaders the kinds of men my song is about.

If you want more evidence, go to MEMRI.org and read the translations of interviews with influential Islamic figures. It’s rare to find one criticizing anything done by Muslims to non-Muslims, or even to other Muslims.

Here’s a comparison I find useful:

When the Abu Ghraib photos appeared, every American with a microphone - columnist, politician, religious leader - condemned the soldiers responsible.

When radical Muslims hide among civilians so that our soldiers can’t fight them without killing the innocent - do Arab and Muslim leaders, politicians, journalists unite to call such behavior cowardly and un-Islamic? No. When radical Muslims murder women and children? No. Gang-rapes in Scandinavia, forced mass starvation in Sudan - the list is long and wretched, and the men who commit these actions receive no criticism from the only people they might listen to: their religious leaders.

That’s why I wrote this song.

Again, if you say that Islam doesn’t permit such deeds, and that the men who perform them aren’t behaving like true Muslims, I’ll agree with you. But these men consider themselves true Muslims, the only true Muslims, and think that Muslims who disagree with them are apostates, the worst of betrayers.

I stand by every line in the song; it’s what such men believe. All I did was make their beliefs rhyme, scan and bounce like a vaudeville tune.

To those of you who feel that I’m mocking Islam, I reply: I’m not. I respect your view of it. These men - the men I’m writing about - don’t. You should be arguing with them, not with me.

5 comments:

Paul Hue said...

I agree with this assessment.

Nadir said...

More white supremacist, anti-tolerant, religiously discriminatory bullshit.

What about the shit that is in the Bible? The fact that Jews/Christians believe they are the chosen people and therefore have a right to destroy everyone else is part of the cause of these anti-Islamic attacks.

The more tolerant Muslims are arguing with the extremists, but as long as non-Muslims keep attacking Muslims, their efforts are being undermined. The extremists say, "They hate us because of our religion and because they want our land and our oil," and they are right.

Hiding behind free speech is a cowardly way to attack another religion. Provoking the anger of the entire population of Muslims on the planet will only cause more violence. You motherfuckers (and that includes Paul and Slinger) are creating more problems than you are solving.

Paul Hue said...

====Nadir===
Hiding behind free speech is a cowardly way to attack another religion.
============

Well, Nadir, what are you "hiding behind" when you state that: "What about the shit that is in the Bible? The fact that Jews/Christians believe they are the chosen people and therefore have a right to destroy everyone else is part of the cause of these anti-Islamic attacks."

Here you are, criticizing not one, but *TWO* religions. Dare you only make such a statement because no jews or christians are insisting upon killing your for these statements?

And thanks for another straw man: "have a right to destroy everyone else". Please point me to any people who claim such a right as a consequence of joining christianity, or being born into judiasm.

By your insane logic, "free speach" merely means freedom to say whatever other people won't kill you for saying. How brave you are in the face of such people!

Paul Hue said...

Nadir: You and I agree that the old testimit (and perhaps the new) contain deplorable statements. Have you found any deplorable statements in the koran?

Hey, any chance that artists such as musicians will band together with the artists who are cartoonists and express support for expressing anti-religious beliefs? I mean, I know that *you* won't, because you believe that if somebody objects to a view strongly enough to kill you for expressing it, that you should not express the view. But what about other artists? Do you suppose there might be some (other than these particular cartoonists) who believe that artists should not concede to ad-hoc, vigilante censorship?

Paul Hue said...

=====Nadir ===
as long as non-Muslims keep attacking Muslims
=============

If only Bush could get all of Nadir's straw men to join the army. All these critics take pains to qualify their criticisms as applying only to muslims who are, say, killing people publish cartoons of muhammad.

Meanwhile, I don't recall such qualifications by Nadir when he criticizes christianity. Maybe he does use these qualifications. In any case, I don't interpret him to be "attacking christianity." I know that he's only talking about christians who behave in a certain way.