Category Archives: Islam

Virtuous Vikings

[W]hile clucking about the sanctity of free speech, countless commentators climbed into the Danes. The illustrators were called juvenile, obnoxious, Islamophobic, even immoral. They were accosted for doing nothing to advance enlightened argument; of acting in “terrifically bad taste”; and indulging in “gratuitous provocation, not worthy of publication,” to quote some of the politicians and pundits who trashed them…
What was the premise for dubbing mild satire immoral and unenlightened, and inadvertently maligning the innocent illustrators? Other than that the stuff offends Muslims, I see none. And to give offence is not always immoral. It is certainly not immoral to lampoon the connection between Muhammad, author of Islam, and the savagery and atavism that grip the Muslim world today…

Read the complete column, “Virtuous Vikings,” here. It leads today on WND’s Commentary page. As always, comments are welcome.

'Christianity Vs. Islam: No Reconciliation,' says BAB Contributor

Christianity, Islam

Like many converts to a faith, Barbara Grant is a serious student of Christianity. She has had a lively, if polite, disagreement with Barely A Blog’s Catholic contributors, here, here, and elsewhere on BAB. She writes:

There can be no theological “kum-ba-ya” sessions in which both Christians and Muslims can joyfully participate—there can be no theological reconciliation between the two faiths. Those who suggest this is possible have strayed from scriptures. With reference to Catholics, they should rely more on reading the Bible and less on Church authority.
The Bible clearly refers to Israel and the Jewish people as God’s Chosen, and Christian believers as those grafted onto the tree (of belief, and therefore, salvation) and does not make accommodation for those of other faiths who appreciate Jesus, but do not regard Him as their Savior. In short, the Bible doesn’t accommodate Islamic belief.
Nor does the New Testament invalidate the promises made by God to the Jewish people in the Old.
Paul writes: “I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means!” (Romans 11:1). “…But through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous.” (Romans 11:11). These passages can hardly be referring to the Church, as many Catholics aver. They refer literally to the Jewish people.
Ezekiel 37:21 states: “…Behold, I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone, and will gather them from all sides, and bring them to their own land.” Ezekiel is not referring to the Church, but to the re-establishment of Israel in its own land. [By the way, the American affinity for Jews—and for Israel—is said to be rooted in Protestantism, more oriented towards the Hebrew Testament than Roman Catholicism.—ILANA]
Nor is he referring to the Church in Chapters 38 and 39 when he describes how Israel’s would-be invaders will come from “the uttermost parts of the north” and ally with the nations surrounding Israel. The recognition of Hamas by Russia, the fact that Russian technologists now work at Iranian nuke plants, among other factors, make it difficult if not impossible to believe that there is any “Israel” in prophecy other than the nation state re-established in 1948.
Biblical Christians will adamantly reject any compromise between the Christian and Muslim faiths, no matter how ardently some Catholic, Muslim sympathizers may try to initiate interfaith dialogue. That is because biblical Christians believe in the inerrancy of Scripture, and refer to both Old and New Testament Scriptures as the basis of their faith. We do not rely on a “Church authority,” (a ruling pontiff) to tell us what’s what: instead, we argue our points directly from the Bible. I recommend that those who do not appreciate this point, re-read Scripture.

‘Christianity Vs. Islam: No Reconciliation,’ says BAB Contributor

Christianity, Islam

There can be no theological “kum-ba-ya” sessions in which both Christians and Muslims can joyfully participate—there can be no theological reconciliation between the two faiths. Those who suggest this is possible have strayed from scriptures. With reference to Catholics, they should rely more on reading the Bible and less on Church authority.
The Bible clearly refers to Israel and the Jewish people as God’s Chosen, and Christian believers as those grafted onto the tree (of belief, and therefore, salvation) and does not make accommodation for those of other faiths who appreciate Jesus, but do not regard Him as their Savior. In short, the Bible doesn’t accommodate Islamic belief.
Nor does the New Testament invalidate the promises made by God to the Jewish people in the Old.
Paul writes: “I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means!” (Romans 11:1). “…But through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous.” (Romans 11:11). These passages can hardly be referring to the Church, as many Catholics aver. They refer literally to the Jewish people.
Ezekiel 37:21 states: “…Behold, I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone, and will gather them from all sides, and bring them to their own land.” Ezekiel is not referring to the Church, but to the re-establishment of Israel in its own land. [By the way, the American affinity for Jews—and for Israel—is said to be rooted in Protestantism, more oriented towards the Hebrew Testament than Roman Catholicism.—ILANA]
Nor is he referring to the Church in Chapters 38 and 39 when he describes how Israel’s would-be invaders will come from “the uttermost parts of the north” and ally with the nations surrounding Israel. The recognition of Hamas by Russia, the fact that Russian technologists now work at Iranian nuke plants, among other factors, make it difficult if not impossible to believe that there is any “Israel” in prophecy other than the nation state re-established in 1948.
Biblical Christians will adamantly reject any compromise between the Christian and Muslim faiths, no matter how ardently some Catholic, Muslim sympathizers may try to initiate interfaith dialogue. That is because biblical Christians believe in the inerrancy of Scripture, and refer to both Old and New Testament Scriptures as the basis of their faith. We do not rely on a “Church authority,” (a ruling pontiff) to tell us what’s what: instead, we argue our points directly from the Bible. I recommend that those who do not appreciate this point, re-read Scripture.

Buchanan of Arabia

Islam, Israel, Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

The following is an excerpt from my new column, Buchanan of Arabia. I’m sure readers will have plenty to say in response.

After conflating the Danes with the most off-putting exemplars of free expression—Larry Flynt the pornographer, the Nazis of Skokie, and the late Robert Mapplethorpe of the bullwhip-bedecked behind—Buchanan allows that we are all entitled to be contemptuous of “the beliefs and values the Islamic faith holds dear, and for the prophet.” “But if we wish to exercise our right to air [these views] in print or broadcast, we should expect to reap what we have sown.”
With these obligatory lines, Mr. Buchanan discharges his duty to the West and its puny freedoms. What follows is an ode to Islam. Buchanan’s paean to this faith’s brute force is crucial in divining why he demands the West’s capitulation, following the cartoon Jihad.

Christian Butterbach quotes my description of Israel in the column as:

…the Middle East’s only true democracy—a small spot of sanity in a sea of savagery, where enlightened Western law prevails, and where Christians, Jews and their holy places are safe.

He then adds the following important quip:

Are Muslim holy places in Israel not safe???

My response:

Muslims are always safe in liberal countries. You know that; look around. It’s inherent in the definition of “liberal.” Countries with a liberal tradition make it safe for all people to worship openly. Arabs living in Israel proper are as safe as you and I are in our neighborhoods and places of worship. And very active on Israeli campuses—alongside their fellow Jewish, radical-leftists—in anti-Zionist causes. No different to an American campus, really. It would have been a redundancy on my part to add “Muslims,” when it is Jews and Christians who are imperiled in Muslims countries.

In fact, some of the angry letter writers (I don’t mean Chris) should visit Israel (and I don’t mean rush to the PA and hire a “guide” to show them a staged stone throwing). Visit the suicidally liberal schools and homes of real Israelis. I actually grew up in Israel, and went to school with Israeli-Muslims. Yeah, visit Israel, won’t you, instead of writing propaganda, the only verification for which is Mr. Buchanan and other dedicated saboteurs.