Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Pogroms against Christians in Egypt, Mohammed Badie's Prayer Bump, Waiting for Muslims to Condemn this Slaughter, Waiting for Christian Leaders to Lead

Reports: A Christian cab driver was surrounded and killed in Alexandria Egypt.
His crime? He displayed a cross on his dashboard. 
Mohammed Badie's prayer bump, and his swords. Source
Muslims are carrying out anti-Christian pogroms in Egypt. They are burning churches and terrorizing, humiliating, and killing Christians. Christians have lived in Egypt for two thousand years, six hundred years longer than Muslims.

According to reports, Muslims in Alexandria, Egypt, surrounded the taxi of a Christian driver because he displayed a cross on his dashboard. They killed him.

I am waiting for American and other Western Muslims to take effective steps against these pogroms. Prominent American Muslims could and should condemn this behavior, and contribute to stopping it.

If anyone knows of such condemnation, please inform me.

I would like my own Muslim friends to at least express sorrow.

So far that has not happened.

When I brought this up to one Muslim Palestinian friend, who now lives in Paterson, NJ, she let loose a tirade, citing conspiracy theories proving that Jews and Christians are responsible for all the problems in the Muslim world, and they deserve what they get. Muslims are innocent, blameless, she insisted. Mossad is responsible for 9-11.

I am waiting for my own Catholic and Christian leaders to take a stand, to guide me in my desire to support my Christian brothers and sisters. I hear nothing. Catholic leaders, what are you doing?

The leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt has the comically appropriate name of Mohammed Badie. Yes, that's right. Mohammed Badie.

Badie has a zabiba, or Muslim prayer bump, on his forehead. The zabiba is meant to come from pious prayer. Muslims hit their heads on the ground when they pray their five daily prayers.

Muslims are instructed to pray five times a day. Their five times a day daily prayer inculcates negativity toward Christians and Jews. Muslims pray not to be like the Jews, who anger God, or like Christians, who go astray.

There is a connection between the bump on Mohammed Badie's forehead, the prayers that he prays, and the pogroms against Christians occurring now in Egypt.

Further information here.

5 comments:

  1. (I don't emote verbally. But I do oppose attacks on people because of their religious beliefs.)

    This article: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/08/15/world/meast/egypt-church-attacks/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

    mentions moderate Muslims intervening in the attacks.

    The article mentions the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights. I looked it up (http://eipr.org/en/page/who-we-are) and included in its list of partners (http://eipr.org/en/page/our-partners) are the "Anna Lindh Foundation for the Dialogue between Cultures" (http://www.euromedalex.org/about) and "The Coalition for Sexual and Bodily Rights in Muslim Societies."

    I believe Kenan Malik is correct that even the existence of moderate Muslims does not fit the narrative, let alone their protests against extremism. So I don't expect to see a lot of articles about such things. And I expect the ones that do mention it will be like that one, just mentioning it in passing and without emphasis.

    "When I brought this up to one Muslim Palestinian friend, who now lives in Paterson, NJ, she let loose a tirade, citing conspiracy theories proving that Jews and Christians are responsible for all the problems in the Muslim world, and they deserve what they get. Muslims are innocent, blameless, she insisted. Mossad is responsible for 9-11."

    That sounds like she fell victim to "arguments are soldiers" syndrome (http://lesswrong.com/lw/gw/politics_is_the_mindkiller/): "Arguments are soldiers. Once you know which side you're on, you must support all arguments of that side, and attack all arguments that appear to favor the enemy side; otherwise it's like stabbing your soldiers in the back—providing aid and comfort to the enemy."

    All I can say is, that attitude is human nature. Unfortunately. So let's all try to fight it in ourselves.

    BTW. They just arrested Mohammed Badie: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57599287/mohammed-badie-supreme-leader-of-muslim-brotherhood-arrested-by-egypt-security-forces/

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    Replies
    1. Alison, thank you for these links. Do I know you? May I know more about you?

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  2. Several prominent newspapers are referring to the violence against the Egyptian Christians as a "backlash."

    I ask: A backlash against what?



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  3. I am sorry to say that this post is saddening me. I would really want to delete the incident mentioned here and all the aftermath (including this post).

    For I think that this post is essentially saying that we are not souls who have taken up a physical body in this world, but Muslim souls, Christian souls and Jew souls.

    I really do not think that violence is retaliation to violence solves issues anywhere.

    Danusha, while I can feel some of the pain, anger and fear that must have prompted you to write this post, I certainly hope that all of us can resolve the crisis using peaceful means..

    What is the use of reading a book like DTBM, when in times of crises, we go back to fear-based behaviours? This is an open question to the entire world (including me), not personally towards you, Danusha.

    For I am equally in pain....these kind of incidents happening all over make us tremble with fear, get insecure, angry and lose our peace.

    I bless the world, especially Egypt with peace and love..
    Love,
    Sarbari

    ReplyDelete