Recently, two self-proclaimed Muslims have been the subject of discussion around here at Wizbang. And the contrast between the two could not be more remarkable.
Earlier this week, I mentioned Samiyah Diaz, a Muslim law student from Massachusetts who is challenging a firmly-entrenched State Senator for her seat. Ms. Diaz is running as a Republican, of all things, and has a platform of personal responsibility and fiscal accountability.
The other is a commenter who uses the moniker “Muslim Unity.” He’s been kicking in his two Rupees or Rials (he’s either Indian or Iranian; I’m not certain which) and runs his own blog.
Ms. Diaz is an accomplished woman. She speaks seven languages (six more than me, just for the record). She earned both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s from Tufts. And she did all this while also raising a child by herself.
“MU” (as I call him for short) doesn’t publish his biography — but to be fair, he isn’t seeking public office. He often speaks of peace and acceptance and tolerance and love. These are usually interspersed with such trifling diversions as calling for the brutal execution of George W. Bush, praising the death bounties offered for Danish cartoonists, threatening to blow up our cell phone system, threatening to kill those he considers “racists,” and pronouncing that all of the Middle East is Muslim holy land, and to hell with any other faiths’ prior claims to the land.
And let’s not forget that we should not fear Iran, which is truly a peaceful nation. And if we don’t accept them and embrace them as peaceful, they’ll kill us all.
MU isn’t really fond of Ms. Diaz. He pronounces that she is should not be considered a “real Muslim.” But other Muslims have a different opinion of her — she was elected President of the Muslim Law Students Association, and is a member of the Association of Muslim Professionals.
On the other hand, MU sounds an awful lot like your typical Muslim. He says the sorts of things that we have become accustomed to hearing from Muslims — angry, prideful, threatening, seasoned with the occasional empty words of “peace” and “tolerance.”
I sincerely hope that Ms. Diaz is the future of Islam. I fear that MU and his ilk — who do an admirable job of representing Islam’s past and present — will win out.
ed,
Thanks for all the info about Hinduism. I had to Google Animist to know what you believe. Obviously, you are well informed in religious matters and I respect that and won’t preach to you about religion. However, I am curious as to how you came to be Animist, but I understand that’s likely getting too personal. So I’ll leave it at that and end by saying I have long respected the opinions you post and the manner in which you respond to others. When I scroll through various topics I stop whenever I see your trademark opening “Hmmm.”
Best regards,
Hmmm.
My Animism is fairly simple and straightforward. I don’t go in for any sort of “hello mr. boulder” kind of cartoony nonsense. I frankly believe that the act of creating something imbues the object with the spirit of the creator. Thus God created the Heavens and the Earth and so all of the Earth has been imbued with his Spirit, and not just within the creatures that live upon it.
In essence what I try to do is treat everyone and everything with proper respect, regardless if it is alive or not. What I find amusing is that there are plenty of people who resort to doing the same when it becomes an issue. I’ve seen many people caressing and cajoling a computer, a car or some other device or appliance. I’ve seen computer technicians pleading with racks of switches. So while I’m rather open about it, I’m certainly not alone. 🙂
Frankly I’ve seen and experienced a lot of nonsense in my life. Really like most people who haven’t led a completely sheltered life. I’ve known personally those aspects of life that prove that America is as great and wonderful as it seems to be.
When I see, hear or read lefties condemning America for this or that I just have to laugh. These people really don’t know what they’re talking about. I’ve personally experienced just about every kind of racism and bigotry you can imagine. And most of that before I was 6 years old. Being an AmerAsian in South Korea during the 1960’s wasn’t a pleasant experience. Even now it’s not a good life, but back then it meant a very hard life.
Some people it seems are just too sheltered for their own good.
Anyways. I look forward to reading more of your comments on other threads. And I too enjoy your point of view on many subjects. Just remember me when you’re pleading with your computer to not eat that document you’ve been working on. Keep me in mind when you’re cajoling the lawnmower to start.
🙂