With a strong British accent, some “quirky” moments, light humor, and sarcasm in her reporting, Christian Amanpour presented one of the most compelling, surprising, and downright enraging at times, CNN special reports I have ever had the “privilege” of viewing. Her report, God’s Warriors made me react many ways, but the most important reaction to this special is the need I have to express what ideas and thoughts were sparked in my mind.
For those who didn’t catch the special or never heard of it, the premise is that on three different nights, Amanpour dedicates two hours to “fundamentalism, extremism, etc.” present in followers of all three Abrahamic faiths: Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. The special primarily focuses on how religion can go bad with a speck of good every now and again. My focus of this “response” if you will, is the obvious to many, and based on the segments on Jews and Christians.
These segments brought to light many things, and invoked very strong opinions within me that I thought were not there. More than anything, my overall philosophy about Muslims and Islam was ignited, and made me realize the urgent need for action.
There were many things that were said during the Christian and Jewish programs respectfully, that made me do nothing but shake my head, pace the floor, and yell at the television. It wasn’t the reporting or CNN, but the people that were interviewed and their commentary for the most part. The biggest thing that stood out to me on the Judaism show was the whole idea of occupation and all the things that go along with that. Make no mistake, I have no problem with Judaism or Jewish people, and I do believe that the Jews should be able to live in peace, however how can one actually expect peace when there are so many crimes and injustices being committed by Zionists that consist of politicians, radical groups, and even the “Christian Right”?
I have said it many times on this blog and my show that Muslims need to move on from this whole idea of a Jewish state. I truly believe that it is done and it’s time to recognize the country and move on. What I don’t agree with is the lying, cheating, and stealing that are going on in plain site which is not only occupation, but also illegal settling, and the displacement and destruction of the Palestinians. What get’s me more than anything is the outright hypocrisy of the whole thing: Here you have a nation of people who were caught in some of the greatest atrocities known to man in the modern and not so modern eras, who were oppressed, persecuted, etc. in the name of religion, racism, class, etc. yet now this same nation of people is doing the same thing to another people.
It makes me scratch my head. If there should be any people outside of black people who should champion the cause of the oppressed it should be the Jews. Some of the last people on Earth who you would expect to be the oppressor are the Jews. So how can this be? How can a people who were so blindly hated now in turn do the same?
As I watched the special I saw interview after interview of people justifying occupation and illegal annexation of land as something that should be OK. I listened to Zionists openly admit to lying and cheating to settle illegally. I heard the oft repeated speech of hate and condemnation of Palestinians as “just Arabs” who should leave. I was greatly appalled on two levels: One the obvious hypocrisy and two the idea that these people claim religion. I don’t claim to personally know God, but I doubt He would sanction the idea that it’s OK to misplace millions of people, take their homes and land illegally, and oppress them in a way that creates nothing but instability and economic hardship.
When has God ever been for the oppressor?
Then there were two other noted things that were almost comical to me. The first was this Christian/Jewish allegiance here in America. Well, having been raised in the Church and knowing true Christians in respect to them, I would rather say this “Evangelical”/Jewish allegiance. Talk about interesting bedfellows. One group, historically oppressed and killed the other, has a strong history of anti-Semitism and believes that when the “rapture” comes the other must convert or go to hell, and the other group believes that their partner is full of it and believes in fairytales. I don’t get it. I can’t even see the logic in it….well maybe I can: Money! The root of all evil has not only infiltrated the Church, but also the synagogue on this issue of Zionism. The Jews will take all the money they can to help take land from the Palestinians and oppress them, even from those who believe in fairytales like Christians, and the Christians are happy to give it, even to those who will probably go to hell anyway for being non-believers and killers of Christ! It almost seems made up, but it’s so true it’s scary. Together they have formed an alliance that ensures that on the surface it appears righteous and the will of God from the tongue, but in the mind and actual action is Satanic to the core. Instead of peace, war is waged. Instead of honesty and fair dealing, lies are told to acquire land and force is used to impose. It never occurs to anybody involved that lying and stealing is against Judaism and Christianity, but I guess it’s for the greater good right? Let’s only invoke and care about God or Hashem if you will, when we can use Him to get support to further our agenda.
Which brings me to the second point, isn’t it a little illogical to not expect violence from Palestinians and the Muslim world?
I will never justify the killing of one innocent person regardless of religion, As Allah (swt) not only forbids such but says to do so is as if to kill all mankind, however can we truly sit back and expect nothing? People have been displaced, cut off, and live in poverty as their land(s) are slowly taken from others whom they cannot do anything against, but somehow we expect silence? We expect the Arabs to “just leave”? What makes it much worse is the bullying tactics being used. Not only does the Israeli government have the power to do what they will, but they also have the support thanks to our “made in Israel” bought and sold out politicians of all parties. The American government gives Israel 3 billion dollars a year…..for what? What have they done for America in the last four decades to warrant such? How is it that America has the much money to give away to Israel, but can’t seem to rebuild the Gulf Coast in America? Why is it that so called Christians have all the zeal in the world to help Israeli children, but none for Palestinian Children living in squalor thanks to the parents of the Israeli children, but also none for the American children here at home suffering right now?
I guess the rapture is too important to actually practice Christianity here at home….maybe it’s just me.
To keep this charade going they continually lie and twist scripture. For one, this is not a Judeo-Christian country that’s a blatant political lie, told to further strengthen this idea of blind, sick, Zionism. How can it even be remotely true, when no true Jewish presence helped establish this nation? Even if I threw the Christians a bone and said this country was founded on Christian beliefs, how in the world did the Judeo thing creep in? They are the smallest Abrahamic bloc not only in this country but the world. If anything it would be better to just say Christian, but justice would dictate that if you must add others, than Muslims should be added as well. Since it was on the backs of many Muslim slaves that this nation was built, there are more Muslims here contributing to America than Jews, etc. etc. My point is, these are lies used to foster Zionism and isolate Islam as not only something different, but also diametrically opposed to both Christianity or Judaism.
What really ticked me off was on the Christian segment when Rev. Hagee read from the book of Genesis and told an outright lie that it says that those who bless the Jews will be blessed. He made my point in a nutshell. Why do you have to lie to achieve an agenda that is supposedly sanctioned by God?
Genesis 12: 1 The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. 2 “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
Hagee had the nerve to blatantly lie on national television by saying that God is saying here that Israel is blessed! First and foremost, there was no Israel at this time, Israel; another name for Jacob (pbuh) came much later. This blessing is strictly for Abraham (pbuh) only, and the reason why the Christian right doesn’t want to deal with this scripture is due to the fact that it is too heavy because of the simple purity of it all. If one believes these verses to be accurate, then that means that Muslims are also blessed. Not just because we are descendants of Ishmael (pbuh), or are circumcised (which was also part of the covenant), but most importantly because we bless and revere Abraham (pbuh) not just in speech, not just in text (Quran), but also in prayer, five times a day when we ask God to bless Abraham (pbuh) and his descendants DAILY!
So see the trick is not to tell the truth, but to be as the serpent on his belly telling lies, half-truths, and covering up scriptural reality in the name of agenda, racism, Zionism, etc. Which should make anyone wonder are these Christian or Jewish Zionists the real deal per their own religion? I submit again, the truth should not require lying, cheating, or stealing. The truth should not require vast amounts of money to conceal, persuade, and oppress other peoples. The truth should not require one to defame another’s beliefs, ideas, or race. The truth should stand on its own merit.
So where am I going with this?
Muslims it’s time to wake up and smell the coffee! While we are busy debating hijab, Sunni/Shia fiqh, or which hand to wipe our backsides with, the “Christian Right” in America is building universities, raising huge amounts of money, and encouraging their congregations to vote in unison to promote an agenda. While we are debating when and how one’s wudu can be invalidated, Jewish Zionists are increasingly taking Palestinian land with much support militarily, politically, and financially, right under our noses! Palestinians are suffering while we are fighting amongst ourselves. Pretty soon, there will be no Palestine, there will be no right to worship as Muslims freely in America, and once this is all done what is next? Banning the Hijab in public? Police openly in the Mosque? My dear brothers and sisters, the time has ended for our petty differences. Allah (swt) does not care whether we pray with our arms folded or at our sides, just as long as we support the Ummah. The time for action is now. No I’m not talking about blowing yourself up like a fool, to kill a handful of people in order to get thousands of your people slaughtered. What I’m talking about is real work that will produce real results. We need a true American Muslim lobby with a universal Muslim agenda to rival if not outright outbid AIPAC and like entities. We need to stay away from unhelpful ideologies; you know the one’s that use Kuffar every other sentence! We need to be progressive, not regressive. We have to consider the entire Ummah regardless of fiqh. Belief in Allah (swt) and His Messenger (saw) should be the only requirement PERIOD! To achieve this, we have to face the reality that the Muslims do not live in a vacuum. We are on every continent, in every society, and every culture. As such we have to embrace these variances and differences as well as the non-Muslims in them as well. We should be willing to work with others who share similar beliefs and agendas. There is no reason why we shouldn’t be in the Churches just as much as the Zionists. After all, at least we believe in Jesus (saw) to some degree and on many of the same points as Christians. Many black Muslims and converts to Islam are former Christians who have majority families that are Christian, so we definitely have access. We need to be more uniform in our approach not divisive. We need to become more politically active here in America. That means we have to craft an agenda and stick to it. Once this agenda is in place every Muslim should vote for it and hold candidates feet to the fire. Mosques all over the country during Jummah and other times should encourage voting in every election. Not only that, we need to bring forth viable, Muslim candidates for every office in the nation and vote for those non-Muslims that support our interests. The Muslim agenda is closely aligned to the black agenda as well as the Hispanic agenda, Minorities and the oppressed have much in common. Therefore, if we utilize the correct approach, in no time, our agenda will overrun the Zionist one, and God-willing we could finally turn things around and justice could prevail. Obviously I have many ideas and strategies, but I’m not showing all my cards in one post:) Just think about it for a moment. My overall point is this: While CNN’s special God’s Warriors, did bother me at times and made me outright upset at others, the one thing it did do, for which I am happy is help me gather focus and resolve. This is about our future generations. I have no desire to see Jews or Christians oppressed. I believe Israel should exist in Peace with a viable and real Palestine. I believe in the destruction of terrorist ideology. But I believe more than anything else, that Allah (swt) helps those who help themselves. I also believe that in these times especially, it has become obligatory for each and every Muslim to do something in the cause of justice and peace not only for the Ummah, but for all mankind. We are our own worse enemies. Muslims command most of the world’s resources, but as a bloc suffer and die more than others. We need to pool our resources, become active, and support one another. In other words, Accountability and Responsibility should be our primary focus as Muslims outside of Allah (swt), but of course if that were true, there would be no need for my words, would there?
As Salaam Alaikum,
Robert Salaam
An American Muslim 