Bassam Darwich / Mar 12, 2006

Today's conflict between Muslims and the free world is not a conflict among civilizations. Instead, it should be viewed as a conflict between ignorance and knowledge, between light and darkness, between freedom and oppression, and between civilization and savagery. More precisely, it should be viewed as a conflict between civilization and a dangerous ideology called Islam. The Muslims are not more than a victim to this ideology which has transformed many of them into terrorists. However, the worst type of terror is the one carried out against intellectual.

Intellectual terrorism is not new at all. It was practiced by the West, East and by Christians and Muslims alike. Nevertheless, while this form of terrorism has come to an end in the Free World, we find it flourishing in the Islamic world due to the strength of support by the principle of Islam and its product of dreadful traditions. This support goes further, by rewarding those who practice it with rewards not only in this life but also in the afterlife.


Muhammad, the prophet of Islam and the Muslims' role model, founded this type of terror when he ordered the death of those who dared to criticize him. Therefore, there is no wonder that the Islamic history is filled with killings and assassinations, which are widely practiced in all countries practicing Islamic rule.

What is so dangerous about this sort of Islamic intellectual terrorism is that it's not only carried out against Muslims who criticize Islam from within, but also against every human being on earth who dares to talk about Islam. A person who criticizes Islam can no longer feel secure no matter where they live. Ironically, there are no known boundaries to what offends Muslims as everything can agitate them! It is not easy for a westerner to know what does or does not satisfy them! There is no one governing Islamic entity that can be spoken to, not even two or three! Every bearded person is an authority! They are a nation that consists mostly of illiterates vulgar and demagogues where one idiot can mobilize millions of them by using a few emotional words.

The increasing threats to thinkers, artists, and whoever dares to voice an opinion about Islam or Muslims, form a serious danger which challenges the free world. Ignoring this danger and the lack of a strong coalition to confront it will eventually cost humanity a tremendous price.

The life of each intellectual in this world is nowadays under the mercy of any idiot Muslim who gets elevated to the rank of a saint, once he or she issues a religious opinion (Fatwa) or offers a reward to encourage the killing of anybody! If one takes into consideration the tremendous number of maniacs who form the majority of the Islamic Nation, then one can imagine the dangerous impact these words would have on such people.

Recently, some documents left behind by Al Qaeda runaways were made public. These documents depict the way Al Qaeda has become an establishment, just like any other employer, by advertising the availability of vacancies for fighters (Mujahideen) who desire to serve Allah and the Islamic Nation. According to these documents, these poor Muslims are being salaried less than, the price of a cup of coffee in
Europe or the United States. Each fighter (Mujahid) gets 1000 Pakistani Rupee a month which is equivalent to $17USD until he is asked to blow himself up for the sake of Allah.

So, if $17 can hire a killer, what about the reward of $1,500,000 Pakistani Rupees, which was recently offered by a Pakistani Clerk for the killing of the Danish artist who drew caricatures of Muhammad as a terrorist? Better yet, how about a 500,000,000 Indian Rupee (equivalent to 11 Million Dollars) being offered by a Muslim Minister in the Indian Government for whoever brings him the head of one of the artists who drew Muhammad. If there are thousands who would respond to Bin Laden's $17 offer, ready to kill anybody that Bin Laden tells them to kill, then there is no doubt that there would be millions of Muslim maniacs out there who are very anxious to get such a reward. And that is, of course, besides the greater reward of 72 virgins in the after life!

Realizing this intensifying danger, intellectuals must rush to establish a special international organization to defend their lives using all means. However, since the weapon of the intellectuals is their brain and pen, it is natural for them not to stoop to the barbaric level of the terrorists who use killers as their means. They must consolidate their efforts to establish a unified front to stand up against the forces of Islamic evil.

Such an establishment is a very vital demand. An effort should start today rather than tomorrow.

This establishment must have the following goals:

  • Call upon all free thinkers of the world to join and unite
  • Call upon all active members to become the eyes and ears for this establishment wherever they reside.
  • Make it a duty of every member to report any provocation or threat against any intellectual made by any Muslim, whether it is an individual, journalist, politician, religious clerk, or group.
  • Seek moral and financial support from all human right organizations and big corporations in order to have influence on governments to enact firm laws against intellectual terrorism and those who stand behind it.
  • Appoint lawyers to pursue the terrorists and expand its work to include specialized individuals to find those terrorists and bring them to justice.
  • Stand by all publishing houses that are under the threat of boycotting; this could be done by asking all members to republish whatever had led to the boycott so that no one would be facing the terrorist threat alone.


Solidarity alone amongst the intellectuals of the world would be the only way to stand in the face of this type of terrorism. Some people and organizations have taken weak and un-honorable stands by apologizing. These cowardly acts can only be interpreted as submission to terrorism and consequently will only encourage the spread of Islamic terrorism.

 

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