In mourning
This is for all of the terrorist attack victims in Sharm El Sheikh, in london, in Iraq, in madrid in the US and all over the world. This is for the families of the 88 casualties who died in the attack on our own soil, whose countries of origon include Egypt, Britian, Qatar, Italy, Spain and the USA.
This is for anyone who lost a family member, a lover or a friend in such a senseless act of violence. May they all rest in peace and may those who killed them rot in hell. (I know that this is a poor subtitute to the candle I was suppsoed to burn tonday, but it's the best I can do under the circumstances.)
posted by The Sandmonkey @ 7/29/2005 04:49:00 PM
13 Comments:
http://www.spectator.co.uk/article_pfv.php?id=6421
By far the majority of Muslims today live their lives without recourse to violence, for the Koran is like a pick-and-mix selection. If you want peace, you can find peaceable verses. If you want war, you can find bellicose verses. You can find verses which permit only defensive jihad, or you can find verses to justify offensive jihad.
You can even find texts which specifically command terrorism, the classic one being Q8:59-60, which urges Muslims to prepare themselves to fight non-Muslims, ‘Against them make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war, to strike terror into (the hearts of) the enemies’ (A. Yusuf Ali’s translation). Pakistani Brigadier S.K. Malik’s book The Quranic Concept of War is widely used by the military of various Muslim countries. Malik explains Koranic teaching on strategy: ‘In war our main objective is the opponent’s heart or soul, our main weapon of offence against this objective is the strength of our own souls, and to launch such an attack, we have to keep terror away from our own hearts.... Terror struck into the hearts of the enemies is not only a means, it is the end itself. Once a condition of terror into the opponent’s heart is obtained, hardly anything is left to be achieved. It is the point where the means and the end meet and merge. Terror is not a means of imposing decision on the enemy; it is the decision we wish to impose on him.’
Thank you for being human, Sam.
Butit will only be so long before the West realizes en masse the true root causes.
Very nice post. I too pray for peace, love, and compassion. Thoughts and prayers to all those who find themselves in harms way. Thanks again for the beautiful post.
Do not give up Sam. This time you started something and you chose to do it legally. That's the way to go.
So it didn't work out this time, perhaps it will the next time, or the time after that. I think you are far more stubborn than the government, put that stubborness to use and just keep trying.
Due to personal reasons I have been unable to work further in this specific project. However, there are different venues to serve a great cause like peace. We all agreed in the beginning of this peaceful project that we would do it the right way, the peaceful way, and the legal way. I will not be happy to know that I have contributed to a project that have caused a young Egyptian the rest of his life in Jail, or a young female student to be verbally or physically raped by some thugs.
Please don’t get me wrong, I’m proud of any political party that have decided to take that risk and fight for the real freedom and democracy of my country. Our project to work for peace was different, it was about peace from the head start and an anti-terrorism movement that doesn’t justify the killing of the innocent.
I know you well enough Sam to know that your heart was in the project very much. I know that you are one hell of a guy that can be of a great help to your country. I pray that you will not be discouraged and work hard on establishing peace. You have NOTHING to regret you have done your very best and showed perseverance and excellent problem solving skills. You have endured problems and handled it very well.
I have to add that despite our political difference the Big Pharoah have shown true qualities that are rare in this world.
To all those who worked on this project or any other project that aims for peace or making this world a better place to live, I show total admiration and respect and wish you continue to help Egypt and the Middle East to regain it’s strength.
Keep blogging, move on and gain strength. Tomorrow is a better day. Sorry this comment came kind of late but you know how busy things has been.
In mourning and solidarity I have linked to your candle.
http://occupied-territory.blogspot.com
Me too Sandmonkey , I have lighted my own candle!
To those who think that the arab world is silent.
Thanks Highlander for posting the links for us
http://chanad.weblogs.us/?p=396
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=768922005
Dittos Sam man, God bless the victims and their families. They were just fun loving folks armed with bathing suits and children.
Please thank all of the people who had the courage to stand up for sanity and justice.
Ricardo
I join you in your online vigil for "terrorist attack victims in Sharm El Sheikh, in london, in Iraq, in madrid in the US and all over the world".
But do add "Tel-Aviv" and you've got it right.
Good advice:
If you would persuade, you must appeal to interest rather than intellect.
But, he also said...
He that lives upon hope will die fasting.
Benjamin Franklin
US author, diplomat, inventor, physicist, politician, & printer (1706 - 1790)
Sandmonkey:
Don't be too hard on yourself. You're not a coward. I'm sitting in southern California, listening to talk-radio hosts complain about President Bush, call him a liar and murderer, and demand that he be impeached, arrested, and even worse. It's easy to forget that most of the world doesn't have the freedoms that I enjoy. Someday you will have those freedoms, but until then, don't think of yourself as a coward or a failure. The reality is that it's a bloody miracle that despite the oppression in your part of the world, there are still people like you. That candle also represent YOUR SPIRIT. Don't let it go out.
Those who want freedom must be willing to pay The price of freedom.
Papa Ray
West Texas
USA
You don't live in freedom; Egyptians are being oppressed by an old man and his cronies - how pathetic is that. Egyptians can't even gather without being attacked by police and government supporters - like who are government supporters anyhow - paid thugs?
As I see it, Egyptians will screw themselves over from within, but others see Egyptians as being saved - I'm hoping for the latter, but I am not holding my breath.
Joanne
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