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That beauty was the contributions of many different groups. The ancient cultures of Mesopotamia, Babylon, Egypt, Persia, Syria, Morocco, Turkey, Lebanon and --yes-- Israel and the cities of Jerusalem and Mecca enrich the World. It is my lifes dream to see Arabs finding a different paradigm in their view of themselves, Israel and the world; The contributions of Judaism, Christianity and classical Islam produced a beautiful and unique culture that has influenced the whole world. How truly beautiful it would be if the cradle of world religions would set an example of respectful coexistence. The reasons I am writing about it can be summed up with three digits: 9/11. Since that day, I have known and seen many other Moslems shying away from Islam, and rightfully so. The relative tolerance of Classical Islam has been gradually eroded, to be replaced by rigid, fanatical fundamentalism. That once beautiful culture is now decaying, stagnant at best, and unable to accommodate other religions or cultures. This sickness is now contaminating the West through the terror of Jihad. I feel alienated from a religion that has sponsored over 30 years of terrorism, and from the flagrant and arrogant Moslem/Arab support of it. My criticism is not directed at the Koran itself, but at the current Moslem culture and community that has handed over control of Arab society to the most extreme, fanatical Wahabi Islamic sect. Many religions chose to mature out of their intolerant, medieval form. It is now Islams turn to seek reformation if they truly care to save their religions reputation around the World and to save the world from a major military confrontation. Reasonable Moslems should stand up and realize that people who criticize the current culture of Islam are not the threat to Islam; I believe that the Arab/Moslem world has lost its moral equilibrium and must travel a long road towards reformation. Their paranoia and obsession with Israel as the bogeyman in the neighborhood is becoming increasingly unbelievable, and after the cheering crowds on 9/11, their cause is no longer credible. This is a culture in convulsions, using anything and everything from oil to airplanes and from stones to suicide bombs as weapons against the rest of the World. In my estimation, this is a sure sign of internal struggle, conflict and weakness. Instead of using reason to reform their religion and join the rest of the civilized world in peaceful co-existence, they choose violence through their ancient doctrine of Jihad. Islam in its present form is almost impossible for many -- myself included -- to practice; The womens dress code is impossible to bear in the heat of the Middle Eastern climate. If youre born a Moslem you remain a Moslem whether you like it or not. Just like the color of your eyes, hair or skin, you are a Moslem. Freedom of thought or choice of ones religious beliefs is not an option. To be a Moslem is to belong to that bigger holier-than-thou, self-righteous group whom they try, but fail to emulate. Many Moslems find it impossible to live up to Moslem observances and codes of behavior, and at the same time are prohibited even from being exposed to other religions. With no where else to go, they are left in a no-mans-land, devoid of spirituality and a personal relationship with God, and burdened with guilt. Thus, they end up as part of the large number of the non-practicing Moslems. The non-practicing Moslems are Moslems who wear Western clothes, do not pray 5 times a day, dont fast in Ramadan and do not consult with Moslem theology before indulging in many personal and social activities. However, most of these non-practicing Moslems are staunch defenders of Islam especially in front of non-Moslems and many share the hatred of Jews and Christians. They surrender their society to the extremist Moslems out of guilt and in order to be left alone. Even many Christians in the Middle East have been Islamized out of fear without even knowing it. Even though I did not practice or choose Islam and was just born into it, my life together with all people in the Middle East was totally controlled by it. I surrendered to the guilt, the oppressive society and Islamic laws unfavorable to women (I have written an article on this called "Impossible Family Dynamics of Islam"). It took me many years to actually know I am not a Moslem, never have been, nor wanted to be. I had to find great (almost superhuman) inner strength to actually extract myself, my mind and my soul from feeling, being and belonging to Islam. Most religions advocate a kind of submission in one form or another. It brings internal peace, reliance on the creator in everything a Moslem does, and accepting lifes many challenges and unavoidable pain. One just has to look at the faces of many Moslems praying and see sincere submission. Submission in the Moslem world is often misplaced to dictators and people of authority instead of God. Freedom of speech is discouraged and condemned and is replaced by submission. That condition attracts political and religious tyranny. Many Moslems are very kind and friendly and we often ask why none of them speak out against terrorism. The answer is that there is a hierarchy of submission that no one calling him/herself a Moslem can escape from. Many of the non-practicing Moslems who do not follow the commands of the Koran to the letter often support the extremists out of guilt or fear. The end result is a mass of humanity, submitting to the terror of dictatorships in a large hierarchy of an oppressive social structure from top to bottom. Dictatorships in the Middle East are not only enforced from the top, but are part and parcel of the dynamics and structure of the whole society. It is not very difficult to establish and maintain dictatorships in Moslem countries. Only one-party systems can exist, not necessarily Islamic but definitely oppressive and dictatorial, veiled by the legitimacy of Islam. The scenes of Saddam Husseins hands being kissed by his subjects who look at him with fearful adoration are very common in the Middle East. Fearing Allah has been transferred to fearing "Leader", who behaves like God. Huge posters bearing the portrait of leaders are displayed everywhere you go on Arab streets. There are more songs expressing the love and devotion to Arab leaders than any religious songs praising Allah. The people also expect their leaders to do miracles, to save them, and take care of them from cradle to grave. As a child I remember my grandparents hands being kissed by poor villagers who needed something. My grandparents often refuse the bowing and the kiss, but are often pleased by it. Servants submit to their masters, workers to their bosses and children to their parents. Maids often have to express total respect and submission and very often to physical and sexual abuse. There is a sad dependency for ones welfare upon the graces of any one above you in the Moslem hierarchy of submission. Since initiative is stifled, most people wait for things to happen to them rather than change things on their own. Slavery may have been abolished officially, but it is alive and well in a different form called submission. The flip side of this submission is that it creates a people who are extremely sensitive to criticism and with chauvinistic impulses. You thus see a loyal, polite Moslem man turn violently angry over the slightest difference of opinion or challenge to the status quo. People explode in illogical overreaction to trivial disagreements. The first reason for me to escape Islam is that I am an independent thinker and cannot submit totally and blindly to any ideology, especially if society willingly transfers its submission to a dictator, an employer, or any figure of authority. There is no tolerance in Islamic society to differing views; In Islamic culture, personal freedom is not an esteemed value, to say the least, and peer pressure wholly regulates one's behavior, including how you pray, how you dress, what you eat, who you befriend, in short, every minute detail of your life. Many Moslems assign to themselves the role of God in enforcing Islamic law. Extreme and crue...
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