A message to Green Party Leadership Candidates and Membership at large.
With reference to Leadership candidate Dimitri Lascaris’ interview with a Canadian media on Islam.
Excellent interview, Dimitri Lascaris. Thank you. As a GPC member for a dozen years, since Elizabeth May joined the party and became its Leader, and as a former Shadow Cabinet (Critic for Defense for a couple of years), I was encouraged by your way of handling the discussion on foreign policy, Canada’s Security, and on « terrorism ».
Everything you said I would agree, except for your comments on Islam. You were presenting it as soft and gentle.
Islam, and in fact all three Abrahamic religions, are weird and dangerous if taken literally, all three prejudicial to humanity and to world peace. Not surprisingly. They are, over a thousand years old for Islam, and over two thousand years old for Christianity and Judaism! Humanity has evolved since then and is in serious need of a (new) Universal religion that would be a bit more inclusive and more rational than the belief in the story of Adam created by an old man with a long white beard named god, god knows how he came in life himself, and Eve created from a rib of Adam by the same imaginary old-man-god who in a New Testament would make Mary pregnant, and would with wrestle with Moses or Abraham, I forgot which one it was. A God who’s acts of violence and genocide as written in the Bible would certainly be convicted as « crimes against humanity » in today’s International Court of Justice.
Let me brief you, if I may, as well as other leadership candidates who might read this, for reference in future interviews or speeches on the matter of Islam. The briefing is also addressed to other green candidates, and to everyone.
First of all, a topic very much confused is the use of “Islamic” and “Muslim” without distinction, as if they were synonyms. They are not. I shall explain the difference. Secondly, I would argue that it is unjust and incorrect to be respectful towards Islam and blame the mischiefs on some Muslims, as it is commonly done. The truth is just the opposite. Islam is to be blamed, not Muslims!
On the one hand, generations of people who suffered from Islam, millions of Iranians who ran away from their homeland because of the Islamic regime, journalists of Charlie Hebdo, Salman Rushdie, the assassinated translators of his Satanic Verses, thousands of contemporary victims of Islamic savageries and act of terrorism if they were alive and could talk, would certainly disagree with your position of presenting Islam as a gentle religious ideology.
On the other hand, many cultures from many communities and nations (i.e. Iran, Iraq, Aghanistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Egypt, North African , etc.) were destroyed and lost through the intolerant monotheism and monolithic way of thinking of the tenants of Islam, through Islamic zealots. Cultural destruction continued nowadays in Afghanistan by the Taliban who destroyed gigantic Buddha statues with RPG and other explosives and by ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Crazy!
Moreover, and regardless of the above mentioned facts, Islamic leaders like Khomeini in Iran, those of ISIS, Al Qaeda, the Taliban, Boko Haram, Al Nusra, Al Shabaab, etc., the list is long, wouldn't agree with you that Islam is or should be soft and gentle! That is not their understanding of their duty from their reading of the Koran or from their following of their models: Allah’s Messenger and His successors (the Caliphs). Their understanding is that all people in the world shall Submit to the will of Allah, and by "force" (Jihad) if necessary. Saudi Arabia, the motherland of Muhammad and Islam, is very clear on this. The inscription on its flag which is in Arabic states: لا الاهه الالله، محمدً رسول الله « There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is its messenger ». The inscription is underlined by a Sword. It is a clear logo and symbol of what Islam represents and how it is aiming to attain its goal. Islam is in a war of conquest against Humanity, against Feminity. Contrary to the propaganda, Islam does not mean Peace. It means Submission. A good Muslim (Islamic) is someone who is « submitted » to the will of Allah and to the words of his Messenger (Allah is an idol in Kaaba, he or she cannot talk).
Military Jihad is recommended when the leaders of a Muslim community feel they might be strong enough to win and distribute amongst themselves the spoil of the war. Otherwise, "taqieh" تقیه , which means « hiding the intention », is recommended. In both cases, the security of any country with a considerable Muslim community, is at risk. Truth will be the first victim, as well as Free Speech, Humanism, and Feminism. It’s easy to see it, for anyone who dares and has the courage to keep it’s eyes and mind open. But it is also difficult because of the Islamic propaganda propagating warlike misinformation.
You said in your interview, Dimitri, that you read the Koran, and found it all good! Don’t say that! I must assume, you were referred to a few sentences or to some nice limited parts of the book. Otherwise, violence easily transpires from any objective reading of the Koran. Islam appears as a religion for war, not for peace. That is how Islam conquered the mighty Persian Empire. It wasn’t peaceful. It is not peaceful fourteen hundred years after.
Muslim or Islamic
In any case, distinction should be made between Muslim and Islamic, which is rarely made by those who aren’t perfectly aware of the situation.
Muslims are people born in that religion. Perhaps over 99 % of the Muslim community in the planet are born in that religion. An Islamic is a speical kind of Muslim. An Islamic is a Muslim fundamentalist who reads and understands the Koran literally. Islamics are fundamentalist Muslims who do not realize that those ancient laws (Sharia), if once progressive, were meant for a certain Place and Time. They do not realize that laws made fourteen centuries ago in Makkah and Medina is not adapted to today’s world, that behaviors considered heroic and progressive fourteen centuries ago aren’t so today. They were heroic and commendable then, they are like bullying and warmongering nowadays and condemnable.
As an Iranian born Muslim and a as free thinker who experienced an Islamic regime in Iran, I take offense when politicians take side with Islam. There are too many of them within all the political spectrum.
The Liberal Justin Trudeau proudly helped a Pakistani member of his caucus to pass a motion condemning Islamophobia. A tool happily and abundantly used by Islamic of all stripes to silence any critics.
The Republican George W. Bush criminally had US military invade and occupy (now for almost two decades) Iraq and Afghanistan. And every US administration after him kept that occupation, all of them flirting with backward criminal Islamic Taliban in the eastern part of Iran, allowing it to oppress women, and to suppress Persian speakers and free-thinkers. In Iraq, Iran’s western flank, they’ve been controlling the government and pushing it into adopting anti-Iranian governance. Recently they dared to assassinate near Baghdad General Qassem Soleymani, an IRI military hero who successfully commanded the fight against ISIS.
The Democrat Obama’s administration for who’s presidential election I very actively campaigned (as a then US resident), had hypocritically gave birth to the monstrous « Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant »/« Islamic State of Iraq and Syria »/ Dowlat-e Aslami-e Eraq wa Sham) (ISIL/ ISIS /Daesh) which ran for some years the bloody show in Iraq and Syria, and perpetuated unbelievable atrocities, against almost everyone, committing genocide against the Izadi/Yazidi people.
The Conservative Stephen Harper, called the Saudi ruler “a man of peace”(sic) for his purchase of made-in-Canada weapons for $15 billions, and who joined and encouraged gatherings of the terrorist Islamic opposition gang of Mujahidin under chief Mrs Maryam Rajavi who traditionally pays from the money given to her by the US administration, fifty thousand dollars to each and any high-ranking North-American politician who would make a short supportive speech.
The Green Leader of Canada, Elizabeth May, pathetically expressed support to her Islamic brothers and sisters faithful to the same imaginary God as she is, the God who ordered Abraham to behead his son and who destroyed in fire Sodom and , the God who committed other atrocities in the Bible, who also enjoyed make pregnant a married woman with His son! Elizabeth approved the fact that 11.5 million dollars be given by Trudeau’s government to a Taliban fighter who was too young when he killed and mistreated in Guantanamo!
The NDP Leader Tom Mulcair gave his support in Quebec to women wearing Niqab, and royally welcomed as hero an Egyptian Canadian journalist liberated after being jailed for cooperating with Muslim Brothers in Egypt. Unfortunately for Tom, by doing so, he lost a good chance to form the first NDP government in Canada).
The former Premier of Québec went to a mosque, starting his speech with Allah-o-Akbar (Allah is the Greatest), the slogan systematically used by Islamic fighters before beheading their victims, and continued the speech with other Islamic expressions, complimenting Islam. Luckily, he found miraculously his budget deficit changed into a surplus! Allah is the greatest indeed!
Former presidents of France, from Mitterrand to Giscard, Chirac, Sarkozy, Holland and Macron all bowed to Islam in exchange with petrodollars. Until now when it seems that Macro, due to the relative scarcity of petrodollars and a decline in his popularity because of the pandemic, decided to change the cap.
Most other « Western governments » were subdued for the same strategic and greedy reasons and for their lack of morality and courage. We’ve seen President Barack Obama bowing to the Saudi ruler, the otherwise great New-Zealand Prime minister cozying Islam, as do many other politicians and political leaders around the world, indulging Islamic crimes, closing their eyes over the Izadi genocide, over the systemic gang-raped of all Izadi girls by Islamic fighters, the killing of all their men, the reducing of older woman into slavery, and the ideological bringing up of the younger surviving Izadi / Yazidi children into future Islamic fighters who would hate and kill their own parents and relatives.
I didn’t yet mentioned British rulers who are instrumental in the reviving of Islamic movements, most notably by creating the Islamic State of Saudi Arabia in 1920 and the Islamic State of Pakistan in 1947, and working hand in hand with the USA in creating in 21st century, two more new Islamic States in Afghanistan and Iraq. British role in helping Khomeini seize power and in installing an Islamic republic in Iran is unknown to me, although the role of the BBC during the year of the Islamist turmoil so called « Islamic revolution » was manifest and is very well known. President Hassan Rouhani has excellent relationship with with the British and, while one of key IRI Security authority spent several months in Britain before coming back to Iran to become the President of the Islamic Republic.
Most western politicians indulged the Islamic rule of terror to please rich in petrodollars Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, the Emirates, Libya (before they decided to get rid of their friend Al-Gaddafi, to be replaced by Al Qaeda and chaos). The US also helps rulers of the IRI to survive by maintaining a state of war and helping those rulers to mobilize Iranians in their support. Western rulers also indulge Islam through political correctness, from fear of the Muslim-Islamic communities within their own country, or to just get their vote during elections.
The Green Party of Canada and all Greens around the world, working united, should re-establish morality in international relations and replace hypocrisy and petrodollar greed by a New Green & Blue World Order. Now Coronavirus might play a role.
Perhaps in a new Post-Modern World Order, the upbringing of children into weird and violent old ancestral religions should be prohibited and should be considered cases of « mental-child-abuse ».
While, as a politician, you might not have the courage to take the risk of attacking or criticizing Islam, but please do not be soft on "political Islam" neither. It would be an insult and a betrayal towards all men and women who want to live free and be considered equal in rights. Supporting Muslim(-born) women oppressed by Islamic rules should be enough of a reason to not take side with or indulge political Islam. Never let a bunch of Islamic zealots intimidate you. They are just more vocal, they might try to terrorize you, but they are a tiny little minority amongst Muslims.
In Iran, unfortunately, those Islamic zealots are presently in power. But things are changing. Patriots gradually overpowering Islamists in their networking.
If a candidate wishes during her/his campaign to be diplomatic and to not antagonize people, unlike I who often does, it would be a good idea to just not take position about Islam by saying, if you are asked, "I do not know enough about Islam to make a judgment, but I respect Muslims" or « I do not know a lot about Islam and I respect Muslims », which would be truthful and appropriate statements.
And I, as a Muslim-born, as well as hundreds of millions like me, will appreciate.
Shodja Eddin Ziaian
Edited, November 18, 2020.
