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| Prime Minister of Australia Malcolm Turnbull, then Minister of Coommunications during the Q&A show |
It must have been surprising that politician, who portrayed himself as modern man, retrogressed to communication of ancient idea that its goal is nothing else than destruction of all of achievements of modernity. Unfortunately the only Islamic voice heard loudly in the world that is ISIS and other jihadists organizations (other Muslims do not protests in massess on streets of democratic states as one would imagine that co-believers would have done it if they would think that their beliefs were exploited) do not conceal their strategic plan to conquer Western European states that during Muslim domination belonged to caliphate (in the course of this article it will become clear why author of this article asserts wrong to give example of almost non-existent, or at least non-visible in public, moderate Muslims - and this is tragic situation).
Mr. Turnbull statements seem to be misinformed and confusing which promote and communicate, at best, incomplete view of complex political reality. Because, as Western experts knowlegdable in Muslim religious system emphasize, Islam has never been perceived by its proponents in Eastern world, as Christianity is being seen in Western civilization.
For Christians, Christianity is a system of beliefs and worship which influences their private and public attitude in terms of moral and ethical stance. For Muslims, Islam is whole life that includes civil, criminal and even constitutional laws.
Its concepts conveyed not Latin word religio, pre-dating Christian world, describing ancient religious rituals but Arabic din which means law. Likewise church, as an institution, as a power is not equivalent of mosque. Western democratic order does not allow government to establish state religion in law on separation between church and state. Mosque combines political and religious functions incorporating secular legislative, executive and judicial powers which Muslims do not wish to distinguish.
Per analogiam the mission of Christian church and the mosque diametrically differ in its nature of totalitarianism that characterizes Islamists intending to bring the prophet Muhammad revelations to all mankind and to impose the laws on all the world.
In this sense Islam is a counterpart not only of Christianity in a narrow language of democracy but also of civilization based on Judeo-Christian foundation. Jihad is an instrument for achievement of this goal both in its most violent and non-violent manner.
Mr. Turnbull reminded viewers about contribution of Islamic scientists into European culture in the same time but failed to explain why does current state of Arabic civilization remain in regress. And why it continues to reject not only rational and experiential sciences, but most importantly, constitutional order based on consent of govern.
Which Islamic tradition support traditions for example of tolerance or democracy Mr. Turnbull named? Sadly the answer is probably none - emphasizes eminent British historian and expert on history of Islam, author of What Went Wrong, Professor Bernard Lewis.
Historically for the Muslim, Christianity was an abrogated religion, which its followers absurdly insisted on retaining, instead of accepting God’s final word. They could be tolerated if they submitted. If they did not, they were to be fought until they were overcome and either accepted the truth of the Muslim faith or submitted to the authority of the Muslim state.
Islam is not interested only in defeat of the rival religions but in change of political identity and restrictions of civil liberties of democracies. Islam and Constitutionalism can not co-exist in peace because Muslims perceive liberal democracy based on Judeo-Christian civil liberties as an antithesis of irrational submission to interpretation of medieval nomadic customs and rules. Hence Professor Samuel Huntington argued that clash of Western civilization and Islam is inevitable.
Islam rejected modernity, Reformation and Enlightenment, choosing instead to build the system that is an attempt of creation of world religion. This is part of strategic plan of ISIS designed for Christian civilization. The secret of narrative of Islamic State that has been revived from period of conquests in Europe during Middle Ages is its historic and unchanged character. For centuries Muslims were taught to hate infidels (commandment of love of neighbour is absent in Muhammad revelations) and conquer their world to realize strategic plan of prophet for world.
Another expert, Islamic thinker and reformer Dr. Tawhik Hamid, answered Mr Turnbull who believes in moderate islamic traditions. Dr. Hamid looking at the reality of brutal death cult and its unprecedented popularity in Muslim world asked himself whether a young Muslim can become more religious and obedient to Allah without subsribing to this ancient brutality - practicing moderate version. He answered: no. Concluding that until the leading Islamic scholars provide a peaceful theology that clearly contradicts the violent views of Islamic State, the existence of a "moderate Islam" must be questioned.
It is not. Political correctnesss caused to erase "Islamic" from phrase islamic terror and now it is also trying to exchange Islamic State with Daesh having no meaning for Westerner (on the advice of some Islamic scholars to avoid suggestion that the IS barbarism has links with Islam). This efforts confuse even more and deprive Western civilization from its most important weapon that won Cold War - language.
West is in turmoil because it can not even name and define its enemy. The founders of European Union did not foresee collapse of political order in Middle East and relativization of morality that threatens defensibility of Western democracies. Men and women of Europe's democracies facing unprecedented devastation of Europe after total world war envisioned peaceful and sustainable life in ruined states based on Judeo-Christian moral infrastructure. This infrastructure is target for those whom message of imposing the Arabic law on Western civilization gives sense to life and reaches imagination of young Muslims because the worldwide rule of Islam is their Islamic dream.
What is the purpose of promoting it? Mr. Turnbull could have used other words for example "tolerate" or "co-exist in peace" instead he decided to argue that one needs to promote and encourage Islam. One of the theoretists of propaganda French philosopher Jacques Ellul would say that in ABC studios Mr. Turnbull was not communicator but rather similar to someone whom one could call "inadvertent propagandist" of slogans purporting false perceptions which never become foundation of peace he desires for Christians and Muslims.
Full statement of Mr. Malcolm Turnbull on Q&A show, ABC television:
I mean Islam is an ancient religion of great scholarship. I mean for heaven sake much of our learning and culture came to us from the Muslims, just like, you know, our whole system of numbers and much of the learning of the ancient Greeks only survived because of the Arab scholars and the Islamic scholars. So, you know, the idea that Islam is antithetical to learning or culture or scholarship is absurd. Now, you know, it's a great tradition. It is important for us that we promote and encourage Islam ... Islamic traditions which are moderate, which support freedom, which support democracy and which support Australian values not in the sense of Aussie values but in the sense of democracy, rule of law, tolerance, freedom. That's what we're talking about and they are universal values.
