Eradication of jihadism is a daunting task, since Islam is truly a virulent and persistent pandemic disease. Massive education efforts, combined with resolute confrontation of all sources and people that support and promote detoxification of the mind of this deadly philosophy, hold the best promise of dealing effectively with this affliction of humanity.
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Detoxification is the physiological or psychological removal of toxic substances from a living organism. Let me use a metaphor to help an understanding of this process. Islam is a type of dependence inducing “potion.” In the same way that; let us say, alcohol is. Millions and perhaps billions imbibe alcohol. A great majority of these consumers qualify as moderate and social drinkers. Drinking alcohol may do them some psychological good but may also exact some physical health problems and a monetary price. Yet, a vast number of human beings find enough “comfort” to put up with the monetary, health, relationships, and other costs of their drinking.
A certain number are the heavy drinkers who are severely dependent and reliant on the drug. And there are those who are infrequent drinkers. They may have some wine at Christmas or on their birthday. And finally, there are those who are teetotalers. They never touch the stuff. So, you have a kind of what statisticians call a normal curve that people distribute themselves along the drinking dimension as a bell-shaped function. Some are on one extreme, some on the other, and the great majority between the two extremes.
The same applies to Muslims. Islam is habit-forming. Just like alcohol. How strongly habit forming? It depends on the person and his circumstances. Is Islam “beneficial” to the person? Apparently yes it is. For some, it is life itself, just like the skid-row alcoholic, to others it means something, and yet to others it is something to be avoided altogether.
Mind Invasion
Islam, from its inception, discovered the crucial secret of getting to the young mind early by adhering to the dictum: Instruction in early childhood is akin to carving in a rock. In the same vein goes the Jesuit saying, “Give me a child until he is seven, and I will give you the man,” derived from the philosophy and theology of Saint Augustine. The immense importance of getting early to the young mind is also emphasized by non-religious doctrines as diverse as the Freudian psychoanalytic theory and Watsonian Behaviorist psychology.
Total or major replacement of beliefs, particularly as one gets older, becomes less likely, yet it happens occasionally. Paul’s sudden transformation from a rabid Christian-persecutor to a devoted believer of the faith of Christ is a familiar instance of such a dramatic change. Ideas, on the other hand, are much more amenable to change, replacement or discard as long as they do not substantially undermine the integrity of the main framework—the belief.
Short Answer
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In the same way that people need to go through detoxification programs to free themselves from physical dependencies, they also must undergo detoxification programs to wean themselves from Islam.
How to do that? The best way in my opinion is exactly what many concerned citizens, writers, bloggers and experts are doing. Explain and expose Islam and its harm. They also need to further expand the re-education effort greatly by writing and translating in their native Muslim nations’ languages. Radio and television programs are also vital. It is a long process. Yet, the bottom line is this blind dependency on Islam that hooks the masses to its greatly enticing promises and provides easy answers for much of humanity’s underclass.
Persian Enigma
I am very optimistic about the country of my birth. I believe Iran will be the first that carry the torch of liberty. This is indeed the dawn of a new era in Persian history, a true renaissance for our world. Over 1400 years of darkness has reached its inevitable end. People on the mountaintops are clearly discerning the rays of the new sun that inevitably will chase away the gloom of darkness. It is time to celebrate the new day by enlisting all of us in the work of ushering in the light of freedom and insuring that never again will it be replaced by the darkness and oppression of Islam. I am calling upon all Iranian, whether at home or abroad, to join this natural movement in ushering in the new day and to contribute whatever you can to make it a truly magnificent change of fortune for the new Iran as well as for the entire home of humanity, by leaving Islam in large numbers.
It is going to be a slow process, much slower and much more difficult than we would like it to be. This Islam thing is a long-term deep dependency of many attractions to many. It is going to take a great deal of work and perseverance to free Muslims from its grip. As sad as it is, that’s the way this world is: Far, far from perfect, and not even close.
Cultural Muslims
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There are some 1.5 billion Muslims in the world, the overwhelming majority of which are “Cultural Muslims” who are generally called moderate Muslims. Why moderate? Because they were simply born into Islam, where a great many of them never go through the process of deciding for themselves if they want to be Muslim. It is not a religion that they choose; it is a belief they inherit. For whatever reason, this great majority of these “Cultural Muslims” are Muslims of this type without fully toeing the line of Islam. Real Muslims are the jihadists, a small minority who lives and dies by the dictates of the Quran and the Sunna, the life examples of Muhammad.
Islam is a powerful magnet for the masses that are unable to deal with the uncertainties of life and death on their own. It is from this population, many already thoroughly indoctrinated from birth that the majority of diehard jihadists emerge.
Humanity has matured considerably since the time of Muhammad. In order to continue its forward march, mankind must follow a roadmap appropriate for its age and state of development. It is foolish to insist that a book, which demands terrorism and was written over 1400 years ago, must serve as the one and only guide for humanity. I believe that “Cultural Muslims” hold the key. They hold the balance of power.
Jihadists
The great majority of jihadists emerge from the ranks of those born into the religion of Islam, simply because they are the ones who are most thoroughly indoctrinated and influenced by Islamic dogma in their most receptive and formative early years. Yet, there are others who embrace Islam in adulthood, on their own, and enlist themselves as devoted jihadists for the same rewards that Islam offers them.
Within this sea of surging humanity composed of some 1.5 billion Muslims, each individual believer—a drop—through a combination of choice and forces beyond his control, ends up in one of its many waves. It is the jihadist wave that is highly attractive to the deeply indoctrinated and poorly adjusted in dealing rationally and independently with life. Here, he finds the ironclad perfect solution to his anxieties and perplexities.
To a jihadist, death is nothing more than casting off a shell of the worthless earthly existence and donning an angelic suit to wing joyously to a life of bliss promised by none-other than Allah’s beloved final emissary, Muhammad.
Eradication of jihadism is a daunting task, since Islam is truly a virulent and persistent pandemic disease. Massive education efforts, combined with resolute confrontation of all sources and people that support and promote detoxification of the mind of this deadly philosophy, hold the best promise of dealing effectively with this affliction of humanity.
Final Note
The best, yet most difficult resolution of this conflict is to do what hundreds of thousands of former Muslims have already done. They have abandoned the slaveholder Islam: they broke loose from the yoke of the exploitive clergy, renounced Islamofascisim, purged the discriminatory and bizarre teachings in the Quran and the Hadith, and left the suffocating tent of dogmatic Islam for the life-giving expanse of liberty.
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Amil Imani is the author of Obama Meets Ahmadinejad and Operation Persian Gulf.
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written by Ex-Muslim Lady , January 14, 2012
written by Gnostic , January 14, 2012
written by Gnostic , January 15, 2012
interesting. However, I am afraid to comment there because I would have
to unveil my E-Mail address ...
written by duh_swami , January 15, 2012
written by fineliving56 , January 15, 2012
You have been missed
welcome back….. friend
written by dead or alive , January 15, 2012
written by Machmoed , January 16, 2012
written by Ex Muslim Lady , January 16, 2012
written by duh_swami , January 16, 2012
written by duh_swami , January 16, 2012
written by Archpagan , January 16, 2012
I generally use two I P addresses. One of them has been blocked. Like dead or alive, last month I also got threatening responses while trying to access this site.
written by Archpagan , January 16, 2012
The spurt in Islamic fundamentalism stems from inferiority complex. According to Islamic scriptures Koran is the final message from God and Muslims are the best people on earth. But in reality a Muslim finds that Muslims are educationally, industrially and militarily Muslim the most backward people on earth. To him this dichotomy between reality and revered ideals is resolvable, according to Scottish historian William Dalrymple, only by blowing themselves up.
written by Gnostic , January 16, 2012
However, the true problem behind the islamic world is still islam and it always was the problem, but nobody noticed it. Under Ottoman rule, islam was the ideology to treat the Arab World like a colony and nobody, acording to many, even noticed that. Islam with its ban on bookprinting is responsible for the backwardness of the islamic world but nobody noticed it because everybody believed that muslims are even superior.
Thus, islam is also responsible for the fact that the west was underestimated and this is stll the case, even today. Other people are also underestimated because muslims cannot imagine that unbelievers might be superior.
After WW II, many islamic rulers believed they only need some oil dollars and a few years later they would be strong enough to defeat the west and Israel. But this was not the case because it is necessary to modernise the society first. But this will never happen under islamic rule.
written by duh_swami , January 17, 2012
written by Yibel , January 17, 2012
All Good Practicing Muslims are emissaries of Muhammad/Allah. That is what jihad is all about!
Welcome back duh_swami.
It is going to be a slow process, much slower and much more difficult than we would like it to be. This Islam thing is a long-term deep dependency of many attractions to many. It is going to take a great deal of work and perseverance to free Muslims from its grip. As sad as it is, that’s the way this world is: Far, far from perfect, and not even close. Go get 'em!
written by Only one true god. , January 18, 2012
written by Guy Macher , January 18, 2012
written by Uzoozy , January 18, 2012
Your so called Jihadis are true believers of Islam and Moderate muslims are just born into it.
Like the entire article you have got most of the sgtuff backwards.
In my view you are just another hatemonger and I.........c.
1.5 billon muslims in the world be aware.
written by M. A. Khan, editor , January 19, 2012
I do not why and how the writer can cook up so much hatered.What's wrong with this statement? How Muhammad and his disciples -- the truest of Muslims -- were different from the Jihadis of today? What non-Muslim community of Arabia was left alone in peace by Muhammad and his Jihadi followers. Every community of kafirs that came within the domain of Muhammad's power, were slaughtered, expelled or forced to convert by Muhammad.
Your so called Jihadis are true believers of Islam and Moderate muslims are just born into it.
