Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Why does Islam remind me of George Orwell's "Animal Farm"?

Aside from the unintended symbolic pigs that were the main characters in George Orwell's classic denunciation of totalitarian movements, the "Animal Farm", whenever I come across some news item from a predominantly Muslim country about the persecution of minority religions I am reminded of the famous scene from the movie. In the animated 1954 feature movie "Animal Farm", the animals were stirred into a revolt and the instigators had painted a sign on the side of the barn that said: "All Animals are Created Equal." Then the farmer was driven off his farm and the animals took over with the corrupt pigs in charge. Overnight, someone added a new message to the sign on the barn that said: "But some are more equal than others."
In Indonesia, where Barack Hussein Obama was raised as a Muslim and learned how to salute the flag by placing his hands over his crotch, there is a professed belief that Islam is tolerant of all other religions. At least that is the official perception portrayed in the gullible leftist news media. But then one reads news items from sources within Indonesia that paint a much different picture. Like this story from AsiaNews reposted at Jihad Watch:
Indonesia: Mayor blocks all access roads to church, in defiance of court order

This is the same mayor who earlier decided that churches can't be built on streets with "Islamic" names. How higher levels of government respond to this latest escalation will determine whether we see more officials like Mayor Budiarto emerge in Indonesia. Behavior that is rewarded by inaction is likely to be repeated and intensified, as Budiarto's own track record in Bogor has shown.
"Moderate" Indonesia is paralyzed with indecision for the sake of saving face: it does not want to make a high-profile, public decision that would stop Muslims from enforcing Sharia over the constitution. It wants legislation that looks good on paper, and to have the dust settle quietly in practical matters at some point. When Islamic supremacists gain sufficient strength, the legislation will catch up.
"Bogor: mayor shuts down access roads to Yasmin Church, thus breaking the law," from Asia News, November 14:
Bogor (AsiaNews) – Bogor Christians celebrated Mass at home yesterday. After the ban on meeting at their church, members of the Yasmin Church (KGI) were not allowed to hold their Sunday service in the street. Despite criticism and international focus on the case, Bogor Mayor Diano Budiarto continues to refuse to bow to public opinion and a court order. In his latest action, he has exceeded his authority and blocked all access roads to the Yasmin Church. A dozen of local plainclothes security agents and uniformed police did not however prevent anti-Christian extremists from blocking one access road to the place of worship. In the end, Christian worshipers went to the home of a parishioner to celebrate Sunday service.
This is the first time in months that this happens since Budiarto’ decision to freeze the construction of the church despite the fact that the congregation had all the right permits.
In a message to AsiaNews, a KGI spokesman, attorney Bona Sigalingging, said that opposition to the church comes from the Muslim Indonesia Communications Forum (Forkami), an organisation chaired by Ahmad Iman, a local extremist.
Read the rest here.
Or perhaps this story, also from Jihad Watch, about an item published in Time magazine.
Indonesia: Muslim violence against religious minorities "relentless" 

When even the reliably dhimmi Time Magazine notices Muslim intolerance and persecution of people of other faiths (and "heretical" Muslims like the Ahmadis), you know the situation has gotten very bad in modern, moderate Indonesia. "The Other Indonesia," by Emily Rauhala in Time Magazine, November 21:
[...] A key measure of the level of justice and compassion in any society is how it treats its minorities — often its most vulnerable citizens. On that score, Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, is failing. In the past year, public violence against religious minorities, who together make up about 12% of the 240 million population, has been relentless: there has been a slew of incidents, from burnings and bombings of churches to attacks by radical Muslims on moderates. The authorities appear unable or unwilling to firmly intervene.
Further down in this story is this enlightened admission, the statement that so much reminded me of the message on the barn wall in the Animal Farm.
I raised the Ahmadiyah verdict with Suryadharma Ali, Indonesia's Minister of Religious Affairs, one of whose responsibilities is to keep the peace among all faiths. Suryadharma was unapologetic in tone: he said Indonesia respects religious freedom, but that minorities could not use that freedom to "completely modify" Islamic beliefs. He also defended regulations that ban Ahmadis from proselytizing or openly practicing their faith. The minister compared antagonism toward Ahmadis to flag burning: "Your country would get angry if you burned their flag. And the case of religion is higher than the flag." Perhaps so, but for Indonesia to be truly the modern, moderate society it claims to be, it needs to show through word and deed that it will not tolerate intolerance.
Well, at least Saudi Arabia isn't as hypocritical as Indonesia when it comes to other religions. If you are stupid enough to go there and your intentions are not to become a martyr for your faith, don't think of carrying a bible or a cross because it is against the law and they have an official religious police to enforce it. And there are NO churches (or synagogues) in Saudi Arabia at all. They are outlawed by Islamic Sharia Law. But they do have someone from America who bows before their king.

 

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