Check out this crazy Muslim fanatic! [View All]

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:sarcasm:

As most of you know, I'm living in Egypt on a long-term assignment. As ranted elsewhere, I am a Grumpy Atheist who is currently in the somewhat ironic position of trusting my life to Muslims every day.

I'm baffled by some of the anti-Muslim screeds I've been reading recently on DU. As an atheist, I don't really have a god in this fight. But as a humanist...I hope...I always try to concentrate on what I have in common with people, rather than our differences.

No, I would not want to argue that point with a Muslim fanatic waving an AK-47 at me. No more than I would want to argue it with an American Xian who is about to hurl a firebomb into a women's clinic. But most Muslims that I deal with every day don't fit the first stereotype, any more than most American Xians fit the second.

Anyway, I thought y'all might enjoy this article in today's Egyptian Gazette. It was written by Dr. Mohammed Ahmed Nasr, a surgeon who writes a semi-regular column for the paper.

Oh, and as the good doctor says, Happy Sham el-Nassim!!! That's an Egyptian holiday dating back to the days of Pharoahs, which celebrates the first day of spring. You'll never guess how they celebrate it--by giving colored eggs to the kiddies. Gee, it seems like I may have heard that one somewhere before...

I've edited out some of Dr. Nasr's comments that are only specific to Egypt today. To provide some context--just last week Alexandria was wracked by truly ugly riots between Muslims and Xians. As I write, just a few blocks from my hotel, regiments of Riot Police are standing guard in the streets.

On to the article, in italics:

Sham el-Nessim, the Feast Of Spring, dates back to Pharonic times. It is the only feast common to all members of Egyptian society, whether Muslims, Christians or Jews.

All religions celebrate the coming of spring. Let us all this year try to allow this feast to mark a new era of tolerance, peace and understanding among us all...

Islam came to preach tolerance, equality and the use of rational thinking to reach the relative truth. Throughout history, many Muslims have forgotten the true meaning of Islamic laws, sticking to the word, not the spirit. They've also confused the practice of their religion and the circumstances of the Arab society in which the Prophet Mohammed was living.

It is impossible to try to impose the habits or social circumstances of the Quraishi community of the Prophet Mohammed nearly 1,400 years ago on the communities of the 21st century.

The general rules of Islamic law do not change, but their applications differ from one country to another and from one century to another. That's why most Islamic governments in different countries have failed, delaying their countries' progress...

Look for example at the Taliban Government in Afghanistan. They tried to impose the dress and habits of the community of the Prophet on their society. The harm they did to their country was huge.

Modern societies have their own dress codes, their own habits and their own laws that may respect the general rules of their religion, applying that religion according to the laws of the 21st century...

Many university professors publish articles in major newspapers, in which they try to explain religion by science. These articles are riddled with mistakes, but no one dares criticize them.

It is extremely important to distinguish rational from irrational proposals and to adopt the philosophical methodology of Descartes. It is high time philosophy and the methodology of rational thinking were taught at all our schools.

We need to broaden the culture and knowledge of our youth, opening Egyptian doors to other international cultures. A policy of closing the doors on different world cultures is more harmful than beneficial.