I really do want
to love Muslims.
Even the misguided, hate-filled Muslims who kill Christians and Jews
because they think they are doing God a favor by doing so. I am told by
One far greater than I that we must “Love your enemies” and we must pray
for them.
The tough part comes not with dealing with
hate-filled Wahabbi-type Muslim extremists. Those guys are easy
compared to dealing with the
enemies of free speech. I suppose that includes the hate-filled Wahabbi-type
Muslim extremists, too. But I am referring more to the conservatives or
liberals who decry the events in my fictional Ameristan.
Listen up, folks: It's OK to use hyperbole to
make a point. What is hyperbole? Let's ask
dictionary.com to define it for us:
hy·per·bo·le (h
-pûr
b
-l
)
n.
- A figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or
effect, as in I could sleep for a year or This book weighs
a ton.
-
- [Latin hyperbol,
from Greek huperbol,
excess, from huperballein, to exceed :
huper, beyond; see hyper- + ballein,
to throw; see gwel-
in Indo-European Roots.]
The lie is different on every level.
You will find this statement in the closing dialog between Darryl Harb and
Abu Kareem, where Kareem takes responsibility
for the devastating attacks on America that are portrayed so vividly in
Ameristan. We referenced
dictionary.com in the above
paragraph (and in the box above) in regards to the definition of
hyperbole. The same source includes a rather interesting quote from
Macaulay — “Somebody has said of the boldest figure in rhetoric,
the hyperbole, that it lies without deceiving.”
The plain fact of the matter is that the use of
hyperbole in Ameristan is a deliberate “hyper-hyperbole” —
if I may coin a term for how I employ the literary device in both the
novel and the screenplay from which Ameristan is derived.
Macaulay's tongue-in-cheek comment about lying without deceiving
counterpoints the elements of deception inherent in the Muslim doctrine of
al-Takeyya, as so forcefully described in the penetrating essay entitled
Lying in Islam by Abdullah Al
Araby, and as portrayed in Ameristan. Here are Al Araby's
comments:
The Arabic word, "Takeyya", means "to prevent,"
or guard against. The principle of
Al-Takeyya conveys the understanding
that Muslims are permitted to lie as a preventive measure against
anticipated harm to one's self or fellow Muslims. This principle gives
Muslims the liberty to lie under circumstances that they perceive as life
threatening. They can even deny the faith, if they do not mean it in their
hearts.
Al-Takeyya is based on the following
Quranic verse:
Let not the believers Take for friends or
helpers Unbelievers rather than believers: if any do that, in nothing
will there be help from Allah: except by way of precaution (prevention),
that ye may Guard yourselves from them (prevent them from harming you.)
But Allah cautions you (To remember) Himself; for the final goal is to
Allah. — Surah 3: 28
According to this verse a Muslim can pretend to
befriend infidels (in violation of the teachings of Islam) and display
adherence with their unbelief to prevent them from harming him.
Under the concept of
Al-Takeyya and short of killing
another human being, if under the threat of force, it is legitimate for
Muslims to act contrary to their faith. The following actions are
acceptable:
Abdullah Al Araby concludes his essay
Lying in Islam with this sobering
warning (the highlighted emphasis is mine):
Unfortunately, when dealing with Muslims, one
must keep in mind that Muslims can communicate something with apparent
sincerity, when in reality they may have just the opposite agenda in their
hearts. Bluntly stated, Islam permits Muslims to lie anytime that they
perceive that their own well-being, or that of Islam, is threatened.
In the sphere of international politics, the
question is: Can Muslim countries be trusted to keep their end of the
agreements that they sign with non-Muslim nations? It is a known Islamic
practice, that when Muslims are weak they can agree with most anything.
Once they become strong, then they negate what they formerly vowed.
The principle of sanctioning lying for the cause
of Islam bears grave implications in matters relating to the spread of the
religion of Islam in the West. Muslim activists employ deceptive tactics
in their attempts to polish Islam’s image and make it more attractive to
prospective converts. They carefully try to avoid, obscure, and omit
mentioning any of the negative Islamic texts and teachings.
An example of Islamic deception is that
Muslim activists always quote the passages of the Qur’an from the early
part of Mohammed’s ministry while living in Mecca. These texts are
peaceful and exemplify tolerance towards those that are not followers of
Islam. All the while, they are fully aware that most of these passages
were abrogated (cancelled and replaced) by passages that came after he
migrated to Medina. The replacement verses reflect prejudice,
intolerance, and endorse violence upon unbelievers.
In conclusion, it is imperative to understand,
that Muslim leaders can use this loop-hole in their religion, to absolve
them from any permanent commitment. It is also important to know that what
Muslim activists say to spread Islam may not always be the whole truth.
When dealing with Muslims, what they say is not the issue. The real
issue is, what they actually mean in their hearts.
And who can know what a man really feels and
thinks in his heart? On the surface, all we have is his words to let us
know what he believes. His actions prove the truth or falsity of his
words.
It's Not My Place
It's not my place here to critique Islam's Qur'an. I've done that
elsewhere, and other writers far more qualified that I have written
volumes on the subject. However, consider the following.
KORAN'S OWN STANDARD FOR WHETHER IT IS FROM GOD
The Qur'an gives non-Muslims a test to apply to
determine whether the Qur'an is from God. Sura 4:82 says if the Qur'an is
not from God, unbelievers will be able to find contradictions in it:
Sura 4:82
YUSUF ALI: Do they not consider the Qur'an (with
care)? Had it been from other Than Allah, they would surely have found
therein Much discrepancy.
PICKTHAL: Will they not then ponder on the
Qur'an? If it had been from other than Allah they would have found therein
much incongruity.
SHAKIR: Do they not then meditate on the Quran?
And if it were from any other than Allah, they would have found in it many
a discrepancy.
DAWOOD: Will they not ponder on the Koran? If it
had not come from God, they could have surely found in it many
contradictions.
There are entire websites devoted to pointing
out the factual, scientific, and doctrinal contradictions in Koran, and
we've already looked at many. The contradiction between courting Jews and
Christians and killing them is just one more!
ALLAH THE DECEIVER
The Qur'an itself condones deceit because it
says Allah is a plotter and deceiver:
Sura 8:30
YUSUF ALI: Remember how the Unbelievers plotted
against thee, to keep thee in bonds, or slay thee, or get thee out (of thy
home). They plot and plan, and Allah too plans; but the best of planners
is Allah.
PICKTHAL: And when those who disbelieve plot
against thee (O Muhammad) to wound thee fatally, or to kill thee or to
drive thee forth; they plot, but Allah (also) plotteth; and Allah is the
best of plotters.
SHAKIR: And when those who disbelieved devised
plans against you that they might confine you or slay you or drive you
away; and they devised plans and Allah too had arranged a plan; and Allah
is the best of planners.
Sura 4:142
"The hypocrites seek to deceive God, but it is
He who deceives them." (Dawood)
My Patriotic Screenplays and Novels
For
those readers who wish to sample some of my more traditional stories;
that is to say, without the use of hyperbole, they may wish to visit the
website for Ludington's Ride at
http://ludingtonsride.com, where they
can order a copy of my novel Ludington's Ride. It’s the
true story of Sybil Ludington, the spirited 16-year-old daughter of
Colonel Henry Ludington, the commander of the Seventh Regiment of
Militia for Dutchess County, New York. Caught up in the turmoil of the
American Revolution, Sybil’s actions and choices are shaped by historic
events outside her control.
British General William Tryon orders the
burning of Danbury and there is no one to muster the 400 troops under
Col. Ludington’s command. Alone on her trusty steed Star, Sybil braves
40 miles of treacherous lonely backwoods roads, pursued by a half dozen
marauders out to stop her at any cost.
Exciting, gripping, and very politically
incorrect with its message of patriotism, youthful responsibility and
respect, Ludington’s Ride is based on a true story. It is a historical
novel for today’s young readers with action, adventure, romance and
danger mixed into a recipe of commitment and loyalty to family and
country.
By the way, like Ameristan,
the series of Ludington's Ride novels are based on
three of my screenplays. I hope that anyone who even thinks of
criticizing me for writing Ameristan will review my work
in Ludington's Ride to see that I can, indeed, write a
more traditional portrait to promote love of God, country, and family.
Ameristan is meant to encourage these values, but it does
so by painting a portrait of what happens if we selfishly neglect them.
Gee, I wonder what they're going to say about
Without Due Process
or
my other scripts and novels?
Charles Welty
Los Angeles, CA
