Religious Fanatics Quotes
This particular quotation was very damaging to Christians of the era. Voltaire was almost universally regarded as the greatest mind of Europe at the time. He was consulted by powerful monarchs and others throughout Europe. He influenced major figures of the day like Catherine the Great. Voltaire did believe in God. See {621200}.
Islamic religious extremists do not allow freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, right to life, freedom from torture and mutilation, self-government, gender equality, protection of children or women from violence, sexual freedom, freedom of expression, reproductive rights for women, right work, which are just a few. The modern Islamic extremists allow about the same human rights as did the Christian Kings and the Church of 1000 years ago. Ironically, it is less respect for human rights that many of the great Islamic societies provided 1000 years ago.
Porush was one of the Haradi--ultra-orthodox Jews. In the land of the Jewish people, he argued against religious freedom for Jews unless they were Orthodox Jews, while ironically, the majority of Jews in the world and even in Israel followed the Conservative or Reform branches of Judaism or were secular. At the time the Orthodox Jewish movement was the only one that was recognized officially by the government. Porush and some of the more fanatical Haradi were determined to keep the Conservative and Reform Jewish branches unrecognized and unsupported by the government. (Israel does not have separation of church and state and economically supports the Orthodox Jewish establishment but not the other majority branches of Judaism.) The "Women of the Wall" is one of the major groups in Israel advocating equal government treatment for all citizens o0f Israel. Orthodox Judaism, like many other orthodox religions are very sexist and women were actually banned from praying at the holiest of Jewish places, the Western or Wailing Wall. Women of the Wall had won a major decision of the Israeli Supreme court that women could not be denied the right to pray at the Wall. The orthodox rabbis who the government allowed to control access to the Wall, set aside a small area for women at the "Dung Gate" where the garbage was carried out. Women of the Wall were back in court and this prompted Porush's outburst. He was cebsured by the Ethics Committee of the Israeli Knesset (Parliament).
Many computer experts and security operatives view this kind of advice and strategy as counter-productive as there are some computer security extremists who so harden computer systems and networks that they function poorly and cause really harmful operational problems. The classic case was the FBI agent in Minnesota who before 9-11 had information that Muslims foreigners were taking flying lessons. She wanted to get the information to the national security FBI people, but she was not allowed to send the information by e-mail. Instead she had to use a "secure" system that was much slower and could not be viewed by the people who might have been able to connect the dots and do something about it. The FBI has now a better balance between functionality and security, but it is a good example of how "security fanaticism" can make us less safe.
In the Asymmetric Warfare the insurgent “wins” a battle by surviving even if the insurgent takes massive casualties. As long as some exist—they can recruit and expand.
The import of this principle is that if a member of the family is not a good Muslim, then that member is no longer to be treated as and is not a relative any longer. Qutb cites the example of Abdullah bin Abdullah bin Ubayy, a contemporary of the Prophet’s whose father had opposed Islam and therefore must be punished. He quotes the man as telling the Prophet: ‘if it is the pleasure of God and His Prophet that I cut off my father’s head, then I shall do so.’
To modern readers this quotation is surprising in that Bryan is historically viewed as an extreme religious zealot. However, this was his mid-career and the extreme religious identification came later when he was out of office and made his living speaking to religious groups.
He does not completely blame the United States or the West but places a large part of the blame on the corrupt Pakistani governemnt and military which would not curtail the growing Jhadi menace becasue they wanted to use them as a weapn against India, which gained independence at that same time but has been much more successful and democratic.
