Would the civil war in Northern Ireland have been helped by bombing the Vatican? Would Catholics all over the world have realised that going up against the Ulster government was a bad idea if the Pope was blown to bits in an air strike?
If someone cuts you off in traffic, would breaking their mother's legs bring them the clarity to see your point of view?
It's been said that if your only tool is a hammer, then pretty soon everything starts to look like a nail. Military force is the only tool in the Republicans toolbox.
Muslims believe that God resides in the Q'aaba, and all Muslims are required to make a pilgimage there at some point in their lives (the Hajj). So bombing someone's God and destroying the place they are required to visit will somehow "bring Muslims around" to accepting American domination and resigning themselves to living in peace with us.
Similarly, shooting your neighbour's dog and letting it howl in agony as it slowly bleeds to death will convince everyone on your block that you are a sensible person who merely wants them all to keep their music down and get rid of the dandelions that keep spreading to your lawn. They will look at the shooting as an opportunity to work with you on your objectives for neighbourhood improvement, such as burning crosses on selected lawns in the dead of night.
Actually, bombing the Q'aaba is the one single thing that would turn virtually all Muslims into diehard enemies of the U.S. If "the terrorists" know that this would be our reaction, that would be a big incentive for a nuclear attack on our soil. Muslims in Asia, North Africa, Europe, the Middle East and the U.S. would retaliate, and probably have the support of many governments. The U.S. would be finished as a world power, would become a pariah for at least a century, and any action would be deemed as justified against us or our allies by Muslims. The goals of "the terrorists" would be acheived.
State Department criticizes congressman for threats against Islamic sites
Washington (ANTARA News) - The US State Department criticized a US congressman and long-shot presidential candidate for saying that threatening to bomb the Islamic holy sites of Mecca and Medina could deter terrorists from carrying out a nuclear attack on the United States.
"The official position of the United States government is that those remarks are just outrageous," US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack was quoted as saying Monday.
Republican congressman Tom Tancredo during a candidate debate on Sunday defended his earlier remarks threatening to strike Islam's holiest two sites to deter al-Qaeda from hitting the United States with a nuclear weapon.
"Anybody that would suggest that we should take anything like this off the table in order to deter that kind of event in the United States isn't fit to be president of the United States," said Tancredo, a conservative from Colorado.
Other presidential candidates during the televised debate quickly criticized Tancredo's position.
"I sincerely believe that bombing religious artifacts and religious holy sites would do nothing but unify 1 billion Muslims against us. It makes no sense," said Tommy Thompson, a former member of US President George W Bush's cabinet who is also considered a long shot for the Republican party's nomination.
Tancredo's name has not been mentioned among those, like former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who are considered serious contenders to win the Republican nomination.
But Tancredo grabbed some attention when iowapoltics.com published remarks he made before a small crowd.
"If it is up to me, we are going to explain that an attack on this homeland of (a nuclear) nature would be followed by an attack on the holy sites in Mecca and Medina," Tancredo said July 31.
McCormack suggested that Tancredo's remarks may be geared more toward his presidential ambitions but that it was up to him to explain "the reasoning behind the remarks."
"He will say what he will, and we'll respond as the US government that the remarks are simply outrageous," McCormack said. (*)
2 comments:
"Muslims believe that God resides in the Qaaba" I appreciate the blog buddy but you need to get your facts straight. Idol worship is strictly forbidden in Islam. The story of the Qaaba dates back to the days of the prophet Moses. These exotic misinterpretations of Islam need to end and I apologize for the few uneducated Muslims who may support these illusions. Islam is a flawless way of life, supported by science and a miracle that has changed the world.
"Allah" is an Arabic name used to refer to the Most High. It is the only word in the language that can not be pluralized or genderized. Christian Arabs also use this word to describe "God" Who is everywhere & in everything.
Thank you
Well, djyusef, I don't claim to be an Islamic scholar, but I think you're a bit off base here.
Nowhere did I say that Islam involves idol worship.
The Qaaba has been destroyed, or at least quite severely damaged, at least once and probably a few times throughout history. There is considerable evidence that in pre-Islamic times there was more than one Qaaba, possibly one with a red stone instead of the Black Stone. I understand, but am not completely certain, that at one point it housed hundreds of idols and that Muhamamad detroyed them. None of this, however, implies idol worship in Islam. It is also my understanding that Islamic scholars say that the Qaaba was originally built by Adam and rebuilt by Abraham.
As for my contention that God resides in the Qaaba, I base that on conversations I have had with devout Muslims. I fail to see to see how believing that God lives in the Qaaba is idol worship. As I have spoken to Muslims about the Black Stone they have all impressed upon me in no uncertain terms that idol worship is not part of Islam.
Again, I am not an Islamic scholar. I try to educate myself, but it is always difficult and perilous to attempt to paraprase others' religious beliefs. Certainly no disrespect was intended or implied on my behalf.
You have seized upon one sentence in my post. Regardless of whether God resides in the Qaaba or not, bombing it would be so evil as to be considered Satanic. It would hardly show Muslims "who's the boss", as Tancredo seems to think.
And that was the point of my post, not to be a comprehensive study of the Islamic faith.
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