I do not like
you saying "ham."
I do not like it, Islam-I-am.
But it isn't just the murderous types who wreck Islam's image. Even those who won't kill over their sensitivity, yet display a ridiculously thin skin over anything that touches their religion, do Islam a dis-service.
Cue the idiots who represent the least desirable part of Islam:
It’s hard to keep track these days of what ¨shows disregard to the feelings of Muslims.” Consider the case of the student at the Menéndez Tolosa school in Cadiz who this week asked his geography teacher to stop discussing ham in class because it was disrespctful to him as a Muslim. It should be noted that the teacher, José Reyes Fernández, was not mocking the Koran’s prohibition against eating ham. What was so offensive to the student was Fernández’s use of the Granada town of Trevélez as an example of a cold moutain climate conducive to the curings of hams.
Fernández’s explanation to the student that he did not consider his pupils’ religious beliefs when creating his lesson plans apparently did not pass muster. The student’s parents immediately filed a complaint against the teacher with the National Police for psychological ill-treatment due to xenophobia and racism.
Fernández is a well-respected teacher with 20 years of experience and no history of problems with students. In a note to the media, he wrote that the incident has damaged “his honor [and] image.” Fortunately it appears that the complaint will not also hurt his professional career: a local prosectuor on Tuesday announced plans to close the case.
While it is a relief that the teacher won't be prosecuted for this ridiculous complaint, the fact that the student's parents filed a complaint demonstrates that Islam needs to cure this attitude. It should not be possible for the most sensitive Moslem to stand up and claim that what offends them, offends Islam, and then demand we change to avoid offending their view of Islam.
Islam is not our enemy. Just as true, the fanatics--whether jihadis or just overly sensitive--are not just the enemies of the non-Moslem world. We'll all--Moslems and non-Moslems--be better off when the dregs of Islam are denied the status of defenders of Islam.
UPDATE: The jihadis need to be killed or captured to stop the immediate threats to our lives. But don't forget that the people upset over the use of the word "ham" need to be stopped to drain the swamp that breeds jihadis. So get used to your holiday season terror worries:
I know that al-Qaida hates you because in 1492 the Spaniards completed the Reconquista and in 1924 Turkey's Kemal Ataturk ended the caliphate. I know Osama bin Laden declared war on America in 1998, and in 2001 he proved he meant it.
What an enemy says matters -- what he does matters even more. What he does matters more than the fact you didn't ask for war or don't like TSA examining your pants.
What does this enemy do? He tries to kill you. Have we damaged al-Qaida? Yes. Predator strikes have ripped al-Qaida and Taliban leadership in Afghanistan. It'll take the American left 30 years to admit it, but Iraq has been a huge defeat for al-Qaida.
Is it over? No. We're engaged in a struggle for the terms of modernity, which means there is a cultural war beyond the shooting war. If it sounds daunting, it is -- and it's going to be too real for many New Years to come.
I just doesn't matter if you are tired of being at war, because our enemies aren't tired of trying to kill us.
While we may worry about Christmas threats, for the most part we can enjoy the season with loved ones because our troops and lots of other people (including our allies) stand guard and fight the dregs who seek to kill us.
