In the Name of Allah?

Recently I received via e-mail something that disturbed me greatly, and made me think of where we are in the world today. I found the story so shocking that I just had to share it with the world.

From the accompanying text, it would appear a little boy of eight years old was caught stealing bread in an Iranian market and sentenced under Sharia Law. Graphic photo's of his sentence being carried out are below. The article does not mention why he stole, but it could have been simply because he was hungry. You will find the images shocking.
This action must rank as one of the most barbaric in modern times, not so much for its outright brutality, but that it is committed against a child of eight in the name of religion. This is the face of Islam most Muslims would rather you not see. 

In every other Faith known to mankind such an act, even under the guise of 'Justice', would not be tolerated. But, this is Sharia Law at work. A child's arm is crushed under the wheels of a car so as to be useless to him for the rest of his life. Yet, most Muslims will tell you Islam is a religion of peace and love!

I realise this article may well offend some Muslims who feel slighted because an 'Infidel' dare to criticize their religion. I am truly sorry for that, and wish to offend no-one, but the facts speak for themselves, and for me, the evidence is irrefutable. As an average person living in the 21st Century, I find it abhorrent that such acts as this can still be committed.

To be fair, Christianity has also gone through its own time of terror and unspeakable acts in the name of God. In the Middle Ages terrible  torture, disfigurement and execution were practiced by the Church in the name of The One True God. The Inquisition has gone down in history as a very dark period in the evolution of man, one that we should all be ashamed of. I make no excuses for this period, but I like to think we have matured and would not allow such things in the 21st century. Mankind has long evolved from the  beast he was, although recent history like that of the Holocaust in WW2 has shown us we have not yet shed the 'beast' which hides within us completely.

It is however distressing to hear (and see) that such bestial practices in the name of religion are still going on today. Have we learned nothing over the last two thousand years? It would seem not.

Iran is not the only devout Muslim nation that practices Sharia law, it is even creeping into places like Britain. If the Muslims had their way, the whole world would be governed by this barbaric practice. This is not to say that harsh penalties should not be meted out to those who transgress the laws of decency, but they should not include women being buried up their their necks and stoned to death for adultery, or public whippings. hangings, and beheadings.

You have to ask yourself who is responsible for these events, and the answer will always be the Muslim Clerics and Mullahs who hold absolute power over the Muslim world, no matter who is 'in government'. They retain their dominant position by ruling with an iron fist and corrupting passages of the Koran to serve their own ends.

We, as infidels, hear all the time that the Koran preaches tolerance, love, and above all peace, just like the Christian Bible, but you do not see this when a Mullah is secretly recorded telling his followers to go out and murder Christians! These evil men, and yes I do call them evil, have corrupted an entire generation into thinking they can best serve Allah by blowing themselves up on aircraft, trains and buses, or in busy market places. Would it not be more suitable for the Mullahs to strap on a bomb and sacrifice themselves for their beliefs? But no, they do not dare, they corrupt innocent young minds to do the dirty work for them.

The thing that amazes me most, is that if someone took the trouble to make an assessment of the total number of dead from terrorist acts over the years, the number of Muslim dead would far surpass the number of non-Muslim dead, including 9/11.  So this leaves the burning question, why are these people so intent on killing their own kind? What is it all for?

The sad fact is, there are millions of peace-loving Muslims in the world who would not dream of doing harm to a fellow human being, but because of the acts of a few radicals, many people treat all Muslims with suspicion. This in turn creates more dissension between Christians and Muslims until it eventually spirals out of control. If we are not careful, we could be heading for a war between faiths.

But what to do about it? How can we stop the spiral of violence between Christians and Muslims? A hard question to answer, but in my opinion, the only way is for decent, devout Muslims to step up to the line and be counted. The entire Muslim world has to make a united stand against the terrorists, and the Islamic clergy responsible for this kind of atrocity and say, "We will not accept this anymore".

We are after all brethren in the eyes of God, and no matter what name we give Him, there is only one God.

May the Peace of God be upon you.

Roy.

To Smack or Not to Smack!

Is it right for parents to give their children a smack now and again as a form of discipline? There are many proponents for and against, and who is to say one or the other is right. We all have our own opinions.

Personally, I am for this form of punishment for wayward children, and I believe I have tradition, and the child's well-being, on my side.

First let me make quite clear that I am not in favour of any form of child abuse, and those guilty of such things should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. However, having said that, I think discipline is essential for a child's proper development into a responsible adult.

If you walk the streets of any town or city today, you see the youth doing as they please with no regard or respect for their fellow human beings. Hanging around on street corners in an often threatening manner, getting involved with crime, drugs, alcohol and general mayhem.

This is a sign of our times, and in my humble opinion, is a direct result of poor parenting, coupled with stupid laws that have criminalised the smacking of children since Sweden first introduced the law in 1979, followed by others in later years. For the last 20-30 years, these laws have forbidden any form of 'hands-on' punishment for misdemeanors by children.

Parents have lost all control over their offspring, and it must be admitted, some have used these laws as an excuse not to get involved in their upbringing, or have given up any hope of disciplining their children.

There are of course other factors that have been a great influence on the attitudes of children today, chief among them the total disintegration of 'family life'. This however I will save for another time.

You only have to watch a family in a supermarket to see how much actual control parents have over their children. I have seen countless children told to stop doing something in particular by mummy or daddy, only for the child to show total disregard for them and continue what it was doing.

You could be forgiven for thinking I am talking through my hat, but I have had two children of my own and made sure I brought them up in the traditional way.

As a child, I was often given a slap when I did something wrong or didn't listen to what I was told. In school I had the slipper or cane from my teacher or headmaster for misdemeanors on many occasions. None of this did me any harm, but it did teach me to respect property, laws and rules, and of course, my elders, even if I don't have many 'elders' at my time of life.

The main point of it all was that it disciplined me to have respect for those things I should respect, and that is what is missing in today's society!

With the failure of proper parenting, and the law forbidding the most basic and effective means of punishing a child, it has has gotten so far out of hand, that sad to say, I see no going back.

Any child that grows up without any form of discipline becomes what I would call a 'rogue' element, and we see them daily on our streets today.

I am thankful, and I must admit, proud, that my two children have grown up to be hard working, respectable citizens, and have never 'gone off the rails' like the majority do today. They have never been in trouble, and never turned to drugs or alcohol to fill the gaping void so many of today's young people seem to live with.

I always had a simple method. They knew that I would tell them once, remind them once, but if I had to tell them a third time they would get a slap on the legs or buttocks. They got the picture in a very short time, and after making my point once or twice, I very rarely had to resort to such methods again. The ground rules had been laid down at a very early age and they knew what to expect if they didn't do as they were told. As with me, it did them no harm, and this has been proved by their attitude now they are grown.

The news article that prompted this blog describes a referendum that is to be held in New Zealand on whether to continue the 'No Smacking' laws of that country.

The crazy thing is, the reason for the referendum is not the lack of parental control or discipline, or a general breakdown in respect among children, but whether or not it would affect the number of parents who are investigated for child abuse, but use 'discipline' as an excuse for escaping prosecution. In other words, it misses the point completely.

Quite possibly New Zealand does not yet suffer from the child and teenage problems that we have in the northern hemisphere. The law was only passed in 2007 so it will take a few more years before the lack of parental control manifests itself in child behavioral attitudes. By then of course it will be too late, as it is here.

Proponents of the anti-smacking law say 'positive, non-violent parenting' is more effective, however, it is clear the children themselves have not read the book, because they see it as an opportunity to do as they please, knowing full well their parents can do nothing about it.

It cannot be denied that children in countries having this law have become less obedient, less respectful, and more violent, as a result of the lack of discipline during their formative years, and I dare anyone to prove different.

A Smack in Time Saves Nine????

Roy.