Just in case I may not have explained myself well enough as to what I meant, I meant to compare the culture of love so prevalent in African American communities to the culture of hate that has developed in middle eastern fringe groups, both due to religion. Also, I firmly believe that just because of the way they act, terrorists are insane people allowed access to guns or ammunition of some kind. Isis are, to me a group of whacked, insane people, with access to a large number of guns and ammo, who have grouped together to give them selves some sort of insane legitimacy. Crazy people from all over the world, including the West are flocking to them. This is not a religious philosophy, this is madness.
My mind is reeling as I read this article: “Family Describes Chattanooga Shooter as Being on a Downward Spiral” links below . The combination of mental illness, inadequate medical treatment, recreational drugs, and in this case the philosophy of the “Hashisheen”, let me not call it philosophy, it is not the love of knowledge, let me call it “philonecry” or the love of death, all these put together, to again be the cause of horrendous actions and results!
First of all, let me explain who the Hashisheen were (http://disinfo.com/2012/07/hasan-bin-sabbah-and-the-secret-order-of-hashishins/). The word Assassin comes from them. And yes, it is hashish they are talking about, which was used to drug the recruits to have them perform their murderous tasks. They were a Persian sect headed by Hasan bin Sabah, born in 1034. The students in this sect were taught to question everything, including Islamic dogma. They were intellectuals. Ultimately they were turned into the Hashisheen, or assassins through the use of drugs, a paradisal garden (Hasan’s palace) and promises, no, not just promises, but the absolute surety of going to heaven by committing murder and sacrificing themselves. So here’s what they did, they recruited young men, gave them hashish, took them to Hasan bin Sabah’s paradisal garden, while they were in their hashish high state, they were told that this garden is paradise, and this is where they will go when they murder others and kill themselves in the process. I’m sure 40 virgins were also in the garden to spur the new recruits on to do their murderous/suicidal duty!
These are the predecessors of the modern day terrorists. If Mohammod Youssuf Abdulazeez had been a young recruit of the Hashisheen, his actions could not have been more in accord with their tenets. As I live and breathe, I believe that mental illness was and is involved in terrorist activities. Who in their right mind would set another human being on fire while they are still alive, I ask you? Well the terrorists do it, but so did the Spanish inquisition, the English inquisition, the Nazis, so much murder, torture, and mayhem caused by religion or crazy philosophies and people. By humans. The latest of which is this news story of a mentally ill young man, who didn’t get treated adequately, using recreational drugs, to self medicate, no doubt, in combination with an insane “philosophy” of the Hashisheen as carried out by present day terrorists, all this, a powder keg of death and delusions, leading to the death of innocent people.
Is it insanity that is to blame? Is it the inadequate treatment? Is it the hashisheen/terrorists crap to blame? As I write this, as I try to make sense of of all of this, my head is swimming, I ask myself: Why? Why the death? Why the murders? Why the insanity?
In direct contrast to this hashisheen/terrorist bs is the way African Americans live life. They have been though unspeakable atrocities, and they too look for a better life, if not here, then after death. But their way is love, not hate. They forgive those who transgress against them. They truly do behave according to the philosophy of Jesus. I am in awe of these people. If someone killed my relative, I would not be able to go on TV the same day and say “I forgive you”!
The Play/musical called BUSTER! that I am in is about the same principles of love and forgiveness and “We shall overcome!” And even “We shall not, we shall not be moved! Just like a tree that’s planted by the water, we shall not be moved!” But never is it about we will blow up people and die in the process so we can go to heaven!
As a very good friend of mine pointed some of these things out to me when there was violence at cartoon drawing competitions of Mohammed in Texas, these are two extremes. Both are looking for something better, both saying if life is hard on this earth, things will get better in the next world, that alone is a very dangerous and destructive idea. But African Americans choose love and non violence, while some Middle Eastern people choose murder and suicide. Why?
Martin Luther King left his legacy of love and a dream, of Christian values. One man! How?
Hasan bin Sabah created a sect which is violent and murderous, and is still having an affect today. Why?
Just one more thing, Arabs and Middle Easterners and Pakistanis, in general, are the most hospitable people in the world. I go to Pakistan and I am amazed at their hospitality and innocence. These are not bad, murderous people! They are being used to further an evil, murderous, violent agenda. But who benefits from this? Why is it happening? I don’t know and I am tired of it all.
Also, present day terrorism, as far as I can see, is in response to the occupation of Palestine, the land where the Arab’s were made homeless so that the dispossessed Jews could have a home. I am not excusing it, not saying terrorism is the answer, but what do you do when your home has been taken away from you, all your possessions, your country, your nationality has been taken away from you, and you have absolutely nothing but yourself. Do you go quietly and live as a homeless, nationless, nobody or nothing, or maybe do you think I will use what I have and use it for protest, my body… yes, huge issues, political, religious, moral issues and questions. Do I have the answers, no. But I am asking the questions.
I try to end on a positive note in my blog posts. For this one, I have nothing. Or maybe I do… one person can make a world of difference… we should make sure we are having the “right” affect, leaving the world a better place because of our existence.
Bipolar1Blog 