If you haven’t already heard of Mehdi Hasan, he’s the political editor of Huffington Post UK, the former political editor of The New Statesman, and stunningly eloquent. Plus he thinks even faster than he speaks. Here he is carrying the day at the Oxford Union in the debate on whether Islam is a peaceful religion (to my mind a false premise from the start, since no religion is either “a religion of peace” or “a religion of war” unless the majority of its followers make it so — and yes, I include atheism in this):
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jy9tNyp03M0&w=560&h=315]
This is a very interesting speech. Whenever there is a mention of terrorists, it is always the Muslims or Hitler who are mentioned. Memories are short, the IRA used to be bombing a lot more regularly. They were political but also used the church to hide their weapons and maybe they were boy scouts in comparison to some terrorist organisations but people who are killed are dead whoever the culprit.
I do not agree with the use of any religion for violent ends but I also do not believe anyone who says this. It is all political or for their own ends, whether monetary or revenge.
Muslims may be accused of bigotry but there is plenty on all sides.
What a breath of fresh air after hearing Mehdi Hasan’s speech. I feel I’v been suffocating by listening to the wretched, dilapidated news outlets that is preached and spoonfed to us by mainstream media. There needs to be more people who have the audacity to speak, recognize truth, pursue knowledge instead of sitting there and taking the easy route by merely being goose-stepped into false assertions. Lesley Hazleton and Mehdi Hasan are emblematic to this approach.
As an ‘accidendat theologist’ and perhaps s
till sceptical you may not have percieved the ‘Peace’ concept in Islam.