You can’t make this kind of news up; a Muslim man who has been organizing protests lambasting fundamentalists and accusing them of ruining the religion of Islam recently received a threat on his life. Majed Moughni, an attorney from Dearborn, Michigan, was the main organizer for a rally protesting the actions of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the failed “Underwear bomber“. As a result, he now appears to be the target of threats from other Muslims who don’t feel as he does.

During the phone call, the caller spoke in Arabic while quoting a verse from the holy Qur’an that suggests Muslims should not be friends with some Jews and Christians, Moughni said. The caller also used the word, kufar, or nonbeliever, during the conversation to describe Moughni, who is Muslim.

Although I’m sure plenty of Muslims are convinced theirs is a religion of peace, it’s quite obvious to the rest of us this is simply not the case. The radical element of the faith is growing, and anyone with a vendetta against “kufar” (Arabic for unbelievers) can find plenty of justification for violence in the Qur’an. This is the basic problem of all religions; they foster hatred and violence against others through their exclusionary nature. Rather than identifying themselves in the broader human family, religionists believe their convictions about the supernatural separates them from others who don’t share the same views. It’s absolute insanity, and only once we abandon these childish and foolish beliefs will we finally mature as a species.

I’ve written a few articles in the past about how fucked up Somalia is, including how Sharia Law is quickly becoming the order of the day. The latest disgusting act of cruelty was the recent stoning of Mohamed Abukar Ibrahim for the crime of adultery. He was buried up to his torso, and the local residents of Afgoye, a small village 20 miles from Mogadishu, were forced to watch as members of the radical group Hizbul Islam stoned him to death.

Normally, this kind of insanity is performed by the even crazier al-Shaabab, but I guess they were too busy amputating thieves to bother.

Africa is the new battleground for religion, and the bodies are starting to pile up. Rationalism and common sense can’t compete against superstition, irrationality, fear, and cohesion. Is everyone in that country crazy? Of course not, but the crazy ones are obviously in control, and they won’t be happy until everyone sees the world in the same twisted way they do.

You know that argument you’re always having with religionists over whether or not religion is a force for good in the world? It seems like no matter how much misery, pain and suffering is caused in the name of religion, someone is always on hand to tell you that if it wasn’t for Bronze Age tribalism, the world would collapse into chaos (I’m so worried about that, you should see how nervous I am about that possibility…).

Tell that to Ali Sibat, a Lebanese man who made the “mistake” of appearing on television to give general life advice and make predictions about the future. The Saudi government has arrested him on charges of witchcraft, and plan to execute him shortly. Yeah, you read me correctly, and this isn’t the first person to be convicted of the “crime of witchcraft”. Others have also suffered similar fates; one guy brought in a phone book in a different language and was sentenced to 20 months and 300 lashes.

What else can we expect from 6th century platitudes? If you happen to be religious in this modern area, realize your civility and morality is a product of our modern values, not your religious texts. In fact, people who take a literal approach to religion usually act in completely barbaric and stunningly cruel fashion. It’s further proof no human being has a privileged line to the divine. The fact that people are still being prosecuted for witchcraft in the 21st century makes me want to shut myself off from the rest of humanity. When will we stop being so stupid and ignorant?

(Update: As of 2012, there were reports that he was allowed to return to Lebanon, but this has yet to be confirmed as of 2023)

Here’s the deal; if you want to start your own little mosque and preach for the government to be replaced by a caliphate run by a man in prison for life, it’s generally a good idea not to draw attention to yourself by buying and selling stolen weapons, and it’s definitely a bad idea to go around telling people to help overthrow the government. Luqman Ameen Abdullah converted to Islam and began preaching antigovernmental rhetoric in a small apartment in Detroit, urging his members to equip themselves with firearms. The FBI freaked out, thinking they had a home grown terrorist cell on their hands (not altogether an unwarranted fear), and so they raided the place.

Through a 45-page complaint filed in the case alleges Abdullah “calls his followers to an offensive jihad” and preaches that every Muslim should “have a weapon and should not be scared to use their weapon when needed,” charges in the case to not include terrorism or national security crimes.

The only person to actually resist arrest is Abdullah himself, who opened fire (killing one of the dogs) and was later shot dead. Now, members of the Muslim community are upset and shocked over the shooting, and claim that he was an upstanding member of the community.

Here’s the deal; I’m not entirely unsympathetic to people who distrust the government and feel the need to make strong political statements. I draw the line, however, when someone decides that extreme violence is the answer to their problems. There’s already enough fear and paranoia concerning terrorism; it’s not generally a good idea to fan the flames. It’s also a terrible idea to shoot at the FBI when they raid your place. You tend to get shot in the face when that happens.

Imagine a philosophy that regards human life as worthless and cheap, where adherents are told to kill others who do not share their beliefs, and where huge segments of the population are kept ignorant and subservient. Well, you don’t need to use your imagination; this type of philosophy already exists, and it has a colorful name: Islam.

Pakistan was the scene of more violence today as a market in Peshawar was hit with a powerful bomb that killed at least 80 people and injured another 200. It’s one of the worst attacks in the country’s history, and you can guess what bastards were responsible for bombing a market filled with women and children: why it’s the Taliban, of course!

It must be pretty easy to murder innocent women and children when you have the powerful shield of faith. It must be why religion is such a useful tool to enslave the minds of poorly educated idiots; no one has to consider the consequences of their actions when they think God is on their side. Congratulations for murdering so many people for your precious invisible sky-deity; he must be so proud of you!

Also, please fuck off and die. Thanks.

I got some good news and some bad news. I’ll give you the good news first; according to the latest Pew Poll, Pakistani support of the Taliban and al Qaeda has been declining over the past few years, and more and more people are concerned over extremism in the country. They also are beginning to see that educating women is important. All of this sounds pretty encouraging, right?

Ok, now that we’ve covered the good stuff, it’s time for the bad news. It seems that Pakistanis are increasingly supporting severe laws; roughly 83% of the population supports stoning adulterers, while 78% of them want the death penalty to be applied to apostates. An overwhelming majority also support giving judicial power to religious judges, which is essentially the same thing as handing over the keys to your house to a raving fucking lunatic.

The majority of Pakistanis also believe India is a major threat to their security, mainly due to the fucking depressing quagmire that is Kashmir. Considering both of these countries are nuclear powers, the threat of armed conflict should scare the living shit out of everyone. Pakistan is a damn mess, and I have great fears the situation there is not improving. What’s the solution? I’m not sure, but I can tell you one thing; if anyone has any doubts religion isn’t the main source of these problems, kindly jump off a bridge please.