Boy, is that a question to which I have no answer – at least no answer outside the bounds of black comedy.
Today there are more stirring reports from the religious lunatic asylum: About 60 rockets and mortars pelted southern Israel by midafternoon Wednesday, the military said. No injuries were reported, but a factory, a home and other structures were damaged. Rockets reached as far as Beit Hagdi, a small community about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Gaza City, the military said.
Is there a Palestinian death wish? Seemingly. Sooner or later, the Israelis will react and that reaction will undoubtedly kill many more Gazans than they will Israelis. Traditional types explain this by writing of the “hopelessness” of Gaza – but as Michael opines this morning, they may have it wrong. This is religious fanaticism at its purest. If you want to know what’s going on, it might be more informative to heed the words of Iraqi Cleric Sheik Hareth Al-‘Ubeidi, quoted by MEMRI today (registration required):
The Prophet Muhammad promised us that Constantinople, or Istanbul, would be conquered, and indeed it was. Today, Istanbul is a Muslim city. It is part of a Muslim country. It is a city that symbolizes Islam. Istanbul was conquered, as the Prophet Muhammad foretold. When was it conquered? Much later, in the days of Muhammad the Conqueror. The promise of the Prophet was fulfilled later, in the Ottoman period. That’s with regard to Istanbul and the promise of the Prophet Muhammad.
He also said that Rome would be conquered, and we will see that in the future. It will not necessarily be conquered by the sword and through fighting. No! Maybe it will be conquered by means of preaching. Islam will be spread there, and people will see the light of Islam, and thus, the city will be conquered. This promise has yet to be fulfilled, but it is inevitable. We can swear that this will happen. We have no doubt about this.
My question for today: When does religion become a virus?
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