Reason not Miracles

People ask sincerely, why isn't there democracy in the Muslim world? I say, they got it all wrong, there is democracy now! Look at Hamas, afterall they won what were widely believed to be fair elections. The problem has nothing to do with democracy per se, at least as far as democracy means holding, winning and losing elections. There was democracy in apartheid South Africa, and in the US when the process excluded women and blacks, and there is democracy now in Israel. The more fundamental question is really about rights, what and how widely enjoyed they are. The appreciation of individual rights can only come with a social and cultural enlightenment, i.e., a popularization of reason, not miracles. There is the rub!

It is reasonable to assume, for a veteran political entity like the Muslim Brotherhood, that its very longevity is proof positive of its relevance. This is a "multi-national" group that boasts a presence all around the middle east, libya included for at least half a century now. Their birthplace and center of mass is in Egypt, right next door, and the Libyan branch was rooted there. The MB introduces itself as a "non-violent reformist organization seeking the establishment of civil society", and it includes as members many professionals and "social elite," not your basic disgruntled and misguided suicidal youth who populate the cliché islamist groups. In Libya, there is a world-famous case of over 100 MB members who were imprisoned for close to eight years, tried in sham courts and slapped with various prison terms and two death sentences. Ultimately, their criminality was re-affirmed on appeal, and they were released the day after by the kind heartedness of a puppet group called the Supreme Judicial Council. Among the released prisoners were US educated professors, scientists, engineers, and various other professionals. The atrocities committed against this group are nothing unusual for the Libyan regime, but they were in fact perfectly "legal," i.e., in accordance with the prevailing laws, one of which makes belonging to a political party punishable by death. The issue, once more, is one of rights! But what about the MB itself, where do they stand?

The MB know their fit in Libyan society, and they also know that political islamism cannot possibly survive anywhere without the protection of the state. So they spin a "comprehensive reform" headline, with no agenda or a working alternative program, but their spin affords them some latitude in the West, where they distrustfully live and operate, and it works toward their bigger objective of self protection, i.e., power sharing inside Libya. Anyway, the point here is not to get into the MB's strategies, but only to place them squarely in the intellectual reaches of the mainstream of Libyan society, perhaps representative of the politically powerful class that would take hold of a democratic Libya, if such a thing ever existed! But where would they be on the rights issue? That really begs the question, how reasonable is this group that boasts of a membership including professors, doctors and various educated folk? I will not answer that directly. Let the following news story do it, a story that I found on a Libyan MB news site, which they'd copied from an unknown source. The story speaks for itself, as well as for the foundations on which it was judged worthy of re-publication. It also shows the quality of discourse to be expected in practice from a group like the MB, and the depths from which Libyan society must climb befor it can begin to navigate by the light of reason.


The Arabic version is in the original form, the English is my own translation. Enjoy.

مركبة أمريكية تؤكد انشقاق القمر في بداية الدعوة الإسلامية

المنارة - 15/9/2006


أثبتت الأبحاث العلمية الحديثة صدق معجزة الرسول محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم بِشأن انشقاق القمر فى بداية بعثه نبيا للأمة. وتم إثبات ذلك من خلال الصورة التي التقطتها مركبة الفضاء الأمريكية ونشرت خلال الفترة الماضية في مختلف أنحاء العالم.

وجاء في تقرير جرى توزيعه على المؤسسات العلمية في مختلف أنحاء العالم أن الصورة التي تظهر حدوث انشقاق على سطح القمر تؤكد أن القمر انشق إلى نصفين خلال عمره الجيولوجي مع بداية ظهور الدعوة الإسلامية. وأكد التقرير أن العلماء لم يتمكنوا من إعطاء تفسير علمي لظاهرة انشقاق القمر حيث لم يحدث أي انشطار لأي جرم من الأجرام السماوية من قبل مثلما حدث للقمر.

يذكر أن معجزة انشقاق القمر حدثت في أول عهد النبي الكريم محمد بن عبد الله صلى الله عليه وسلم حين طلبت منه قريش انشقاق القمر ليؤكد ذلك صدقه ونبوته فحدث الانشقاق وشاهد سكان مكة المكرمة والبوادي في الجزيرة العربية بالعين المجردة حدوث انقسام القمر إلى نصفين حال حدوثه.

المصدر : الاقتصادية

Translation:

American Vehicle Confirms Moon Splitting At The Advent of Islam

Recent scientific research has proven the truthfulness of the miracle of Prophet Mohammed, may Allah bestow prayers and peace upon him, concerning the splitting of the moon early in his inception as Prophet for the Umma. And that proof came through the picture that was taken by the American space vehicle and published in the past period in various parts of the world.

And in a report that was distributed to scientific organizations around the world, it was mentioned that the picture which presents cracks on the surface of the moon confirms that the moon had split in two halves in its geological life around the appearance of Islam. The report also confirmed that the scientists were unable to provide a scientific explanation for the moon splitting phenomenon, as there had been no precedent where an extraterrestrial body split up as in the case of the moon.

It is noted that the moon splitting miracle occurred early in the era of the Noble Prophet Mohammed bin Abdallah, may Allah bestow prayers and peace upon him, when the Quraysh tribe demanded the splitting of the moon to confirm his truthfulness and prophecy, so the splitting occurred, and it was witnessed live by the naked eyes of the residents of Makkah the Blessed and the hinterlands of the Arab peninsula.

Source: al-Iqtisadiya (Arabic word that can be translated as The Economic or as The Economist, the latter would be an un/fortunate coincidence with the name of the well-known British publication.)

The copied story is on Almanara.org web site. Almanara means "lighthouse."

p.s. Even though "the scientific report" was widely circulated, and even though this is an internet story in the 21st century, there is not a single name, date, location or any concrete identifying information about it, let alone an actual link to this report, anywhere in the various parts of the world that received it!

Happy Ramadan. Remember not to abuse your right to eat at night, think of the poor folks in Antarctica!

A 24-hour cycle without sunset--read more about it.