Another Islamic attack. More people dead. Yet again, the principle shooter was viewed by others as a normal guy with a normal job who was well-liked and was “living the American Dream.” How does this happen? What is it about Islam that can lead a man to walk out of his office holiday party to come back with his wife and commit a suicide attack, together abandoning their six-month old child?
Islamic scholar Andrew Bieszad goes back to the basics of Muslim belief to help us make sense of the latest tragedy.
[powerpress]
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I hate to sound like an ass, but when Bieszad starts with the arabic language stuff he gets very excitable and loud. Makes it hard to listen to for more than a minute.
It really does make listening very uncomfortable.
Although annoying, what gets my goat (no moe pun intended) is the constant reference to Islime as a religion which it is NOT. Ann Barnhardt is in agreement with what I’ve been saying for years…..and that it is not a religion, but mostly a political entity using religion as a veneer putting a patina of purity on the putrid. “1. Islam is a political system, NOT a religion, and unless and until humanity wakes the hell up and STOPS referring to it as a religion, there is no hope. Islam is a hyper-aggressive, militaristic, expansionist, totalitarian political system designed to create a super-rich micro-oligarchical ruling class with a massive, destitute, genetically handicapped underclass below. The paper-thin faux-religious facade was a conscious, specific con from the very beginning – much like Mormonism and Scientology – a pure racket using borrowed and piggy-backed religious motifs to lend credibility to a massive, loosely-knit network of crime syndicate cells.” Somehow I often hear God speaking through Ann. No nice, no PC, just plain old truth, unvarnished, vanilla, inviting, visceral truth. http://www.barnhardt.biz/2015/11/13/cut-the-crap-the-problem-is-islam-and-it-has-to-be-exterminated-period-2/
I agree. Ms. Barnhardt’s blunt, plain speak is why I am Catholic today. When she started touting the super-fun-rock-band churches, which I belonged and sometimes walk out on or often would leave shaking my head…..I knew she was speaking Truth. And yes, I know God speaks through her.
It’s great that this guy has so much passion to say what needs to be said and engage the issue at its root cause. But as a bit of feedback for him, he’s a bit too excitable when he’s speaking. It would be better if he presented his truth with calmness and charity, and let truth break into the listener’s ears like a crashing torrent not by his yelling but rather by virtue of its own truth. But it’s certainly a necessary debate for people to be engaged in and aware of, so thanks for his insights.
Some people tend to get “excited” when they see a freight train bearing down on the bus they are riding in, but everyone else on the bus is busy watching the Ellen Program on an i-phone.
Loved that one…refreshing Johnny. My kids often ask me why I get so emotional/excited about many of today’s issues…yep, like a freight train, or seeing the light at the end of the tunnel…which is an uncoming train.
Wow! Thank you! My kids say the same thing. I was beginning to think there must be something wrong with me.
He had me up until the talk of whether or not Russia has been consecrated. Interesting how we see current events in a different light. It seems to me that as the Union falls further from the faith Russians appear to be embracing it ever more fervently. Further, what your guest proposes as a solution to Islam apart from conversion is exactly what the Russian government under the leadership of Vladimir Putin is implementing and with greater success than our federal, secular and masonic over lords. The effects of the consecration in this regard appear very clear to me. They may not appear to be taking place in the exact manner in which many Catholics have been led to believe that they would, but they are taking place. Did we think that God would simply press the ‘I win’ button and all of the sudden we’d have rainbows, unicorns and instant Latin Rite Russian Catholics? Be patient and watchful. Have the eyes to see and the ears to hear.
I have to concur with the others- the Arabic is difficult to listen to. I thought this after his
first podcast, but chalked it up to a long day’s work and tiredness.
Perhaps he could leave it out? As listeners, we won’t remember the actual Arabic and he translates it immediately afterwards anyway.
This is important, and we want as many as possible to hear this.
Isn’t it curious how people critique the man in the trenches…
For those complaining about the Arabic, I’m afraid I just can’t get worked up about it. Andrew has been studying Islam for so long that he has the texts memorized, and while I haven’t asked him, I’ve always been under the impression that he says it in Arabic first for two reasons:
1) To establish general credibility that he knows the original text in Arabic, since many Muslims hold that if you don’t read it in its original language, it doesn’t count. His arguments would therefore be dismissed because of a technicality – he doesn’t really understand idiom and context if he reads it in English.
2) In the event that any Muslim is listening to something he is saying, they will see the significance of point 1.
I have no doubt that this has become completely habitual to him, and he doesn’t even think about it. Personally, I find that it adds weight to his arguments – I have no question about his level of study and ability to call material to mind – and so, I’m OK with it.
I can always speak the Arabic a little slower in the future :). But yes, it is habitual and for those reasons- the Muslims EXPECT that you are able to recite the Arabic texts without (or hardly) missing a beat, lest they dismiss your arguments without even considering them. Watch a debate or two between Muslims and Christians, especially with a great debater like Coptic Fr. Zakarya Botros and you will see he does the same for the same reasons- Fr. Botros goes so far as to actually PowerPoint the texts with full reference to publisher, page, and edition, so that the Muslims cannot claim the “conspiracy” argument (which they often do).
So yes, I will keep this in mind for the future. Also, Western Listeners might also keep in mind that, as I have often mentioned before, the Islamic mindset is fundamentally different from that in the West and that as much as we are different, we must be able to think as they do in so much as to understand, reason, and counter their tactics.
I think it makes sense to speak the Arabic….it doesn’t bother me at all. But don’t slow it down…I don’t give a rats ass to learn it. 😉
It’s silly to have a problem with hearing a foreign language, Arabic or any other. I’ve done something similar frequently in the past when citing authors or adages in Spanish and French and, Steve is right, it becomes habitual and, I think, adds authenticity and immediacy to what Andrew is saying. I would make one correction, though, to the written intro (above) to his remarks. What happened in San Bernardino does not appear to have been planned as a suicide attack. No, this nice neighborly Mohammedan couple had in mind to make much more mayhem. They were armed to the teeth when they left the site of their initial slaughter and surely headed for some other place where they could prey on good, unarmed people, in true cowardly Mohammedan fashion. Fortunately, well-armed peace officers dispatched them before they could carry out their dastardly mission.
I have a question for you fine folks. I’ve recently discovered your podcasts via an Android app. I’ve seen your interview with Andrew on YouTube where his background was layed out, etc. So, I heard this podcast for the first time yesterday, and I’m torn.
I try and stay away from Catholic podcasts/social media sites that veer to the left or right too far. Case in point, I no longer follow a certain channel that played a part in my conversion due to this.
With that said, I don’t disagree with the things Andrew said. How do we reconcile this with what the CCC says regarding Muslims? We’re told they worship the same God we do, albeit their understanding of him is imperfect.
Any tips? I’d like to stay loyal to the Catholic Church, however I can’t deny what my intellect tells me. Some things, I realize, the intellect may disagree with, but we’re suppose to have faith in the Truth the Catholic Church teaches us. How do I go about finding that harmony?
Help!
Did i hear it right that Andrew said Muhammad was a heretic and then said no heretic speaks for Islam? Maybe he made a mistake
Another question that has me puzzled. Dr.Zuhdi Jasser says hes a Muslim and he condemns the jihadist attacks and wants to see Islam reformed. My question is do these so-called moderate Muslims claim Muhammad as their Prophet and how so knowing all the Evil he did? Do these Muslims just follow the part while in Mecca and ignore what Muhammad did in Medina? Personally i could not call someone like Muhammad my Prophet, i would convert to another Religion.