Day before yesterday while driving back from work, I heard KGO’s talk show host Gene Burns mention he will have San Jose State University Professor of Comparative Religion on his show on Thursday, 11th December. The reason he was inviting Brent Walters was because during one of Gene’s radio show few weeks back his listeners gave the verdict in a 3 hour Islam bashing show on-air that Islam is a violent religion and it asks its believers to kill non-Muslims etc. This show was few days after the Mumbai siege and it was the best time to bash Islam like it is after every time a loony kills in the name of Allah.
Mr. Walters started out by giving a very brief history of Islam and talked about how Islam is no different than any other religion during its earlier time that used sword for the purpose of survival. He was very scholarly in the way he instated facts and cleared a lot of misconceptions and myths cultivated by Islamophobes. Gene Burns is one of my favorite talk show hosts on KGO AM 810 and I have disagreed with him at times and agreed with him most of the times. I don’t think that since my listening to KGO, over seven years ago, Gene has ever invited a personality to his show that has no clue about the issue. His guests are very well informed and have excellent knowledge about the topic at hand and Mr. Walters was no exception.
Islam in today’s society suffers from a mistaken identity and no one really wants to take time and talk about it. People say Muslims should do something about people who are killing in the name of Islam, they should speak out. I will speak out after you answer my questions… Do you blame your next door Caucasian neighbor for KKK’s action? Do you ask for the Pope to apologize for Bush’s action in engaging a war in Iraq on false pretense based on the notion of “God talks to me”? If not then why does the world want Muslims to apologize every time a hooligan goes on a rampage or blows himself because he believes he is doing it in the name of Islam? These same terrorists have killed more Muslims than non-Muslims.
For those of you who think I should be doing something about this because I follow the same religion, I am sorry, but I am not going to apologize for something completely irrelevant to my beliefs and the religion I follow.
Right on!! I agree with you 100%!
I don’t want to have to apologize for the behavior of psychotic people…it has nothing to do with my religion. Peace!
Okay maybe not blame you for the lunatics but say that there are lunatics recruiting from the inside to have severe lunatics is what you are going to have to be stuck with. So, if you don't agree with the lunatics that's find from those in a higher religious or monetary stand point…they'll just recruit people who will be severe lunatics to do the dirty work…but they are you're religion. So, if you are good with that…then you should be good with being lumped with them, too.
Okay maybe not blame you for the lunatics but say that there are lunatics recruiting from the inside to have severe lunatics is what you are going to have to be stuck with. So, if you don’t agree with the lunatics that’s find from those in a higher religious or monetary stand point…they’ll just recruit people who will be severe lunatics to do the dirty work…but they are you’re religion. So, if you are good with that…then you should be good with being lumped with them, too.
Curious, no five fingers are alike, no two people have the same finger prints then how are you suggesting that actions of few represent 1.2 Billion muslims.
If 1.2 Billion muslims had declared that the action of those few represent the overwhelming majority, I would understand your point. When you talk about Islam you are talking about 60 plus countries with different cultures, languages, traditions etc.
Islam is not “one size fits all”. That said, by what you just said you are saying that I should hate every black person because the last two times I was mugged, it was a black dude. Should I just ourtight say that all blacks are thugs because if I were to take your analogy, you are saying that all the blacks who don’t speak out against the blacks who commit thugs are themselves thugs… right? Why should I sit and blame every other black guy out their if I was victimized by one individual and other blacks didn’t come out to sympathize with me?
When someone commits a crime, look at the crime, don’t look at the race, religion, language etc. Looking at all the wrong things will only lead to more confusion and problems instead of a solution.
How are people supposed to stay awake. Gene Burns is the most BORING person on the radio. If you look up BORING in Websters dictionary there is a picture of Gene Burns….