Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Democracy in the Middle East?? MMMMM No.


The other day I was watching an interesting documentary on the Barbary Pirates.
The reporter explained very simply that Spain was occupied by Muslims
who lived there 800 years. Then The Christians got upset with them and said go back
to your own lands and threw them out.
The Muslims then got mad and became pirates capturing many ships and
enslaving the captives and still do to this day.
They also mentioned that this took place in 1492 when Columbus sailed to find the North West Passage to the Indies probably because piracy affected commercial business.
During that time Spain was multicultural. So its not like we were the first to develop such nations in North America and it didn't work.
Not only were the Muslims told to leave but so were the Jews.

It resulted in having the Muslims and Jews go into the pirate business .The Barbary Pirates are famous to this day. Some piracy is still going on off the African Coast.

The Muslims were basically found in Andelusia, in Southern Spain, and they did very well there as the period was called the golden age of learning
The Christians and Jews had conditions under which they lived
They
1)acknowledged Islamic superiority and power
2) payed taxes to the rulers sometimes higher than most folk
3)could not blaspheme or convert Muslims into their religion
4)wore badges and had clothing restrictions
5)could not build many synagogues and churches
6)couldn't carry weapons
7)could not get an inheritance from a muslim
8) couldn't marry a muslim woman but muslim men could marry from other religions
9) Could not own muslim slaves
10) got lower compensations in face of injuries.,were restrictions on practicing one's faith too obviously.

Christian and Jews assimilated into the Muslim culture, learning Arabic and wearing their garbs inclusive of veils but they were still looked down upon as the bottom of society
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/history/spain_1.shtml)

Sorta like the same how they treat people today in modern Islam

But not all Muslim leaders were nice. Some became very intolerant and as a result trouble began.

The Muslims finally lost all power in Spain in 1492. By 1502 the Christian rulers issued an order requiring all Muslims to convert to Christianity, and when this didn't work, they imposed brutal restrictions on the remaining Spanish Muslims.

And so Piracy began and it was difficult for anyone to get to India via the Meditteranean.

(http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Topics/history/American_and_Military/Barbary_Pirates/Britannica_1911*.html)

The first half of the 17th century may be described as the flowering time of the Barbary pirates. More than 20,000 captives were said to be imprisoned in Algiers alone. The rich were allowed to redeem themselves, but the poor were condemned to slavery.

The chief sufferers were the inhabitants of the coasts of Sicily, Naples and Spain. But all traders belonging to nations which did not pay blackmail in order to secure immunity were liable to be taken at sea. The payment of blackmail, disguised as presents or ransoms, did not always secure safety with these faithless barbarians. The most powerful states in Europe condescended to make payments to them and to tolerate their insults.

Religious orders — the Redemptionists and Lazarites — were engaged in working for the redemption of captives and large legacies were left for that purpose in many countries. The continued existence of this African piracy was indeed a disgrace to Europe, for it was due to the jealousies of the powers themselves.

France encouraged them during her rivalry with Spain; and when, she had no further need of them they were supported against her by Great Britain and Holland. In the 18th century British public men were not ashamed to say that Barbary piracy was a useful check on the competition of the weaker Mediterranean nations in the carrying trade.

Kirkus Review: Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean


(http://edkritzler.com/edreviews.htm)

There is little-known history of some unintended consequences of the Spanish Inquisition.

At the dawn of the Age of Discovery, writes Jamaica-based historian Kritzler in his debut, Jews had been compelled by the Inquisition to convert to Christianity or suffer the auto-da-fé, but many of these conversos secretly maintained their ancient faith. By the 17th century, some headstrong descendants of the Jews banished by Spain in 1492 emerged as navigators, corsairs and pirates. These adventuresome Hebrews were an interesting lot. They were politicians, international adventurers and licensed privateers in geopolitical competition as much as mere robbers on the high seas. Covert Jews who never really converted, code-named "Portugals" by those with whom they dealt, sailed with Columbus and da Gama and plundered with Cortés and Pizarro.

Under Barbarossa, a Portugal named Sinan commanded a fleet of 100 ships. Rabbi Palache kept a kosher cuisine aboard his privateer. Seafaring Jews operated from Holland in its Golden Age and practiced international intrigue from Jamaica, where religion was of no consequence. They settled in Curaçao and New Amsterdam (to the consternation of Peter Stuyvesant. Portugal conquistadores looted Mexico, and converso traders connived with Cromwell and the King of Spain at the same time. Cutlasses at the ready together with the occasional holy text, they traded in the sugar of Brazil and the silver of Peru, with some intentions noble and other motives base. Kritzler ….believes that the fabled gold mine of Columbus is actually on the island of Jamaica, and he and a sponsor have already staked a preemptive mining claim.
Surprising adventures on the high seas with some rogues of the Diaspora.

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CNN reported Congressman King trying to open dialogue with respect to Muslims in America and the need for them to work within America, to keep peace, by reporting anyone who was being recruited by Al Qaida even if it meant going against the Imam.

Well, There is a huge difference between Islam is Peace and God is love

There is a huge difference with our democracy and Constitution protecting minorities and theirs, which have a Koran which basically demands Islamic laws, inclusive of Sharia laws, be obeyed.

There is a huge difference in our Bible which teaches forgiveness and love as opposed to the Koran which calls everyone out side the faith, infidels who are there to serve.

It's on the first page of the Koran and they are not allowed to change a word of this book nor discussing changing their religion to some other or dropping it altogether. Islam is the law and way of life.

Once they Democratically elect their politicians and become people of power, elections, as we know them, will be over, as will the freedom we worked so hard to develop on this continent.

The North American continent was a safe haven where people ran to free themselves of such things and here it is creeping into new lands.

To open doors to have this all happen again, like it did in Spain and like it is doing today in Europe and England, is not something Canada and America can afford to dismiss as trivial.

The Koran is not a North American problem,.

It is an Islamic problem.

Islam maybe Peace but Islam is not Love.

That's only found in Christianity.

The only options we have, is to support the freeing of Muslim people in the Middle East so they can govern themselves.

Watching from the side lines we can then determine if democracy can assert itself between their own people and if not, then how is democracy to work with them and other people?

I give Congressman King kudoos for trying but I wouldn't smoke any cigars yet. So far anything and everything having to do with Islam, has not been about peace but constant war , poverty piracy and terrorism.

For peace, Islam requires people of the same mind and man was not born that way.

Those who know what living with a soul, that is alive and vibrant, would die, if they had to live stifled as they do in Islamic countries.

Religion was meant to be between man and God and practiced privately at home, not to force man to obey one ideology where there is no other way but one way.

We know that life has many roads people may take to get to the same place.

Thanks

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qML-Y46daFA&NR=1

This young man is ab solutely amazing. lol Enjoy Gals :)



Well everything is happening in one shot.
Japan had an 8.9 magnitude earthquake in Tokyo and they are expecting tsunamis every where ranging from Taiwan all the way down to Hawaii and even Australia. They tell us how safe Nuclear power is and here Japan is worrying about her plant withstanding such forces from Mother Nature This basically
makes everyone realize that the nuclear way is not the way to go. The risks out weigh the advantages.

We are way overdue for our big one in British Columbia and our newest bridge is only ready for a 7.5 magnitude earthquake. The rest might topple into the water.
They did recently say it was supposed to be happening more from California all the way up to the state of Washington.

Never a dull moment.

14 comments:

Gattina said...

Christians, Muslims or Jews they are all bad at the same level !
When you think how many humans were murdered by Christians because they were not (yet) Christians ? South America went through and in Europe it wasn't better !
At the beginning was the old Testament given to Moses. This part of the bible was for everybody. Then JC showed up and Christians were created and the Bible, then Mohamed showed up and the Muslims were created with the Koran, the only once who remained just like in the beginning of Moses are the Jews with their Tora ! And they are not well liked either.
I prefer to believe in my god and not in a church or religion, that's too complicated.

Maude Lynn said...

When I heard that Japan was evacuating near the nuclear plant, I had the same thoughts about nuclear power.

A Lady's Life said...

Gattina - so true.
This is why I said we have our constitution and democracy. Our Bible is just for home and personal beliefs.
We evolved and learned from the good book.
The Koran is archaic and allows for no change.
This is why democracy may have a problem in the Middle East. Because the moderates and the shiites will not accept things to go either way. The Koran is the law.

A Lady's Life said...

Mama Zen - when I look at how many power plants already exist it is terrifying.
The damage from any one of them goes for over 800 miles.
Man will end up self destructing if we keep listening to people who really don't care.

A Lady's Life said...

Gattina - you do realize why Jesus Christ began Christianity.
It was because of the living conditions without charity, that existed in those times with the Torah
Whe I was a kid I had a part time job working in a what I found out was a Jewish senior citizens home. They were old people who just sat most of the time and at night they would come and sit in the lobby. Then one night I saw them all get up and begin dancing and they were all so happy it lifted my soul to see it.
I couldn't figure it out until I went home and had to go to church for Easter mass and then it dawned on me, they were dancing because Jesus was hanging on the cross suffering.
No charity. No forgiveness.
and the same with Muhammad.
No charity. No forgiveness. No compassion for mankind.
Christianity fights for mankind, charity and freedom and every day we learn and open more doors.
I can't see anything wrong with that.
Ok it's not perfect nothing ever is.
Man is not perfect but neither is socialism, communism fascism,capitalism etc....Man is learning every day to create balance and the Christian ways keep doors open to be able to do this. Through it we can see the light and a future.
because it is an evolving ideology.
It realizes it does not have all the answers but the answers can be found if you look hard enough. We nly have 10 commandments to serve as a guideline to follow but in the end it is between each man and his God.
I'd say that is fair enough for every human.

Baron's Life said...

While this post presents good food for thought it is best to leave religion out of the equation when dealing with global issues.
Unfortunately, history has proven again and again that unscrupulous leaders and political oppressors have in the past used religion to reach their political ends, creating strife, wars, murders and blood baths in the process and will continue to do so in the future, unless the global population becomes more educated and certainly more aware of the fact human beings the world over have the same needs, dreams, aspirations and hopes. Internet connectivity with its global reach has created a new social order and is changing the world.

A Lady's Life said...

Baron - Again - in north america we have the constitution above the law of the land.
The constitution was allowed to be developed through Christian values
So you can't leave it out
Christianity, by devising a constitution, placed itself second.
It is not above the law of the land.

Islamic beliefs are above all laws of land and peoples.
They are a negative, not a positive for a free society and peoples.

I have tried to use the barbary pirates only as an example to show that multicultural societies existed before ours and they did not work under Islam
Now with Islam encroaching into free territories, they will again not work.
That's all I am saying.
You can't ignore religions because people bring their beliefs to the voting booth. So unless we want to live under Islamic laws here in North America, we have to study and ensure that by allowing it to grow here, that we can continue to live together.
Because there are no more continents to explore to run to lol

Baron's Life said...

You should have testified in the Peter King hearings on Thursday...he needs people like you

A Lady's Life said...

Baron - He is the reason I wrote this blog. lol

It is not a question of muslims being good or bad people.

When you give allegiance to the flag of the united states of America and to the republic for which it stands One Nation under God, indivisible ......
The fact that Muslims believe in a book above A constitution written by infidels, is in itself a statement.

You cant believe in the Koran and also believe in the US Constitution.
It's either one or the other.
The same in Canada.We have a constitution which is the top law of the nation under which we live.

The Koran did not put itself, as the Bible did, second to the nation and its' laws.It holds itself above all other laws.

The Muslims therefore cannot be trusted in anything they say because it all means nothing.
They are not accountable, as the rest of the citizens are, to the country.
They are only accountable to the Koran.

This presents a huge problem and it is not the nations' problem but that of Islam and people who believe in the Koran and muhammad.
It is their problem and they are the ones who need to fix it or stop complaining.
Otherwise we have to assume they came here to bide time to use democracy in their favor to legitimize the Koran.
This is what they are saying all along only people are not hearing what they are saying.
They don;t need to fight. All they need to do is wait until they can vote.lol

Baron's Life said...

Good point...you shouldn't give them the secret...now they are going to wait and vote you out of the country and change the laws to suit their religious beliefs...not what Peter King nor I want to see. You come here, live here, you adapt to our laws...you don't like our laws, then please pack up and go back to where you came from and leave us alone

A Lady's Life said...

Well hopefully it will not come to that. And hopefully they will be able to obtain their democracy in their own countries grow and resolve their issues through dialogue as Mr King says should happen. There was another woman also who came out to say the same thing. The Muslims need to do their part to resolve issues pertaining to them.
Unless they prove to the American/Cdn people , that they are willing to put the constitution of the United States and Canada first,no one will take them seriously and I dont know how they will be able to do this with the Koran written the way it is.

Baron's Life said...

It is no doubt a difficult issue but it all comes through education and secularism..Practice your religion at home and don't try to shove it down other people's throat

George said...

Thanks for a very interesting and informative historical perspective on the Barbary pirates.

A Lady's Life said...

You are welcome George