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Saturday, July 14, 2007 | Reason : Political | print version Print | Comments

Document American Taliban on the warpath against evolution

by Salon.com

Thanks to Richard Prins for the link.

Reposted from:
http://www.salon.com/tech/htww/2007/07/12/american_taliban/

In Pakistan, the bloody battle between the government and the Taliban wannabes holed up in the Lal Masjid "Red Mosque" is over, with hundreds dead, including Maulana Abdul Ghazi, one of the two brothers who mobilized radical students to push for Islamic revolution. But the aftermath is tense. Will President Musharraf's decision to crack down inflame tensions between the fundamentalists and the state, or convince the jihadis that martyrdom is overrated? The importance of the question can hardly be overstated. Pakistan has the bomb.

Meanwhile, in Boulder, Colo., a home-grown jihadi is terrorizing the University of Colorado at Boulder's ecology and evolutionary biology department. The Denver Post reported on Tuesday that "police are investigating a series of threatening messages and documents e-mailed to and slipped under the door of evolutionary biology labs on the Boulder campus." At the Panda's Thumb, a blog devoted to critiquing the "claims of anti evolutionism," excerpts of e-mails sent by the perpetrator to CU-Boulder faculty members display an unrestrained eagerness for escalating the ever popular with Christian fundamentalists creationism-evolution debate into an out-and-out holy war.

One recent e-mail, which may have attracted the attention of the police, reportedly reads as follows:

"Pastor Jerry Gibson spoke at Doug White's New Day Covenant Church in Boulder.

He said that every true Christian should be ready and willing to take up arms to kill the enemies of Christian society.

But I believe it is far more effective to take up a pen to kill the enemies of Truth.

President GW Bush II [sic] is waging a global war on terror. But it seems he has overlooked the terrorists operating in our own backyard!

He likes to say "God Bless America," and our Pledge of Allegiance says "One Nation Under God." And of course our Federal Reserve issued money says "In God We Trust."

But the EBIO [now EEB] Department at CU Boulder denies a Creator God and claims that life evolved from inanimate matter without Divine Direction, Oversight, or Providence.

Many scientists today have denounced Darwinian theories as bogus science. Yet the EBIO department upholds it as the Gospel truth and hides itself in a false cloak of intellectual arrogance. www.scienceagainstevolution.org

Academic freedom does not include the right to lie, obfuscate, and prevaricate. Yet this is exactly what these arrogant atheist professors do in the name of "higher education"!

EBIO professors are terrorists against America and against the true spirit of humanity, which consists of created beings beholden to their Creator!

EBIO Professors are also intellectual and spiritual child abusers of their young and impressionable students.

In addition, the New Testament states clearly that Adam and Eve were our original parents and that Noah's Flood was an historical reality. So the EBIO department not only blasphemes God, who is invisible, but it blasphemes His Only Begotten Son and our Messiah, Jesus Christ, which is more unforgivable given the clear manifestations of His Godliness and Holiness and the confirmation of all He claimed to be through His historic Resurrection from the dead!

For all these reason all God-fearing and Truth-loving persons must say,

"They must go!"


Back in Pakistan, the Ghazi brothers rallied the faithful against Western decadence, which may or may not include evolutionary theory, I'm not sure. From a Telegraph report in May:

"Our youths will shake their palaces with their suicide attacks," said Maulana (Father) Aziz in a sermon delivered to thousands of his followers at Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque, in central Islamabad.

"The government has been saying that an operation against us is the last option, I want to tell the government that suicide attacks are our last option," said Maulana Aziz.

"Yes, Yes, Allah-o-Akbar," the worshippers shouted when the cleric asked them if they were ready to sacrifice their lives....

Outside the mosque a bonfire of thousands of video and audio cassettes and CDs, which included "Home Alone 4" and "Free Willy," was set alight as onlookers chanted "our way is jihad, jihad".

"This is porno material and blue films. This is destroying our society," said Maulana Ghazi, Aziz's brother.


Take your pick: Darwinism or "Free Willy."

And sure, How the World Works will concede that the rantings of what appears to be one unbalanced crusader in Boulder, Colo., do not equate evenly with the threat to civil society and South Asian geopolitical stability represented by Islamic fundamentalism in Pakistan.

Yet.

Comments 1 - 22 of 22 |

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1. Comment #56212 by Logicel on July 14, 2007 at 1:58 pm

 avatarThis post from Pharyngula says that this guy has been identified:

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2007/07/colorado_kook_identified.php

Other Comments by Logicel

2. Comment #56219 by action1976 on July 14, 2007 at 2:09 pm

Truth loving Fundamentalist Christians exercising there God given right to kill any one who doesn't agree with there crackpot views.

Fundamentalist Muslims burning video's and audio cassetes,and blaming it for destroying society.
While inciting people to suicide attacks.

Anyone please tell me why religion is a good thing.

Apart from burning Home Alone 4 and Free Willy but you didn't have to be a religious fruitcake to agree with incinerating those films.

Other Comments by action1976

3. Comment #56221 by Rtambree on July 14, 2007 at 2:14 pm

Sometimes I wish religion was true so the Rapture would finally come and whisk them all away so they can leave us alone.

We atheists are happy to switch off the lights, tidy up, and burn any remaining copies of Home Alone 4.

Other Comments by Rtambree

4. Comment #56223 by exegesis_saves on July 14, 2007 at 2:24 pm

 avatar
Sometimes I wish religion was true so the Rapture would finally come and whisk them all away so they can leave us alone.


Two points:

1) Think of how much better popular music will be..

2) Again, someone needs to get on the ball and start selling "Rapture Insurance" to believers to cover their heathen loved ones. I'd love to see the political uproar the first time someone tries to sue for "fraud."

Other Comments by exegesis_saves

5. Comment #56238 by bluebird on July 14, 2007 at 3:10 pm

 avatarYea~~
There was an article in May about a guy who supposedly made 'post-rapture letters' for those left behind. Can't find it.

Other Comments by bluebird

7. Comment #56265 by bluebird on July 14, 2007 at 4:40 pm

 avatarMerci!!
Avatar facinant.

Other Comments by bluebird

8. Comment #56301 by kardde1492 on July 14, 2007 at 8:35 pm

i agree. even if the rapture comes at least i wont have to listen to their bullcrap anymore. burning in hell for all eternity is better then listening to them for all eternity.

Other Comments by kardde1492

9. Comment #56368 by konquererz on July 15, 2007 at 10:14 am

 avatarLet me off the crazy train please. The world has gone mad. How do we stop this insanity? Religion is not progressing forwards, its falling backwards into the dark ages all over again. To be sure, many would like to bring back the inquisition if they could. This is out of control, is there not anyone willing to stand up and preach their own scripture against them?

Other Comments by konquererz

10. Comment #56497 by Henri Bergson on July 16, 2007 at 3:39 am

 avatarOne forgets that Pakistan has the bomb. If the (relatively) secular President Musharraf were to be toppled by any one of the myriad fundamentalist muslim groups of his country (and Pakistan was created AS an islamic state), then the west would have to interfere. Interference would preferably be done through funding a coup, but ultimately military force would have to be used.

Having said this, the US has the bomb as well, and Bush seems to be a fundamentalist. Would the US ever (H) bomb a nation due to religious difference? – Doubtful. Would Pakistan under a new muslim head? – Unknowable. Should we, Europe, bomb the US as half of them are a bunch of morons? – Suicide. Should the allies control Pakistan? – Undoubtedly.

Other Comments by Henri Bergson

11. Comment #56500 by Rtambree on July 16, 2007 at 4:06 am

10. Comment #56497 by Henri Bergson

>Should the allies control Pakistan? – Undoubtedly.

What? Have you been watching the news lately? Do you know any history? Have we learnt nothing?

Even if it were desirable, the combined might of the USA & UK can't even secure the road from Baghdad to the Airport after four years (longer than USA's involvement in WWII), let alone "control" every rogue nuclear state.

Just like the US health care system is grossly inefficient (lots of money spent, poor results), the military is equally useless. Bombing is the easy part, nation-building is more difficult. The primary purpose of "The Military" is to tranfer public funds to defense contractors. Whether the missions succeed or fail is inconsequential. If Americans are safer or more at risk as a result of all these adventures is irrelevant.

Other Comments by Rtambree

12. Comment #56503 by Henri Bergson on July 16, 2007 at 4:37 am

 avatarRtambree,

I think you have watched the news but not analysed it.

Afghanistan & Iraq are no longer threats to the west - as nation states (Al qaeda existed anyway). People criticise the invasions because the countries were left in (relative) chaos; but that's irrelevant: they are no longer serious potential threats.

Pakistan must be kept in check, our puppet is doing that for us now.

I don't think most people understand that international affairs is necessarily a zero-sum-game. If you deny that, you're an idealist (and may as well be religious).

Other Comments by Henri Bergson

13. Comment #56506 by Rtambree on July 16, 2007 at 4:48 am

Henri,

>Afghanistan & Iraq are no longer threats to the west -

What do you mean "no longer". This implies they once were.

Actually, if you examined the news, the west is MORE threatened (from terrorists, not nation states) than ever...

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article2067081.ece

That's from The Times, hardly a left wing idealist newspaper.

I've no problem with warmongering, so long as the warmongers are the first across the front line. If you're willing to be the first to land on the tarmac in Islamabad, with Hitchens by your side, in your American t-shirts, so we can sleep soundly at night, be our guests.

What I do have a problem with is warmongerers sending other people across the battlefield, on false pretenses, with the intelligence agencies warning that people will be worse off.

Other Comments by Rtambree

14. Comment #56514 by Henri Bergson on July 16, 2007 at 5:06 am

 avatarRtambree,

Afghanistan & Iraq, I wrote, were 'serious POTENTIAL threats.'

Secondly, I also wrote that Al qaeda existed before the invasions. Perhaps it stirred them up a little, but terrorism is no where near as dangerous as a nation threat (terrorists do not have armies).

Thirdly, don't forget that the military personnel from the US and UK are volunteers today. It is no bad thing to ask them to fulfill their purpose, as you suggest. Why do you think everyone is a coward by default?...

Of course false pretenses were made, at least with Iraq (WMD, etc.). Naturally and irrelevantly! This is necessary as the population must be controlled by an ethical code that does not objectively exist. If states were honest - that all war is ultimately about power - the populace would be harder to control.

It seems you are part of this deluded populace - but reality is far from your understanding. All statesmen know this.

Other Comments by Henri Bergson

15. Comment #56516 by Rtambree on July 16, 2007 at 5:14 am

So populations have to be deceived and controlled, but the grunts in the military are making free and fair choices whether to go to war? Yeah, that's real consistent thinking.

By all means, notch up all the frequent flier miles you can by invading every "potential" threat on the planet. No objections here. Send us a postcard.

Other Comments by Rtambree

16. Comment #56518 by phasmagigas on July 16, 2007 at 5:28 am

 avatari'd like to see the author of that letter be capable of understanding the research and therory at Colorado university and THEN refute it as lies via his/her own published peer reviewed papers, of course that isnt (ok, i keep an open mind but i feel its VERY unlikely)) going to happen so some rather 'unchristian' tactics now being used.

Its akin to me (who knows zero about engineering)watching a huge bridge being constructed and denying that its safe to go across just because i 'know' its just too big to stand there on its own, I could see cars going over but know its still not possible. I could picket the bridge to stop people crossing, hopefully i'd be arrested and be strapped down by that point (before i decided to bomb the dangerous bridge). Ignorance is bliss for some i supose.

Other Comments by phasmagigas

17. Comment #56519 by Henri Bergson on July 16, 2007 at 5:28 am

 avatarRtambree,

Is that a response? Come on, give me more than that!

You completely misunderstood everything I wrote.

Other Comments by Henri Bergson

18. Comment #56525 by bamboospitfire on July 16, 2007 at 5:41 am

 avatar"In addition, the New Testament states clearly that Adam and Eve were our original parents and that Noah's Flood was an historical reality."

Given the presence of such fundamental errors on the part of the author at Boulder, does anyone else get the feeling that this might just be a wind-up?

Other Comments by bamboospitfire

19. Comment #56526 by Rtambree on July 16, 2007 at 5:45 am

Henri, you're still there? Don't you have a country to invade? Pakistan remember? And then all the other potential threats: Iran, Syria, China, North Korea, etc. There's a lot to do for brave folk like you, so I won't hold you up any longer.

Other Comments by Rtambree

20. Comment #56527 by Henri Bergson on July 16, 2007 at 5:47 am

 avatarchild.

Other Comments by Henri Bergson

21. Comment #56536 by ranjani on July 16, 2007 at 7:43 am

Since a discussion of the Iraq war seems to have entered this thread, I think the following link might be of interest which is a collection of interviews with Iraq vets.

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20070712_iraq_vets_break_silence_on_devastating_realities_of_war/

Other Comments by ranjani

22. Comment #56548 by Henri Bergson on July 16, 2007 at 10:15 am

 avatarRanjani,

So what? Everyone knows that US military personnel are wimps.

I once read they had 'compassion training' exercises whilst the Brits were having night-vision targeting training.

Other Comments by Henri Bergson
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