"Light Blows"

Force-feeding the Quran into the young is a favorite activity of many Muslim households. This becomes uglier when the first language of the family isn't Arabic. The kids have to memorize an entire book of asinine words without understanding a single sentence. If they don't or if they make mistakes, then a heavy stick reminds them of the peaceful nature of Islam.

On this matter, MEMRI recently did a translation of an Al Jazeera TV show.

Interviewer: "Fatima, have you ever been beaten to make you memorize the Koran - you or any of your classmates?"

Fatima Abd Al-Hamid, a student at a Koran school: "No, but sometimes the teacher punishes me. If I make a small mistake, for example, she says that I must concentrate on this. Sometimes, she tells us to concentrate on it again."

Interviewer: "How are you punished?"

Fatima Abd Al-Hamid: "She tugs our ears or strikes us with a ruler."

Interviewer: "What about you, Luqman?"

After a few more questions:

Luqman Abd Al-Hamid: "He hit me on the hand."

Interviewer: "With a ruler?"

Luqman Abd Al-Hamid: "No, he hit me lightly with his hand."

Interviewer: "Can you show us how he hit you?"

Luqman Abd Al-Hamid: "He has a strong hand, Allah be praised, and he hit me."

Reread that last sentence and let it sink in.

Later an audience member states that he was beaten with a rod.

Member of the audience: "Doesn't beating run counter to the religion of Islam?"

Interviewer: "He is referring to the beating of children."

Dr. Arabi 'Atallah Al-Qweidri: 'Do you mean beating as a punishment at school?"

Member of the audience: "In school and in Koran memorization schools."

Dr. Arabi 'Atallah Al-Qweidri: "This beating does not run counter to Islam. It is permitted for the sake of education. But by 'beating,' I mean light blows, light punishment, so that the child or student will learn a lesson, and will serve as an example to others. If the student is left unpunished, there will be chaos."

There is no reason, only naked, brutal power. This occurs in every Muslim-majority nation in all kinds of schools. (If you're in the West, then go ahead and ask any first-generation Muslim acquaintance about his/her "academic" experience.)

One can't help but ask: If Muslims treat their own kids and kind in such a vicious manner then what kind of treatment would they mete out to those they profess to hate?