Saturday, January 27, 2007

In war, who do you trust?

Today, as I was writing this post, I almost didn’t want to. There is already so much gloom in our neck of the blogosphere that adding this post can only reinforce the feelings of despair I am seeing in the ranks of--for lack of a better term--the “Cyber-Counterjihad”. Writing this post is not just discouraging for me, but it might be discouraging to all else who see this (except our enemies, and the Muslims of course). Before I continue, I just want to say that because of security reasons, I cannot provide any direct reference or link to the material I quote here, nor can I mention any names. Anyway, let’s continue.

Some months ago, I met another Pakistani through my Christian friends here in Dubai. According to them, my fellow Pakistani had converted to Christianity nine years ago while he was in Texas (that’s right!!) and was growing in his new faith. I was very happy to meet him and encouraged to meet another Christian and former Muslim like myself. I already knew that I wasn’t alone in what I had done, but meeting someone like me for the first time in person was even more heartening. I talked with the guy for about ten minutes before he left to get ready for his trip back to Pakistan the very next day. I told my Christian friend, who is an American, that this meeting had increased my faith and my confidence. It was a very happy day for me.

But, after a couple of months, when I met with my American friend again, he told me that that other Pakistani apostate was gradually slipping back into Islam. Hearing that news was devastating--I was heartbroken and mad at the same time. Heartbroken because he was the first person I had met who was like me and now, after nine years, he chose to go back to darkness, ignorance and barbarity—and mad because I couldn’t believe my own stupidity when I trusted him. Now I was reluctant to go see even my American friends, but I still go see them because that’s the only place I can actually read the Bible.

Anyway, some days ago, I came across the blog of that Pakistani and read the following in one of his recent posts (copied below in its original form):

The night before the Eid, I was glue to my television following the news that Saddam Hussein could be hanged any time now. The sentenced was given five days ago, which said that he should be executed within 30 days. The sudden announcement that he would be hanged just before 6am on the day of Eid for Muslims upset and angered me. From all the days of the 30 days, they had to do it on the day of Eid. Why not after? It seemed like a deliberate calculated step on the part of the so called new Iraqi government, who we all know is controlled by outside influence, to hang Saddam on Eid day to upset all Muslims, regardless if they were supporters or anti-Saddam. I didn't support him. I thought he was a mad man. But to hurt the sensibilities of Muslims on their most joyous occasions is asking for too much. It would be akin to hanging President Bush (who should be tried for crimes for humanity as well) on Christmas day.
This type of a comment wouldn’t normally bother me, but having it come from another (supposed) Christian and former Muslim, it upset me a lot.

However, what really makes me reluctant to write about this, is that this guy, who says he has been a Christian for nine years, appears to have reverted back to Islam. Worse yet, while this is obvious to all of us, he may not even realize it. Not only has he done that, but he also has taken a Muslim/Leftist stance when an evil dude is hanged—and the guilty don’t get any more guilty than Saddam was (may he rot in hell). When I asked him, via the net, what he meant above by ‘outside influence’ (even though I knew what his answer would be) and why the Muslims would be upset over the death of Saddam Hussein (or anyone like that), this was his response to me:

The Muslims were upset because they were all getting ready to celebrate the special occassion of Eid, of which the significance you clearly cannot comprehend. My main issue was not of whether to hang him or not, but why they had to hang them on Eid day. Why not hang him the day after? A lot of people questioned that act, not just me.
It makes me think, a Muslim is always a Muslim. I know that when I say this, I may be undercutting or destroying my own credibility as a former Muslim/apostate. But I’d rather see the West not trust anyone than trust someone like him who can later betray the very people that first protected him and still do—namely my friends here and his friends from Texas.

All I can say now after this sordid episode, is that trusting a Muslim, even one who claims he has converted to Christianity, any other non Muslim faith, or even atheism, can prove to be as suicidal as trusting a professing pious Muslim.

Cross-posted at PI.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

But to hurt the sensibilities of Muslims on their most joyous occasions is asking for too much.

Saddam was a sadistic murderer and tyrant whose nominally secular Baathist regime ruthlessly persecuted all oppositions, including Muslims. Yet, there are still Muslims who regard him as one of their own?! This sort of blind fanaticsm is very scary.