Biology of Human Rights

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We Are Bound To Promote Human Rights, Since We Are The Progeny Of

Self-Interested Rational Utility-Maximizing Homo Sapiens

Who Have Genetically Survived In Us

© Edip Yuksel, J.D. 1997
www.19.org

“The captain was innocent of the charge but the judges and the generals agreed that the doctrine of ‘utilitas populi’ must prevail.” (Lukes, Steven. “Five Fables About Human Rights.” On Human Rights: The Oxford Amnesty Lectures 1993. Ed. Stephen Shute and Susan Hurley. New York: Basic Books, 1993. p. 22)

Steven Lukes, in his lecture “Five Fables About Human Rights,” evaluates five main moral theories in fictional lands named Utilitaria, Communitaria, Proletaria, Libertaria, and Egalitaria, in relation to human rights. He suggests to keep the list of human rights short and reasonably abstract. This conclusion comes from his observation that the principle of defending human rights is “accepted virtually everywhere. It is also violated virtually everywhere, though much more in some places than in others.” (p. 20). A short and realistic list, according to the author, has “a prospect of securing agreement across the broad spectrum of contemporary political life.” (p. 38). He abruptly ends his article with a passionate invitation to stand against barbarian Serbs who are committing “ethnic cleansing”. Journey to Egalitaria can be resumed only through defending basic human rights in real world.

Since I am a resolute proponent of Utilitarianism, I will briefly summarize his criticism of other four theories and later deal with the author’s evaluation of Utilitaria.

Communitaria, according to the author, is plagued with the problems resulted from friction among subgroups struggling for recognition and from incompatibility created by the ideal of relativistic multi-culturalism. Communitarians do not need to determine human rights since they have faith in “abstract perfection” which according to a Communitarian orator Edmund Burke is their “practical defect.”

Proletaria, is a dream land far from the reality of human nature. A problem-free society is not possible when some people has to allocate resources or occupations for others. Proletarians are not aware of the fact that power corrupts. Proletarians reject the human rights as “ideological nonsense” and “obsolete verbal rubbish,” created by bourgeoisie to hamper the class struggle against enemies of proletariats. Human rights are needed only in imperfect, conflictual and class-ridden world. Proletaria, of course, does not need such rights since the dicta of working class allegedly will make it unnecessary. A wishful thinking!

Libertaria, on the other hand, recognizes the need for human rights, nevertheless, their achievement is left entirely to market principles. Individual’s right to own property and profit from his labor will achieve human rights through cost-benefit analysis. Public welfare is reduced to minimum because of strong belief in the merits of social Darwinism. Human rights, according to the author, is not taken seriously in Libertaria since despite its theoretical rhetoric, all people do not have equal power to organize and access to legal process or compete with the media owned by the rich.

Egalitaria too does not provide hope for human rights, since they are, like libertarians, extremely concerned to achieve maximal economic growth. The adopted Libertarian economic ideal is in conflict with egalitarian ideal. In cultural sphere Egalitaria suffers from communitarian constraint. The suggested “veil of ignorance” by Professor Rawls to achieve social harmony is not practical, since it cannot answer why should people make moral decisions behind “veil of ignorance” if it might result in sacrificing their immediate self-interest. Nevertheless, the author thinks that we can reach Egalitaria if we all agree on a short and reasonable list of human rights and work for it.

As for Utilitaria. . .

The author, in his evaluation of Utilitaria demonstrates his misunderstanding of utilitarianism, a theory that is based on reason and reality of human nature. “Life in Utilitaria has its hazards. . . The problem is that no one can ever know for sure what sacrifices he or she may be called on to make for the greater benefit of all.”  (p. 22). He claims that innocent people will be sacrificed if their sacrifice will make the majority happier. He sees the doctrine of “utilitas populi” a dangerous tool in the hands of technocrats, bureaucrats or judges who might hurt innocent people based on their cost-benefit calculations.

The author, like many other critics, has missed the entire point of utilitarianism. One of the famous illustrations of this misunderstanding was expressed by Dostoyevsky. I will reject Lukes’ criticism of utilitarianism by using Dostoyevsky’s famous hypothetical question:

“Imagine that you are creating a fabric of human destiny with the object of making men happy in the end, giving them peace and rest at last. Imagine that you are doing this but that it is essential and inevitable to torture to death only one tiny creature? That child beating its breast with its fist, for instance? In order to found that edifice on its unavenged tears. Would you consent to be the architect on those conditions? Tell me. Tell me the truth?” (Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov, 226, quoted by Legal Ethics p. 9).

I call my personal moral philosophy “evolutionary intelligent utilitarianism.” I am sure that those who are not familiar with utilitarian philosophy will erroneously second-guess the utilitarian response to Dostoyevky’s mischievous question. They might say: “to achieve happiness for millions of individuals a utilitarian would of course torture a single child.”

First, Dostoyevky’s famous question has a deceptive language and a twisted logic. The language is deceptive, since it only tends to create sympathy with the pain and suffering of the presumptive sacrifice, but not with the pain and suffering of millions of children and adults who would be saved from all kinds of torture. The question could reduce our ethical resistance against sacrificing a child had it  shifted sympathy towards those who would be saved from all kinds of painful tortures. (Just as I did it here).

Second, it is twisted since it is as a hypothetical question far from reality. Real life presents no choices between torturing a child to death or saving the world or others. This question carries an inherent contradiction if it is applied in real life: you can never save a person by torturing another similarly situated person. To demonstrate the latent problem twinkling under the Dostoyevky’s tricky question, here are some other questions:

  1. Would you spend 10 dollars to make 1000 dollars?
  2. Would you deprive a 70 year-old patient of a vital organ transplant to save a 30 year-old patient?
  3. Would you deprive a 30 year-old patient of a vital organ transplant to save a 70 year-old patient?
  4. Would you cut the public funding for an exotic and scarce medical technology that benefits a few rich people to allocate more funds for low-cost but desperately needed basic technology to save the lives of many middle-class and poor people?
  5. If you had two options, letting the burglar who robbed the bank go with the money or stealing the money from the burglar and keeping it for yourself, which one would you pick?
  6. Would you kill yourself to save your life?

Answering the first question is easy, especially in America. Your answer to the 2nd and 3rd questions might differ, though they are two identical problems stated in different ways. Your answer to the fourth question might differ not based on your ethical considerations but purely based on the interests of the class you belong at the time. Your answer to the 5th question might differ if the very same case was presented in a slightly different language: “if you had two options, letting the burglar who robbed the bank go with the money or taking the money from the burglar and keeping it for yourself, which one would you pick?” Probably, your answer would differ if the money did not belong to a bank; but to your neighbor. The size of their wealth to absorb their loss might affect your answer.

As for number 6, I think, it is the closest to Dostoyevky’s question (assuming that the meaning of “life” will not be construed according to the teachings of religions which promises life after death). Yes, my last question is a simplified version of the same problem presented in Dostoyevky’s question. I would not kill myself to save my life, and I would not torture a child to death to save other children’s life.

You might object by citing the famous utilitarian principle: “those actions are right that produce the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people.” Well, I do abide by this principle and for the same reason reject the torturing of a child or punishing an innocent person to (supposedly) save others. Inconsistent? Not really.

If I were God, as Dostoyevsky craftily wants me to pretend without explicitly telling me, then, in that case I would think and act like humans. In other words, even hypothetically, I as a human being, can never put myself in the position of God, since I can never mentally isolate myself from the human intelligence which has evolved through natural selection. As the product of natural selection, I am inherently concerned about my survival and the survival of my decendents. My ethical problems are peculiar to humans and for humans. God, might have different ethical standards towards humans. For instance, we Homo Sapiens, do not treat our own species and animals the same. We might find it an easier decision to kill animals to save a human, though we will find difficulty with the notion of torturing animals. The reason is simple: torturing animals, in our evolutionary experience, does not have a utiliteran value; but killing them does.

Those who survived, in other words, those human genes who survived in us were those intelligent animals that happened to discover the power of being a member of a pact. Those who became a member of a pact or a community became superior against their solitary rivals. They also learned very soon that they could not stick with each other as a community unless they cooperated and trusted each other. Therefore, their survival depended on their level of trust to each other. Those who cheated others were cheated by others and became extinct species. Only those who were intelligent enough to understand the connection between the level of their commitment/loyalty to the common objectives and their existence survived. There were and are always some anomalies, but they usually get rid off each other. Those anomalies who survived were eliminated or neutralized by the society via mobilization of shame, ethical sanctions or criminal law.

Our ancestors were evolutionary-intelligent-utilitarians. They discovered, probably after witnessing the costly blunder of their neighbors, that the principle of “greatest happiness for the greatest number of people” could not be achieved by sacrificing a law abiding or innocent member of their community, since it would be contradictory. They were intelligent; they knew empirically that contradictory actions would inflict them with painful misery and disasters. They knew that they came together to survive, not to kill each other. If they killed an innocent member in their community to please the majority, then, who could assure each of them that they would not be the next victim. They saw the disastrous slippery slope of such an action. For their own future security, each individual had to protect the rights of other individuals. The security of any individual was ultimately a guarantee of security for the other. Therefore, the security of an individual was equivalent to the security of the whole, and vice versa.

As their progeny, I inherit the same utilitarian intelligence, and therefore I advocate human rights for all people since it is also a guarantee for my own rights and my children’s as well. Oppressing minorities constitutes a danger to the well-being of the majority in the future, since the slippery slop of oppression cannot be stopped. Oppressive majorities will always be pregnant to new-born sub-classes or minorities. Being insensitive towards the pains of the members of the same species creates unreliable, irrational monsters. The members of oppressive group eventually become enemy to each other. Obviously, “self-interested rational utility maximizers” will not put their own future into jeopardy.

I believe that the prime reason that ended slavery in this country was the physical and emotional interaction of masters and slaves which resulted in the creation of an interracial minority. Those hybrid “brown” children, as a new group of minority, triggered and alarmed the intelligent members of the majority regarding their own future.

In a world that is becoming smaller and smaller by the dramatic advance of modern technology and inter-continental nuclear missiles, we are compelled to be concerned about the plights of those who live in other countries. We are intelligent and experienced enough to fear from the tyrannical governments that treats their subjects badly. We know very well that dictators are not intelligent and trustworthy; they harm their own people, themselves and others. Equal rights for every single human being is the ultimate goal to live in a peaceful world.

In brief, we should promote human rights for our own security and self interest. We need to remind each other to use our God-given intelligence since it is what has elevated us to the top of food chain. The atrocities committed by those less intelligent ones should be stopped by those who are more intelligent. We are marching, walking, crawling, slithering or being pushed towards Utilitaria. Those who resist this evolutionary movement will ultimately lose power and become extinct. Like dinosaurs. Utilitaria is the manifest destiny of our evolutionary adventure.

I cannot resist of quoting a verse from the Quran, the holy book which is abandoned by most of the sectarian Muslims. It articulates this evolutionary intelligent utilitarian principle in few words:

“We decreed for the Children of Israel that if anyone who murders a human being who did not commit murder or a horrendous crime, is as if he murdered all the people. Anyone who saves a life is as if he saved the lives of all the people . .” (5:32).

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Democracy and Corrupt Elite

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Democracy and Corrupt Elite

Edip Yuksel, J.D.
www.19.org

“Our people naturally looked to the United Nations for solidarity and support in their struggle against the Fascist dictatorship. For eight years they cried out in the wilderness for help; unfortunately, their cries seemed to have fallen on deaf ears.” (Uganda’s President Godfrey Binaisa, after overthrowing Idi Amin’s junta, chiding the delegates of General Assembly for their indifference to his people’s plight) (1)

Thomas M. Franck, in his article titled “The Emerging Right to Democratic Governance,” cites various international agreements and practices indicating a new international trend towards considering democracy a new legal right, transforming the democratic entitlement from moral prescription to international legal obligation (2).  The would be Idi Amin impersonators should think twice before attempting to declare their dictatorship. “Dictatorship of the proletariat” is no more a hip, nor the fascist dictatorship called “modernization.” Democracy is the contemporary goal of the international community. It might soon become an international religion. The “democratic entitlement is the craving of governments for validation” (3).  The superstition asserting that “parliamentary democracy is a western illusion and neocolonialist trap for unwary Third World peoples” is no more a popular reaction. Three vital elements for a democratic governance have already became buzzwords in international agreements and the operations of United Nations. The trinity of Self-determination, Freedom of Expression, and Free and Open Elections now promise the coming of the omnipresent democracy. Intelligentsia now can diagnose the legitimacy of a democratic system by checking up the quadrilateral indicators named with fancy words: pedigree, determinacy, coherence and adherence.

The author wrestles in futile to clarify the most problematic element of democracy, that is, self-determination. Article 1 of the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights which has been ratified by 113 states as of November 1991, and almost has become a customary law, proclaims that “all peoples have the right of self-determination.” It is a concept with a powerful appeal to self-interested rational utility-maximizing humans, since it includes the sweet word “self”. But, when you ask about the idendity of those “peoples,” those who are deemed to be eligible for the right for self-determination, it loses its magical appeal. Self-determination quickly mutates and becomes Janus, the mythological goddess: one of her jovial face promising self-determination for people and her other cantankerous face protecting the rights of those who already determined their fate from those who had not yet. More than 30 million Kurdish people, for instance, has always met with the grumpy international face of Janus who always has generously smiled to those countries that brutally panelized Kurdish people for their gullible demand for equal enjoyment of the so-called right to self-determination. Neither their geographical separation, nor their distinct ethnicity and culture, nor their population entitled them to have this right. It seems that to enjoy that right you must prove your eligibility by shedding barrels of human blood in a brutal international ritual called war. Pedigree, thus, is not self-determination, but winning a bloody war for self-determination. Unfortunately, I cannot see where we can draw a line to stop other “people” who crave for their right of self-determination. Why deprive Militia of Montana from self-determination, or deny the people of S. Carolina from declaring their independence from the dictatorship of federal government of United States?

The second element, Free Expression, is clearer than the previous element. Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which is my favorite article, specifically recognizes this right. Article 20 recognizes the right to peaceful assembly and association. The Covenant of Civil and Political Rights expresses these rights more specifically in various articles (4).

Electoral Right, according to the author, is a recently emerging and evolving democratic right. Article 21 of the Universal Declaration acknowledges a universal and equal suffrage held by secret vote or free voting procedure. Article 25 of the Civil and Political Covenant extends this right to every citizen. The author cites many examples of recent international efforts to promote and monitor free democratic elections in troubled countries.

Nevertheless, the author is silent regarding the implementations of this right in western countries, especially in the USA. When we reflect on the role of interest groups and lobbyists in the political landscape of Washington, we cannot stop but ask ourselves: is this really a “democracy” representing all the people? Is this the system that was hailed as “by the people for the people of the people”? How can electoral participation be considered “equal” in a country where 1% of population owns the 39% of total wealth and lobbyists are the respected pigs of the political carnival? Why not question the practice of democracy and its electoral system? Can “democracy” be a new clandestine, efficient and clever device to establish the dicta of the powerful elite? Can it be another “opium of masses,” a diabolic mass-deception?

Well, I do believe that democracy is the best system we have so far. But, I think we should not ignore its problems and should always keep our critical eye on it. Every week, approximately 1500 US patents are issued for new inventions in physical sciences. We should not be arrogant that we have invented the ultimate political system. I think we should use our creativity to improve and better the democratic system. We should test them in our neighborhoods, colleges and towns. Even if it requires to abandon the non-surprising element of “free election.” I believe that it will be wrong to sanctify a procedure. I do agree with Professor Reisman that elections “serve as evidence of popular sovereignty and become the basis for international endorsement of the elected government” (5).  But, I think, free elections is only one of the evidences of popular sovereignty.

As for the tension between enforcing or monitoring free elections and sovereignty of governments in their domestic affairs. . . I think this tension is caused by the patronizing attitude of western world. A universal observation of all elections by UN can eliminate this problem. This will save the monitored countries from the presumed stigma and humility. An international treaty can declare UN observation as a routine procedure of free elections in the territory of all parties. The author envisions a world democracy: “if voluntary acceptance of monitoring becomes the general practice of states, it will gradually evolve from an optional to a customary and, ultimately, mandatory means of satisfying the democratic entitlement” (6).  Unfortunately, his and my hope seems to be a utopia, since the arrogance of super powers is a Himalayan barrier against such a simple international watch.

There is no doubt that democracy, even in its lame form, provides some protection for human rights. Knowing the enormous desire of the powerful elite to dictate their interest, and their incredible ability to mutate and adapt, a democratic system should be armored by protective procedures against this corrupt elite. Fighting against this political virus is not primarily an international task, but a duty of each citizen. A never ending duty.

(1) Thomas M. Franck, The Emerging Right To Democratic Governance, The American Journal of International Law, Vol. 86:46, p. 83).
(2) Id., p. 47
(3) Id., p. 50
(4) Articles 18, 19, and 22.
(5) Supra 1 at 75.
(6) Id., 85

 

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Capitalist Crusaders vs Feudal Mujahids

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SKYSCRAPERS versus CAVES:

The Unholy War between Capitalist Crusaders and Feudal  Mujahids

Edip Yuksel, J.D.

© www.yuksel.org, 2002-2004

 

After the diabolic terrorist attack inSeptember 11, 2001, Americans need to know the theological and political roots of terrorism and wars. This knowledge will help us to eradicate the religious, social, political and economic factors that breed international terrorism and aggression, both committed by groups or states.

I am a muslim author/activist and I have written numerous articles and scores of books, including Turkish translation of the Quran, to promote reformation in Islam. (Currently, I with to of my colleagues we are working on the Reformist English Translation of the Quran). I was once a leader of a radical Muslim youth movement affiliated withIran’s Revolutionary Guards,Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, and Afghan’s Hizb-i Islami. After corresponding and discussing theological issues with an Egyptian-American scientist, I later experienced a paradigm shift in my belief system and denounced my religious and political ideology, becoming the target of my former comrades as an “apostate” or “betrayer.”

The person pivotal to my conversion, Dr. Rashad Khalifa, was initially a popular scholar in Muslim world. However, in January 1990 he was assassinated inTucson,Arizona, by Fuqra, a domestic terrorist group affiliated to Bin Laden, the leader of international terrorist network Al-Qaeda, The Base.

As a muslim who once was a leading member of the international network of anti-American radical Islam, a muslim who continuously receive death threats from Muslim fanatics, a muslim who lost his closest friend to the knives of Osama bin Laden’s terrorists, a muslim who has dedicated himself to the promotion of human rights, freedom of expression, democracy and islamic reform, I invite all Muslims to abandon man-made teachings besides the Quran. I invite Muslims to reform themselves under the light of the Quran alone. We should seek peace and justice for all. We should attain individual freedom by submitting ourselves to God’s laws in nature and His scripture. We should use our reason rather than superstition. We should reject the teachings of clergymen, which have doomed us to the darkness of ignorance and to the backwardness of medieval culture.

Muslims must join the islamic reformation movement. Otherwise they become extinct. Our movement’s argument primarily relies on theological and philosophical arguments, logic, critical analysis of history and the lessons learned from the backwardness of Muslim Countries. The momentum of this monotheistic movement is so powerful that it is going to change the social and political landscape of Muslim countries.

Though the movement is in its embryonic stage, nevertheless, it is receiving a surprisingly broad sympathy inTurkey,Malaysia, andNorthern Africa. Muslim populations living in Western countries are also very interested in the message of the reformation movement. Monotheist, reformist, or progressive muslims are targets of oppressive and regressive religious governments or authoritarian regimes, ironically some supported by theUSA. Especially, those who live inIran,Pakistan,Malaysia,Saudi ArabiaandEgyptare risking their lives. Sunny or Shiite clergymen have demonstrated their determination to fight fiercely against monotheistic movement by labeling it as “apostasy” or “a Western or Zionist plot.”

The loosely organized islamic reformation movement involves a radical principle: all religious sources besides the Quran are irrelevant for salvation and they should be dealt like dinosaurs. By rejecting volumes of books of narration, contradictory sectarian teachings and numerous secondary sources, a new understanding of the Quran has emerged. The islam based on the Quran is dramatically different than the “Islam” of Sunni or Shiite clergymen. First of all, according to the Quran, islam is not a proper name, but a description meaning surrendering or submitting to God alone and seeking peace. Again, according to the Quran, search and promotion of freedom and peace did not start from Muhammad, but from the first Homo Sapiens.  Most importantly, the Quranic islam requires a paradigm change that emphasizes rational and empirical methodology to blind faith. It eliminates the reliance on the fatwas of muslim clerics and rejects their power over them.

The ramification of following the Quran alone cannot be exaggerated. It provides a paradigm shift regarding the role of women, freedom of speech, democracy, position against science and technology, criminal system, international terrorism, and peace with other nations. (I have discussed some of these issues briefly in my first English book, “19 Questions For Muslim Scholars,” and it will be extensively argued in the upcoming Reformist Translation of the Quran, which will be published by a major American publishing house.)

As an American citizen, I also invite American people to be more sensitive towards the foreign policy of the American government. The myopic American foreign policy, which primarily serves the interests of big corporations, such as weapon and oil industries, has inadvertently helped the cause of religious terrorists.  Perhaps it is inaccurate to refer to the current Bush government asUSAgovernment since it serves the interests of big corporations, and should be called the government of the United Incorporations of America.

For instance, in early 195O’s we alienated Iranian people by supporting an oppressive and corrupt monarchy against a popular prime minister (Musaddiq), thereby contributing in the success of mullahrchy inIran. We aided Saddam Hussein militarily and politically and used him againstIran, thereby participating in the destruction of hundreds of cities and millions of human lives. We did nothing when Saddam killed 5,000 Kurdish villagers instantaneously by chemical weapons in Halabja, but we brought the entire world together when an oil-richKuwaitwas occupied by the same Saddam. For more than a year we were bystanders when Serbs committed genocide and atrocities against Bosnian Muslims and we kept the sanctions banning Muslims from obtaining weapons for self-defence. The oppressive and racist Turkish government used our helicopters and weapons in its decade-long genocide against Kurdish population; we backed the Turkish military whenever they meddled with the Turkish democracy. Our economic sanctions intended to dethrone Saddam, our former ally, have contributed in starvation of millions of Iraqi children and ironically have turned Saddam, a fascist, to a hero in the eyes of starving people. We bombed a Sudanese medicine factory and killed many civilians by falsely declaring it to be a chemical weapon factory (Our TV stations did not interview the children and relatives of the employees we killed!). We support the Saudi monarchy, one of the most oppressive and corrupt regimes on the face of earth, and therefore have contributed in the creation of millions of oppressed and ignorant enemies; when they overthrow the Saudi King, they will surely chant “death toAmerica.” We used Afghani people againstRussia, our former arch enemy and abandoned them after their economic, social and political structure were in ruins. We declared a futile war against drugs and thereby making it a lucrative business for criminals and international terrorists. Our noble support of Jewish victims for their quest to turn to their historical homeland, unfortunately, has transformed to an unconditional support to Zionists’ racist and aggressive policy, leading to the creation of another victim nation. By supporting Israeli terrorism and occupation, we have created millions of enemies and potential terrorists in Muslim world.  Now, by invadingIraq, and by killing Iraqi civilians, destroying their cities, and committing atrocities there we are planting the seeds of much bigger terrorist organizations againstAmericaand its interests.

Our warships expects friendly welcome in every foreign harbor, our bombers expect silent submissions from cities and their inhabitants, our companies are the prime suppliers of weapons for many world nations and terrorists, we are the first nation to use atomic bomb and kill record number of civilians in one day in the history of human race, we are the main producer of biological and chemical weapons, we sell our products to any price we choose but we want to fix the price of oil or other products sold by poor countries, we doom many countries to economic bankruptcy through IMF and myriad of financial institutions, and we stage military coups via CIA and support puppet governments to please our big corporations. Yet, we wonder why so many people in other countries hate us. Ironically, we brag to be a peace-loving compassionate nation! We show our compassion by dropping food by one airplane and bombs by another!

The Neocon-Zionist-Armaggedonite coalition, trough the publicized outrageous sexual abuse and physical torture scandal, proved that by the words “liberty and democracy” the Bush administration meant killing, destruction, humiliation and torture for Arabs and muslims.Israel, as the world’s only government recognized by the United Nations that tortures prisoners LEGALLY, through their immense influence in American policy, led the Neoconian USA government to follow their lead of torturing political prisoners or those they call terrorists.

Israeland its influential Zionist lobbies exercise incredible amount of influence on both major American parties; this is a fact known by every insider and by every outsider with average intelligence. For instance, James Bamford, an American intelligence expert, in his book titled A Pretext For War exposes the infiltration of Zionist gang into theUSA’s key political positions. Time magazine reporter Michael Duffy in the book review section wrote the following:

“The Bush hard-liners had long believed that stability could come to theMiddle East—andIsrael—only if Saddam Hussein was overthrown andIraqconverted into a stable democracy. Led by Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, they were installed at various government, and nothing moved without their O.K. Bamford comes very close to stating that the hard-liners were wittingly or unwittingly acting as agents ofIsrael’s hard-line Likud Party, which believedIsraelshould operate with impunity in the region and dictate terms to its neighbors. Such a world view, Bamford argues, was simply repotted by the hard-liners intoU.S.foreign policy in the early Bush years, with the war inIraqas its ultimate goal. Bamford asserts that the backgrounds, political philosophies and experiences of many of the hard-liners helped to hardwire the pro-Israel mind-set in the Bush inner circle and suggests thatWashingtonmistookIsrael’s interests for its own when it pre-emptively invadedIraqlast year.” (One Expert’s Verdict: The CIA Caved Under Pressure, Michael Duffy, Time,June 14, 2004, p.65).

The only point I disagree is the depiction of the policy as “Israel’s interest.” I do not think at all that aggression, assassination, home destructions, leaving no hope for Palestinian youth who are pushed to become suicide bombers, massacres, erecting Jewish settlements on Palestinian lands, defying international laws and UN resolutions, dictating its will over its neighbours, committing massacres in refugee camps, and depriving an entire nation of their liberty, yes I do not think that any of these actions and policies is in the interest of Israeli people. What goes around comes around. Thank God, many of those Jews with intelligence and heart are aware of the fact that now they are gradually transforming to Nazis themselves. Hopefully, progressive and peace-seeking Jews will prevail over the extremist, racist and greedy ones.

After the collapse of communism and with the blessings of Zionists and Evangelical Christians, American Inc is trying to create another nemesis, this time islam or muslims, to distract us from their corruption and plunder of our resources. The powerful hormones of religion and nationalism are abused and manipulated to promote this agenda.

American foreign policy, Zionist racism, evangelical Christianity and sectarian Islam all are incubators of religious terrorism. War against terrorism has two fronts: reformation in American democracy and reformation in islamic world. Unfortunately, the victims of these wars, whether they live in skyscrapers or caves, are mostly innocent and poor people.

 

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Theopolitical Roots of the so-called “Islamic Terrorism”

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Approximately, four years after the publication of an article titled “Triarchy” containing the revised excerpts below, America was hit by the worst terrorist attack in her history, costing the lives of more than 6,000 civilians and total destruction of World Trade Center, partial destruction of Pentagon and four airplanes, billions of dollars, massive unemployment, and an open-ended war against international terrorism.

From the Perspective of a former Radical Muslim Leader:

The Theo-political Roots of  “Islamic Terrorism”

Edip Yuksel, J.D.

www.yuksel.org

 

Narrated ‘Ikrima: Some Zanadiqa (atheists) were brought to ‘Ali and he burnt them. The news of this event, reached Ibn ‘Abbas who said, “If I had been in his place, I would not have burnt them, as Allah’s Apostle  forbade it, saying, ‘Do not punish anybody with Allah’s punishment  (fire).’ I would have killed them according to the statement of Allah’s Apostle, ‘Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him.'”  (Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 84, Hadith Number 57)

Narrated ‘Ali: Whenever I tell you a narration from Allah’s Apostle, by Allah, I     would rather fall down from the sky than ascribe a false statement to him, but if I tell you something between me and you (not a Hadith) then it was indeed a trick (i.e., I may say things just to cheat my enemy). No doubt I heard Allah’s Apostle saying, “During the last days there will appear some young foolish people who will say the best words but their faith will not go beyond their throats (i.e. they will have no faith) and will go out from (leave) their religion as an arrow goes out of the game. So, where-ever you find them, kill them, for who-ever kills them shall have reward on the Day of Resurrection.” (Volume 9, Book 84, Hadith Number 64)

Narrated Abu Burda: Abu Musa said, “I came to the Prophet along with two men (from the tribe) of Ash’ariyin, one on my right and the other on my left, while Allah’s Apostle was brushing his teeth (with a Siwak), and both men asked him for some employment. . . Behold: There was a fettered man beside Abu Muisa. Mu’adh asked, “Who is this (man)?” Abu Muisa said, “He was a Jew and became a Muslim and then reverted back to Judaism.” Then Abu Muisa requested Mu’adh to sit down but Mu’adh said, “I will not sit down till he has been killed. This is the judgment of Allah and His Apostle (for such cases) and repeated it thrice. Then Abu Musa ordered that the man be killed, and he was killed. Abu Musa added, “Then we discussed the night prayers and one of us said, ‘I pray and sleep, and I hope that Allah will reward me for my sleep as well as for my prayers.'” (Volume 9, Book 84, Hadith Number 58)

In many so-called Muslim countries, clergymen (Mullahs, Ulamas, Khojas, Mawlanas, etc.) are usually either the sanctifying puppets of oppressive governments or the spiritual leaders of terrorist organizations. They use God’s name to justify discrimination, torture, and oppression. Their influence within the political sphere comes from their shared interests with kings, sultans, emirs and totalitarian leaders of their countries.

Saudi’s top clergymen, Abdul Aziz bin Ba’z, wrote a book claiming that the earth was flat and still. The book is full of references to hadith (narrations falsely attributed to the Prophet Muhammad) accompanied by murderous instructions:

“If the earth is rotating as they claim, the countries, the mountains, the trees, the rivers, and the oceans will have no bottom and the people will see the eastern countries move to the west and the western countries move to the east. . .  Those who claim that the earth is round and moving around the sun are apostates and their blood can be shed and their property can be taken in the name of God.” (FN1)

This “authoritative” book was not published by a private publishing house but, by the Islamic University of Medina, a prestigious university in modern Saudi Arabia in 1975, years after men landed on the moon. You may see this as an example of harmless nonsense or amusement. Unfortunately, for those who live in Saudi Arabia or who dare to criticize such corrupt and oppressive religious teachings anywhere around the world, the issue is not amusing. When clerics are united, every corner of the planet might become the target of their fatwas. Let me give just one example:

In February 19, 1989 a group of scholars (38 members according to the newspaper reports) met in Saudi Arabia to discuss the issue of Salman Rushdi. When they issued their fatwa (religious decree) it became a headline news in Muslim countries, including my homeland Turkey (FN2). Their fatwa was: “both Rashad and Rushdi are apostate.” The world knew Rushdi but who was Rashad? Dr. Rashad Khalifa, a biochemist resident of Tucson, Arizona became a popular figure in Muslim countries after he discovered a secret mathematical system in the Quran via computer analysis in the early1970s (FN3). The consequence of the mathematical code was too difficult to be accepted by the Muslim clergymen (FN4). Consequently, they issued fatwas calling for his assassination.

Although it was not as bold as Khomeyni’s fatwa, it sent a clear message to the fanatical followers of those clergymen, that Rashad and Rushdi should be killed (FN5). Rushdi is still alive, but the fatwa about Rashad Khalifa was executed in January 30, 1990. He was stabbed to death in Tucson Masjid before dawn prayer. For this task, a group of Black Muslims named FUQRA (squads)were used by international terrorist forces operating from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. FBI discovered that the group “FUQRA” was a branch of the group that bombed the World Trade Center and it was receiving financial support from Pakistan.

Religious Muslims know very well that the teachings of the Sunni and Shiite sects demand capital punishment for apostates (FN6). Guess who was the chairman of that international committee of clerics? It was Abdul Aziz b. Ba’z, the same Saudi religious leader who wrote a book declaring that the earth was flat and still.

Often, dissident priests use religion to promote international terrorism. Omar Abdurrahman, an Egyptian cleric who recently became popular in western media, is such an example. Egypt has never had a democratic system by western standards and its oppressive regime has produced a myriad of militant religious factions of the Muslim Brotherhood. Egypt’s corrupt and totalitarian system has created many local and international heroes out of clerics such as Omar Abdurrahman. This Egyptian cleric who had immigrated to the U.S.A., did not hesitate to encourage his followers to agitate against the very country (U.S.A.) which provided refuge for him and some of his followers.

“The obligation of Allah is upon us to wage Jihad for the sake of Allah. It is one of the obligations which we must undoubtedly fulfill. . . and we conquer the lands of the infidels and we spread Islam by calling the infidels to Allah and if they stand in our way, then we wage Jihad for the sake of Allah.” (FN7)

Many blamed the U.S. immigration officials or procedures for letting the terrorists in U.S,A. I believe that the real blunder was not in immigration, but in U.S.’s foreign policy. Supporting undemocratic or totalitarian regimes, such as Iran’s Shah or Egypt’s current regime, was and remains, a myopic policy: it puts the security of USA citizens, here and abroad, in great danger. How can US expect security from international terrorism while it does not care about the security of people living under oppressive and corrupt governments?

Militant clerics, whether they are the collaborators with the totalitarian regimes or are the dissidents, should be taken seriously. Using the language of religion, the proverbs of their forefathers, they can mobilize gullible masses to bloody conflicts. The best way to deflate the power of militant clergymen is (1) to support intellectuals who promote democracy and freedom, and (2) denounce and punish the oppressive leaders without favoring one to another, through international legal devices such as, freezing their assets in foreign countries and trying them in international tribunals during their reign or after they are ousted from power.

Donna E. Arzt, Professor of Law at the Syracuse University College of Law, in a law review article provides us with some recent examples of repression of religious dissidents?apostates and blasphemers, heretics and renegades, and infidels?in so-called Muslim countries. He groups the repression into three categories: “(1) officially state-sanctioned enforcement actions; (2) extra-legal enforcement of apostasy decrees issued by vigilante extremist groups; and (3) mixed cases.” (FN8).  Professor Arzt, concludes his article with the following caveat:

“Throughout Muslim history, and particularly in contemporary Muslim states, much of the persecution of alleged apostates, heretics, and infidels, and other violations of international standards of religious human rights has been politically motivated, designed to benefit hegemonic, orthodox groups who have resorted to religious justifications to legitimize their abusive power. It is improper to conclude that Islam is inherently militant, violent, coercive, or intolerant.” (FN9)

I agree with the author that “Islam” does not advocate violence, coercion or intolerance (FN10), but he is vague regarding the chronology and the source of the corruption. Religious justifications to legitimize political abusive power became an integrated part of traditional or contemporary Islam long ago. Repressive and oppressive religious instructions did not remain external or optional interpretations, but unfortunately, were labeled as “Hadith” (alleged narrations from the prophet), “Sunnah” (alleged practice of the prophet), “Ijma” (consensus of leading scholars), and “Ijtihad” (opinion of sectarian scholars) and were incorporated as part of the original message, the Quran, as early as with Umayyad dynasty (FN11). Today’s sectarian Islam, with its volumes of hadith books (narrations falsely attributed to Muhammad) and medieval sectarian jurisprudence, is utterly incompatible with the standards of universal human rights as defined in the Quran. Without a reformation of traditional Islam, there will always be a door open for abuse by tyrants and corrupt clergymen.

Noticing this fact, Professor Arzt finishes his article with a genuine invitation:

“Muslim dissidents and religious minorities in Muslim lands, however, do need and deserve more support from international human rights movements. The same is true for those within orthodox Muslim circles who are willing?but for their fear of persecution?to criticize abuses of human rights by their governments. Similarly, the international media must avoid giving undue prominence to violent Muslim militants, which in reality are small in number, and give proportional attention to liberal Muslim groups, albeit fledgling, who oppose violence, favor democratization and seek to promote accommodation and reform.” (FN12).

I applaud this invitation and I believe that extending such international support to Muslim dissidents and reformers will hasten a paradigmatic change in the minds of people subjected to religious ad political tyranny. The importance of religion in the lives of people cannot be ignored. Secular intellectuals might reconsider its positive power:

“Modern human rights laws will provide no panacea to the world crisis in the next century, but they will be a critical part of any solution. Religions will not be easy allies to engage, but the struggle for human rights cannot be won without them.” (FN13).

The history of Muslim countries, especially those in the Middle East, are full of religious and tribal wars. Their textbooks usually distort and sanctify these bloody histories with virtually no criticism. As written, this history of the third world is a major source of national pride. This nationalistic pride is used by corrupt and failing governments as “opium for the masses.” What can be expected from the next generation if their role models are those who knew nothing but the sword, and did nothing but kill their opponents and conquer others’ lands?

In this short paper I cannot provide references. If a person reads the high-school history textbooks of oppressive regimes, he will find repeated praises for the kings, caliphs and sultans who had oppressed their own people. Textbooks continue to promote totalitarianism, fanaticism, animosity and racism. How can respect for human rights be expected from those who are “educated” by these textbooks?

A paper written by members of the Consultation Group on Religion and the Roots of Conflict, concluded with some reflections on religion and violence. Here is an excerpt from the conclusion:

“An attempt to develop the resources of religious traditions against religious violence must deal with the phenomenon which some have termed the “reemergence of history” in the late 20th century. . . . Historical goals, now pursued with a militancy and mass-organizational character born of the modern ideology of nationalism, are supported by new communications and weapons technologies, and they are fostered by the complications of trying to build modern economies for modern states. Part of the irony of contemporary religious conflict is that religious factors in group life are at one and the same time among the most constructive and the most destructive forces in human affairs.” (FN14).

We cannot expect elimination of terrorism in Muslim countries without knowing and acknowledging the negative impact of religious teachings and oppressive environment justifying aggression. Human rights institutions must cooperate with dissident intellectuals to push for reformation in Islam.

The real interest of Western world is not in the hands of puppet kings and tyrants in Muslim lands, but in the reign of democracy and freedom. Oppressive regimes create a toxic ecology that incubates and produces hate, hopelessness, and ignorance. Unfortunately, corrupt Muslim scholars, oppressive kings, and the foreign policy of Western world, all have contributed in the production of the so-called “Islamic Terrorism.”

Muslims should abandon the backward teachings of clergymen and start following their only holy book, the Quran. American politicians should eliminate the antidemocratic influence of lobbies of big corporations and special interest in determining American foreign policy and start seeking the interest of American population.

FOOTNOTES

(FN1). Abdulaziz Bin Ba’z, Al-Adillatul Naqliyyati wal Hissiyati ‘Ala Garayanil Shamsi wa Sukunil Ardi wa Imkanil Soudi Ilal Kawakibi (The Religious and Empirical Evidences that Sun is Moving and Earth is Still and the Possibility of Going to Planets), The Islamic University in Medina, Medina, 1975. (I have the original copy of the book in my library).

(FN2). Milli Gazete, the Turkish newspaper of a religious political party,  gave an extensive coverage to the story. Nokta, a popular and secular weekly news magazine, made the “fatwa” against Rashad Khalifa its cover story in its April 16, 1989 issue.

(FN3). Rashad Khalifa, Ph.D., The Computer Speaks: God’s Message To The World, Renaissance Productions, Tucson, 1981. Also see: Rashad Khalifa, Ph.D., Quran: Visual Presentation Of The Miracle, Islamic Productions, Tucson, 1982. I have argued the mathematical structure of the Quran in my books such as, The Prime Argument (with Dr. Carl Sagan) and Running Like Zebras (with Abdulrahman Lomax). Both books were published by Monotheist Productions International, Tucson in 1995. They can be found in my web site: www.moslem.org/yuksel.htm. The author’s most recent Turkish book Uzerinde Ondokuz Var (On It Nineteen), an extensive evaluation and demonstration of the mathematical code, is currently in print.

(FN4). The mathematical code of the Quran required the rejection of other religious sources besides the Quran. Dr. Rashad Khalifa’s biggest offense was to expose the corrupt nature of today’s sectarian Islam and suggest reformation in religion (see: Quran: The Final Testament, Islamic Productions, Tucson, 1989, and Quran, Hadith and Islam, Islamic Productions, Tucson, 1982). By referring to the Quranic verses, he demonstrated that today’s Islam has nothing to do with Muhammad’s original message, but a religion concocted by scholars who traded the Quran with fabricated narration and medieval Arab culture (Hadith and Sunnah) falsely attributed to Prophet Muhammad two centuries after his departure. By incorporating their opinion with those mediaeval lies, Muslim scholars created various orthodox sects with thousands of contradictions, vicious and oppressive laws, hundreds of regulations that can turn the daily life of a zealot to hell. For an objective and extensive information on the mission of Khalifa I recommend the following book: Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad and Jane Idleman Smith, Mission To America: Five Islamic Sectarian Communities in North America, University Press of Florida, Gainsville, 1993.

(FN5). See: Chris Limberis, Terrorists in Tiny Town, Tucson Weekly, September 20, 2001, pp. 4-8. Mark Hosenball, Another Holy War Waged on American Soil, Newsweek, February 28, 1994, pp. 30-31. Also see: Tim Vanderpool, The No. 19 Murder, Tucson Weekly, January 19, 1994, cover story. Also see: Tucson Mosque slaying may be linked to sect, The Arizona Daily Star, October 12, 1992, first page. Most recently, this assasination was linked to Ben Ladin by CBS National News, Dan Rather, 10/26/2001 at 5:30 PM. Eye On America. Also visit: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/binladen/upclose/elhage.html

(FN6). The author of this paper was also declared to be an apostate in Turkey. See: Hulki Cevizo¤lu, Edip Yuksel “Çöpe At” (Edip Yuksel ‘Trash It’), Ad Yayincilik, Istanbul, 1997. Bahaeddin Sa¤lam, 19 Meselesi ve Edip Yuksel’e Cevaplar (The Issue of 19 and Answers to Edip Yuksel), Tebli¤ Yayinevi, Istanbul, 1996. Sadreddin Yüksel (my father), Günümüz Meselelerine Kuran’dan Cevaplar (Answers From the Quran To Contemporary Issues), Madve, Istanbul, 1988. I was a best seller author and a well-known political activist; but my rejection of my father’s religion put my life at risk, forcing me to immigrate to USA. I still receive death threats from orthodox or sectarian Muslims.

(FN7). Joseph Grinstein, Jihad and the Constitution: The First Amendment Implications of Combating Religiously Motivated Terrorism, 105 Yale L.J. 1347 (1996). (Quoting from a Nov. 21, 1994 television broadcast.)

(FN8). Donna E. Arzt, Religious Human Rights In Muslim States of the Middle East and North Africa, 10 Emory Int’l L. Rev. 139, 144.  (Spring 1996).

(FN9). Id. at 160-161.

(FN10). The Quran repeatedly condemns compulsion in religion (see: 2:256; 10:99; 88:21,22), advocates perfect freedom of belief and expression (18:29), permits fighting for only self-defense (60:8,9), advises not to harm apostates except if they mobilize with arms against believers (4:90), and advises passive protest against those who insult and make mockery of God’s revelation (4:140). A short article by Riffat Hassan, Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Lousville, provides some idea about the content of the Quran regarding human rights: Riffat Hassan, Religious Human Rights and The Quran, 10 Emory Int’l L. Rev. 85 (Spring 1996).

(FN11). See, supra note 13.

(FN12). Arzt, supra note 32, at 161.

(FN13). John Witte Jr., Law, Religion and Human Rights, 28 Colum. Hum. Rts. L. Rew. 1, 2 (Fall 1996).

(FN14). Religion and Human Rights, eds: John Kelsay and Sumner B. Twiss, The Project on Religion and Human Rights, New York, 1994, pp. 15-16.
 


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Edip Yuksel’s English and Turkish Books

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2011  Running Like Zerbas (E). This book contains numerous debates on the prophetic numerical system embedded ni the Quran. Edip Yüksel responds and refutes critics and skeptics, such as: Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips: Sunni scholar Carl Sagan: astronomer, astrophysicist, cosmologist, and skeptic author Daniel Abdurrahman Lomax: Sunni computer engineer Ayman Mutaakher: anonymous Sunni critic James (Amazing) Randi: founder of Randi Foundation, a skeptic activist Michael Shermer: editor and publisher of the Skeptic Magazine, author, columnist The miraculous function of the number 19 prophesized in Chapter 74 was unveiled in 1974 through a computerized analysis of the Quran. Though, in retrospect, the implication of 19 in Chapter 74 traditionally called Hidden One, were obvious, it remained a secret for 1406 (19×74) lunar years after the revelation of the Quran. Edip Yuksel, Brainbow Press, 2012, 504 pages. $19.00. ISBN 978-0982586730

2011  NINETEEN: God’s Signature in Nature and Scripture (E, T). A comprehensive demonstration of the prophetic miracle. Edip Yuksel, Brainbow Press, 2010, 456 pages. $19.95. ISBN 978-0-9796715-3-1

2010  Peacemaker’s Guide to Warmongers (E). Exposing Robert Spencer, Osama bin Laden, David Horowitz, Mullah Omar, Bill Warner, Ali Sina and other Enemies of Peace. Edip Yuksel, Brainbowpress, 2010, 432 pages. $19.95. ISBN: 978-0-9796715-3-1

2009  Critical Thinkers for Islamic Reform (E, T). This book is the by-product of “A Celebration of Heresy Conference: Critical Thinking for Islamic Reform”, inAtlanta on March 28-30 of 2008. About hundred Critical Thinkers gathered inAtlanta to discuss the imperative of Islamic Reform. This book contains the articles submitted by thirty prominent Muslim reformers. Editors: Edip Yuksel, Arnold Mol, Farouk A. Peru, Brainbow Press, 2009, 262 pages, $17.95. ISBN 978-0-9796715-7-9

2008  Manifesto for Islamic Reform (E, T, A, P, R, I). This book contains comprehensive and concise theological and philosophical arguments for why Muslims need to follow the Quran alone under the light of reason and give up from following the regressive, misogynistic, violent teachings of hadith and sunna. Considered as a landmark defense of rational monotheism, the book has received worldwide attention and so far has been translated in five languages. Edip Yuksel, Brainbow Press, 2008, 2009, 128 pages, $9.95. ISBN 978-0-9796715-6-2

2008  Obsessed with Women’s Dress Code: Political and Religious Debates on Headscarves/Takanlar ve Takılanlar: Politik ve Dini Açıdan Türban (T). While criticizing the aggressive Turkish secular bureaucracy and military that banned women wearing headscarves in public buildings, including University campuses, the book defends women’s right to chose how to dress by exposing male hegemony, their religious arguments, and their obsession with women’s hair and dress. (Ozan Publishing, Istanbul, 2008-2010, 2nd edition, 144 pp.)

2007  Test Your Quranic Knowledge (E). Contains six sets of multiple choice questions and their answers. Edip Yuksel, Brainbow Press, 2007, 2010, 2nd edition, 84 pages, $7.95. ISBN 978-0-9796715-5-5

2007  Quran: a Reformist Translation (Annotated) (E). Co-translators: Layth Saleh al-Shaiban and Martha Schulte. Offering a non-sexist understanding of the divine text; the QRT is the result of collaboration between three translators, two men and a woman. It explicitly rejects the right of the clergy to determine the likely meaning of disputed passages. It uses logic and the language of the Quran itself as the ultimate authority in determining likely meanings, rather than ancient scholarly interpretations rooted in patriarchal hierarchies. It offers extensive cross-referencing to the Bible and provides arguments on numerous philosophical and scientific issues. It is God’s message for those who prefer reason over blind faith, for those who seek peace and ultimate freedom by submitting themselves to the Truth alone. Translated and Annotated by: Edip Yuksel; Layth Saleh al-Shaiban; Martha Schulte-Nafeh. Brainbow Press, 2007-2010, 2nd edition, 520 pages, $24.70. ISBN 978-0-9796715-0-0.

1999  The Message: Quran’s Translation/Mesaj: Kuran Cevirisi (T). A best-selling Turkish translation of the Quran that heavily relies on reason, science and linguistic analysis. The context and usage of words and expressions in the verses of the Quran are carefully analyzed for understanding of individual verses. Radical differences with traditional translations and commentaries are discussed in the footnotes. (Ozan Publishing, Istanbul, 2000-2010, 5 editions, 600 pp.)

2000  Purple Letters/Mor Mektuplar (T). Selected letters discussing a myriad of issues, such as, religion, politics, law, philosophy, women, and human rights. (Ozan Publishing,Istanbul, 2000-2010, 3 editions, 232 pp.)

1998  Democracy, Oligarchy, Theocracy/Demokrasi, Oligarsi, Teokrasi (T). A response to the Turkish Attorney General’s allegation asking the abolishment of Turkey’s biggest political party, Welfare Party (Refah) and a comparative evaluation of Turkish democracy and secularism. A robust defense of democracy and freedom of expression. (Ozan Publishing, Istanbul, 1998-2010; 133 pp.).

1997  United But Disoriented (E). Editor and author. Eight individuals, who have observed the creation and evolution of a new cult, evaluate the motivation and common patterns of hero-worship. A case study on a new cult, Submitters, promoting infallibility of a late religious scholar (The Monotheist International, Tucson, 1997, 62 pp.).

1997  On It Is Nineteen/Uzerinde Ondokuz Var (T). A comprehensive study of the mathematical structure of the Quran and the Bible, including answers to criticism raised in books and articles published in four languages (Milliyet Publishing, Istanbul, 1997-2010, 4 editions, 320 pp.).

1994  The Prime Argument/Asal Tartisma (E, T). A two-round argument with late astronomer Prof. Carl Sagan on mathematical structure in the scripture and its philosophical implications as evidence for the existence of God. (The Monotheist International, Tucson, 1994, 64 pp.); Turkish translation (Ozan Publishing, Istanbul, 1998-2010, 92 pp.)

1994  Unorthodox Essays (E). A booklet containing essays on Usury, Wife Battering and Abortion. Distinguishes usury from interest; suggests a new translation for verse 4:34, arguing that the traditional translations permitting husbands to beat their wives is a linguistic distortion originated from misogynistic all-male clergymen; and argues that abortion cannot be considered a murder if it is done within three months of conception (The Monotheist International, Tucson, 1994, 28 pp.)

1993  Nineteen Questions for Christian Clergy/Hristiyan Din Adamlarina Ondokuz Soru (E; T). A challenging examination of the teachings and practices of modern Christianity. Based on Biblical verses and historical facts, it promotes a “Copernican revolution” in the theology of religions, consisting in a paradigm shift from a Christianity-centered or Jesus-centered to a God-centered model of universe of faiths (Monotheist International, Tucson, 1993-1999,  3 editions, 100 pp); Turkish translation (Ozan Publishing, Istanbul, 1998-2010, 3 editions).

1992  Errors in Translations of the Quran/Kuran Cevirilerindeki Hatalar (T). A book studying eleven Turkish translations of the Quran and exposing some common errors due to the influence of Hadith and other sectarian teachings (Gosterge, Istanbul, 1992, 164 pp.; Milliyet Publishing, Istanbul, 1998; Ozan Yayıncılık 2006-2010, 182 pp.)

1991  Nineteen Questions for Muslim Clergy/Musluman Din Adamlarina Ondokuz Soru (E; T). A best-selling book written for the public, theologically challenging the consistency and authority of sectarian teachings of Muslim clerics (Renaissance Institute, Tucson, 1991, 66 pp.; The Monotheist Productions Int., Tucson, 1992, 4 editions, 80 pp.); Turkish version (Gösterge, Istanbul, 1992, 72 pp.; Ozan Publishing, Istanbul, 1997-2010, 7 editions, 110 pp.). The English version is currently revised for a new edition.

1989  Censored Essays/Sakincali Yazilar (T). A rebuttal against published articles critical of my controversial book, “Interesting Questions-2.” After being excommunicated and declared as an apostate, the publishing houses were too intimidated to publish any more of my work. The self-published first edition was stolen from the printing-house and the second edition was partially collected from bookstores (Devlet, Istanbul, 1989, 2 editions, 100 pp.)

1988  Books Are Dangerous/Kitap Okumanin Zararlari (T). A “delicious” book with a calculated dose of mischievous humor, challenging its readers to become critical thinkers. Contains articles on politics, psychology, and pop culture. (Beyan, Istanbul, 1988, 106 pp.)

1987  Interesting Questions-2/Ilginç Sorular-2 (T). The second volume that became radioactive because of its radical criticism to the traditional-sectarian Islam. Caused disappointment, excommunication, and generated death threats for apostasy. (Yuzondort, Istanbul, 1987, 190 pp.; Beyan, Istanbul, 1988, 2nd-3rd editions, 190 pp; a revised version was later published by Ozan, Istanbul, 5th edition, 1999-2010, 3 editions, 184 pp.)

1985  Interesting Questions-1/Ilginc Sorular-1 (T). A best-seller, arguing popular topics regarding religion, philosophy and politics among the university students. Arrested, jailed and tried by theState Security Court for advocating overthrow of the government by mass protests. Acquitted after spending 6 months in jail. (Inkilab, Istanbul, 1985-1987, 8 editions, 214 pp.; Beyan, Istanbul, 1988, 9th edition, 214 pp.)

1984  Is The Bible God’s Word?/Kitab-i Mukaddes Allah Sözü müdür? (T). Analysis of certain verses and critical evaluation of biblical history, versions, and translations. Co-authored with Ahmad Deedat. (Inkilab, Istanbul, 1984, 2 editions, 164 pp.)

1984  The 40th Commandment of Joseph/Yusuf’un 40. Emri (T). Poems written in prison as a political prisoner (Madve, Istanbul, 1984, 72 pp.)

1983  Quran, the Ultimate Miracle/Kuran En Buyuk Mucize (T). A best-selling book co-authored with Ahmad Deedat, president of Islamic Propagation Center inSouth Africa, analyzing certain verses of the Quran related to physical sciences such as astronomy, embryology, geology and mathematics (Inkilab, Istanbul, 1983-88, 16 editions, 204 pp.).

1982    The Interrogation/Sorusturma (T). A novel about police interrogation and torture of a political detainee that I secretly wrote while I was in Turkish prison. The novel was published and distributed by an underground publishing house during the military regime. Unfortunately, due to the unique circumstances of its “birth” I do not have any copy of the book nor its draft. It is lost! (XYZ, Istanbul, 1982, ??? pp.).

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To Strike or Not to Strike:

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ABSTRACT

Current jury selection method makes the system prone to exploitation and abuse. Current selection procedure eliminates those candidates who are more aware about current affairs, who show high level of intellectual abilities, and demonstrate signs of critical mind. The current system creates less random, less diverse, and less competent juries. Thus, it compromises the quality or fairness of jury trials. The paper, demonstrates the weaknesses of the jury system and suggests four potential reforms, which require further study.

To Strike or Not to Strike:

Selection by Elimination Creates Left-over Juries  With Less Diversity and Competence 

Edip Yuksel, J.D.
www.19.org

 

“A jury usually consists of twelve men and women chosen form the community. They are supposed to be totally impartial. Lawyers on either side will question prospective jurors; and the lawyer can “challenge”?that is demand dismissal of?any who seem unsuitable for one reason or another. A certain number, too, can be “peremptorily” challenged, that is, for no legal reason at all. Defendant’s lawyer may have a hunch that this sour-faced, mean-looking man would be deadly for his client; he can get the man excused by peremptory challenge.” (American Law, Lawrence M. Friedman, W.W.Norton & Company, 1984, p. 165)

“First, the most competent citizens are permitted to escape the jury pool. The pool is whittled down further by peremptory challenges, which allow lawyers to strike a potential juror from the panel without giving reasons. The lawyers have reasons, of course, often based on stereotypes of race, gender, age or income that lead them to believe a particular candidate will disfavor their client. Then the trial begins, when jurors face complicated testimony and evidence that judges and lawyers do little to help them understand.” (The Jury: Disorder in the Courts, Stephen J. Adler, Main Street Books, 1995).

The American jury system, regardless of its shortcomings, is a remarkable and unique tool in intimately involving citizens in the legal system. This involvement not only provides continuous justification of American legal system, it also allows politicians and social engineers to observe the heartbeats of common folks. Jury system also provides mandatory education for randomly chosen citizens regarding their rights, duties and the legal procedure. It gives them a sense of direct participation in the legal system and government. The power of deciding guilty or not guilty in criminal or civil cases raises them to a position even higher than the government and big companies. However, the current jury selection method makes the system prone to exploitation and abuse. Current selection procedure eliminates those candidates who are more aware about current affairs, show high level of intellectual abilities, and demonstrate signs of critical mind. The current system creates a less random, less diverse, and less competent juries. Thus, it compromises the quality or fairness of jury trials.

Especially, in high-profile cases, where jury selection becomes one of the most crucial elements for success, the system’s shortcoming is aggressively exploited and magnified. Big law firms employ salaried consultants who specialize in evaluating the prospective jurors. They study the profile of every individual in the jury pool and execute a sophisticated jury selection plan, hoping that their talented, articulate and charismatic attorneys will put the jury members into trans. These “left-over” jury members become the target of craftily orchestrated choreography of words, parade of ostentatious expert witnesses, strategic diversions, clever gimmicks, and artistic gestures, etc. Consequently, the credibility of jury system is tarnished.

Like many people, I also think that two recent well-known examples, trials of Rodney King and O.J. Simpson, have clearly demonstrated the weakness of the system and provided hints for a possible solution.

Rodney King’s First Trial

On March 3, 1991, in Los Angeles, California, several police cars chased Rodney G. King, a robbery parolee who was allegedly speeding. Two friends were with him in the car. After a police chase during which he drove through several intersections against red lights, King eventually was forced to stop. Although the two passengers in the car complied with police requests to exit the car and were subdued with minor resistance, King apparently refused to exit the car and was physically assisted in doing so. He was subsequently struck as many as 56 times by officers wielding batons, kicked at least six times, and shot with a Taser electronic stun gun. The beating was administered by three Los Angeles police officers, allegedly at the order of a police sergeant who was on the scene. Twenty-three other law enforcement officers were also present and watched the beating, but apparently made no effort to stop it. There were also several civilian bystanders, including George Holiday, who witnessed the incident. Holiday videotaped the beating of King. King suffered extensive injuries as a result of the beating, including skull fractures and nerve damage to part of his face.

All four police officers were charged with “assault by force likely to produce great bodily injury and a deadly weapon” and with assault “under color of authority”. Prior to the trial on these charges, the accused sought to obtain a change of venue for the trial to a county other than Los Angeles County. The change of venue application, originally denied at trial, was granted on appeal. The California Court of Appeal, Second District, approved the change of venue application, given the extensive pre-trial publicity surrounding the case, the fact that the defendants’ being police officers had caused a high level of indignation and outrage, and political factors involving criticism of the then Chief of Police, Daryl Gates. The trial site chosen was Simi Valley in Ventura County. Simi Valley is a predominantly white, middle-class community 35 miles from downtown Los Angeles. The jury comprised ten white, one Hispanic, and one Asian.

On April 29, 1992, the jury rendered its verdicts, generally finding the accused not guilty of the charges. The reaction to the verdicts was immediate: rioting, which resulted in loss of life and extensive damage to property (more than 50 dead and upwards of one billion dollars in damage).

After change of venue, voir dire, and peremptory challenges a jury without a single black person was selected. Defense was able to use evidence that appeared so patently detrimental to its case to prove itself innocent of the charges. They employed findings of modern psychology to use the video clip of vicious beating scene against the victim. The jurors heard testimony that Rodney King initially resisted the officers’ command to submit to arrest. From this testimony it was argued that King therefore “invited” the beating inflicted upon him. The jury, demographically not representing the population of L.A. and their experience with police, soon was desensitized by defense’s deliberate play of the beating seen over and over, especially in slow motion to depict the natural reflexes of a battered person as aggression. Finally, the jurors were convinced that it was not the police officers but Rodney King who controlled and directed the beating.

O.J. Simpson’s First Trial

Another disappointing jury verdict came several years later in the trial of O.J. Simpson. After a televised car chase on June 17, 1994, the famous hall of fame retired football player was arrested and charged for murdering his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her guest, Ronald Goldman, by stabbing them to death 5 days earlier. The trial became a live TV show. Millions of Americans watched the trial like their favorite soap operas. Finally, on October 3, 1995, jury found O.J. Simpson not guilty of two counts of murder.

Evidence demonstrated that Simpson was an abusive husband. However, the jury, mesmerized by defense lawyers, substituted the relevant picture of the “abusive husband” with the irrelevant picture of “loving father.” Simpson was jealous and ambitious to control his ex-wife. However, the jury believed that Simpson lacked motive. The murderer cut his finger during the slaughter. So did Simpson. However, the jury believed that Simpson accidentally cut his finger and was not bothered by the probability of simultaneity of this “accident” and the crime. Simpson, “the traveler,” was in town during the murder and left the town just after the crime. However, the jury believed that it was another coincidence. According to a limousine driver who was not accused of being racist, at the time when the double murder took place Simpson’s car was not in front of his mansion and he did not respond to the doorbell for half an hour. However, the jury believed that it was just normal to take a nap after calling for a limousine. Simpson escaped after he became the prime suspect. However, the jury found it a normal reaction of a brave, wealthy, prominent and innocent person. The glove found or planted by the racist police officer was identical to the ones found on Simpson’s hand in his previously taken pictures. However, the jury thought that it was just a coincidence. The glove did not fit Simpson’s hand, neither in the court nor in the picture. However, the jury believed that it was majestic evidence, recalling Cinderella and her cruel stepmother, they reasoned that if the glove did not fit they should acquit.

There are numerous “howevers” that the scope of this article cannot hold. Why, despite all the evidences, was a double-murderer acquitted? Was the jury racist? I doubt it. Then why were they fooled by the defense’s theory of a well-orchestrated “racist conspiracy” against Simpson? How can twelve “reasonable” people be fooled by conspiracy theories while there was conspiracy of facts?

The final jury was composed of 9 Blacks, 1 Hispanics, and 2 Whites of whom 10 were women and 2 were men. Out of 12 jurors only 2 were college graduates. The racial composition of the initial jury pool differed considerably from the racial composition of the final jury. The pool was 40% white, 28% black, 17% Hispanic, and 15% Asian. Some other facts about the final jury demonstrates how smart lawyers with deeper pockets can manipulate the system to compose a jury with lower competence and diversity than of the average population. The 250 prospective jurors were subjected to 79-page, 294-question questionnaire including questions proposed by both the prosecution and defense. The defense poured great effort into the jury selection process. The defense consultant coordinated massive data on each of the jury finalists, including their answers to the questionnaire, responses and body language during voir dire, and other data the defense had managed to collect. This data was put into a computer and each juror ranked according to their likely sympathy to the defense. After two months, 12 people were the jurors, which I call the “left-over” jurors:

(1) None regularly read a newspaper, but eight regularly watched tabloid TV shows;

(2) five thought it was sometimes appropriate to use force on a family member;

(3) all were Democrats;

(4) five reported that they or another family member had had a negative experience with the police; and

(5) nine thought that Simpson was less likely to be a murderer because he was a professional athlete.

These people were expected to represent the illusive reasonable person in a murder trial! These people were expected to evaluate the DNA evidence, which was crucial for finding the truth of the matter!

There were many factors in Simpson’s trial that hindered justice: culture of celebrity-worship, racist police officers, clumsy handling of the evidence, skulk of super attorneys, millions of dollars, colors of skins. However, the most important factor in the outcome was the current jury system that invited all other factors to have impact on the verdict.

Selection by Elimination Reduces Quality and Diversity of Jury

I believe that the current jury system, especially where parties spend enormous effort over the selection, most accurately, elimination of the jury, does not serve justice well. Let’s face it. The jury is selected from a pool of population containing a segment that demonstrates real problems in logical reasoning.

Millions believe in the stories of abduction by UFO astronauts. Millions have faith in astrology, the power of stars (that is, hot plasma) on human fate. Millions read the National Inquirer and similar tabloids. Millions follow charlatan evangelists and donate millions of dollars for their dubious causes. Millions call psychics for help. Millions are persuaded by silly TV commercials lacking even iota of information. Millions spend many of their waking hours watching soap operas and tabloid talk shows. Millions are addicted to fiction books, that is, fabricated stories. Millions worship celebrities who are mostly actors and actresses. Millions judge a word by the popularity of its source, rather than the inherent truth-value of that word. Millions are racists and bigots. And, millions hire lawyers hoping that they will twist facts and hide the truth in their favor.

Obviously, a randomly selected jury will most likely contain representatives of this intellectually or morally challenged segment. That’s fine, since the principles of modern democracy require representation or participation without discrimination. Whether we like it or not, we do not have a better choice. To select the so-called “reasonable person,” we cannot subject prospective jurors to a logical and critical reasoning test since it will create many practical and political problems. (Ironically, we ask them hundreds of silly and stupid questions during voir dire!). By definition these people are our peers! Statistically and hopefully, there will be some critical minds among the jury members who will strive to keep reason and critical mind in the jury room. In other words, if is really a random jury, the average IQ of its members should be close to average. Also, more or less, a randomly selected jury will proportionally reflect the presence of minorities.

But allowing attorneys to eliminate those they wish, tend to increase the number of the gullible and the weak minded in the jury; presumably they are easy customers of conspiracy theories, irrelevant claims, fallacious arguments, hallo effect, and charisma. Though, the IQ scores of jury members are not written on their foreheads and perhaps attorneys do not intentionally focus on their intelligence, however, their intelligence spark through their choice of words, their answers to the questions. Their occupation might also provide some hints. The party that feels the facts are not much in its favor will do its best to prevent the critical minded to sit in jury box.

The same elimination process also works against minorities. It is much easier to recognize minorities. Though the Supreme Court banned peremptory challenges motivated by race, this ban does not have much practical effect, since motive is elusive and proving it is a daunting task, and attorneys can find many other reasons to strike anyone. Let’s assume that the case is about the death of a black drug dealer who was allegedly shot to death by 40 bullets from the guns of three white police officers. Let’s assume that out of 24 prospective jurors 4 are black. Plaintiff wants to prove that there was no reason to use deadly force and the incident is the product of the racist attitude of the police department. Since each party will strike 4 jurors as their right of peremptory challenge the current system allows the defense get what it wants: an all-white jury. On the other hand, if the system allowed selection, rather than elimination, then, the chance of all 4 black jurors being picked by Plaintiff would be no surprise. So, is there a way to for creation of a fairer and more competent jury?

The answer, I think, has at least four components: 

First, we should make it more difficult for judges to excuse highly competent jurors during voir dire. I have observed dozens of jury selection sessions and I found a common trend in excusing highly competent jurors, especially professionals from the jury duty based on frivolous reasons.

Second, knowing that in the Simpson’s case, more than 200 prospective jurors were eliminated, the pool of prospective jurors should be limited to not more than four or three times of the final number.

Third, we should modify the peremptory challenge rules by letting each party pick 3 and strike 3 out of the 18 prospective jurors who survived the voir dire. We might even consider letting each party pick half of the jury.

The fourth component might be explosive, but it is worth considering, at least theoretically. To expose jurors who do not have capacity or competency to understand and make judgments on the intricate factual disagreements of a particular case (such as, DNA evidence, or stock market), they should be subjected to a competency test. (I feel the ghost of Plato smiling). The questions of the test should be prepared by the court and parties. The scores may not be automatically used to dismiss any prospective jury, but they may provide valuable information for lawyers in their selection.

 

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Edip Yuksel’s Speech at European Parliament

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Edip Yuksel’s Speech
at European Parliament

7 June 2012

Below you will find the text and video of my speech at European Parliament in June 7, 2012. First time in my life, I made an obscene or insult gesture by showing my middle finger to the warmongers towards the end of the end of my speech:

“We are now using drones to assassinate people without trial, poor people who stand against our aggression and hegemony. The list of wars, covert operations and countries bombed by the USA-Inc, printed in 9 points Times Roman, single space, one line for each country, is five times longer than my middle finger. With Cognitive Dissonance every bloody list is possible!” 

The link to the youtube video is in the bottom of the text. I recommend you reading the submitted text to the conference before watching the video. I did not have sufficient time to share all in my speech. I received a few more minutes to list the solutions in the end of the panel, which is not in the video clip I posted on youtube.

 

Dear sisters and brothers, peace, salam, shalom, aşiti!

During my research on the Constitution of countries for a legal article I witnessed that the Turkish Constitution was the only constitution that contained an article, banning a language, the Kurdish language. The 1982 Turkish Constitution, ironically, referred to the “banned language” under the subtitle “Freedom of Expression.” Some resisted to this cultural genocide and some yielded and were assimilated. Unfortunately, I belong to the second group. I know, more or less 5 languages, and thanks to my Turkish brothers, my mother tongue is the poorest of all.

I know the evil of racism firsthand. I lost my brother, Metin Yüksel, to the cowardly bullets of Turkish nationalists. While in Turkish prison, I was put in the same ward with the murderers of my brother. And, one of them is now an elected member of Turkish National Congress.

I teach and lecture without reading from papers. It is boring, I know. But, knowing that I tend to wonder in details while talking, and knowing the time limitations I decided to share with you my thoughts and feelings by reading from the paper. Please bear with me and listen to me carefully.

I am not going to talk just about a massacre happened some years ago… I am not a good story teller and I think there is another way besides discussing the details of past atrocities followed by finger-pointing, since we are all criminals, we all contribute to the unfair, myopic, diabolic echo system that is doomed to generate this sorts of tragedies and even more. As long as we do not focus on the main causes, yes plural, of all conflicts, fights, and atrocities that is committed by our ancestors we will never be able to break the cycle. Remember we are the children of Cain, the children of the killers who survived, the children of winners, bullies.

But, I believe that we are in a threshold point in history, in which we cannot go beyond without destroying everyone including ourselves. We need to give support to the peacemaker gene of Abel and try our best to suppress the barbaric genetic code we have inherited from a portion of our bloody ancestors. It is time to use the software, the 19 rules of inference embedded in our brain, to do some reformation in our nature, in our-selves. We have to look at ourselves before pointing at the other.

I am not talking as a Kurd, or a Turk or an American or as a Lawyer here. I have decided to talk like my hero, Socrates. I know that I am far being in caliber of that great man, and also I know that the European Parliament is much better than the 501 jury members of the Athenian senate. Of course, I am not on trial, but I want to put myself as a member of humanity on a short trial here.

I will have a bad news first, which I will harp on it not to annoy you, like a gadfly, but to tickle your brain, your heart, and your consciousness. But I promise that it will follow with a few good news, very good ones, which might create a butterfly effect for a new era in global politics, starting from you, from this room.

In 1948 the United Nations issued Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide with19 articles. In the 2nd article it defines genocide as:

In the present Convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:

  1. (a) Killing members of the group;
  2. (b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
  3. (c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
  4. (d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
  5. (e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

Declaration of Human Rights, UN resolutions, International law…

Laws?

Who cares about the laws? Not even those who drafted, dictated and passed the laws care about those laws!

Laws?

Who cares about the laws?

Most countries are ruled by the children of Thrasymachus.

Long live Thrasymachus!

“Might makes it right”!

If we are the Exceptional Americans or the Chosen Ones in the Middle of Trouble of our own creation, why should we care about the laws? Neither the International Criminal Court can reach our exceptional people, nor can the UN resolutions stop our crimes. What happened to the war criminals of our decadent decade, such as Sharon, Bush, and his cabal, Cheney, Wolfowitz, Feith, Bolton, Perle?

Who cares about the laws?

Perhaps, only the poor, the weak has to follow the laws! No wonder, our justice system is designed to absolve and respect the biggest thieves while punishes mercilessly the hungry who steals bread to feed himself and his children.

WE HUMANS are HYPOCRITES and Suffer from Cognitive dissonance. Unless we ACCEPT THE TRUTH we will not be free from hypocrisy and tragedies.

What goes around comes around and the entire humanity suffers as in the case of global warming, gang terrorism, wars, etc. And what is going around is coming around much faster and with vengeance.

Let me confess my sin as a human being. I am confessing our sins not to ask forgiveness from those few bullies who arrogate themselves to be the world’s leaders, or the representatives of God on earth. No. I will confess to unite us, to remind us our aggressions and hypocrisy, and also our common bond as humans, our common destiny as travelers on this crowded and troubled spaceship called Earth!

A massacre, a war or a human rights violation is not an isolated incident. They are part of a much bigger system, ideology and lifestyle that we choose. It is connected to how we treat women, how we treat the poor, the working people, how we treat the animals, how we treat the earth, how we value family, humanity… A massacre, a war or a human rights violation is the symptom of our way of life, our system, our paradigm.

  • We are oppressors, ignorant and self-righteous. We expect Bulgaria or Germany to give Turkish minority cultural rights while we first deny the existence, than we ban the language and culture, including the Holydays, of Kurdish minority and then we subject them to assassinations and massacres.
  • We are oppressors, ignorant and self-righteous. We blame Kurdish minority of treason for demanding and fighting for their lives, human rights and dignity and we adopt a policy of cultural genocide and then assassinations, imprisonment, burning towns, torture and massacres, against the Kurds, indigenous population of Turkey. And at the same time, we go to war on behalf of a Turkish minority in Cyprus to DIVIDE Cyprus. Ironically, the Turkish minority in Cyprus did not suffer even a fraction of fascist policies and actions we imposed on Kurds. Costing 60 thousand dead in recent years, 80 percent of them being Kurds.
  • We take it lightly of being the only country that has banned the language of a minority, comprising about 20 percent of its population. Ironically, we claim to be Muslims while Islam condemns racism and considers every language to be God’s signs deserving respect and appreciation.
  • We are oppressors, ignorant and self-righteous. We expect Europeans to cherish our mosques, to enjoy our minarets punching holes in their skies, and if they convert an old mosque into a church we protest with loud noises, yet we are not ashamed of trying to convert Hagia Sophia into a Mosque, as if we were in desperate need for another empty mosque.
  • We are criminals and in denial. We turned minorities against minorities and in 1995 we let the Turks and Kurds commit genocide against Armenians, exterminating more than a million Armenians. About a quarter million Assyrians became the victims of our spree of genocide.
  • We are oppressors, self-centered and self-righteous. We protest and condemn American and European atrocities and neo-colonialism, invasions and wars in the Middle East, while we shamelessly glorify the same aggression of our ancestors by celebrating Fatih and other Ottoman tyrants whose major contribution to humanity was to invade other people’s countries, plunder their riches, levy on them taxes, kidnap and draft their children to the imperial military for more wars, invasions, and plunder.
  • We are oppressors, ignorant and self-righteous. We condemn the genocides, atrocities of the past, big or small, especially if they were against our tribe, but we enjoy doing exactly the same thing even now while we are talking this issue.
  • We are oppressors, ignorant and self-righteous. We declare about a quarter of human population to be terrorists while our quarter itself is the biggest terrorist, even 666 times more violent, supported with the most sophisticated armies, monstrous killing machines and unending imperial wars that is cunningly presented to be promoting freedom, democracy and human rights.
  • We are oppressors, delusional and self-righteous. We fool ourselves to be Davids while we are the Goliaths. We have the audacity of depicting our fascist and well-nourished invaders and murderers-in-uniform inside a tank to be the victim and the poor teenager with a rock in his hand standing for his life, freedom, home and dignity against our tank to be the terrorist.
  • We are shameless in praising our former enemies, such as Gandhi, Martin Luther, Mandela as great moral leaders, yet we did not stop our crimes just because they were nice people singing peaceful songs. We hide from even ourselves that we were forced to stop our crimes because of logistics, the rising cost of committing those crimes and the violent groups and elements among our victims. By making a deal with the peaceful group among our victims, we wanted save face, and negotiate new terms and try to keep our advantages as much as we could.
  • We are cunning, delusional and self-righteous. We preach human rights to the people of poor countries which suffer under our SOB tyrants or friendly puppet regimes, while we had committed and still continue to commit the biggest atrocities in known human history: Holocaust, Carpet bombing, Use of nukes, Napalm bombs, Mines, Drones… So, it is not a surprise when we become the Geert Wilders, Robert Spencers, David Horowitzes, Neocons, Zionists, Rapture-freak crusaders and the 1 percent capitalists of the world and try every means and propaganda to escalate the conflict between the East and West. Our grandchildren should not be surprised if we repeat our bloody history by committing another major genocide, this time against Muslims, here in the West. With Cognitive Dissonance every evil is possible!
  • We are oppressors, ignorant and self-righteous. We preach the world about nuclear weapons, declare war against terrorism, but we do not even apologize for committing much greater state terror and atrocities around the world, including the biggest terrorism (targeting civilians) in known human history: Nagasaki and Hiroshima. With Cognitive Dissonance every atrocity is possible!
  • We talk about truth and justice, yet we are addicted with lies and we allocate multi-billion dollar funds to generate lies and propaganda through secret agencies and their puppets in the media and academia. No wonder we did not even regret for killing more than 1 million Iraqis while delivering our great democracy through bombs and bullets. We give Nobel Peace prize to the commander of the world’s biggest bloody military power that has killed tens of thousands of innocent people through euphemistic words such as surge, forward leaning, collateral damage, enhanced interrogation techniques.
  • We are now using drones to assassinate people without trial, poor people who stand against our aggression and hegemony. The list of wars, covert operations and countries bombed by the USA-Inc, printed in 9 points Times Roman, single space, one line for each country, is five times longer than my middle finger. With Cognitive Dissonance every bloody list is possible!
  • We brag with our civilization and technological advances, yet the Bosnian Muslims were massacred and raped in our midst for years. But our powerful military stood idle and perhaps we were busy pushing small countries around to plunder their natural resources and dictate our terms to continue our hedonistic consumerist life style. With Cognitive Dissonance all sorts of genocides are possible!
  • We brag to be nice and civilized people, yet we feed our children all sorts of violence and atrocities through video games and films, desensitizing them against human life.
  • We brag to have deserved our mansions and luxuries life style, while in fact, we made laws by legalizing usury, speculations, printing money out of hot air, crony capitalism, plutocracy and we stole most of our wealth from the services and products of those who worked hard day and night.
  • While at it, we also polluted our land, our oceans and our atmosphere. With Cognitive Dissonance every disaster is possible!
  • We brag with our technology and high-tech toys that come in fancy packages, we create mountains of trash from plastic bottles. A massive plastic garbage patch twice the size of the state of Texas circling in the North Pacific is growing faster than the power of big corporations over our so-called democracies.
  • We complain about not having enough to feed the poor, yet just several weeks ago we saw the picture of millions of tons of grain, a mountain of food without exaggeration, left to rot by the Indian government following the dogmas preached by the high-priests of capitalism.  Every year millions of tons of food are deliberately wasted by the capitalists while millions of people starve to death.
  • Besides greedy capitalism, detached governments, the world population is posing one of the greatest threat to the future of humanity, yet, our political and religious clowns among Catholics, Sunnis, Mormons and many other manmade religions are competing with each other in turning every mother to octomoms.
  • We brag to be Muslim (peacefully submitting to God and peacemakers) to be the followers of Muhammed, one of the most peaceful men in history, yet centuries after his death we make up volumes of lies about him thereby depicting him a warmonger, a torturer, a sexual maniac, a misogynist, a tyrant, an illiterate and superstitious medieval Arab. We demonstrate respect to the physical mediums where the Quran is recorded, yet we betray almost all its universal principles and instructions by promoting anti-rationalism, blind faith, intercession, by giving religious charlatans the power of making up rules in the name of God, by promoting violence, suicide bombing, antisemitism, the killing of apostates, oppressing our women, ignoring the plight of the hungry, homeless and jobless, stoning people to death, and many other appalling criminal acts. With Cognitive Dissonance every evil is possible!
  • We brag to be Christians, to be the followers of Jesus, one of the most peaceful and just men in history, yet soon after his death we became soldiers of Roman empire, we became slave owners, we burned “witches” and “heretics” on stakes, waged bloody Crusades, invented various torture machines, condemned thinkers through inquisition, fought two world wars, killed millions in holocaust, worked day and night to make bigger and even bigger bombs, invaded and destroyed numerous countries, killed millions around the world, and replaced the golden rule with the iron rule called “pre-emptive strike.”

Should we become CYNICAL? NO

  1. We cannot afford it. No more. With the increase in population and popularity of Internet and communication technology, what is going around is coming around much faster and bigger. The imperialist powers, which have mutated their skin and predatory method of sucking other’s blood, yet remain the same with all its greed, arrogance and delusions, can no more shed blood in the so-called third world countries and get away with it. The world cannot sustain our wars, our lies, our delusions, our robber banks, our Zionist propaganda, our capitalist-consumerist BS that wastes limited resources and pollutes and poisons this precious Blue Planet, God’s free gift to us.
  2. We cannot afford being cynical. There are some pockets of hope and examples of promises such as Sweden, Norway, and Finland…

We have proposals for solution:

First, we should diagnose the disease, which demonstrate the symptoms of aggression, arrogance, delusions and cognitive dissonance. We have to recognize the cancer tumors in our body that causes wars and genocide:

  • We should teach tolerance and respect to other people’s ideas as long as they are not used to harm others. We should question and reject the religious dogmas glorifying conquests, salvation through death and shedding blood.
  • We should require critical thinking and philosophy classes as a required curriculum in our elementary, middle and high schools.
  • We have to establish real democracy and ban lobbies from influencing our elected officials.
  • We must stand against warmongers and it must be the priority of every human on this planet, be it poor or rich, be it religious or atheist, black or blue, purple or pink, man or woman. Military Industrial Complex. Weapon merchants. These bloodsuckers (s)elect and bribe politicians to constantly create conflicts and ugly enemies with highly exaggerated powers, and declare wars here and there. We should make a list of top 10 war profiteers globally and locally, and declare them to be the enemies of humanity, and demand our politicians to dramatically reduce the military spending. “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself” (FDR). We should listen to this historical warning, “… we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.” (Eisenhower).
  • To eliminate corruption, capitalistic exploitation and guarantee food, home, education and a reasonable health care for every human being, we should design a fair economic system without creating a totalitarian regime. We should bury capitalism and consumerism in the same graveyard that we buried authoritarian communism. Multinational big corporations through their news media, film industry, internet sites, lobbies, politicians and academia promote capitalistic dogmas, glorifies greed, usury, and the consumerism that is destroying the fragile echo system.
  • We should treat nationalism as a virus causing a mild disease that feigns as patriotism when in hibernation. But certain conditions, such as economic crisis or some provocations could trigger the virus to mutate into demonstrating the symptoms of jingoism and racism that may cause uncontrollable fatal complications and tragedies. These viruses are nourished and manipulated by inapt and evil politicians, weapon merchants, bigots and occasionally by global finance. Flags are used as idols. Waving flags triggers hormones of the subject thereby leading otherwise nice people to commit atrocities and genocides.

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Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips, a Hoaxer or a Murderer?

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A hoxer, a fraud or a murderer?
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The following is an excerpt from Edip Yüksel’s recent book Running Like Zebras, Brainbow Press

Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips is:

a)      A Salafi scholar
b)     An accomplice for murder
c)     A hoaxer
d)     A geocentric antique
e)     A slanderer enemy of the Prophet Muhammed
f)      A number-phobic innumerate
g)     A father of 20 children from four concubines
h)     Some of the above
i)      All of the above

A hoxer, a fraud or a murderer?

Who is Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips? For sure, he puts a Dr. before his name. In fact, he loves that title and uses it as a prefix for his name everywhere. So what? What is wrong with someone with a doctorate degree to put the word Dr. before his name? I have no problem with that, but here there is more to that title than meets the eye. Before you are impressed by his academic credentials, you should first know about where he got most of his education from and his role in the assassination of my friend, Dr. Rashad Khalifa. According to his website, Abu Ameenah:

“Shortly after his reversion to Islam, he embarked on a spiritual academic journey to the other side of the world seeking Islamic knowledge. This journey took him to Saudi Arabia where he completed a BA in Islamic studies in Madeenah, and an MA in Islamic Theology in Riyadh, then to the University of Wales, UK, where he completed a PhD in Islamic Theology in the early nineties.”

In other words, he was the student at a university when the notorious Bin Baz was the top cleric in Saudi Arabia and the most revered and influential professor at the universities there. Now, let’s learn a bit about the deeds of the top cleric who approved Abu Ameenah’s BA and MA diplomas and trained him as a model Salafi. I will be quoting from the introduction of the 2nd edition of Abu Ameenah’s Hoax book:

 “Doubts about the correctness of his initial premise of 19 being the mathematical key to the Qur’aan were then raised and a number of emotional articles were written against both him and his theory. In fact, one of the leading scholars of Saudi Arabia, Shaikh ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Abdul ‘Aziz ibn Baz, wrote a fatwaa (religious ruling) concerning Khalifa’s heretical claims in which he declared him an apostate.[1]

Note the words HERETICAL and APOSTATE above, which are justified by Abu Ameenah, a Sunni scholar, a student of ibn Baz. So what? He has the freedom to consider Rashad Heretical and Apostate as Rashad considered him and his sheikh mushriks and ignorant gang. But there is a great difference between the labels because of their implications in their context.

“Heretic” and “Apostate” are code words for DEATH penalty according to the Sunni jurisprudence. Ameenah’s father has the audacity to refer the reader to his book for the translation of his guru’s death fatwa. Ironically, in a book titled In Defense of the Qur‘an and Sunnah, he brags about “defending the Qur’an” by justifying and encouraging the murdering of people who dare to disagree with his ignorance and idolworship! His relation with ibn Baz was not mere formality. Here is some information about his personal life (emphasis is mine):

“Son of Jamaican parents born on 7th, July, 1947 in Jamaica, he grew up in Canada and lived and studied in Malaysia. He is the father of 20 Muslim children and has a black belt in Tai Kwon Do and currently studies Tai Chi. Among the more notable aspects of his academic life is that he sat in the circles of famous Hadith scholar, Shaikh Naaseer udeen Albani for 4 years in Madinah (1976-1980), as well as the circles of the famous Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Shaikh Ibn Baz in both Madinah and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He also translated for both Shaikh Ibn Baz and Shaikh Ibn Jibreen on numerous occasions.”

It is important to understand the real reason why Abu Ameenah is full of bigoted hatred against the number 19 and its discoverer. He has studied too much hadith, the volumes of contradictory and silly stories fabricated by ignorant people and he sat too long in the circles of the world’s most ignorant and bigoted shaikhs.[2]

It is now evident that he was an accomplice in inciting and perhaps planning the killing of Rashad Khalifa, like the monotheist mentioned in 40:23-35. So, before refuting their criticism of 19, it is important to understand the backwardness, the bigotry and the venomous religious views of Abu Ameenah and his late guru Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz.

Abu Ameenah’s Shaikh: “Earth is Fixed; or You are Dead”

Abd al-Aziz bin Baz was the chief cleric of Saudi Arabia, the head of the Council of Senior Religious Scholars for three decades. He had great impact in regressive and oppressive laws in Saudi Arabia, including the ban on women’s driving. A book authored by Bin Baz was published in 1975 carried the following title: Scientific and Narrative Evidence for that the Earth is Fixed, the Sun is Moving and it is Possible to Go to the Planets.

The book was not published by any publishing house; it was published by no other than the Islamic University of Medina. In that book, Bin Baz complains about a new heresy; he is saddened to see, well more accurately, hear, people talking about motion of the earth and he wants to put a stop to that heresy. In page 23, after listing some hadiths issues a fatwa, Bin Baz asserts that those who believe that the earth is rotating are kafirs (disbelievers), and if they were Muslims before they become apostate.

The Saudi Sunni leader does not stop there and explains the ramification of fatwa: any Muslim believing in the rotation of earth loses his or her right to life and property; they should be killed! This top cleric, İbn Baz, was the head of an international conference of Sunni scholars representing 38 countries discussing the Salman Rushdi affair. Then, Saudi Arabia was competing with Iran regarding leadership in the Islamic world and this was the hot issue then. The conference issued a unanimous fatwa in 19 March 1989, condemning Rushdi and Rashad, as apostates. The Western world by then knew Rushdi, but not many westerners were familiar with the second name in the fatwa. Dr. Rashad Khalifa, the late leader of modern reformist movement and the discoverer of the mathematical code of the Quran, in less than a year after this fatwa would be assassinated by a Sunni group affiliated with the Saudi terrorist Osama bin Laden in 31 January 1990, in his Masjid in Tucson, Arizona.

In his book, Bin Baz quoted some verses and many hadith to support his position that the earth is fixed. After expressing his religious verdict of death penalty for the apostates who believe in a moving earth, he included the following reasoning as his scientific evidence:

“If the world was rotating as they assert, countries, mountains, trees, rivers, seas, nothing would be stable; humans would see the countries in the west in the east, the ones in the east in the west. The position of the qibla would change continuously. In sum, as you see, this claim is false in many respects. But, I do not wish to prolong my words.”

Towards the end of the 20th century, a “university” of a Sunni country publishes such a nonsense authored by the highest ranking religious leader of that country! Considering that the Ottoman chief clerics banned the import and use of printing machine for about 300 years, it becomes clear the reason why the so-called Muslim countries are so lagging behind civilization, socially, politically, and in science and technology.

Ibn Kathir is a popular commentary of the Quran, which is respected because of its reliance on hadith to “explain” verses of the Quran. Ibn Kathir (d. 1372), in the classic commentary carrying his name, makes the following remarks on verses 2:29 and 68:1. For this commentary, he relies mainly on a hadith from Abud Dawud, one of the so-called authentic Sunni holy hadith books:

“Ibn Abbas told all of you by Wasil b. Abd al-Ala al-Asadi- Muhammad b. Fudayl- al-Amash- abu Zabyan- ibn Abbas: the first thing god created is the pen. God then said to it: write!, Whereupon the pen asked: what shall I write, my lord! God replied: write what is predestined! He continued: and the pen proceeded to (write) whatever is predestined and going to be to the coming of the hour. God then lifted up the water vapor and split the heavens off from it. Then god created the fish (nun), and the earth was spread out upon its back. The fish became agitated, with the result that the earth was shaken up. It was steadied by means of the mountains, for they indeed proudly (tower) over the earth.”

After learning the intellectual level of the believers, collectors, narrators, and commentators of the above hadith, such as Abu Dawud (d. 888), al-Tabari (d. 1516), and Ibn al-Baz (1995), it becomes clear why Muhammed would utter the words in 25:30.

As a Sunni scholar, as the student of the geocentric death-fatwa issuer Ibn Baz, Abu Ameenah is not a regular academician as you expect. Besides his connection with the assassination, he promotes pedophilia and polygamy. You can find his articles on the Internet and his speeches at YouTube defending marriage with girls at age 9, stating that it was “the norm of the time”. Like other enemies of the Prophet Muhammed, he follows the fabricated hadith that falsely accuses the Prophet Muhammed marrying Aisha at age 9 while he was 55![3] Salafis, like all other followers of fabricated hadith and Sunna, take the ethical role-modeling of the Prophet Muhammed outside the Quranic context and reduce it to trivial local cultural aspects such as growing beards and entering the bathroom with left feet, etc.

No wonder Abu also promotes the distorted practice of polygamy with virgins. Now, does it take a rocket scientist to guess about how many wives he has and their ages? He brags about the number of his children (20 so far), but he leaves his audience in darkness regarding the mothers of his children. They are invisible ghosts in his haram; they are women with no identities, with no voice of their own. In fact, they have no faces either. When they are allowed to go out they have to walk in black sacks their faces veiled according to the teaching of his mazhab!

Are these ad hominem attacks? No! They are all connected. They explain why Abu hates code 19; because he hates the truth, and mathematics is the ultimate truth! Without learning the horrible mindset and backward religious dogmas of this guy you will not be able to understand his modus operandi. Only after you learn his religious views, connections and environment, then you will understand why he and his ilk hate the truth so much. Only after that you will be able to comprehend the reason behind their contempt against the greatest miracles and their contempt to its discoverer.

“According to Holy Hearsay Reports the Quran is indeed a Miracle!”

  • “Since the Quran claims that it is a miracle, then it is a miracle”
  • “Muhammad is the messenger of Allah; and the book delivered by him must be a miracle”
  • “I believe in the Quran; therefore, it must be a miracle”
  • “I find the information in the Quran perfectly conforming to my culture, knowledge and expectations. Therefore, the Quran must be a miracle.”
  • “I am not an expert on every scientific issue, history or archeology, and I am not a logician; but since I cannot find any contradiction in the Holy Book that I was raised with its beautiful recitation, therefore it must be a miracle.”
  • “I do not really know how to prove it; but I believe that the Quran is a literary miracle!”
  • “Neil Armstrong, the astronaut who first landed on the Moon, and Captain Custo, the renowned French explorer and many other scientists became Muslims. Therefore, the Quran must be a miracle.”
  • “Our great scholars and saints all have asserted the miraculous nature of the Quran. How could all be wrong! Thus, it is a miracle.”
  • “If more than a billion people believe in it, then it must be a miracle!”
  • “I do not need a miracle to believe that a book is from God. Faith needs no justification. If I believe then it becomes a miracle!”

No wonder, millions who resort to silly and fallacious “reasons” like the ones I listed above have no problem in following silly, backward, harmful and contradictory teachings of Hadith and Sunna; no wonder they act blind, deaf and dumb when they are informed about the verses of the Quran or invited to engage in critical thinking.

Those who have no clue about the meaning of miracle are wrong even if the object of their claim is indeed a miracle. Compare these two: the assertion “67 is a prime number” to the assertion “My glorious ancestors believed that 67is a prime number and I am following their verdict without questioning”. While both of these agree on the numerical nature of 67, the difference between the two is akin to the difference between graphite and diamond. Though both are made of pure carbon, the diamond is one of the hardest matters in the world, while graphite is one of the softest.

You should not be a surprised if a person declaring that “According to reliable reports, 2 + 2 = 4”, also declares “According to reliable sources 1 + 1 + 1 = 1”. Why? Because such a person is not using his or her own mind; they have put their brains in the blind basket of religious adherence. Has become sheep in a herd… Has placed her eggs in in a nest that no bird has hatched! The blind bandwagoners do not witness miracles through critical and analytical thinking. All they do is copying, memorizing, parroting, imitating the religions, sects and cultures of their ancestors whom they have idolized!

Those who believe in the Quran blindly betray the Quran blindly, and unfortunately, they also lack the awareness and capacity to notice their contradictions, their ignorance and arrogance!

Signs/miracles (aya): As a divine response to the epistemological interrogation and objection to messengers, they are endowed in accordance to God’s law (Sunnatullah) with divine signs/evidences consisting of extraordinary and superhuman special events/phenomena that cannot be explained by our collective experience and knowledge yet can be witnessed by our senses and/or by our reasoning faculties.

Back to Abu Ameenah

I concede that Abu Ameenah is not as stupid as his late sheikh and he is clever to hide his backward and bloody religious views. It is now evident that he was the one who informed his blind sheikh about Rashad Khalifa and used him to issue the death fatwa against Rashad after he wrote his book against him (1987) and his historical discovery. You may expect such a scenario from Hollywood movies, but it is real.

Though, unlike his sheikh he was raised in the Western world and studied in secular schools, he got his share of backwardness from the same “university” where Sunni students are trained in ignorance. In his Hoax book, Abu Ameenah briefly mentions my name:

“Since his death in 1990, no new leader has emerged to take his place in the cult. However, Edip Yuksel, a well-educated Turk provided religious leadership during the 1990s (His father is a Muslim scholar who has condemned his son’s writings.) Followers of Rashad Khalifa are currently located in such places as Phoenix, Arizona; Riverside and the Bay area in California; Vancouver, British Columbia; and other parts of the world. (Mission to America, pp. 137-165)”[4]

Apparently, Abu Ameenah, that is, Ameenah’s Father, knows about me a little more than I expected him to. However, he is again sneaky and ill-intentioned. His description of my father as “Muslim scholar” and referring to his “condemnation” of me is another insidious message to his Sunni followers. A short but well-understood message:

“Remember, how some brave Sunni brothers followed the fatwa of my teacher, the Muslims Scholar ibn Baz, and assassinated Rashad Khalifa, the chief heretic! This guy named Edip too is a heretic and has received death fatwa from his Sunni father. Thus, if any idiots among you wish to do some jihad, you may as well plan to put that fatwa into action.”

No, I am not reading too much into Abu’s statements about me and Rashad Khalifa. I know these enemies of freedom very well. The meaning of his statements is obvious to anyone who is familiar with their diabolic teaching. According to all Sunni sects, an apostate deserves death. As you will notice, this so-called Doctor of theology does not use a single word condemning the barbaric assassination of Rashad Khalifa. To the contrary, he presents it as well-deserved job! Here how he introduces his book:

“However, there still remains the question of whether the basis on which Rashad Khalifa’s theory is built is valid or not, as it continues to attract the unsuspecting and the ignorant. Hence, it is not sufficient to merely discredit Rashad Khalifa based on his many heretical statements, any one of which is sufficient to remove him from the fold of Islam. This controversy has to be laid to rest by a factual dismantling of its foundations.”[5]

“The following chapters of this book systematically and methodically challenge and disprove the vast majority of the so-called fundamental ‘facts’ of Rashad Khalifa’s theory. Furthermore, they clearly expose his deliberate falsification of data and alteration of the Qur’aanic text in order to bolster his theory of 19 as the miraculous numerical code of the Qur’aan. This work will demonstrate, without a shadow of a doubt – God willing, that the Theory of 19 is a shoddily concocted hoax unable to withstand serious scientific scrutiny. However, before proceeding with the refutation of Dr. Rashad Khalifa’s claims, the following summary of his theory has been prepared for readers unfamiliar with its core issues.”[6]

I will not spend much space here responding Abu Ameenah Philip’s book, since his criticism was fully utilized by two critics: Lomax and then by Ayman. To avoid too much redundancy, I will here briefly respond to the “conclusion” of his criticism, which he published in the end of his Hoax Book in pages 99-101. He introduces the summary or the conclusion as: “The following is a brief summary of the main points by which Dr. Khalifa’s theory has been proven false in the preceding chapters of this book.”

1. Misinterpretation of Quranic Texts: One of the foundations of Dr. Khalifa’s argument is that verse 30 (over it are nineteen) or Surah al-Muddaththir refers to the miracle of 19 being over anyone who claims that the Qur’an is false. However, it has been clearly shown that the number 19 refers to the guardian angels over the Hellfire as understood by the classical commentators of the Qur’an.

As you will read the section titled “Which One do You See: Hell or Miracle” and the rest of this book, Running Like Zebras, you will learn that Abu Ameenah is among those who are exposed by the prophetic verses of the Quran in 74:31-37, as an ingrate and one of those who regress. Here, I will quote a few paragraphs.

The punishment issued for the opponent is very interesting: nineteen. Almost all numbers mentioned in the Quran is an adjective for a noun. Forty nights, seven heavens, four months, twelve leaders… But here the numerical function of nineteen is emphasized. Nineteen does not define or describe anything. The disbeliever will be subjected to the number nineteen itself. Then, what is the mission or function of this nineteen? Those who tended to understand the meaning of Saqar as “hell” naturally understood it as the number of guardians of hell. However, the punishment that is described with phrases such as, difficult task, precise, and universal manifestations, was an intellectual punishment; a mathematical challenge. Indeed, the following verse isolates the number nineteen from the number of controllers and lists five goals for it.

74:31     We have made the guardians of the fire to be angels/controllers; and We did not make their number except as a test for those who have rejected, to convince those who were given the book, to strengthen the acknowledgment of those who have acknowledged, so that those who have been given the book and those who acknowledge do not have doubt, and so that those who have a sickness in their hearts and the ingrates would say, “What did God mean by this example?” Thus God misguides whoever/whomever He wishes, and He guides whoever/whomever He wishes. None knows your Lord’s soldiers except Him. It is but a reminder for people.

Traditional commentators of the Quran had justifiably grappled with understanding this verse. They thought that disbelievers would be punished by 19 guardians of hell. That was fine. But they could not explain how the number of guardians of hell would increase the appreciation of believers and convince the skeptical Christians and Jews regarding the divine nature of the Quran. Finding no answer to this question, they tried some explanations: the Christians and Jews would believe in the Quran since they would see that the number of guardians of hell is also nineteen in their scripture. Witnessing the conversion of Christians and Jews, the appreciation of Muslims would increase.

This orthodox commentary has three major problems. First, neither the Old, nor the New Testament mentions number nineteen as the guardians of hell.  Second, even if there was such a similar statement, this would not remove their doubts but to the contrary; it would increase their doubts since they would consider it one of the many evidences supporting their claim that the Quran plagiarized many stories from the Bible. Indeed, there are many Biblical events are told by the Quran, though occasionally with some differences. Third, none so far converted to Islam because of guardians of hell.

Some scholars noticed this flaw in traditional commentaries. For instance, Fahraddin el-Razi, in his classic commentary, Tafsyr al-Kabyr, offered many speculations, including that the number nineteen indicates the nineteen intellectual faculty of human being. Tough it is a clever interpretation, it fails to explain the emphasis on the number nineteen itself, and it also fails to substantiate the speculation….

On the other hand, those who have deprived themselves from witnessing the miracle 19 because of their ill intentions or their dogmatic rejection try hard to render these key words incompatible with the semantic context of the Quran. They conceive God of the Quran as an angry and despotic God who is not able to provide any reasonable argument against those who question the Quran’s authenticity, but only resorts to intimidation: “I will burn you in hell!!!” The God they depict has double standard: He asks the disbelievers to bring their evidence for their argument (2:111; 11:17; 21:24; 27:64; 28:75; 35:40) but for His argument He only wants to scare them! The opponents of 19-based miracle, by distorting the meaning of the words in these verses, manage to blind themselves to one of the most profound philosophical and theological arguments and evidences in history. Not only they divert themselves from the right path they try to divert others too (6:25-26; 22:3).

Thus is the level of the understanding (more accurately, the misunderstanding) of those who cannot appreciate God as He should be (6:90-91). The argument of the god of their imagination for Quran’s authenticity is no more than scorching, burning, dark, hellish, misfortune, disastrous, and scary punishment! Thus, in the minds of opponents of miracle 19, the rhetorical value of these verses is simply a threat to burn and torture.[7]

2. Incorrect Letter Count Totals: Another foundation principle of Dr. Khalifa’s theory is that the Basmalah (i.e.Bismillahi-Rahmaanir-Raheem), some verses and some chapters consist of 19 or a multiple of 19 letters.  Since the Qur’an was not revealed in the written form, this argument becomes meaningless.  In fact, strictly speaking, the actual total of the letters composing the Basmalah is 22 and not 19.

This very criticism is another miracle of the Quran, since in order to blind themselves to its numerical structure, ingrates and bigots have denied the most obvious and simple fact: the numbers of letters in Bismillah or Basmalah. Lomax, who was inspired by bin Baz and his student Abu Ameenah, parroted the same claim.

I knew that some well-known Sunni critics of the code 19 counted the letters in Basmalah ending up with 18, 20, and even 21. For instance, according to Dr. Süleyman Ateş, an Al-Azhar educated scholar, Basmalah has 21 letters. After losing a live TV debate with me on a popular Turkish TV program, he wrote the following:

“The number 19 is the number of Bahai cult and has nothing to do with the Quran. It is modern cabbalism and nonsense. Quran’s first verse, Bismillah, does not have 19 letters as they claim, but it has 21 letters. I have written a book on this deviation… Recently numerous engineers and doctors started following this path. One of those who follow his imaginations is the guy who was once imprisoned for participating in terror activities in Turkey and now living in America. I met that guy first time during the Ceviz Kabuğu TV program and then I immediately understood that he had idolized his ego. He was rude and did not recognize any rules of etiquette.”[8]

But Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips is the only Sunni scholar who came up with 22! A whopping addition of 3 letters to the actual 19, which is 16% inflation! If Abu Ameenah counts the number of his children the same way he is counting the Arabic letters then he must have 17.27 children rather than 20. Of course, the number of the fingers in his two hands, according to the “invisible fingers” theory, which is an adaptation of his “invisible letter” theory, would be 11.58 fingers! Joke aside, this very claim of “22 letters in Basmalah” alone is sufficient to expose their delusional state of mind, their desperate attempt to turn their followers blind like themselves.

This example is enough to demonstrate how Muhammedans are twisting the simplest facts in order to cast doubt on the mathematical miracle of the Quran. It is noteworthy that not a single Muslim scholar had a different count for the letters of Basmalah before the discovery of the code. Whoever mentioned the numbers of its letters acknowledged the simple fact: Basmalah consists of 19 letters. For instance, Molla Jami starts his Persian Divan by referring to the 19 letters of Basmalah. Fakhraddin Al-Razi, in his 30 volume commentary, et-Tafsir al-Kabir, links the 19 letters of Basmalah with 19 guardians of Hell. Furthermore, the Abjad (Gematrical) value of Basmalah is well known as 786 for centuries, which is the numerical value of its 19 letters. Many a Muslim still use this number on top of their letters, instead of Bismillah…

What about this? Copy and paste a Bismillah (not its picture, but typed in Arabic characters) in MS Word. Then select it and ask the program to count the number of letters in it and check the “characters (with no spaces)”!

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

ب س م ا ل ل ه ا ل ر ح م ن ا ل ر ح ي م

You should be careful against the Hoaxers who use this very word to cover up their own character. Our Sunni “alims” who are well-trained in promoting ignorance, might try to add “invisible” letters or try to confuse Arabic letters with sounds. Don’t fall for their deceits! You should remember that there are 28 letters in Arabic alphabet and that all Arabic dictionaries follow this simple fact. You should also remember that no letter can be connected after Alif, since it would be confused with another letter, that is, Lam. So, if they tell you that there is an invisible Alif after B of Bismillah or a “short Alif” after Mim of RaHMaN, you should refuse to be tricked by reminding the following three facts: There is no dwarf or dumpy Alif in Arabic alphabet. If there were an Alif after B or Mim, there would be a space before the letter S or letter Nun. Besides, we are not counting invisible or ghost characters; we are counting written, visible letters of the Quran!

3. Letter Count Inconsistencies: A major pillar of Dr. Khalifa’s claim depends on his statement that “All Quranic initials, without exceptions, exist in their surahs in multiples of 19.”  However, this is only the case in three of the 29 Surahs having prefixed Arabic letters, namely Surah Qaf, Surah YaSin and Surah Maryam.

This criticism is partially true and mostly false. Indeed, Dr. Khalifa made some errors in the count of Alif and there are a few issues with other letters; but MOST of the initial letters are multiple of 19 and the initials that do not fit the system needs a comparative study on the oldest available manuscripts. I have extensive debate on this issue with Lomax and Ayman in this book.

4. Manipulated Letter Counts: Dr. Khalifa achieved multiples of 19 in the letter counts for 13 chapters having Alif in the beginning of their “Quranic Initials” by counting the Hamzah as an Alif in some instances and not in others.

This is exactly the same allegation as in number 3, above. The example of the allegation in number 3 is perhaps listed as a different category in order to inflate the numbers.

5. Falsified Letter Count Data: In order to artificially create multiples of 19 in some of his letter count totals, Dr. Khalifa has doctored his date in the following ways: (a) Some non-existing letters have been counted; (b) Some existing letters have not been counted; (c) The text of the Qur’an has been changed in order to either add letters to the text, or delete letters from the text.

Again, this is exactly the same allegation as in number 3 and I have dealt with it extensively in NINETEEN: God’s Signature in Nature and Scripture. Besides, I responded to them in my debate with Lomax who used Abu Ameenah’s book.

6. Word Count Inconsistencies: A number of proofs used by Dr. Khalifa are based on the total number of words in verses and chapters being 19 or one of its multiples.  This has been achieved by following an inconsistent system of letter counting whereby three or four words are sometimes counted as one word.

This is another highly exaggerated allegation, which we discussed extensively in this book.

7. Falsified Word Count Data: Dr. Khalifa’s claim that every word of the Basmalah occurs in the Qur’an either 19 times or one of its multiples is only true in the case of one of the main four words (i.e. ar-Rahman) and even in this case it is only achieved by excluding the 112 occurences of the word found in the 112 Basmalahs preceding the Surahs, yet he includes all the Basmalahs in his letter counts.

I have extensively discussed this issue with Lomax as my response to his “Claim number 13”. Let me briefly summarize it here.

The mathematical system puts an end to the chronic arguments among various sects whether Basmalah is the first verse of Chapter Al-Fatiha or not. Now, it is clear that the Basmalah in the beginning of Chapter Al-Fatiha (The Opener) is the first verse while other 112 Bismillahs crowning the other chapters are un-numbered verses.

Our counting excludes the 112 unnumbered Basmalahs. Had we include them, Abu Ameenah would object again by labeling it as an “arbitrary inclusion of 112 unnumbered initial invocations which are merely repetition.” Our exclusion is not arbitrary, since the other 112 Basmalahs are not numbered. Abu can see this fact in his own version of the Quran. Our method follows and justifies the well-known difference between the other two Basmalahs (1:1 and 27:30) and the 112 Basmalahs repeating in the beginning of chapters. It is a discovery which brings an explanation for this curious distinction. Though in the early manuscripts the verses were not numbered, they were ordered and separated from each other by dots which I believe justifies our numbering them. In fact, if there is a beginning and order of items of the same category, there is an implicit numbering in the structure. Therefore, early scholars were not wrong when they decided to number the verses as we know and use today.

8. False Claims for Surah Qaf: According to Dr. Khalifa, the term “Qawm قوم” is used to refer to Prophet Lot’s people everywhere in the Qur’an except in Surah Qaf in order to keep the total number of Qafs in Surah Qaf a multiple of 19.  However, this claim is totally false because there are not one but four other places in the Qur’an wherein the term “Qawm” is not used in references to Prophet Lot’s people.

First, Rashad’s point about the usage of the Qawmu Lot (Lot’s People) had no substantial connection with the code; it was merely an observation regarding the usage of a word. Even if his comment was wrong, still the number of letter Qaf in Chapters starting with the letter Qaf would be 114 (19×6). Second, it is not Rashad but it is Abu Ameenah who is making false claim. Abu Ameenah is practicing his hoaxing skills as he did in the number of letters in Basmalah: He deliberately confuses the People of Lot, who are condemned, with the Family of Lot, who were saved.

Let me list all the verses where the People and Family of Prophet Lot are referred to:

Qawm (People):                    11:70; 11:74; 11:89; 11:78; 22:43; 26:160; 27:56; 38:13; 54:33; 7:80; 27:54; 29:28.

Aal (Family):                        15:59; 15:61; 27:56; 54:34

Ikhwan (Bretherns):            50:13

Contrary to what Abu Ameenah wants us to believe, verse 27:56 makes clear distinction between Qawm Lot (Lot’s People) and Aal-i Lot (Lot’s Family); they are not the same but opposing groups. The word Ikwan (Brethren) in verse 50:13 is referring to the People of the Lot not his Family.

In sum, to describe the people of Lot, the Quran uses the word Qawm (group, people, nation) 12 times. However, the 13th verse of the chapter that starts with the letter Q is an exception. Why then instead of the word Qawm, the word Ikhwan (brethrens) is used? For the answer, check the beginning of the chapter that contains that verse. As you see, the chapter starts with the letter Q.

Thus, Rashad Khalifa was right in his observation and Abu Ameenah is again proven to be confused.

9. False Claims for 19: The doctor claims that 19 was divinely chosen as the numerical code of the Qur’an because it translates into Arabic letters as “Waahidواحد” (lit.one) and as such means “God is One”, which he proposes is the message of the Qur’an.  This claim is also incorrect as it is based on a system of numerology which has absolutely no place in Islam and is clearly rejected by Islamic law.

This is another evidence of blatant ignorance of Quran and the history of the number system used during the revelation of the Quran. Before and during the life of the Prophet Muhammed Arabs were using their alphabet as numerals. When Arabs decided to adopt the Hindu numerical system two centuries after the revelation of the Quran, they abandoned ABJAD and they changed the order of their alphabet to the current one about. I have presented conclusive archeological and Quranic evidence for the ABJAD system in the following chapters.

Abu Ameenah concludes his book with the following assertions:

“From the preceding thorough refutation of the “facts” of Dr. Rashad Khalifa’s Theory, it may be concluded that the theory of 19 as a miraculous numerical code for the Qur’an has no basis in the Qur’an itself and the few instances where 19 and its multiples do occur are merely coincidences which have been blown out of proportion by Dr. Khalifa.  It may be further concluded that the Doctor’s record of data falsification, textual changes and figure manipulation clearly indicate his dishonesty as a researcher and expose the low levels to which he stooped to invent support for his hoax.”

“Hence, 19 and its multiples may not be used to interpret anything of the Qur’an or Islam and all those sincere Muslims who have publicly propagated this theory in ignorance are Islamically obliged to publicly disown and discredit it, and immediately cease the publication, distribution and sale of books and tapes which support it.”

“With that I hope that all the doubts and queries surrounding the authenticity of Dr.Rashad Khalifa’s “findings” have been finally laid to rest.”

The rest of this book exposes the deception and ignorance of Abu Ameenah and his ilk. They are described by the numerous verses of the Quran as ingrates, those who have disease in their hearts, arrogant, ignorant and backward people. After reading the following verses you will learn the real source of Abu Ameenah’s inspiration:

  • 1:1       In the name of God, the Gracious, the Compassionate
  • 2:17    Their example is like one who lights a fire, so when it illuminates what is around him, God takes away his light and leaves him in the darkness not seeing.
  • 2:18    Deaf, dumb, and blind, they will not revert.
  • 2:118  Those who do not know said, “If only God would speak to us, or a sign would come to us!” The people before them have said similar things; their hearts are so similar! We have clarified the signs for a people who have conviction.*
  • 3:7       He is the One who sent down to you the book, from which there are definite signs; they are the essence of the book; and others, which are multiple-meaning. As for those who have disease in their hearts, eager to cause confusion and eager to derive their interpretation, they will follow what is multiple-meaning from it. But none knows their meaning except God and those who are well founded in knowledge; they say, “We acknowledge it, all is from our Lord.” None will remember except the people of intellect.
  • 6:4       Whenever a sign came to them from their Lord, they turned away from it.
  • 6:5       They have denied the truth when it came to them. The news will ultimately come to them of what they were mocking.
  • 6:25    Among them are those who listen to you; and We have made covers over their hearts to prevent them from understanding it, and deafness in their ears; and if they see every sign they will not acknowledge; even when they come to you they argue, those who reject say, “This is nothing but the tales from the past!”
  • 6:26    They are deterring others from it, and keeping away themselves; but they will only destroy themselves, yet they do not notice.
  • 6:104  “Visible proofs have come to you from your Lord; so whoever can see does so for himself, and whoever is blinded, does the same. I am not a guardian over you.”
  • 6:158  Do they wait until the controllers will come to them, or your Lord comes, or some signs from your Lord? The day some signs come from your Lord, it will do no good for any person to acknowledge if s/he did not acknowledge before, or s/he gained good through his/her acknowledgement. Say, “Wait, for we too are waiting.”
  • 7:132  They said, “No matter what you bring us of a sign to bewitch us with, we will never acknowledge you.”
  • 7:146  I will divert from My signs those who are arrogant on earth unjustly, and if they see every sign they do not acknowledge it, and if they see the path of guidance they do not take it as a path; and if they see the path of straying, they take it as a path. That is because they have denied Our signs and were heedless of them.
  • 14:25  It bears its fruit every so often by its Lord’s leave. God cites the examples for the people, perhaps they will remember.
  • 14:26  The example of a bad word is like a tree which has been uprooted from the surface of the earth, it has nowhere to settle.
  • 20:133   They said, “If only he would bring us a sign from his Lord!” Did not proof come to them from what is in the previous book?*
  • 20:134   If We had destroyed them with retribution before this, they would have said, “Our Lord, if only You had sent us a messenger so we could follow Your signs before we are humiliated and shamed!”
  • 20:135   Say, “All are waiting, so wait, and you will come to know who the people upon the balanced path are and who are guided.”
  • 25:4    Those who rejected said, “This is but a falsehood that he invented and other people have helped him with it; for they have come with what is wrong and fabricated.”
  • 25:5    They said, “Mythologies of the ancient people; he wrote them down while they were being dictated to him morning and evening.”*
  • 25:73  Those who when they are reminded of their Lord’s signs, they do not fall on them deaf and blind.
  • 27:82  When the punishment has been deserved by them, We will bring out for them a creature made of earthly material, it will speak to them that the people have been unaware regarding Our signs.*
  • 27:83  The day We gather from every nation a party that denied Our signs, then they will be driven.
  • 27:84  Until they have come, He will say, “Have you denied My signs while you had no explicit knowledge of them? What were you doing?”*
  • 27:85  The punishment was deserved by them for what they transgressed, for they did not speak.
  • 27:92  “That I recite the Quran.” He who is guided is guided for himself, and to he who is misguided, say, “I am but one of the warners.”
  • 27:93  Say, “Praise be to God, He will show you His signs and you will know them. Your Lord is not unaware of what you do.”*
  • 29:1    A1L30M40
  • 29:2    Did the people think that they will be left to say, “We acknowledge” without being put to the test?
  • 29:3    While We had tested those before them, so that God would know those who are truthful and so that He would know the liars.
  • 29:4    Or did those who sinned think that they would be ahead of Us? Miserable indeed is their judgment!
  • 29:54  They hasten you for the retribution; while hell surrounds the ingrates. (Please read from 29:48)
  • 38:1    S90, and the Quran that contains the Reminder.*
  • 38:2    Indeed, those who have rejected are in false pride and defiance.
  • 38:3    How many a generation have We destroyed before them. They called out when it was far too late.
  • 38:4    They were surprised that a warner has come to them from among themselves. The ingrates said, “This is a magician, a liar.”
  • 38:5    “Has he made the gods into One god? This is indeed a strange thing!”
  • 38:6    The leaders among them went out: “Walk away, and remain patient to your gods. This thing can be turned back.”
  • 38:7    “We never heard of this from the people before us. This is but an innovation.”
  • 38:8    “Has the remembrance been sent down to him, from between all of us!” Indeed, they are doubtful of My reminder. They have not yet tasted My retribution.*
  • 38:29  A book that We have sent down to you, that is blessed, so that they may reflect upon its signs, and so that those with intelligence will take heed.
  • 41:53  We will show them Our signs in the horizons, and within themselves, until it becomes clear to them that this is the truth. Is it not enough that your Lord is witness over all things?*
  • 46:10  Say, “Do you see that if it were from God, and you rejected it, and a witness from the Children of Israel testified to its similarity, and he has acknowledged, while you have turned arrogant? Surely, God does not guide the wicked people.”*
  • 54:1    The moment drew near, and the moon was split.*
  • 54:2    If they see a sign, they turn away and say, “Continuous magic!”
  • 74:25  “This is nothing but the words of a human.”
  • 74:26  I will cast him in the Saqar.
  • 74:27  Do you know what Saqar is?
  • 74:28  It does not spare nor leave anything.*
  • 74:29  Manifest to all the people.*
  • 74:30  On it is nineteen.*
  • 74:31  We have made the guardians of the fire to be angels/controllers; and We did not make their number except as a test for those who have rejected, to convince those who were given the book, to strengthen the acknowledgment of those who have acknowledged, so that those who have been given the book and those who acknowledge do not have doubt, and so that those who have a sickness in their hearts and the ingrates would say, “What did God mean by this example?” Thus God misguides whoever/whomever He wishes, and He guides whoever/whomever He wishes. None knows your Lord’s soldiers except Him. It is but a reminder for people.
  • 74:32  No, by the moon.*
  • 74:33  By the night when it passes.
  • 74:34  By the morning when it shines.
  • 74:35  It is one of the great ones.
  • 74:36  A warning to people.
  • 74:37  For any among you who wishes to progress or regress.
  • 74:38  Every person is held by what it earned;
  • 74:39  Except for the people of the right.
  • 74:40  In paradises, they will be asking
  • 74:41  About the criminals.
  • 74:42  “What has caused you to be in Saqar?”
  • 74:43  They said, “We were not of those who offered support (or observed contact prayer).”*
  • 74:44  “We did not feed the poor.”
  • 74:45  “We used to participate with those who spoke falsehood.”
  • 74:46  “We used to deny the day of Judgment.”*
  • 74:47  “Until the certainty came to us.”
  • 74:48  Thus, no intercession of intercessors could help them.
  • 74:49  Why did they turn away from this reminder?*
  • 74:50  Like fleeing zebras,
  • 74:51  Running from the lion?
  • 74:52  Alas, every one of them wants to be given separate manuscripts.
  • 74:53  No, they do not fear the Hereafter.
  • 74:54  No, it is a reminder.
  • 74:55  Whosoever wishes will take heed.
  • 74:56  None will take heed except if God wills. He is the source of righteousness and the source of forgiveness.
  • 78:27  They did not expect a reckoning/computation.*
  • 78:28  They denied Our signs greatly.
  • 78:29  Everything We have counted in a record.
  • 78:30  So taste it, for no increase will come to you from Us except in retribution.
  • 83:18  No, the record of the pious is in Elliyeen.
  • 83:19  Do you know what Elliyeen is?
  • 83:20  A numerical book.
  • 83:21  To be witnessed by those brought near.

[1] An English translation of the Fatwaa can be found in In Defence of the Qur‘an and Sunnah.

[2]     For those readers who are not familiar with our resons for rejecting hadith and sunna, I recommend them to read one of the two booklets: 19 Questions for Muslim Scholars, or Manifesto for Islamic Reform. Bot hare available as boks or freely available on Internet, such as www.19.org or www.islamicreform.org

[3]     I recommend an excellent article written by TO Shanavas on this subject. “Was Aisha a Six-Year-Old Bride?” has been published in the first volume of anthology after our first conference: Critical Thinkers for Islamic Reform, editors Edip Yuksel, et al, Brainbow Press, p. 39-46, 2009.

[4]     Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips, THE QUR’AN’S NUMERICAL MIRACLE: Hoax and Heresy, 2nd Edition, 2002, p. 9

[5] Ibid, p. 16

[6] Ibid, p. 17

[7]     For a comprehensive refutation of Abu Ameenah and other Sunni or Shiite 19-phobic critics, see the chapter titled, Which one Do you See: Hell or Miracle?

[8]     Süleyman Ateş (76), former head of the Department of Religious Affairs in Turkey (1976-1978), theology professor and author, Turkey. At his personal website: http://www.suleyman-ates.com/

 

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Edip’s 10 Day European Tour (1-10 June, 2012)

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10 Days in Europe
Avrupa’da 10 Gün

Edip Yuksel

1 June/Haziran: Brüksel, Belgium

Live interview/Canlı Söyleşi, Nuce TV (Erdal Er), at 21.00

3 June/Haziran: Rotterdam, Netherlands

Converstaions/Sohbetler, (Volkan at: 31641763876)

5 June/Haziran: Brüksel, Belgium

Live interview, Nuce TV, at 20:00

7 June/Haziran: Brüksel, Belgium

Speech at European Parliament, daylong conference
Live interview, Sterk TV (Günay Aslan), 19:00

9 June/Haziran: London, UK

Debate on code 19 and Discussion on Islamic Reform Movement, The Muslim Institute, CAN Mezzanine, 49-51 East Road, London N1 6AH (Nearest Underground Station: Old Street), 12:00-14:30

10 June/Haziran: Dortmund, Germany

Conference, Technische Universität Dortmund, Internationales Begegnungszentrum, Emil-Figge-Str. 59, 44227 Dortmund, 14:00

If you live in Germany and Netherlands and would like to get information about the dates and locations of conferences, debates, and meetings for the two weekends, that is June 2-3 and 9-10, please visit here frequently, or join my Twitter and Facebook accounts at:

English Twitter: @19org
Turkish Twitter: @edipyuksel

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003629920311

Facebook Fan: http://www.facebook.com/19.org

Peace,
Edip


Invitation to the Conference on 7th June, 2012
in The European Parliament, Brussels 

29.5.2012

May 29, 2012

BRUSSELS, — THE DERSIM MASSACRE (1935–38): TURKEY AND THE INTERNATIONAL LAW

INVITATION

Thursday 7th June, 2012
09h30-13h00 & 15h00-18h30

European Parliament – Room ASP 1G2
Place de Luxembourg – Brussels (Belgium)
(Interpretation available in Turkish, English, French, German)

Dear Sir/Madam,

We would like to kindly invite you to attend the conference on THE DERSIM MASSACRE (1935–38): TURKEY AND THE INTERNATIONAL LAW on June 7th, 2012 in the European Parliament, Brussels (B).

The main purpose of this conference is to put THE DERSIM MASSACRE (1935–38) on the political agenda of the international community and more especially of the European Union.

There is no conference fee to be paid, but due to already engaged funds for the conference the organizing committee unfortunately cannot cover the cost of your travel.

We hope you can accept our invitation and look forward to hearing from you as soon as possible. Please send us your flight schedule and we’ll try to arrange transportation from the airport. Let us also know if you book your own hotel or if you want us to book a room for you.

Please note that in order to enter the European Parliament, details about your full name, date of birth, place of residence and ID card / Passport number are required. Please include this information in your answer to this invitation, before the 1st of June, to the following mail: dersimkonferans2012@yahoo.com . Please also find attached a conference’s draft program.

Best regards,
The Conference Organizing Committee
dersimkonferans2012@yahoo.com

PROGRAMME

THE DERSIM MASSACRE (1935–38), TURKEY AND THE INTERNATIONAL LAW

Thursday 7th June, 2012

Room ASP 1G2
09h30-13h00 & 15h00-18h30

European Parliament
Place de Luxembourg – Brussels (Belgium)

(Interpretation available in Turkish, English, French, and “passive” German)

DRAFT PROGRAMME
(Including some technical information on how to participate and enter the E.P.)

IMPORTANT TECHNICAL INFORMATION
“HOW TO PARTICIPATE AND ENTER THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT”

The Conference will take place next Thursday 7th of June 2012 (09h30-13h00 & 15h00-18h30) in the European Parliament in Brussels (Belgium), room ASP 1G2 (building Altiero Spinelli, 1st floor, section G, room n.2 = ASP 1G2).

Please use the European Parliament’s main entrance in Place de Luxembourg (the so-called “Espace Simone Weil” and/or entrance “Altiero Spinelli”).

An official “European Parliament personal badge / pass” will be provided to all participants to the Conference.

All participants MUST communicate to dersimkonferans2012@yahoo.com the following information:

1) Name and surname
2) Date of birth
3) Place and country of residence (if possible, the full address of residence)
4) Number of a valid document (ex: passport, national ID, ecc…)

This information must be sent to the above-mentioned mail before the 1st of June.

Please note that NO ACCREDITATION will be accepted after this deadline, according to the rules established by the Security Department of the European Parliament.

Your “personal badge / pass” will be ready and delivered to you starting from 7th of June 2012 at 08h30. It will be available at the main entrance of the European Parliament (Place de Luxembourg – main European Parliament building “Altiero Spinelli” – just after the sliding doors you’ll find a conference desk).

09.30-10.30 – Opening Session 

– MEP Mr. José Bové, Greens – European Free Alliance Group in the European Parliament
– MEP Mr. Jürgen Klute, European United Left – Nordic Green Left Group in the European Parliament
– Mr. Haydar Isik , Writer, Chairperson of the association “Rebuild of Dersim”
– Ms. Ayfer Ber, Chairperson of “Dersim Genocide Association”

10.30-11.30 – Panel I 
The Dersim Massacre (1935-38): historical perspectives

Moderator:
MEP Mr. François Alfonsi, Greens – European Free Alliance Group
in the European Parliament

Dersim between history and nationalism
– Mr. Munzur Çem, Writer and Researcher
– PhD Mr. Berat Özipek, Associated Professor, Journalist daily newspaper “STAR”
Dersim, the Turkish state and foreign countries
– Mr. Martin van Brunessen, Historian (to be confirmed)
Dersim and “The Red Heads”
– Mr. Ali Köylüce, Chairperson of FEDA (Fédération Démocratique Des Alévis”)

Short video (10 min) on “DERSIM ‘38”, followed by a message by Ms. Fatma Tosum, survivor and witness of the massacre

11.30-13.00 – Panel II

International law, legal definitions and juridical responsibilities of the massacre

Moderator:
Mr. Erdal Dogan, Lawyer of Hrant Dink

The international covenants on human rights
– PhD Prof. Roland Mönch, Lawyer and legal expert
Dersim and the international justice
– Mr. Yusuf Alataş, Lawyer, Vice President of “International Human Rights Federation” (FIDH)
– Mr. Edip Yüksel, Lawyer and philosopher

– PhD Prof. Barry Fisher, , Juris Doctor and Doctor Jurisprudence, lawyer of “Dersim Genocide Case”

15h00-16h30 – Panel III

Towards a truth and reconciliation process?
Turkish political parties’ proposals

Moderator:
MEP Hélène Flautre, Co-President of the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Commission, Greens – European Free Alliance Group
in the European Parliament

Political discussion with & between the following Members of Turkish Grand National Assembly and guests:
– MP Mr. Mehmet Danış, President of the Commission of Inquiry on Dersim, AKP Party (to be confirmed)
– MP Ms. Şafak Pavey, CHP Party
– PhD Prof. Mehmet Bekaroğlu,www.ekurd.net Vice-Chairperson of HAS Party
– MP Ms. Gülten Kışanak, Co-Chairperson of BDP Party

16h30-18h00 – Panel IV

Fundamental and minorities’ rights in Turkey, the Kurdish question and the current situation of Alevis

Moderators:
Mr. Ferhat Tunc, Artist
Ms. Nuray Mert, Writer and academic (to be confirmed)

Turkey and the Kurds
– MP Ms. Sebehat Tuncel, BDP Party
Turkey and the Alevis
– Mr. Ali Kenanoğlu, Chairperson of Alevi Cultural Associations of Hubyar Sultan
Sharing democratic values and constructive discussions
– Ms. Hilal Kaplan, Journalist, “Yeni Şafak” daily newspaper
– Mr. Dengir Mir Mehmet Firat, former MP of AKP Party

18.00-18.30 – Conclusions

Mr. Erdal Er, Journalist
MEP, Jürgen Klute, GUE/NGL Group
MEP, François Alfonsi or José Bové, Greens-EFA Group (to be confirmed)

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Cartoon and Short Film Competition on Muhammad (2012)

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“Protests inspired by an anti-Islam film targeted more U.S. facilities in the Muslim world Thursday, raising questions about whether governments had the will or even the ability to protect Americans abroad from angry demonstrator. Two days after the deaths of the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other American diplomatic employees, the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa, Yemen, was assaulted by protesters as Yemeni security personnel did little to intervene, witnesses said. In Cairo, clouds of tear gas enveloped the fortified area around the U.S. Embassy as security forces clashed with protesters for the third straight day. Other anti-U.S. protests were reported in cities across the region.” (More protests break out in Muslim world as U.S. appeals for calm, Michael Birnbaum, Washington Post, September 13, 2012) 

We are experiencing a de-ja-vu. About 6 years ago, the Danish cartoonists had stirred the so-called Muslim world with the cartoon depiction of Muhammad.  Now, during the 11th anniversary of 9/11 attack, the so-called Muslim world are again furious over a nasty film, “Innocence of Muslims,” insulting Muhammad. The appalling movie was made by a Coptic Christian living in the United States, evidently to incite violence and thereby enjoy the flames rising in the Middle East followed by a new round of covert operations, wars, and invasions by the world’s super-duper power, which is suffering from middle age crisis. The film was made by Nakoula Basseley Nakoula Coptic Christian, a man with felony records. According to court papers, Nakoula, who served 21 months in prison and paid out $794,700 for bank fraud in 2010. In 1997 the producer of the sickening movie was charged with intent to manufacture methamphetamine and spent two years in jail.

Reformist Muslims Solicits Your
Cartoons, Drawings, and Short Films on
“Muhammad, a Messenger of Peace”

Awards for the cartoons/drawings:
1st Place:             1000$
2nd Place:           300$
3rd Place:            200$
Awards for the short films (10-19 minutes):
1st Place:             5000$
2nd Place:           3000$
3rd Place:            2000$

Edip Yuksel
www.19.org
13 September 2012

  • “Say, “I am but a human being like you, being inspired that your god is One god. …” (18:110)
  • “It has been sent down to you in the book, that when you hear God’s signs being rejected and ridiculed, then do not sit with them until they move on to a different subject; otherwise you are like them. God will gather the hypocrites and the unappreciative people in hell all together.” (4:140)
  • “There is no compulsion in the system; the proper way has been made clear from the wrong way…” (2:256)
  • “And the servants of the Gracious who walk on the earth in humility and if the ignorant speak to them, they say, ‘Peace.'” (25:63).
  • “… and they counter sin with good; these will have an excellent abode.” (13:22).
  • “… He casts the affliction upon those who do not reason.” (10:100)
  • “Do not uphold what you have no knowledge of. For the hearing, eyesight, and mind, all these are held responsible for that.” (17:36)
  • “O you who acknowledge, join in peace, all of you …” (2:208)
  • “And the messenger said, “My Lord, my people have deserted this Quran.” (25:30)
  • “… So, in which hadith, after God and His signs, do they acknowledge?” (45:6)
  • “God bears witness that there is no god but He. …” (3:18)

(From Quran: A Reformist Translation by Edip Yuksel, Salih al-Shaiban, Martha Schulte-Nafeh)

As islamic reformers and progressive muslims, we believe that people should have legal right to express their opinion or dissent without fear of governments or mobs. In that regard, we applaud the people of Denmark and the United States for not censoring their media. (Well, the mainstream American media is auto-censored on some issues because of the interdependence between the media, big corporations, and powerful lobbies, which is another story). History has proven that truth and justice cannot flourish in an environment of suppression and oppression. Though the cartoons and the recent movie depicted and insulted our beloved prophet Muhammad, a figure that we consider dearer to us than our fathers and mothers, we stand by the rights of cartoonists to express their views.

Though we defend their freedom of expression fully, we morally condemn the ignorant and perhaps malicious act of the cartoonists, the movie-makers and their supporters.

Had the cartoonists and the movie-makers and their supporters in the media opened their eyes and connected the dots between the tens of thousands of tortured, injured, and killed Iraqi civilians and the lies of a Crusader-in-chief supported by Evangelical churches, they would perhaps have decided to draw the cartoon of Jesus with 666 bombs in his hair and beard! Anyone who has the knowledge of the New Testament would not hesitate to distinguish between the warmongering Crusaders and Jesus, the “Prince of Peace.” Similarly, anyone who has the knowledge of the Quran would not hesitate to distinguish between the terrorist Jihadis and Muhammad, the “Messenger of Peace.”

The cartoonists and the movie-makers and their promoters  did not only insult one of the prophets, they also distorted the history of a great revolutionary leader who was a model peacemaker and defender of the rights of the oppressed; slaves, and women. In contrast to how the warmongering Crusaders and Jihadis wish to portray, Muhammad was not a man of violence but a man of reason and peace.

Numerous verses of the Quran and critical study of history will reveal that the portrait of Muhammad depicted in Sunni or Shiite hearsay books is fictional. A fiction created by the propagandists of rulers of Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties to justify their atrocities and aggression! He and his supporters were threatened and tortured inMeccafor their criticism of their corrupt and unjust theocratic system. They were forced to leave everything behind and immigrate to Yathrib (today’s Medina). There they established a peaceful city-state, a federal secular democracy, among its multi-religious diverse citizens. Nevertheless, the Meccan oligarchy did not leave them alone to enjoy peace and freedom; they organized several major war campaigns against the coalition of Muslims, Christians, Jews and Pagans united under the leadership of Muhammad. In all the wars, including Uhud, Badr, and Handaq, the monotheist reformers fought for self-defense. They even dug trenches around the city to defend themselves from aggressive religious coalition led by Meccan oligarchs. Muhammad’s message that promoted reason, freedom, peace, justice, unity of children of Adam, appreciation of diversity, rights of women and slaves, and social consciousness soon received acceptance by masses in the land. Yet, after ten years in exile, when finally Muhammad and his supporters returned to Mecca as victors, he declared amnesty for all those oppressors and warmongers who inflicted on them great suffering, who maimed and murdered many of their comrades, all because they questioned the teachings and culture they inherited from their parents. However, guided by the teachings of Quran, Muhammad chose forgiveness and peace; he did not punish any of his bloody enemies. After all, he was one of the many messengers of islam, peace and submission to God alone.

Not only those cartoons and the current film title “Innocence of Muslims” distorted the truth and committed injustice against one of the greatest men in history, their work unfairly stereotyped all Muslims as terrorists and barbarians. Promotion of xenophobic messages in Christendom might lead to another atrocity in human history. If we compare the massacres, wars, and atrocities committed in history by those who claim to be Muslims to those who claim to be Christians, we will find that those who give lip service to Christianity are more barbarians than those who give lip service to Islam. The wars, covert operations, occupations and destruction of countries, the use of atomic bombs on civilians, use of proxy corrupt and oppressive regimes, weapon industry and its global trade… Christendom and churches, in general, have been supportive of colonialism, jingoistic or imperialistic aggressions. In the times of inter religious conflict, unfortunately the voice of peaceful and moderate Christians and Muslims is not heard. It is like a dejavu. Remember sixty years ago? Jews were considered the source of all evil by Germany, a country with a majority Christian population. Hitler’s racist propaganda machine hypnotized many otherwise nice people. Now, as it seems, it is the turn of Muslims. There are enough ignorant and traumatized people among Muslims to justify the cunning propaganda machine that is working to establish moral justification for a new worldwide aggression.

The West possesses excessive deposit of atomic bombs and high-tech weapons, enormous amount of greed to suck the resources of the entire earth, and troops of religious and political leaders who can demonstrate the miracle of promoting wars and atrocities while at the same time singing peace and freedom with smirks on their faces. On the other hand, the East possess oil and many other natural resources, enormous amount of ignorance, poverty and destitute, and troops of religious and political leaders who can mobilize masses and turn them to terrorists and suicide bombs. These are explosive ingredients for the clash of two so-called civilizations that might turn the planet earth to hell. It is time for peace-loving honest people, especially Christians, Jews and Muslims start acting for peace and dialogue.

Sunni and Shiite Protesters Serve their Detractors

The reaction of Sunni and Shiite masses around the world to the cartoon and film controversy has nothing to do with the precepts of Islam. The exaggerated reaction, the violent protests, the gun-touting mouth-foaming angry mobs underscores the fact that they do not care about the teaching of the Quran. Especially, the reaction of an Iranian Newspaper that announced a cartoon competition aiming to poke fun at the Holocaust, started a competition in a diabolic race. The so-called Muslim world has betrayed the principles of the islam and is oblivious of the realities of the world they live in. The extremist elements, however, are still a minority in the so-called Muslim world. The silent majority is still watching; but they need to speak up soon. Otherwise, they will share the pain and tragedies invited by the active and loud fools among them.

The angry and occasionally violent protests have only helped the agenda and propaganda of Evangelical warmongers who betray the message of peace and love delivered by Jesus, the son of Mary. The Evangelical crusaders hope to flood the Middle East with blood in order to prepare for the second coming of Messiah. Their bloody dreams have now overlapped with the interest of global powers. The angry crowds in the Middle East have sent this message to them: “You may insult other prophets and messengers of God. You may even insult God through your movies, books, and cartoons. We will ignore them. But, if you insult Prophet Muhammad, we will leave our homes and workplaces and fill the streets yelling, screaming, and even killing. You can easily push our buttons. The cost of irritating and agitating us for you is close to nothing; but you may make us jump and scream in anger for weeks in our dirty and dilapidated streets.”

Through their irrational reactions, the so-called Muslim world lost the first round of the clash of civilizations. As a result, every psychopath loner, every animal-torturing freak, every spoiled loser, every troubled teenager, or every fame-seeker will fill the Internet with disparaging cartoons and images attributed to Muhammad. In their efforts to muzzle the powerful visual medium in this propaganda war, the rioters ensure that almost all visual material related to Muhammad in the media will be negative. This is called shooting oneself in the foot.

The primitive reaction of Sunni and Shiite population might ultimately accelerate their natural extinction from the face of earth. They are so disoriented by the clergy-made teachings, so regressed by upholding medieval Arab culture as God’s religion, so traumatized by their corrupt and cruel governments, and so much hurt and humiliated by the occupation forces of the western civilization (in Palestine, Chechnya, Iraq, Afghanistan…), they reflect the image of beasts in global political arena while they are in reality the victims of a powerful, cruel, and greedy global hegemony. For instance, the recent speeches by the Iranian leader Ahmadinejad have been so foolish they make the most absurd conspiracy theory a reasonable possibility. Is he an agent of the US-Inc?

The powerful coalition of multinational corporations, religious organizations and political groups that duped the US military into a destructive and cruel occupation in Iraq is now engaging in a psychological warfare to depict Muslims as barbarians. In order to justify the occupation of resource-rich lands, destruction of their infrastructure, and the killing and torturing their natives, they wish to agitate the extreme elements of the Islamic world so that they dehumanize that entire world in the eyes of others. After the fall of communism, the global hegemony decided to create another monster. The imperial policy of radicalizing Muslims is working well. Already the losing radical mullahs won the election in Iran. In Lebanon, Palestine, Egypt and Pakistan extremist religious groups are gaining more power.

In the hopes of hitting several birds with the same stone, the coalition of Crusaders, Neocons, Oil and Weapon industries invoke fear and tickle the jingoistic emotions of their nations. They hope to reach imperialistic goals of dominating a vast land in a strategic region; to Christianize the demoralized masses in the Muslim world; to depict them as barbarians and terrorists (the recent propaganda buzzword that somehow does not include state terrorism) deserving to be wiped out from the face of earth, and to distract the attention of their own citizens from their domestic failures and corruption. Those rowdy protesters, acting like wild cavemen, provide the best opportunity for the imperialist ambitions. Though they are unsophisticated trouble makers, they are gullible and petty criminals compared to their Western opponents who possess enormous destructive power, unlimited greed, and cunning propaganda for justifying their aggressive wars, their plundering of the resources of other countries and their killing and torturing of their civilians. The Western media especially searches and carefully picks the ugliest and angriest faces in the crowd to stereotype the entire Muslim population. It is not farfetched to expect the Western covert-operation personnel acting as agitators among the protesters.

Hypocrisy of Sunni and Shiite Clerics

On the other hand, the religious leaders of the reactionary protesters are acting with hypocrisy. When similar criticism or insults directed at Jesus or Moses they have no reaction, despite the fact that the Quran considers Jesus and Moses as selected messengers and prophets of God. It also asks Muslims not to discriminate among the messengers. When the Taliban destroyed the sculptures of Buddhist gods in Afghanistan, Sunni and Shiite masses around the world remained silent, and the religious ones celebrated the news.

Worse, in the Western world, cartoons are being published depicting God, occasionally with disrespectful humor. According to the Quran, only the depiction of God is blasphemous, since God does not look like anything His creatures can imagine. But, the Quran never approves the suppression of false and disrespectful religious or nonreligious opinions. How can a believer in the Quran, a follower of Muhammad, react to disparaging cartoons in a manner that contradicts the advice of the very book in which he professes to believe?

The only unforgivable sin, according the Quran is the sin of associating other partners/idols to God. God allows this biggest sin to be committed in this world. He fulfills his promise to test humans by giving them free choice. He condemns those who deprive others from exercising that freedom of choice. Who then, in the name of the same God, can force others from any expression of their belief or disbelief?

Billions of people, including Sunnis and Shiites, commit all kinds of idol-worship. For instance, they pray for the intercession of the prophet or saints, they prohibit many of God’s blessings in the name of God, they deprive women of their God-given rights, they worship meteorites or black rocks, they ask help from graves of their religious idols, etc. Unfortunately, Sunni and Shiite clerics and their followers have sunk deep in the quagmire of ignorance and polytheism. The progressive teachings of Islam cannot be represented and defended by those who do not respect the message of the Quran. They are prophetically described by verse 25:30 of the Quran.

In verse 4:140, the Quran recommends us to protest passively those who indulge in mockery of our faith by leaving their presence. Furthermore, it recommends us not to cut our relationship with them; we should turn back in peace and continue our dialogue when they come to their senses and are able to engage in a rational discourse. What do the so-called Muslims do? They do the opposite. By demonstrating an aggressive and belligerent behavior, they oppose and disrespect God’s instruction in their Holy Book, which they give only lip service. Interestingly, the aggressive and belligerent attitude and behavior is listed as characteristics of the enemies of Muhammad. How ironic that today’s so-called Muslims demonstrate many of the traits of Muhammad’s enemies. They have traded the Quran with fabricated hearsay stories (hadith books), sectarian jurisprudence, and fatwas.

If Muslims do really love Muhammad and respect him, they should have shown more negative reaction to the sources of hadith and sunna, such as Bukhari, Muslim, Ibni Hanbal, Abu Dawud, Tirmizi, Ibni Majeh, and Kafi, including numerous commentaries based on them, such as Ibni Kathir. In those and many other sectarian books, The Prophet Muhammad is falsely depicted as a torturing sadist, as a warmonger, as a tyrant, as a sex maniac, as a pedophile. Somehow, they are receptive to all the insults and defamation directed to Muhammad if they come in the form of a “holy hearsay” (holy hadith) story from a guy with a long Arabic name and beard who hypocritically praises Muhammad before spewing forth such vile statements. Muslims have become an irrational group that is described by verse 10:100.

Competition to Use Visual Media to Reflect the Truth about Muhammad and Quranic Islam

Years ago, we started thinking about making a computer animation film about Muhammad’s life. As a mental preparation for this project, we decided to organize a drawing competition. In October 2004, we posted an announcement at www.19.org and some Internet groups, for a Drawing Competition regarding Muhammad’s portrait. Our announcement received only a few entries. We had multiple reasons and goals for that announcement. One goal was to expose and challenge the contradictory and hypocritical nature of traditional teachings. We cited the following reasons for that failed, perhaps untimely competition:

  1. The traditional reason against depiction of animated objects, or human faces: fear of idolization of those who are depicted in illustrations is a lie.
  2. The “authentic” hadith (hearsay) regarding visions of Muhammad in dreams contradicts the position of the followers of such hadiths. That anyone who sees Muhammad in his or her dream would be actually seeing him since according to the hadith the devil could not imitate his vision. What if the illustrator claims to have seen the image in his or her dream?!
  3. They use a double standard by not reacting equally to pictures, sculptures, and statues of other prophets, such as Jesus.
  4. They are hypocrites in their idolatry. They put Muhammad’s name next to God in Shahada, while the Quran mentions La ilahe illallah (there is no god, but the God) thirty times without adding Muhammad’s name to it, and the only Shahada containing Muhammad’s name is attributed to hypocrites (63:1). In contradiction to the Quranic injunction (72:18 ), they place Muhammad’s name and the names of early leaders next to God in places of worship. They promote Muhammad beyond messengership and make him a partner with God in issuing and defining islam (7:29;16:52; 39:2-114, 42:21, 98:5) …. According to the Quran there is no difference between associating a NAME to God or worshipping a picture (53:23). (During Muhammad’s time Meccan mushriks did not worship statues as claimed by fabricated hadith. They believed in the intercession of angels and holy people.)

No one will worship the illustration if they are not already ignorant idolaters. Since the fact that people worship Jesus does not stop us from mentioning his name or drawing an imaginary illustration of him, the fact that people worship Muhammad’s NAME should not stop us from mentioning his name or drawing his picture. As we learn from the Quran, the Prophet Solomon had pictures, statues and sculptures in his mansion (34:13).

We are announcing awards for cartoon/portrait of Muhammad or short film that would depict him accurately as a human being and a messenger of peace and progress. We will publish the winning portrait at www.19.org and in the next edition of “The Quran: A Reformist Translation.” We may also publish many other submissions of high quality.

Our next step will be to make a computer animated feature film about Muhammad’s life. In that film, Muhammad will be represented by a human figure, not a camel, as in the movie, “The Message,” where Anthony Quinn played Muhammad’s uncle. We are looking for investors, directors and producers for this great project

Some Suggestions for the “Muhammad, a Messenger of Peace”

  • Cartoons/portraits or short films should depict Muhammad as a 40+ years-old man with beard and long hair. Turban is not necessary, since he was most likely taking it off when he was under the shade or inside a building. If you are participating in drawing of his portrait, then we would prefer two copies; one with turban and the other without.
  • Portraits/cartoons or short films should primarily use English language. However, you might create other copies of your work in any language of your choice.
  • All portraits and films should contain the phrase, “Muhammad, a messenger of Peace” in its title.
  • We will provide content for the script-writers and we recommend them to take it in consideration.
  • We highly recommend artists and screen-writers to read the Manifesto for Islamic Reform, including its exposition.

Muslim Muhammad

  • “It has been sent down to you in the book, that when you hear God’s signs being rejected and ridiculed, then do not sit with them until they move on to a different subject; otherwise you are like them. God will gather the hypocrites and the unappreciative people in hell all together.” (4:140)
  • “Say, ‘I am but a human being like you, being inspired that your god is One god. …’ ” (18:110; 41:6)
  • “The messenger of God has set up a good example for those among you who seek God and the Last Day, and constantly think about God.”  (33:21)
  • “Surely, you are blessed with a great moral character.” (68:4)
  • “We have sent you out of mercy from us towards the whole world.” (20:107).
  • “We are fully aware of what they hear, when they listen to you, and when they conspire secretly – the disbelievers say, ‘You are following a crazy man.’ Note how they describe you, and how this causes them to stray off the path.” (17:47-48)
  • “There is no compulsion in the system; the proper way has been made clear from the wrong way…” (2:256)
  • “And the servants of the Gracious who walk on the earth in humility and if the ignorant speak to them, they say, ‘Peace.'” (25:63).
  • “… and they counter sin with good; these will have an excellent abode.” (13:22).
  • “… He casts the affliction upon those who do not reason.” (10:100)
  • “Do not uphold what you have no knowledge of. For the hearing, eyesight, and mind, all these are held responsible for that.” (17:36)
  • “O you who acknowledge, join in peace, all of you …” (2:208)
  • “And the messenger said, “My Lord, my people have deserted this Quran.” (25:30)
  • “Their Lord responded to them: “I never fail to reward any worker among you for any work you do, be you male or female – you are equal to one another.…” (3:195)
  • “The acknowledging men and women are allies of one another. They advocate righteousness and forbid evil, they observe the Contact Prayers and give the obligatory charity, and they obey God and His messenger. These will be showered by God’s mercy. God is Almighty, Most Wise.” (9:71)
  • “God promises the acknowledging men and the acknowledging women gardens with flowing streams, wherein they abide forever, and magnificent mansions in the gardens of Eden. And God’s blessings and approval are even greater. This is the greatest triumph.” (9:72).
  • “And from His signs is that He created for you mates from yourselves that you may reside with them, and He placed between you affection and mercy. In that are signs for a people who reflect.” (30:21).
  • “They made for him (Prophet Solomon) anything he wanted – niches, statues, deep pools, and heavy cooking pots. O family of David, work (righteousness) to show your appreciation. Only a few of My servants are appreciative.” (34:13)

Sunni and Shiite Muhammad (PBUH).

  • “When the messenger married with Aisha, he was 55 years old and Aisha was 9 years old.” (Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, Nasai, Tabari)
  • “The messenger had the sexual power of 30 men.” (Bukhari)
  • “The messenger was making sexual intercourse with all his nine wives in a single night.” (Bukhari)
  • “Whenever the Prophet Muhammad saw a beautiful woman he would run to his home and sleep with Zainab.” (Bukhari)
  • “A group from Urayna and Uqayla tribes visited Medina and converted to Islam. The weather of the city had negative effect on their health. They consulted the messenger and he advised them to drink the milk and urine of camels. Soon after they left, they killed Muhammad’s shepherd. The messenger sent a troop after the murderers. When they were brought he ordered their hands and legs to be cut. He later gauged their eyes with hot nails and left them dying under the sun. The messenger ordered his companions not to give them water.” (Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmizi, Abu Dawud, Nasai, Ibn Majah)
  • “The property and blood of an apostate is not under the protection of law.” (Bukhari)
  • “The Prophet sent a platoon of secret agents to kill Kab bin al-Ashraf and Abu Rafi, two poets who criticized him. They were assassinated that night.” (Bukhari, Abu Dawud, Muslim)
  • “Muhammad ordered the killing of four hundred men of Bin Qurayza, a Jewish tribe. After the men were all slaughtered by sword, their children and women were distributed among Muslims.” (Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud).
  • “Leaders must be always elected from Quraysh tribe.” (Bukhari)
  • “Bewitched by a Jew fromMedina, Muhammad wandered in the city for days, not knowing what he was doing.” (Bukhari; Hanbal)
  • “Whoever eats 7 dates from the region Ajwa will be safe from any witchcraft and poison.” (Bukhari)
  • “If a fly falls into the vessel of any of you, let him dip all of it and then throw it away, for in one of its wings there is a disease and in the other there is healing.” (Bukhari)
  • “The cure is in three things: blood-letting, cupping, and cauterization.” (Bukhari)
  • “If a monkey, a black dog, or a woman passes in front of a praying person, his prayer is nullified.” (Bukhari)
  • “To find a good woman among women is similar to finding a white crow among a hundred crows.  (Bukhari)
  • “The marriage commitment is a kind of slavery for women.” (Bukhari)
  • “If anybody has been required to prostrate before others beside God, the woman should prostrate before her husband.” (Bukhari)
  • “I have been shown the dwellers of hell; the majority of them were women.” (Bukhari)
  • “If the body of the husband is covered with pus and his wife licks it with her tongue, she still will not be able to pay her debt to him.” (Bukhari)
  • “Those who entrust their affairs to a woman will never know prosperity.” (Bukhari)
  • “There is no contagious diseases nor bad luck called Tiyara. However, there is bad luck in only three things: woman, house, and animal.” (Bukhari)
  • “Angels do not enter a house that has a dog in it.” (Bukhari)
  • “Kill every black dog; they are from devil.” (Hanbal; Bukhari)
  • “Angels do not enter a house that contains dogs or pictures.” (Bukhari)
  • “The most who will suffer in hell are those who draw pictures of God’s creation.” (Bukhari)
  • “In the day of Judgment the artists will be challenged to give life to the pictures they made.” (Bukhari)
  • “A tribe of monkeys arrested an adulterer monkey and stoned it to death.” (Bukhari)
  • “The punishment of the criminal who had cut fingers of a woman is the following number of camels as compensation: for one finger 10 camels, for two fingers 20 camels, for three fingers 30 camels, for four fingers 20 camels. (Muwatta; Hanbal). (PS: Can you guess the number of camels for five fingers?)

Additional Terms

  1. The right to publish the cartoons and portraits in various media should be given to 19.org by an inscription “© 19.org”, preferably on the right bottom corner of the work. The copyright for the short film will belong to the makers. Acknowledgement of the 19.org should suffice.
  2. The portrait should contain one or more of the verses of the Quran related to freedom of faith and expression. We suggest the artists to embed or integrate the verses of the Quran in their drawings. For instance, the turban or beard could be drawn by using the letters and words of the verses quoted in the beginning of this article.
  3. If you are not willing to publicize your name we will not publish it. Instead, you may use a nickname or give us permission to publish your name after hiding it with a code.
  4. All work should be delivered in digital form. We prefer that you post it on the Internet and inform us its link via an email to 19@19.org. However, if you do not have the technical skills to post it somewhere on the net, then you may send it as an attachment to the email. The Subject of email should read: “Muhammad, a messengers of peace Awards for the cartoons/drawings:
  5. Awards for the cartoons/drawings:
    1st Place:             1000$
    2nd Place:           300$
    3rd Place:            200$
    Awards for the short films (10-19 minutes):
    1st Place:             5000$
    2nd Place:           3000$
    3rd Place:            2000$
  6. The deadline for participation is December 19, 2012.

SELECTED DISCUSSIONS: 15 September 2012

LOXBOX13: “Learn how to respect other peole beliefs and feelings,  drwings of the messenger mohamed mignt not offfend you or m or some others,  but it will offend people of the sunnah religion,  and we have no right to attack or mock any religion, and play it cool ?  make fun of rashad khalifa, he was your friend and you belong to his line of thinking,  in other words, make fun of yourself is less harmfull than offending others,  why won’t you make fun of 19 for exemple,   or is 19 holmy foor you ? peace”

EDIP: Silly! Nonsense! Whatever you do someone might get offended… Eat cow meat and Hindus might get offended… Eat onion, onion-worshipers might complain… Write God, Jews might be offended since they prefer G-d… The list goes on and on…

What about me? I am offended by Muhammadans! When I see that they turn a “human being like us” into a god, I am offended. Besides, I find their hadith stories to be the greatest insult to Muhammad. Would they stop publishing those stupid stories because I am offended?

Besides, why in the world I respect those who KİLL others because they believe, think or talk differently than them? I will defend Sunnis right to believe and practice their religion, as long as they do not harm others. But, do not expect me to respect their nonsense!

As for your making fun of 19? I really do not care. I will just ignore you…

But, you somehow craftily distort my invitation. I did not invite people to mock Muhammad or islam. To the contrary…!

ANDERSON: True. The ‘crowd’ and ‘mob’ has never shown great wisdom, thought or intelligence throughout history. They’ve always been controlled by emotion and chaotic dynamic patterns.

And also, Edip is NOT having intentions of instigating violence. He is not out there to insult the prophet (who is anyway dead and cannot be insulted). He is asking for POSITIVE cartoons, not ridiculing ones. That’s hell of a difference. The difference lies in the intent. Edip’s intention is good. I believe he aims to:

  1. Lessen the level of taboo that surrounds the cartoons, and thereby, over time, disarm the sheepish, insane and emotional tendencies to misdirected and unjustified violence.
  2. By taking the edge off the cartoon taboo… he is taking away power from those who indeed use cartoons in a ridiculing way.
  3. Indirectly expose the madness of hadith and show the world that there is more to islam and quran than what people think. That is, to give people a chance to find out about real islam.

There will always be resistance to change. Always. It stems from fear. But change is life and life is change. No change means death. One can never advance and develop by resisting change. When you move forward to grow, you will have to move through your current states. It cannot be avoided. Avoiding cartoons will just mean that we accept the current situation, and accept that it should not change. Truth and the exposure of falsehood will not be realized through fear and avoidance of change.

Edip’s work is commendable, no matter the details of his understanding. In my opinion there should be more people having a spirit like that of Edip’s. He’s doing a wonderful job in promoting the truth and exposing old, stagnant and mad things in religion.

Cheers

***
RAAAJAH: “Is Edip following this Ayat while inviting people to draw NEGATIVE IMAGES OF PROPHET peace is upon him? What message he is trying to get across and how?”

EDIP: Thanks for the reminder… I am going to correct that part. I agree with you that such an invitation is not appropriate and I would never publish such disparaging cartoons, especially against any prophet or messenger of God.  Knowing that many islamophobes, warmongers and provocateurs have already published many ugly cartoons based on hadith stories, I deleted that paragraph from the terms of the competition.

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Philosophy 122 (God, Mind, and Matter)

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Edip Yuksel, J.D.

► 19@19.org ►

 

 

Course:                                                   Phil 122

Section:

Days/Times:

Location:

Office Hours:

Instructor:                                             Edip Yuksel

Phone:

Email:                                                     19@19.org

Add date:

Drop/Refund/Audit date:

Withdrawal deadline:

Final Exam date:

Last day of class:

Campus phone nu:                               520 206 7314

Tutoring: http://nw.pima.edu/dmeeks/scimath/documents/tutor.pdf

 

Course Description: 

Survey of Western Philosophy. Includes primary source readings in western philosophic areas: logic, epistemology, ethics, social/political philosophy, philosophy of religion, metaphysics, philosophy of science, and aesthetics.

Course Objectives:

  • Develop the skills of attentive listening and dialog in group discussion
  • Describe the principle ideas of the philosophers studied
  • Analyze and critically evaluate philosophical arguments
  • Construct logical arguments and identify errors in reasoning using philosophical language and terminology
  • Design and support your own position on philosophical issues
  • Express your thoughts clearly in both written and spoken formats
  • Study the sources and nature of knowledge.
  • Examine the meaning of terms God, metaphysics, mind, and matter.
  • Review the classical arguments for and against the existence of God.
  • Reflect on personal identity.
  • Discuss freedom of will and determinism.
  • Investigate new arguments for and against God and metaphysics.

Required Text:

  • The Philosopher’s Way, John Chaffee

Recommended Texts:

  • Philosophy of Religion, Selected Readings, Michael Peterson et al. Oxford University Press
  • Faith and Reason, Paul Helm, Oxford University Press

Prerequisite: A 3.5 pound substance with active dendrites and synapses.

ADA Compliance: Pima Community College is committed to providing accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities in a timely and effective manner.  To request a reasonable accommodation, students must be registered with the campus Disabled Student Resources (DSR) office.  Accommodations will be made based on eligibility determined by Disabled Student Resources.  Services can be requested at any time during the semester.  Requesting services well in advance will help to ensure that resources are available when needed.  Please contact a DSR office at  206-4500 or DSRhelp@pima.edu.

Mandatory Reporting for Abuse of a Minor: Pursuant to Arizona law (A.R.S. §13-3620), College personnel, including faculty, staff, and administrators, who learn in the course and scope of their employment that a minor (defined as under 18 years of age) has been the victim of physical or sexual abuse, are required to report this information immediately to law enforcement.

Class Conduct:

  • Refer to the Student Code of Conduct for additional requirements relating to student behavior.
  • Because of insurance limitations, non-registered visitors are not allowed at class sessions or on field trips.
  • Possession of drugs, alcohol or firearms on college property is illegal.
  • Eating, drinking, smoking and soliciting are not allowed in classrooms.
  • Pets, telephones, pagers and other electronic devices that distract students are not allowed in classrooms.
  • Students creating disturbances that interfere with the conduct of the class or the learning of others, violations of the Student Code of Conduct, will be referred to the Division Dean and/or the Dean of Students.
  • Disruptive behavior will not be tolerated and can be cause for being dropped from the class.  Disruptive behavior is defined as behavior that is disruptive to the learning process and outside normal behavior parameters. See the Student Code of Conduct for particulars, but examples of disruptive behavior are inappropriate talking, arriving late or leaving early, sleeping or doing other class work in class, etc.
  • The use of the MyPima portal, for every student enrolled in this course, is specifically limited to the functions that are related to the course content and appropriate communications prescribed by the instructor. Inappropriate uses of MyPima may be subject to the PCC Student Code of Conduct.

Class Preparation and Policies: The course will consist of short lectures and critical discussions, which will analyze and evaluate the key ideas in the readings. Students need to read the assigned pages or chapter before the class.

MyPima: In this course, the instructor will not employ email and/or other MyPima course tools as a means of communication or for accepting course work. Instead, students should use instructor’s personal email, above.

Class Attendance: Attendance is required for all classes and will be recorded through in-class assignments. Students are assigned in-class writing activities and they are worth 20 percent of the final grade. The instructor will have the right to withdraw a student after six hours of absences. Death, birth, or marriage of close family members, including your death and marriage, might constitute as an excuse.

Academic Integrity:

  • Students are expected to abide by the Code of Conduct, http://www.pima.edu/studentserv/studentcode/index.shtml also available at PCC campus libraries.
  • Pima Community College considers violations of scholastic ethics, including plagiarism, as serious offenses, which may result in failure of an assignment, the course, or possible expulsion.
  • All work done for this class must be your own.  For assignments, you may use work from books and other materials if properly cited.  Copying from any source without proper reference is considered plagiarism.

Assessment: In order to determine whether this course is meeting its above-stated objectives, a variety of classroom assessment techniques will be used.  The purpose of these assessment instruments is to assist your instructor in improving this course.  Because this course fulfills a general education requirement, you will be assessed on your ability to communicate both orally and in writing, think critically and demonstrate global awareness.

Assignments and Make-up Policy:  There is no make-up for in-class assignments. If you miss the mid-term or the class presentation, you should contact the instructor within a week and ask for a second chance. Based on your attendance and previous record, the instructor may make arrangements with you for make-ups.

Extra Credit Assignments: You may have chance to get extra credit but you should come with a proposal.

Grading Procedures and Policy:

The final grade will reflect a student’s ability to communicate their comprehension of course material in writing and speaking formats. Grading will be based on the following elements based on maximum 100 points:

  1. Participation in class discussions. 20 points
  2. Homework assignments. 20 points
  3. Pop quizzes. 30 points. Curved and the lowest 4 are excluded.
  4. Class presentations. Each student will make one or more in-class presentations on assigned philosophers or topics. For this exercise the student will be graded on their ability to gather, limit, interpret, analyze and critique philosophical material, and present it in a clear and interesting way. 20 points. The distribution of points:

Background information: 2

The philosophical argument: 8

Personal critique: 4

Discussion questions: 2

Answering questions: 2

Delivery (power point): 2

For more than one presentation, the average point will be awarded.

  1. Final paper consisting of 1500-2000 words. On a given topic, later to be determined. Students will be examined on their ability to present and support a thesis, express their arguments cogently, interpret and evaluate information, and apply principles of critical thinking to various paradigms. Avoid plagiarism! 10 points.

Written work will be graded for thought content, and only the final paper will be graded for both form and content.

Points will be deducted for assignments turned in after the due date. The grade equivalents of points are:

90-100:    A
80-89:       B
70-79:      C
60-69:       D

Absent students are responsible for getting class notes and assignments from a classmate and coming prepared to the next class.

Active participation is a necessary part of the work of this course. You should come prepared with quality input, such as, ideas, criticism, and questions. You should listen respectfully to the input of others, especially those with which you may disagree. The rule that one person speaks at a time reflects the value of respecting individual and their thought process. Cell phones, pagers, and headsets are to be turned of during class.

All written work must be typed, except for the in-class quizzes. The final paper must be double-spaced, in 12-point times new roman, and include a reference page. Final paper must have a title, preferably a catchy yet relevant title. In the upper right hand corner of page one, and single-spaced, put the following information: Your name, Course number, Day and Time of, Class, Date

On all following pages, including the reference page put your last name and page number in the right hand corner, for example: Gonzales 3 of 17. Please attach the pages together with a staple. No title pages or special covers for the papers.

Student Withdrawal “W” Grades: Students may withdraw from class without instructor permission and without incurring any grade penalty until the official withdrawal deadline.  Students who fail to withdraw themselves by the withdrawal deadline and quit attending class, remain on the active class roster and may receive a grade of “F”.

Instructor Withdrawal after the College Withdrawal Deadline for “W” Grades: You may request a grade of “W” after the official College withdrawal date only if all of the following conditions are met: extenuating circumstances made it impossible for you to finish the course, your request is made in writing to the instructor and is received by the instructor on or before the last day of the class and the instructor gives permission to do so.

“AU” Audit Grades: Auditing a class means to enroll in and attend without working for or receiving credit.  Students auditing a class must register by the end of the official refund period and must receive written permission to audit from the instructor, who is not required to grade assignments submitted by students who are auditing the class.

Final Grades: For privacy and security reasons, instructors are advised NOT to give grades over the telephone or via email unless the student signs the exception box on the acknowledgment page of this syllabus.  Students who wish to check grades may access grades online using Banner Online at:  http://bannerweb.pima.edu

Warning: If your religious faith is fragile and cannot handle blows of skeptical criticism; or if you have vested interest in a particular religion or cult; or if you are socially, financially, or psychologically dependent on a religious bandwagon; this class might be excruciatingly painful for you. Thus, you might drop the class and leave this classroom now. Similarly, if your lack of faith or atheism cannot handle scrutiny, you should also consider dropping this class. There are no sacred cows in this class. We treat all of them equally: we question them, we pester them, and we occasionally slaughter and eat them.

Caveat: The instructor reserves the right to make changes to the syllabus and will notify students of those changes in class.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Phil 120 (Logic) Syllabus

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Edip Yuksel, J.D.

► 19@19.org ►

 

Course:                                                   Phil 120 Logic

Section:

Days/Times:

Location:

Office Hours:

Instructor:                                             Edip Yuksel

Phone:

Email:                                                     19@19.org

Add date:

Drop/Refund/Audit date:

Withdrawal deadline:

Final Exam date:

Last day of class:

Campus phone nu:                               520 206 2200

Tutoring: http://nw.pima.edu/dmeeks/scimath/documents/tutor.pdf

 

Class Philosophy:

Before putting anything in our mouths we observe the color, smell its odor. If it looks rotten or smells bad we do not touch it. If food passes the eye and nose tests, then our taste buds will be the judge. If a harmful bit fools all those examinations, our stomach come to rescue; it revolts and throws them up. There are many other organs that function as stations for testing, examination, and modification of imported material into our bodies. They ultimately meet our smart and vigilant nano-guards: white cells. Sure, there are many harmful or potentially harmful foods that pass all the way through our digestive system into our blood, such as alcohol and fat.  Nevertheless, without using our reasoning faculty much if at all, we have an innate system that protects our body from harmful substances. It would be a mystery then how we can input information and assertions, especially the most bizarre ones, into our brains without subjecting them to the rigorous test of critical thinking. Our brains should never become trashcans of false ideas, holy viruses, unexamined dogmas and superstitions. We should be wise!

How can we protect our minds and brains? Do we have an innate system that protects us from harmful or junky ideas, especially dogmas or jingoisms that could turn us into zombies or self-righteous evil people? Yes we do: our logic is the program that detects and protects us against the most harmful viruses, which usually find their way when we are hypnotized by crowds, salespeople, politicians or clergymen.

Indeed, our brain comes with a pre-installed virus-protection program, called reasoning, logic or inference. Unfortunately, this program is constantly attacked by false ideas, prejudices, dogmas, and contradictory stories. We are fed lies all the time, from fairy tales in cradles to silly stories in holy guises in places of worship. Fiction books are the bestselling. Actors whose entire profession is based on faking other characters are treated like gods and goddesses. They are meteorites and hence are called ‘stars!’ Similarly, we reward liars in politics and in our relationship. We prefer to walk around with ketchup on our nose, since we do not expect our friends to be truthful as a mirror.

Logic or reason is despised by some as “the art of going wrong with confidence” (Joseph Wood Krutch ), “the greatest enemy that faith has”(Martin Luther), “an emotion for the sexless” (Heatcote Williams), “reason enslaves whose minds are not strong enough to master her . . . the reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man” (G.B. Shaw), and “I’ll not listen to reason. . . . Reason always means what someone else has got to say” (Elizabeth Gaskell).

However, logic and reason is praised by many as “the anatomy of thought….natural revelation” (John Locke), “the only oracle given you by heaven” (Thomas Jefferson), “come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord”(Isaia 1:18), “Do not accept claims without knowledge; your ears, eyes and mind are responsible ” (Quran, 17:36),”the only faculty we have wherewith to judge concerning anything, even revelation itself” (Joseph Butler), “the light and lamp of life” (Cicero), “God’s emissary” (Abraham Ibn Ezra),  “the technique by which we add conviction to truth” (Jean de La Bruyere).

Logic is the study of reasoning: how it is done correctly, how it goes wrong, and how to distinguish between the two. We are born with hardware and system software that uses the rules of logic in interpreting information and arriving conclusions. Bad reasoning can hurt individuals, societies, nations, and even your grades.

Course Description: 

Introduction to the main types of logical reasoning. Includes the nature of language, deductive logic, and inductive logic.

Course Objectives:

  • Learn how to recognize, analyze and paraphrase arguments.
  • Analyze and critically evaluate philosophical, political, economic, scientific and religious arguments
  • Construct logical arguments and identify errors in reasoning by using categories, Venn diagrams, matrixes, retrograde analysis, symbolic logic and other methods.
  • Distinguish and learn how to asses the validity of deductive arguments and the probability of inductive arguments.
  • Recognize syllogistic arguments and learn how to translate them into standard forms.
  • Learn the 19 rules of inference: the nine rules of inference used in constructing formal proofs and the ten rules of replacement.
  • Recognize singular propositions and apply quantification theory to check their validity.
  • Learn the six criteria to determine the probability of an analogical argument. Learn Mill’s five methods of experimental inquiry or inductive inference.
  • Learn the five criteria by which the scientific hypotheses are evaluated and the seven stages of any scientific investigation.
  • Analyze and compute the probability of inductive arguments by using the product theorem and the addition theorem.
  • Develop the skills of attentive listening and dialog in group discussion.
    Express your thoughts clearly and logically in both written and spoken formats.

Course Outline:

I. Nature of Language

A. Introduction to logic
B. Uses of language
C. Informal fallacies
D. Nature of definition

II. Deductive Logic

A. Categorical propositions
B. Categorical syllogisms
C. Arguments in ordinary language
D. Testing by Venn diagrams
E. Basic symbolic logic/truth tables applications
F. Relations between statements, including

1) Contradiction
2) Entailment
3) Contraries
4) Logical necessity and relevance
5) Nature of paradoxes

III. Inductive Logic

A. Analogy and probable inference
B. Causal connections: Mill’s Methods
C. Science and hypotheses
D. Logic and the law

Required Text:

  • Introduction to Logic, Irving M. Copi & Carl Cohen.

Recommended Texts:

  • The Power of Logical Thinking, Marilyn Vos Savant
  • A Rulebook for Arguments, Anthony Weston
  • Viruses Fallacious, Edip Yuksel

Prerequisite: A 3.5 pound substance with active dendrites and synapses.

ADA Compliance: Pima Community College is committed to providing accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities in a timely and effective manner.  To request a reasonable accommodation, students must be registered with the campus Disabled Student Resources (DSR) office.  Accommodations will be made based on eligibility determined by Disabled Student Resources.  Services can be requested at any time during the semester.  Requesting services well in advance will help to ensure that resources are available when needed.  Please contact a DSR office at  206-4500 or DSRhelp@pima.edu.

Mandatory Reporting for Abuse of a Minor: Pursuant to Arizona law (A.R.S. §13-3620), College personnel, including faculty, staff, and administrators, who learn in the course and scope of their employment that a minor (defined as under 18 years of age) has been the victim of physical or sexual abuse, are required to report this information immediately to law enforcement.

Class Conduct:

  • Refer to the Student Code of Conduct for additional requirements relating to student behavior.
  • Because of insurance limitations, non-registered visitors are not allowed at class sessions or on field trips.
  • Possession of drugs, alcohol or firearms on college property is illegal.
  • Eating, drinking, smoking and soliciting are not allowed in classrooms.
  • Pets, telephones, pagers and other electronic devices that distract students are not allowed in classrooms.
  • Students creating disturbances that interfere with the conduct of the class or the learning of others, violations of the Student Code of Conduct, will be referred to the Division Dean and/or the Dean of Students.
  • Disruptive behavior will not be tolerated and can be cause for being dropped from the class.  Disruptive behavior is defined as behavior that is disruptive to the learning process and outside normal behavior parameters. See the Student Code of Conduct for particulars, but examples of disruptive behavior are inappropriate talking, arriving late or leaving early, sleeping or doing other class work in class, etc.
  • The use of the MyPima portal, for every student enrolled in this course, is specifically limited to the functions that are related to the course content and appropriate communications prescribed by the instructor. Inappropriate uses of MyPima may be subject to the PCC Student Code of Conduct.

Class Preparation and Policies: The course will consist of short lectures and critical discussions, which will analyze and evaluate the key ideas in the readings. Students need to read the assigned pages or chapter before the class.

MyPima: In this course, the instructor will not employ email and/or other MyPima course tools as a means of communication or for accepting course work. Instead, students should use instructor’s personal email, above.

Class Attendance: Attendance is required for all classes and will be recorded through in-class assignments. Students are assigned in-class writing activities and they are worth 20 percent of the final grade. The instructor will have the right to withdraw a student after six hours of absences. Death, birth, or marriage of close family members, including your death and marriage, might constitute as an excuse.

Academic Integrity:

  • Students are expected to abide by the Code of Conduct, http://www.pima.edu/studentserv/studentcode/index.shtml also available at PCC campus libraries.
  • Pima Community College considers violations of scholastic ethics, including plagiarism, as serious offenses, which may result in failure of an assignment, the course, or possible expulsion.
  • All work done for this class must be your own.  For assignments, you may use work from books and other materials if properly cited.  Copying from any source without proper reference is considered plagiarism.

Assessment: In order to determine whether this course is meeting its above-stated objectives, a variety of classroom assessment techniques will be used.  The purpose of these assessment instruments is to assist your instructor in improving this course.  Because this course fulfills a general education requirement, you will be assessed on your ability to communicate both orally and in writing, think critically and demonstrate global awareness.

Assignments and Make-up Policy:  There is no make-up for in-class assignments. If you miss the mid-term or the class presentation, you should contact the instructor within a week and ask for a second chance. Based on your attendance and previous record, the instructor may make arrangements with you for make-ups.

Extra Credit Assignments: You may have chance to get extra credit but you should come with a proposal.

Grading Procedures and Policy:

The final grade will reflect a student’s ability to communicate their comprehension of course material in writing and speaking formats. Grading will be based on the following elements:

  1. Attendance and participation in class discussions. 20 points.
  2. Multiple choice tests. 40 points.
  3. Home works. 10 points
  4. Class presentation. Each student will make an in-class presentation on a topic. For this exercise the student will be graded on their ability to gather, limit, interpret, analyze and critique philosophical/logical material, and to present this information in a clear and interesting way. 10 points.
  5. A comprehensive multiple choice test in the end of the semester. 20 points.

Written work will be graded for thought content, and only the final paper will be graded for both form and content.

Points will be deducted for assignments turned in after the due date. The grade equivalents of points are:

90-100:    A
80-89:       B
70-79:      C
60-69:      D

Absent students are responsible for getting class notes and assignments from a classmate and coming prepared to the next class.

Active participation is a necessary part of the work of this course. You should come prepared with quality input, such as, ideas, criticism, and questions. You should listen respectfully to the input of others, especially those with which you may disagree. The rule that one person speaks at a time reflects the value of respecting individual and their thought process. Cell phones, pagers, and headsets are to be turned of during class.

All written work must be typed, except for the in-class quizzes. The final paper must be double-spaced, in 12-point times new roman, and include a reference page. Final paper must have a title, preferably a catchy yet relevant title. In the upper right hand corner of page one, and single-spaced, put the following information: Your name, Course number, Day and Time of, Class, Date

On all following pages, including the reference page put your last name and page number in the right hand corner, for example: Gonzales 3 of 17. Please attach the pages together with a staple. No title pages or special covers for the papers.

Student Withdrawal “W” Grades: Students may withdraw from class without instructor permission and without incurring any grade penalty until the official withdrawal deadline.  Students who fail to withdraw themselves by the withdrawal deadline and quit attending class, remain on the active class roster and may receive a grade of “F”.

Instructor Withdrawal after the College Withdrawal Deadline for “W” Grades: You may request a grade of “W” after the official College withdrawal date only if all of the following conditions are met: extenuating circumstances made it impossible for you to finish the course, your request is made in writing to the instructor and is received by the instructor on or before the last day of the class and the instructor gives permission to do so.

“AU” Audit Grades: Auditing a class means to enroll in and attend without working for or receiving credit.  Students auditing a class must register by the end of the official refund period and must receive written permission to audit from the instructor, who is not required to grade assignments submitted by students who are auditing the class.

Final Grades: For privacy and security reasons, instructors are advised NOT to give grades over the telephone or via email unless the student signs the exception box on the acknowledgment page of this syllabus.  Students who wish to check grades may access grades online using Banner Online at:  http://bannerweb.pima.edu

Warning: If your religious faith is fragile and cannot handle blows of skeptical criticism; or if you have vested interest in a particular religion or cult; or if you are socially, financially, or psychologically dependent on a religious bandwagon; this class might be excruciatingly painful for you. Thus, you might drop the class and leave this classroom now. Similarly, if your lack of faith or atheism cannot handle scrutiny, you should also consider dropping this class. There are no sacred cows in this class. We treat all of them equally: we question them, we pester them, and we occasionally slaughter and eat them.

Caveat: The instructor reserves the right to make changes to the syllabus and will notify students of those changes in class.

 

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Phil 101 Syllabus

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Edip Yuksel, J.D.

► 19@19.org ►

 

 

Course:                                                   Phil 101

Section:

Days/Times:

Location:

Office Hours:

Instructor:                                             Edip Yuksel

Phone:

Email:                                                     19@19.org

Add date:

Drop/Refund/Audit date:

Withdrawal deadline:

Final Exam date:

Last day of class:

Campus phone nu:                               520 206 7314

Tutoring: http://nw.pima.edu/dmeeks/scimath/documents/tutor.pdf

Course Description: 

Survey of Western Philosophy. Includes primary source readings in western philosophic areas: logic, epistemology, ethics, social/political philosophy, philosophy of religion, metaphysics, philosophy of science, and aesthetics.

Course Objectives:

  • Develop the skills of attentive listening and dialog in group discussion
  • Describe the principle ideas of the philosophers studied
  • Analyze and critically evaluate philosophical arguments relating to epistemology, ethics, metaphysics, philosophy of religion, aesthetics or philosophy of science.
  • Construct logical arguments and identify errors in reasoning using philosophical language and terminology
  • Design and support your own position on philosophical issues
  • Express your thoughts clearly in both written and spoken formats
  • Recognize and examine major philosophical issues.
  • Analyze and critically evaluate philosophical, political, economic, scientific and religious arguments
  • Express your thoughts clearly and logically in both written and spoken formats.

Course Outline:

  1.          I.            Logic
    1.                               A.            Definition of an argument
    2.                                B.            Definition of an inference
    3.                                C.            Inductive reasoning/deductive reasoning
    4.                               D.            Formal fallacies/informal fallacies
    5.        II.            Epistemology
      1.                               A.            Rationalism
      2.                                B.            Empiricism
      3.                                C.            Intuitionism
      4.                               D.            Analytic claims
      5.                                E.            Synthetic claims
      6.                                F.            A priori claims
      7.                               G.            A posteriori claims
    6.      III.            Ethics
      1.                               A.            Nature of normative claims
      2.                                B.            Prescriptive
      3.                                C.            Descriptive
      4.                               D.            Instrumental
      5.                                E.            Intrinsic
    7.     IV.            Social/Political Philosophy
      1.                               A.            Nature and legitimacy of authority
      2.                                B.            Absolutism
      3.                                C.            Theocracy
      4.                               D.            Democracy
      5.                                E.            Utilitarianism
      6.                                F.            Fascism
      7.                               G.            Communism
      8.                               H.            Anarchism
    8.       V.            Philosophy of Religion
      1.                               A.            Nature and meaning of religion
      2.                                B.            Meaning of ” God “
      3.                                C.            Classical arguments for the existence of God
      4.                               D.            Critiques of the Classical arguments
    9.     VI.            Metaphysics
      1.                               A.            Nature of mind and body
      2.                                B.            Existence of other minds
      3.                                C.            Nature of reality and ultimate reality
      4.                               D.            Free will
    10.   VII.            Philosophy of Science
      1.                               A.            Scientific method
      2.                                B.            Aristotle’s philosophy of science
      3.                                C.            Axioms
      4.                               D.            Scientific revolution
      5.                                E.            Causation
    11. Aesthetics
      1.                               A.            Nature of beauty
        1.                                                         1.            Objective
        2.                                                         2.            Subjective
      2.                                B.            Emotionalism vs. functionalism
      3.                                C.            Theories of art criticism

Required Text:

  • The Philosopher’s Way, John Chaffee

Recommended Texts:

  • Lovers of Wisdom, Daniel Kolak
  • Invitation to Philosophy, Honer/Hunt/Okholm
  • Viruses Fallacious, Edip Yuksel

Prerequisite: A 3.5 pound substance with active dendrites and synapses.

ADA Compliance: Pima Community College is committed to providing accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities in a timely and effective manner.  To request a reasonable accommodation, students must be registered with the campus Disabled Student Resources (DSR) office.  Accommodations will be made based on eligibility determined by Disabled Student Resources.  Services can be requested at any time during the semester.  Requesting services well in advance will help to ensure that resources are available when needed.  Please contact a DSR office at  206-4500 or DSRhelp@pima.edu.

Mandatory Reporting for Abuse of a Minor: Pursuant to Arizona law (A.R.S. §13-3620), College personnel, including faculty, staff, and administrators, who learn in the course and scope of their employment that a minor (defined as under 18 years of age) has been the victim of physical or sexual abuse, are required to report this information immediately to law enforcement.

Class Conduct:

  • Refer to the Student Code of Conduct for additional requirements relating to student behavior.
  • Because of insurance limitations, non-registered visitors are not allowed at class sessions or on field trips.
  • Possession of drugs, alcohol or firearms on college property is illegal.
  • Eating, drinking, smoking and soliciting are not allowed in classrooms.
  • Pets, telephones, pagers and other electronic devices that distract students are not allowed in classrooms.
  • Students creating disturbances that interfere with the conduct of the class or the learning of others, violations of the Student Code of Conduct, will be referred to the Division Dean and/or the Dean of Students.
  • Disruptive behavior will not be tolerated and can be cause for being dropped from the class.  Disruptive behavior is defined as behavior that is disruptive to the learning process and outside normal behavior parameters. See the Student Code of Conduct for particulars, but examples of disruptive behavior are inappropriate talking, arriving late or leaving early, sleeping or doing other class work in class, etc.
  • The use of the MyPima portal, for every student enrolled in this course, is specifically limited to the functions that are related to the course content and appropriate communications prescribed by the instructor. Inappropriate uses of MyPima may be subject to the PCC Student Code of Conduct.

Class Preparation and Policies: The course will consist of short lectures and critical discussions, which will analyze and evaluate the key ideas in the readings. Students need to read the assigned pages or chapter before the class.

MyPima: In this course, the instructor will not employ email and/or other MyPima course tools as a means of communication or for accepting course work. Instead, students should use instructor’s personal email, above.

Class Attendance: Attendance is required for all classes and will be recorded through in-class assignments. Students are assigned in-class writing activities and they are worth 20 percent of the final grade. The instructor will have the right to withdraw a student after six hours of absences. Death, birth, or marriage of close family members, including your death and marriage, might constitute as an excuse.

Academic Integrity:

  • Students are expected to abide by the Code of Conduct, http://www.pima.edu/studentserv/studentcode/index.shtml also available at PCC campus libraries.
  • Pima Community College considers violations of scholastic ethics, including plagiarism, as serious offenses, which may result in failure of an assignment, the course, or possible expulsion.
  • All work done for this class must be your own.  For assignments, you may use work from books and other materials if properly cited.  Copying from any source without proper reference is considered plagiarism.

Assessment: In order to determine whether this course is meeting its above-stated objectives, a variety of classroom assessment techniques will be used.  The purpose of these assessment instruments is to assist your instructor in improving this course.  Because this course fulfills a general education requirement, you will be assessed on your ability to communicate both orally and in writing, think critically and demonstrate global awareness.

Assignments and Make-up Policy:  There is no make-up for in-class assignments. If you miss the mid-term or the class presentation, you should contact the instructor within a week and ask for a second chance. Based on your attendance and previous record, the instructor may make arrangements with you for make-ups.

Extra Credit Assignments: You may have chance to get extra credit but you should come with a proposal.

Grading Procedures and Policy:

The final grade will reflect a student’s ability to communicate their comprehension of course material in writing and speaking formats. Grading will be based on the following elements based on maximum 100 points:

  1. Participation in class discussions. 20 points
  2. Homework assignments. 20 points
  3. Pop quizzes. 30 points. Curved and the lowest 4 are excluded.
  4. Class presentations. Each student will make one or more in-class presentations on assigned philosophers or topics. For this exercise the student will be graded on their ability to gather, limit, interpret, analyze and critique philosophical material, and present it in a clear and interesting way. 20 points. The distribution of points:

Background information: 2

The philosophical argument: 8

Personal critique: 4

Discussion questions: 2

Answering questions: 2

Delivery (power point): 2

For more than one presentation, the average point will be awarded.

  1. Final paper consisting of 1500-2000 words. On a given topic, later to be determined. Students will be examined on their ability to present and support a thesis, express their arguments cogently, interpret and evaluate information, and apply principles of critical thinking to various paradigms. Avoid plagiarism! 10 points.

Written work will be graded for thought content, and only the final paper will be graded for both form and content.

Points will be deducted for assignments turned in after the due date. The grade equivalents of points are:

90-100:    A
80-89:       B
70-79:      C
60-69:       D

Absent students are responsible for getting class notes and assignments from a classmate and coming prepared to the next class.

Active participation is a necessary part of the work of this course. You should come prepared with quality input, such as, ideas, criticism, and questions. You should listen respectfully to the input of others, especially those with which you may disagree. The rule that one person speaks at a time reflects the value of respecting individual and their thought process. Cell phones, pagers, and headsets are to be turned of during class.

All written work must be typed, except for the in-class quizzes. The final paper must be double-spaced, in 12-point times new roman, and include a reference page. Final paper must have a title, preferably a catchy yet relevant title. In the upper right hand corner of page one, and single-spaced, put the following information: Your name, Course number, Day and Time of, Class, Date

On all following pages, including the reference page put your last name and page number in the right hand corner, for example: Gonzales 3 of 17. Please attach the pages together with a staple. No title pages or special covers for the papers.

Student Withdrawal “W” Grades: Students may withdraw from class without instructor permission and without incurring any grade penalty until the official withdrawal deadline.  Students who fail to withdraw themselves by the withdrawal deadline and quit attending class, remain on the active class roster and may receive a grade of “F”.

Instructor Withdrawal after the College Withdrawal Deadline for “W” Grades: You may request a grade of “W” after the official College withdrawal date only if all of the following conditions are met: extenuating circumstances made it impossible for you to finish the course, your request is made in writing to the instructor and is received by the instructor on or before the last day of the class and the instructor gives permission to do so.

“AU” Audit Grades: Auditing a class means to enroll in and attend without working for or receiving credit.  Students auditing a class must register by the end of the official refund period and must receive written permission to audit from the instructor, who is not required to grade assignments submitted by students who are auditing the class.

Final Grades: For privacy and security reasons, instructors are advised NOT to give grades over the telephone or via email unless the student signs the exception box on the acknowledgment page of this syllabus.  Students who wish to check grades may access grades online using Banner Online at:  http://bannerweb.pima.edu

Warning: If your religious faith is fragile and cannot handle blows of skeptical criticism; or if you have vested interest in a particular religion or cult; or if you are socially, financially, or psychologically dependent on a religious bandwagon; this class might be excruciatingly painful for you. Thus, you might drop the class and leave this classroom now. Similarly, if your lack of faith or atheism cannot handle scrutiny, you should also consider dropping this class. There are no sacred cows in this class. We treat all of them equally: we question them, we pester them, and we occasionally slaughter and eat them.

Caveat: The instructor reserves the right to make changes to the syllabus and will notify students of those changes in class.

 

 

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Look Again at that dot (Carl Sagan)

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Look Again at That Dot

Carl Sagan

“Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every “superstar,” every “supreme leader,” every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there-on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.

The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot.

Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.

The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.

It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known.”
― Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space

Capital Punishment for Capitalism and the Epithet for its Tombstone

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Capital Punishment for Capitalism and
the Epithet for its Tombstone

Edip Yuksel
www.19.org
17 May 2012

 

 

This is CAPITALISM. One of the thousands pictures depicting the barbaric nature of capitalism. The Indian government, instead of distributing the MILLIONS of tons of wheat to starving population, let it rot! While people dying of starvation? Why? In order to keep wheat prices high.

I bet you will find many economists in your country trying to justify this self-evident stupidity and cruelty in the name of the dogmas of the capitalistic system! The corporate owned propaganda machine will open its screens and papers to these well-trained sales people to bent and distort the reality. They will tell you to keep working to get a few crumbs and hoping of getting a slice from the rotten and poisonous capitalistic pie. They will peddle it as the best available food, alternative to the communist pie.

Let me start by quoting a paragraph from the article sharing my observations and experience during my trip to China in 2008. It gives you the picture of the modus operandi of a capitalist pig (You may read the full article at www.19.org):

“However, this fitness might soon become an old glory. Already, the golden ark of McDonald’s, the red hut of Pizza Hut, and the goatee of the KFC are blinking and winking in major corners of the city. If the Chinese do not pay attention, they might soon import our obesity in addition to paying us hefty franchise loyalty. I remember reading an article in Time magazine on Wal-Mart’s expansion in China. The reporter directed a loaded question to the director of the China operation, which I paraphrase: “Wal-Mart is carrying junk food and fatty snacks. Wouldn’t those items harm the health of Chinese population?” The leader of Wal-Mart’s Chinese operation did not lose a beat, “Well, no problem. They will learn through experience. And we will also open up a new shelve selling diet products followed by exercise equipment. The business will be good!” Being in China and personally experiencing the fact that they are humans like us, with families, feelings, concerns and dreams, I am disturbed by the audacity of financially attractive, yet morally questionable business plan of that Wal-Mart top manager.”

A satanic economic system that let bankers, speculators, the 1 percenters steal wealth from the working people “legally”;  a system that plunders and consumes the resources of the earth recklessly; uses its global military machine to wage wars to steal the natural resources of poor countries and dictate the terms of multinational corporations; poisons our lands, oceans and atmosphere; controls the so-called democratically elected politicians and the so-called academicians; corrupts our youth by transforming them into hedonistic zombies through its media, schools and political system,..

Yes, this rotten capitalism is magically juxtaposed with democracy, as if they were Siamese Twins, and is introduced by us to us as an ideal system. The peddlers of capitalism are as skilled as Pharaoh’s magicians.

The words of Biraj Patnaik, an adviser to India’s Supreme Court on food policy issues, summarize one of the many crimes of capitalistic system:

“The rotting of food grain is tantamount to criminal neglect in a country which has one of the highest rates of child malnutrition globally and the largest proportion of hungry people… The government’s refusal to distribute the grain to the poor, holding it back to rot purely on fiscal grounds, is particularly distressing.”

The picture of mountains of bags of grain left to rot in the midst of a starving population provides sufficient evidence and reason to convict capitalistic monster for treason against humanity. We should hurl the capitalist monster to the pit of history and let it rot together with its twin devil, authoritarian communism. They fooled the world for too long by using the fallacy of false dilemma. Yes, capitalism has earned the “capital punishment.” You may write Biraj’s statement above as the epithet on its tombstone, which needs to be the size of a Skyscraper in order to list a portion of the list of the injustices and tragedies created by this capitalist monster.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Divine Stone; A film by Hasan Mahmud

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Dear all,

This is our deadly weapon that radical Islam cannot survive. Two years ago in the MECO conference on Oxford University London I asked your support for DIVINE STONE, my 2nd Docu-Movie on Sharia law and I was blessed by you all. I am taking the scholarship of our scholars such as Dr. Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na’im, Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer and Dr. Edip Yuksel to common Muslims through punching massive Islamic references into a love-story. It works magic on common Muslims.

Divine Stone

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http://www.hasanmahmud.com/2012/index.php/movie

 

I showed it to some Muslims who believe in Sharia law as divine and their reaction exceeded my expectation. All of them were shaken from inside and are now against this man-made institution in the name of Islam.

Please post in your website and propagate it everywhere so that we can turn as many Muslims as we can against radical Islam. Needless to say Sharia law makes the backbone of radical Islam.

Please watch it not as a movie but as weapon against radical Islam.

Best, my 3rd such Docu-Movie THE SHARIA CONUNDRUM (in English) is coming up soon. Its shooting is completed in Vancouver.
Cheers !

Hasan Mahmud

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The Making of a Documentary

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Adventure of a Rational Monotheist in Atlanta, New York, Vancouver and Los Angeles

Edip Yuksel

June 2011

Edip and Dr. David Silverman, President of American Atheists, at the headquarter, New Jersey, warming up for a heated debate on God.

 

(See more pictures under the page) 

 

About ten years ago, several months after the chickens of Arabia came to roost in America; I contacted dozens of literary agents regarding my autobiography. Few of them expressed interest in my story. One of them was enthusiastic. The owner of the literary agency had already talked to publishing houses and was expecting to get around 700,000 US dollars as down payment. He had also contacts in Hollywood and they too were interested in making a feature film based on my life story. That was way too much money and potential deals for me, and still is. At the time, I had given up from the practice of law since I could not work for the partners of a law firm who expected me to participate in legal decisions I deemed unethical; they would take frivolous cases to the court thereby milking more money from their long-term client, a municipality in Arizona. At the age forty-four, I was unemployed and had no clear idea what to do with my law degree. So, even a few thousand dollars would be a life-saver for my family.

However, after a few phone conversations with the literary agent and a Hollywood film producer, I learned that their interest in my life story was not within my interest. They wanted me to depict my life story as a thriller. I had a few chapters that had all the elements of a thriller such as confrontations with police and political rivals, assassination of my brother and my mentor, several assassination attempts against me, scuffles and riots in prisons, plan to hijack an airplane to join Afghani mujahids, secret meetings with leaders of the Iranian revolution, etc., but I did not want my life story become an ordinary thriller. Though I am an ordinary man, my life was an extra-ordinary adventure of philosophical and theological transformation. Knowing the quality of thrillers made by Hollywood, I knew that the intellectual and spiritual aspect of my story and its message would be squandered and get lost among special effects, explosions, bloody scenes and fast-paced chases. I could not let the main message of my life get lost among some generic Hollywood scenes: There is no god but the God. Put your full trust in God, do not follow anything blindly. Stand for peace, justice, and liberty without fear. Accept the truth so that the truth will set you free. Thus, my response to the literary agent and the Hollywood producer was a simple “no.”

I was thrilled when Aslbek, the owner of Asitana Productions, a non-profit foundation from Kazakhstan, contacted me regarding their intention to produce two documentary films on two of my books, Manifesto for Islamic Reform, and NINETEEN: God’s Signature in Nature and Scripture. Last year, they had already filmed numerous lectures and interviews at our annual Critical Thinkers for Islamic Reform Conference at Oxford University, but they were not happy with the quality of the recordings. This time they had a professional team. They asked me to provide them with a list of interviewees and guide the crew for the shootings. I came up with the names of people and we planned a two-week schedule on the corners of a big trapezoid, starting from Tucson, Los Angeles, Atlanta, New York, New Jersey, Vancouver, Los Angeles and back to Tucson. The experience was fascinating and occasionally extra-ordinary.

  • June 11-16, 2011, Tucson, AZ. (Submitters, Edip, Scenes)
  • June 16-17, 2011, Los Angeles, CA (Dr. Michael Shermer)
  • June 18-21, 2011, Atlanta, GA (Prof. Ali Fazely, Prof. Abdullahi an-Naim, Fereydoun Taslimi, Melissa Robinson)
  • June 21-25, 2011, New York, NY (Imam Shamsi Ali, Dr. David Silverman, Edip on Ground Zero)
  • June 26-29, 2011, Vancouver CA (Raymond Catton, Sophie Catton, …)
  • June 29-30, 2001, Los Angeles, CA (Dr. Ali Bahzadnia, Imam Yassir Fazaga, Matthew Capiello, Souran Musin)

Though our schedule did not allow us to interview Prof. Aisha Musa, Prof. Martha Schulte-Nafeh, Dr. Reza Aslan, Dr. T.O. Shanavas, Dr. Mahmoud Sabbahi, and a few other affiliates, we are planning to record their interviews separately before the end of this year. Of course, we have another list from Europe and Asia, such as Layth Saleh al-Shaiban, Arnold Mole, Yeşim Cansu, Mustafa Akyol, Prof. Caner Taslaman, Prof. Yaşar Nuri Öztürk, Chris and Linda Moore.

Hugging Cacti in Tucson and chasing Numbers on the Highways

The film crew, consisting the producer Aslbek Mussin, director Alan Shaikhin and camera operator Tom O’brady, was excited to shoot in Tucson. Unfortunately, we did not have a better word than “shooting” which when it is juxtaposed with Tucson usually invokes the bloody shootings of the wild west in cowboy movies. It was a good start, since the discoverer of the prophetic number had a masjid here and he was stabbed to death by a gang of Sunni group affiliated with the terrorist organization, al-Qaida.

I contacted numerous people from Masjid Tucson or International Community of Submitters, who had the opportunity to meet Rashad and were frequent to the Quranic studies and sermons on Fridays. We were united until an idol-carving gang split the group. I called Abdullah Arik and wanted to set up a time for the interview. Though Abdullah sided with the gang, he tried to put a calculated distance between himself and their claims, such as infallibility of Rashad Khalifa. Like many of the early supporters of Rashad, Abdullah too has been dancing on the sensitive theological border that separates the love of messenger from the worship of messenger. Abdullah is a dignified leader who likes vanilla flavor. I have in the past accused him of by-standing while Rashad’s message was polluted and distorted by a gang of ignorant idol-carvers.

I should have expected. Abdullah was not interested in the project. He declined my invitation without providing an explanation. I contacted several members of the congregation in Tucson: Kathrin, Linda, Mahmoud, and even Lydia. Kathryn had to work and could not spare even an hour. Linda claimed to be shy for cameras. Mahmoud had an important business to take care. Lydia was on vacation. I contacted a few old friends residing in other states and cities. Dr. John Spooner who is still a good friend of mine, articulated some excuses. I had a few close friends from Phoenix. One was scared from the Iranian government. The other, Dr. Douglas Brown, responded with enthusiasm and set up a time for an interview. But, he later called me and cancelled the meeting. He told me that he consulted Abdullah and received no permission. Ironically, he did not ask Abdullah’s permission when he was promoting the doomed May 19 doomsday prophecy soon after Rashad’s assassination. I should have expected such an evasive attitude. We would later interview several of those who met Rashad in person, such as Ray and Sophie Catton, Eric Thornwall, Fereydoun Taslimi, and Ali Fazely. Aslbek was disappointed by the response in Tucson. He could not understand how these people would miss an opportunity to be witnesses for truth. We both remembered the divine law:

47:38   Here you are being invited to spend in the cause of God, but some among you turn stingy. Whoever is stingy is only being stingy on himself. God is the Rich, while you are the poor. If you turn away, He will substitute another people instead of you, then they will not be like you.

To satisfy Aslbek’s curiosity, I arranged a meeting between the crew and Sam(ih) Khalifa, Rashad’s son, who has been aloof and ignored within the community. Sam was once a successful baseball player in major league, playing for Pittsburg Pirates. Though Sam lacks intellectual acumen and scholarship, he has a good heart. We reminisced our days together at Masjid Tucson.

Masjid Tucson is located in the corner of 6th Str and Euclid Avenue and Euclid is the most famous Egyptian mathematician (Rashad was Egyptian). Another very famous Egyptian mathematician Hypatia was declared heretic by Catholic clergymen and was stabbed to death by fanatic Christians 1575 years before Rashad was declared heretic by Sunni and Shiite clergymen and was stabbed to death.

Sam was and still is resentful of people in the Submitters community. After his father’s assassination, Sam was enticed by a few flattering troublemakers to play for leadership. Since he lacked the emotional and intellectual capacity to lead, the small community of submitters chose Abdullah’s leadership and was forced to abandon the original location of Masjid Tucson at Euclid and Sixth Street. We had lunch together at the corner of University Blvd and Euclid where I noticed that he had forgotten some memories that I remember very clearly.

Unable to interview a “living sahaba” in the “holy dessert” of Tucson, Aslbek and his crew decided to shoot dessert scenes, interview living cacti, and chase numbers in the wilderness. I let the child in me come out and I spoiled him. I talked while hugging a cactus in the Saguaro National forest. Posing before Biosphere 2, I talked about evolution and the engineering marvels and environmental troubles of a plastic bottle. And the most strangely, I joined the crew in chasing the number 19 on the highway. Aslbek and Alan had already learned the following curious “coincidences”:

  • Tucson’s zip code number: 57
  • Masjid Tucson’s zone number: 19
  • Masjid Tucson’s land parcel number: 114
  • The year Masjid Tucson was constructed: 1919. See
  • The only highway in the USA with the metric system connecting Tucson to Nogales: Highway 19

They wanted to see the highway 19 with their own eyes. We stopped at the triangle shoulder in front of the traffic sign where Highway 19 was written. They gave me the microphone and wanted me to say something in front of the Highway 19 sign. I felt like a strange storm chaser, or weatherman or traffic reporter. Well, even stranger. With a big smile on my face, I started like this: “There is a fine line between genius and crazy, between sanity and insanity; and I believe that here we might have passed that line…” I know that if this scene is included in the documentary film, it will be cherry-picked by bigots and will be used as distraction as a straw man to punch. Ingrates need a few silly excuses to blind themselves to divine signs and I could not resist providing them a few.

 “Ambush” at Skeptic Society in Altadena, Los Angeles

An American Iranian Armenian (yes, three qualifications) taxi driver took me and Alan from Los Angeles airport to Pasadena Inn. Matthew Capiello was already there waiting for us. The morning of June 17, Laleh, the American Iranian Jew camera operator showed up at the hotel. Then, Sauren, Aslbek’s brother, joined us there with a huge van. We helped Laleh to move her camera, tripad, lights and other gears to the van. We were ready to interview Michael Shermer, the president of Skeptic Society and the chief editor and publisher of the Skeptic magazine.

Before five of us headed towards the Skeptic Society in Altadena, a few miles North, Matthew learned from Internet that the cover story of The Skeptic magazine’s June issue was on Islam and Quran. That was a big surprise. We rushed to Barns Noble and purchased two copies of the magazine.

Michael was first interviewed by Matthew. Matthew was not in the scene; he was directing his questions behind the scene and Michael was answering each after repeating them. It was very successful. Questions were open-ended and direct. Almost no follow up or difficult questions. Michael was comfortable, articulate and had big smile on his face. After Matthew was done with his interview, it was my turn. I was not going to pitch soft balls; I was there for cross-examination and Socratic dialogue.

I had to inform Michael that I was not the usual religious guy that he was accustomed to deal with. In order to prevent him from hasty generalization and wasting our time on his criticism directed to wrong address, I inform him about my philosophy. Then, I challenged his atheistic dogmas and his claims about the Quran with philosophical arguments supported by verifiable/falsifiable evidences. As a prominent skeptic and atheist, what did he do? He acted like a religious bigot with no interest in philosophical debate. He acted as if he had seen a lion (or a WWF wrestler!) in the open. I was surprised when I provided some examples of numero-semantical system in the Quran, such as the frequency of the word Month being 12, and the frequency of the word Day, as he expected, being 365, even so he still did not demonstrate any interest in the subject matter. He acted as if he was sitting on a bunch of nails with sacks of potato chips on his shoulders. He knew that he was being subjected to a Socratic cross-examination and the person next to him was not a religious piñata, a believer of dogmas and contradictory stories whom he could easily punch to death and declare another cheap victory. It was too late when he realized that he made a remark that he regrets making. Interestingly, he repeated that remark at least twice.

He lost the debate. No, it was not he who lost. It was his prejudices and arrogant claims about God and the Quran that lost. Instead of considering it as a victory for truth and for himself, instead of asking me to meet him another time after he study our arguments more carefully, he acted like the prototype ingrate described in 74:16-25 and 7:146 and chose to stay in Saqar, which is described in 74:26-30.

Fearing that the video recording of him with self-incriminating confessions of idiocy may be released to the public, he calculated the risks and decided to pre-emptively react, by any means possible. The evasive, the “not-knowing-anything,” the “looking-like-an-idiot” atheist against me in June 17th 2011 somehow turned into a skeptic hero who was “ambushed” by a lunatic man who had escaped from a Turkish prison! A nice Hollywood movie!

For my response to Shermer and Randi, see:

http://19.org/randi/

http://19.org/shermer/

Meeting with muslim reformists at my friend’s mansion in Atlanta

Aslbek needed to go overseas to take care of his business and would later join us in New York. So, Alan was the only one who accompanied me in Atlanta. We hired three professional camera operators for the two-day shootings there.

Fereydoun and Nahid were hospitable as usual. We have known each other for more than twenty years.  They opened their house to the film crew, to the guests whom we have invited for the interviews. They live on top of a hill in Sandy Springs in a huge mansion with three stories that had dozens of rooms. The house is surrounded by tall trees. Each time I am hosted in one of the wings of the house, I still get lost finding my way. The house has central control systems for lights, curtains, AC, etc. One of the rooms which I stayed had a high- tech seat in the restroom that had a complicated control panel on the wall, which allowed me to adjusting the heat of the toilet seat and other sorts of things related to end of my digestive assembly line.  During one of my stays there I saw a walkie-talkie in Fereydoun’s hand communicating with his wife. At one point I heard him saying, “Where are you Nahid?” Though obtaining and maintaining such a huge house is beyond my American dream, sometimes playing hide-and-seek with my wife would be an interesting experience.

Nahid and Fereydoun, both are activists for peace, justice and freedom. They have supported the Critical Thinkers for Islamic Reform conferences and they are involved in charity work through Noor Foundation. Though I have some political and theological disagreement with Fereydoun, I respect his intellectual independence and expressing them without fear.

Prof. Ali Fazely was already there when I arrived. I had not seen him for years. I had met first met him during our conference in 1988 when Rashad was among us. He was a good lecturer. Later he became more involved in the relationship of prime and composite numbers and their indices with the numbers in the Quran, which he calls the Ultimate Mathematics. I do appreciate some of his observations, but I find most to be disconnected or anecdotal examples lacking a system. Perhaps, in the future those fragmented observations might be combined by a unified formula.

Melissa Robinson of American Islamic Fellowship foundation played piano after being interviewed. Tough I am musically challenged I still could appreciate the tune of Ey Iran Marze Pur Gohar.  Her collogue Kelly Wentworth could not make it due to personal engagement. Trina Scott was a passionate feminist yet was promoting co-existence.

Prof. Abdullahi An-Naim was there, yet he was in rush since it was father’s day. We had time to interview him. He joined us for a group discussion, but the technician responsible for the audio confused the connections and delayed the meeting for more than half an hour. Witnessing the tangled microphone lines on the floor with a confused man made me appreciate the children puzzles where you follow the lines to find which object belongs to which child. Because of that technical mishap we lost Abdullahi and Nahid. Abdullahi went to meet his children and Nahid went upstairs, perhaps to the kitchen. Yet, the panel consisting of Melissa, Fereydoun, Trina, Ali and I had a good conversation on various issues involving Muslims.

President of American Atheists Organization, Sunni imam and Speech at Ground Zero

We reserved 3 rooms, one double, at Affinia Hotel in Manhattan on 3rd Avenue and Lengston. I asked Mrahil to bring the boxes containing about 200 copies of the Quran: a Reformist Translation to the hotel.

The morning of June 24th, I met the film crew at the headquarter of American Atheist Organization. It had a big room and a stage for TV programs. David Silverman was a young and energetic atheist, a proud activist in the cause of fighting religious dogmas and bigotry. After the interview with me he would be joining other atheists to protest Harrisburg Mayor’s ‘Prayer to Fix the Financial Crisis.’  He was enthusiastic about his jihaad.

Before the interview I requested him to print two copies of the release form, which he did. Before the recording started I found him happy and ready for the debate. Unlike Michael Shermer who was way too serious and reserved, David was jubilant and humorous. If I invited him to my balancing game, he would gladly accept. Perhaps, he would even take his chance in an oil-wrestling challenge…

June 24, 7:00 pm

Today afternoon we had appointment with, Shamsi Ali, the imam of the biggest mosque in New York at 3rd Avenue and 96th street. He could not keep his composure after a few rounds of cross examination. This smiling, moderate, window-dressing imam suddenly got mad and start yelling at me… He left the debate after 15 min, virtually running from me, leaving his mosque to me and the film crew. Everything is on HD video!

June 24, 9:41 pm

We are too very excited about the debates so far I had, both with leading atheists and religious scholars. As I have been saying for long time: the best way to expose ignorant people, liars and imposters is to subject them in Socratic grilling sessions. I am not the best griller, but my honesty in seeking the truth, this by itself is a great threat to any debaters who have vested interested in falsehood.

June 25, 5:14 am

Dear Mohran, I call the moderate Hadith and Sunna peddlers to be worse, since with their smooth talking, nice look, and smiling faces, they keep their followers in the darkness of polytheism, ignorance, backwardness, superstitions, and injustice. They are window-dressers of teachings that have doomed their followers to a hellish life on earth and perhaps in the hereafter. Thus, they might cause more harm than the “ugly and angry” Sunni or Shiite clergymen. They have traded their integritiy and eternity with cheap worldly gains.

June 25, 5:37 am

Brother Recep, I do not know your religion, ideology, but if you are going to argue against rational monotheism, you are doomed to lose. When I was a young Sunni author, I lost the debate against a monotheist, and it was the best loss in my entire life.

June 25, 7:52 am

RECEP: “Edip has the courage to stand up to a pagan imam why does not he have the same courage to stand up to these corrupted officials who are shedding blood all over the world?”

EDIP: Recep, my book Peacemaker’s Guide to Warmongers, with its 400+ pages and cover, and hundreds of articles and comments I have written testifies that you are either have no clue about the person you are accusing of or you are a liar! I am tired of people like you who act like provocateurs! If you are brave do something about what you are saying. Go and engage in some activities against the American government.

June 25; 4:59 pm

I was in Ground Zero challenging Americans and telling them the naked truth. Inshallah you will see some segments on you tube and in the upcoming video. Peace.

June 25, 11:48 pm.

Today, with the loudest voice that I could produce, I lectured the crowd near the Ground Zero and challenged them to engage a 3 minute conversation. My political statements were provocative. The crowd literally froze during each lecture. It was a powerful event. Inshallah some segments will be posted on youtube.

Edip Yüksel Challenges Fellow Americans at Ground Zero

I challenged fellow Americans at Ground Zero on 25 June 2011:

Peacefully engage in an intellectual/philosophical debate with me. Criticize my assertions regarding the politics and religion for three minutes. Randomly pick three Americans from the street as referees.

If after three minutes they decide that you are right, you will get:

1. $100 with no further questions asked.

If the three referees decide that you lost the debate, then you may choose any of the following two options for free:

2. A copy of the QURAN: a Reformist Translation; 

If you are scared of the Quran or if you are illiterate, then:

3. A can of soda and a bag of potato chips!

You have nothing to lose. You may learn something, or you may win 100 dollars or gain a little weight.

In four sessions (about 30 minutes), I asserted that: 

  • the USA government is no more the government of the people, by the people, for the people; it is an oligarchy. It has become the USA-Inc: the government of the corporations, by the corporations and for the corporations.
  • that the filthy rich has declared war against working class, condemning the bottom fifth to prisons, the next fifth to military service so that with the wave of a flag could use the children of the poor people to kill the children of poor in other countries to make bloody profits for corporations.
  • that capitalism or consumerism is neither fair nor sustainable. Greed and materialism is destroying and poisoning the land, the sea, the air, while exploiting the working people.
  • that the USA Constitution needs amendments for the separation of corporations and state, for public financing of political campaigns, for reducing corporate control and monopoly over the media, and for protection of environment. Another amendment is needed to ban making profits from health care, manufacturing and sales of arms, and wars.
  • that the USA Constitution needs an amendment to create another house to monitor the financial ties and transactions of the U.S. Congress through lottery elections (See the details at Peacemakers Constitution drafted by Edip Yuksel and his colleagues).
  • that the USA-Inc is addicted with wars; fulfilling Eisenhower ‘s prophetic warning, the Military Industrial Complex, with its bloody appetite for wars, has grown monstrous.
  • that those who live by sword die by sword.
  • that the USA is cutting from education, health care, infrastructure to feed the military beast and the top one percent.
  • that the USA-Inc has been supporting dictators and fascist regimes like Saudi Arabia and Israel.
  • that the USA-Inc is now forced to replace its puppet dictators with puppet democratic (!) governments.
  • that the Al-Qaida and similar terrorist organizations are the byproduct of the USA-Inc’s imperialism, overt and covert operations, occupations, terror, tortures, rape and plunder of resources of poor countries.
  • that the wrong-wing-warmongering Christians are hypocrites; they sing peace in their churches while they vote for bigger military, for more weapons, warmongers, the torturers, and the mass murderers.
  • that the biggest terrorist organizations are states, the global arms producers and merchants
  • that the USA terrorists just killed more than a million people in Iraq alone, a country that never attacked to the USA and never supported al-Qaida.
  • that if Muslims are terrorists then, Christians are terrorists 666 times.
  • that it is imperative for peacemakers of the world to stand as a united force against warmongers, big corporations, banks, Wall Street, and Zionist organizations.

“Descartes said ‘I think therefore I am.’ I say I think twice; therefore I do not believe.”

“Discover the truth so that it will set you free.”

On June 27, 12:58 am,  I posted the following note on my Facebook page.

I am having the worst ordeal in airports. I have not slept for two days. Presently, I am stuck in Calgary, Canada airport and waiting for another flight to Vancouver. The airline error, and my wrong choices and forgetfulness due to sleep deprivation and tiredness have so far created a long nightmare for me. I hope that I do not fall asleep on the bench or get lost in Internet and miss the 7 am flight too 🙂

June 27, 3:03 pm:

Thank God, I am now at a beautiful house with a fantastic view in Vancouver. I have learned some lessons.

June 28, 8:47 am:

Thank you for your care. I did post an update. Now I am in a luxurious home with a fantastic view. My long-time friends Ray and Sophia are hosting me much better than a six star hotel. So, I am grateful to God for relieving me from a two-night and three-day ordeal. I learned some good lessons.

We are shooting for the documentary film now and inshallah I will leave here to LA this Wednesday. We have two more interviews there.

June 28, 5:53 pm:

Lesson ONE: This world is not heaven. Must expect errors, accidents, and injustices. (Orbitz had sold me a multiple-city destination ticket through three airlines. United, Continental and Alaska Airlines. Alaska Airline’s ticket from Newark,… N.J. to Seattle/Billingham was deleted by Continental Airline staff when I changed my time of flight to Atlanta. Thus, stopped from boarding the plane.)

Lesson TWO: Do not get angry when things go wrong. Anger will make the things even worse, since you will not be able to think properly and you will make wrong choices. (Disappointed for being stopped from boarding the flight that I had on my itinerary, I forgot to ask my luggage to be pulled back from the plane. My luggage ended up in Billingham without me)

Lesson THREE: Do not get distracted when distraction could be too costly. Do not go on Internet, even if you are sitting by the Gate of your next flight. (Without my awareness, they had changed the gate of my departure. This cost me one more night of delay)

Lesson FOUR: ….

**

New York

  • Del Frisco’s (Shawn Spolski, one of the managers) 1221 Avenue of the Americas, NY
  • Ali Baba, Turkish Cuisine, 2121 East 34th Street, (between 2nd and 3rd str).
  • Gazihan Alankus, PhD Candidate, Computer Science, Washington University in St. Louis, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
  • Habibur Rahman, MD,

Vancouver

  • Ray Catton, All Season Tree Servic Ltd.
  • Raziya Sattar, Lawyer
  • Los Angeles
  • Sh. Yassir Fazaga, Religious Director, Orange County Islamic Foundation, Mission Viejo, CA,

Edip and Dr. Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na’im of Emory Law School, Atlanta

 

Edip and Dr. Ali Fazely, Professor of Physics at Southern Universit, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

 

Edip and Kelly Wentworth, the ‎ co-director for the American Islamic Fellowship at Atlanta

 

Edip and Shamsi Ali,  the imam of the mosque at 1711 Third Avenue, between East 96th and 97th Streets. In order not to scare him and thereby jeopardize the interview/debate, I am covering the www.19.org on my shirt before the interview.

 

In order to blend in the crowd and make it easy for the imam to sit, Edip even tried Pakistani attire at Islamic Cultural Center, New York. But, since  the weather was too hot and the attire was too ugly, he gave up the accomodation.

 

 

Alan Shahin, the director of the film and Matthew, the reporter. As Alan is folically challenged, by putting that silly hat on his had Matthew is aesthetically challenged.

 

Edip Yuksel at Ground Zero Challenging Americans

 

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From Tucson to Changsha

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From Tucson to Changsha:

China through the Kaleidoscope of a Curious Traveller with 18 Exchange Students

Edip Yuksel
www.19.org

(You may see our China photos at http://picasaweb.google.com/edipyuksel/China2008 )

 

I went to China knowing only one Chinese word, nǐ hǎo (hello), and after two weeks I returned with only one additional word, “xiè xiè”  (thanks, which is pronounced ‘she-ay, she-ay’ with falling tone on the first word). That is it! For someone who is a polyglot and teaches both at college and K-12, this performance in acquiring another language might be considered disappointing. Since English is chronologically my fifth language, I had little motivation to add a sixth language in my linguistically tortured and fragmented brain. Instead, I focused on other things. Though I did not dare to penetrate the insurmountable walls of Chinese calligraphy and tones, during a short trip I learned a lot about Chinese people, their country, their culture, and about us.

As a Kurdish-Turkish-American author/philosopher/educator/activist, as a curious adventurer with too many hyphens and slashes, I decided to share with you my observation through my seasoned kaleidoscope.

Our Aquiline, Straight, and Hawk Noses Standout in China

Together with four other parents and teachers, I accompanied 18 exchange students, including my 13 year-old son, from Accelerated Learning Lab in Tucson, to Lushan International Experimental School in Changsha for a two week academic and social adventure. Our exchange students, whose ages ranged between 8 and 16 (with average age of 11.8, median of 12, and mode of 9), were academically way ahead of their peers here and abroad; six of the students had taken six semesters of AP classes and tests in Calculus, Physics, and Biology, besides History, English and Chinese. They had already received college credits while they were in Middle school. The team in which my son was a member had just received first place in Algebra at the annual Math Fair competition organized by the University High among Middle school students, beating other top schools in Tucson. Two years in row. They won first, second and third prizes at Arizona’s Science Olympiad in numerous categories and demonstrated similar performance at Language Fair competitions in Turkish and Chinese. The elementary students were no different. For instance, the 8 years-old girl was finishing the intermediate algebra. This trip was a reward for their extraordinary academic accomplishment. So, we considered ourselves lucky for traveling with a group of academically and behaviourally excellent group of kids.

The moment we arrived to Changsha we noticed that we were noticed; indeed very much noticed by the Chinese. When we walked, they turned their heads and occasionally stared at us. When David, the headmaster, told us in advance that we would be treated like rock stars, I thought he was exaggerating as he occasionally does. However, it was an accurate description of Chinese reaction to us, and it was an understatement regarding their reaction to some younger students, especially the blond ones; they felt that they were like Pandas in the San Diego zoo.

The stares occasionally were accompanied by action by the most assertive ones who attempted to talk to us. Ironically, many of those confident Chinese could continue only a few words beyond their initial reaction to our inquiry about the level of their English: “I know little.” Then you ask, “Is there a restroom around here?” “I know little.” Where is the bathroom?” “I know little.” You will soon learn that the word “bathroom” is not included in their short list of English words, neither “around” nor “here”! All they knew was “I-know-little” and it was indeed very little.

Unlike the USA, China is very homogenous. Westerners are easily noticed here. From an animated description of a Chinese woman who was watching us together with others in awe, I learned that their Foreigner Diagnostic Algorithm (FDA) has a very simple formula, which I will call: Pinocchio Identification. In their eyes, we are people with vertical (if you wish, you may read it snobbish) noses! There are two categories of people: those with flat noses and those with pointy long noses! We belonged to the second category. As we confuse Japanese with Chinese, they also confuse Mexican and Anglos, Turkish and Italians; they appear to be blind to some of the visual clues easily recognized by us.

Chinese are Slim, but Horizontal Growth might be in the Horizon

On June 2nd, I wanted to get some fruits and a few bottles of water nearby my hotel, which is at a major crossing. I could not find a grocery store on the street; most were fashion boutiques, restaurants, or banks. I decided to use the underpass to cross to the other side. Well, suddenly I found myself, like Alice in Wonderland, in an underground market, as big as the Super-duper Wal-Mart, perhaps bigger than that. I was very excited and started to buy some familiar fruits and snacks, and a few more that I had no clue about. I was going to let my taste buds experience new things. There, I searched for diet soda–you may not believe it, but the spirit of my dietitian wife has followed me till here–but the word “diet” and its Chinese equivalent does not yet exist in their daily language. They are slim people; I rarely saw an obese Chinese. It is either because of their diet, or their tradition of eating slow with those uncooperative chop sticks. I do not know.

However, this fitness might soon become an old glory. Already, the golden ark of McDonald’s, the red hut of Pizza Hut, and the goatee of the KFC are blinking and winking in major corners of the city. If the Chinese do not pay attention, they might soon import our obesity in addition to paying us hefty franchise loyalty. I remember reading an article in Time magazine on Wal-Mart’s expansion in China. The reporter directed a loaded question to the director of the China operation, which I paraphrase: “Wal-Mart is carrying junk food and fatty snacks. Wouldn’t those items harm the health of Chinese population?” The leader of Wal-Mart’s Chinese operation did not lose a beat, “Well, no problem. They will learn through experience. And we will also open up a new shelve selling diet products followed by exercise equipment. The business will be good!”

Being in China and personally experiencing the fact that they are humans like us, with families, feelings, concerns and dreams, I am disturbed by the audacity of financially attractive, yet morally questionable business plan of that Wal-Mart top manager.

Right Foot, Left Foot. Chicken Foot, Pig Foot. Here Comes Chinese Food!

Compared to Americans, Chinese are petite, yet they have promiscuous appetite. They eat every living creature, every flying, swimming, walking, crawling, swarming, slithering organism, except humans! Even a French stomach would not compete with theirs. In addition to variety of plants such as sea weed, taro, and bamboo, they enjoy all animals and insects. Frogs, turtles, snails, pigs, beetles, scorpions, worms, snakes, cats and dogs… You name it. They also eat almost every organ of an animal or insect. For instance, pig feet, pig head, pig skin, pig blood, chicken feet, chicken head… You imagine. I went along as much as I could. Upon insistence of our Chinese teacher, I ate a boneless chicken foot at a first class restaurant. It had a very delicious spice; but the foot was as tasteless as a cardboard. Coincidentally, that night at hotel, I could not sleep until 2:30 a.m. because of an unusual itch that inflicted my right feet; by itching so hard I damaged my skin. If I were as superstitious as Chinese, I would connect the toes and would conclude that eating left chicken foot causes itch on my right foot!

I also ate bamboo, sea weed, rabbit, and anchovy. Under the stares of students, I enjoyed devouring anchovies with their heads and eyes intact. Somehow, I had no problem with that. This led the 9 years-old Christiana to make a remark with a beautiful smile, “I do not like my lunch to stare at me!” So, while the students, with the exception of three, enjoyed the half a dozen dishes containing pork, I had the monopoly over the plate of “staring” anchovies on the lazy Suzie.

I heard many superstitions about food. Like most places, superstitions have many followers in China. I heard from my son’s Chinese teacher that Chinese believe that pig blood cleans the lungs off dust, or chicken feet treat wrinkles. Perhaps, Chinese have historical fetish about feet. Remember, how they deformed and mutilated the feet of their daughters while they were little kids through a torturous and evil custom known as “foot binding”? (Remember that we do also practice these kinds of superstitious ceremonies, albeit in a less torturous manner, by chopping the tip of our male children’s tiny organs). One of the worst superstitions is about shark fin, which is considered an aphrodisiac that enhances sexual drive and male potency. Based on this baseless belief, tens of millions of sharks are maimed and killed every year just for their fins to be used in soup. A kilogram of shark fin is sold for about $700 in China. Fishermen usually cut off the fins and toss the rest of the shark back to the sea to die in a horrible agony.  (For more information see: http://www.sharkinfo.ch/SI4_99e/sanfrancisco.html )

I recently learned that feed conversion efficiency (FCE) to body mass for cows is 10% while it is above 40% for beetles. In other words, 90% of food is wasted by cows. Pigs waste seven times even more than cows, since they discharge seven times more stinky waste. No wonder, pig farms pose environmental threat in their surrounding towns by polluting their underground water. Besides efficiency, insects have another advantage: they are so abundant they outweigh all animals combined.

Those of us who are raised in Western societies have aversion to entomophagy, but it might be our destiny. Instead of killing them through insecticides, future generation of Americans might cultivate and harvest bugs in their backyards! Imagine: rather than killing termites, sucking them with straws from infested backyards for dinner! Ironically, we the Westerners, enjoy eating lobsters and crabs which are as ugly as other little insects. Some of us also enjoy eating pigs which are as filthy as an animal could be. For those who are interested in increasing their food menu from a few hundreds to millions, I recommend them reading a delicious and creepy article titled “Environmental Art Project Proposal: Instar” at http://julieclipse.org/artwork/instar_proposal.

You may eat and drink anything in China, depending on the tolerance of your culture and digestive system, but beware of Durian Fruit. It smells like a pile of rotten boneless chicken breasts marinated in garlic and onion. A South-Asian administrator and the mother of two students in our group served me that presumptuous fruit. Her humble nose never attracted the curious stares of the natives, but my nose was fabulous in detecting the noxious odor. Since I had no clue about it and I did not know that the odor was not originating from the nearby trash, I accepted a bite. I noticed the mischievous smirk on her face! If you are going to China and you are as curious as I am, beware of the fruit solicitors with tiny noses; do not touch that stinky creature. Here is some information from Wikipedia about this so-called fruit:

“The durian is the fruit of trees from the genus Durio belonging to the Malvaceae, a large family which includes hibiscus, okra, cotton, mallows, and linden trees. Widely known and revered in Southeast Asia as the “King of Fruits”, the fruit is distinctive for its large size, unique odour, and formidable thorn-covered husk. … The edible flesh emits a distinctive odour, strong and penetrating even when the husk is intact. Regarded by some as fragrant, others as overpowering and offensive, the smell evokes reactions from deep appreciation to intense disgust. The odour has led to the fruit’s banishment from certain hotels and public transportation in Southeast Asia.”

Besides the diversity in Chinese diet, I also observed a lot of waste. Food was wasted in school’s cafeteria and all-you-can-eat restaurants. Wasting food makes me furious, since I cannot fathom any conscious being habitually or deliberately waste nutrition while millions of people around the world are starving. I consider deliberate or reckless food waste a sign of moral bankruptcy.

China’s Wall Merging with the Walls of MacDonald’s and Wal-Mart

While China is gradually evolving from authoritarianism towards democracy and transforming from socialism to capitalism, it will surely suffer from side effects. For instance, there are already snake-oil salesmen on TV programs, which are mostly aimed at young women. Fashion and beauty products are heavily advertised. If you want to increase the size of your breasts, just buy that bra that augments their sizes with the help of its special design and magnets. If you want to lose weight (after frequenting to McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, and KFC for instance), and wish to become as beautiful as the ones on the cover of Vogue and Cosmopolitan (yes, the Chinese versions of these magazines and more were shown in the ad’s background) you may just rub your stomach with a magic cream. Voila! You are now as slim and as beautiful as those American models. Perhaps the advertisers were aware of the popularity of rubbing Buddha’s belly for luck. So, selling fitness by rubbing a woman’s belly with cream was a perfect sales pitch. You become your own Buddha and generate your own luck!

MacDonald’s walls are merging with China’s wall and they display posters of major Hollywood films. Both corporations sell consumerist lifestyle, albeit without competing with each other. I do not know how the symbiotic relation between McDonald’s and Hollywoodwas created. It seems to be a clever economic alliance, which eliminates the current U.S. government from being a party in the conspiracy.

China has no option but to remain and embrace the global market. The US companies are ubiquitous. From Microsoft to Ipod, from Nike to Wal-Mart, from McDonald’s to Pizza Hut! American brands are everywhere. We have already invaded China with our brands and franchises. We research and develop. We investigate and innovate. They work hard and produce for less. Then we brand the products and market them. We may care less about the tags “Made in China” but Chinese, especially their youth, are caring about our brands. Perhaps, they are addicted to them. They are paying five or ten times more premium just to have our logos on their shirts, shoes or hamburgers! Who knows, what goes around may come around soon. Do not be surprised if you see cheap and fuel-efficient tiny Chinese brand cars filling our streets in less than a decade. Then the American Minivans, Trucks and Hummers will be the dinosaurs of automobile history. Furthermore, Chinese have learned how to clone our sophisticated products. Last year a company hired teams of hardware and software engineers and cloned iphone in less than a month, with a few additional features. I am not an expert in predicting global economy, but looking at our history of innovation, I can bet that American ingenuity and comparative advantage in high tech products and fashion will continue for decades to come.

Tough capitalism, with its good and evil, is conquering China; some Chinese are still living in their socialistic boxes. Two days after our arrival, Monday morning before the classes began; we were going to be introduced at the stadium to the entire school. David was expected to deliver a short speech to more than 6000 students and 600 teachers at the Lushan International Experimental School, a semi-private institution. Monday morning, before leaving the hotel, we hurried to print the speech. But, we could not find a printer in the hotel’s business center. The secretary at the lobby had a printer hooked up to her computer, but she did not honor our request to print it. I showed her the USB drive, and asked the translator that I would pay 5 dollars, which buys three Big Mac meals. Then, I doubled the offer. I put 10 dollars on the counter for her to print just a single page from her computer. She could not. Because she had never done so for any customer before. Ten dollars for a page was not sufficient to break the wall of that bureaucratic box!

Yet, China is in great transformation. Many Chinese, especially the younger generation, have adopted the paradigm and attitude of free market; both a blessing and a curse. While increase in productivity and quality in service leads to comfort and prosperity, it depletes natural resources and replaces contentment with greed. “If you cannot afford caviar all your life, do not taste it” said the Greek philosopher Epicures. Well, Chinese are tasting caviar and beyond. As the gastronomic version of the First Law of Thermodynamics is “there is no free lunch,” Yuksel’s First Law of Economy is “there is no free free-market.” Free market has its own peculiar costs on environment, society and individual. The future of China will most likely have more abundance, more luxurious cars on the roads, more sophisticated gadgets in homes and pockets, better buildings; but at the same time, they will grow horizontally, the divorce rate will go up, and their children will be addicted with video games and other vices. And they will learn the ADD and the rest of the alphabet soup of ailments that follow our hectic, fragmented, over-stimulated, and stressed and depressed lifestyle.

Within two days, the Olympic torch was going to be relayed in Changsha. Everyone was very excited. The media is a great tool to mobilize masses to any direction wanted by the elite. If you know about Chomsky’s depiction of our democracy, “manufactured consent,” you will fully understand what I mean.

Predicting the national Olympic fever, the textile manufacturers flooded the Chinese market with T-shirts carrying slogans for the coming Olympiad. I was going to buy a few for myself. My interest was not in the Olympic, but t-shirt itself. I stood by a peddler on the side walk. While waiting for my turn, I enjoyed observing the bargaining of a Chinese couple. I was surprised to see the guy taking off his old sweat-soaked T-shirt and putting on the new one. After his wife made a comment, he took the shirt off returning it to the peddler. The peddler was constantly talking loud and encouraging them to buy it. Then, the woman decided to try it herself. She did not take her shirt off; she just wore it over. The peddler was continuously talking; perhaps telling her how nice she looked inside that white thin T-shirt. After about ten minutes, she decided to purchase it. She took out 100 Yuan from her purse. Since I did not have any idea about the price of the T-shirt, I started carefully watching and counting. She received 45 Yuan back. The T-shirt was sold to 55 Yuan or $8. The peddler started to wrap up the T-shirt. But the woman picked it up from his hands and sniffed it. Yes, she sniffed the very T-shirt that she and her husband tried on themselves. She made a face like a male chauvinist changing his child’s diaper, and uttered a few words pointing at another T-shirt. The peddler did not object. That was the time I decided not to buy any T-shirt from that peddler.

The following day, I purchased five of the same T-shirts from another peddler who had reduced the price because of the timeliness of the souvenir. I paid 15 Yuan or $2.2 per shirt. A parent, who was going to purchase more than 20 shirts for students and staff, became greedier. She decided to wait after the Olympic torch passed through the town. Then she thought she could buy them for 10 Yuan each or $1.5. I accused her to be greedy and she accused me of being gullible. What she did not know that I wanted those poor peddlers to make a few extra dollars from me. Well, the night the Olympic torch left the town, no peddler was selling the same T-shirt. So, she missed the best discount on t-shirts in town.

You might wonder why I was buying 5 T-shirts in one day. Well, the following days I would buy even more. I had a capitalistic dilemma, which danced around two questions: to buy or to wash? The cost of laundry per t-shirt at our hotel was 20 Yuan ($3) and buying a new one at price of 15 Yuan made more sense. Changsha is known for its heat. We thought that Tucson was very hot. Well, it was before we landed in Changsha. Here, in June, the temperature is around 100 F. No problem, we the desert lizards, could handle that. But, enter the high humidity and we were done. We were melting like the Antarctic ice cap. Everyday, I had to change my entire garment: shirt, pant, underpants, and socks twice! So, I had two choices: either invest daily in the laundry or buy thin and cheap t-shirts and shorts. I solved the stinking socks problem by purchasing sandals. We were told that the real heat is in July and August. We could not wait to return to Tucson to enjoy its dry heat!

Fitness Centers: Free and Fun

There was a public square and a fountain in the middle of the intersection where our hotel was located. (As you may notice, I do not give the street names, since I was totally illiterate there, and I could neither read the names of the streets nor pronounce them properly). In early morning and after the sun set, there were free activities for every age group on the streets. The young and restless Chinese enjoyed shopping, eating at MacDonald’s, KFC, etc., while the adult and aged women following the rhythm of the Chinese music generated by a hand-held CD player, exercised together in public. And middle aged men like me and children watched them. It was like a public aerobic and solo dance class in the middle of the town square. I wanted to join the group, but I did not want to violate the perceived norms. Though anyone could join the dance, the demographic was non-verbally discriminating against men and younger women. Nevertheless, I saw this mass public exercise/dance in the sidewalks of smaller streets and parks, and they were mixed in gender and age.

After a week, I was taken to the lively neighborhood where a colossal closed stadium, a giant Ferris wheel, and a French-owned underground super store were located. The stone tiled vast area was filled with children riding little motorized cars, skating with rollerblades with lighted wheels, and adults dancing, mostly in pairs.

These street classes have no ceilings, no air conditioners, no teachers, no membership cards, and no monthly fees. But, if you ask me, I would prefer these to any luxurious American aerobics class. I found the street version to be more elegant, open, and more natural. You can feel the spirit of a community there, not the spirit of a spoiled individual. There you can enjoy the spirit of an egalitarian society, an extinct one indeed; not the spirit of an exclusive class and the sound of a money-counting machine. (What do you think if we start that tradition in Tucson? In front of the Main Library?)

Streets with No Trash, Yet Still Look Dirty

What about children? Well, they have their territory on the streets too. On the corner of the public squares every evening, children as young as 2 years-old show up with their rollerblades. They do all kinds of practices under the loving and caring eyes of their parents. Somehow someone brings small orange cones and places them on the street in rows and there you have a great show on the street. Open and free of charge, both for the players and spectators.

When you speak of Chinese children, you cannot ignore the zippers in the backs of their pants. Some do not have zippers at all; just a hole in the back. I detest it, and I am sure so does the multi-billion diaper industry, which has considerable contribution to the amount of trash and pollution. Though I have yet to see, but I am told by others, that when small children want to leak the uric acid in their bladders they just squat on the sidewalks. I was told that they do so also for the “number two” but not exactly in the middle but on the side of the street, perhaps next to a bush. To make it easier for you, compare the Chinese children with no diapers to spoiled American pets, which enjoy the goods of the multi-billion pet industry, health care insurance, and occasional cosmetic surgery.

I hate this practice, I said, because despite the omnipresent street sweepers with brooms and dustpans, the sidewalks and stairs have spots of dirty yellow, brown and black, which remind me the floor of a garage with a geriatric Ford or Chevy. Chinese people have not yet embraced the idea of not littering the streets. Though litters and trash are immediately swept away, their traces or shadows remain on the streets. I assume that most of those spots were created by the leaks of children with backward zippers and gums discarded by young and adults. Based on my little investigation before visiting China, I expected to see everyone spitting in public, yet so far, I saw only one in a week, which can be considered an anomaly in the city. I was told that the country side is very bad in hygiene, though.

With its 2.5 million central city population, Changsha is about five times bigger than Tucson. Its downtown where major department stores are located, an area consisting of several blocks, is restricted to automobile traffic. With its busy sidewalks, high rising buildings, flickering huge advertising displays, and gleaming colorful lights, it resembles Times Square or the Strip at Las Vegas.

Being an Illiterate Professor in China

The rule for real estate is 3L: location, location, location, and I believe the rule for a trip to a foreign country is also 3L: language, language, language. Without language you may end up wetting your pants, or get frustrated and frustrating at the same time, or buy a bag of dry fruit that deceptively looks like delicious sour plums sold in America, but have a bizarre sweet flavor which make you hesitate to take a second bite.

Nineteen years ago when I immigrated to USA, escaping from political and religious persecution in my country of birth, I found myself in a very difficult situation. At age thirty one, as an accomplished author and public speaker; I was suddenly reduced to the level of a secondary school kid. My conversational English was even worse. I knew some big words, yet I was unable to ask some simple and vital questions or understand the given answers. I used to carry a dictionary in my hand to communicate. I still remember the embarrassment of asking the lady who lived in the next apartment with the aid of the dictionary. I needed to wash my socks and I did not want to waste water and energy by using the washing machine. I wanted to wash them in a container by hand. When she opened her door and heard me asking her, “Kathlyn, Can you give me your pelvis?” I noticed the shock and surprise in her face. To make myself clear, I added, “Can I burrow a pelvis; I want to wash my socks in the pelvis!” We were both relieved when she understood me. I washed my socks by hand; but after that incident I lost my trust to my dictionary, which confused the Turkish word “leğen” (big bowl) with the word “leğen kemiği” (big-bowl bone, that is, pelvis).

Here, in China, I cannot even ask to wash my socks in someone else’s pelvis. If I were in Spain, in Italy, or France, I would not be illiterate at least. I could recognize the words and use a dictionary to find its translation, which would allow me to roll clumsily some isolated words on my tongue. This would greatly help me survive the debilitating alienation in a foreign country. But, the Chinese characters are like noodles and doodles, and I had no clue how to identify them, thousands of them.

You should now pay attention to what I will say: If you are planning a trip to a non-English speaking country, you must type a list of most important words and phrases in a card, laminate it and carry it like a passport. You should include the following words: Hello. Yes. No. Where is the restroom? How much is this? And in my case, I must add: “Do you have diet soda?” And “I do not eat pork!” You do not need to bother with “I do not know Chinese” since your face will scream that statement before even you say it in perhaps an unintelligible accent. I have a business idea for tourism companies: print a list of most needed words and phrases in two languages on the front of T-shirts and sell them in airports nearby related airlines. The tourists could just point at the words and sentences when they needed them. You could even include, “I love you!” or “I am a good American!”

The second day of my trip, I ventured a solo trip to the nearby subway market. It was like two Super Wal-Mart store underground. Lacking the 3Ls haunted me there. I learned that they have not heard the word “diet.” They really did not need diet sodas, yet! They were oblivious to the obese genies lurking in those Cola and Sprite bottles. After I lost my way in the subway super market, unable to ask the direction of the exit that would take me towards my hotel, I was disappointed in myself. As an Americanized person I was considering myself the center of the universe and for a while I blamed the Chinese for not listing the ingredients in English or not including English to their signs. I also blamed them for not understanding my sign language.

Finally, I made it to the hotel. There I would discover two beautiful creatures, two American girls; Maggie and Molly! I entered the elevator and somehow loudly pronounced the word FIVE before pushing the button. It was followed by a loud voice “SIX”. The moment I saw them I struck a conversation and expressed my excitement of seeing other Americans in that town. They were from North Carolina. Maggie was working as a salesperson for an American company that was selling home automation or smart home devices. Molly was a university student and had come for her summer trip and was hoping to make a few bucks by tutoring English to those who could afford it. We met each other in the lobby several more times.

Another day, while walking on a busy side walk I noticed a tall guy with blond hair. I yelled from behind: “Go home Yankee!” He turned back, and upon seeing my face he smiled. Perhaps his facial expression would be different if I looked like a Chinese. He was an American, studying Chinese at Hunan University, while melting in the sweltering heat of Changsha. When I told him that we were there with 18 exchange students who had already studied Mandarin from a Chinese teacher for one year in USA, his eyes opened with happiness. I could not help but remind him the reality: hey these kids are your competition! He woke up and cracked a joke: “let me go to my dorm and study more!” I tried to console him: “do not worry; there are more than a billion Chinese!”

I have never been flag-waving, gun-toting type of a citizen, and I will never be. Nationalism or jingoism has been responsible for the biggest atrocities and wars in the last century. Replacing the religious zeal of medieval era, nationalism has surpassed religious bigotry in terms of producing hate, enemies, evil empires, axis of evil, wars, genocide and appalling atrocities. Nevertheless, my excitement for meeting two Americans among millions of Chinese was the expression of my peaceful, cultural patriotism. You may never know how much you love America and Americans until you move to another country where English is like French and Americans are a rarity. You may never know how lucky you are for being an American citizen until you are stopped by police for your political/religious views or affiliation, as it happened to me in my hometown numerous times.

Chinese Children: the Most Precious Commodity

Back to the “more than a billion Chinese!” Egypt? Pyramids and Nile. France? Eiffel Tower and Wine. Turkey? Blue Mosque and St. Sophia. China? China Wall and Population! China has adopted a one-child policy for decades. This controversial policy has reduced the increase in population. The law does not have much power over the rich who can afford to pay the fine for the second child and those living in countryside. Some rich people avoid the restriction by taking their wives abroad, usually to the US or Europe, to give birth to their second or third children. Still, the impact of one-child policy on the society is huge. The only child gets the whole attention of the family and is luckier than older generations in terms of enjoying prosperity and freedom. Children with no siblings feel lonely, which is bad; but this brings families together with other families, which is good. Many weekend activities are shared by families!

At Lushan International and Experimental School, during the first week of our arrival, I gave three lectures to senior students who were interested in studying abroad. An average class had 60-70 students, about three times the average class we have in Tucson. Another visually outstanding fact was the piles of books towering over each desk. Chinese students appeared to be literally drowning among books which covered the faces of some shorter students. They had little space left on their little desks to use for taking notes. This was just the opposite of what we were experiencing in America. In the beginning of every class, I would ask my secondary and even college students to take out their books, or papers and pens. Almost every teacher in American schools is used to see some students coming to the classroom with neither paper nor pen! So, those Chinese classes had a shocking first impression on me.

My first lecture was an impromptu one: on the importance of critical and creative thinking. I grabbed a plastic drinking water bottle in the classroom and compared it to a clay jar. I called the plastic bottle a technological marvel. I pulled their attention to the structural and design improvements over the clay jar, from the verticals on the lid to the transparency of the container, from the concave ring in the middle to the weight ratio of the container to the water, from its durability to its mass production… And I pulled their attention to a big negative aspect of the plastic bottle: not biodegradable. I told them that anyone who would improve this bottle’s design or make it environmentally friendly would be snapped by a bottle manufacturer. In the second lecture, I compared and contrasted the cultures of both countries. I shared with them the cultural shock I experienced 19 years ago when I immigrated to theUS. I could not believe my eyes when I first saw Americans shaving in their cars while driving, or reading magazines in their bathrooms. I talked about the pros and cons of American individualism and the same for Chinese socialism. My third lecture was more pragmatic and practical. It was about how to increase their chances to be accepted by top US universities. I advised them to explore and discover themselves. I told them to choose a scientific field and educate themselves deeper. I gave them hope by informing them that the 70% of graduate students who study engineering or sciences are foreign born. Almost all were very attentive and interested in studying at a US University.

In the end of a lecture, noticing a book cover containing both vertically and horizontally organized Chinese characters, I asked them about the direction of the Chinese writing. (I confess that I did not do my homework before the China trip). My question led me to learn an interesting fact. In ancient times, Chinese used bamboo strips to write. Since they would attach bamboo strips to each other with silk strings, the most reasonable way of writing would be vertical. Writing horizontally would create practical problems in both reading and writing. The direction of adding extra strips and the vertical flexibility of the bamboo surface dictated the direction of old Chinese: vertical!

I have little knowledge of Chinese history, but I noticed that the Chinese students are proud of their history and heritage. A group of students signed a book containing advices from Confucius and presented it to me while highly praising him. On the other hand, unlike Turks or Arabs, Chinese have no problem assuming English or Western nicknames. Every student at the Lushan School had a Western nickname. This identification makes them highly receptive to Western culture, fashion, lifestyle, and Christianity. A student at Hunan University told me that these days it is fashion to conduct graduation ceremonies at church; according to him, about fifty percent of students had no problem with affiliating to Christian church. Surely, joining the bandwagon of the winning world, and getting a share of the pie has its appeal beyond seeking the truth in theology.

Melancholy and Cultural Sensitivity

If television programs are a measure, Chinese people are socially conservative. Surfing the 44 channels in my hotel for days, I never saw prolonged kissing scenes or couples in bed. Though, I saw a few ads about how to make one’s breasts bigger. I did not find a single English channel, but I heard that people could have some English channels such as HBO and CNN through cable. After ten days in China, I started craving English channels; I could even watch the unbalanced and unfair Fox News. At any time, you may find almost one fifth of the channels showing war movies. If you include Karate and violent American movies such as Rambo or Indiana Jones, perhaps the violent movies would fill more than a quarter of the programs. I also noticed plenty of feuding people, sad and crying faces. You may not only see women, but also men crying and sobbing.

I saw a couple of reality shows too. For instance, the one about obstacle competition, where young men and women are expected to pass a series of obstacles in less than two minutes without falling into dirty water… I did not see a sitcom like Everyone Loves Diamond or Sinfilled (don’t bother correcting the spelling errors) where people are shepherded through laughing tracks to laugh exactly when the director wants them to. Though Chinese people are politically manipulated more directly than Americans, they are not yet shepherded so directly when to laugh.

My observation about Chinese TV and films is not based on a quantified survey made for a long period of time; thus you should caution against generalizing it.

Our hosts showed sensitivity towards our culture and even my idiosyncratic preferences. For instance, my son’s host family together with another host family invited me for a dinner. They first took me to their home, but there I learned that we would meet in a restaurant. When I saw the restaurant, I could not believe it. Learning that I was a Muslim, they had picked a restaurant ran by Muslims adjacent to a big mosque facing the huge stadium and the colossal Ferris wheel. The Restaurant’s wall had a huge Arabic calligraphy on a green background testifying to oneness of God, while adding Muhammad’s name, which was a violation of strict monotheism expressed in the Quran.  While waiting for the orders, I wanted to visit the mosque. If I met an English speaking Chinese Muslim, I was going to present him/her my recent publication, Quran: a Reformist Translation. I found none there.

The mosque had a courtyard and the adjacent building was used as a school and dorm for religious education. Noticing several Chinese Muslims lingering there, I greeted them with the universal “Salam” (Peace) and a big smile on my face. Receiving no response, I charged towards the door of the mosque to satisfy my curiosity. The host parents translated their words for me: “The mosque is not open on Sundays.” I tried to talk with someone, but I was shunned. My repeated efforts trying to get to know a Chinese Muslim failed. I could not believe their apathy and lack of curiosity. For a moment, I thought perhaps they showed aversion towards me because of the short pants on me. But, I later saw the waitresses in the restaurant wearing no headscarves. I am not sure whether my experience in that mosque was an anecdotal one. But, I know for sure that the backward sectarian teachings that have replaced the progressive and liberating teaching of the Quran, have turned many so-called Muslims to zombies!

Mao here, Mao there, Mao Everywhere!

China was once among the short list of hero-worshipping totalitarian countries that included the names of their national or religious heroes in their Constitution. I learned about this strange common characteristic, when I wrote a journal article titled, Cannibal Democracies, Theocratic Secularism: the Turkish Version, which before its publication became the topic of an interdisciplinary international symposium at Cardozo Law School, Yeshiva University. The Turkish Republic’s constitutionally baptized and protected hero has been Mustafa Kamal Atatürk. Saudi Arabia’s constitution glorifies King Saud. Iran adds Ayatollah Khomeini to its long list of historic idols. Albania had included the name Anwar Hodja in their constitution and China had Mao Zedong!

We were just two hour away from Mao Zedong’s birth place, which is now a museum attracting domestic tourists. I will leave Mao’s life story and his polices to history books or Encyclopedias, and share with you a few observations of mine during our short trip to Mao’s birth place.

While looking at historical pictures in the museum, our guide kept repeating some statements: “Mao picked a good home, therefore he became lucky.” Or “Mao’s grandfather picked the right place for his tomb; so Mao got such a position.”

There is even a popular superstition about a pimple or perhaps a benign tumor on Mao’s chin, which I had not even noticed until the guide enthusiastically volunteered to enlighten us: “In his middle age, when Mao moved up in leadership, a mark emerged on his chin!” I am not now sure about the alleged order of cause and effect. Perhaps she said the other way around: “When that mark emerged on his chin, Mao moved up in leadership” Either way, it is a pure nonsense, a political propaganda using superstitions in a gullible community. Unfortunately, the young and the educated guide was a believer of such superstition. She was sharing the miraculous story of the tumor on the chin with a conviction of a Mormon or Evangelical missionary.

Mao (1893-1976) who united his country after the civil war and founded the People’s Republic of China in 1949 and transformed China to become one of the major powers is still revered officially. His face is on Yuan and his pictures and statues can be found everywhere in China. However, Mao’s economic, social and political programs, his communist agenda, such as the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution lost popularity soon after his death. A series of economic and social reforms started by his successor, Deng Xiaoping, opened China up to the world, making it a major player in global economy.

Yet, many of the older generation still remember Mao positively. They may not want his policies to continue, but they appreciate his work for his nation in the past. During our visit to Mao’s birth place, Shaoshan, we saw busloads of Chinese tourists visiting his birth home and buying various gift items inscribed with Mao’s name and pictures. Mao was everywhere. Hundreds of small busts in gift shops winked at me like little pagan idols. However, one scene stood out among others.

I noticed groups of citizens marching one after another in unison behind two soldiers carrying wreaths to a huge Mao statute erected in the town’s square. There were dozens of fresh ones covering the base of statue. Within ten minutes, I witnessed four or five groups of five to twenty people, offering wreaths and respect to Mao. Afterwards, they would take their pictures before the super-sized concrete Mao. It was not much different than a religious ceremony, though a very simple one. Soon after their wreaths were placed in the base of the statute, the groups would line up in rows and upon the instruction of their leaders or tourist guides, would start bowing down three times. I wondered about the meaning of the words preceded each bow. I was expecting some inspirational political slogans or something flattering remarks similar to those you find inside Chinese cookies. But, the words were no different than church bell:

“Bow once; bow twice; bow thrice!”

As an iconoclast, I found these ceremonies silly and scary. Silly, since worshipping another human being is degrading and is insult to the intelligence of an individual. I found not much difference between the worshipped and the worshipper, except the false inferiority feelings created in the minds of the subordinated people. For Pharaoh to be Pharaoh there must have been those who accepted humiliation and slavery. The astronomical power and charisma of celebrity or a leader does not originate from his or her own extraordinary powers, but depends on the illusion of inferiority created in the minds of celebrity worshippers. The idol carvers, be of political or commercial, fabricate, solicit, propagate and orchestrate popular emotions. Emotions of inferiority generate brand loyalty, adoration, admiration, money, and power for the celebrities and their entourage. It is a vicious and self-perpetuating cycle. The fame, money and power in turn, generate more emotions of inferiority that seeks affiliation with a more superior power to balance the comparative inferiority.

I also found the offering of flowers to the concrete resemblance of a dead leader scary. In fact, hero worship or human worship is the source of the many atrocities committed in the history of humanity. Those who idolize their religious or political leaders become fanatic dogmatic that do not hesitate to destroy others. Since their unity and cause is not based on reason, but on emotions, they are easily manipulated by corrupt and power-hungry politicians and their accomplice religious leaders.  Thus, you end up with superhuman celebrities like Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, Hitler, Khomeini, Atatürk and many others. Whether those celebrities were agents of peace or war, justice or injustice, their intoxicated worshipers are prone to commit all kinds of stupid and destructive acts. Sure, the biggest damage is caused by the worshippers of religious and political heroes, their ideologies, and symbols.

There I wondered the meaning of 5 stars in Chinese flag, one being bigger than the others. I learned that the larger star represents the leadership of the Communist Party and the small stars represent the four classes of people united by Mao: Workers, Peasants, Petty Bourgeoisie (Small Business Class), and National Bourgeoisie (Chinese non-governmental businessmen). There are few other interpretations and according to Wikipedia article, the most popular one is “the four stars represent the four occupations central to the state, which are Farmers, Workers, Soldiers, and Teachers.”

America, the Beautiful Country

The day before our last day, I joined the two-hour Chinese language and culture class together with our 18 students. The teacher used a computer, projection machine and a big screen for the presentation. In that class I learned the Chinese for the word China and America:

  • China: Zhōng guó (Center/Middle Country or In Country)
  • America: Měi guó (Beautiful Country)

(Ooops! That means, I learned more than just two Chinese words). I could not believe my ears. The billion plus Chinese people calls our country BEATIFUL! Isn’t this a sign of cultural courage and openness! Imagine us calling Russia, France, Korea or Iran with the same name! “The leader of Beautiful Country Ahmadinejad condemned the US occupation and atrocities in Iraq!” Wouldn’t be much better to separate countries from the governments? I just wonder how the Chinese leaders and people condemned the American government when our relation became tenuous and even hostile, such as after our bombing their embassy in Belgrade in 2000.

As most Americans do not behave like the U.S. Government does, most Chinese too do not resemble their government. For instance, we generally prefer, at least in theory, the Golden Rule, while our current government prefers the iron rule, or pre-emptive strike. While the Chinese government is authoritarian, Chinese people are friendly, and even submissive.

On our way to America, we had to spend about ten hours in Guangzhou, the third most populous city in mainland China. Unlike Changsha, cars were not using their honk to communicate with each other and pedestrians. We learned that the city imposed a 500 Yuan fine for honking. To our surprise, the cars were following the designated lanes. We decided to spend several hours in the city mall. The city had numerous high towers and modern infrastructure. New constructions were everywhere… Last year China consumed 1.3 gigaton of cement, emitting about the same amount of CO2, more than any country in the world. (We are still number one in terms of per capita pollution). The mall we visited had nine stories and was modern. There you could find any American, European and Chinese brand of goods. Though Chinese goods were very cheap, the American and European brands were as expensive or even more than those sold in American malls. In the US we could buy Nike shoes on sale, less expensive. I checked the price of Casio Exilim 10.1 Mega pixel, 3x optical zoom with 1 gigabyte memory card. I had purchased mine from Costco for a discounted price of $229 dollars. In the Guangzhou mall it was sold for 2600 Yuan, which was equivalent of $376. American brand electronic goods were very expensive, yet there were many Chinese customers flirting around them.

I do not want turn this article to a book, yet I have still some of my observation or facts, which I deem interesting to share. So, I will list them in bullets:

  • Wal-Mart charges one Yuan for renting to you a locker to put your belongings in before you enter the market.
  • Chinese shoes are smaller sizes. I could hardly find a few 44, or 270 mm, or 10.5.
  • Chinese cities are almost always two syllabus and Chinese names three.
  • There are 93 million with family name Wang inChina.
  • Chinese use metric system. All countries, except the US, Liberia and Burma(Myanmar) have officially adopted the metric system. (How is our company?)
  • The luckiest person in Changsha, as far as the weather is concerned, is a mummy! Her preserved dead body in the museum is under constant cool air.
  • Due to the heat, men (not women) open their stomach by lifting their T-shirts upward.
  • Junior and Senior students at Lushan International and Experimental School are not supposed to have boyfriends and girlfriends. You do not see a boy and a girl, kissing each other, hugging each other or even holding each other’s hands on the campus.
  • Like the USA, China too has homeless people and trash-scavengers.
  • Chinese people mostly are very honest.
  • Chinese waiters and waitresses do not accept tips. But, they could not resist my insistence.
  • Cars have the right of way not the people. By law if a car hits a pedestrian while it had a green light, its driver is not considered guilty. We did not see anyone hit by cars, tough. The rule works well.
  • Wal-Mart sells live turtles and frogs in its food section.
  • I noticed that our hotel’s elevator skips the number 4. Upon investigation, I learned that Chinese consider it a bad luck, as some superstitious westerners consider 13 to be the unlucky number.
  • Bathrooms do not have seats; you need to squat on a black hole. You better carry cleaning tissues with you, since most public bathrooms do not have tissues.
  • Chinese have a funny way of translating their language to English: I took the picture of a warning poster on the Hotel wall. Its title read: Check Hotels do not forget to live fire!

So search Google or check your travel agent for a trip to China, and do not forget taking an electronic English-Chinese dictionary with you so that you may not live fire or chew your luggage!

 


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Why Study Philosophy, Love of Wisdom?

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Why Study Philosophy, Love of Wisdom?

Edip Yuksel

  

The adventure of students of philosophy in the multi-dimensional intellectual maze has many surprises and seasons. In the start, you think that you know the maze very well. You know a lot, and you are sure that you will solve all the ethical, metaphysical and legal problems after your graduation. You may hope to find answers for your questions or to confirm your mostly inherited answers. Does God exist? Who created God? Is abortion murder? What is life? Does language shape our thoughts, or the other way around? What are the limits of our empirical scientific method? Golden rule or Brazen rule? Is my father right or my uncle? What about reincarnation? Should we kill the killers? Do animals have rights? Is Dr. Kevorkian an “angel” of death? If there is God, and if He/She/It is omnipotent and benevolent, then why does he allow evil? So on and so forth.

Soon you start hitting the walls of counter arguments. You first tend to ignore them. Then, if you have enough energy to continue in that intellectual maze you will learn that finding your way is not as simple as you thought. Initially, you will subscribe to one of those positions, the one which comes from your kindergarten years. Your inexperience in analytical arguments will enhance your zeal towards your inherited position. And you will miss many points of the counter arguments. Paradoxically, this becomes both the consequence and the reason of your zeal.

With time you will learn to understand the arguments better. That is the beginning of the trouble. If you are raised as a believer of something you may experience some fear and helplessness in the darkness of the second stage. The density of fear is proportional to the salience of your family values and the degree of your relation with your close family members, and society.

Then, if you don’t retreat and keep continuing you will be given hope by every alley you enter and get disappointed in the end. Every alley will appear as the straight path leading to the truth. But each alley will divide into many other alleys showing different directions. You get dizzy and disoriented. In that point you have four choices:

  • You say “this is it” and become a “dogmatic” without calling yourself with that word;
  • You give up and say “the truth is a mirage,” and go back join Pyrrho and Sextus;
  • You continue with tenacity and say “there must be an exit” hoping that you have found micro patterns of the macro plan;
  • You may say “……….” and do “……….” (Now I am experienced enough not to discredit my statements by limiting the options).

If you have enough passion, patience, and courage to continue in the maze, you will stumble over many new questions: Is genetic engineering good? What is happiness? Kant or Mill? Deontological or Utilitarian ethics? Descartes or Berkeley? Positivism or Relativism or Falsification or none of them? Does the Perfect Island exist only in the “ontological” mind of St. Anselm? What is the medium between mind and matter? Parallelism or Occasionalism or Epiphenomenalism? Should Socrates drink the poison? Can we invalidate induction with deduction? Spatial Congenuity or Constant Conjunction? What if Nietzsche is right? More and more questions… You are blazed by the abundance of jargon and intricate statements employed in lengthy arguments.

In the end, if you are lucky, you will become a “philosopher.” Then you are supposed to know how to construct coherent arguments and counter-arguments. Whether your arguments are conventional or bizarre they all will share one common quality: they are ingenious in their construction and masterpiece in exposing other’s flaws and hiding theirs. Nevertheless, philosophy is the closest candidate to be a panacea for our social problems: It can produce fruits of tolerance, mutual understanding, and respect among the members of society.

After this warm up statements, let me list some of the reasons why I enjoy philosophy. Each starts with a “Because”:

  1. I get Epicurean pleasure from philosophical inquiry and arguments.
  2. I cannot agree more with Socrates that the “unexamined life is not worth living.”
  3. I marvel the Cartesian surprise of arriving to the chilling point of certainty by starting from the boiling point of extreme scepticism.
  4. I have the revolutionary spirit of Nietzsche against self-righteous morality-monger clergymen.
  5. I think that I have more and better reasons to believe in the existence of God than St. Anselm had.
  6. I believe that philosophy is the most effective medicine for blinkered fanaticism and its disastrous consequences.

I bet, you have also many reasons to study and enjoy philosophy.

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