Monday, May 31, 2010
Radical Muslims, Cowabunga dude, surf's up!!
The terms Radical Islam and Radical Muslim are in vogue these days. Whenever I open a newspaper or magazine with an article on Islam there is always use of the word Radical. It is a term on par with calling someone a racist or nazi. Its intent is to marginalize and silence.
When I was a kid I used to surf and the surf lingo included such words as: dude, boss, soup,kook,stoked, bra, bodacious, dawn patrol, and radical. To hear the use of the word Radical as a negative is strange to me.This new usage makes no sense. People have forgotten the essential element of all the Prophets and their followers.
That all the Prophets were hated men. These guys shook the status quo. The prophets weren't bending over backwards to fit in. They weren't trying to hold conventions to show how "their religion" was compatible with the state. The early Christians were hunted down by the Romans. They weren't waving flags and saying "oh hey guys, we''re patriotic Romans too, you know". The early Christians spoke out against the state. They spoke out against the ruling class and religious leaders who were complicit with the state. It was the same with the Prophet and the the Sahaba. They weren't running a popularity contest. They were run out of town because of their views. These early servants of God were hunted down and killed for believing in God and speaking out against injustice in all its forms. These guys weren't being rewarded with loads of cash, big houses, BMW's and worse, SUV's.
So, it's funny when I hear the word Radical Islam. I mean, is there a non-radical Islam? To me radical means awesome, cool, out of the ordinary. Great. The other day a friend of mine said to me "you sound like a radical muslim". My response: "Cowabunga dude, Surf's Up!"
When I was a kid I used to surf and the surf lingo included such words as: dude, boss, soup,kook,stoked, bra, bodacious, dawn patrol, and radical. To hear the use of the word Radical as a negative is strange to me.This new usage makes no sense. People have forgotten the essential element of all the Prophets and their followers.
That all the Prophets were hated men. These guys shook the status quo. The prophets weren't bending over backwards to fit in. They weren't trying to hold conventions to show how "their religion" was compatible with the state. The early Christians were hunted down by the Romans. They weren't waving flags and saying "oh hey guys, we''re patriotic Romans too, you know". The early Christians spoke out against the state. They spoke out against the ruling class and religious leaders who were complicit with the state. It was the same with the Prophet and the the Sahaba. They weren't running a popularity contest. They were run out of town because of their views. These early servants of God were hunted down and killed for believing in God and speaking out against injustice in all its forms. These guys weren't being rewarded with loads of cash, big houses, BMW's and worse, SUV's.
So, it's funny when I hear the word Radical Islam. I mean, is there a non-radical Islam? To me radical means awesome, cool, out of the ordinary. Great. The other day a friend of mine said to me "you sound like a radical muslim". My response: "Cowabunga dude, Surf's Up!"
