By Mel Seesholtz, Ph.D.
Online Journal Contributing Writer

 

By Stephen Lendman
World Prout Assembly
Aug 15, 2009 <Click>

Religious Fundamentalism in Israel .
Ronzki and other zealots represent one side of Israel's religious community, comprised of two major groups - religious Zionists and Charedim. Governed by their ideology, the former believe in the special relationship between God and Jews and see Israeli governance from that perspective. They comprise about two-thirds of the religious community and 8% of the population. Representing the other third and about 4.5% of the population, the Charedim see Israel as a secular state like most others in the country. Ethnicity also defines religious segments. Sephardic Jews originated from the Middle East, North Africa and Spain. Ashkenazi ones are from Eastern Europe and differ in religious and cultural traditions. Both communities attend separate synagogues in different neighborhoods, yet are represented in religious Zionist and Charedim camps. Israel has two chief rabbis, one Ashkenazi, the other Sephardic. - Stephen Lendman

Alleged Hate Speech

 

Saudi Islamic Fundamentalists endorse US Occupation of Iraq :
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"Islamic Fundamentalism" associated with the Wahabi clergy of Saudi Arabia is casually presented to US public opinion as a threat to the security of America. 

The insurgents in Iraq are said to be supported by wealthy Saudi donors and Islamic charities. According to the Western media, the same religious organizations and foundations from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States which supported the Taliban and al Qaeda including "enemy number one", Osama bin Laden, are now supporting the "terrorists" in Iraq. 

These reports distort the nature of the Iraqi resistance movement. The administration's propaganda campaign consists in portraying  those fighting against US occupation as "Islamic terrorists".

The fact of the matter is that "Islamic fundamentalism" including its gamut of foundations and charities out of Saudi Arabia is not supporting the resistance movement in Iraq. In fact quite the opposite.

The head of the senior ulema commission and mufti of Saudi Arabia, Shaykh Abd-al-Aziz Bin-Abdallah Al al-Shaykh,  has recently issued a fatwa (Islamic religious ruling) prohibiting young Saudis from joining the Iraqi resistance movement: 

Earlier, the Saudi ambassador in London, Prince Turki al-Faysal, made statements, rejecting a statement issued by Saudi ulema who expressed sympathy with the defenders of Al-Fallujah. He vehemently criticized these ulema.

And here comes Shaykh Abd-al-Aziz Bin-Abdallah Al al-Shaykh, head of the senior ulema commission and mufti of Saudi Arabia, issuing a fatwa (Islamic religious ruling) in which he prohibits the fight against the occupiers in Iraq and warns Saudi youngsters against joining their resisting brothers on the pretext that going to Iraq serves no interest and is fraught with risk. (Al-Quds al-Arabi editorial , London 14 November 2004).  

This decision of the Saudi mufti and ulema commission should come as no surprise. "Islamic fundamentalism" has consistently been used to support US foreign policy interests.

US military intervention in Afghanistan in the 1980s was supported by the Wahabi missionaries out of Saudi Arabia, which trained the Taliban ('graduates") in the US sponsored madrassas in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Wahabi doctrine would not have spread in the way it did without the support of US intelligence.

Since the 1980s, the CIA provided  guerrilla training in Pakistan, which was integrated with the teachings of Islam.

Al Qaeda was a creation of US intelligence, which was put together with the support of Pakistani and Saudi intelligence:  

"[I]t was the government of the United States who supported Pakistani dictator General Zia-ul Haq in creating thousands of religious schools from which the germs of Taliban emerged." (Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA), RAWA Statement on the Terrorist Attacks In the US, Centre for Research on Globalisation (CRG), http://globalresearch.ca/articles/RAW109A.html , 16 September 2001) 

The "jihad", in this case, was put together on behalf of Washington to destabilize the secular Afghani government which was,  at the time, supported by the Soviet Union. Saudi Arabia worked closely with Washington in recruiting the Mujahideen (holy warriors) to fight against the Soviet Union. The Saudi monarchy enlisted the support of the religious authorities. Fatwas were issued; 

 "urging Saudi and non-Saudi youths to go to Afghanistan and carry out jihad there. And it praised those who sacrificed their lives for the sake of Islamic nation's causes." (Al-Quds al-Arabi, op cit)  

Intolerance of Fundamentalists:
When religion is driven away from humility to arrogance, i.e., when some one makes the claim that my faith is superior to others, or my way is the right away, then it is not religion any more.

All religions are beautiful, it is the self appointed guardians who are on the wrong side, when they start denigrating other faiths to promote their own, then it is a hate sermon and not a religious one any more.

These guys are in every faith and continue to dupe a number of men and women to believe that they are in the hands of God himself or herself or itself. Any pulpit that inculcates hate, ill-will, and anger against others is not a religious pulpit; religion is about love and peace and not ill-will. .

Cult Anti-social, Anti-humanity .
A Chinese New Year's Eve suicide attempt by followers of the Falun Gong cult has prompted calls from people for harsher measures to deal with the cult. 

The incident took place on January 23, when seven members of the cult, including a 12-year-old girl, set themselves on fire on Tian'anmen Square. One died and four were seriously injured. 

Leaders from five major religions in China have expressed their indignation about the crimes committed by the evil cult. 

The Tian'anmen Square incident demonstrates the Falun Gong's anti-social and anti-human nature, turning a blind eye to human rights and human life, Chinese religious leaders said on Wednesday. 

Michael Fu Tieshan, chairman of the China Catholic Patriotic Association, was angered by the appalling incident. 

He said it proves that the Falun Gong is not a religion, but an out-and-out evil cult, noting that Li Hongzhi intended to damage social stability and the auspicious atmosphere of the Spring Festival regardless of the cost of the lives of his followers. 

Fu's viewpoints were echoed by other religious leaders. 

Hoodwinked by the malicious fallacies of Li Hongzhi, founder of the Falun Gong cult, five practitioners, including a 12-year-old girl and her mother, soaked themselves in gasoline and set themselves on fire at around 2:40 pm on the eve of China's Lunar New Year. Another two failed to ignite themselves and were stopped by police. The mother died on the spot and four others were injured. Police rushed to their rescue and immediately sent the injured to the local hospital. 

Yanjue, a Buddhist master from the Guangji Temple in Beijing, believes the case is yet another lesson for the ignorant Falun Gong practitioners. 

Psychological abuse:

One specific meaning of the term "religious abuse" refers to psychological harm or manipulation inflicted on a person by using teachings or doctrines of that person’s religion. This is perpetrated by members of the same or similar faith, and includes the use of a position of authority within the religion over another person to inflict such harm.[2] It is most prevalently directed at children and emotionally vulnerable adults, and motivations behind such abuse vary, but can be either well-intentioned or malicious.[3]

Well meaning instances of such abuse are often motivated by genuine concern that the targeted person will come to physical or spiritual harm should they engage in a certain behavior or question their beliefs. The perpetrator then uses exaggerated, distorted or even false versions their teachings or their position of authority to instill intense fear and/or shame so that the victim will comply. Maliciously motivated abuse uses the same tactic, but seeks to manipulate the victim into being compliant with the perpetrator’s selfish wishes.

Even well intentioned religious abuse can have long-term psychological consequences. Causing the victim to be intensely fearful can induce that person to develop a specific phobia about the topic they were warned against, or develop a long-lasting depression. They may have an unshakable sense of shame that persists even when they have either grown up or left the church. The person can also be manipulated into avoiding a beneficial action (such as a medical treatment) or to engage in a harmful behavior