(Things that bother me…)

Gabriel A. Levicky

WHY I AM OPPOSING ISLAM. ANY ISLAM…
(Things that bother me…)


Towards the end of 1968 – the delirium that the socialism (with or without) human face is possible fermented deep disappointment among the idealists and left wingers. It became quite transparently evident to many that you can’t have democratically multi-functional society based on some 19th century utopia, ossifying for more than 100 years. Only the fanatics and orthodox followers refused to accept this psychological and philosophical verdict.

Meantime, an interesting phenomenon occurred in Europe. The Western intelligentsia had been radicalized based on that misguided and increasingly totalitarian and oppressive ideology while in the East their counter partners became hard squeezed by precisely the same system of oppression the Western leftists glorified in their actions. Both of them were sitting in two different trains, each going in different direction. Nobody knew what is going to await them at their final destinations.

We were young and we couldn’t grasp why this or that side had chosen its particular stand. Somehow we came to the same conclusion – things got to change, the evil had to be constantly resisted and revealed. I suspect that we both (West & East) were aware of the dark forces that could be unleashed, regardless of one’s political orientation.

The 1968 barricades in Paris and Prague were different. The young kids looked almost the same – long hair, jeans, forever young attitude. However, the Western kids were waving a small, red book by Mao while those on the East stirred the air with their bloodied national flag – courtesy of the senile, semi-dead Brezhnev’s regime.
In Paris, the riot police confronted the youth; in Prague and other cities on that hot summery August, we were facing the armor and brutality of one of the largest military might – the Warsaw pact.

The outcome was quite predictable. When all was over, the youth in Paris went home and back to their schools; in Czechoslovakia most of us either went to underground or emigrated. The country was revamped or returned back to the Soviet neo-Stalinist system. People were fired from their jobs, right and left and at the end when completely humiliated those who kept their jobs and wanted to keep it – were forced to sign a new government ‘plebiscite’ declaration that they agree with: “brotherly help of the USSR and their allies to save Czechoslovakia from the perils of going astray – to the bourgeoisie, capitalist system.” Thus, in one bold stroke the whole “Prague Spring” collapsed and vaporized into a marginal, historical event.
The totalitarian, orthodox political system has shown its true face. It was not for the people and about the people – it was all about the power and more control, regardless of reality.

In here, I see some common grounds in my opposition to another ideology – the ideology of intolerant and brutal religion – Islam. For cutting off heads at the end of 20th century (and writing poems about it – see reference to British-born Samina Malik’s poem: How to Behead, according to NYT World Briefing section, November 2007), requires an incredible audacity to slap hard all human race pretending it is here to save it.

I have also realized how futile it is to argue with those who believe that “not every Muslim…; it is a peaceful religion…; it has just been kidnapped by…etc. We can hear these types of arguments repeatedly. The point is – that precisely this type of attitude and approach encourages fanatics, haters, medievalists, cleric-fascists and lunatics – to do their acts of terror against humanity. It is not a frivolous thing; it is a serious, destructive concept that really works, especially when foolishly supported by all those liberals with PC complex. In addition, there is that awkward, awful solidarity silence in the Arab and Muslim world. It’s horrendous and scarier than direct denial. True, any religion or political system contains these attributes – but – that’s why we have today the separation of church and state and balance and check system, based on relative legal system that confronts deformations in various forms and effects.

Of course, not every Arab or Muslim succumbs to the extremism but plenty of them do - supported by the network or system of traditionally uneducated simpletons, victimized by the Islamic orthodoxy and religious zealousy. Starting from the village elders, madrasa teachers (and their senseless, repetitious lectures where bewildered kids must recite Koranic suras in Arabic – the language most of the non-Arab world doesn’t neither speak nor understand) – up to their cynical politicians, interest groups and various behind the scenes manipulators.
Islam emerges as a strange dark planet, void of necessary conditions for survival – only when using a special survival kit – not available to the rest. The other option one has is to convert - by either force or fear. However, this old trick doesn’t always work.

By its barbarity and cruelty, the Islam born in the windy desert, blows into everyone’s face and temporarily blinds us. This artificial curtain doesn’t block the true aspect of its deeds. For I know I wont give up so easily my humanness, my search for truth and knowledge – and yes – spirituality too. I don’t need anybody to tell or order me to go down on my knees and worship a human invention, presented as a final recipe for life.

Because of my dramatic life, I’ve developed quite personal dramatic attitude to hypocrisy and murderous forces. Only I reserve the right to go any which way I want, even going the wrong direction and celebrate eventual discovery of my mistake.

I certainly don’t allow anyone to ‘correct’ me, using force or threat and I will resist all applied attempts. I am sure; I will do it even if I were the last person on this planet or Universe, facing the dark forces of fanaticism and barbarity in the name of invented fallacy.

New York, November 2007