The Face of Heresy (Updated from 11/22/2015)

Murdering Sociopathic Terrorist: Abdelhamid Abaaoud

I was brought up by my father to call a spade a spade.  You can call the queen of hearts a spade if you want to, but everyone else around the table will think you're an idiot and take you to the cleaners.  This is pretty much what the heretical leadership of the Islamic State is banking on with the free world; we give them legitimacy, call them something kinder and gentler, and they dazzle our inept leadership with sleight of hand by having us looking over there when they are over here.  We have been "fighting" them since 9/11, and we're still calling the spade a heart.  Is this the face of Islamic heresy?  Or, is this the face of the new Islam?

One would think, for all Muslims, worldwide, the mere fact that an insane, sociopathic, murdering heretic is holding the holy Qur'an for a photo op would be cause for Islam-wide condemnation.  Hell, just drawing an image of Muhammad causes Islam-wide outrage, but this?  Not so much.  I have to ask myself why.

I have known Muslims, I have a copy of the Qur'an, and I try to listen to as many Muslim terrorist naysayers as the media may allow, of which there are very few... in this country.  I am comfortable with the peaceful face of true Islam.  I am comfortable with my knowledge that Islam is not about the actions of these cowards which dare to call themselves men.  Islam is not about cutting five year old children in half, raping women, burning captives alive in cages, cutting of heads and murdering the innocent.  Islam in general, on the other hand, would seem to be very comfortable accepting this terrible new face that presents itself as their voice for the faithful, and I have to ask myself why.

Is this cowardice truly the new face of Islam?  This "new face" is one of a religion that, now, authorizes lying about their faith and murdering innocence, to forward a heretical agenda to destroy anything they find contrary to their beliefs for any particular day.  If they wake up on the wrong side of the bed one morning and decide all facial hair is an affront to Allah, half of their own faithful might die before faces can be shaved.  This is the insanity that now seems to rule the faith.  

To say they are fighting the Western infidel is to discount the murder of their fellow Muslims who refuse to follow this new Caliphate, and maybe this is why we hear so little "peaceful" Muslim dissent.  Perhaps the dissenters are afraid of the cowardly hidden traitors to Islam who pray next to them in the mosque.  Possibly, the peaceful faithful of true Islam fear for their safety and that of their family.  After all, many have wives and daughters to be raped, and tender children to be sliced and diced, all in the name of Allah.  But, then, this is the new face of Islam, right?

I wonder how these terrorists would be able to justify their actions if Muhammad (pbuh) had actually stated that being a man is all about not raping, not murdering, not stealing, and not lying.  You know, all those things Allah does not represent.

I will continue to speak out for Islam, even though I hear so little from "peaceful" Islam, about these actions of a minority of misguided heretics.  I continue to have faith in a loving Allah, a loving God, to condemn these atrocities against innocence.  I believe this because it would be too unbelievable to think any God would condone this kind of insanity, and for the rest of the world to buy into the fact that all of Islam is to blame, would be doing a disservice to Islam and to our own Abrahamic faith.  We must rise above condemnation and face the enemy at hand until such a time that we see the balance of Islam also, truly, embrace this new heresy.

There are still those of us wishing to see the Islamic face of peace and love.  We must have faith that such people still exist in the Muslim world.  Unfortunately, these faithful will have to take up a sword against the Islamic State and reject them as mainstream Islam.  They must do this boldly and loudly, for the entire world to see and understand.  If Islam cannot, or will not do this, I fear for the safety of all Muslims, the Islamic faith, and the world as we know it.

Pray this Sunday, and every day, for peace and love, tolerance and understanding, and for solidarity against this evil, against all evil, infecting our world.  We must learn to live together, to stand together, or together we will fall.

Bless these United States of America. 

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch - it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either view any more right or wrong than the other. Opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form their own opinions, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint.

I fervently hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning those opinions offered. After twenty-three years of military intelligence, I believe that engaging each other in this manner, and in this arena, is a way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience... and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. Following his service career, he spent 17 years working with the premier and world-renowned Western Institutional Review Board, helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research. He also served 8 years on the Board of Directors for the Angela J. Bowen Foundation.

Ordained in 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As a weapon for his war on intolerance, he chose the pen. He wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's personal, spiritual path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteered as the lead chaplain at a regional medical center.

Feel free to contact Pastor Tony at: tolerantpastor@gmail.com