Really?
The man who said that was dead Boston jihadist Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who seems to have believed that the word “values” means those values which agree with his own.
The man was a teetotaling religious and sexual prude and accomplished athlete who was obviously very proud of himself. He looked down on Americans, and no doubt considered them his inferiors.
Prior to his national Golden Gloves competition in Salt Lake City, photographer Johannes Kirn profiled Tsarnaev in a photo essay entitled “Will Box For Passport,” quoting the young boxer as saying that he is a ”very religious” Muslim, which prevents him from drinking, smoking or removing his shirt around women, and that he cares deeply about the independence of Chechnya from Russia.
“I don’t have a single American friend. I don’t understand them,” Tsarnaev told Kirn.
“Tamerlan says he doesn’t drink or smoke anymore: ‘God said no alcohol.’ A Muslim [SIC], he says: ‘There are no values anymore,’ and worries that ‘people can’t control themselves.’”
“Tamerlan says he doesn’t usually take his shirt off so girls don’t get bad ideas,” according to one of Kirn’s captions. “I’m very religious.”
I don’t doubt that. Lots of people are very religious, lots of people are very athletic, and lots of people do not drink. But they don’t revel in their moral superiority to the point of feeling justified in committing murder.
The guy might have thought he was morally superior, but by his actions, he showed that he was morally inferior.
The whole thing sickens me. I hope there aren’t too many other people who think like that guy running around loose.
I am reminded of Sayyid Qutb (best known as the man who inspired Osama bin Laden). While I don’t normally quote Wiki entries at length, I think this time I should, because he was very influential, and hated Americans for reasons eerily similar to those of scumbag in Boston who apparently thought we deserve killing because we have no values:
Visit to America
The turning point in Qutb’s views resulted from his visit to the United States, where he aimed for further studies in educational administration. Over a two-year period, he worked in several different institutions including what was then Wilson Teachers’ College in Washington, D.C., Colorado State College for Education in Greeley, as well as Stanford University.[22] He also traveled extensively, visiting the major cities of the United States and spent time in Europe on the return journey to Egypt.
On his return to Egypt, Qutb published an article entitled “The America that I Have Seen.” He was critical of many things he had observed in the United States: its materialism, individual freedoms, economic system, racism, brutal boxing matches, “poor” haircuts,[4] superficiality in conversations and friendships,[23] restrictions on divorce, enthusiasm for sports, lack of artistic feeling,[23] “animal-like” mixing of the sexes (which “went on even in churches”),[24] and strong support for the new Israeli state.[25] Hisham Sabrin, noted that:
As a brown person in Greeley, Colorado in the late 40s, studying English he came across much prejudice. He also felt quite appalled by what he perceived as loose sexual openness of American men and women (a far cry by any measure, from Musha, Asyut where he grew up). But, in fact this American experience was not truly a crisis for Qutb, but rather a moment of choice and fine-tuning of his already Islamic identity. He himself tells us on his boat trip over “Should I travel to America, and become flimsy, and ordinary, like those who are satisfied with idle talk and sleep. Or should I distinguish myself with values and spirit. Is there other than Islam that I should be steadfast to in its character and hold on to its instructions, in this life amidst deviant chaos, and the endless means of satisfying animalistic desires, pleasures, and awful sins? I wanted to be the latter man.”.
Qutb noted with disapproval the sexuality of American women:
the American girl is well acquainted with her body’s seductive capacity. She knows it lies in the face, and in expressive eyes, and thirsty lips. She knows seductiveness lies in the round breasts, the full buttocks, and in the shapely thighs, sleek legs—and she shows all this and does not hide it.[4]
He also commented on the American taste in arts:
The American is primitive in his artistic taste, both in what he enjoys as art and in his own artistic works. “Jazz” music is his music of choice. This is that music that the Negroes invented to satisfy their primitive inclinations, as well as their desire to be noisy on the one hand and to excite bestial tendencies on the other. The American’s intoxication in “jazz” music does not reach its full completion until the music is accompanied by singing that is just as coarse and obnoxious as the music itself. Meanwhile, the noise of the instruments and the voices mounts, and it rings in the ears to an unbearable degree… The agitation of the multitude increases, and the voices of approval mount, and their palms ring out in vehement, continuous applause that all but deafens the ears.[23]
Return to Egypt
Qutb concluded that major aspects of American life were primitive and “shocking”, a people who were “numb to faith in religion, faith in art, and faith in spiritual values altogether”. His experience in the U.S. is believed to have formed in part the impetus for his rejection of Western values and his move towards Islamism upon returning to Egypt. Resigning from the civil service, he joined the Muslim Brotherhood in the early 1950s[26] and became editor-in-chief of the Brothers’ weekly Al-Ikhwan al-Muslimin, and later head of its propaganda[27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36] section, as well as an appointed member of the working committee and of its guidance council, the highest branch in the organization.[37]
Great. (And bear in mind, Qutb was shocked to his rotten core by what he no doubt considered America’s lack of “values” in the late 1940s!)
These are some sick, sick people.
I know I complain about busybodies a lot, but these nutjobs are beyond the pale. They are the penultimate busybodies who want to tell everyone what to do, and they are not planning to go away.
I wish there were a way to keep people who hate freedom out of this country.
Comments
17 responses to ““There are no values anymore””
Jazz? I’ll give you JAZZ and may Mac come after all of you who think you know it all.
I suspect Qutb saw in America something that could squash his egotism – I’m serious – he didn’t give a ____ about his
religion, just about his kudos when he dissed other’s religions.
“I wish there were way to keep people who hate freedom out of this country.”
There is. Ask them, ask them again. And again. In every language they speak. And if they don’t hate you or try to kill you for it, but, instead, explain why they want to be one of us…welcome them.
Funny thing, Kathy, I was just talking about this earlier, and I remarked that the Israelis probably have common sense ways of discerning friend from foe.
But in America, elderly people are now asked for ID to buy alcohol, lest we engage in “profiling.”
Eric, I (we) found Classical Values in the years after the Williams Brothers killed two acquaintances/friends of ours and went on an arson rampage torching synagogues in Sacramento. The story of the Williams Bros. mirrors these two. Different religion, same fundamentalist brainwashing. It’s why I despise religion. Unthinking dogma. Belief without reason.
If only there is a hell where these types can be tortured for eternity.
Notice the eerie similarity between the pronouncements of Muslim Jihidists and the Christian Fundamentalists like Pat Robertson and the late Jerry Falwell, as well as other Christian Fundies, who blamed American “godlessness” for 9/11, and blame every natural disaster on the loss of “Christian” values.
It’s not eerie, all religious leaders point to religion to explain things. It would be “eerie” if Falwell was telling people to strap on suicide vests.
I really shouldn’t do this. What I should do is just disconnect my internet service and keep my crazy old hermit thoughts and observations to myself but what the heck, a little scorn, revilement and derision has never really bothered me yet.
Up until about age 12 my family attended and were committed active members of a fundamentalist, charismatic, evangelical, protestant church. I am talking a; Slain in the Spirit, holy rolling, unknown tongue shoutin’, demon exorcizin’, faith healin’, miracle seeing, prophetizin’, hellfire and brimstone PREACHIN’, “ain’t nobody going to heaven but US and we ain’t too sure about some of us”, type church.
That’s where I learned first hand the power of belief and “The Group”. I saw belief change lives, overcome pain and obstacles and give people the strength and endurance to accomplish the near miraculous. I’ve seen belief give the hopeless a means to hope, function, and belong. I also watched “group think” rob individuals of their right and responsibility to reason, question and think for themselves and place it the hands of an exalted few. I saw the power of belief (group bias) to always find evidence to support itself and to ignore and dismiss ALL contra indicative evidence. I watched group polarization damage and sometimes utterly destroy relationships, congregations and even families.
I see those same things in varying degrees everywhere I look; not just in religious groups, but in ALL groups. Groups have power and and often wield it for good. They can also wield it in pursuit of yet more power. If they have no opponents they will create one or more, because enemies strengthen their cohesion and give them a sense of superiority. I like the modern Judaic-Christian belief groups because of all the groups that I have observed they are the most likely to believe they must endure any real or perceived suffering and persecution with patience, to return forgiveness and kindness for evil and hatred. Many may not practice those things well, but most believe them. For every Bible thumping hack and hag that thinks G_d needs their full time help to judge the sinners of the world, there are dozens of saintly souls who devote themselves to helping others. So in my judgment they are very, very, seldom dangerous, and yes, yes I am biased. {Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it .} I don’t belong to a religious group (or any kind of voluntary group for that matter) because I have a warped hermit mind that lacks the basic human need to belong; but I can’t and really don’t desire to escape from my past.
Islam like any other religion has its casual members. Some are token members by birth, and some joined for reasons other than strong personal belief in its teachings. For the majority (even among devout believers of Islam) the teachings of; Jihad of the Sword, the imposition of Sharia Law and the prophesied ultimate rise of the One World Ummah, can be quite sanely and practically ignored by rationalizing that “Now is not the time” just as many Judaic and Christian believers do for any discomforting beliefs in prophesied future conflicts. What is unique about modern Islam (compared to modern Judaic-Christian beliefs) is that no prophetic fulfillment is really necessary for more limited Jihad of the Sword and/or imposition of Sharia Law, when “persecution” exists . This means many ‘devout moderate Muslims’ can easily be converted to the belief that violent Jihad is required and necessary NOW by convincing them that they or other Islamic believers are being “persecuted” and the “Art and Science of Victimology” has reached its greatest height and practice in this internet age.
“But in America, elderly people are now asked for ID to buy alcohol, lest we engage in “profiling.””
And that’s happened to me – and made my MONTH, let alone day. LOL.
I find it disturbing that the dead Boston bomber was named after Tamerlane. Tamerlane was one of history’s worst mass murderers. He was a very religious Muslim warrior who lived in the 14th Century. He ravaged the ancient world from Europe to China. It is estimated that his armies killed between 15 and 20 million people. That was almost 10% of the Earth’s population at the time. Who would name a child after such a person?
Will, thanks for sharing the thoughtful personal insight. There is nothing in what you said that merits derision.
Diplomad says it more directly. http://thediplomad.blogspot.com/
“All religions have their absurdities and contradictions and other foibles. Islam, however, at its very core is a belief system that preaches hatred for non-Muslims, disregard for their suffering, and demands that Islam be recognized, by force if needed, as the one and only faith. Islam is a deranged way of viewing the world. It detests intellectual inquiry; sees women as no better than cows; and advocates violence, yes, violence.”
Frank, either ‘group bias blindness’ helped me out,or traffic on the thread was light because while the main point was the physical threat of Islam, I half expected to be pilloried for insulting just about every group on earth.
Nah – not here – here, you’ll only be pilloried if you missed one…
P.S. By mentioning the Group, you got almost everyone – except some lone nutcases that no one who’s sane wants to support. So you’re safe. Here, at least.
Oh, and might I add. That’s one of the reasons I hang around here – having given up blogging and (mostly) even commenting.
I guess it’s kind of a reverse tolerance for the intolerant – if you disrespect Everyone, we all just figure you are not a bigot…
Chocolatier
I find it disturbing that the dead Boston bomber was named after Tamerlane….Who would name a child after such a person?
Attila is a not uncommon name in Hungary [Think Attila the Hun] and Turkey. One culture’s great warrior is another culture’s mass murderer, it would appear.
Will, religion aside even innocuous organizations like The Grange attract the same type of know-it-all, domineering characters. Add a belief system and hand-me-down moral code, and you’ve got trouble.