A NEW YEAR IN FREEDOM OR FEAR?

On Rosh Hashanah it is inscribed, on Yom Kippur it is sealed … our fate, that is, for the New Year. Who will live and who will die? How many will die by drowning, how many by illness, how many by all other means beyond our control? This year, courtesy of the Association of Whipped into Anger Muslims, we can add some new categories of how one might die. How many by printing cartoons? How many by quoting a disparaging thought about Islam? How many by being a Sunni instead of a Shiite? How many by being a Jew or American instead of a Sunni or Shiite? How many by being on the wrong airplane with the wrong people?

This is absolutely revolting!

What a shame that the Holy One, blessed be He, is having his job taken over by the militant Islamists who proclaim that everyone must agree that Islam is a religion of peace or else they will kill you.

Not only Jews, but also a great many Americans, will not willingly or quietly accept these new methods of determining our destiny. It just is so very un-American and wrong. The timing may just be right for enough of us to start shouting “We will not go silently into this good night” and create a backlash against these Islamist radicals who want to impose their view of 7th century religious Islamic law on us all.

Does the entire world have to walk on eggshells anytime anyone wants to talk about, discuss, have interreligious dialogues or question anything dealing with Islam or Mohammed? Can there never be any intellectual communication between Muslim and non Muslim regarding religion and prophets without fear of death threats? Can there never be any discussions dealing with Islam and its prophets without concern for one’s own welfare or the welfare of entire communities should there be a disagreement over what is said?

Can there never by any movies or plays about Islam or Mohammed? Remember Jesus Christ Superstar? Remember Charlton Heston portraying Moses? Remember George Burns playing God? Are Islam and Mohammed off limits? Can we no longer examine historical views of Islam or Mohammed if something derogatory was mentioned or questioned? Can there be no creative paintings, sculptures, books, poems or (gasp) editorials on these subjects? I wonder what would happen if some creative soul wanted to produce “Mohammed and The Mountain... A Travelogue”, or “Man From Mecca – The Musical”, or an audio walking tour of Ariel Sharon’s favorite spots on the Temple Mount... would and of these be just cause for World War III?
Just what are we as a civilization willing to give up so that radical Islamists will not create a holy war against our thoughts, our ideas and our freedom of expression?

We need answers to these questions now.
We need a road map to navigate the mine fields before us.
We need to see things as they really are and not as we wish they were.
Fear and cowardice is no way to live.

Giving into bullies can never lead to a happy and fulfilling life.
In 1776, our forefathers fought for our freedoms. Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, the right to pursue life, liberty and happiness… inalienable rights… uncompromising freedoms.

The only way Americans will allow anyone, including these radical militant Muslims, to take away these freedoms is over our dead bodies.