Paras Indonesia, February, 21 2006 @ 05:01 pm
Christian Radical Sees Shariah Plot Behind Embassy Demo
By: Roy Tupai
An American Christian extremist has implied the recent attack on the US Embassy in
Jakarta was part of a plot by the world's Muslim leaders to impose Islamic law on
every nation.
Randall Terry, a long-time anti-abortion and anti-gay activist, made the claim on
Monday (20/2/06) in a press release headlined 'American Embassy Attacked in
Indonesia for Cartoons--Why?'
Following is the text of the brief release, issued by Terry's Society for Truth and
Justice: "The plaguing question that we must discuss is 'why?' Why do Muslims react
with violence when Mohammed is satirized? Many people are studiously ignoring this
question. To understand the waves of protests and violence occurring across the world
one must understand Islamic theology and history, and then view the current 'cartoon
crisis' through that grid. Only then will this seeming overreaction make any sense.
Then perhaps we will be able to have an intelligent discussion about the cartoons, the
value and definition of freedom, and the real goal of Muslim leaders around the world --
namely, the imposition of Islamic law on every nation."
Background data at the end of the release implies that Terry is an expert on Islam:
"Randall Terry has spent a year and a half immersed in a study of Islam. His studies
have included: beginning his Arabic studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem,
Mt. Scopus Campus; college courses on Islamic history and sociology; spending
seven weeks studying historic sites in Jerusalem, Israel, Palestine, Turkey, Jordan,
Egypt, and Greece; doing extensive research in Islamic primary sources for a lengthy
project comparing Christ and Mohamed."
Say no more. It's a pity Terry didn't bother to exercise his expertise to understand that
Sunday's attack on the US Embassy was staged by members of the Islamic
Defenders' Front (FPI) as an attention-seeking protest against an image of
Muhammad at the US Supreme Court building. Sure, the FPI wants Indonesia to
adopt Islamic law, but it's a tiny radical organization and certainly not representative of
prevailing public or government opinion. Perhaps just as FPI is part of the loony
Islamic extremist fringe, Terry is part of America's daft Christian extremist fringe.
Terry's claim that all Muslim leaders around the world are seeking to impose Islamic
law on every nation is as ludicrous as the claims of some Muslim extremists that a
suicide bomber will be rewarded with virgins in heaven.
Just in case Terry googles his name in the news and reads this, Indonesian President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is a Muslim and is strongly opposed to efforts to make
the country an Islamic state. Likewise, most of Indonesia's Muslim leaders are
opposed to calls for the nationwide adoption of Shariah law. Muslim majority nations
Turkey, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Mali and Senegal also have generally secular
constitutions and laws.
Cartoon Fan
Terry believes the current crisis over Danish cartoons of Muhammad can be resolved
by reprinting the drawings as widely as possible in the US press. "The best thing
American press outlets can do right now is to print the Mohammed cartoons as
frequently and as often as possible; we will thereby show part of the true nature of
freedom, and in doing so we may show the true nature of Islam," he wrote in a recent
article.
He has published several articles attacking Islam and Muhammad, with claims that
"the ideological, societal, and political goals of Islam are an inherent threat to the
freedoms" of America. Following are a few samples of his writing.
"A serious study of the life of Mohammed and his successors shows that intimidation,
terror, brutal punishment, and even death awaited those who fell under Islamic rule.
Dedicated followers of Mohamed and Islam (like Osama bin Laden) will not stop until
every nation has bowed its' neck in submission to the Islamic Law."
"Inherent in the message of Mohammed and the mission of his followers is the call to
subjugate the nations of the world to Islamic Law."
"It is obligatory on every Muslim to respect and follow the Islamic Shariah in every
aspect of their life. It is also obligatory on Muslim nations to implement the Islamic
Shariah, and make it the source of all law and legislation."
"We have seen that Mohammed authorized the assassinations of his enemies. We
have seen many current Islamic religious leaders call for the assassination of those
who have spoken ill of Mohammed."
"Judging from the traditions of Mohammed and the application of Shari'a in
contemporary Islamic nations, I am convinced that Islam – the
theological/cultural/political construct that seeks to rule the minds, bodies, and souls
of all mankind is an inherent threat to liberty as Western civilization has come to
define it."
"It is certainly clear from the Quran, the life of Mohammed, the Shari'a… that the
freedoms we cherish in America would be destroyed if Islamic philosophy and political
theory prevail in America. I'm speaking specifically of the threat to the following: our
right to vote… our right to self-defense by means of a personal firearm."
"Islam dictates followers use killing and terror to convert Western infidels."
Apparently Terry feels that Christianity should be the sole religion in the US.
According to US news reports, he addressed an anti-abortion rally in Indiana in 1993
with the following words: "Let a wave of intolerance wash over you… Yes, hate is
good… Our goal is a Christian nation… We have a biblical duty, we are called by God
to conquer this country. We don't want equal time. We don't want pluralism…
Theocracy means God rules. I've got a hot flash. God rules."
Abortion, Murder & Family
So who is Terry? In 1987 he founded an anti-abortion group called Operation Rescue
and went on to be arrested over 40 times for his activities. He once received a
five-month prison term for arranging to have a fetus delivered to then-presidential
candidate Bill Clinton at the 1992 Democratic National Convention.
One of his closest and most devoted followers was James Kopp, who in 1998
murdered a doctor who performed abortions. Terry's slogan on abortions had been: "If
you believe abortion is murder, then act like it's murder!"
After a falling out with Operation Rescue, Terry founded the Society for Truth and
Justice in 2003. He also became a spokesman for the parents of Terri Schiavo, a
severely brain-damaged woman, whose husband had to fight a seven-year legal battle
to end her life. Schiavo was in a persistent vegetative state, with no chance of
recovery and no higher cognitive function, but her parents and Terry were determined
that she should be kept on life support.
Terry has long posed as a devout Christian believer in the sanctity of marriage and
family values. He often campaigns against gay marriage and homosexuality. He once
claimed that 90% of lesbians were sexually assaulted in their youth and that gay men
die at the average age of 42. In his 1995 book The Judgment of God he wrote that
"homosexuals and lesbians are no longer content to secretly live in sin, but now want
to glorify their perversions".
He was rather embarrassed when his adopted son Jamiel came out as a homosexual
in 2004. Terry responded by disowning him. Terry's two adopted daughters became
pregnant outside of marriage. One even became a Muslim. In 2000, Terry divorced his
wife of 19 years and married a much younger woman. Operation Rescue then
declared him to be "separated from his church".
Also in 2000, Terry was censured by the Landmark Church of Binghamton, New York,
where he had been a member for 15 years, for a "pattern of repeated and sinful
relationships and conversations with both single and married women".
In 2003, Terry was seeking non-tax-deductible donations on his website, claiming he
had lost all his money in court cases, but it was later revealed he had put a down
payment on a $432,000 home in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Terry justified his
action, saying he needed a place to entertain people of stature and importance. "I
have a lot of important people that come through my home. And I will have more
important people come through my home."
Terry is now a Republican candidate for the Florida State Senate. A post on one US
website in response to his candidacy said: "YIKES! This guy is scary, a true
whack-job...he chooses ANY tactics necessary to get those who cross him and his
agenda. He is a true terrorist in every sense, and it's only a matter of time before
someone gets killed because of him and his agenda."
Copyright (c) 2005 - PT Laksamana Global International. All rights reserved
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