Probing Islam - Bomb Kill and Maim

<body> <table border="0" cellpadding="30" cellspacing="0" width="100%" id="table100"> <tr> <td> <h1>Bomb, Maim, Kill first, to ensure ‘Our Truth’ later</h1> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" id="table101"> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"> <h2>Introduction</h2> <p>Theories, opinions, beliefs, delusions, likes, dislikes, and many, many more. We humans live by them. Open minded? Fair minded? Balanced in mind? You must be joking. Throw in the domination of the ego, emotional incontinence, quirkiness in intellect, and you have the unbeatable formula for strict, unyielding fundamentalism, stoking up religious fervour, allied to tunnel-visioned extremism and bang! your terrorist acts. ‘Damaged minds trying to damage other minds’; and impose ‘our truth’ which accepts no other as truth. <p>I’m sure some liberal intellect will have a great time pulling all that apart as simplistic and one-dimensional. So let me quote the (psychology in the) time-honoured Sanskrit again. This by Shri Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, 1967 (in Part 1, The Geeta 1935 translation by W.B. Yeats and Purohit Swami was used). These simply expressed yet profound words surely can broaden our understanding even compassion so much.<p> “Pondering (in mind) on objects of the senses (the external world around him/her and subtle, complex emotion within), a man/woman develops attachment for them; from attachment springs up desire, and desire (thwarted - ie obstacles, sense of powerlessness, uselessness, ineffectiveness) gives rise to anger. From anger arises delusion; from delusion unsteadiness of memory; from unsteadiness of memory, destruction of intellect; through the destruction of intellect he/she perishes (as may others through his/her actions)”.</td> <td align="left" valign="top"> <img border="0" src="images/bomb.jpg" width="200" height="315" hspace="10"></td> </tr> </table> <p>Maharishi says the verse depicts one who is not turned towards the true Divine. To what is the mind then turned? Images? Imaginings? It will sink deeper into the mire of delusion. Thought, the great force in Man, develops into desire which translates itself into action, bringing glory or disgrace. Anger excites the mind, which loses its balance and power of true, honourable discrimination; it loses proper vision, foresight, right sense of values. There is disconnection from ‘the harmonious rhythm of life’, wisdom fails, the intellect ceases to function…and ever-shifting theories opinions, beliefs dominate and rule.<p align="right"><i> <font face="Verdana" size="1">(Author précis, comment; grateful thanks to Arkana, Penguin Books, 1990)</font></i></td> </tr> </table> </body>