I work with a wonderful Pakistani man and we both enjoy having regular spirited discussions about religion, politics, and world events. Being very ignorant about Islam, I take every opportunity to encourage him to elaborate on the subject when it comes up in conversation. Today, he began educating me on the Grand Mosque Seizure of 1979. It was quite the turning point in the history of Islam and I'm going to learn as much as I can.
Do you know anything about this event? Can you recommend any good books or anecdotes on the subject? I'll share what I learn along the way so we can all learn together.
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6 comments:
If a bunch of radical Muslims decided to condemn American capitalism by taking over a bunch of centrally-located retail shops and food vendors, would it be called the "Grand Mall Seizure?"
BWHAHAHAHAAAA!
That has to be the most obvious joke someone could make about this subject and it isn't even funny... it's just kinda sad.
Not only does it completely side-step the potential for learning by examining what many consider to be the single event that greatly expanded radical Islam into the modern world, but it belittles the suffering of people with epilepsy.
If this is the best you can contribute to this discussion, please don't. Seriously.
Wow. Sorry. Meant no disrespect.
I'm not sure how my comment does anything to belittle people with epilepsy, but it's your blog, and I'll certainly respect your wishes.
If I make any future comments, I will certainly ensure that they are off all appropriate gravity and seriousness.
Your post doesn't. I was still kinda upset about my previous misreading and I'm sorry to have flown off the handle. I didn't think I was having a bad day, but the evidence is there in my thoughtless responses to your comments.
Thanks for your kind responses to my belligerent tirades. I will learn from this episode as much as I can about keeping my responses and emotions in check. My gut reaction is to delete my responses, but that doesn't seem right. I will leave them in place to remind me to chill out and give the poster the benefit of the doubt in the future.
If there is anything else I can do to make amends, let me know. I hope you'll continue to participate. However you decide to proceed, I appreciate and thank you for your involvement.
As my pastor says from time to time, I really need to build a bridge and get over myself sometimes.
Lesson learned.
Steve:
Did you ever get a real answer to your question? I never learned about this in class last semester...of what I can remember....but I'm sure my professor would know..if you want to pursue your quest. I do have a book you might want to read, called Milestones...L. Dixon
I think my stupid reactions (above) probably squelched any meaningful discussion temporarily. Thanks for helping get it back on track!
I did find one good book on this subject: The Siege of Mecca by Yaroslav Trofimov. I was hopelessly lost in the names and religious references of the first few chapters, so I'll need to go back and read that section again, but now that I'm more familiar with the situations being described (circa: Carter Administration), it's a fascinating read. Has anyone else read this one?
I'll definitely check out Milestones. What's the focus of that book and what do you think of it?
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