Whilst listening to Radio 4’s news pod during my morning meditation I was shocked to hear of the conviction of self declared ‘Osama Bin London,’ Mohammed Hamid. 
It wasn’t his conviction that shocked me. The man is a groomer of young Muslims fundamentalists after all. Nor was it his crimes. Religious terror is practically background noise here: twice a month the police knock on my door to check I’m not plotting any terrorism. I welcome the visits: it means my wife has to tidy the house up.
What shocked me is that he truly believes the way to convert people to Islam is to kill them. He is not alone in this belief of course, even I can see the perks, say when my mother-in-law comes to visit, but no one ever seems to notice the flaw in this plan. There is something inherently mixed up about a method of evangelising that involves a rucksack of TNT and a one-way trip the Northern Line.
It reminds me of the Evangelical Christians who shout through megaphones at innocent shoppers, declaring, despite all evidence to the contrary, that ‘Jesus makes you whole.' I wonder if they realise that for every one person they might possibly convert this way, hundreds of thousands go away believing more than ever that religious people are absolutely crazy.
I, for one, see no point trying to convert others. Everyone has a different path to enlightenment and all come to it at different times, be it through a light on the road to Galilee or a stuffed snake on top of a monitor. I testify by sitting on my pole for 8 hours a day. That way all can see how wise, noble and calm I am. I like to think that the people who point, laugh and shout insults at me, learn from my example and leave a little bit wiser.
Well, that, or that they die in their sleep.
It wasn’t his conviction that shocked me. The man is a groomer of young Muslims fundamentalists after all. Nor was it his crimes. Religious terror is practically background noise here: twice a month the police knock on my door to check I’m not plotting any terrorism. I welcome the visits: it means my wife has to tidy the house up.What shocked me is that he truly believes the way to convert people to Islam is to kill them. He is not alone in this belief of course, even I can see the perks, say when my mother-in-law comes to visit, but no one ever seems to notice the flaw in this plan. There is something inherently mixed up about a method of evangelising that involves a rucksack of TNT and a one-way trip the Northern Line.
It reminds me of the Evangelical Christians who shout through megaphones at innocent shoppers, declaring, despite all evidence to the contrary, that ‘Jesus makes you whole.' I wonder if they realise that for every one person they might possibly convert this way, hundreds of thousands go away believing more than ever that religious people are absolutely crazy.
I, for one, see no point trying to convert others. Everyone has a different path to enlightenment and all come to it at different times, be it through a light on the road to Galilee or a stuffed snake on top of a monitor. I testify by sitting on my pole for 8 hours a day. That way all can see how wise, noble and calm I am. I like to think that the people who point, laugh and shout insults at me, learn from my example and leave a little bit wiser.
Well, that, or that they die in their sleep.
Do you have an Question? The Guru has the Answer.
Ask the Guru and all will become clear.
Ask the Guru and all will become clear.
6 Comments:
Take away the beard and he's a 30-year-old Donny Osmond. Donny's career was in the craphouse then, which led him to dabble in Islam.
Around 2003 OBL made a broadcast from somewhere that I thought looked a bit like the Lake District. I wish I'd phoned the secret service and told them of my concerns. He's probably not in a cave in Pakistan at all but happily ensconced with a rosy-cheeked Cumbrian landlady near Derwentwater who's feeding him a Full English Breakfast every morning and starching his jellabas.
Gorillia Bananas
That's absolutly incredible as Mohammed Hamid is 50 years old. But I suppose stranger things have happened. Look at Lindsy Lohan
Daphne
I spent a long time trying to work out what radio station OBL was then... Clearly enlightenment doesn't have all the answers
Thanls for linking to the Poor Mouth Guru. I will return the compliment
Jams
Good blogs get linked here. You only have yourself to thank
I've just caught up with your blog (thanks for linking to mine by the way), but never mind all that stuff about terrorism, it's the thought of your mother-in-law visiting that intrigues me. I mean, is this a roundabout way of saying one of you has driven the other up the pole, or does she climb up and perch precariously beside you, or what?
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