Funny, throughout the piece, the author fails to note that the Jews turned desert into fertile farmland in Israel, while the Muslims... drilled for oil and blew things up. Who's the green one again?
COMMENTS: Gar Smith actually responded to my simplistic critique. Thanks to OpinionJournal for catching his attention.
#1. Jun 22 2002, 12:04 am
What?
"In an essay on the "Significance of Environment in Islam" in the April 1998 issue of the Islamic Voice, Akhtar Mahmood, a professor of biochemistry at the University of Punjab, notes that 'Islam discourages luxurious and lavish living.' Muslims see the existence of luxury as 'an expression of social injustice, as few can afford luxurious items at the expense of the deprived masses.'"
You. have. got. to. be. kidding. This is almost too easy. I don't even need to NAME the countries I'm thinking of.
Jeremy
#2. Jul 01 2002, 06:55 pm
I agree with Jeremy -- and I wrote the article.
The Saudi princes and the leadership of most of the Middle Eastern oil kingdoms lead lives of lavish ostentation and clearly enjoy the wealth and power that sets them apart from -- and far above -- the majority of their citizens.
Akhtar Mahmood was describing pious Muslims not the House of Saud.
Perhaps the conclusion is that some Arab rulers do not follow all the precepts of the prophet.
And, yes, there is intolerance in the Koran (like the belief that homosexuals should be outcasts) but the focus of the article was to explore the environmental content.
Thanks for reading the original article in its entirely.
Gar Smith
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