Why Steve Alten is Winning the Shell Game Debate

February 17, 2008

by Kevin Barrett

I interviewed Steve Alten, author of The Shell Game, on 1/22/08, then interviewed his critic Wendy Campbell on 2/12/08. Both shows are available in the WTPRN archives. I will again interview Steve Alten this Tuesday, 2/19/08, 9-11 pm CT, http://www.wtprn.com]

IN THE SHADE OF DEATH – A CRITICAL READING OF SAYYID QUTB’S

Sayyid Qutb (IPA pronunciation: [‘saɪjɪd ‘qʊtˁb]) (also Seyyid, Sayid, Sayed; also Koteb, Kutb) (Arabic: سيد قطب; October 9, 1906 – August 29, 1966) was an Egyptian author, Islamist, and the leading intellectual of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood in the 1950s and 60s. He is best known in the Muslim world for his work on the social and political role of Islamic fundamentalism, particularly in his books Social Justice and Ma’alim fi-l-Tariq (Milestones). His extensive Quranic commentary Fi zilal al-Qur’an (In the shades of the Qur’an) has contributed significantly to modern perceptions of Islamic concepts such as jihad, jahiliyyah, and ummah. He is best known in the West as “the man whose ideas would shape Al Qaeda.” Alternative spellings of his first and last names include Saïd, Syed, Koteb (rather common), Qutub, Kotb, etc.

No Justice, No Peace

Don’t Blame the “Jews”

Another disturbing trend that is heavily propagated by extremists and accepted by many naive Arabs and Muslims is the blaming of all Muslim problems on the Jews. There are numerous examples for this but most recently news broadcasts out of Iraq quoted Iraqi victims of violence who blamed the bombings on Jews or a Jewish conspiracy.Many Arabs and Muslims still blame the 9-11 attacks on a Jewish conspiracy that was allegedly perpetrated to demonize Arabs and Muslims in the eyes of the world.

POLITICAL SYSTEM: Man-Made Systems

Primitive Age

ANTHROPOLOGY does not support the view that man ever lived a solitary life like the tiger or the lion. He was weak and defenceless against the powerful beasts that roamed about him. He could survive only through some form of group life. A band of men could survive under conditions in which a single individual had no chance, so early men naturally lived in groups. Some form of social Organisation is necessary for group life. Men can co-operate with each other only at the cost of their egoistic impulses. The dictates of group life invade individual liberty. The first social ties came from blood relationship. The groups were almost overgrown families. The authority exercised by the father passed into the hands of the patriarch, the head of the tribe. Custom regulated the conduct of the members, of this group. Primitive man believed that the customs of his tribe were unchangeable and inviolable. Patriarchal authority and rigid customs protected the social order and were an effective check to all kinds of anti-social activities in which individuals might be tempted to engage. However, a new authority enlarged in the group—this was the priest. His supremacy was founded on his expert knowledge of the religious ritual, and of correct behaviour in the temple and on solemn occasions. Ritual had gradually become very complex, and the patriarch had to place it in the charge of a professional man. Superstitious, a factor to be reckoned with in primitive life, lent powerful support to the authority of the priest. In a changing world no form of social organisation can be permanent. The tribal organisation dissolved giving place to a purely political organisation. The Raja or King supplanted the patriarch. He was usually a man who had organised a military force which had enabled him to extend his dominion over several tribes. The political system that arose was composed of different tribes. A consequence of this change was that the hold of tribal customs on man was considerably weakened. People saw their fellow-citizens observing different customs, and hence any particular custom could no longer be regarded as sacred and inviolable. The social order had now to be maintained by physical force. If the king was powerful, he usually succeeded in this task and held the straggling group together He usually relied on officials whom he had personally appointed. The new social order, however, could not be as stable as the tribal order which was based on blood-ties and time-honoured customs. Men could not be held in check for long by mere brute force. Risings and rebellions often shook the king’s authority. In this predicament he sought for an ally and such an ally was close at hand. The priest also had vested interests which he was not willing to relinquish. Any social or political upheaval would endanger the vested interests of both the king and the priest. The result was that the king and the priest made common cause, and each gave the other mutual support. The king bolstered the power of the priests in the religious domain and took steps to protect the interests of the sacerdotal order. The grateful priest cloaked the king with sanctity and awe. The obedience of the people was now enforced both by force and superstition.

On Israel, Palestine, and Terrorism

Compared to their small population, the Jewish influence is immense in global platform, financially, politically and culturally. Disproportional to their population, Jews have exhibited astonishing examples in both good and bad, in both success and blunder, and they have enjoyed vivid presence in world politics for millenniums. This explains why the Quran mentions them so frequently. Well, may be it is also true the other way around.

Kosher tax short clip

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosher_tax

The other israel,documentary film

The Other Israel is the television version of Ted Pike’s book, Israel: Our Duty…Our Dilemma. Compiled after 15 months filming and editing, this fast-moving, professional video documentary will give you a unique education on the inner teachings of Judaism—teachings which have made the Jews a race apart—for millenniums. Through the television camera The Other Israel takes you where few Christian scholars have gone—to the semi-secret rabbinic sources that blaspheme Christ and vow eventual triumph over the nations. Yet, like Pike’s book, this video never forgets that despite Judaism’s present opposition to Christ, God will someday prove that He can make even the unbelieving Jews to praise His Son. Through stirring music, scripture, and scenes from Palestine, The Other Israel video dramatizes the eventual restoration of a Remnant at Christ’s Second Coming.