Divided Islam, vs True Islam

(Revised 11-1-2009)

We, the people of the world, must step up and take responsibility to stop the madness, death and destruction that is being wrought in the name of religion and/or patriotism.

However, we cannot do that without fully understanding the nature of problem and its cause, because Islam is not the only Abrahamic religion that is plagued with conflicts and divisions. Judaism and Christianity are too.

In fact, all three Abrahamic religions are at risk of being completely coopted and taken over by proud, militant, self-serving extremists who claim to serve God, but actually ignore and betray God. They are spiritually blind shepherds who divide and alienate their blind flocks and lead them astray, even into carnal, deadly warfare. Thus it is the misguided Jews, Christians and Muslims who are causing the most conflict, division, violence, death and destruction in the world.

They are ignorant of the Spirit of truth, which tells us that the only "weapons" of God are words of truth and wisdom. And only truth and wisdom will overcome and prevail over false doctrines and myths, just as only love will overcome and prevail over hate.

Remember, as the wise Solomon wrote: "Wisdom is beneficent and kind. She is the aura of the power of God, the radiance of the eternal Divine Light, a spotless mirror of God. She renews all things, and passing into holy souls from age to age, She produces friends of God and prophets. She is firm, but Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all Her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon Her. And Wisdom is far better than weapons of war."

The trouble is, certain arrogant, proud and militant "religious" leaders tend to be self-important, self-righteous and theocratic in their attempts to rule. They may have originally become religious leaders out of truly good intentions, but gradually, whether unwittingly or othewise, they became corrupted by egocentric delusion and/or the misguided doctrines of men. And some are so corrupted and malicious that they could be considered as evil masquerading as good, and as wolves wearing sheep’s clothing.

Fortunately there are truly good, faithful Jews, Christians and Muslims, just like there are truly good, faithful Buddhists, Hindus, Taoists, Zoroastrians, etc. They are likened to "sheep" because they are humble, gentle, peaceful and loving, and they understand that the meek shall ultimately inherit the earth. But, unfortunately, on the other hand are sanctimonious hypocrites who can be likened to "goats" because they are arrogantly proud, bigoted and militant, and want to rule over us through theocratic imposition.

That is why some Jews and some Christians are misled, and it is especially why some Muslims are misled.

Now to understand why Muslims in Islam are divided, and particularly to understand the real problem between the Shiites and the Sunnis, we need to understand some important parts of the history of Islam. And, more importantly, Americans need to understand what True Islam is really about.

This is important because most Americans know nothing about true Islam, and many Americans have been led to believe that most Muslims hate America and want it destroyed. That is not true. Surveys have shown that most Muslims do not hate the American people, and that they actually admire America for its technology, democracy and freedom of speech.

For example, Georgetown University Professor John Esposito, and Dalia Mogahed, executive director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies, helped organize a survey and published their findings into a new book, Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think. It is based on a Gallup Poll, the largest of its kind, which surveyed some 50,000 Muslims in more than 35 countries. It asked questions about gender, race, terrorism, the separation of church and state, and the prospects of peace with the West.

This research shows that most Muslims in the world admire the West for its technology and democracy. They support freedom of speech, the rule of law, and the transparency of government. Even in places like Iran and Saudi Arabia, only very small percentages said they admired nothing about the West. But what most of them disliked most about the West is the lack of proper judgment and restraint. (And no wonder.)

However, the most important thing Americans should understand about Muslims is that only seven percent of Muslims think that the al Queda attacks on the U.S. on September 11, 2001 were completely justified. Furthermore, even those seven percent of Muslims do not think there is any religious justification for suicide bombers and their attacks on civilians. Instead, their attitudes are more revolutionary, in the sense that they are against military imperialism and occupation of Muslim lands by the West, and by Israel. And it is not piety that motivated their responses, but politics and the desire for independence, autonomy, and respect.

Another important thing to understand is that very few of that seven percent are actually the terrorists who do the killing. The leaders who incite murderous terrorist groups are a but a very few, self-important, deluded, power-hungry hotheads. But, it is important that we understand that seven percent of Muslims is 100 million people, and they are sympathetic to those terrorists who are willing to die to fight Israeli and American occupation and imperialism.

That is why Americans and Israelis need to fully understand that, and redress the grievances that so many Muslims have (see the page on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict). For only when amends are made and Muslim grievances are redressed, and only when the minority of misguided Muslims follow True Islam rather than bigoted, hypocritical hatemongers and warmongers, will we have peace.

Now, we also need to understand why certain Muslims sects misunderstand or ignore certain core teachings of the prophet Muhammad, (just as certain sects of Christianity misunderstand or ignore certain core teaching of the Christ Jesus, and just as certain sects of Judaism misunderstand or ignore certain core teachings in their religious scriptures). 

You see, the militant, murderous hypocrites who only claim to be Muslims ignore the fact that the Mohammed's Qur'an makes it very clear that Islam does not cancel out the messages of previous prophets, such as Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, David, Solomon, Enoch, and Jesus. In fact, the Qur'an commands Muslims to speak with great courtesy to Jews and Christians, because they "all believe in the same God" (29:46).

They also ignore that the Qur'an condemns violence and aggression, and holds that killing is always a great evil (2:190 and 2:217). Moreover, they ignore the fact that even though the Qur'an does permit a war of self-defense to fight foreign invasion and persecution, when the Prophet Mohammed had it written, one of his main purposes was precisely to stop indiscriminate killing!

The Qur'an states quite clearly that warfare is not the best way of dealing with difficulties and conflict. It says that the faithful should "argue (with unbelievers) in the most kindly manner, with wisdom and goodly exhortation."

It does say that, if attacked, the faithful may retaliate in an appropriate way that is proportionate to the wrong suffered. However, it also says that tolerance is far more advisable than retaliation. It says: "To bear yourselves with patience is far better for you, since God is with those who are patient in adversity." (16:125- 127) Indeed, it even says it is a meritorious act to "be charitable and to refrain from retaliation." (5:45) It is very similar to the teaching of Jesus, which advises us to "turn the other cheek" rather than retaliate by striking back.

The Qur'an also makes it clear that Mohammed's mission was not to create a new world religion, but to bring the religion of Abraham and Jesus to the Arabs, because they had no prophet before Mohammed, and they had no scriptures in their own language.

Furthermore, Mohammed made it very clear that he was not founding a religion to which everyone had to belong. According to the Qur'an, "There must be no coercion in matters of faith" (2:256), so coercion or the imposition of religion on unwilling people or all citizens is not permitted. If people disagree with a Muslim, he is to say: "Unto you your moral law, and unto me, mine." (109:6) In fact, in the Qur'an, as in Jewish and Christian scriptures, there is an emphatic prohibition of imposition, force and compulsion in religious matters (which is something the imposing American Christian Right really needs to learn and abide by).

Additionally, we need to understand how and why most religious sects, whether they call themselves Jews or Christians or Muslims, misunderstand prophecy, and how and why they have been misled, divided, and pitted against each other.

Of course, there are an incredible number of false beliefs about how prophecy will be fulfilled. Each religion and each of their religious sects have different ideas about it. But, many Jews believe in the imminent coming of a Mashiach King, just as many Christians believe in the imminent "second" coming of the Christ Jesus, this time as a Superman King. And some Muslim sects believe in the imminent coming of an "Imam Mahdi," a messiah-like figure who will come just prior to the "second coming" of the Christ. Moreover, they believe that Jesus and the Imam Mahdi will then rule the world together.

Even worse, many proud and militant Jewish Zionists erroneously believe that only a "holy war" will bring desired results. Similarly, many proud and militant Muslims, like many proud and militant Christians, erroneously believe there must be a "final holy war between good and evil" (as they judge it), and it doesn't seem to matter to some of them whether the "evil" they judge is another sect or faction of their own religion, or another religion, or all other religions.

Therein lies the problem, because aside from the fact that most of them have false expectations about the Mashiach-Messiah and the Mahdi and the Christ, they simply do not understand that killing is wrong, and that only good can overcome evil, only love can overcome hate, and two wrongs do not make a right. They do not realize or understand that they should judge not, lest they be so judged, and, if they are tempted to judge, they should love even those they judge as their enemies, because their enemy is a reflection of their very selves.

That is Universal Truth, which is made very clear in Judaic Scriptures (the Torah and Tanach). It’s also made clear in the Christian Gospels, and in the Qur’an (Koran), just as it is made clear in the scriptures of all other religions. But religious hypocrites ignore that, and they pick and choose certain isolated words in their scriptures to justify themselves.

Now, it should also be understood that the false Muslim expectations and beliefs about a "Mahdi" were created because of a misunderstanding of Jewish, Christian and Islamic prophecies. And that’s because very few Jews and Christians really understand how prophecies will be fulfilled either, and the misunderstanding is shared amongst most Muslims.

Just as many Jews and Christians have been misled by the inaccurate opinions of men who only thought they served God, many Muslims have been misled by certain parts of the writings of the disciples and/or later followers of Muhammad (Mohammed). Therefore, they have the wrong idea about the Christ and the Mahdi. They do not realize there will be no "second coming" of the Christ Jesus, nor will the Imam Mahdi come in person. In fact, the prophesied one, this son of man, serves and represents the Ancient One (the Spirit-Consciousness of the Christ, Mahdi, Moshiach Messiah, Avatar, Buddha, Saoshyant, Sage, etc. in heaven). And, in a larger sense, the Ancient One’s Spirit of truth will increasingly influence us all, from within.

Part of the problem is that much of the "Islamic" doctrines that have caused conflicts, and are still causing conflicts, stem from writings not in the Qur’an. For example, the Hadith or Hadiths are writings by followers of Muhammad. Some were apparently written by those who had known Mohammad. But some were written by those who had heard what his companions had said, and are merely hearsay. And some were written as late as three centuries after Muhammad’s death. And yet, like the gospels in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, the Hadiths are revered as "gospel truth." And they are considered by some Muslims as a major source of religious law and moral guidance, second only to the authority of the Qur’an, the scriptures for which Muhammad was actually responsible.

Then there is Wahhabism, the dominant Muslim sect in Saudi Arabia, which is radically ultraconservative and puritanical. It is based on an absurdly literal interpretation of the Qur’an and the Hadith, promoted originally by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab. He hated the Ottoman Sunni Muslims and claimed they did not follow "true" Islam, and his followers killed any Muslim who did not accept Wahhab’s intolerant, puritanical version of Islam. Wahhab personally stoned a woman to death, and his followers also banned music and flowers, forced men to grow beards and women to be veiled and secluded, in spite of the fact that the prophet Muhammad made no such demand or recommendation.

Of course, there are other Muslim sects or groups, like Hamas, Hezbollah, the Taliban, along with the Wahabis and others, which are also misled, some of them terribly.

Nevertheless, most Muslims, like most Christians, are good people, and it is only the arrogantly proud, militant, misguided few who are causing the conflict and violence. Unfortunately, as we've seen, those few can create horrendous havoc, death and destruction. That's why everyone needs more understanding of the situation, and the history of Islam. In fact, it is crucial that people in the West and in Israel be educated about true Islam, so they can encourage and join true Muslims in speaking out to expose the false, hypocritical, militant bigots who only claim to be Muslims.

We all need to understand the differences between Shiite and Sunni extremists, because it is complex. Each of them believe that the other sect is part of the "evil" they must destroy so that prophecy will be fulfilled. And, because the Shiites and Sunnis are the largest Muslim sects, we need to understand their history and beliefs.

We should start by looking at why the rebel Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada Sadr was able to gather a so-called "Army of the Mahdi" after American forces removed Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq, and why Sadr was able to muster them around the Shiite's holiest shrine, the golden-domed "Imam Ali Mosque" in Najaf, the tomb of the Prophet Muhammad's son-in-law, Ali.

Along with that, we should look at and understand why Sadr and his army have been so ready to fight to the death both the "infidel" American occupiers and the "infidel" Sunnis.

According to Reza Aslan (a Muslim Iranian-American Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School, and a writer whose books include No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam), the schism and conflict began in the year 680 in Karbala, where the Prophet Mohammed's son-in-law Ali's son, Husayn, along with most of the prophet's family, were brutally massacred by the forces of the Syrian Caliph, Yazid I.

According to Aslan, that happened because when Mohammed's son-in-law Ali died, the caliphate (leadership) of the whole Islamic/Muslim community had passed to the then- governor of Syria, Muawiyah (Yazid's father). That was according to a power- sharing agreement meant to ensure that when Muawiyah died the caliphate would once again belong to the family of the Prophet Muhammad, and that Ali's son, Husayn, would become the Caliph. However, Muawiyah reneged on the agreement. After transforming the Muslim community into a united, expanding, dominant Arab-Muslim kingdom of enormous wealth and power, he then instead named his son Yazid heir to his throne.

Of course, there are other scholars who submit that even thought the massacre of Husayn (or Hussein) in Karbala is one of the most significant events of Shiite history, the schism in Islam is much older than that. They believe that the problems started when Muhammad was still alive and there was rivalry among his followers regarding future control of Islam. Believing that there must be a ruler, some thought that the next one should be an elder close to Muhammad, while others thought that Muhammad’s young son-in-law Ali should be the next ruler. There are even some reports that one of Ali's confidants wanted to just go and ask Muhammad about it while he was still alive, but Ali said no because if Muhammad rejected the idea Ali could never be the ruler.

Whatever the case, Muawiyah’s betrayal had dire consequences. Throughout the Islamic Empire, and particularly in Iraq and Iran, a large group of non-Arab Muslims banned together as the "Shiatu Ali" (the Partisans of Ali). They rose up in revolt, and they asked Ali's eldest surviving son, Husayn, to lead them in battle against Yazid, who they believed was a false Caliph.

But Husayn didn't make it, because Yazid's army intercepted and massacred Husayn and nearly every last member of the Prophet Muhammad's family. That's what split the Muslim community into two major factions. One was the sect now known as the Sunnis, who believed Yazid was the legitimate Caliph, and the other was the Shiatu Ali (who later became the Shiites), who believed that Ali's son Husayn should have been the rightful heir to the Prophet Muhammad's authority.

Four years after the massacre, some of the Shiatu Ali gathered secretly at Karbala to mourn the death of Husayn, and also to atone for their failure to protect him. Then more of the Shiatu Ali began gathering at Karbala, and gradually they became a new sect of Shiites and established the belief that Husayn willingly sacrificed himself in a "holy" war for justice against the tyranny and oppression of a false Caliph (Yasid). They exalted Husayn as a holy martyr, even though Husayn was merely the son of the son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad. They didn't realize that the "mantle" of religious authority does not pass from men to their relatives. It's not inherited. It is purely a gift from God only, and it is given only to called, spiritually anointed servants, prophets and messengers who are chosen by God.

Due to their misunderstanding, a huge gap between the Shiites and the mainstream "orthodox" Sunnis was created. And one of the big differences was the Shiite notion of atonement through sacrifice, because they came to believe Husayn's martyrdom at Karbala, like Jesus' sacrifice at Gethsemane, was predetermined by God. They celebrate his martyrdom every year with festivities that include passion plays about Husayn's "martyrdom," and they even conduct absurd demonstrations in which participants flog themselves or otherwise punish themselves in some way, thinking it's a religious act of contrition and atonement.

Most Sunnis believe such acts go against the original principles of Islam. They believe that Muhammad's Qur'an does not require any such acts to achieve salvation. They believe only God can forgive sins, and they reject the idea that Shiite Imams can act as intermediaries between Allah and those who worship Allah. In other words, Sunnis reject the idea that Shiite Imams and Ayatollahs are divine. And they are quite right about that, because they are not, just as Christian clergy and Catholic priests, bishops, cardinals and popes are not "divine beings." They are only human, and no human has ever been or ever will be divine or holy. Only God/Allah is the Divine Holy One.

The Shiites, on the other hand, believe that the Qur'an "speaks" to them in a way that is not understood by Sunnis. Like the early Christians who sifted through the Hebrew Scriptures looking for anything that might possibly be interpreted as a referral to Jesus, the early Shiites sifted through the Qur'an looking for references to justify their beliefs. They gradually came to believe they are the recipients of a secret knowledge passed down from God to Muhammad, from Muhammad to his son-in-law Ali, from Ali to Husayn, and then down to the rest of the "holy" Shiite Imams and Ayatollahs. But that is simply not true.

Sunnis correctly believe an Imam is simply the person who stands at the head of the mosque and leads the congregation in prayer, while the Shiites believe the Imam and the Ayatollah are divinely guided leaders and embody the living spirit of the Prophet Muhammad and Allah. The Sunnis consider that to be heresy. In fact, the Sunnis believe it is blasphemy to consider any human being divine, because only Allah (God) is divine and holy. And they are quite right about that.

The Shiites counter that they do not believe the Imam is equal to God. But they do believe that, like Christian Saints, the Imam is above the rest of humanity and may even be prayed to. They believe the Imam's authority is derived from his connection to the Prophet Muhammad, and they believe the line of Imam's will ultimately culminate with the expected one who would be known as the Imam Mahdi. But they are wrong about all that as well, just as some Christians are wrong in praying to those regarded as saints. We should not pray for the ears of men, nor should we pray to men. As Jesus said, we should pray in secret to our God who hears us in secret.

Now, many Muslims believe the Imam Mahdi will be a messianic figure who will return at the "end times" after a "final war of good against evil" to usher in a time of peace and justice. Like many Christians who believe in the "second- coming" of Jesus, they believe it will be an apocalyptic event preceded by wars, earthquakes, famines, and false prophets.

The truth, however, is that while the terrible tribulation we are suffering through was foretold, and while wars and the seven plagues and many other terrible things have certainly occurred prior to the coming of this son of man, as was prophesied, the "Apocalypse" is misunderstood. As I've said, it is about the uncovering, revealing and unveiling of the real meaning of prophecy, and about the judgment from God and the Spirit of truth. But in spite of that, nearly all Muslims believe they can judge, and that there must be a "Great Jihad" and the utter destruction of their enemies. They believe that following the Jihad the Mahdi will be the harbinger of the return of Jesus, and that then both prophets will rule the world together. But they grossly misinterpret and misunderstand real prophecy, because God wants us all to love one another and share the throne in God's New World Kingdom, where only God in heaven reigns Supreme over heaven and earth.

It should be understood that the Christ and the Mahdi, like the Avatar and the Buddha, etc., are one with the Ancient One who is with God in heaven. Anyone on earth who claims to be the Christ or Mahdi or Avatar or Buddha or Saoshyant, etc., is a pretender, and anyone claiming to know where "He" is in this world has been misled and does not know the real truth. The Ancient One-Oversoul-Christ-Avatar-Buddha-Mahdi is in all of us, but we have to receive the ultimate gift from God to realize it.

That will happen very gradually, and more and more people will see the Light and realize what is within us. But, it happens when we least expect it, when the separate-self ego is transcended and the seven seals of revelation and the seven chakras are opened in us. Then our spirit-soul is drawn up to meet and be as one with the Ancient One, who was "before Abraham," who was in the beginning, who is now and shall always be in heaven with our spiritual Creator-Parent-God. And when we receive that gift, we are actually spiritually reborn.

Unfortunately, very few members of the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) have realized that. And the Sunnis and Shiites differ in their beliefs about the role of the Imam Mahdi. The biggest difference is that the Shiites believe that the Mahdi's role would be to avenge the unjust killing of Husayn and his followers by the Sunni authorities at Karbala. That is why the rebel Shiite warmonger Muqtada Sadr was able to gather his "Mahdi Army"after the fall of the tyrannical Sunni dictator, Saddam Hussein, and take control of the sacred cities of Kufa, Karbala, and Najaf in Iraq. Sadr exploited traditional Shiite beliefs by masquerading as the herald of the coming Mahdi, and by fighting the "prophesied Jihad" ("holy war") prior to that coming. But Sadr is in fact a false prophet, just as surely as certain people masquerading as "Christian Authorities" and "Jewish Rabbinical Authorities" are false prophets.

Unfortunately, Sadr's so-called Mahdi Army is capable of becoming more of a problem, and the conflict between those Sunnis and Shiites who are radical, arrogantly proud and militant could get worse. Their civil war is partly because of that history, and partly because the tyrannical dictator Saddam Hussein was a Sunni who oppressed, persecuted and even murdered many of the Shiites. Shiites want to take revenge, not only for Husayn's murder, but for SaddamHussein's murderous tyranny.

Both the Sunni and Shiite factions need to realize the extent to which they have been misled, because they are both incorrect and wrong to a certain extent. They are both wrong particularly about killing, because Muhammad said killing is always evil, especially indiscriminate killing. Both Sunnis and Shiites misunderstand prophecy, just as many Jewish and Christian factions misunderstand prophecy. They all need to understand that the so-called "mantle of divine authority" did not pass from David or Jesus or Muhammad to anyone else by blood line or inheritance or discipleship. It just does not happen that way. It is not passed on or inherited from men. It's given as a gift from God only, given to individuals who are truly called and anointed by the Holy Spirit and then chosen by God when they have proven they are worthy. For while many are called, few are worthy to be chosen by God, who knows all.

The Shiites need to realize that their Imams and Ayatollahs are not "holy" men, just as no other religious clergy are "holy" men, and they are not authorized by God to dictate the affairs of their people. They should be modern servants of God/Allah, who desire that ALL men and women be equal partners, and that all human beings be united, empowered and liberated from the rule of self-important individuals. But they are not servants of God and the people. They are, in effect, dictators. For example, on June 13, 2009, the "Supreme Ayatollah" of Iran endorsed the re-election of President Ahmadinijad, validating it as a "divine assessment," in spite of the fact that the election results were unclear and questionable, and it is quite obvious that huge numbers of Iranians wanted change and freedom from suppressive rule. And it was shameful that the government immediately began to use violent force to squash dissent and protest, and sensor the news on television so that the country would not see the police riots in the streets, which injured many and even killed some demonstrators.

Now it should be understood that the roots of this conflict go back more than a half century. During the second world war, the pro-American Shah of Iran was able to maintain and expand his power with significant financial and military help from the U.S. But, many Iranians were negatively affected by the Shah’s abuse of power and they resented U.S. support of the Shah. That resentment grew after the U.S. CIA engineered a kind of coup in 1953, playing a significant role in orchestrating the overthrow of Iran's popular Prime Minister, Mohammed Massadegh. The U.S. Government’s actions were mainly to protect the interests of American oil companies and to address other strategic concerns, but the coup was clearly a setback for Iran's political development. And it is very understandable that many Iranians continue to resent America’s intervention and meddling in their internal affairs.

The Shah, with American support, enacted various controversial policies, including the banning and suppression of any dissent or opposition. By 1978 the Shah’s forces had silenced as many as 2,200 political prisoners, many of whom were tortured. By 1979, political unrest became so great that it was transformed into an outright revolution which forced the Shah to leave Iran after 37 years of rule. Soon thereafter, the revolutionary forces led by Ayatollah Khomenei transformed the government into an Islamic republic.

According to a historian who was born and raised in Iran, Khomenei had been living in exile in Paris and had promised that if and when he was the Supreme Ayatollah in Iran it would be a democratic, parliamentary country, and that the job of clergy would not be theocratic but would merely provide counsel. But, after the revolution Khomenei betrayed his supporters and he ordered the killing of many of those who had started, fought and won the revolution for him. Thus by deception and then murder Khomenei established a Shiite theocracy with him as the "divine ruler" (Supreme Ayatollah). And the present one, Ali Khamenei, who succeeded Khomenei in 1989, has been spouting radical anti-American and anti-Israel rhetoric ever since.

Americans should now realize why, because his feelings about the U.S. are somewhat valid. He is well aware of the long history of self-interested U.S. meddling. He is well aware that the American media has been predicting the defeat of Ahmadinijad and was creating expectations of it before the election. And he is also well aware that the U.S. CIA has been working covertly in Iran to provide considerable support to radical Iranian groups that have been trying to bring about the downfall of Ahmadinijad and Ali Khamenei.

That’s been documented. The renowned investigative journalist Seymour Hersh revealed his findings on the Bush Regime’s covert operations inside Iran, which were and still are waged by U.S. operatives in Iran to stir up foment and provide support for the anti-Iran terrorist organizations Jundallah and MKO. So Obama must stop such activity, if he means what he says about honesty and mutual respect.

However, even though there are some very valid reasons for Ali Khamenei’s feelings because of troublesome U.S. and Israeli actions, the Shiite Supreme Ayatollah is not a true Muslim who understands the will of Allah. He wants to pontificate, impose his own will, and falsely assumes "divine" authority.

Of course, there are other Muslim sects that are far worse. The worst example is al Queda, whose members commit indiscriminate mass murder, beheadings, etc. And needless to say, their claim that they serve Allah is utterly false and hypocritical. Everyone in the world, except the next worst "Muslim" sect, can see that.

The next worse sect, of course, is the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan, who have proven themselves to be murderous thugs who kill for power and control, and falsely claim to be servants of Allah.

But, Americans should remember that the U.S. is largely responsible for their rise to power in the first place, along with the rise to power of Osama bin Laden and al Queda. That was back in the late 1980s when the U.S. provided financial and military support to the "Mujahadin" (which means Islamic Freedom Fighter) who were fighting Russian military imperialism. And, while the U.S. support enabled the Mujahadin to drive the Russians out, it enabled the Taliban and al Queda to take over afterward. That’s when the "Mujahadin" stopped being freedom fighters, and instead became cruel Taliban oppressors and murderers, killing for power.

Even so, Americans should realize that even though the Reagan Regime was nearly as foolish as Russia in what they did in Afghanistan in the late 1980s , the U.S. can now redeem itself and help the Afghanis achieve freedom, if possible. But, the U.S. must not continue the Bush Regime’s policies, which have proven counterproductive not only because they enabled and allowed corruption in the governing of Afghanistan, but also because they were careless in their military policies. Now, even though it may be too late, the U.S. needs to stop causing so many civilian deaths and maimings by senseless bombing in both Afghanistan and Pakistan, and stop ignoring local customs in their rude invasions of households in their searches for Taliban and al Queda criminals. The U.S. forces must try to gain the total support of the civilian population by showing respect and rectifying the mistakes of the Bush Regime.

Regarding the whole Israeli-Palestinian-Muslim-Christian conflict and the Sunni- Shiite conflict, here is the bottom line: We will be able to establish lasting peace in the world only when all Jews, Christian and Muslims understand that they were meant to be and actually are a family of religions; that there is indeed One God, One Holy One, the Supreme Universal Consciousness. Whether they call God Yahweh or Jehova or Elohim or Allah, God is God by any other name, and God wants us all to love one another as brothers and sisters, and to treat others as we would have others treat us if we were them. It is as simple (and as difficult) as that. They must obey God's Will, or they will continue to suffer the pain of disobedience and the consequences of their misguided, egocentric, ethnocentric folly and iniquity. God wants them to love their enemy.

You see, in most cases your enemy is a reflection of your Self. That’s part of the reason why we should abide by the golden rule and the universal divine imperative. And since many people have not done that, they must make amends, provide restitution, and reconcile their differences. And we all must ensure that justice prevails and all parties are treated fairly.

Regarding the war in Iraq, we have to realize that there are actually two wars. One is Bush’s War, made worse by the original "insurgency" that started when radical Sunni and Shiite Muslims began fighting guerilla warfare against the American occupation. The other war is a civil war between the Sunnis and Shiites.

Regarding Bush's war in Iraq, most reasonable people would concede that it was indeed a good deed to remove Saddam Hussein from power, and it has been good that American forces have helped Iraqis to begin establishing democracy. It has also been good that they have helped to begin to restore what the initial American bombing raids destroyed. However, the United Nations should have done what needed to be done in the first place. And, failing that, the U.S. government should have let the U.N. handle it following the initial American invasion of Iraq, with a truly international peace-keeping force that includes Arabs and Sunni and Shiite Muslims. (Read the issue page on Bush’s Real Record, which includes the real motivation for Bush’s War, and what we should do about it now.)

As for the Sunni-Shiite civil war, that will cease as soon as they both start following the teachings of their prophet and those who preceded him, and stop choosing isolated words and phrases from the Qur'an to try to justify their evil, murderous activities. They must start acting like real Muslims instead of bigots, hypocrites, criminals and murderers. And that also goes for the thugs, gangsters and murderers who call themselves the Taliban in Afghanistan, and for others who do the same thing in other countries where misguided Islamic sects work iniquity and cause conflict, division, violence, death and destruction. They are bigots, hypocrites and murderers, and their followers should ignore them and repent.

But don't get me wrong. I fully understand and sympathize with most Arabs and Muslims, and especially Palestinians, because they have very legitimate grievances against England, the U.S.A., and Israel. Palestinians have been terribly and outrageously wronged ever since 1917, and the injustices increased enormously in 1948 when the modern State of Israel was established. The injustices increased more since the 1967 war, and even more recently in all outrageously unfair criminal violence, killing and destruction the Israeli military has inflicted. Two wrongs do not make a right, and violence and toughness only begets more reciprocal violence and toughness. I discuss those issues my books, and I suggest how we might address all the grievances to finally bring peace to the region.

Of course, U.S. and Israeli offenses do not justify the murderous activities of misguided Muslim extremists. There is no excuse for murderers. The only time killing is justified is when it is to protect the life or lives of those in imminent danger of being killed or cruelly oppressed and persecuted. Those who commit indiscriminate murder of people just because they are of a different nationality or religion or religious sect or race, are an abomination in the sight of God. It doesn't matter whether the murderers call themselves Muslims, Jews or Christians. They are NOT "holy warriors" or "holy crusaders" or "jihadists," but evil murderers.

In other words, all sides in these battles have been wrong in certain respects. And it is crucial that Israel repent and stop the offenses, incursions and atrocities she has been committing for so long against her neighbors, and make amends. And radical, violent, murderous "Muslim" hypocrites must also repent and stop their evil warfare.

The "Christian" Right in America must also repent and start acting like real and true Christians instead of divisive bigots, hypocrites, and militaristic, imperialistic theocrats, who not only want to rule America and the world, but also blindly support Israeli Zionism even though it is grossly unfair to Arabs and Muslims.

The message from the Spirit of truth will provide significant help to expose and stop them, but it will also take authoritative good Jewish and Christian and Muslim voices to speak up to help tell the truth to expose the bigotry, hypocrisy and error of the false and spiritually blind shepherds who lead their flocks astray into violent conflict. I’m sure Barack Obama will help significantly. But, only the message and enough good people speaking up to validate the message will reduce the followers of the false, misguided Jews and Christians and Muslims. For once they are fully exposed, they will eventually have no followers at all.

As I said at the top, it is important to keep in mind that most Muslims simply want the West to respect them as much as most of them respect the West. That will require many Christians and Jews to admit to their prejudices, religious bigotry, and hypocrisy, while it will require many Muslims to admit to theirs as well.

So, all good people must stand up and speak up, and spread the word about the message from the prophesied Spirit of truth and all other sources of truth. That's the only way things will change.