Islam's Problem With The Human Body.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was in Rome on Monday to solidify relations with Italy. In the wake of the revolutionary multi-national nuclear deal with Iran that saw the removal of crippling economic sanctions, this was largely a friendly visit to normalize dialogue between Iran and one of Europe's biggest power players.

Unfortunately, for all of their supposed prestige and sovereignty, it seems the Iranian president and his delegation simply couldn't handle the sight of naked statues.

In the lead up to a press conference between Rouhani and Italian Premier Matteo Renzi at the Capitoline Museum, officials within the Italian government decided cover up various nude statues within the facility. They were afraid that the nude sculptures would offend the Iranians, taking into consideration their Islamic beliefs.

Yet again, the Islamic faith proves itself to be archaic and ridiculous.

Not only was art censored for Rouhani, but alcohol was also restricted from being served at an official state dinner held in his honor.

How can anyone take seriously someone of such a sensitive and shallow nature? Is Rouhani not a grown man? Does the sight of a naked man or woman send his brain into total meltdown? Can someone else not drink an alcoholic beverage in his presence without inciting a holy war?

Obviously, the answer is no. And yet, this man is to lead an entire nation.

This is yet another skid-mark in the long and winding catastrophe that is the Muslim existence. The human body is only offensive if you demonize it through shame and ridicule. Though, considering the stone-age dogma preached within the Quran, that's the harsh reality of this ordeal. There are billions of Muslims on this planet that aren't comfortable in their own skin. They disparage the female image especially -- hiding it in varying degrees from one country to the next. This is no way to live life, dreadfully afraid of human anatomy.

The image of a naked person is only as offensive as you make it out to be.

Do you find the following image objectionable?

Liberals Must Admit Islamic Terrorism Exists.

An ISIS parade in the Syrian town of Tel Abyad.

I'm a fairly progressive guy. Any of you that know me are well aware of this fact. As such, I'm not afraid to exercise the rights granted to me by this fair nation. The First Amendment is one of the greatest protections against tyranny that I have as an American. While I might not always agree with US Government policy on matters, both foreign and domestic, I am a staunch defender of this nation and the principles it was founded upon. Thankfully, I live in a country where I am allowed to express my thoughts in a manner free from physical detainment or harm.

Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness -- that's something we can all get behind.

As a progressive, I try my best to promote the notions of equality, justice and constant learning. I want to live in a land where healthcare is available to everyone and administered as a not-for-profit public utility. I want public education to operate in a similar manner, allowing everyone the chance to obtain higher education. I want our roads and motorways to be maintained for our benefit, all the while providing necessary employment to anyone who wants a job. We pay taxes for the common good. If not to support the aforementioned desires, then for what other reason more appropriate? I want women to have full control over their own bodies; contraceptives should always be available and abortion should be the choice of the mother faced with a difficult predicament. Individuals, no matter their gender or race, should be allowed the opportunity to wed in a legal sense, as to provide legitimate defense in matters of healthcare, death and child custody. And yes, I even support the right to worship in whatever manner you see fit, or to not worship at all. I might be an atheist whom dislikes the concept of religion, but I resolutely support a person's privilege to practice it. As long as your religious beliefs don't encroach upon my life, our government or the administration of the public welfare, you can worship however and whatever you want. I support the rights of everyone, whether I agree with them or not.

So what am I getting at?

What I'm trying to illustrate is that I'm about as liberal as a citizen could be. Though, I literally cringe at such a label. I don't like to employ banner-wielding designations when it comes to ideologies. Let a man stand on his own two feet; take him for what he is. His ideas should succeed or fail based upon their own merit. All that considered, I've been called a liberal more than once in the past. For the sake of this article, I'm just going to go with it.

Here's my issue...

You can't take Islam out of the Islamic State.

So many fellow progressives are quick to defend Islam in the face of global terrorism. Such a position exists as a modern tent pole of liberalism. Many will assert that terrorism, like that committed by the Islamic State (aka ISIL or ISIS), is not Islamic in itself. They're not Muslims, just terrorists with a bloody axe to grind. The Islamic State does not represent Islam.

Such progressives couldn't be more incorrect. As a progressive, I wholeheartedly demand better of those whom think like myself. You can't call yourself a progressive and ignore Islamic brutality.

The Islamic State, for all that it stands for, is the living, breathing embodiment of what the Quran prescribes for Muslims. I've thoroughly researched the political and social platforms which ISIS touts. If anything, this terrorist group exerts the message of the Quran in as literal a way as virtually possible. The Islamic State ardently follows the prophecy of Muhammad; they refer to this prerogative as the Prophetic methodology. Being that ISIS is rooted in Salafism, a branch of Sunnism, it subscribes to a reverential emulation of the Prophet and his earliest followers.

Consider the members of the Islamic State as the Amish -- they practice what they preach, down to the very last letter. If you're looking for the group of Muslims that most closely observe the message of the Quran, then ISIS is it.

While I can understand the motivation pushing progressives to detach religion from terrorism, I find their shortsightedness to be terribly harmful. The liberal mind should desire to support freedom from oppression, the right to a fair trial, the opportunity to exist without dogmatic enslavement. ISIS supports the murder of all whom stand in the way of the apocalyptic prophecy laid forth in the Quran. They practice the stoning of women whom are victims of rape; the beheading of those whom don't submit to their supreme authority. Any other group of terrorists which behaved in such a way, were they to be Christian or Jewish or even atheist, would be categorically denounced by liberals as barbaric.

So why does Islam get a free pass?

For far too long, progressive thinkers have turned a blind eye to the Muslim world in the name of religious freedom. Their position being if Muslims choose to subjugate their women as possessions, then so be it. If they choose to murder innocents in the name of their prophet, then so be it. If they choose to shoot little girls in the face because they want an education, then so be it. That is the Muslim way.

I'm here to tell you -- not all cultures are created equal. Some should not be respected or tolerated. This holds especially true for Islam. It is not disrespectful or bigoted to turn a critical eye to Muslim world. What's good for the goose is good for the gander. Islam is no different than Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism or any other religious group. If you're a progressive that supports equality, then you must critically analyze and question all ideologies equally, no matter their origin. Any other way would be hypocritical, verging on farcical nepotism.

Admittedly, the vast majority of Muslims fail to staunchly practice the Quran like the Islamic State. Like most Christians in America, they pick and choose which parts they want to follow to their own comfort or benefit. Most Muslim sects use the Quran more as a guide and less as an instruction manual. I've met and broken bread with Muslims in the past -- they are a polite and caring people. Many are often misunderstood, unfairly because of their language or code of dress. While I don't support the Islamic tendency to treat women as prized treasures to be constantly guarded and shepherded by men of superiority, at least a Muslim woman in America has the option to leave her situation behind should she choose to do so. Muslim women in foreign lands unfortunately do not share in this advantage, though. I certainly hope the Muslim world continues to evolve with a sense of equality and fairness -- many predominately Islamic states have experienced such a revolution, though this is certainly in the minority.

A makeshift memorial outside the Bataclan concert hall in Paris following the terrorist attacks which claimed over 120 people.

I ask all progressives to call a spade a spade. The Islamic State is most certainly Islamic. The terrorism committed by the Islamic State is precisely Islamic terrorism. Don't be afraid to identify injustice where you see it. Most importantly, do not wilt under the pressure of alleged liberals with a subversive and wholly uninformed agenda. To examine Islam is not Islamophobic at all. Call the enemy by its name. Anything less is an exercise in irresponsible cowardice, serving to diminish the forward-looking concept of progressivism.

For more information on ISIS and their pursuits, I suggest reading this in-depth article by Graeme Wood at The Atlantic.

8 Out of 10 Malala Shooting Suspects Secretly Acquitted.

I have a bit of troubling news to share with you concerning Nobel Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai, the young Pakistani girl who took a brave stance against the oppression of the Taliban; a position that nearly ended her life. She has served as a beacon of freedom for people all around the world, but especially for young girls under tyrannical Muslim governments. On October 9, 2012, Malala was shot in the face by a Taliban gunman after she boarded her school bus. At age seventeen, Malala is the youngest ever Nobel Prize recipient. To this day, she continues to fight for equal access to education for all children. The world as a whole owes Malala a massive debt of gratitude.

As pertaining to the assassination attempt, the Pakistani government would later claim to have secretly prosecuted ten men involved with the plot. In April of this year, information was leaked that all ten men were found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment (which is only 25 years in Pakistan).

That information has now turned out to be false.

Only two of the ten men named in the trial show evidence of actually being incarcerated. The other eight defendants were apparently acquitted of all charges. Those eight men have since vanished. In fact, there is now some doubt that those men even exist. The two men whom do seem to exist are under scrutiny as well -- did they even have anything to do with the shooting? No one seems to know.

As to why the shroud of mystery has emerged, one must place blame on the Pakistan government. They failed to correct initial reports about the ten men being found guilty. Personally, this leads me to believe that the initial leak was all just a ruse. Nor did the Pakistan government maintain any record of the trial itself, which is rumored to have taken place in a converted hotel in the city of Paitham.

The government of Pakistan has clearly failed to find justice for Malala Yousafzai. Unfortunately, this is yet another reminder of how the rights of women are all but disregarded in many Muslim countries.

Islamophobia or Bust.

Skyline of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Go ahead... call me Islamophobic.

Coming from the perspective of the modern Western liberal agenda, that may appear to be the case. I don't respect the Islamic way of life. Islam (as a doctrine) promotes the division of economic classes, xenophobia, sexism, female genital mutilation, murder, physical abuse and a host of other terrible things. I digress, though. I am in no way afraid of Islam nor those whom identify as Muslim. In my life, I've met many wonderful Muslims whom were nothing but kind to me. They treated me with respect and politeness. You see, that's the part that perturbed me in the past. How could someone so nice subscribe to a theocracy that has a near infinite number of faults? It makes no sense.

I could show you numerous photos and videos of violent acts committed in the name of Allah. There are more videos of beheadings on the internet than I would ever care to watch -- as if I would want to watch any to begin with. I won't show you such horrors, though. No one should see such a terrible act as a beheading.

You may say...

"But Jared, most Muslims would never commit such heinous acts. Your position is unfair to those people."

And you would be right -- most Muslims would never cut off a person's head or set them on fire. Nor would they use children as martyrs or rape their own daughter.

Here's the issue I have, though.

By being a member of the Islamic faith, you at least partly condone these actions. Through worshiping the Quran as the word of Allah, you agree to the tenets and principles of the religion found within that holy text. Continuing to identify with a group that regularly condones war, rape, murder and martyrdom is highly suspect. All I know is this -- If I were a member of a group that started to rape, pillage and murder, I'd leave that group.

And yes, I realize that many people have no way of leaving their situation, especially in countries that practice Sharia law. To yearn for revolutionary change, but to be stuck in an oppressive society, must be absolute hell.

This routes me back to my question at the beginning of this article. It took me a long time to understand why Muslims, whom are so polite and kind in person, could be members of such a vile ideology. When able to speak independently and without the gaze of other Muslims, the weight of strict adherence to Islam can be lifted. On an individual basis, a Muslim can be free to act like a normal human being. Essentially -- the radical nature of Islam increases in proportion with the size of the population. It's like the old concept of keeping up with the Joneses, but with Islamic undertones. I realize this is only a theory, but it makes sense to me.

Before I go any further, let me clear the air. Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism and even Buddhism are all guilty of atrocious acts in the name of their faith. When it comes to the concept of shared guilt, I feel the same way about Christians; continued adherence to that faith is a consent to child molestation (however painful that truth may be for you to accept, I stand by it). The same goes with the Jews -- being a practicing Jew implies that you're comfortable, at least on some level, with grown men cutting the foreskin off male genitalia (in some cases using their mouth). I'm not just pointing the finger at Islam. I'm merely highlighting how Islam is the chief offender. One theology has to be the worst... and Islam is it.

All theocracies are guilty.

What really pisses me off is the permission given to Islam by the aforementioned Western liberals. A Jew or a Christian can commit a terrible act in the name of their god and a liberal will call them out on their fundamentalism. Yet, Islam somehow catches a free pass. The liberals defend Islam and say that this is "their culture" and we "don't understand". It's as if criticism of Islam is immediately relegated to the realm of racist hate speech. Automatically, I must be a bigot if I call out the nefarious activities of Muslims.

You couldn't be farther from the truth. I'm just calling a spade a spade.

For that matter, why should we celebrate a culture that regularly abuses women? That makes them hide their face? That cuts their clitoris off? That keeps them from holding a job or driving a car? That keeps them from speaking or voting or doing anything to better their condition? Is that a culture we should really be celebrating?

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia

I want to highlight the story of King Abdullah's jailed princesses.

Details emerged last year about four daughters of the recently deceased King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. These four princesses (Sahar, Hala, Jawaher and Maha) have been detained under house arrest for over thirteen years. Why? Because they spoke out against the injustices and crimes they saw around them. Their own father decided it best to lock them away. All this because they wanted to reform conditions for women and prisoners held by the state. What kind of father would do that to his own children? A pretty terrible one, if you ask me.

Yet, King Abdullah has been praised by leaders around the globe as a beacon of peace and prosperity in the Middle East. He has been ushered into the afterlife as a proponent of equal rights and social reform. I am completely appalled by these blind statements of support. Abdullah and the kingdom he ruled with an iron fist is yet another example of Islamic barbarianism. No surprise, given you'd be hard pressed to find any member of the United States government willing to even identify the radicals that enacted the Charlie Hebdo attack as Muslims. The terms of dialogue have steadily changed when it comes to international affairs. No longer will you hear government officials say "Islamic terrorists". Nay, now they've become "radicalized terrorists". Even the Islamic State (commonly called ISIS), has been carefully careened into a secular connotation. Our own president has proposed that ISIS does not represent Islam; they're merely fundamentalist radicals claiming to be Muslim.

Members of ISIS poising for a group photo

Hello! Think, McFly! Think! ISIS, if anything, represents one of the purest interpretations of the Islamic faith. Not only do they believe what they worship, but they practice what they preach! What's even more scary is that polling data of Muslims from around the world regularly shows that support for ISIS is broad and substantial.

A page from the Quran

What do I want you to walk away with after reading this article? I want you to understand that you can criticize Islam and not be a bigot. I don't loathe Muslims -- I dislike the Islamic faith. Never be afraid to speak out against vicious savagery.

Except for Raif Badawi, who has been lashed by the Saudi Arabian government for blogging. He has every right to be afraid.

Art Under Fire - The Charlie Hebdo Assault.

I awoke to the news this morning that artists and creators were under attack... in a very real way.

Charlie Hebdo is a weekly satirical newspaper published in Paris, France. It is globally known for its cartoons and humorous articles which poke fun at the absurdity of religion, ultra-conservatism, politics and ideological extremists. Within the art and comic world, Charlie Hebdo is well respected for their integrity and sense of fairness in criticism. In the past, members of their staff have been attacked by Islamic militants over their cartoons and articles which have depicted various Muslim subjects, including but not limited to their prophet Muhammad. In a 2011 incident, their office building was even firebombed and totally destroyed.

Two of the three gunmen just moments before they murdered a wounded policeman outside the Charlie Hebdo offices. Taken from public security camera footage captured live during the assault.

Unfortunately, tragedy struck their organization again this morning. Twelve French citizens were left dead, of which ten were Charlie Hebdo staff members. Two police officers standing guard outside the building were also slaughtered in cold blood. Another eleven individuals were injured. Eye-witness reports state that the three gunmen whom facilitated the attack were shouting "Allahu Akbar" in Arabic, but also spoke French and said they were "avenging their prophet". As they stormed the offices and took control of the staff, eye-witnesses inside the building provided further gruesome details. Apparently, the gunmen had a specific hit-list of individuals they wanted to eliminate. The barbarians called them out by name one at a time to deliver their wrath. Five of the ten staffers assassinated were artists.

The attackers were swift in their actions. They were masked and carried Kalashnikov AK-47 rifles. As they left the scene of the crime, they exchanged further gunfire with the local police before hi-jacking a new vehicle and fleeing north from the city of Paris. As of this writing, the gunmen have not been apprehended. I will update this article as news develops.

Myself and all artists around the globe take this attack on personal expression and artistic creativity personally. Cartoons are one of the last great bastions of free speech. They convey love, compassion, wisdom, humor, sadness and triumph in a way that anyone can understand, no matter their native tongue. Artists and writers whom create this type of work do so for the love of the medium. The artists and other staff members at Charlie Hebdo did not deserve to die for their craft. I convey my deepest condolences to the families of the dead and injured.

One of Charlie Hebdo's most notorious covers, which depicts a generic staffer of the publication kissing a Muslim man.

We live in a world where individuals do insane acts in the name of their holy deity. Whether Muslim, Jewish, Christian or of any other religion, no one has the right to take the life of another human being because of their beliefs. Much less, to slay someone because of their art work is beyond preposterous... it's disgusting. This type of activity says a lot about the Muslim world. Though the majority of Muslims would not enact such outlandish behavior, their continued adherence to the Islamic cult of death is nearly as shameful.

All I know is this... If I were a member of a group or organization that held other members whom regularly carried out acts of violence, then I would leave said organization. To remain a member is to silently condone such activity, in my opinion.

Religion, no matter the specific faith, is at the heart of this attack and others like it. I won't dance around the facts of the matter. Outdated theology and superstition has repeatedly lead to the death of innocents. We see it over and over again. When will it stop? Most likely, only when humanity has cast aside such childish notions and evolved for the betterment of mankind.

Angels Among Us.

'Elijah Fed by an Angel' by Ferdinand Bol (painted between 1660 - 1663)

I often hear on television and in the news folks talking about angels. Whether as guardian spirits, protectors or holy interveners, angels exist as heavenly beings of pure joy that look out for our well being. They stop someone from dying, or losing a valuable possession. Perhaps they keep a child from being injured... or worse.

For those of you that know me well, you might be asking yourself...

"Why is Jared talking about angels? He's not even religious!"

You'd be correct in your query. I'm not religious. Normally, I wouldn't discuss a matter such as angels, but an event from today compels me to break from the norm.

While taking care of a business-related matter today, I crossed paths with an old, helpless woman. She called out to me from her dilapidated vehicle. "Sir... Sir... Can you help me?" She spoke with a tinge of desperation. I approached and asked what I could do to assist her. Apparently, her vehicle would not start and she hadn't been able to get someone to help her for a while. I raised her car's hood and could immediately see the issue -- her battery was covered with acid corrosion and the engine wasn't getting enough electricity to turn over. Thankfully, she had a soda pop in her car, which I used to clean the corrosion off. From that point, I pushed her car into a position where I could link my battery to her's and try to jump-start it. After a long bout of pushing her boat of a vehicle (a Grand Marquis to be exact) and giving her steering directions, we got things worked out just right. A few minutes later, her engine was running and she was ready to go.

Before she could pull off, she profusely thanked me and offered up $5 for my help. No matter how much I said no, she wouldn't take the money back.

"Young man, God put you here today for a reason. You were my angel."

With that, I smiled, wished her Happy Thanksgiving and she pulled away.

She didn't know anything about me, even my name. Nor did I catch her name. She didn't know where I came from or what my personal convictions were. Yet, her words got me to thinking.

What if angels are real?

Now, I don't mean that in a feathery wings and halos sort of way. But... what if angels walk among us all the time? What if they're sitting next to us on the subway, or standing in line behind us at the checkout register? What if we're the angels we've been looking for?

We can be good to our fellow man. Our actions reflect how we view ourselves and others. We can choose to value each other as equals and provide a hand when asked. We can choose to be the angels we seek, whether you're a Christian, Muslim, Jew, atheist... or anything on the spectrum of personal belief.

As we enter into the Thanksgiving holiday (my most favorite of all), I want to take a moment and show my gratitude to the nameless woman I met today. She taught me an unexpected lesson...

Within each of us is the power to be an angel. We just have to hear the call when asked to be one.