Caer Abred

The word "islam" I believe means "surrender". The essense of Islam is to surrender to the Will of Allah. Something that has taught me much.

For all the intellectual sophistication and technological power of humanity, reality really is beyond my power to control and comprehend. Any power or sophistication I possess is reduced to its proper perspective. Even the gods themselves cannot avoid being humbled by this.

In surrendering, I do not give up my power or sophistication as a passive subject but I become in awe and am inspired to value my life as though each breath becomes a tiny precious link with this vastness. My ephemeral life becomes eternally valuable to me.

Also at some moments I can do nothing except to offer Almight Nature/Allah a prayer; "Thy Will be done." And my anxiety, fear or distress dissipates, at the very least for a moment, at the very most for the rest of my life.

This idea also attracts me. Although I don't beleif in Allah, the idea of surrender to Nature is an interesting one: to just accept that it made me and will destroy me, and to not have a problem with that.

I love the abstract geometric designs of Islamic Art. Oh, and they helped 'preserve' the great knowledge of greek philosophy and medicine where the Christians may have lost it.

And Sufism - Islamic Mysticism - has some really inspiring elements.

And regarding those standard muslim complaints (they have very long memories): the Crusades were bloody invasions of a middle eastern country on what turned out to be the flimsiest of political and ideological pretexts ....Of course that could never happen again

And no modern and sensible Western leader would ever again describe a political/miltiary campaign involving such an area of the world as 'a Crusade'. Unless of course they were G W Bush....

The patterns all intertwine and interrelate. I love them too.

Sufism, if you listen to genuine practitioners, it is wonderful. Love is the central theme and everything else is a spin-off. We could readily use more of that. I even know some local practitioners who hail from what is now Iran, who center their earth centered building and architectural learning centers, around Sufism. Interdependence and cooperation of elements, Natural and flowing. Very nice work.

Many of us shuddered when "dubya" first stepped into the spotlight. Some folks wont let us stop shuddering. I apologize to the planet for my failure to do more than I could to keep him from doing as much harm as he did.

Come, come, whoever you are,

Wanderer, idolater, worshiper of fire,
Come even though you have broken your vows a thousand times,
Come, and come yet again.
Ours is not a caravan of despair.
Rumi

'The Message' is a fascinating film ,made in 1976, that portrays the beginnings of Islam. It was funded mostly by Libya and is completely told from a pro-Islam perspective and while it is not particularly special in production terms for its time it is still fascinating to see this story portrayed on film.

The one thing that spoils it is the slavish adgerence to the requirement not to show Mohammed. You neither see him or hear his voice and at times different characters in effect stand in for him, in particular Anthony Quinn.

Nevertheless a highly interesting film for those interested in religion. A particular highlight is the entrance into Mecca of Mohammed's army, which is very atmospheric.

It is in 20 parts starting here: