Rudyard Kipling"
“When you're left wounded on Afganistan's plains and
the women come out to cut up what remains, Just roll to your rifle
and blow out your brains,
And go to your God like a soldier”
General Douglas MacArthur"
“We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.”
“It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.” “Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.
“The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and be the deepest wounds and scars of war.”
“May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't .” “The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.
“Nobody ever defended, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.
“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.
The Soldier stood and faced God
Which must always come to pass
He hoped his shoes were shining
Just as bright as his brass
"Step forward you Soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't
Because those of us who carry guns
Can't always be a saint."
I've had to work on Sundays
And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny
That wasn't mine to keep.
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep,
The Soldier squared his shoulders and said
And I never passed a cry for help
Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fears.
If you've a place for me here,
Lord, It needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."
There was silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod
As the Soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.
"Step forward now, you Soldier,
You've borne your burden well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."
Memri : Two unusual articles published this year on Saudi websites called to amend scribal errors in the Quran, and also to reexamine religious texts in light of modern perceptions, so as to make them more readable and adapt them to the present age. The articles are exceptional since Muslims regard the Quranic text as divine and therefore perfect. As a result, clear instances of scribal errors in the text have never been amended.[1]
An article published January 10, 2020 by Saudi journalist Ahmad Hashem on the "Saudi Opinions" website pointed out that the Quran as it is known today was written down after the Prophet's lifetime, in the period of the third caliph 'Uthman bin 'Affan (ruled 644-656) using the 'Uthmanic script, which is named after him.
Since this writing system is a human invention, argues Hashem, there is no reason to sanctify it, as many Muslims do. In fact, he says, it is time to correct some 2,500 errors of spelling and grammar that were made by the scribes in that period and remain part of the Quranic text to this day. He presents numerous examples of such spelling mistakes, and calls to rewrite the words in their present-day standard form, so as to "make the text more readable for [present-day] Muslims and more linguistically correct."
A second article was published on July 20, 2020 on the liberal Saudi website Elaph by Jarjis Gulizada, a writer and political analyst of Kurdish-Iraqi origin and the editor of the Iraqi magazine Baghdad. He notes that, during the coronavirus pandemic, for the first time in Islamic history, changes were made to the form of Islamic worship, when Muslims were permitted to maintain physical distance from one another during prayer, instead of praying in tight rows, as the Quran instructs.
This, he says, shows that there is room for flexibility in Islam, and that the same flexibility can be applied to the Islamic texts, which should be reexamined and adapted to modern perceptions, so as to benefit the Muslims and mankind at large.
Mentioning Ahmad Hashem's article, he too argues that it is irrational to treat the 'Uthmani script of the Quran as sacred, and presents further examples of errors that appear in the Quran, in addition to those presented by Hashem.
He calls to publish an amended version of the Quran using modern spelling, because, in its present form, "it is not suitable for the Islamic nation in the modern world, and especially for non-Arab Muslims," and states that this task should be undertaken by Saudi Arabia, specifically by its king and crown prince.
It should be noted that Gulizada's article was removed from the Elaph website following furious reactions on social media, from users who accused the Saudis, and in particular Elaph chief editor 'Othman Al-'Omeir, of insolence and of insulting the Quran.[2]
For example, Kuwaiti academic Dr. Ahmad Al-Dhaidi tweeted: "The Elaph website, directed by Saudi journalist 'Othman Al-'Omeir, calls to rewrite the Quran in order to fix the great mistakes of the 'Uthmani script! Has their contempt reached the point of harming Allah's book?..."[3] The "Towards Freedom" Twitter account, known for criticizing the Saudi regime, stated: "The Elaph [online] paper, managed by ['Othman Al-'Omeir], a close friend of King Salman and an advisor to [Crown Prince Muhammad] bin Salman, demands to rewrite the Quran and reexamine the principles of the Islamic shari'a! The only thing left is to return the idols to the Kaaba." [4]
The following are translated excerpts from Ahmad Hashem's and Jarjis Gulizada's articles.
