I wonder if his actions in have prompted him to reassess his stance on adultery. May 30, Keith rated it it was amazing Shelves: favorites , political-factual. One of the best books I have ever read. It is rare that I go into an argument where I have very strong opinions on the subject and have my mind changed or my perspective drastically altered, but Dinesh D'Souza made extremely convincing arguments for the most part that I think would convince a lot of people to see things his way.
I read a number of the other reviews of this book, and pretty much all of the people who gave it 1 or 2 stars cited reasons that were exceedingly weak and almost makes One of the best books I have ever read.
I read a number of the other reviews of this book, and pretty much all of the people who gave it 1 or 2 stars cited reasons that were exceedingly weak and almost makes me suspect they didn't read the book. At the very least they read it so set in their opinion that they stubbornly stuck to their opinion no matter what argument was presented.
Some of the topics that made the most impact to me were: 1. The division in America. The difference between cultural right and left is how they view morality. The left says your moral compass comes from within each person.
It is also called the moral of self-fulfillment. It is this perspective that says "it's ok if I'm gay cause that's what I feel inside" or "my actions are justified because they make me happy, regardless of the consequences on others". The right acknowledges an external moral code you should follow, typically from religion. What a number of other reviewers seem to not understand is having an external moral code does not mean people are perfect or that everyone will try and adhere to the moral code.
The external moral code emphasizes that there are certain actions that are wrong, regardless of whether or not people follow the rules. The Islamic radicals are not anti-Christian. D'souza cites letters and sermons given by some of the most radical jihadists that says their problem isn't that America is Christian, but that America isn't Christian enough.
My perspective of why they hate us changed completely. This is the reason, D'souza argues, that they fight us.
I agree with him. The muslims see their religion under attack. If they do nothing, they think the liberals will take over their religion in the Middle East like they are taking over Christianity in America. D'souza spends a great amount of time explaining the Muslim perspective of this conflict, a perspective that I have never heard before.
D'souza details many of the sermons and videos made by jihadists describing why they are fighting us. I was amazed to find that, when I read the actual quotes of what was said by them, I agree with almost all of the accusations they made against America. And it isn't for the reasons that the media always cite, but for liberal ideals being pushed on them like homosexuality being encouraged by the government and abortions being allowed and more readily available when almost all of the population is vehemently against these issues.
D'souza doesn't spend a lot of time gloating over the hypocrisy of the liberals, but when he does point it out I found it very funny. The funniest to me was how many liberals who hated Bush with a passion claimed democracy will never succeed in Iraq because Bush is a despot, a tyrant, and the worst terrorist in the world.
He would never let them have free elections or voluntarily get out or let them make up their own minds on stuff. When Bush did let them have free elections, they elected people who have ideals that the didn't fit with what the liberals wanted.
They elected religous figures who didn't take the stance the liberals wanted. They elected people who were for sharia law and didn't see the women's rights the same way that the liberals do.
It turned out that Iraq wasn't the way the liberals thought it should be because the people their didn't want it to be. Instead of accepting that these people democratically chose their leaders, the liberals basically said they only made those choices because they weren't educated enough or were ignorant about the candidates.
They couldn't accept that these people didn't see things the same way as they do, so they seek ways to force them to believe or at least behave in the ways that they deem appropriate, regardless of their beliefs. This is the funniest thing about the liberal argument. They defend many topics on the grounds that, you can't tell me what is right and wrong. I follow my own inner compass. But somehow they can justify in their own minds going around and telling everybody else what is right and wrong.
But they also go beyond speech, they try and force people to adhere to their beliefs. When they fail democratically, they find ways through the courts. There are many more things I learned from this book, but those are some of the highlights. I think everybody would benefit from reading this.
Regardless of your political stance, if you read this with an open mind, I think you would have a hard time standing firm with whatever belief you currently have. He isn't saying that the jihadists are without fault or that their actions were justified. He is just saying that their emotions and fears are completely justified. As a Christian, I share many of their fears and disgust at what the left thrusts upon us.
My review doesn't do this book justice. Jan 24, Esther rated it it was ok. I do not like the title of this book. Only those who did the deed bear the blame for that particular deed. So I do not like the title. I do not like the title, yet I do think it is good someone has pointed out something that has been overlooked.
These people think I do not like the title of this book. These people think that Americans are in part to blame for such Muslims hating us so much, and that if we acted differently, they would not hate us so much. Act differently, how? Of course they mean not swagger, not be cowboys, not be arrogant. But live in a Muslim part of the world for awhile, and you will know what Muslims most hate America for--its moral decadence. What they hate us for is what they see to be our widespread moral decadence, of course, of which our arrogance is but one part.
Much of what they hate us for are the very things that the American left either supports or at least insists on tolerating fully — sexual licentiousness, open homosexuality, no fault divorce laws, abortion, pornography, free mockery of religion and of devout religious people, and so forth. This is of course a simplistic thesis. There are many complicated reasons, and hatred of American moral decadence is just one of them.
Feb 25, Cami added it Shelves: religion , non-fiction , politics. It has been a long time since I really felt like I learned something from a book advancing a political opinion. This book is a must read for understanding the war on terror and "why they hate us".
It confronts current common explanations in a clear, reasonable way. Basically, D'Souza argues that the war on terror is not a war between Islam and Christianity or even between Islam and the U. Traditional Islam vs. Radical Islam and Traditional A Brilliant! Radical Islam and Traditional America vs. Radical Westerners. He argues that culturally, conservatives Americans and traditional Muslims have so much in common that to win the war against radical Islam will require conservative Americans to ally with traditional Muslims.
He also argues that Islamic extremists have allied with liberals to fight a war against the war on terror. Of course there are elements of the Muslim religion that we can disagree with. D'Souza contends that the most egregious practices that we hear about-honor killings, genital mutilation, abuse of women, etc. To generalize a group of over a billion people by it's most extreme practices is fallacious.
This generalization of America is what turns traditional Muslims against us. They see the Hollywood version of America- sex, drugs, objectifying of women- and assume that American influence will subvert their traditional values. Surprisingly, this book actually gave me hope that we can wipe out Islamic extremism but we also need to fight against the culturally depraved left to do this. It is once again the story of the Silent Majority: good Muslims just trying to live their religion against the loud extreme Muslims trying to establish oppressive Islamic states.
D'Souza, however, shows that such rationales had little or nothing to do with it. Instead, terrorists like bin Laden have been quite vocal in saying that their actions were a retaliatory attack on what they saw as the degeneracy of American culture legalized gay marriage, alcohol and drug abuse, promiscuity, feminism, no-fault divorce.
Americans were their enemies. But he had been trained not to let a man die if he could help him. Hana told him that the servants could not understand it. How did the servants behave after Sadao had operated upon the American? What opinions did they express? The servants grew more watchful day by day. Their courtesy was as careful as ever, but their eyes were cold towards Hana and Sadao.
The old gardener was sore, why Sadao had not let the young man bleed when he was so near the death. The cook remarked contemptuously that being proud of his skill to save life that he saves any life. Yumi added that they must think of the children. What two things happened on the seventh day after that? In the morning the servants left together with their belongings tied in large square cotton kerchiefs.
Hana paid them off gracefully and thanked them for all that they had done for her. In the afternoon, a messenger came to the door in official uniform. How did Hana react when she saw a messenger at the door in official uniform? Hana was working hard on unaccustomed labour.
When she saw the uniformed messenger, her hands went weak and she could not draw her breath. She feared that the servants must have told everything already. She thought that they had come to arrest Dr Sadao. How did Hana react to the message and what did the messenger take exception to? The messenger had arrived there to ask Dr Sadao to come to the palace as the old General was in pain again.
Hana apologised for the error. Why did Dr Sadao tell the General everything about the man he had operated upon? Dr Sadao could not report the arrival of the escaped prisoner at his doorstep. He wanted to get rid of the man for the sake of his wife. He explained his position to the General.
He did not care for that man, but since he had operated upon the man he could not kill him. The General praised his skill, called him indispensable and promised that he would allow nothing to happen to Dr Sadao. Why, do you think, did the old General not want Dr Sadao to be arrested?
Dr Sadao had told the General that he could stand only one more such attack as he had that day. Then he would have to be operated upon. The General wanted Dr Sadao to operate upon him. He had no faith in the other surgeons trained by the Germans. So, he would not let Dr Sadao be arrested. He thought that it would be best if the white man could be quietly killed—not by the doctor, but by someone who did not know him.
He offered to send two of his private assassins any night to his home. These capable assassins would make no noise. They knew the trick of inward bleeding. They could even remove the body. Dr Sadao had to leave the outer partition of the room open and this made restless. Why did Sadao sleep badly at night after meeting the General?
Sadao woke up time and again thinking he heard the rustling of footsteps, the sound of a twig broken or a stone displaced in the garden—or any noise such as men might make who carried a burden. This went on for three nights. Every night Sadao expected the assassins to come and this made him restless.
What plan did Dr Sadao devise to get rid of the man? Dr Sadao devised the plan of letting the man escape to the nearest uninhabited island. He told the man everything. He put his boat on the shore with food and extra clothing. He advised the man to row to the little island not far from the coast.
He could live there till he saw a Korean fishing boat pass by. Dr Sadao had put food and bottled water in his stout boat. He also put two quilts. After supper, he cheked the American again. He gave him his flashlight and told him to signal two flashes if he needed more food. One signal would mean he was OK He had to signal at sunset and not in the darkness. The man was dressed in Japanese clothes and his blond head was covered with a black cloth.
What did Sadao tell the General after a week? Why did he wait that long? The General had undergone an emergency operation a week before. The gall bladder was involved. He was in critical state for twelve hours. Then he recovered slowly. After a week Sadao felt that the General was well enough to be spoken to about the prisoner. He told the General that the prisoner had escaped. What did the General tell Dr Sadao about his promise to kill the prisoner for him?
Dr Sadao did not want to disturb the General much. So he simply said that the prisoner had escaped. The General at once remembered his promise. He confessed that he had been suffering a great deal. He thought of nothing but himself. He forgot his promise, but it was not lack of patriotism or dereliction of duty. The Americans were full of prejudice and he had found it bitter to live there.
The white people were repulsive even in their kindness. It was relief to be openly at war with them. Then he remembered the youthful, haggard face of the prisoner. It was also white and repulsive.
He thought it strange that he spared his enemy. He wondered why he could not kill him. Why did SadaoHoki go to America? What do you learn about his experiences there? So he had been sent at twenty-two to America to leam all that could be learnt of surgery and medicine. He studied there for eight years and returned to Japan at thirty. Before his father died, Sadao had become famous not only as a surgeon, but also as a scientist.
He had had great difficulty in finding a place to live in America because he was a Japanese. The Americans were full of prejudice and it had been bitter to live in it, knowing himself to be superior to them.
An ignorant and dirty old woman at last consented to house him in her miserable home. He found her repulsive to him even in her kindness. One of his American professors and his wife were kind people. They were anxious to do something for their few foreign students.
But their rooms were quite small, the food was very bad, the professor was a dull person and his wife was a silly talkative woman.
There was no limit to their future as it depended on what they made it. He never played or joked with his only son. But he spent infinite pains upon him. For the sake of the best possible medical education, he sent his son to America. Sadao met Hana there, but waited to fall in love with her until he was sure she was Japanese.
His father would never have received her unless she had been pure in her race. He was a Japanese every inch. The floor of his room was deeply matted. He would never sit on a chair or sleep in a foreign bed in his house. In short, everything here had been Japanese to please him. He was an obedient and caring son who had deep regard for his father. He married Hana only after his father had seen her. Their marriage was arranged in the old Japanese way.
They were perfectly happy and had two children. Even years after their marriage they retained the same love and affection for each other. Since Japan was at war with America, they considered the Americans as their enemies. The waves of the ocean had flung up a wounded young American to their doorstep. They wanted to put him back into the sea, but neither of them was able to do so.
They brought the wounded man inside their house in spite of repulsion for him. Sadao had been trained not to let a man die if he could help him. The ethics of the medical profession forced him to save even his enemy.
His wife Hana obeyed all his commands and instructions like a child though she suffered a lot internally. What was the dilemma that Sadao faced when he saw a wounded, young white man washed to his doorstep? The young white man was bleeding. He had a bullet wound on his lower back. He needed immediate medical attention. Dr Sadao, an eminent surgeon, could do so. On the other hand, if they tinned him over as a prisoner, he would certainly die.
Neither of them could put him back into the sea and get rid of him. They were true humanist. So, they hesitated. Sadao declared that being an American, the man was his enemy. He would have handed him over to the police if he had been hale and hearty.
But since he was wounded… He left the sentence unfinished implying that he could not do so as he had been trained not to let a man die if he could help him. Hana suggested that they must carry the man inside the house. She reminded her husband of his position and the children. It would endanger all of them if they did not hand that man over as a prisoner of war. His doubts were removed and they decided to carry the man into their house.
How did Dr Sadao take the man inside his house and try to save him? Dr Sadao and Hana lifted the man together. The man was quite dirty, so Dr Sadao suggested that he should be washed. It was faint, but it was there. He observed that the man would die unless he was operated upon immediately. When Dr Sadao told the cook and the gardener about the wounded young white man, they had brought inside the house, the two servants were frightened and puzzled.
He bluntly told Hana that the master ought not to heal the wound of that white man. Even the maid, Yumi, refused to wash the man though Hana cried at her severely and told her to do what the master had commanded her to do.
The servants seemed to be in a defiant mood. She thought that the servants might report something that was not as it happened. She maintained her dignity and told the maid that they wanted to bring him to his senses so that they could turn him over as a prisoner. Even this explanation failed to convince Yumi and she refused to do anything for the white man.
Dr Sadao not only kept the young white man at his home, but also operated upon him. It was the third day after the operation.
Hana served him herself. Hana told Sadao what the servants had conveyed through Yumi. The domestic staff felt that they could not stay there if their. They accused them of having forgotten to think of their own countiy because they had lived for a long time in America. They thought that their master and mistress liked Americans. Dr Sadao tried to clarify his position as a man and as a doctor. Hana told him that the servants could not understand this subtle distinction.
They were careful in their courtesy as ever but their eyes were cold. The old gardener was the most vocal. He taunted that their master knew very well what he ought to do. He was sore why Sadao had not let the young man bleed when he was so near to death.
The cook remarked contemptuously that the young master was so proud of his skill to save life that he saved any life. Hana is the alter ego of her husband, Dr SadaoHoki. She has adapted herself to his ways. She knows that saving a life is a mission for him and when he is attending on his patient, he forgets everything else—even Hana herself. Even years after their marriage, they retain the same love and affection for each other.
She cared for him a lot and would not let him stand outside in the cold foggy February night. She was a bit sentimental, yet pragmatic in her approach. She maintained her dignity when the servants showed resistance and open defiance.
As an obedient and devoted wife, she carried out all the orders and instructions of her husband. She washed the wounded white man, gave him anaesthesia and later on food. Initially, she suggested to throw the man back into the sea. She was afraid that the servants might misreport. Her fears are exhibited clearly when a messenger in uniform arrives from the palace. In order to calm down her fears, Dr Sadao decides to get rid of the white man anyhow. In short, she is an ideal life partner.
Dr SadaoHoki was a true Japanese like his father. He was a brave boy who obeyed and respected his father and loved Japanese culture, tradition and people. He was intelligent and hard working and studied surgery and medicine in America for eight years. He married a Japanese girl, Hana, whom he had met in America. They had two children.
He still loved his wife as warmly as ever. He returned home at fixed hours. Dr Sadao was an eminent surgeon as well as scientist. The old General had full faith in him. He was not sent abroad with the troops because the old General might need an operation. Dr Sadao was called even at odd hours from the palace.
Dr Sadao was a real doctor. He would not let a man die if he could help him. He faced a great risk to his position and life by sheltering the man. Since Dr Sadao could not kill the man himself, he sought the help of the old General to get rid of him. When that plan failed, he let the prisoner escape in order to calm down the fears of his wife and let the household run properly. Under what circumstances did Dr Sadao let the wounded white man escape? Was it lack of national loyalty, professional ego and sentimentality, human consideration or just an attempt to save his skin?
DrSadao had no love for the repulsive Americans and he considered them his enemies. Unfortunately, the sea-waves pushed a wounded white man to his doorstep. He knew that the best possible thing was to throw him back into the sea.
Being a doctor, he could save him and not kill him. He was under a severe strain. His domestic servants had left him. His wife had to do unaccustomed labour and run the household.
Moreover, his wife was anxious about his safety. They might be arrested for harbouring an enemy prisoner of war and condemned as traitors. Dr Sadao let the man escape in the larger interest of professional ethics and human consideration.
He rose above narrow national loyalty and sentimentality. He did not think of himself as the General had already assured him that no harm would be caused to him. The matter remained unreported and closed from public eyes and ears. Everything became normal again. The old General plays an important role in the story. He is being treated medically for a condition which might need an operation any time. Since he has full faith in Dr Sadao, he is kept back in Japan.
Dr Sadao is indispensable to the General. He assures Sadao that nothing will happen to him and he will not be arrested. She thinks that police has come to arrest her husband. Dr Sadao gets distressed at her anxiety and decides to get rid of the white man for her sake. When Dr Sadao confides in the General, the latter promises to send two of his private assassins to remove the man from the scene.
The old General has an unsual sense of humour as well as frankness and ability to admit his mistake. Dr Sadao keeps on waiting for three nights for the assassins who fail to turn up. In English also Ministry of Education, Govt of India vide letter No. The portal for moderation and finalization of results for Class is being opened from As Board has to declare the result latest by This festival showcases the In view of the current In order to select participants who will be featured in Pariksha Pe Charcha programme
0コメント