CAIRO - The die-hard Muslim fundamentalists, who rigorously adhere to obsolete Islamic teachings irreconcilable with even the Prophet Mohamed's message, are quite perplexing. Externally, their features draw attention to their anachronistic identity: they wear bright white galabiyas, ending a few centimetres above the ankle, and sport jet black beards, which cascade down the chest in striking contrast to the bright white galabiyas. If it weren't for the black beards, the wearers of these galabiyas and turbans would look like angels come down to Earth from Heaven, regardless of their violent attitude to ‘lesser' mortals who reject their die-hard preaching. Open-toed sandals, irrespective of the colour or material, are also commonly worn in the fundamentalists' community. A fundamentalist also draws attention to himself in public by looking very stern. His grim face silences or scares those, whether Muslims or others, who might adopt liberal thoughts. These fundamentalists are fond of Western-made accessories, such as gold watches, which should be deliberately worn on the right wrist, because Islam favours ‘right limbs' to left ones. Wealthy fundamentalists have themselves driven by their chauffeurs in their expensive cars to mass rallies. Needless to say, the majority of the audience, who are poor, are incessantly told by these rich preachers that they should be proud of their poverty and miserable circumstances, which will make them eligible for the dazzling rewards of Heaven. These preachers would surely seem more sincere in their campaign to revive the obsolete tenets of Islam, if they replaced their expensive cars with camels, and their smartly dressed chauffeurs with humble camel riders. Their credibility would be further reinforced if they were to abandon their sumptuous villas for tents pitched outdoors in the style of their ancestors and the beleaguered Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi. Until the recent troubles in his country, the Libyan leader used to carry a big, well-equipped tent around with him on his travels at home and abroad. Gaddafi would rudely reject offers by heads of state of foreign countries who wanted to make him feel at home in their presidential palaces or on their ranches. Like the fundamentalists, Gaddafi, who is desperate to quell the uprising against him in his own country, brands his Western friends of yesterday as ‘infidel Crusaders', while he himself is busy massacring his people, who are calling upon him to step down. Gaddafi, who is accused by the International Criminal Court of masterminding the systematic rape of Libyan women belonging to the opposition demonstrators, is calling upon his people to rally behind him to resist the Crusaders. He used to have a strong relationship with many heads of state in the infidel Europe. Religious indulgence The internal features of fundamentalists are perplexing too: they are impatient to get as much pleasure out of life as possible ��" as long as they indulge themselves ‘religiously'. For example, while they praise young bachelors for braving struggling to control their burning sexual desires, wealthy fundamentalists boast of their polygamy. They treacherously recommend polygamy (for themselves, of course) as the best social mechanism for preventing women from being left on the shelf. If they were sincere about this, they would surely help poor unmarried couples furnish their new marital homes. Just as perplexing is the fact that these Muslim fundamentalists should deliberately refuse the principle of tolerance entrenched in Islam. They groan in a threatening manner, whenever they come across someone whose opinion differs from theirs. An obstinate opponent should be prepared for a painful punch in the face; if he persists in his obstinacy, he could have an ear chopped off, although the other will be left intact, so his hearing isn't impaired. There is a verse in the Holy Qur'an that reminds the Prophet Mohamed (peace be upon him) to argue peacefully and intelligently with his opponents. The Prophet was not told to get angry with the enemies of Islam; nor was he urged to use force or violence to change his society. Islam only recommends the use of force to ward off danger or resist an attack. More ironic is a call launched in the local press and on Facebook by a dyed-in-the-wool Salafist, who has been encouraging shorn Muslims to grow long beards and tuck their heads under the cloak of the Salafists. He is optimistic that one million people will respond to his call in the two months leading up to the holy fasting month of Ramadan. The call goes to show that the fundamentalists are maddeningly interested in external features at the expense of the true values of Islam.
