peak oil - Muslim Perspective

mass · Tar Sands Joined: May 20, 2008 Posts: 40

I am not part of that group or any other group. I listen to what they have to say, consider the evidence and formulate my own opinion. I do not blindly accept or reject any article just because it is from a particular person or group.

I will post the rest of the article later. Maybe a summary as it is approximately 40 pages.

mass · Tar Sands Joined: May 20, 2008 Posts: 40

The Reasons for the High and Rising Price of Oil

At the time of writing oil has reached $146 per barrel, twice as high as one year ago and over 10 times higher than a decade ago with many projecting further increases. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said recently that the sharply rising oil price is "the most worrying situation in the world" after it hit a new record high.

The sharp run up in its price along with most commodities has left commentators aghast and motorists flummoxed. When will these increases end and what will be the eventual level that it reaches? Or is the time of low petrol pump prices never to return? But what is in the price?

Since World War II the US dollar has been the defacto world currency. Reflecting its status as the currency of the main superpower, with the greatest circulation, and backed by the most essential of characteristics – economic stability. Yet events of the recent past have brought the dollar's pre-eminence into question. The dollar is in serious decline. Over the past 5 years it has more than halved in value compared to the Euro (Figure 1)

Similarly against the main basket of world currencies it has also steadily declined (Figure 2).

mass · Tar Sands Joined: May 20, 2008 Posts: 40

This precipitate decline in value is largely due to the American policy of printing more money. Arguably the strongest factor in the dollar woes is the dramatic increase in the US money supply brought about by the Federal Reserve policies of cheap and available credit (a factor in the housing boom then subsequent credit contraction from the sub prime fallout), a policy of spending to “keep the economy out of recession”. This policy is directly related to several other effects. Chief amongst them has been the decline in the value of the dollar, a burgeoning balance of payments deficit ($816 billion per annum), and the growth of the US as the largest debtor nation on the planet (with US government debt in 2007 of $8.9 trillion – US Treasury Department statistics).

*The US department of statistics officially stopped publishing M3 money supply figures in 2006, but the trend is clear from the above chart. US Money supply grew at 17% in 2007 after several years of double digit growth. When money supply soars, so too does inflation and this is now beginning to be felt in western economies. With respect to oil there is an inverse relationship between the value of the dollar and the price of oil. As the dollar declines in value, oil increases in price. However, this increase strongly reflects the decline in the value of the dollar first and foremost.

The price of 100 barrels of oil measured in ounces of gold has remained fairly stable between 5 and 10 ounces of gold for the last 100 years. Whereas, from just 1973 to 2008, the price of a barrel of oil in US Dollars increased by 3,300%. Over the same period the number of ounces of gold required to buy 100 barrels of oil rose by only 18%. It is not oil prices that so dramatically fluctuate but the value of the US dollar, in which oil prices are quoted. This is why some nations are calling for oil to be priced in Euros. Although the Euro and other currencies also suffer from the chronic weaknesses of fiat currencies (currencies which are not backed by tangible assets like gold or silver), the Europeans have managed to control their increases in money supply to an extent.

The importance of the early 1970’s in this analysis must be stressed. In 1971 then President Richard Nixon took the US, and by default, the rest of the world off the gold standard. The US flooded the world with dollars and a period of high inflation ensued. Those factors of high money supply growth, economic uncertainty and high oil prices are now being repeated, yet most commentators then (as now) focus on the price of oil.

A comparison of the price of oil in gold over this period:
In general the trend since 1971 (off gold convertibility) shows a high correlation in the gold and oil prices. However in recent years, the increase in gold prices (in USD) have started to lag the increase in oil prices (in USD). The dramatic increase in gold (in USD) from $35 to $943 over those years also reflects the decline in value of the dollar.

dorlomin · Light Sweet Crude Joined: Aug 05, 2007 Posts: 1126

3aidlillahi · Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2008 4:39 am Post subject: Re: peak oil - Muslim Perspective

dorlomin · Light Sweet Crude Joined: Aug 05, 2007 Posts: 1126

mass · Tar Sands Joined: May 20, 2008 Posts: 40

It is O.K. for the Christians, Jews, Mormons, Hindu’s, Buddhist, Fire Worshipers, Satanist, Pagans and all other human invented religions or deviations to have a World leader but it is not alright for the Muslims to have a righteous spiritual leader? While I may not agree with some of the methodology employed by Hizb Tahrir, the establishment of a Khalifa is a must for all Muslims.

It is clear in the Quran, “there is no compulsion in religion”. Islam took the world out of the darkness of ignorance, tyranny of men and worship of idols to justice and peace.

The world is again stooped in darkness, tyranny and injustice. However, it is now deceptively camouflaged with beautiful worlds, deceptive media propaganda and laws for the rich and powerful. Words such as ethnic cleansing, gay mardi gras, liberation, freedom and democracy are used to commit the most heinous crimes against defenseless civilians. Meanwhile the oil is pumped out of Iraq, while the World is distracted and war instigated amongst the Iraqi people.

In their greed and lust for money and power the West has destroyed the environment. They witnesses a superb plan in the universe -- but fail to see the Planner behind it. They see great beauty and harmony in its working -- but not the Creator. They observes a wonderful design in nature -- but not the Designer!

How can a man, who has so blinded himself to reality, approach true knowledge? How can one who has made the wrong beginning reach the right destination? He will fail to find the key to Reality. The Right Path will remain concealed for him and whatever his endeavors in science and arts, he will never be able to attain truth and wisdom. He will be groping in the darkness of ignorance.

Not only that; Kufr is a tyranny, the worst of all tyrannies. And what is 'tyranny'? It is an unjust use of force or power. It is when you compel a thing to act unjustly or against its true nature, its real will and its inherent attitude.

We have seen that all that is in the universe is obedient to God, the Creator. To obey, to live in accordance with His Will and His Law or (to put it more precisely) to be a Muslim is ingrained in the nature of things. God has given man power over these things, but it is incumbent that they should be used for the fulfillment of His Will and not otherwise. Anyone who disobeys God and resorts to Kufr perpetrates the greatest injustice, for he uses his powers of body and mind to rebel against the course of nature and becomes an instrument in the drama of disobedience. He bows his head before deities other than God and cherishes in his heart the love, reverence and fear of other powers in utter disregard of the instinctive urge of these organs. He uses his own powers and all those things over which he has authority against the explicit Will of God and thus establishes a reign of tyranny.

Can there be any greater injustice, tyranny and cruelty than that exhibited by this man who exploits and misuses everything under the sun and unscrupulously forces them to a course which affronts nature and Justice?

Kufr is not mere tyranny; it is rebellion, ingratitude and infidelity. After all, what is the reality of man? Where do his power and authority come from? Is he himself the creator of his mind, his heart, his soul and other organs of his body -- or have they been created by God? Has he himself created the universe and all that is in it -- or has it been created by God? Who has harnessed all the powers and energies for the service of man -- man or God? If everything has been created by God and God alone, then to whom do they belong? Who is their rightful sovereign? It is God and none else. And if God is the Creator, the Master and the Sovereign, then who would be a greater rebel than the man who uses God's creation against His injunctions -- and who makes his mind think against God, harbors in his heart thoughts against Him, and uses his various faculties against the Sovereign's Will.

Such a man will meet with failures in all the affairs of his life. His morality, his civic and social life, his struggle for livelihood and his family life, in short, his entire existence, will be unsatisfactory. He will spread confusion and disorder. He will, without the least compunction, shed blood, violate other men's rights and generally act destructively. His perverted thoughts and ambitions, his blurred vision and distorted scale of values, and his evil activities will make life bitter for him and for all around him.

3aidlillahi · Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 6:48 pm Post subject: Re: peak oil - Muslim Perspective

dorlomin · Light Sweet Crude Joined: Aug 05, 2007 Posts: 1126

mass · Tar Sands Joined: May 20, 2008 Posts: 40

The Catholics have a pope, the Anglicans have their leader and so does every Christian denomination. The same goes with orthodox jews, scientology etc.

By having a leader who represents and influences the Muslims, there will be more order, harmony, accountability and responsibility.

Without a single spiritual leader for the Muslims, each person and group will have their own interpretation and practise. As such, some groups will justify committing individual terrorism in response to state terrorism. In response there will be more state terrorism and a viscious never ending cycle of violence and chaos.

In fact, it would also be in the best interest of non-Muslims if they could negotiate with a single person who will in turn influence 2 billion Muslims. He may make demands such as peace, justice and equality but I think non-Muslims may have to accept that other people also have rights.

Hindutva · Coal Joined: Aug 10, 2008 Posts: 7

General Hawley's Politically Incorrect Message:

General Hawley,is a newly retired USAF 4 star general. He commanded the
Air Combat Command [our front-line fighters and bombers] at Langley AFB, VA. He is now retired and no longer required to be politically correct. A true patriot.
"Since the attack [9-11], I have seen, heard, and read thoughts of such
surpassing stupidity that they must be addressed. You've heard them too.

Here they are:

1) "We're not good, they're not evil, everything is relative."

Listen carefully: We're good, they're evil, nothing is relative. Say it with me now and free yourselves. You see, folks, saying "We're good" doesn't mean, "We're perfect." Okay? The only perfect being is the bearded guy on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. The plain fact is that our country has, with all our mistakes and blunders, always been and always will be the greatest beacon of freedom, charity, opportunity, and affection in history. If you need proof, open all the borders on Earth and see what happens.

2) "Violence only leads to more violence."

This one is so stupid you usually have to be the president of an Ivy
League university to say it. Here's the truth, which you know in your heads and hearts already: Ineffective, unfocused violence leads to more violence. Limp, panicky, half measures lead to more violence. However, complete, fully thought through, professional, well executed violence never leads to more violence because, you see, afterwards, the other guys are all dead. That's right, dead. Not "on trial," not reeducated," not "nurtured back into the bosom of love." Dead.

3) "The CIA and the rest of our intelligence community have failed us."

For 25 years we have chained our spies like dogs to a stake in the
ground, and now that the house has been robbed, we yell at them for not
protecting us. Starting in the late seventies, under Carter appointee Stansfield Turner, the giant brains who get these giant ideas decided that the best way to gather international intelligence was to use spy satellites. "After all, (they reasoned,) you can see a license plate from 200 miles away." This is very helpful if you've been attacked by a license plate. Unfortunately, we were attacked by humans. Finding humans is not possible with satellites. You have to use other humans. When we bought all our satellites, we fired all our humans, and here's the really stupid part. It takes years, decades to infiltrate new humans into the worst places of the world. You can't just have a guy who looks like Gary Busey in a Spring Break '93 sweatshirt plop himself down in a coffee shop in Kabul and say "Hiya, boys. Gee, I sure would like to meet that bin Laden fella. "Well, you can, but all you'd be doing is giving the bad guys a story they'll be telling for years.

4) "These people are poor and helpless, and that's why they're angry at
us."

Uh-huh, and Jeffrey Dahmer's frozen head collection was just a desperate cry for help. The terrorists and their backers are richer than Elton John and, ironically, a good deal less annoying. The poor helpless people, you see, are the villagers they tortured and murdered to stay in power. Mohammed Atta, one of the evil scumbags who steered those planes into the killing grounds is the son of a Cairo surgeon. But you knew this, too. In the sixties and seventies, all the pinheads marching against the war were upper-middle-class college kids who grabbed any cause they could think of to get out of their final papers and spend more time drinking. It's the same today.

5) "Any profiling is racial profiling."

Who's killing us here, the Norwegians? Just days after the attack, the
New York Times had an article saying dozens of extended members of the
gazillionaire bin Laden family living in America were afraid of reprisals
and left in a huff, never to return to studying at Harvard and using too
much Drakkar. I'm crushed. Please come back. Let's all stop singing
"We Are the World" for a minute and think practically. I don't want to be
sitting on the floor in the back of a plane four seconds away from
hitting Mt.Rushmore and turn, grinning, to the guy next to me to say, "Well, at
least we didn't offend them."

SO HERE'S what I resolve for the New Year: Never to forget our murdered
brothers and sisters. Never to let the relativists get away with their
immoral thinking. After all, no matter what your daughter's political
science professor says, we didn't start this. Have you seen that bumper
sticker that says, "No More Hiroshimas"? I wish I had one that says, "No
More Pearl Harbors."

THIS NEEDS TO STAY IN CIRCULATION FOR THOSE WHO HAVE OR WILL FALL FOR THE
STUPIDITY GOING AROUND. PLEASE PASS IT ON!

"If you can read this, thank a teacher....
If you are reading it in English, thank a soldier."

mass · Tar Sands Joined: May 20, 2008 Posts: 40

The US is either directly or indirectly involved in every war on this planet. Since WWII, the US involvement has resulted in the death of 50 million people. The over riding principal for the US is what is good for business. Whether it is supporting Pol Pot’s regime or directly engaging in terrorist activity in Cuba. Even against it’s own citizens we have seen them use agent orange, depleted uranium and various biological, chemical and nuclear toxins to cause the gulf war syndrome. The ‘Bay of Pigs’ is another example of the US attacking other US citizens to justify a war against Cuba.

Similarly S11 was not caused by Afghan camel herders living in caves but a sophisticated internal plot by the US government to justify a never ending war. The only problem the US has with Muslims is that they are not sufficiently under control and every attack only strengthens Muslims.

Their efforts to eradicate communism from Afghanistan allowed the Taliban to flourish. Their efforts to control Iran oil reserves led to the formation of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Their effort in Palestine made a secular simple Arab person explore their Islamic identity and commence the intifada and the formation of Hizbullah. Their effort to secure the oil wealth in Iraq is also leading to an Islamic resurgence.

We should thank the US for making Islam the fastest growing religion in the World, mainly due to women converting to Islam. These are courageous intellectuals who can see through the false propaganda. It is not a personal attack against Muslims but violent greed and lust for power against people who submit to God rather than submit to the US.

The US also attacked the Catholic Church in Central America because there was a radical and very conscious change in critically important sectors of the Church who recognized that for hundreds of years it had been a Church of the rich and oppressors, which was telling the poor, “This is your fate, accept it.” And so they decided to finally become a Church in part devoted to the liberation of the poor – and they immediately fell under attack (see reference below).

mass · Tar Sands Joined: May 20, 2008 Posts: 40

For the Americas Watch study, see Americas Watch, El Salvador's Decade of Terror: Human Rights Since the Assassination of Archbishop Romero, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1991. An excerpt (pp. ix-x):

3aidlillahi · Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 4:43 am Post subject: Re: peak oil - Muslim Perspective

While Richard Hawley is a real retired US General, however, he did not write that crap. Here is what the General really said. What you quoted him as saying was done by Larry Miller (not General at the beginning of his name, not even PFC).

If you had more respect for our Generals and their men, then maybe you'd check the facts before posting such BS. Or do you simply believe everything that you read on the internet? You think there's a Nigerian prince who needs your help to free up millions of dollars?
_________________
Riches are not from abundance of worldly goods, but from a contented mind.