- “Snoping” the warning as circulated via e-mail indicates that the quote has been inappropriately shortened
- The entire Churchill quote unequivocally applies to the strains of Mohammedanism the West is up against
This post is triggered by a widely circulated e-mail many of you may have received which provides a quote from Winston Churchill regarding his “warnings” about Islam. The e-mail starts:
There are no words to add to this!!! But Churchill saw it coming. Read his ending comment.
Obviously the complementary bit about there being “no words to add to this” does not appreciate our gig here at Veritas.
The e-mail refers to Churchill’s warning as coming from a speech, but our checking indicates it is from a book he wrote. If he gave the comments in a speech we did not find any related citations. The quoted paragraph in the e-mail is largely accurate with the exception of a sentence left out that there is no good reason to have left out. Doing so detracts from the “authority” of the communication and the objectivity of Churchill.
If you have receive the e-mail the excluded sentence should be added before forwarding. The e-mail makes use of a series of pictures with chronological notations supportive of Churchill’s warning. The pictures were not checked for specific authenticity but we believe are generically appropriate illustrations, “common knowledge” and defensible as such.
The widely circulated e-mail continues:
The attached short speech from Winston Churchill, was delivered by him in 1899 when he was a young soldier and journalist. * It probably sets out the current views of many, but expresses in the wonderful Churchillian turn of phrase and use of the English language, of which he was a past master. Sir Winston Churchill was, without doubt, one of the greatest men of the late 19th and 20th centuries. He was a brave young soldier, a brilliant journalist, an extraordinary politician and statesman, a great war leader and British Prime Minister, to whom the Western world must be forever in his debt.
He was a prophet in his own time. He died on 24th January 1965, at the grand old age of 90 and, after a lifetime of service to his country, was accorded a State funeral.
About Islam he wrote:
“ How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy. The effects are apparent in many countries. Improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live. A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement; the next of its dignity and sanctity. The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property – either as a child, a wife, or a concubine – must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men. Thousands become the brave and loyal soldiers of the Queen: all know how to die: but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step; and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science, the science against which it had vainly struggled, the civilisation of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilisation of ancient Rome.[5]:248–250
In checking the quote we came upon this site which provides a page by page pictorial of Churchill’s book from which the quote was lifted: The River War: An Historical Account the Reconquest of the Soudan. The screen shots are from the relevant pages. We have provided the full text from the book, with the missing sentence set forth in bold typeface. What purpose does it serve anyone to leave it out?
“How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy. The effects are apparent in many countries. Improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live. A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement; the next of its dignity and sanctity. The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property — either as a child, a wife, or a concubine — must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men. Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities. Thousands become brave and loyal soldiers of the Queen: all know how to die: but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step; and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science — the science against which it had vainly struggled — the civilization of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilization of ancient Rome.”
Of late some predominately Muslim nations have been transformed not from tolerance of Western influences but to intolerance and waring hostility. There is also the worrisome trend, in nations not currently predominately Muslim, for Muslim enclaves to practice religious fundamentalism, bullying the host nation to recognize Sharia law and even advocating and supporting jihadism worldwide.
We interpret the basic message of the e-mail we received as focused on jihadism and the survival of Western culture, concerns we share. But the originator of the e-mail, or who ever altered the complete quote, was not acting in service to truth or objectivity or to honor Churchill. The practice embarrasses conservatism. We have inadvertently forwarded inaccuracies ourselves, but readers should be assured that we strive in our reports and opinion commentaries to be truthful and include links where appropriate and to correct our errors.
Reading other excerpts from the book readers should also be aware that Churchill had concerns about demonizing enemies and took pains to provide an objective view of the people he encountered.
“ ..there are many people in England, and perhaps elsewhere, who seem to be unable to contemplate military operations for clear political objects, unless they can cajole themselves into the belief that their enemy are utterly and hopelessly vile. To this end the Dervishes, from the Mahdi and the Khalifa downwards, have been loaded with every variety of abuse and charged with all conceivable crimes. This may be very comforting to philanthropic persons at home; but when an army in the field becomes imbued with the idea that the enemy are vermin who cumber the earth, instances of barbarity may easily be the outcome. This unmeasured condemnation is moreover as unjust as it is dangerous and unnecessary… We are told that the British and Egyptian armies entered Omdurman to free the people from the Khalifa’s yoke. Never were rescuers more unwelcome.[2]:132[5]:394-395
Such passages can be found in later chapters of Churchill’s work The River War: An Historical Account the Reconquest of the Soudan.
R Mall