Highly Inflammatory Op-Ed Compares the Mafia to Islam
Genovese mobster Benny "Eggs" was a patriot. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and an Air Medal with four Oak Leaf clusters and three Battle Stars. |
Recently, I came across an article about the Mafia that is so inflammatory, I initially decided not to even write about it. But there is free speech in this country...
I write this blog to examine all mob-related topics and news that pique my interest, so I realized that I have no reason not to shine my spotlight here.
Now, I find myself for the first time in the position of defending Cosa Nostra.
I disagree passionately with this article. It sounds an alarm that resonates far beyond earshot of its intended niche audience. (It is an opinion piece published by the Jewish Voice.).
Need I remind the writer of the piece that the Mafia is an ongoing criminal enterprise; its goal is reaping the profits spun from ill-gotten gains; murder, torture, violence, however and whenever committed is with a criminal purpose. All the players know the rules of the game when they sign on.
The Mafia does not try to spread its ideology because it has no ideology. On its most basic level, it is a secret society believed to have started centuries ago among the lemon groves of Sicily. The Mafia's roots do not extend back to the days when Arabs dominated the island. (Here we speak of the Sicilian Cosa Nostra only; other groups on the mainland such as the Ndrangheta have their own history, yet the article makes no distinction. "Mafia" refers to several organized crime rings begun in Italy.)
It is the irrevocable mirror image of capitalism itself, and the shadow that covers the underworld also covers many a captain of industry of this nation's present and past, from the prototypical robber baron to the corrupt CEO and financier.
I disagree that the article even refer to mainstream Islam as purported; rather, it invites the reader to compare the Mafia with Terrorism, an exercise that helps nobody. It downplays terrorism, if anything.
(My personal belief is that terrorists need to be made extinct, period, end of sentence. Nothing about it is of even remote interest to me personally. Just wipe them out. All of them. End of game...)
The American and Canadian Mafia, aside from some shameful exceptions to the rule, don't harm women and children. The Sicilian and Italian Mafia groups, which hold various names, have committed extreme acts of violence and murder when challenged, overstepping boundaries that the North American Mafiosi would never cross. But it has to do with money and protection from law enforcement. Again, indulging in this kind of rhetoric is not helpful to anybody.
I don't care what "HBO personality Bill Maher" said. He was wrong when he proclaimed from his bullypit: Islam is "the only religion that acts like the mafia, that will f***ing kill you if you say the wrong thing, draw the wrong picture, or write the wrong book."
Comparing terrorists and mobsters shows a lack of perception, at best. At worst, it's an attempt to use the Mafia to sensationalize.
This was picked up from the end of an article titled Ten Ways the Mafia and Islam are Similar; it is part three of a series.
I did not write this and I don't claim to hold similar views. I am offering a diverse opinion to make known what is being said by The Jewish Voice (and I welcome any and all comments below).
This was picked up from the end of an article titled Ten Ways the Mafia and Islam are Similar; it is part three of a series.
I did not write this and I don't claim to hold similar views. I am offering a diverse opinion to make known what is being said by The Jewish Voice (and I welcome any and all comments below).
"The mafia rationalizes its collection of "protection money" by portraying it as money that buys mafia protection against "outsiders"—when, as mentioned, the money/tribute serves only to protect the client from the mafia itself—so too do Islam's apologists portray the collection of jizya as money meant to buy Muslim protection from outsiders, when in fact the money/jizya buys protection from Muslims themselves.
Conclusion: Mafia—What's In a Word?
What accounts for all these similarities between Islam and the mafia? One clue is found in the fact that the very word "mafia," which means "hostility to the law, boldness," is derived from an Arabic word, mahya, which in translation means "bragging, boasting, bravado, and swaggering."
This etymology is a reminder that Sicily, birthplace of the mafia, was under Arab/Islamic domination for over 200 years. Aside from a borrowed etymology, could some of the mafia's modus operandi also have been borrowed from Islam? Isolated on their island, could native Sicilians have co-opted the techniques of social controls that they had lived under and learned from their former overlords—albeit without their Islamic veneer?
The mafia is not the only historical example of a non-Muslim criminal organization to be influenced by Islam. For example, the Thuggees — whence we get the word "thug" — were a brotherhood of allied bandits and assassins who waylaid and savagely murdered travelers in India, often by first feigning friendship. Although they were later associated with the Hindu cult of Kali, the original Thuggees were all Muslim. As late as the 19th century, a large number of Thuggees captured and convicted by the British were Muslim.
The similarities are clear: Along with assassinating his opponents, including, as seen, through treachery, Muhammad also personally engaged in banditry, ransacking the caravans of enemy tribes.
And if the words "mafia" and "thug" have Arabic/Islamic etymologies, the words "assassinate" and "assassin" are derived from a Medieval Islamic sect: the Hashashin, who pioneered the use of political assassination—with promises of a hedonistic paradise for the assassin who almost certainly died—in the name of Islam.
At any rate, when HBO personality Bill Maher recently proclaimed that Islam is "the only religion that acts like the mafia, that will f***ing kill you if you say the wrong thing, draw the wrong picture, or write the wrong book," he was barely touching on the similarities between the mafia and other criminal organizations, and Islam."
Here is the difference to me. Who would you rather have in your state,town or even as neighbors? I would rather my house be surrounded by wiseguys than live in the same state with some radical piece of shit from anywhere in the middle east. Just my opinion,do not mean to offend anyone.
ReplyDeleteAgree with you, and the food is much better!
ReplyDeleteThe muslims' Greeks ' Normans' Carthaginians'and last but not least the Moores who had there way with our Sicilian women and Ancestors. SO if ur Sicilian or half we all have a percentage of this in our blood lines Good food for thought. Not much different in italy either with all the neighbors crossing borders. The Swiss' Bosnians 'czech. Albanians ' Yugoslavia were all mixed some how or another no matter what contienent u came from might explain why these Mob wife ladies like the darket meat its in the genes Lol.Philly
ReplyDeleteI'm comparing mobsters to terrorists. Citizens are as prone to serial killing as the odd gangster. Terrorists deliberately kill the innocent for headlines as part of their larger effort to promote their jihadist cause. No comparison exists.
ReplyDeleteNo rightful comparison, anyway.
ReplyDeleteLet me know when the mafia starts hijacking planes and suicide bombings. Terrorism is political. Criminal gangs are financial. Two different animals. Mafia tries to keep a low profile. Terrorists try to attract attention. Two different animals
ReplyDeleteThe author of that piece talks about islam and mafia while ignoring the fact that the jewish mafia does the same things as islamic terror groups (see jewish defence league and its corrupt terrorist past) burning houses of worship and extorting protection money(see fbi fileson tupac and eazy e being targets of jdl for extortion before both died). Lets not bs each other with labels, while they may differ the means are the same and its always about power and money. Judiasm,islam,and christianity are old myths that have brainwashed too many ignorant people for too long while allowing power brokers to rob the world and send millions of expendable people to death in the name of ghosts. At least cosa nostra is cognizent of the fact that its about power and its not subservient to any religion although it may use the catholic religion as a tool for its purposes of money laundering and maintaining power. Im sure some readers may take offence to these words but if you believe in any of these myths than you probably are gullible enough to believe them all and not see the historical context of the machiavellian power grabs which they all are. - the prints of the invisible hand
ReplyDeleteExactly Ed
ReplyDeleteHow the writer of that piece can posit that argument while somehow ignoring the near genocidal activities the Israelis inflict to the people on the Gaza Strip is beyond me. So much for their sincere proclamation of 'never again'. The state of Israel has morphed into a near exact facsimile of their tormentors from Germany.
ReplyDeleteAnd for the record, before anyone tries to say the mafia is using the vatican to condone there activities, not anymore!!!! The new pope is cracking down hard on them. Pope Francis is a serious guy.
ReplyDeleteAmen brother,i agree 100%.
ReplyDeleteGreat piece Ed.
ReplyDeleteApples and Kebabs!!!
ReplyDeleteThere is definitely a similarity between the "Sicilian Mafia" and Islamic terrorists. I strongly believe in genetics. Although two completely different organizations with different goals in mind there is commonality. First of all, most Sicilians have "O" blood while most mainland Italians have "A" blood. Before I get into it, I don't think Benny Eggs belongs in this equation as he is an American Mafioso, a different animal than the Mafiosi of Sicily. Both organizations are full of machismo. Sicilians are married, but have cummares. Islamic Terrorists have their wives and then they have their concubines. Sicilians have never hesitated to use bombs, going as far as blowing up a couple of tourist attractions to try to scare Italian government into submission. One of Toto Reina's top lieutenants devised a plan to poison children's breakfast brioche (an Italian pastry) throughout Sicily, which was later called off by Toto. In Sicily when a Mafiosi family gets wiped out, even the innocent family members go, especially the men. Remember Tomasso Buscetta's family? They were all slaughtered, even the ones with no mafia affiliation. The slow and methodical Sicilian vendetta has Arab roots as does the old Sicilian proverb "Revenge is a dish best eaten cold." When the Italian state took over Sicily and colonized it, Sicilians' last names were systematically changed or Italianized. Where do you think Sicilians with the last name Maltese originate from? Has anyone ever had a pannelle special? These are made only in Sicily. With what? Chick peas. Arabs eat the same thing. It was the Arabs that brought pasteries to Sicily. San Calogero, a big Sicilian saint, was an Arab. Some Sicilian towns eat cuscus. I might have spelt that wrong. If anyone on this site had the pleasure to sit at the table with some real old Sicilians born and bred in Sicily they will tell you of all the invaders that island has encountered they adopted the ways of the Saracens as their culture: clannishness, arranged marriages, marriages of cousins; secrecy; and defending the family's honor even to death. It used to be in the island of Sicily that if a man killed his wife and could prove that she insulted his honor he would not stand trial. Sounds a lot like Sharia Law to me. If a capo in Sicily marries a women whose father is only a soldier he is frowned upon. When I was a kid Sicilians never said they were Italian. They made it a point to let you know they were Sicilian for many of the reasons stated above. Some Neapolitans and Calabrese have some similar traits, because they too have Saracen roots, but the "O" blood comes from the Arabs, not the mainland Italians.
ReplyDeleteIn Capone's time when the mafia and the Italian/Sicilian mobs were still more or less Italian and Sicilian rooted they brainwashed crackpot psycho Italian immigrant named Zangara to assassinate Anton Cermak who was running for the mayor seat in Chicago. The assassination went off as planned, but Zangara was caught. They could never pin it on Capone, because the guy was pazzo. He screamed all the way to the electric chair "Viva Camorra, Viva Camorra."
None of the Islamic terrorist leaders ever go out on suicide missions. They brainwash the uneducated and gullable to do their dirty work. Sounds like the Zangara guy to me.
Lastly, my wife is Sicilian. If she put a turban on her head we would definitely get strip searched at the airport.
Ed, you made no mistake. You are broadening your base. It's good to be versatile, just don't turn fruit cake is all I ask.
ReplyDeleteMost of the mafia's so-called dealings with the Vatican had to do with the Vatican bank which is run by ordinary citizens who may call themselves Catholic, but don't practice the religion. I don't think John Paul II or Pope Benedict or the cardinals or bishops were smoking cigars and having sit downs
ReplyDeletewith the wiseguys arguing about purgatory.
Very interesting and educational.
ReplyDeleteYou got it!
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure. There's probably more, but I can't think of them right now.
ReplyDelete