Courtesy / Source: Muslim Sunrise
A lot of world history has been created by copy cat Neroes, who have established themselves by being defenders against an external, partial or non-existent threat, appealing to the sentiments of the masses of fear and prejudice. In this century Islamophobia can certainly serve as an explosive fuel for copy cat Neroes. All of us will do well to know the style of Nero.
- General Zia ul Haq (1924 – 1988)
According to Tacitus, upon hearing the news of the great fire, in Rome, Nero returned to Rome to organize a relief effort, which he paid for from his own funds. Nero’s contributions to the relief extended to personally taking part in the search for and rescue of victims of the blaze, spending days searching the debris without even his bodyguards. After the fire, Nero opened his palaces to provide shelter for the homeless, and arranged for food supplies to be delivered in order to prevent starvation among the survivors. In the wake of the fire, he made a new urban development plan. Houses after the fire were spaced out, built in brick, and faced by porticos on wide roads. Nero also built a new palace complex known as the Domus Aurea in an area cleared by the fire. According to Tacitus, the population searched for a scapegoat and rumors held Nero responsible. To deflect blame, Nero targeted Christians. He ordered Christians to be thrown to dogs, while others were crucified and burned. Tacitus described the event:
“Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians …, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind. Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt.”
The following link describes a copy cat of Nero, General Zia-ul-Haq, who was not Islamophobic but Islamomaniac, but was able to play on the prejudice of the masses to hold onto power for 11 years. Read further:
Categories: Islamophobia, Law and Religion, Pakistan