Readers’ Responses to Our Question (449)

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Islam Morality Police- Terror in West Bank:

A new squad of morality police has begun detaining Palestinians who eat or drink in public during Ramadan in the West Bank, where the Islamic month of daytime fasting was always widely observed but never imposed.

The 12-member squad appears to be an attempt by President Mahmoud Abbas' West Bank government to challenge the monopoly on religious righteousness claimed by the militant group Hamas, the rival ruler of Gaza.

The sudden deployment of Ramadan police was unexpected in Ramallah, the seat of Abbas' government and the most cosmopolitan and well-to-do of the Palestinian cities. Ramadan squads have not been set up in other West Bank towns.

Watching observers arrive at one of the town's main mosques one recent afternoon, vice squad Lt. Murad Qendah got a radio call telling him a suspect has been spotted in the street imbibing "karoub" — a local soft drink made from carob pods. He ordered his six-man squad to seize the man's papers pending investigation. Police say violators are usually held for 24 hours.

"If anybody violates respect for Ramadan in the street, we take their identity papers and hold them for investigation," said Qendah, 27, whose officers wear red shoulder badges reading "morality police."

Police spokesman Adnan al-Damari said police have arrested at least 50 alleged public morality offenders in Ramallah since the start of Ramadan, but would not be going after people who break the fast in their own homes.

"The duty of the morality police is to preserve public manners in public places, and to preserve the feelings of the people who are fasting," he said. "Violating the holiness of Ramadan is a violation of people's freedom. "

Islamic custom demands that believers fast and refrain from self-indulgence between sunrise and sunset during Ramadan, which began Sept. 13 in the West Bank this year. The fast is largely observed across the Muslim world; voluntarily in some countries and under strict enforcement in others such as Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

Writer Hassan Dandees, 58, said the government was right to seek to uphold religious standards.

"This is not a violation of anybody's freedom," he said. "Ramadan has a holiness every person should respect."

But Ruba el-Mimi, 21, said she opposes the police action.

"It interferes with the privacy of the individual. People are free to fast or not," she said. "If somebody is not fasting, he's not doing harm."

In addition to booking smokers, snackers and carob juice drinkers, Qendah is also on the alert for young men whistling at girls or drivers playing their car stereos too loud.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hCEm0OZELa4Dx-pkdp548OQ-MdSA

Opinions are made upon understanding and certain knowledge, which differ from person to person. For some God is a myth, for some they believe or want to believe according to their religion and for some He is as real as His creation. Below are few examples in the favor of their belief:

For Muslims Big Bang Theory is not something new, it is more than 1400 years old, revealed in their Holy Book along with more than 1000 other scientific facts which are happened to be established recently in couple of centuries. And the answers of so many confusing questions which keep us going astray throughout our lives. And as a fact Muslims know they were revealed before discovered and further on top of it that not a single verse of their holy book is in conflict with any logical/scientific approach (infect every time scientific discoveries providing proof in favor of the last revelations), make them more focused/practicing/fundamentalist or what ever others think about them and made it very easy for them to reach to the conclusion...simply apply the scientific rule of Probability....What if it is 100% correct...IF YOU UNDERSTAND PORBABILITY RULE THEN ITS NOT A JOKE !!), very few examples out of All from the Holy book as proof,

I have created all the creatures from earth and all the living beings are made out of water (Chapter 21) (living being which are meant to die/perish)
Don’t you see the earth and sky was together and I separated them, still you don’t believe
(Chapter 21)
I have created sky upon earth for your protection and there is sign for you
(Chapter 21)
All the stars, moon and sun are floating in their skies
(Chapter 21)
All the skies are holding with out pillars and there is sign for you
(Chapter 21)

For Muslims God means (The One, Ultimate Creator, Who is Uncreated and above time always present before and after time and beyond our limited level of comprehension)

Below is the TOUCH STONE of God that He revealed in Holy Book, when the question about God was raised:
1- He is One and Only
2-the Eternal, Absolute;
, the eternally Besought of all! on Whom all depend.
3-He begets not, nor is He begotten.
4-And there is none comparable unto Him.
And none is like Him.

Please comments are not necessary WITHOUT VARIFICATION/RESEARCH of the original text and authentic translations by ONLY Muslim scholars to avoid any twisting and deceptive techniques IN GENERAL PRACTICE!!

Jesus (Isa) A.S. in Islam, and his Second Coming
by Mufti A.H. Elias
I. Jesus (A.S.) In Islam
Muslims do believe that Isa (A.S.) was sent down as a Prophet of Allah (God), but he (Jesus) is not God or Lord, nor the son of God. Muslims do not believe that Isa (A.S.), also known as Jesus by Christians and others, is dead or was ever crucified. We believe that he was raised to heaven and is there, and will descend at the appointed time, end all wars, and bring peace to the world. Like Jesus (A.S.), Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is also a Prophet and Messenger. Muhammed (P.B.U.H.) is the last Prophet, though, and there is none after him. Hence, Islam is the last religion, complete, with the Holy Qur'an as the unchanged and perfect word of God for over 1400 years, as God promised to preserve it till the last day for all of humankind, unlike sacred texts of other religions which have mulitple versions and are "revised" periodically. God, or Allah in Arabic, is Divine and Supreme Being and Creator.
What the Holy Qur'an says about Jesus:
They slew him not, nor did they crucify him but it was made dubious to them.
(Holy Qur'an, Surah Nisaa, Verse 157)
Hadhrat Isa (A.S.) himself told of the coming of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). In the Bible, Jesus (A.S.) says,
If you love me, Keep my commandments. And I will pray to the Father and He shall give you another comforter that he may abide with you forever.
(Bible, John 14-15/16)

But when the comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the spirit of Truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me, and he also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.
(Bible, John 15-26/27)

I have yet many things to say unto you, but you cannot bear them now. How be it when he, the spirit of Truth will come, he will guide you into all truth, for he shall speak not of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that he shall speak, and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me, for he shall receive of mine, and he shall show it unto you.
(Bible, John 16-12/14)
Ulema (learned scholars in Islam) have said that the person who is described by Hadhrat Isa (A.S.) to come after him - in the above verse - does not comply with any other person but Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him).
In this case, the "comforter" he mentions is none other than Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and his laws and way of life (Shariah) and Book (Holy Qur'an) are those that Hadhrat Isa (A.S.) asks his followers to abide by.
The "person" whom Jesus (A.S.) prophecised will come after him, is called Pargaleeta in the Bible . This word was deleted by interpreters and translators and changed at times to "Spirit of Truth" and at other times, to "comforter" and sometimes "Holy Spirit." The original Greek and its meaning is "one whom people praise exceedingly." The sense of the word, then, is applicable to the word Muhammad in Arabic, since Muhammad means "the praised one."
Jesus (A.S.) also says in the Bible,
... and a little while and you shall not see me; and again a little while, you shall see me because I go to the Father.
(Bible, John 16:16)
... and the Holy Qur'an says,
And surely they slew him not. But Allah (God) raised him unto Himself.
(Holy Qur'an, Surah Nisaa, Verse 157-158)
As such, Muslims believe that Hadhrat Isa (A.S.) was raised to heaven. According to Hadith, he is on the second heaven. Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam=Peace be upon him) mentioned, "During the Meraj (Ascension), I met Hadhrat Isa (A.S.) on the second heaven. I found him of medium stature, reddish white. His body was so clean and clear, that it appeared as though he had just performed ghusal (ablution, cleansing of the entire body) and come." In another Hadith, Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) mentioned to the Jews that, " Hadhrat Isa (A.S.) is not dead, he will most surely return to you before Qiyamat (the Day of Judgement)."
May Allah Guide all people to the Truth. Aameen.

I am here to say hello and you have a great site! notem6715

Hello and congratulations! notem6715

Qu'ran 22:78 He (ALLAH) has chosen you and has not laid upon you in religion any hardship.

The Propht(pbuh) said, "The most beloved religion to ALLAH is the TOLERANT Hanifiyyah[i.e.Islamic Monotheism- to worship ALLAH and not to worship anything else along with HIM.]"

Marrated Abu Hurairah, the Prophet(pbuh) said, "Religion is very EASY and whoever overburdens himself in this religion will not be able to CONTINUE in that way. So you should NOT BE EXTREMISTS, but try to be near perfection and receive the good tidings that you will be rewarded; and gain strength by offering Salat(prayers) in the mornings, afternoons and during the last hours of the nights."

Fath Al-Bari Vol.1 Page 102
Sahih Al-Bukhari Vol.1 Hadith No. 38

Qu'ran 22:78 He (ALLAH) has chosen you and has not laid upon you in religion any hardship.

The Propht(pbuh) said, "The most beloved religion to ALLAH is the TOLERANT Hanifiyyah[i.e.Islamic Monotheism- to worship ALLAH and not to worship anything else along with HIM.]"

Marrated Abu Hurairah, the Prophet(pbuh) said, "Religion is very EASY and whoever overburdens himself in this religion will not be able to CONTINUE in that way. So you should NOT BE EXTREMISTS, but try to be near perfection and receive the good tidings that you will be rewarded; and gain strength by offering Salat(prayers) in the mornings, afternoons and during the last hours of the nights."

Fath Al-Bari Vol.1 Page 102
Sahih Al-Bukhari Vol.1 Hadith No. 38

The question is: 'What does Islam really say about violence, religious freedom and the role of women? '

The answer is, that Mideast violence, the primary impetus of worldwide muslim violence, is the oil grabbing greed of the world's one and only terrorist state.

Here is a message to the religious extremists and greedy consumers in the world's one and only terrorist nation, US_Israel:

Stop your Ungodly War on Islam.

Here is an excellent post from MASS which I think captures our dilemma perfectly. Serious criminal mistakes were made last century by the UN, Great Britain and the USA: e.g. the Balfour Declaration of 1917 accelerating the illegal and immoral emigration and Zionist infestation of Palestine, and the UN partition of Palestine in 1947 leading to the establishment of the current illegitimate ‘State of Israel’. The question of this century is what are we going to do about it? The UN obviously needs to be restructured to negate the terrorist state of US_Israel’s ability to veto any attempt at a just solution to this crisis.

MASS:

‘The whole world will never see peace as long as the crime of the 20th century is not handled adequately. The legitimate state of Palestine was removed from the world map to be replaced by the illegitimate state of Israel with new immigrants from all over the world. Palestinians, being Moslems or Christians, were kicked out into refugee camps to be replaced by Jews from Europe, Russia, Ethiopia, Poland etc.

Repercussions of this heinous crime are behind all turmoil and bloodshed in the Middle East including Iraq, Lebanon, Palestinian occupied territories, Syria, Iran etc.

The unlimited support of US to Israel has been encouraging the latter to reject all UN resolutions on the Palestinian Issue including Resolution 194 which calls for the return of all Palestinian refugees home. It is time for the US admin to wake up to the real cause of all problems in the area and to resolve this chronic issue in a fair way to all concerned parties immediately. The only feasible solution to this chronic problem is to set up one secular state for all Israelis and Palestinians regardless of their religion to live in peace on all the land of historical Palestine.’

I would only add that we have proven the hard way that Israelis and Palestinians cannot live together. We must evacuate the 5 million illegitimate Jews from Palestine and relocate them to Texas.

run, Victoria, run..

9/15 10:35 i said to you-

"
how you managed to interpret superiority out of my post doesnt add much credibility to your ability to interpret info tim-

theres your name TIM-

then you reply-

"Victoria,

You replied to Ducked's post. (wrong- it said tim)

You remained silent -making no comment on my Mohammed Cartoon Drawing Contest..

I took your silence to be your tacit approval. Isn't that the Islamic custom?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NO TIM- the fact that it had your name on it indicated it was addressed to you-

then you continue in your oblivious disconnection with logic and reality-

by confusing silence (which didnt exist) with secrets?

you're ability to maintain even the simplest communication precludes any desire on my part to try to communicate with you tim-

i find the fact that you have to tell YOURSELF that your unoriginal idea is still 'very clever' just sad-
you're on your own kid

Victoria-

When I "took your silence to be your tacit approval:

I was referring to Islamic TAQIYYA and KITMAN (holy hypocrisy). As the Prophet said: 'he who keeps secrets shall soon attain his objectives.’

TIM- well, my silence would only imply approval in the case of your proposal of marriage to me.
i will assume you were not asking me to marry you, so my silence or verbosity are completely under my own discretion.

i thought it was pretty appernet, but since yo uask for clarification ill reiterate.

it is just kind of a boring idea- at best redundant and non-remarkable, at worst vindictive in a petty sense.

its already seen its deneument- so why beat a boring horse?
but if it gives you a thrill- do your thing.

Victoria,

You replied to Ducked's post.

You remained silent -making no comment on my Mohammed Cartoon Drawing Contest..

I took your silence to be your tacit approval. Isn't that the Islamic custom?

Even though its not an original idea, I find it very clever. It will certainly take the sting out of the recent death threat and bounty on the head of a Swedish cartoonist for his Mohammed doggy cartoon.

Actually I'm getting a very positive response to the contest and its never been done before.

how you managed to interpret superiority out of my post doesnt add much credibility to your ability to interpret info tim-

the point is, the idea is neither original or successful.

freedom of expression is too precious a commodity to be wasted on such malicious enterprises.

it demeans our freedoms to postulate such an action

besides- its been done and didnt work

being proven to be ineffectual is not exactly a rousing endorsement of your mediocre and pointless endeavor.

my point was that it was a bad idea, that was tried, nd failed miserably.

how you imagine that to be superiority- i gues your eyes are fixed on only what you want to see, not what is said.

Thank you Victoria for verifying the superiority of the idea I picked-up and posted from another thread here.

Why leave death threats and bounties on a few cartoonists and editors. Why not have millions of cartoons drawn around the world by anyone who can hold a pen? Its really very clever.

I've already emailed it out and am beginning to post it around to see if there are many sponsors. I'm already getting positive response. If it flies, you'll know it was birthed here.

Thanks again for the support and link.

despite your really ill-conceived idea duckthup-

others had the same bad intentions with no domino effect toppling islam-

rather i think people just got bored with the pettiness of it-

the cartoons were reprinted all over the world from september to february-

so much for your theory-
just didnt work
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_newspapers_that_reprinted_Jyllands-Posten%27s_Muhammad_cartoons

"Maybe the FREE WORLD should have a Mohammed Cartoon Drawing Contest and get Millions to submit their cartoons?"

Ducked:

I like this idea better. This way everyone who loves living in the free world can be creative and there would be lots of media coverage and voting on the best cartoon in cities, countries, and the world...

-

P.S.: My only regret here is that I cannot think of a similarly uncomplicated, cost-effective and efficient stratagem to dismantle Christianity... but, oh well... one thing at a time. One only does what one can.

This situation can be very easily resolved, once and for all. All we've got to do is have all the newspapers in the free world devote their front pages to cartoons ridiculing Allah (peace on him) and Mohammed (peace on him, too), for a whole month. By the end of that time, all of Islam will have self-destructed in a paroxysm of snits, hissy-fits and terminal apoplexy. WARNING: This will not be pretty.

The question is: What does Islam really say about violence, religious freedom and the role of women?

I will answer the violence part, and leave the religious freedom and role of women parts to my friend Victoria.

The answer is, Islam is not a violent religion, but it does reserve the right to defend itself from the world's one and only terrorist nation, US_Israel.

Therefore, the message to the world's one and only terrorist nation, US_Israel:

Stop your Holy War on Islam.

Vacate the occupied Muslim holy land in Palestine and Iraq.

Vacate the 5 Million jews from Palestine and bring them to Texas.

Don’t worry so much, you will love Texas. We will partition it so that your half is contiguous, while the other half is divided into separated quarters.

You will have the prime real estate including the Dallas-Fort Worth and Crawford areas.

You will have control of the fresh water supply.

You can keep your Army, Navy, Air Force and nuclear weapons. We will back you up with the full power of the world’s last remaining super power.

We will immediately stop all federal aid to the native population, while continuing your $3 B annual aid.

Feel free to launch all the settlements that you wish in the native half’s real estate.

Assassinate the opposition leadership to create chaos on the other side.

See, it will just be a Grand Old Party.

I’m sure that you will get along famously with our Dear Leader and World Class Hypocrite in the White House.

Here ya go Rick

MSA's Mertaban on Bin Laden

http://www.investigativeproject.org/article/251

More Dawah From Muslim Student Society in Texas:

Here a young girl is cajoled, demeaned, and berated for resisting wearing a hijab. Poor girl, to remain in the Muslim community she will have to submit to something she feels is wrong for her.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVzvWDLugRE

Hi Victoria,

How goes the Ramadan observance?

We love you Baby.

ANON,

BTW, do you have a reference for this quote:

'Recent quote of a Muslim Student Assoc. (MSA)leader'

Gayle,

Are you following this thread?

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/2007/09/911/comments.html

I think that you will like it. Here is a paste from it:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank you CABY BYRNE for the very wise council.

ANON and A HERMIT,

GAYLE says:

Hi RICK,

'All this (Dearborn) incident (after London/Glasgow) is confirming is that Muslim Doctors are BUTT-STUPID. Be careful choosing your medical professional.'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I may have been wrong; it's rare, but it happens. This may not be a random incident, but tied in with the London/Glasgow incident.

It does show that doctors in training do not make competent insurgents. The resistance will soon learn to utilize streetwise, battle hardened, snipers trained in Baghdad and Faluja, of which there are many, in future attacks.

ANON,

Thanks for the post. This guy should be arrested and deported. Yes, we believe in free speech; but that does not include the right to foment violence.

The tragedy is that this guy does not represent the overwhelming majority of Muslim-Americans. Yet he provides fuel to the fire of the bigots who will make a mountain of this mole hill.

Listen to the voices of reason, like Victoria and others, who decry this type of fomenting of violence from the minority radical Muslims.

Recent quote of a Muslim Student Assoc. (MSA)leader

MSA held their 2007 West Zone Conference in April 2007 at UC-Berkeley. Amir Mertaban, the president of MSA West, gave a speech entitled "Methods of Da'wah." In his speech, Mertaban said the following of Osama bin Laden, polygamy, and jihad:

Mertaban: War in Iraq or Afghanistan or Osama bin Laden or Saddam Hussein. Don't ever compromise on Islam! And don't ever compromise on your Muslim brothers and sisters in which you have no evidence. Osama bin Laden- I don't know this guy. I don't know what he did. I don't know what he said. I don't know what happened. But we defend Muslim brothers and we defend our Muslim sisters to the end. Is that clear? I am not saying support terrorist acts. I am not saying any of that. I am saying generally speaking. If a man comes and robs a store – if you're going to rob the store, go ahead and rob the store, are we going to condemn him? No, you support your Muslim brothers whether it is right or wrong. When they do wrong you grab them and you slap some sense into them, you're doing wrong. You see what I am saying.

So you never compromise on your faith. You be confident in every aspect of life. In every aspect of Islam you are confident. Four wives? Yes men are allowed to have four wives within this context. Jihad? Yes Jihad! Jihad is the tightest thing in Islam. Don't compromise on these little things. Be proud of it. Why? Because Islam is a perfect religion. If you sit here and you start saying, 'Jihad is only an internal this and that,' you are compromising on your faith

Hi Gayle,

Gayle says:

'And btb, your myopic, vitriolic, bigoted drivel is truly anti-freedom and anti-American.'

Ouch!

And who is: 'myopic, vitriolic, bigoted, anti-freedom and anti-American'?

It is not patriotic to salute and blindly follow our Dear Leader and World Class Hypocrite in the White House as he tries to lead us over the cliff.

Hi Rick,

All this incident (after London/Glascow) is comfirming is that Muslim Doctors are BUTT-STUPID. Be careful choosing your medical professional..

And btb, your myopic, vitriolic, bigoted drivel is truly anti-freedom and anti-American.

Hi Gayle,

It's about time they (the opposition) wised up. I've been wondering when they would take their cue from Muhammad and Malveaux (the DC snipers). That will be practically unstoppable if they get teams of snipers stalking our major cities, provided they get operatives with half a brain that will not get caught. Apparently this guy doesn't qualify.

But stand by for more of the same as long as we maintain our greed for Muslim land and oil fields and War on Islam in Iraq and Palestine.

Hi Rick,

I see you're still fixated on Iraq and Pali. Thought you might like to see what came through my email today:

Hezbollah admirer arrested near Detroit:

Houssein Zorkot, a 26-year-old Dearborn resident, was arraigned Tuesday in 19th District Court on multiple felony charges, including carrying a dangerous weapon with unlawful intent — a five-year felony.

Zorkot, a third-year medical student at Wayne State University, was allegedly armed with an AK-47 assault rifle and dressed in black clothing with camouflage paint covering his face when he was arrested Saturday in Hemlock Park.

According to police, Zorkot was observed attempting to leave the park in a black SUV after officers had received reports of a man carrying a rifle in the area. He was placed under arrest and is scheduled to undergo a preliminary examination at 9 a.m. Sept. 21 in 19th District Court.

Zorkot has also been charged with one count of possession of a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle and one count of felony firearm. He remains in custody on a $1 million bond (cash, no 10 percent).

Any comments?

Hi Gayle,

Here is the link from the Yossi Melman Post Global thread that the last post/paste was taken from, if you want the context. Have you been following this thread? It's a barrel of fun.

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/yossi_melman/2007/09/cut_out_the_hypocrisy_on_terro/all_comments.html

BTW, where are you? I'm in Fredericksburg, VA.

Hi Gayle,

Here's a paste from another site in case you missed it. I think that you will like it.

Zuni,

Thanks for allowing us a glimpse into your dark heart. It is amazing what one can learn on this site and quite gratifying.

Don’t worry so much, you will love Texas. We will partition it so that your half is contiguous, while the other half is divided into separated quarters.

You will have the prime real estate including the Dallas-Fort Worth and Crawford areas.

You will have control of the fresh water supply.

You can keep your Army, Navy, Air Force and nuclear weapons. We will back you up with the full power of the world’s last remaining super power.

We will immediately stop all federal aid to the native population, while continuing your $3 B annual aid.

Feel free to launch all the settlements that you wish in the native half’s real estate.

Assassinate the opposition leadership to create chaos on the other side.

See, it will just be a grand old party.

I’m sure that you will get along famously with our Dear Leader and World Class Hypocrite in the White House.

Hi Victoria,

I love you Baby.

Victoria failed to notice that I have not addressed her directly for days. I do not seek her response to my posts. Until she faces the global epidemic of Muslim violence, she is in denial. She is lying when she portrays Islam as peaceful. I would be betraying the memory of all those raped, tortured, and murdered by Muslims if I did not confront Victoria with their reality and refuse to accept her lies.

when you descend to the level of calling me a liar gayle- we part company.
ive patiently answered your queries, you continue to repsond with vitriol.
we will agree to disagree
peace

Victoria's ability to lie and deny the TRUTH is much much more disturbing than a violent video.

What was on the video? Muslims killing Muslims in Iraq and staging it to be used as a propaganda video to encourage more Muslims to kill each other.

It looks like a DEATH CULT to me. Victoria is unable to speak against this EVIL because she likes to say Islam is the religion of peace. That's not TRUE to the reality of Muslim violence worldwide.

Muslims are raping, maiming, starving, and killing other Muslims in Darfur as the Islamic world watches and does nothing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdXJEvOhVEo

gayle- your quest to find the most violent videos on youtube is disturbing

Rick, This is the disgusting truth:

Raw Video: Suicide Bomber in Iraq

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2QSoJpnpUs

More Muslims killing Muslims. Watch the guy walking fast into the scene from the left. What is it that falls out of the sky after the explosion. Someones torso? Disgusting cowards. And they not only murder their fellow believer, but stage the killing to be filmed and marketed as propagada.

Reference: "Murder in the Name of Allah"

Islam means the religion of peace. A person following Islam will find that he or she is surrounded by noble teachings, the aim of which is to establish peace between man and Allah, the Creator of all; between man and man; and between man and the rest of Allah's creation.

How does such a religion deal with the issue of terrorism? And what does the word terrorist mean? Dictionaries will define a terrorist as one who systematically uses violence and intimidation to achieve political ends – or one who controls or forces others to do something by violence, fear or threats.

All these definitions are covered by two words in the Holy Qur'an, the sacred book of Islam: Fitnah and Ikrâh.

In the Holy Qur'an, God begins to deal with the issue of terrorism by teaching Muslims never to become terrorists in the first place. Two of the very first verses of our Holy Book say: ‘Al-Fitnatu ashad-du minal qatl' – meaning that in the sight of Allah, ‘persecution, or making people constantly fear for their lives, is much worse than killing'. And also: ‘Lâ ikrâha fid-dîn' – ‘There shall be no compulsion in religion', that is to say, that no one has the right to force others into complying with their demands or compelling others to follow their line of thinking.

Allah Almighty warns the believers again and again that they should never abandon Him, the source of all goodness. Allah Almighty reminds us that it is those who have abandoned Him and thrown away all good, and divested themselves of every shred of human decency, that are the ones who will eventually resort to terrorizing others, forcing them into complying with their demands. The believers are repeatedly reminded that they would lose Allah Almighty's love and His favors if they ever began to behave in that way.

But Islam does not content itself with these injunctions strongly forbidding Muslims from ever becoming terrorists. It also makes sure that the believers are made into highly moral, excellently behaved people, by inculcating those lofty human values that can turn them into people who sincerely love humankind without distinction of religion, race or social status. Islam no doubt encourages the logical and rational discussion of views with people of all creeds in a calm and dispassionate way, with the only aim that truth prevail over error and falsehood. But it also reminds us that it is error and falsehood as such that are to be hated and detested. The people who unfortunately hold on to error are never to be hated. That is why the motto of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is ‘Love for all, hatred for none.'

In Islam, an amazingly powerful emphasis is laid on developing love for mankind and on the vital importance of showing mercy and sympathy towards every creature of Allah Almighty, including human beings and animals. For indeed, love and true sympathy are the very antidote of terrorism.

It is related by ‘Ayesha, may Allah be pleased with her, the talented wife of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, that some desert Arabs came to him one day and asked: ‘Do you kiss your children?' He answered: ‘Yes.' They said: ‘We never kiss them.' The Prophet (sa) said:‘What can I do if your hearts have been stripped of compassion?' He also said that Allah Almighty has no mercy for him who has no mercy for his fellow beings.

The measure of compassion shown by the Holy Prophet (sa) cannot but amaze anyone who knows how rough and violent was the society into which he had been born. Abu Qatâdah, may Allah be pleased with her, relates that the Messenger of Allah told him: ‘It happens that I stand up to lead the prayer, having in mind to lengthen it. Then I hear the cry of an infant and I shorten the prayer fearing lest I should cause inconvenience to its mother.'

Far from inciting hatred and aggressiveness in its followers, Islam keeps on enjoining kindness and sympathy for all. The Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: ‘Charity is incumbent upon every human limb every day on which the sun rises. To bring about reconciliation between two contestants is charity. Helping a person mount his animal or to load his baggage on to it is charity. A good word is charity. Every step taken toward the mosque for prayer is charity. To remove anything from the street that causes inconvenience is charity.'

He incessantly admonished Muslims to behave well towards their neighbors, saying: ‘That one will not enter Paradise whose neighbor is not safe against his mischief.'

He also declared: ‘By Him in Whose Hands is my life, you will not enter Paradise unless you believe, and you will not truly believe unless you love one another. Shall I tell you something whereby you will love one another? Multiply the greeting of peace among yourselves.'

One day he found a mother bird beating her wings on the ground in distress. He asked his companions: ‘Who has done this?' They said: ‘We took her young ones out of her nest.' The Holy Prophet (sa) said: ‘Restore them to her. No mother must be tormented on account of her child.'

On another occasion, he found one of his companions setting fire to an anthill. He immediately told them to put out the fire saying: ‘No one has the right to torment others with fire.'

As Allah Almighty says in the Holy Qur'an that the true believers are: ‘those who suppress their anger and forgive people', likewise, the Holy Messenger of Allah, Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: ‘Allah is Gentle and loves gentleness in all things. Make things easy and do not make them hard. And cheer people up and do not repel them.'

It is clear that the true believers and all other good, honest people are always on the receiving end of terrorism, never on the delivering end. Whenever such tendencies appear in society by which the peace is being disturbed and people cannot live their lives without fear, Muslims are enjoined to counter them first of all by reasoning with those responsible for the disturbance. The Holy Qur'an says:

Call unto the way of your Lord [that is the way of justice and goodness] with wisdom and goodly exhortation, and argue with them in a way that is best. (Ch.16: v.126)

And the Qur'an repeatedly tells us to seek help from Allah Almighty with patience and p r a y e r. But if reasoning with those people bent on wickedness and praying for them fail to bring about a change in their ways, then Allah Almighty says, again at the end of Chapter 16, verse 127:

‘Then if you desire to punish the oppressors, punish them to the extent you have been wronged.'

Allah Almighty commands the Muslims that when things get out of hand, they should join forces to restore peace by use of reasonable force. They have been enjoined by the Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, to join forces if need be with followers of other faiths to do so. Thus, in the famous document known as the Treaty of Medina, The Messenger of Allah declared:

Article 1:
This is the treaty of Muhammad, the Prophet (the Messenger of Allah) between the Believers and Muslims of the Quraish and the people of Yathrib, and between those who follow them and join them in fighting (the common enemy).

Article 2:
And it is that they constitute an Ummah Wâhidah (One Nation) separate from other people.

Article 25:
And also that the Jews of the tribe of ‘Auf constitute an Ummah Wâhidah with the Believers - even though the Jews will follow their own religion and the Muslims will follow their own - and this will include both their friends and themselves. (Quoted from Reuben Levy in ‘Sociology of Islam, part I, pages 279-282)

Here, all the inhabitants of the city of Yathrib, or Medina, were called upon to join in fighting the forces that were terrorizing the citizens.

Muslims have been made to promise that they will help defend the followers of other faiths from unjust and cruel attacks as well. For example, in his charter for all time to come addressed to all Christians living as citizens under Muslim rule, the Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, states:

I promise that any monk or wayfarer who will seek my help on the mountains, in forests, deserts or habitations, or in places of worship, I will repel his enemies with my friends and helpers, with all my relatives and with all those w ho profess to follow me and will defend them, because they are my covenant. And I will defend the covenanted against the persecution, injury and embarrassment of their enemies in lieu of the poll tax they have promised to pay. If they prefer to defend their properties and persons themselves, they will be allowed to do so and will not be put to any inconvenience on that account.

No bishop will be expelled from his bishopric, no monk from his monastery, no priest from his place of worship, and no pilgrim will be detained in his pilgrimage. None of their churches and other places of worship will be desolated or destroyed or demolished. No material of their churches will be used to build mosques or houses for the Muslims; any Muslim doing so will be regarded as recalcitrant to Allah and His Prophet. Monks and Bishops will be subject to no tax or indemnity whether they live in forests or on rivers, in the East or in the West, in the North or in the South. I give them my word of honor. They are on my promise and covenant and will enjoy perfect immunity from all sorts of inconveniences. Every help shall be given them in the repair of their churches. They shall be absolved of wearing arms. They shall be protected by the Muslims. Let this document not be disobeyed till Judgment Day." (Quoted from Balâdhar)

In Islam, every effort is thus made to protect the peace of not only the Muslims, but also of the followers of other faiths. Allah Almighty says:

And if Allah did not defend some men by means of others, there would surely have been pulled down monasteries, churches, synagogues and mosques wherein the name of Allah is oft remembered. (Ch.22: v.41)

However, Muslims have been warned by the Holy Founder of Islam, Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, that when they enter the territory of those who have been terrorizing and harshly persecuting them, they should not lose all sense of perspective and justice, and be tempted to start acting savagely, like the terrorists themselves. The worst crime of ungratefulness would be that committed by a people who, having forgotten that they had just been subjected to terrible cruelties, start meting out the same, if not worse, cruelties to others. The Prophet ordered:

‘You will meet those who remember Almighty Allah in their houses of worship. Have no dispute with them, and give no trouble to them. In the enemy country, do not kill any women or children, or the blind, or the old. Do not pull down any tree; nor pull down any building.' (Quoted from Halbiyyah, Vol.3).

So the only Jihad permitted in Islam is the war of the oppressed against the oppressor, the war waged to protect the peace of all people irrespective of their religion or creed. Tactics used today such as suicide bombing, etc. are absolutely out of the question for true followers of Islam. Allah Almighty says:

And kill not your own selves. Surely Allah is Merciful to you. (Ch.4: v. 30)

…and cast not yourselves into ruin with your own hands… (Ch.2: v.196)

Islam strictly forbids the killing of innocent, non-aggressive people:…no hostility is allowed except against the aggressors. (Ch.2: v.194)

These three verses alone are sufficient to prevent Muslims from crashing airplanes into buildings, or from sending suicide bombers to blow up innocent civilians.

Once the evildoers have ceased misbehaving and have been justly punished for their crimes, then Allah Almighty says:

And fight them until there is no more persecution, and religion is freely professed for Allah. But if they desist, then remember that no hostility is allowed except against the aggressors. (Ch.2: v.194)

To sum up, Islam advocates three steps against terrorism:

To give an excellent moral upbringing to all Muslims, so that they become upright, just, moral, kind and loving people, thereby ensuring that they never disrupt the peace of others. Whenever the peace is disrupted, to reason and argue with the evildoers, and sincerely pray for them, to make them change their ways.

If all reasoning fails, then to join forces with all good people to combat the mischief-mongers until peace has been restored, but always keeping the dictates of justice in view.

It is our belief that not only Islam, but no true religion, whatever its name, can sanction violence and bloodshed of innocent men, women and children in the name of Allah Almighty. Terrorists may use religious or political labels, but no one should be deceived by their wily ways and treacherous guiles. They have nothing to do with religion. They are the enemies of peace. They must be combated at every level as advocated by Islam, the religion of peace.

peace

anyway, since this is a specifically muslim question- tomorrow starts the month long observance of RAMADAN.
for one full month, muslims all over the world will be fasting from (from new york) 6:00ish am to 7:30ish pm every day.
it is sunup to sundown, and these are subject to small gradual time changes.
during this period, no food or drink (gum etc...) passes our lips.

about 13 1/2ish waking hours.

this develops compassion and affinity for those in the world who do not have enough to eat- it also strengthens discipline in controlling our many appetites-
in our consume consume consume society, these are valuable reminders that we are a minority, and most humans do not share our wealth and blessings- it makes us ever more appreciative of the many blessings we do enjoy.

we also hve extra incentive to deal with each other mildly and with great forebearance and patience, as we are all undergoing privation together.

we also read the entire qu'ran from beginning to end in this period.
so that we are continually reminded of exactly what it is ALLAH requires of us to be good and faithful stewards-
the exhortation to study and be knowledgeable about our religion is put into very real practice.

we also pray together in the evenings for about 1 1/2 hours in congregation.

so, i'll be getting up about 3:30 this morning to prepare our meal that we eat before sunrise prayer to sustain us throughout the long day.

so when you see muslikms around you in the coming month, try and deal a little gently with them, as they are fasting.

actually, in islam, whenever a person is being in any way unpleasant to you, you say ,"i am fasting!" and most muslims respect this.

peace

gayle stated-

"When your world view is based on the false asssumption that your death will bring you favor from Allah and that desire is fueled by a society that enflames hatred in its members: reskless violence against -anyone -anywhere reigns."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

exactly gayle- yoiu said it correctly

it IS a false assumption.
nothing could be further from the truth for muslims, as a matter of fact it is THE EXACT OPPOSITE in islam.

not only does suicide NOT bring favor with ALLAH- it is condemned and damned by ALLAH.

i am glad you realize that this is a false philosophy- as muslims we are constantly refuting this ridiculous and wholly immoral act-

if youre interested in qu'ranic backing, or statements by muslims deploring these actions, im happy to paste ive got boatlaods here but dont want to flood these pages

again, glad you realize the falseness of terrorism in the name of ALLAH.

peace

Hi Gayle,

Yes, yesterday was 9/11, a vivid reminder that we are at war with radical Islam.

And if we were not illegally and immorally occupying Palestine and Iraq, slaughtering millions of innocents (mostly women and children), and driving millions of families into refugee camps; then we would have the moral high ground in this battle; not Osama bin Laden.

Hi Rick:

You have to make peace with yourself before you can make peace with your enemy.

And its 9.11. I think you may have forgotten.

Gayle,

Who are we to concern ourselves about why Muslims kill Muslims, when we ourselves kill Muslims?

Thou Hypocrite, first cast the plank from thine own eye.

Hi Rick

You are blind to the very visible Islamic Sectarian Violence raging rampant in the world today. Do you have some suggestion on how to make Muslims stop raping, maiming, and killing other Muslims. When your world view is based on the false asssumption that your death will bring you favor from Allah and that desire is fueled by a society that enflames hatred in its members: reskless violence against -anyone -anywhere reigns.

Hi Gayle,

OK, what do you have to say for yourself? You are very concerned about Muslims who fight back in self defense. How do you feel about the millions of innocents (mostly women and children) who are slaughtered, and millions of families driven into refugee camps, by the US and its chief ally, Israel, in our greedy rush to grab and occupy Muslim land and oil fields?

gayle- when i make an assertion, i ususally provide a resource that is reasonable, well respcted and irrefutable.

how in the world can you possibly know who the mujahadeen are? and if they are hafiz or not?

and if your assertion were logical, then this terrorism would not be a 20th century phenomenon, but consistent througthout islamic history.

do you imagine you are contributing to a discussion by calling ugly names like a school kid?

if you can keep a conversation going without descending into attacks without basis- lets go for it-

but calling our Prophet(pbuh) a madman, and my relgion a 'death cult', while it may be your opinion- its really not the issue.

your opinion isnt going to change, because you are more interested in having an excuse to voice your phobias.

xenophobia is xenophobia.

how can a person have a conversation when the very core of their beliefs are dismissed and ravaged?

if you are genuinely interested, read a book called "all the shah's men".
it gives you insight into the interference of american government in iran and the manipulations to keep their oil.

as long as you keep making insults- no one is asking about what our particular contributions to world instability are-

the basis of the terrorist attacks and activities are political.

politics is not religion.

the qu'ran in no way instructs people to be terrorists.

now anyone can take anecdotal incidences and claim it represents everyone from the group beihng portrayed, but its just lazy intellectually, emotionally charged, and devoid of logic or reason.

i personally dont care if im agreed with or disagreed with- the bulk of what i write is responded to by islamophobes with an agenda.

you're all confrontational attacks here- pick a specific question (NOT a question based on the actions of someone whose actions i have no control over) but a doctrinal one.

do you think we amercians are guiltless in the present problems?
remember when bill clinton was caught with the dress of monica lewinsky, what did he do?

he bombed iraq!!!

when decades of government intervention in israel- the oppression of the palestinian people, the backing of oil corporations to steal the wealth of middle eastern countries like iran and iraq- the backing of the contras in nicaragua (of which the US was charged with being the only state terrorist in the world, by the world court-
the propping up of puppet regimes all over the world (including saddam hussein, and osama bin laden in afghanistan during the russain invasion)

who created these problems gayle?

does it have anything whatsoever to do with religion or politics?

as you asked questions before, AND I SPOKE DIRECTLY TO AND ANSWERED YOUR QUESTIONS, do you have any comments on what ive said here?
(you have completely ignored my past responses, coming back with unrelated 'videos' and new confrontations)
if you come back with another youtube anecdote, ill assume you have no real interest in dialogue, but just want to push your own agenda.

a dialogue is question answer response question answer .... not one person yelling their views endlessly.

decide of you want to talk politics or religion, and stick with it.

"it is about men, hateful, evil men, and men with a grudge"

Hi Rick,

I totally agree. Men who have fallen under the influence of a madman and follow his death cult writings. The thinking world stands united against this insanity. Who will convert at the threat of death? Look at what these madmen are doing to their own people.

As to the last sentence in your post: the first half is correct. You are half getting it..

Hi Gayle,

Isn't this fun?

From Wikipedia:

Hafiz (Quran), a term used by Muslims for people who have completely memorized the Qur'an

It's amazing what you learn on this site. You are very knowledgeable on this topic. Tell me more about yourself.

OK, Victoria, this is a fine predicament we are in. Gayle says that we cannot claim ignorance.

I think that Victoria will say (and I agree) that it is not about religion; it is about men, hateful, evil men, and men with a grudge.

And a good part of the grudge has to do with the way we treat Muslims, invading and occupying Muslim land in Palestine, Iraq, and Afghanistan; slaughtering millions of innocents, mostly women and children, and driving millions of families into refugee camps.

Islam is under attack by the west, and has been since 1917, the Balfour Declaration: ‘His Majesty would favor the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine.’ They are mad as hell, and they aren't going to take it any more.

Hi Rick,

You say-

"Victoria would not say that it is a matter of interppretation of the Qur'an, but rather looking at the entire work in its whole."

If this were true we could say many violent people have misread and under-read the Quran. However, the more passionate mujahideen are hafiz. So this argument is obsolete.

Hi Victoria,

It's great to hear from you. Take good care of Lillybelle, and don't keep the Master of the House from his chess game.

I totaled up the executions in the US from your link and got 4916 between 1930 and 2006. That's a lot, but Iran probably has a lot more if they hanged 1000 in one year, 1988.

And the US executions were of murderers. According to Gayle, Iran executes mainly political activists accused of being hooligans and arousing hostility.

We will have to look into that and see if we can confirm it.

Even so, I'm sure that you will say that this behavior is not condoned by Islam, but is rather the misbehavior of a particular tyrannical regime.

Peace Victoria. I'll talk to you again soon.

o- on the death sentences-

3,254 people were on death row in 2005-

here are the stats for those killed-

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/cp.htm

(government source)

compared to 1000 in iran in 1988- people who live in glass houses shouldnt throw stones

the point is, personally im not really for the death penalty-
but we have plenty to be shocked and outraged about right here in our own backyard.

i just watched a show on wide angle or now- not sure PBS anyway, about a woman in louisiana who was sentenced to death who had an IQ OF 54!!!

(70 is supposed to be the cutoff point)

the only reason anyone heard about it was a dedicated journalist and it took 4 years and lots and lots of fighting to bring it to public attention

one doesnt make the other right-
they are both wrong

when we have solved the problems of how to deal with violent criminals, then we can start worrying about how others do it, but until then- they are both sad and unsettling, arent they?

the death penalty was resurrected in 1976- id say it is more of a comment on the bloodlust and desire for vengeance in man to treat others this way- than any overall indictment of a particular society, culture or religion.

actually, according to islam- the sentencing of criminals is to be left up to the victims themselves- not the state- and there are 3 options to a victims family of murder-
1)death to the murderer
2)money paid to the family
3)forgiveness by the victims family

i cannot speak for shia as they have their own codes, this is sunni muslims who comprise the vast majority of muslims in the world.

(iran is a shia country)

how about those 500,000 iraqi babies killed directly by american sanctions on iraq for 13 years?
(were not counting the adults and old people)

it is all outrageous to me.

HI RICK- i had a very sick kitten who was close to death and has consumed most of my energies-
she had a close call but is bouncing around now. her name is lillybelle.

also my husband has been off work for a couple days and he plays computer chess and also requires an inordinate amount of time.

i cannot disagree with your asessment.
ms hirsi was kicked out of denmark for lying on her immigration application about a few things.
so she kind of left there in disgrace.

she works at the american enterprise institute- a "think tank" of extreme conservative nature that attempts (and succeeds) in influencing public policy.
although her tenure there is also wearing thin.

apparently, the idea that ones enemy's enemy is ones friend clouded their rush to insert her, as she is an avowed atheist and many have expressed deep regret at her inclusion in the AEI.
(easily googled)

i saw her on bill maher, and the first 10 minutes she seemed to be winning the audience over- but in the latter part of the show, her vitriol shocked even bill.
at one point, she attempted to instruct Rep. Issa, a congressman from california, on the workings of the US congress(incorrectly) and after that she spoke with such vehemence when a panelist stated that he knew of some moderate muslims that the entire audience and panelists were shocked into silence.

she has not been invited back, i looked it up on youtube, and only the first very specific 9 some minutes are there. but she was on a full half hour.
(cable no commercials)

then i saw her on stephen colbert, where she informed him that american christians dont believe in hell, and he wiped up the floor with her- also, she had no knowledge of the qu'ran which he questioned her on.
he does his homework with his guests.

she was scheduled for the 700 club, but it was pulled.

shes a very rich girl from a very dysfunctional and abusive family from one of the most heavily armed and violent corners of the world(one of the lowest literacy rates on the planet) and to say she has issues, is putting it mildly.

you'll notice that she is off the talk show circuit.

since she left "islam" at 16, she has not demonstrated any knowledge whatsoever of the qu'ran, she will not even discuss it.
the only thing she speaks about are sensational and compelling anecdotes- but never ever doctrine.

anyway, it is best to let those that knew her and befriended her speak for themsleves.
this is from the journalist EBRU UMAN, her friend in denmark who introduced her to THEO VAN GOGH. he said giving her mr van gogh's phone number was the biggest mistake of his life.
http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/2272

so, i think shes kind of a one trick pony, and all she has to play on is hatred and fear, without that she has nothing else to say.

check it out and see if it has any validity for you.

actually, initially she was touted as a feminist in islam- so i read a little of her stuff (she hasnt really written much) and wihtout knowing who she is was turned off by her anger.

10 years ago, somalia was the most armed country in the world (for the civilian population) with every citizen boasting 6 posession of 6 weapons.
that included babies and toddlers - so we can assume the adults are the ones with the guns, but young children are also famous for being young gun carriers.

its possibly one of the most violent civil atmospheres on this planet- her family was sending her out of the country to marry anyway so even she has little loyalty to her own homeland.
(something to consider when one looks at another persons moral compass)

peace rick ive been pretty busy but ill try to keep up.

On 2nd thought, Victoria would not say that it is a matter of interppretation of the Qur'an, but rather looking at the entire work in its whole. One can get the wrong idea by looling at it only small sections and ignoring the whole.

Hi Gayle,

What's happening? Thanks again for the interesting post. You are making a habit of this; keep it up.

I find Ms. Ali to be a brave and fascinating individual, don’t you? The concerns that she raises are obviously very important: some old men marry 9 year olds, and some Muslims kill infidels and take their property, because those are the examples set in place by their model, Mohammed.

Ms. Ali advocates the point of view that the Koran is not the word of God; it was written by men long ago and should be changed to better meet the needs of people today. I agree and have a similar view of the Old Testament, which advocates killing people who work on the Sabbath (like me sometimes), children who curse their parents, anyone who curses God (God damn it!), and so forth.

Victoria would say that different Muslim people interpret the Koran differently, some more liberally and some more conservatively.

I say that governments (like Iran for one) that treat their citizens cruelly, like hanging them by the thousands, should be overthrown by their own citizens. But I hope that the Religious Hypocrite occupying the White House doesn’t get the idea to straighten them out himself at our expense in young peoples lives and treasure.

What do you say?

What say you Victoria? Where are you? What are you doing? We miss you?