[Debating about Islam, Part 1 can be found at http://islamicdanger4u.blogspot.com/2008/07/debating-about-islam-part-1.html]
THERE ARE DIFFERENT KINDS OF ISLAM
The differences in the different kinds of Islam are due to religion, not politics. Take the Sunni/Shia split, the largest division in Islam. Both Sunnis and Shias completely agree on how to treat kafirs and jihad. All Muslim subscribe to one of five schools of the Sharia and the Sharia’s position regarding kafirs and jihad is the nearly the same for all the schools.
The only big difference is whether to use violent jihad or peaceful jihad against the kafirs.
HADITH—SOME OF THOSE AREN’T REAL
If you quote a hadith to a Muslim and they don’t like it, they will say, “Well, some of those hadiths are not acceptable (or true or some other disclaimer).” And that is true. Actually, when a Muslim says that, they are practicing taqiyya, sacred deception and duality. If it is a hadith, then a Muslim cannot be denied the right to follow it. It is Sunna.
The hadiths from Bukhari and Muslim are the creme de la creme of hadiths. When Bukhari made his collection, he threw out 99% of those he found. Those 99% are the unsure ones, the other 1% which are used here are authoritative.
THE MYTH OF THE ARABS, ABRAHAM AND ISHMAEL
The core of the myth is told in the Koran about how Adam built the Kabah at Mecca. It was the first house of worship. Then Abraham brought Ishmael to Mecca, prepared to perform the sacrifice demanded by God. Ishmael was left in Mecca with his mother, Hagar.
We have a very detailed report of Mecca at the time of Mohammed right down to the names of individuals, their children and wives. Arabs were very keen on family relationships. A person’s very name gave you his father’s or son’s name and a chain of relationships. One of the things that infuriated the Meccans about Mohammed was that he said their ancestors were in Hell since they were not Muslims.
Not a single person in Mohammed’s Mecca is named Abraham, Ishmael, or Hagar. Not one. Why? They had no knowledge about any relationship between the Arabs and Abraham. They knew of the Jews and Abraham, but they made no claim of kinship with their names. After Mohammed, these names became common amongst Muslims.
This has another large implication. Islam claims that Muslims, Christians and Jews are members of the Abrahamic faith. Not so. There is no such thing. It was an unsubstantiated claim by Mohammed.
THE ISLAMIC GOLDEN AGE
If you spend any time talking about Islam you will hear: “What about the greatness of the Islamic Golden Age? Why, the West got all of its real learning from the Muslims. They preserved the Greek philosophers, invented algebra, chemistry, the algorithm and laid the basis of our learning.” Or: “The high point of human civilization occurred in Baghdad and Moorish Spain. It was all peace and harmony with Christians, Jews and Muslims living in multi-cultural compatibility.”
“When Europe was mired in the Dark Ages, Islam was a shining light on the hill. “
Hmmm. Let’s go over the data. Notice that the best of Islam is compared with the worst of the West. First, there never was a “Dark Age”. This prejudicial naming came from the time of the Renaissance when they looked back at the dogmatic approach to knowledge in medieval times and wanted to separate themselves from it. It is just like new rich wanting to shed their poor ancestry.
Let’s examine the Middle Ages for a moment and see how they came about. The collapse of Greek and Roman civilization came about from internal problems of too much wealth for too long. The ravages of the bubonic plague wiped out an estimated 30 to 60 percent of the European population, making it vulnerable to invasion. The annihilation of the centers of learning came from the jihad of Islam. So even if you want to use the term Dark Ages, at least recognize the influence of jihad.
And let’s look at how “un-dark” the “Dark Ages” were. Everyone agrees that the Renaissance was one of humanity’s great moments. But how did all of that greatness spring from the “Dark Ages”? You don’t get a champion racehorse from a plug mare. The Middle Ages were a time when the European man was created. The collapse of Roman central government allowed a new culture to emerge that was a fusion of Roman, Greek, Celtic and Germanic culture. Part of this culture was mechanical genius.
Europe was creating a new mind, the mind that would change the world by producing practical machines such as water mills and a thousand small improvements in daily life. The cathedrals were a stunning tribute to humanity and works of great beauty. Without the Middle Ages there could not have been a Europe or a Renaissance.
Now look at the Golden Age of Islam in Baghdad. Where did it come from? Not from Islam. The Koran was the first book written in Arabia. Architecture in Arabia consisted of mud huts. Mohammed’s house was made from mud bricks; a man could touch the ceiling and a curtain served as a door. Arabic culture was barely iron age with its only art being poetry.
So where did the learning come from? Islam crushed the Christian, Zoroastrian, Buddhist and Hindu cultures and brought them all together in one culture. The scholars of these cultures were brought together and created an intellectual surge called the Islamic Golden Age. It was kafirs who created this so-called Golden Age while Islam took the credit. As an example, we call our numbers Arabic numerals. But the Arabs got them from the Hindus and took credit. We should call our numbers Hindu numerals.
It was Christian dhimmis who translated all of the Greek and Roman literature for their masters. Later, when this material was translated back into Greek and Latin, the Muslims got the credit for the work. In short, Islam got its knowledge just like it got its wealth— from theft and violence.
Islam cannot sustain any intellectual effort. Their own scholars cannot do the work due to the limitations of the dogma of Islamic thought.
And what were the Muslims able to do with this knowledge? Not much. What did they do with glass? Make pretty windows for the mosque. Europeans took glass and made microscopes and telescopes as well as stained glass. What did the Muslims do with mathematics? Not much. They combined the mathematics of the Greeks and Hindus and created algebra. And what did they do with algebra? Nothing. When it came back to Europe, the Europeans created calculus and physics.
A list of the great Arabic scholars reveals that many on the list were Christians with Arabic names. And the best of the Muslim scholars turned out not to be very Muslim and their works were later demolished by Muslims who were true to the real knowledge of Islam, the Koran.
Now let’s look at the great Moorish Spain. It was supposed to be a great center of multiculturalism. Of course, there was that day in Cordoba when the Muslims killed 8,000 Jews, but ignore that. What did Islam do as soon as it came to Spain? Shipped a thousand blondes off to be slaves in North Africa. But ignore that. Then there was the day when, after a battle against the Christian knights, they beheaded all the corpses and all the prisoners to build a hill of skulls. A Muslim then mounted the hill of skulls and issued the call to prayer. But ignore that.
How can any culture that makes slaves and dhimmis of all kafirs be called great? Simple. It served the needs of the groups that pushed the idea. It was Voltaire and Jewish scholars who created the idea of the Golden Age in Moorish Spain. Why? As an intellectual counterweight to the hated Catholic church. That propaganda attack survives today. It is the intellectuals who hate Christianity today, who push the same ideas.
If Islamic learning was so great, then where are the great Muslim scholars of today? No Islamic nation has ever had a Nobel prize in science. Not one. There have been eight Muslims who shared Nobel prizes in science, but it occurred in working in kafir nations and with kafir partners.
Bill Warner
[Debating about Islam, Part 1 can be found at http://islamicdanger4u.blogspot.com/2008/07/debating-about-islam-part-1.html]
Of Interest
1. A Federal prosecutor may be in trouble because he’s a smart, successful kafir.
2. Jihad against the Christians at the highest level! A Common Word is supreme jihad by Islamic scholars and the Muslim Brotherhood, championed by the usual dhimmi suspects at Yale, Harvard and Princeton Divinity Schools. Here’s the brilliant rebuttal by knowledgeable kafirs to this taqiyya-fest titled, “Truth About A Common Word.”
3. The Muslim Brotherhood supreme guide in Egypt on Bin Laden the jihad fighter, Sharia law and various other hot Islamic political topics. From Memri.org.
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How I came
ReplyDeleteto
ISLAM ...
Yusuf Islam
(Cat Stevens)..
All I have to say is all what you know already, to
confirm what you already know, the message of the Prophet
(Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) as given by God - the
Religion of Truth. As human beings we are given a
consciousness and a duty that has placed us at the top of
creation. Man is created to be God's deputy on earth, and
it is important to realize the obligation to rid
ourselves of all illusions and to make our lives a
preparation for the next life. Anybody who misses this
chance is not likely to be given another, to be brought
back again and again, because it says in Qur'an Majeed
that when man is brought to account, he will say, "O
Lord, send us back and give us another chance." The Lord
will say, "If I send you back you will do the same."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- MY EARLY RELIGIOUS UPBRINGING
I was brought up in the modern world of all the
luxury and the high life of show business. I was born in
a Christian home, but we know that every child is born in
his original nature - it is only his parents that turn
him to this or that religion. I was given this religion
(Christianity) and thought this way. I was taught that
God exists, but there was no direct contact with God, so
we had to make contact with Him through Jesus - he was in
fact the door to God. This was more or less accepted by
me, but I did not swallow it all.
I looked at some of the statues of Jesus; they were
just stones with no life. And when they said that God is
three, I was puzzled even more but could not argue. I
more or less believed it, because I had to have respect
for the faith of my parents.
- POP STAR
Gradually I became alienated from this religious
upbringing. I started making music. I wanted to be a big
star. All those things I saw in the films and on the
media took hold of me, and perhaps I thought this was my
God, the goal of making money. I had an uncle who had a
beautiful car. "Well," I said, "he has it made. He has a
lot of money." The people around me influenced me to
think that this was it; this world was their God.
I decided then that this was the life for me; to make
a lot of money, have a 'great life.' Now my examples were
the pop stars. I started making songs, but deep down I
had a feeling for humanity, a feeling that if I became
rich I would help the needy. (It says in the Qur'an, we
make a promise, but when we make something, we want to
hold onto it and become greedy.)
So what happened was that I became very famous. I was
still a teenager, my name and photo were splashed in all
the media. They made me larger than life, so I wanted to
live larger than life and the only way to do that was to
be intoxicated (with liquor and drugs).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-IN HOSPITAL
After a year of financial success and 'high' living,
I became very ill, contracted TB and had to be
hospitalized. It was then that I started to think: What
was to happen to me? Was I just a body, and my goal in
life was merely to satisfy this body? I realized now that
this calamity was a blessing given to me by Allah, a
chance to open my eyes - "Why am I here? Why am I in
bed?" - and I started looking for some of the answers. At
that time there was great interest in the Eastern
mysticism. I began reading, and the first thing I began
to become aware of was death, and that the soul moves on;
it does not stop. I felt I was taking the road to bliss
and high accomplishment. I started meditating and even
became a vegetarian. I now believed in 'peace and flower
power,' and this was the general trend. But what I did
believe in particular was that I was not just a body.
This awareness came to me at the hospital.
One day when I was walking and I was caught in the
rain, I began running to the shelter and then I realized,
'Wait a minute, my body is getting wet, my body is
telling me I am getting wet.' This made me think of a
saying that the body is like a donkey, and it has to be
trained where it has to go. Otherwise, the donkey will
lead you where it wants to go.
Then I realized I had a will, a God-given gift:
follow the will of God. I was fascinated by the new
termino- logy I was learning in the Eastern religion. By
now I was fed up with Christianity. I started making
music again and this time I started reflecting my own
thoughts. I remember the lyric of one of my songs. It
goes like this: "I wish I knew, I wish I knew what makes
the Heaven, what makes the Hell. Do I get to know You in
my bed or some dusty cell while others reach the big
hotel?" and I knew I was on the Path.
I also wrote another song, "The Way to Find God Out."
I became even more famous in the world of music. I really
had a difficult time because I was getting rich and
famous, and at the same time, I was sincerely searching
for the Truth. Then I came to a stage where I decided
that Buddhism is all right and noble, but I was not ready
to leave the world. I was too attached to the world and
was not prepared to become a monk and to isolate myself
from society.
I tried Zen and Ching, numerology, tarot cards and
astrology. I tried to look back into the Bible and could
not find anything. At this time I did not know anything
about Islam, and then, what I regarded as a miracle
occurred. My brother had visited the mosque in Jerusalem
and was greatly impressed that while on the one hand it
throbbed with life (unlike the churches and synagogues
which were empty), on the other hand, an atmosphere of
peace and tranquillity prevailed.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-THE QUR'AN
When he came to London he brought back a translation
of the Qur'an, which he gave to me. He did not become a
Muslim, but he felt something in this religion, and
thought I might find something in it also.
And when I received the book, a guidance that would
explain everything to me - who I was; what was the
purpose of life; what was the reality and what would be
the reality; and where I came from - I realized that this
was the true religion; religion not in the sense the West
understands it, not the type for only your old age. In
the West, whoever wishes to embrace a religion and make
it his only way of life is deemed a fanatic. I was not a
fanatic, I was at first confused between the body and the
soul. Then I realized that the body and soul are not
apart and you don't have to go to the mountain to be
religious. We must follow the will of God. Then we can
rise higher than the angels. The first thing I wanted to
do now was to be a Muslim.
I realized that everything belongs to God, that
slumber does not overtake Him. He created everything. At
this point I began to lose the pride in me, because
hereto I had thought the reason I was here was because of
my own greatness. But I realized that I did not create
myself, and the whole purpose of my being here was to
submit to the teaching that has been perfected by the
religion we know as Al-Islam. At this point I started
discovering my faith. I felt I was a Muslim. On reading
the Qur'an, I now realized that all the Prophets sent by
God brought the same message. Why then were the Jews and
Christians different? I know now how the Jews did not
accept Jesus as the Messiah and that they had changed His
Word. Even the Christians misunderstand God's Word and
called Jesus the son of God. Everything made so much
sense. This is the beauty of the Qur'an; it asks you to
reflect and reason, and not to worship the sun or moon
but the One Who has created everything. The Qur'an asks
man to reflect upon the sun and moon and God's creation
in general. Do you realize how different the sun is from
the moon? They are at varying distances from the earth,
yet appear the same size to us; at times one seems to
overlap the other.
Even when many of the astronauts go to space, they
see the insignificant size of the earth and vastness of
space. They become very religious, because they have seen
the Signs of Allah.
When I read the Qur'an further, it talked about
prayer, kindness and charity. I was not a Muslim yet, but
I felt that the only answer for me was the Qur'an, and
God had sent it to me, and I kept it a secret. But the
Qur'an also speaks on different l I began to understand
it on anothlevel, where the Qur'an says, "Those who
believe do not take disbelievers for friends and the
believers are brothers." Thus at this point I wished to
meet my Muslim brothers.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- CONVERSION
Then I decided to journey to Jerusalem (as my brother
had done). At Jerusalem, I went to the mosque and sat
down. A man asked me what I wanted. I told him I was a
Muslim. He asked what was my name. I told him, "Stevens."
He was confused. I then joined the prayer, though not so
successfully. Back in London, I met a sister called
Nafisa. I told her I wanted to embrace Islam and she
directed me to the New Regent Mosque. This was in 1977,
about one and a half years after I received the Qur'an.
Now I realized that I must get rid of my pride, get rid
of Iblis, and face one direction. So on a Friday, after
Jumma' I went to the Imam and declared my faith (the
Kalima) at this hands. You have before you someone who
had achieved fame and fortune. But guidance was something
that eluded me, no matter how hard I tried, until I was
shown the Qur'an. Now I realize I can get in direct
contact with God, unlike Christianity or any other
religion. As one Hindu lady told me, "You don't
understand the Hindus. We believe in one God; we use
these objects (idols) to merely concentrate." What she
was saying was that in order to reach God, one has to
create associates, that are idols for the purpose. But
Islam removes all these barriers. The only thing that
moves the believers from the disbelievers is the salat.
This is the process of purification.
Finally I wish to say that everything I do is for the
pleasure of Allah and pray that you gain some
inspirations from my experiences. Furthermore, I would
like to stress that I did not come into contact with any
Muslim before I embraced Islam. I read the Qur'an first
and realized that no person is perfect. Islam is perfect,
and if we imitate the conduct of the Holy Prophet
(Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) we will be successful. May
Allah give us guidance to follow the path of the ummah of
Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam). Ameen!
jaferomar is offline Reply With Quote
The Universal Appeal of Islam
ReplyDeleteBy the soul, and the proportions and orders given to it. And its enlightenment as to its wrong and its right.' [91:7-8]
Islam is the religion of fitrah, i.e. human nature, and morality according to the Quran is something INHERENT in the nature of man. So true is this fact that the Holy Book draws attention to it in order to convince humanity of the truth of the Day of Judgement. If the Quran did not believe that all men possess a realization of 'good' and 'evil', why would it consider using it as an example to draw attention to the accountability in the next life?
The misunderstanding by many that Islam defines morality reveals a fundamental flaw in thinking and correction regarding the role of revelation is necessary because it affects the way Muslims present their religion. Instead of appealing to human nature in presenting their religion, Muslims have presented Islam in so many different ways, including a political and economic ideology, totally divorcing Islam from its universal appeal and in fact, the manner in which is was presented by the Prophets (AS). They present Islam as acting from 'without', and not from within the depths of his soul. The point of revelation is not to enforce a 'system', but to complement the human personality. Revelation was sent to remind men of their ultimate destiny and to regulate all those components (i.e. emotions, passions, hedonism and reason according to Moiz Amjad), that make up a human being so that he can achieve harmony in life. Without revelation, men tend to fall into extreme, whether it is through his own reason or heart. History is a testimony to this. Those that tended to have extremely sensitive 'religious' feelings often fell into ascetism viewing the world as evil. While the good people went to monasteries and churches, the world was left to those interested only in pursuing their selfish ends at the expense of the weaker class. This attitude towards piety clouded their view regarding 'war' as a means to achieve a just social order. It is absolutely no coincidence that the remarks of the Quran regarding monasticism and monkery are made in the context of 'jihad'. Thus, revelation balanced their perspective on attaining piety and goodness. As opposed to those who left the world, there were those whose worldliness tended to make them oblivious to the plight of others. They failed to see that although most wealth is earned was the result of their own hands, much of what they earned could be rightfully attributed to forces that were not the result of their own effort. Those that weren't as selfish realized this and acknowledged that there must be some way in which they could express their gratitude. But they were in a state of confusion, what the Quran calls 'dalalah', on what should they spend, how much should they spend and so forth. They could not figure it out through their own mind and faculties, so God in His Infinite Mercy sent revelation to complement this natural urge and provide them with the most balanced way to spend. Even the divisions of zakat took into account the labor of the individual, with fields that were primarily watered by purely natural forces being subjected to more tax than fields that involved more labor-intensive work.
Without this recognition of human nature, this attitude of presenting Islam from a manner of 'without' has has gone to such extremes that piety is often presented by certain circles as an adoption of certain norms and practices that are part of a specific culture. Revelation as we see, deals with those UNIVERSAL values that are part and parcel of human nature. They give us practical rules that allow for the proper expression of these human values, without which life becomes a dis-integrated mess. Men emphasize one aspect of their personality without given due prominence to another. One of the greatest examples of Muhammad (S) is his balanced and purely integrated personality. Before Islam, we find that he (S) was actually quite 'introverted' seeking recourse to the caves outside Mecca to think about life and its mysteries. But as soon as revelation descended upon him, shattering his very being, it resulted in all the depth and dimension of his personality to shine through. His simplicity was complemented by a profound sense of self-respect. His quiet nature was complemented by his strength when he saw the hudood of Allah, Glorious is He, being violated. A personality so vast and powerful that it totally changed the course of world history, inlfuencing not only the desert Arabs, but Europe as well. It is not coincidence, besides being paradoxical, that the proclamation "Read" to the UNLETTERED Prophet gave birth to the 'empirical sciences' that has so heavily influenced the modern world.
To present Islam in contradiction to the fitra of man goes directly against the universal teachings of the Quran and the Prophet (S). When the Quran says to enjoin the MA'RUF and forbid the MUNKAR, these terms do not signify acts of shareeah but universally recognized principles of good and evil. We find in the Quran commands to pay the mehr in accordance with the MARUF, which in Arabic refer to the NOBLE TRADITIONS OF A SOCIETY. If a rich man pays a mehr to his wife not in accordance to what is seen as noble in his society, he is not fulfilling the spirit of the Quran. The Quran tells the man that if he desires to marry a widow, whose husband had just died, he may indicate his desire to marry her only by taking into account the MARUF, which also includes the sensitives of a people of a particular culture. The shareeah never defines this MAR'UF because the traditions and cultures of men are so diverse, but here we find the Quran's love of all those GOOD traditions that originate out of the good nature of man. We find the Prophet (S) and His Companions (R) praising the MARUF even before Islam. In fact, Muhammad (S) had marvelled upon hearing a verse of pre-Islamic hanif poet, who died right before the coming of Islam, and proclaimed to the effect, "By God, this man came to the door of Islam."
Diversity is one of the signs and marvels of God, indicating His Wisdom, Mercy, and Providence according to the Divine text. In fact, to go against it would be declaring war on nature. The Prophet (S) said to the effect that if somebody came and told you a mountain moved, you can believe it, but if somebody came and told you a man changed his nature, i.e. his fitra, never believe it. Men cannot win a war against their own self, and their is no way possible the Creator of man could reveal a Book that contradicts his nature. "Does God not know what He created? He is the Subtle, the Aware."
This is precisely why God Almighty says, "We never sent a Messenger, except from his own people." Because of the nature of the role of a Messenger in making the truth clear to the people he presents it to, God, the All-Knowing sent one who could relate to the experiences of them. Further, the Quran itself speaks in such a way that it appeals to the various levels of intellect that make up these people. The Holy Book says to the effect that "We have explained the Quran in various ways so that men may take heed." It possesses the simplicity to charm the villager, and at the same time, its words possess such depth that a scientist who has studied all the various disciplines that humanity has discovered throughout time can find in it knowledge to quench his thirst. It possesses such musical charm that the poet Labid, whose verse use to hang on the Ka'aba, renounced his poetry saying to the effect that he forgot all his poetry once he learned the Quran. The Quran appeals to the diverse taste of men, both aesthetic and rational, or 'mind and heart'.
Before you diss Islam, know your Christianity first… And quit generalizing, too.
ReplyDeleteWhile chatting with a friend the other day, we found ourselves on the topic of religion. This particular friend is getting a tattoo of the word in Islam for “infidel” in a few weeks. When I asked him why he would do this (he’s Christian), he told me that he was doing it as a mockery of the faith. He spoke of Islam as a violent religion, out to massacre and kill, pillage and rape. He cited this passage from the Quran: “Prophet make war on the unbelievers and the hypocrites and deal rigorously with them. Hell shall be their home: an evil fate” (Quran 9:73) “Those who believe fight in the cause of Allah, and those who reject faith fight in the cause of evil: so fight ye against the friends of Satan” (Quran 4:76), and of course, he referenced suicide bombings.
This logic no longer surprises me, but it does continue to agitate me. The direct correlation between Islam and September 11, the assertions that all Muslims are America-haters and Christian-killers, that the religion teaches them to either convert non-believers or exterminate them… all of this I’ve heard time and time again, and all of it I roll my eyes at. The overt hypocrisy, the vast generalizations, and the sheer idiocy of these remarks are so easy to see, yet even easier to overlook.
The Christian Bible’s Old Testament repeatedly calls on those of faith to either convert or kill non-believers. For example, Deuteronomy 17 states, “17:2 If there be found among you, within any of thy gates which the LORD thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness in the sight of the LORD thy God, in transgressing his covenant; 17:3 And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded; 17:4 And it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it, and enquired diligently, and, behold, it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel; 17:5 Then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, which have committed that wicked thing, unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones, till they die.”
Why can we point out passages in the Quran that call for extermination of infidels while we continue to ignore the very passages in the CHRISTIAN BIBLE that promote the exact same actions? What makes our “peaceful” Christian religion justified in its writings urging murder yet labels Islam a violent faith?
After reaching this point in the argument, I am usually reminded of the events of September 11; I’m told that terrorists bombed the World Trade Center in the name of their faith, and thus, any faith that promotes such a thing must surely be a hostile one. I’d like to direct anyone who chooses to utilize this argument back to the actions of our peaceful Christian brothers and sisters. Think of the Christians who have blown up abortion clinics or attacked doctors and nurses who work there in the name of Christianity. Is this not a similar concept? European countries in the 16 and 1700s colonized and enslaved the people of Africa and Asia in the name of Christianity, in the name of saving the savage people from their filthy sin filled lives. Their land and resources were exploited and their human dignity ravaged all disguised under a veil of Christianity’s greater good, of a mission to bring the Christian faith to those who were too stupid and too uncivilized to know it.
But no, it is the Muslims who are violent.
The men who bombed the World Trade Center were not Muslims at all. The faith strictly forbids alcohol consumption, loose sexual values, and gambling, yet the terrorists of 911 drank heavily, utilized the service of prostitutes, and visited casinos all the night before their act of terrorism was to be executed. Wouldn’t it seem that men who are thought to be killing American lives all in the name of Islam would be interested in rigidly following the basic rules of their faith?
“Oh yes, well the Quran states that those who die for their faith will be rewarded greatly in heaven.” I would like to guide you toward Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount for a response to this argument. “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake/ Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. (Matthew 5:11-12). We honor martyrs and pray to saints, many of whom have died in the name of their Christian faith. We immortalize those who have died for the sake of Christianity… Sound familiar?
Of course, at this point I must add a disclaimer, although I know that there will still be someone who chooses to point this out: I am in no way saying that Islam is never used by evil people as a shield for evil deeds. However, we have to remember to separate the religion from the people. By this I mean, while the faith itself may say one this, someone else may interpret it to mean something else, something violent and hostile, and may act on it. This does not mean that that is what all Muslims believe!
Again, to Christianity… Some Christians believe that only through baptism can one be saved. Even if one has never heard of Jesus Christ, because that person has not been baptized and does not accept Christ as his or her savior (again, not by choice but because the belief in Christ has never been made known to that person), that person will go to hell. Not all Christians believe this. Not all Christians believe that homosexuality is a sin; not all Christians believe that the death penalty is bad; not all Christians believe evolution is real; not all Christians choose to wait to have sex until after marriage. This means that Christianity, like Islam, is not a uniform belief. Some people believe and do one thing while some people believe and do another. It is not just to generalize a whole people, an ENTIRE FAITH on the actions of the few or with regards to the events that we see on the news. It’s not fair, and it’s not right.
I really am becoming more and more disgusted with the hatred and bigotry toward Islam. Yes, there are bad Muslims out there, and Christians and Jews, and Hindus and atheists. We have to stop judging and entire faith on our shallow predispositions and skin-deep generalizations. We have to let go of our contempt and judgmental attitudes and stop being so childish and inane.
More senseless idealism and bleeding-heart liberalism from an untainted nineteen year old youth.
“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
MLK Jr.
Perhaps it’s not too late…
Why do you clutter this blog Comments with the yammerings of one fool ("Cat" Stevens) taken in by the sleight-of-mind of a would-be (false) prophet?
ReplyDeleteYour defense of the ideology that is Islam, whose true believers follow the preachings of Mohammed and live to kill those who do not convert or submit to this ideology, is confused, mixed as it is with attack on biblical exhortations that were meant only for that instance at that time, and woith the bleating of "Can't we all get along?"
Preach to the Moslem, if you must, but begone from here!