Time, people, culture, society, and the environment we are surrounded by, can produce the formation of many perspectives regarding an issue that we see in today’s society. One of many controversial topics is Islam and the Hijab. Many questions and generalisations are often formed in the minds of many non-Muslims in regards to the concepts behind the Hijab through the influence of the media.
Throughout the years of conflict between the "West" and "Islam", the media has strongly altered the minds of non-Muslims by negative exploitation of Islam, and Muslims, in particular on Muslim women. Misconceptions such as, "Are you bald underneath" "Do you go to sleep with that on?" to the association of "terrorism" that contrasts to what Muslim women believe the Hijab represents.
A common misconception is "the Islamic Hijab is something cultural, not religious". The use of the word "cultural" is faulty when describing the Hijab as it implies that it is a result of customs and practices that are something separate from Islam. The cultural dress is referred to the ancient Pre-Islamic Era (Jahiliyah). It is the veil from the Pre-Islamic Era that is considered as "traditional" which stops women from contributing in society. On the contrary, the Islamic Hijab is not considered as an informal tradition, nor does it lower her self-respect. The Hijab is aimed at presenting women with poise and equality in society. An example of Pre-Islamic era in our modern world is the Taliban in Afghanistan. The Taliban are a party who regard such activities un-Islamic for women, who are prohibited from exercising their primary rights. The Taliban have banned women from employment outside the home, apart from the health sector, and have terminated education for girls.
Prophet Mohammad (peace & blessings be upon him) said, "Seeking knowledge is incumbent upon every Muslim". Even Henry VIII forbid women to study the Bible when the first English translations began to appear. It’s an irony although the Taliban claim their guiding philosophy on women are in place to ensure the physical protection and self-respect of women, where as, many Afghan women have been killed, beaten and publicly hung. For many Afghan women fear of being severely punished by the Taliban is their main security concern.
Another misconception is "Muslim women have no right in Islam". Islam gave women rights over 1400 years ago, which is still ignored by many Muslims and non-Muslims today. Firstly, Islam has given women the basic right to freedom of speech. In the early days of Islam, the leaders of the Islamic state regarding legal issues consulted women. Rights that were appointed to Muslim women since the beginning of time are only just surfacing for non-Muslims. In Islam, a woman is free to be whom she is inside, and protected from being portrayed as a sex symbol and lusted after. Islam praises the status of a woman by commanding that she "enjoys equal rights to those of man in everything, she stands on an equal footing with man" (Qur’an, Nadvi: 11) and both share mutual rights and obligations in all aspects of life.
Many women are treated in ways far from Islamic ideals, yet in the name of Islam. The Taliban is an example of a cultural and political name that has been branded with Islam. There is no freedom for women if they are imprisoned in their home in the name of the Hijab and Islam. Moreover, the veil of Islam is not associated with the veil of oppression.
Women that are regaining their identity and role in society, are now wearing the Hijab and are embracing its concept of liberation. They are taking their lawful places that Islam had awarded them fourteen hundred years ago. In fact, the western women had no rights nor did they have rights over their husband. Not only were woman the property of their husband but so were their possessions. In 1919 women in England fought for their rights to be elected to parliament. Because of their demands, they were imprisoned by the government and suffered greatly. It was not until the late nineteenth and early twentieth century when women were given these rights.
A quote from the Qur’an in Surah 2: 26 states:
"And for women has rights over men, similar to those of men over women."
The background history between Islam and the West will shed some light as to why Muslims are portrayed so negatively in the media. Some strong contributing factors are the medieval western conflict, the crusades, the oil crisis of the 1970’s, the Lebanese civil war, the Iranian revolution, the Gulf war, and the explosive Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the September 11 bombings, the Bali Massacre and the London bombings. All these events have caused Islam to be consistently associated with violence and unresolved conflict. Furthermore, the view of Muslims as being violent typically explains why Muslims are seen to establish a threat to the West. One of the most effective ways the media attempts to somehow prevent Islam being seen in a positive frame is to develop propaganda against Muslims and Islam.
The media is able to use the Hijab as a means of exploiting Muslim women, and degrading them. The media assumes, in some cases, that the actions of one Muslim are representations of the general Muslim population. This is generalisation. This sets a example for members of society to abuse and degrade them.
An image of a Muslim woman wearing the chador was labelled as "like death out for a walk" in the Australian Magazine, 25-26 Jan. 1995 issue. The media implied to locate the position of women in Islamic society as dominated. The image also portrayed the difference between Muslim and Western Women in today’s society.
In current affair programs, people watching are bombarded with images of Muslims as savage terrorists, killing innocent people with no remorse. What results from this is the viewers of these programs, recognise and accept only the labels, and therefore with Islam immediately associating it with negative images.
I asked a resident from Parramatta, who wished to be kept anonymous if "the September 11th bombings altered their mind about Islam and Muslim women?" He said "I never knew Islam and the Qur’an preached terrorism. It has made me aware of Islam and the teachings. It increased my awareness of the complexities of Islam and politics in the Middle East including the veiling of Muslim women". This answer shows how influential the media is towards its viewers.
Throughout the western society, the practice of Muslim women wearing the Hijab has resulted in extreme points of view towards their so-called "oppression" and lack of freedom. Despite the obvious portrayal of Muslim women and myths that surround it such as; "Muslim women are oppressed", there continues to be an abundance of Western women reverting to Islam. What Islam uses to protect women is the Hijab. This is ironic because the Western media often portray the Muslim veil as a suppressive force in a woman's life.
Every Muslim woman is required to wear a scarf or some sort of head covering and loose-fitting, modest attire. This is not a means of controlling a woman's sexuality or suppressing her but rather, a means for protection. It implies by dressing this way she will not be seen as a mere sex symbol but will be appreciated for her intellect. Furthermore, it will not subject her to harassment. It is interesting to state the head covering for women is not an Islamic innovation but was also practiced by Judeo-Christian women centuries earlier, and yet is laughed at by the West today.
Naima Omar, a student of University of Western Sydney says "It is funny to say the same veil worn by catholic nuns for God is despised and presented as a symbol of subjection and domination when it is worn by Muslim women for the intention to protect themselves and devoting themself to God".
The term Islam means “submission to the will of Allah” and “peace”. Muslims believe Islam is not a religion but a gift that has been awarded to them. They believe Islam is the way of life and that is harmonious however the media portrays the opposite.
Maria Moskovakis, 18, a Greek Orthodox says "yes of course Muslims are presented negatively in the news. An action by one Muslim is presented with so much bias. If one Muslim commits a crime, it is not the person but the religion presented that goes to trial. What we hear and see is all controlled.
As El-Gharib (1996-97) noted, television, books, newspapers, and magazines are used to present Islam as being a backward and barbaric religion. It has been seen as oppressive and unjust; and more than this, it is seen as being most oppressive to women. These various forms of media misrepresent Islam in different ways, however largely achieve the same negative result – the creation of a growing barrier of misunderstanding and hostility between Islam and it’s followers, and the West.
Muslims have an obligation to fulfil which is to educate themselves, their children to gain knowledge which is ordained upon them regardless of their race, gender and marital status etc.
A Hasan Hadith narrated by Ibn Majah in the Qur’an states:
"Seeking knowledge is a duty on every Muslim" and therefore gaining knowledge is regarded as an act of worship. Stopping any Muslim from gaining an education regardless of age and sex is not Islamic.
Dr Homer of Sweden was asked by the United Nations in 1975 to study the status of Women in the Arab countries and said: "It is the Swedish woman who should demand her freedom, as the women in the Arab countries has already reached the peak of her freedom under Islam." From "Status Of Women In Islam" page 23.
Many have become used to believing the false information that they are spoon fed every time they turn on the screen, listen to the radio or open a newspaper.
http://www.islamfortoday.com/women.htm//ezinearticles.com/
Read More ..
Senin, 02 Maret 2009
Education and Islam
Islam is the religion of peace, and it is one of the most sacred and trustworthy religions, which has given us guidance in every aspect of life. Islam has given us education with knowledge which has no limits. The Holy Quran is the most sacred book of Allah revealed on Prophet Muhammad (SAW), for the upliftment guidance and enriched messages to the humanity.
Education is the knowledge of putting one's potentials to maximum use. Without education, no one can find the proper right path in this world.
This importance of education is basically for two reasons. Education makes man a right thinker. Without education, no one can think properly in an appropriate context you. It tells man how to think and how to make decision. The second reason for the importance of education is that only through the attainment of education, man is enabled to receive information from the external world. It is well said that
"Without education, man is as though in a closed room and with education he finds himself in a room with all its windows open towards outside world."
This is why Islam attaches such great importance to knowledge and education. When the Quran began to be revealed, the first word of its first verse was 'Iqra' that is, read..
The reflective book of Holy Quran is so rich in content and meaning that if the history of human thought continues forever, this book is not likely to be read to its end. Every day it conveys a new message to the humanity. Every morning, it gives us new thoughtful ideas and bound us in the boundaries of ethics.
Islamic Education is one of the best systems of education, which makes an ethical groomed person with all the qualities, which he/she should have as a human being. The Western world has created the wrong image of Islam in the world. They don't know that our teachings are directly given to us from Allah, who is the creator of this world, through our Prophets.
The Muslims all over the world are thirsty of acquiring quality education. They know their boundaries and never try to cross it. It is the West, which has created a hype that the Muslim are not in a path of getting proper education. They think that our education teaches us fighting, about weapons, etc., which is so false. This is true that there are certain elements, which force an individual to be on the wrong path, because as we will mould a child, they will be like that, but it doesn't mean that our religion teaches improperly to us.
Our Holy Prophet (SAW), said,
Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave.
And:
Seek knowledge even [if it is to be found in a place as distant as China. At the battle of Badr, in which our beloved Holy Prophet (SAW) gained victory over his foes, seventy people of the enemy rank were taken to prison. These prisoners were literate people. In order to benefit from their education the Prophet declared that if one prisoner teaches ten Muslim children how to read and write, this will serve as his ransom and he will be set free. This was the first school in the history of Islam established by the Prophet himself with all its teachers being non-Muslims. The Sunnah of the Prophet shows that education is to be received whatever the risk involved.
Today, the Muslims are acquiring good ideas, thoughts, knowledge, and skills, from all corners of the world. The world is moving very fast, and in this industrialize world, It is the duty of the teachers to give quality ethical integrated education to the Muslim students worldwide, because children are invaluable assets of future generations.
The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) encouraged all Muslims to acquire knowledge and share it. He said:
"Acquire knowledge, for he who acquires it in the way of Allah performs an act of piety; he who speaks of it, praises the Lord; he who seeks it, adores Allah; he who dispenses instruction in it, bestows alms; and he who imparts it to others, performs an act of devotion to Allah." (Bukhari, Muslim)
All the teachers of either secular or religious education should give more attention to the pupils inside the classroom. It is necessary that in the Islamic system that we should consider these dear children as our own children, and put aside all other considerations, and rise above all such things and realize our duty and our mission. We should raise the standards of education and attend to the needs of these children. We should realize our duties with earnestness and awaken to the sense of responsibility. It has been seen that there are certain teacher who are not fulfilling their duties with keen interest. I would like to request all the teachers that for the sake of God, for the sake of your revolutionary duty, teach the children with devotion and dedication.
It is important that we advance our work through discussions, debates, studies, and through proper distribution of work among ourselves.
We must never forget that we are living in an Islamic State, and our aim should be simultaneously to create both an independent as well as an Islamic culture in character. Independence and richness of content are indeed among the characteristics of the Islamic culture. Our system is an ideological system.
We should make our child enthusiastic, dynamic, and this search should pervade every corner of our society. We should aspire them to be truthful and sincere.
Self-sacrifice and generosity, love of freedom, the resolve for resistance and headstrong perseverance, the courage to welcome martyrdom-all these are the new values of the new generation, which should be taught according to the teaching of Islam.
The doors of the school should always be kept open for the sake of Islam, for the sake of the Muslim Ummah.
Munir Moosa Sewani is one of the famous, prominent and creative names in the field of Education since 8 years. He is a Master Trainer In Special Education, Post Graduate, Teacher Educator and a Teacher. He is a Freelance Writer and Photographer too. He is an author of the famous self-published storybook for children named as "The MORAL STORIES FOR CHILDREN" and has also written Biology course book for Secondary Classes. He has written almost more than 40 articles on social, health, educational and cultural issues, which are internationally recognized and published on most of the famous world wide websites, magazines and newspapers. He is also a Social worker, private tutor, career counselor, musician, lyrics writer and have multi- dimensional talents. His future plan is to write dozens of informative books and articles and to work for education and media too.http://EzineArticles.com/ Read More ..
Education is the knowledge of putting one's potentials to maximum use. Without education, no one can find the proper right path in this world.
This importance of education is basically for two reasons. Education makes man a right thinker. Without education, no one can think properly in an appropriate context you. It tells man how to think and how to make decision. The second reason for the importance of education is that only through the attainment of education, man is enabled to receive information from the external world. It is well said that
"Without education, man is as though in a closed room and with education he finds himself in a room with all its windows open towards outside world."
This is why Islam attaches such great importance to knowledge and education. When the Quran began to be revealed, the first word of its first verse was 'Iqra' that is, read..
The reflective book of Holy Quran is so rich in content and meaning that if the history of human thought continues forever, this book is not likely to be read to its end. Every day it conveys a new message to the humanity. Every morning, it gives us new thoughtful ideas and bound us in the boundaries of ethics.
Islamic Education is one of the best systems of education, which makes an ethical groomed person with all the qualities, which he/she should have as a human being. The Western world has created the wrong image of Islam in the world. They don't know that our teachings are directly given to us from Allah, who is the creator of this world, through our Prophets.
The Muslims all over the world are thirsty of acquiring quality education. They know their boundaries and never try to cross it. It is the West, which has created a hype that the Muslim are not in a path of getting proper education. They think that our education teaches us fighting, about weapons, etc., which is so false. This is true that there are certain elements, which force an individual to be on the wrong path, because as we will mould a child, they will be like that, but it doesn't mean that our religion teaches improperly to us.
Our Holy Prophet (SAW), said,
Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave.
And:
Seek knowledge even [if it is to be found in a place as distant as China. At the battle of Badr, in which our beloved Holy Prophet (SAW) gained victory over his foes, seventy people of the enemy rank were taken to prison. These prisoners were literate people. In order to benefit from their education the Prophet declared that if one prisoner teaches ten Muslim children how to read and write, this will serve as his ransom and he will be set free. This was the first school in the history of Islam established by the Prophet himself with all its teachers being non-Muslims. The Sunnah of the Prophet shows that education is to be received whatever the risk involved.
Today, the Muslims are acquiring good ideas, thoughts, knowledge, and skills, from all corners of the world. The world is moving very fast, and in this industrialize world, It is the duty of the teachers to give quality ethical integrated education to the Muslim students worldwide, because children are invaluable assets of future generations.
The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) encouraged all Muslims to acquire knowledge and share it. He said:
"Acquire knowledge, for he who acquires it in the way of Allah performs an act of piety; he who speaks of it, praises the Lord; he who seeks it, adores Allah; he who dispenses instruction in it, bestows alms; and he who imparts it to others, performs an act of devotion to Allah." (Bukhari, Muslim)
All the teachers of either secular or religious education should give more attention to the pupils inside the classroom. It is necessary that in the Islamic system that we should consider these dear children as our own children, and put aside all other considerations, and rise above all such things and realize our duty and our mission. We should raise the standards of education and attend to the needs of these children. We should realize our duties with earnestness and awaken to the sense of responsibility. It has been seen that there are certain teacher who are not fulfilling their duties with keen interest. I would like to request all the teachers that for the sake of God, for the sake of your revolutionary duty, teach the children with devotion and dedication.
It is important that we advance our work through discussions, debates, studies, and through proper distribution of work among ourselves.
We must never forget that we are living in an Islamic State, and our aim should be simultaneously to create both an independent as well as an Islamic culture in character. Independence and richness of content are indeed among the characteristics of the Islamic culture. Our system is an ideological system.
We should make our child enthusiastic, dynamic, and this search should pervade every corner of our society. We should aspire them to be truthful and sincere.
Self-sacrifice and generosity, love of freedom, the resolve for resistance and headstrong perseverance, the courage to welcome martyrdom-all these are the new values of the new generation, which should be taught according to the teaching of Islam.
The doors of the school should always be kept open for the sake of Islam, for the sake of the Muslim Ummah.
Munir Moosa Sewani is one of the famous, prominent and creative names in the field of Education since 8 years. He is a Master Trainer In Special Education, Post Graduate, Teacher Educator and a Teacher. He is a Freelance Writer and Photographer too. He is an author of the famous self-published storybook for children named as "The MORAL STORIES FOR CHILDREN" and has also written Biology course book for Secondary Classes. He has written almost more than 40 articles on social, health, educational and cultural issues, which are internationally recognized and published on most of the famous world wide websites, magazines and newspapers. He is also a Social worker, private tutor, career counselor, musician, lyrics writer and have multi- dimensional talents. His future plan is to write dozens of informative books and articles and to work for education and media too.http://EzineArticles.com/ Read More ..
Minggu, 01 Maret 2009
Helping You Choose the Best Islamic Wedding Cards
A marriage is a wonderful occasion no matter what religious faith you belong to. For Muslims however, it is poetry in motion. Everything about the wedding, which is termed "Nikaah," is dream-like. The framaan, or the wedding invitation, is meant to be an introduction to the style and elegance of the proposed festivities. If you reside in any Muslim country around the world, then you would never have a problem with finding the right invitations for wedding day celebrations. However, finding appropriate Islamic wedding cards elsewhere will require a little effort and market research.
Fortunately, you can view wedding invitation samples without having to leave your home. There are many wedding cards sites that offer not only a wide array of choices but they are also ready to customize these cards to your invitation ideas. Since the Islamic wedding cards are meant to be as meaningful as they are beautiful, they are not treated as just a small detail in the wedding plans.
These are painstakingly chosen to match the besotted couple and their families. The importance of these cards is double-pronged: they represent the taste and style of the people who make the invitation and they symbolize the respect that the hosts have for the expected guests. The Islamic religion is very polite and particular about the treatment extended to guests.
Choosing the best takes some effort in this case, since 'the best' here does not only extend to the beauty of the Islamic wedding cards, but also to the cost. The best deal would be to get your choice of cards at the budget you are comfortable with. How do you this? Via the internet. No matter where you are, you have access to designs, costs and special offers for your type of invitations for wedding day celebrations.
At the same time, you can bargain for a price that is suitable to you since you are aware of the price curve dictated by the market. Writing the script of the Islamic language is an art in itself and once upon a time required specially trained calligraphy lessons. Today, computers are "trained" to simulate the pen and make beautiful impressions on paper. You can also find a wide choice of paper, styles and designs to select from online.
For a wedding, there is no compromise when it comes to quality. Yet, price is an important factor as well. If you are looking for the best Islamic wedding cards, then use the internet to get access to the best designs and styles of wedding card and scroll type invitations. This will ensure that you select something that is within your budget without compromising on the quality of the cards.http://ezinearticles.com/ Read More ..
Fortunately, you can view wedding invitation samples without having to leave your home. There are many wedding cards sites that offer not only a wide array of choices but they are also ready to customize these cards to your invitation ideas. Since the Islamic wedding cards are meant to be as meaningful as they are beautiful, they are not treated as just a small detail in the wedding plans.
These are painstakingly chosen to match the besotted couple and their families. The importance of these cards is double-pronged: they represent the taste and style of the people who make the invitation and they symbolize the respect that the hosts have for the expected guests. The Islamic religion is very polite and particular about the treatment extended to guests.
Choosing the best takes some effort in this case, since 'the best' here does not only extend to the beauty of the Islamic wedding cards, but also to the cost. The best deal would be to get your choice of cards at the budget you are comfortable with. How do you this? Via the internet. No matter where you are, you have access to designs, costs and special offers for your type of invitations for wedding day celebrations.
At the same time, you can bargain for a price that is suitable to you since you are aware of the price curve dictated by the market. Writing the script of the Islamic language is an art in itself and once upon a time required specially trained calligraphy lessons. Today, computers are "trained" to simulate the pen and make beautiful impressions on paper. You can also find a wide choice of paper, styles and designs to select from online.
For a wedding, there is no compromise when it comes to quality. Yet, price is an important factor as well. If you are looking for the best Islamic wedding cards, then use the internet to get access to the best designs and styles of wedding card and scroll type invitations. This will ensure that you select something that is within your budget without compromising on the quality of the cards.http://ezinearticles.com/ Read More ..
Saudi Arabia's Role in Anti-American Terrorism
The latest public relations missive from Riyadh complains bitterly that alarmist Americans "have gotten out of control" with accusations that Saudi Arabia supports terrorism. But there is good reason to state the opposite: That we ignore to our peril the degree to which the Saudis spread extremist anti-Americanism. It is particularly unsettling that the Saudis stoke such sentiments here, in our own country. They do this by funding American outposts of the intolerant, militant Wahhabi form of Islam.
The Saudis have poured an astonishing sum of money into this effort. Reza F. Safa, author of Inside Islam, estimated that since 1973, the Saudi government has spent some $87 billion to promote Wahhabism in the United States and the Western Hemisphere.
In some ways, such largesse is to be expected from the Al-Saud. This old bellicose tribe - the only ruling family in the world with the audacity to name a country after itself - owes much to Wahhabism.
The Saudi regime first came to power via an 18th century alliance between two Muhammads: ibn Saud and ibn al Wahhab. Together, the Al-Saud and the Wahhabis commanded armies that vanquished Arabia. They pledged to form a nation based on the principles of Islam. In 1932, an Al-Saud warlord, Abdul Aziz, fulfilled his ancestor's dream; he declared himself sovereign of his own newly conquered territories, which he named the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Abdul Aziz adopted the Islamic holy book, the Koran, as his nation's constitution.
To this day, the official constitution of Saudi Arabia remains the Koran. Saudi officials affirm that their government functions "in total adherence to the Islamic religion."
This might be little more than a political curiosity if not for two factors. First, that a geological twist of fate gave Saudi Arabia considerable prominence in world economic affairs. Secondly - and significantly - Islam is not content to coexist peacefully with other faiths or systems of government.
Says Bernard Lewis, widely recognized as the foremost Western scholar on Islam: "In time, in the Muslim view, all mankind will accept Islam or submit to Islamic rule."
Hence, while Saudi contributions toward American Islam are not surprising, they are deeply worrisome.
Of that $87 billion religious propaganda budget, the Saudis have allocated considerable line-item space toward institutions that mold minds in the model of Wahhabism.
The most malleable minds belong to children. An estimated 30,000 of them attend Saudi-funded Wahhabi day schools.
In America, parochial schools have long been noted for their high educational standards. But Wahhabi schools do not emulate other American church-based nativities of faith and knowledge; nor do they follow the American model of rigorous intellectual inquiry.
The Islamic Saudi Academy (ISA) in Northern Virginia forthrightly states that even though it exists on U.S. soil, it is "subject to the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."
Students at ISA are not required to study U.S. history or government. They do, however, receive instruction in Wahhabism.
Outsiders are not permitted to observe Wahhabism lessons or any other classes at ISA. But early this year, students at the academy told two Washington Post reporters some of the things they learn at school. Among other things, students discover the intricacies of Judgment Day.
One event on that formidable day will be that Muslims will fight and kill Jews. The cowardly Jews will seek refuge behind trees. Much like the trees in the forest scene from the Wizard of Oz, these trees will become animated and aggressive. They will call out to the righteous: "Oh Muslim, Oh servant of God, here is a Jew hiding behind me. Come here and kill him."
Students also said they are taught "it is better to shun and even to dislike Christians, Jews and Shiite Muslims." Furthermore, students learn, it is okay to hurt or steal from a non-Muslim.
The Saudi-supplied textbooks at this and other Wahhabi schools state that Muslims are obliged to consider all infidels the enemy. Certain enemies are not even acknowledged in geography class. Wahhabi schools in America are notorious for doctoring maps of the Middle East, and hanging them in classrooms - with Israel blotted out.
Such is the curriculum of education-minded Saudis.
And what of the Saudis' contributions toward American mosques?
According to Safa, the Saudis have funded more than 80 percent of the mosques built in the United States within the last 20 years. The newcomers do not embrace the American religious community's spirit of inter-faith cooperation. They are distinctly isolationist. This attitude came to light as early as the 1990's, when Wahhabi mosques in America refused to accept help from local churches wanting to donate food to Bosnian Muslims. Apparently Wahhabis will not work with infidels, even if the purpose is to help other Muslims.
The Saudis, meanwhile, have directed considerable outreach toward the American Black Muslim community.
In one effort to showcase the bounties of Wahhabism to this target audience, the Saudis' enfeebled King Fahd pledged as much as $8 million for a lavish mosque in shabby South Central Los Angeles. The Saudis' Islamic Development Bank pledged an additional $295,000 for a school attached to the mosque.
From the Saudi perspective, this and other similar contributions are less an expense than an investment. According to Safa, as much as 90 percent of American converts to Islam are black. According to some estimates, if the conversion rate continues, Islam could emerge as a dominant religion among urban blacks.
This is a trend worth watching. Many of America's black Muslims have harshly criticized America, and have deemed it an "immoral society." Increasingly, black Muslims oppose U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, and are adopting a Saudi-influenced view of Arab-Israeli relations.
Other Wahhabis in the U.S. advocate a Saudi-style approach to American government. Insightful Saudi-watcher Daniel Pipes reports that significant elements within American Islam seek to replace our Constitution with the Koran. A ludicrous fantasy, to be sure; but one that offers a glimpse of Wahhabi dreams for America.
Far more troubling is the ease with which the Wahhabis use religion as a means to express and stoke violent impulses. Indeed, in the days leading up to Christmas, the Wahhabi on-line magazine Al-Islam published this religious passage from the Koran: Against them make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war, to strike terror into (the hearts of) the enemies.... A particularly resonant selection, given the events of September 2001.
In the aftermath of those appalling attacks, Federal officials formed Operation Green Quest, aimed at tracing the money trail to Islamic terrorism. In the course of their investigation, agents raided more than a dozen Saudi-funded organizations, such as the Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences in Leesburg, Virginia.
Investigators are still working to unravel the complicated network of financial ties between the various organizations and their charities.
One targeted group, the SAAR Foundation, had links to the Muslim Brotherhood, which is being investigated by European and Middle Eastern governments for ties to terrorist organizations, including the Palestinian Hamas. Among its many other activities, SAAR, which is now officially disbanded, helped fund a Tampa, Florida-based group suspected of having ties to the terrorist Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
"It's like peeling an onion," said an intelligence officer familiar with Operation Green Quest. "There's always another layer."
The organizations and their Saudi enablers proclaim both innocence and ignorance. "To hear them tell it," the intelligence officer says, "they're just a bunch of well-meaning religious folks."
As in the days of old, though, when the two Mohammads acquired territory and power via jihad, Wahhabis are as much about politics as they are about religion.
Former CIA Director James Woolsey told Congress: "One analogue for Wahhabism's political influence today might be the extremely angry form taken by much of German nationalism in the period after World War I." The former spy chief acknowledged that not all extremists of the day became Nazis. But, he added: "Just as angry and extreme German nationalism of that period was the soil in which Nazism grew, Wahhabi Islamist extremism today is the soil in which al Qaeda and its sister terrorist organizations are growing."
Much of that soil is spread across the United States. It hosts a nascent Wahhabi Fifth Column.
Political commentator William Kristol couches the Saudi's export of Wahhabism - via its funding of schools, mosques and think tanks in America - as "a clear and present danger to the United States and its citizens."
America must respond aggressively to that threat. Rather than accept continued transparent professions of innocence, Americans must insist that the Saudis immediately stop funding Wahhabi schools, mosques, charities and think tanks in this country. We can no longer tolerate such an overt onslaught on our national values.http://ezinearticles.com/ Read More ..
The Saudis have poured an astonishing sum of money into this effort. Reza F. Safa, author of Inside Islam, estimated that since 1973, the Saudi government has spent some $87 billion to promote Wahhabism in the United States and the Western Hemisphere.
In some ways, such largesse is to be expected from the Al-Saud. This old bellicose tribe - the only ruling family in the world with the audacity to name a country after itself - owes much to Wahhabism.
The Saudi regime first came to power via an 18th century alliance between two Muhammads: ibn Saud and ibn al Wahhab. Together, the Al-Saud and the Wahhabis commanded armies that vanquished Arabia. They pledged to form a nation based on the principles of Islam. In 1932, an Al-Saud warlord, Abdul Aziz, fulfilled his ancestor's dream; he declared himself sovereign of his own newly conquered territories, which he named the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Abdul Aziz adopted the Islamic holy book, the Koran, as his nation's constitution.
To this day, the official constitution of Saudi Arabia remains the Koran. Saudi officials affirm that their government functions "in total adherence to the Islamic religion."
This might be little more than a political curiosity if not for two factors. First, that a geological twist of fate gave Saudi Arabia considerable prominence in world economic affairs. Secondly - and significantly - Islam is not content to coexist peacefully with other faiths or systems of government.
Says Bernard Lewis, widely recognized as the foremost Western scholar on Islam: "In time, in the Muslim view, all mankind will accept Islam or submit to Islamic rule."
Hence, while Saudi contributions toward American Islam are not surprising, they are deeply worrisome.
Of that $87 billion religious propaganda budget, the Saudis have allocated considerable line-item space toward institutions that mold minds in the model of Wahhabism.
The most malleable minds belong to children. An estimated 30,000 of them attend Saudi-funded Wahhabi day schools.
In America, parochial schools have long been noted for their high educational standards. But Wahhabi schools do not emulate other American church-based nativities of faith and knowledge; nor do they follow the American model of rigorous intellectual inquiry.
The Islamic Saudi Academy (ISA) in Northern Virginia forthrightly states that even though it exists on U.S. soil, it is "subject to the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."
Students at ISA are not required to study U.S. history or government. They do, however, receive instruction in Wahhabism.
Outsiders are not permitted to observe Wahhabism lessons or any other classes at ISA. But early this year, students at the academy told two Washington Post reporters some of the things they learn at school. Among other things, students discover the intricacies of Judgment Day.
One event on that formidable day will be that Muslims will fight and kill Jews. The cowardly Jews will seek refuge behind trees. Much like the trees in the forest scene from the Wizard of Oz, these trees will become animated and aggressive. They will call out to the righteous: "Oh Muslim, Oh servant of God, here is a Jew hiding behind me. Come here and kill him."
Students also said they are taught "it is better to shun and even to dislike Christians, Jews and Shiite Muslims." Furthermore, students learn, it is okay to hurt or steal from a non-Muslim.
The Saudi-supplied textbooks at this and other Wahhabi schools state that Muslims are obliged to consider all infidels the enemy. Certain enemies are not even acknowledged in geography class. Wahhabi schools in America are notorious for doctoring maps of the Middle East, and hanging them in classrooms - with Israel blotted out.
Such is the curriculum of education-minded Saudis.
And what of the Saudis' contributions toward American mosques?
According to Safa, the Saudis have funded more than 80 percent of the mosques built in the United States within the last 20 years. The newcomers do not embrace the American religious community's spirit of inter-faith cooperation. They are distinctly isolationist. This attitude came to light as early as the 1990's, when Wahhabi mosques in America refused to accept help from local churches wanting to donate food to Bosnian Muslims. Apparently Wahhabis will not work with infidels, even if the purpose is to help other Muslims.
The Saudis, meanwhile, have directed considerable outreach toward the American Black Muslim community.
In one effort to showcase the bounties of Wahhabism to this target audience, the Saudis' enfeebled King Fahd pledged as much as $8 million for a lavish mosque in shabby South Central Los Angeles. The Saudis' Islamic Development Bank pledged an additional $295,000 for a school attached to the mosque.
From the Saudi perspective, this and other similar contributions are less an expense than an investment. According to Safa, as much as 90 percent of American converts to Islam are black. According to some estimates, if the conversion rate continues, Islam could emerge as a dominant religion among urban blacks.
This is a trend worth watching. Many of America's black Muslims have harshly criticized America, and have deemed it an "immoral society." Increasingly, black Muslims oppose U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, and are adopting a Saudi-influenced view of Arab-Israeli relations.
Other Wahhabis in the U.S. advocate a Saudi-style approach to American government. Insightful Saudi-watcher Daniel Pipes reports that significant elements within American Islam seek to replace our Constitution with the Koran. A ludicrous fantasy, to be sure; but one that offers a glimpse of Wahhabi dreams for America.
Far more troubling is the ease with which the Wahhabis use religion as a means to express and stoke violent impulses. Indeed, in the days leading up to Christmas, the Wahhabi on-line magazine Al-Islam published this religious passage from the Koran: Against them make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war, to strike terror into (the hearts of) the enemies.... A particularly resonant selection, given the events of September 2001.
In the aftermath of those appalling attacks, Federal officials formed Operation Green Quest, aimed at tracing the money trail to Islamic terrorism. In the course of their investigation, agents raided more than a dozen Saudi-funded organizations, such as the Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences in Leesburg, Virginia.
Investigators are still working to unravel the complicated network of financial ties between the various organizations and their charities.
One targeted group, the SAAR Foundation, had links to the Muslim Brotherhood, which is being investigated by European and Middle Eastern governments for ties to terrorist organizations, including the Palestinian Hamas. Among its many other activities, SAAR, which is now officially disbanded, helped fund a Tampa, Florida-based group suspected of having ties to the terrorist Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
"It's like peeling an onion," said an intelligence officer familiar with Operation Green Quest. "There's always another layer."
The organizations and their Saudi enablers proclaim both innocence and ignorance. "To hear them tell it," the intelligence officer says, "they're just a bunch of well-meaning religious folks."
As in the days of old, though, when the two Mohammads acquired territory and power via jihad, Wahhabis are as much about politics as they are about religion.
Former CIA Director James Woolsey told Congress: "One analogue for Wahhabism's political influence today might be the extremely angry form taken by much of German nationalism in the period after World War I." The former spy chief acknowledged that not all extremists of the day became Nazis. But, he added: "Just as angry and extreme German nationalism of that period was the soil in which Nazism grew, Wahhabi Islamist extremism today is the soil in which al Qaeda and its sister terrorist organizations are growing."
Much of that soil is spread across the United States. It hosts a nascent Wahhabi Fifth Column.
Political commentator William Kristol couches the Saudi's export of Wahhabism - via its funding of schools, mosques and think tanks in America - as "a clear and present danger to the United States and its citizens."
America must respond aggressively to that threat. Rather than accept continued transparent professions of innocence, Americans must insist that the Saudis immediately stop funding Wahhabi schools, mosques, charities and think tanks in this country. We can no longer tolerate such an overt onslaught on our national values.http://ezinearticles.com/ Read More ..
John Hagee: Prophetic Voice to America
I had the good fortune to meet Pastor Hagee when I visited his Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, TX. Pastor Hagee has always been an inspiration to me and many throughout the world. His fiery cutting edge sermons shake, awake and inspire.
I was greatly blessed by Pastor Hagee's teachings on Islam wherein he gives an accurate portrayal of the Quran, the injunction of Allah to kill infidels and the devotion of Muslims to be martyrs. Many modern Muslims who don't follow the Quran would disagree, but when you study it you fully see that in its purest unadulterated form Islam is a religion that has historically been spread by the sword. The nation of Sudan where over one-million Christians have been enslaved due to Islam is but one small example of the gruesome history of Islam. Islamic women throughout the world have been oppressed and bound by the Quran's teachings.
Thankfully both Muslim and non-Muslim are now lifting up their voice against the inhumane tenets, teachings and practices found within the Islamic culture. Traditions are very hard to break. It is very difficult to teach an old dog how to do new tricks. People sadly don't change their ways easily and often fight uneccesarily they who seek their liberty.
Islam is a beast of burden to humanity, an oppressive tool of Satan to enslave the souls of mankind, incite religious wars and divide people. Unless someone lifts up their voice against it, the status quo shall forever remain.
I have been to both Pakistan and Indonesia where Christians are regularly killed by Muslims for their faith. I met a young lady in Faisalabad, Pakistan who is now blind in one eye and has scars all over her body thanks to a "peace loving" Muslim who threw battery acid on her when she kindly refused to convert to Islam and be his girlfriend.
In another Islamic act representlying the heart of Allah, Pakistani militant Muslims blew up a building owned by a Muslim owned newspaper. They did not like that the newspaper wrote, "You do not have to have a long beard to be a good Muslim." So they bombed the building wherein the newspaper was printed.
Banda Aceh (the tsunami epicenter) has a long standing history of killing Christians as does the island of Ambon within Indonesia. One Pastor and his sons were murdered by Muslims in the island of Sulawesi during a time of prayer. I have been from Banda Aceh to Irian Jaya. I love Indonesia and its people. What I don't love however is the religion of Islam that oppresses the Indonesian people and all peoples of the world.
I thank God for men like John Hagee who don't tolerate such ignorant and violent religions. Unless we speak up we shall be overtaken by terrorists. There is an ideological war going on as much as there is one with bloodshed and weaponry. In fact the battle for the minds of mankind is perhaps more intense as essentially this determines our fate centuries from now.
America needs new churches. Cornerstone Church is just one of the great churches blessing our nation. Yet there needs to be more. Too many pulpits are empty and without holy fire. May God bring our nation back to the purity of our forefathers, devotion of our founders and send another great awakening across our land.
We truly need the Holy Spirit and truth to sweep across our land. Unless we repent and are revived America will go to hell in a handbasket. This does not need to happen. Nevertheless at this present time many seem to be numb to 911 and the events that shook us a few years ago. We must never forget. We must not remain silent. We must forever speak up and against the cancer of Islam that incites people to kill in the name of God. God is not a killer. God is a lifegiver.
Paul Davis is author of Breakthrough for a Broken Heart a book telling us "How to overcome disappointments and blossom into your dreams!" He is a minister, life coach (relational & professional), dating expert, popular worldwide keynote speaker, creative consultant, humor being, adventurer, explorer, mediator, liberator and dream-maker.
Paul's compassion for people & passion to travel has taken him to over 50 countries of the world where he has had a tremendous impact. Paul has also brought revival to many in war-torn, impoverished and tsunami stricken regions of the earth. His nonprofit organization Dream-Maker Ministries is building dreams and breaking limitations.
Paul's Breakthrough Seminars inspire, revive, awaken, impregnate with purpose, impart the fire of desire, catapult people into a new level of self-awareness, facilitate destiny discovery and dream fulfillment.http://ezinearticles.com/ Read More ..
I was greatly blessed by Pastor Hagee's teachings on Islam wherein he gives an accurate portrayal of the Quran, the injunction of Allah to kill infidels and the devotion of Muslims to be martyrs. Many modern Muslims who don't follow the Quran would disagree, but when you study it you fully see that in its purest unadulterated form Islam is a religion that has historically been spread by the sword. The nation of Sudan where over one-million Christians have been enslaved due to Islam is but one small example of the gruesome history of Islam. Islamic women throughout the world have been oppressed and bound by the Quran's teachings.
Thankfully both Muslim and non-Muslim are now lifting up their voice against the inhumane tenets, teachings and practices found within the Islamic culture. Traditions are very hard to break. It is very difficult to teach an old dog how to do new tricks. People sadly don't change their ways easily and often fight uneccesarily they who seek their liberty.
Islam is a beast of burden to humanity, an oppressive tool of Satan to enslave the souls of mankind, incite religious wars and divide people. Unless someone lifts up their voice against it, the status quo shall forever remain.
I have been to both Pakistan and Indonesia where Christians are regularly killed by Muslims for their faith. I met a young lady in Faisalabad, Pakistan who is now blind in one eye and has scars all over her body thanks to a "peace loving" Muslim who threw battery acid on her when she kindly refused to convert to Islam and be his girlfriend.
In another Islamic act representlying the heart of Allah, Pakistani militant Muslims blew up a building owned by a Muslim owned newspaper. They did not like that the newspaper wrote, "You do not have to have a long beard to be a good Muslim." So they bombed the building wherein the newspaper was printed.
Banda Aceh (the tsunami epicenter) has a long standing history of killing Christians as does the island of Ambon within Indonesia. One Pastor and his sons were murdered by Muslims in the island of Sulawesi during a time of prayer. I have been from Banda Aceh to Irian Jaya. I love Indonesia and its people. What I don't love however is the religion of Islam that oppresses the Indonesian people and all peoples of the world.
I thank God for men like John Hagee who don't tolerate such ignorant and violent religions. Unless we speak up we shall be overtaken by terrorists. There is an ideological war going on as much as there is one with bloodshed and weaponry. In fact the battle for the minds of mankind is perhaps more intense as essentially this determines our fate centuries from now.
America needs new churches. Cornerstone Church is just one of the great churches blessing our nation. Yet there needs to be more. Too many pulpits are empty and without holy fire. May God bring our nation back to the purity of our forefathers, devotion of our founders and send another great awakening across our land.
We truly need the Holy Spirit and truth to sweep across our land. Unless we repent and are revived America will go to hell in a handbasket. This does not need to happen. Nevertheless at this present time many seem to be numb to 911 and the events that shook us a few years ago. We must never forget. We must not remain silent. We must forever speak up and against the cancer of Islam that incites people to kill in the name of God. God is not a killer. God is a lifegiver.
Paul Davis is author of Breakthrough for a Broken Heart a book telling us "How to overcome disappointments and blossom into your dreams!" He is a minister, life coach (relational & professional), dating expert, popular worldwide keynote speaker, creative consultant, humor being, adventurer, explorer, mediator, liberator and dream-maker.
Paul's compassion for people & passion to travel has taken him to over 50 countries of the world where he has had a tremendous impact. Paul has also brought revival to many in war-torn, impoverished and tsunami stricken regions of the earth. His nonprofit organization Dream-Maker Ministries is building dreams and breaking limitations.
Paul's Breakthrough Seminars inspire, revive, awaken, impregnate with purpose, impart the fire of desire, catapult people into a new level of self-awareness, facilitate destiny discovery and dream fulfillment.http://ezinearticles.com/ Read More ..
Stealth Jihad by Robert Spencer
This is a review of the book: Stealth Jihad. How Radical Islam is Subverting America without Guns or Bombs. This is the 7th book written by Robert Spencer since 2002 that supposedly warns Americans and Non-Muslims in general of the threat they face from radical Islam and its jihadist aspect. While Spencer goes out of his way to ensure that readers know that the majority of Muslims are peaceful and the title of his book suggests that he is only condemning the radical aspect of Islam, the actual words in his book testify that he is opposed to Islam in general.
His last book, The Truth about Muhammad: Founder of the World's Most Intolerant Religion, warned the U.S. to "stop insisting that Islam is a religion of peace" while he bended the truth on the life of the Prophet Muhammad and focused on his life during war time.
The most intolerant religion happens to be the religion of all the peaceful Muslims that Spencer says he is not against, but who he is offending by claiming their religion is a religion of War. Even the late Benzair Bhutto claimed in her book, that Spencer is guilty of presenting "a skewed, one-sided, and inflammatory story." If a liberal Muslim like Bhutto believed this, then we must be suspicious of what Spencer has to say.
The book starts out by calmly giving us statements from Muslim leaders who say they are out to turn the United States into a nation run by Sharia law and he calls these Muslims "the most influential leaders in the U.S." One of those high-ranking leaders is Sami al-Arian who is quoted as saying "Let us damn America to death." This is a Palestinian immigrant who gained his Phd in computer engineering and has spent the last 5 years in prison. It would not be farfetched to think that most Muslims living in America don't even know who this man is.
The other Muslim leader in the U.S. is Ibrahim Hooper, a high ranking member of the Council of American-Islamic Relations. Hooper once made an offhand remark that he would not mind if the U.S. government became Islamic in the future and said he would not do anything violent to promote it. If Mr. Hooper is a leading and influential spokesman for Muslims in America, then I guess he should making a fatwa anytime soon based on his great knowledge of Islamic law. These are the only influential Muslim spokespeople mentioned, unless you consider a Muslim college student from Queensborough, NY who said "Eventually there will be a Muslim in the White House dictating the laws of Shariah" as quoted from Aaron Klein from a Muslim Student Association meeting.
When Spencer is not busy bashing Islam, he is giving the thumbs up to people who are actively fighting against the surge of Islam in America. Congresswoman Sue Myrick of North Carolina is praised by Spencer and he backs up her 10 point "Wake Up America" plan to battle radical Islam. This is the same Sue Myrick who criticized the Justice Department just for sending representatives to a convention held by the Islamic Society of North America because she thought they were a group of "radical jihadists."
It would be frightening indeed if all Muslims or most Muslims wanted Sharia law to be implemented in the West, but this is an exaggeration of monumental proportions. Spencer quotes in his book Sheikh Hisham Kabbani, a Sufi Muslim, who said that 80% of mosques in the U.S. are run by "extremist ideologies."
ISNA, a group which condemns Islamic terrorism at nearly every convention they have had since 9-11, is one of eight major U.S. Muslim organizations that issued a joint statement to Kabbani which demanded that he retract his accusation or prove it and an additional 100 Muslim groups and people have endorsed the condemnation and asked that he publicly make the financial details of the tax-exempt organizations which he runs.
Spencer's book ends with advice that we should be aware and active in stopping Muslims from increasing their power in the West and he implies that we should have suspicion towards any Muslim group or mosque in the U.S., whether they are peaceful or not. One must wonder if this preconceived notion of fearing Muslims is not a form of "stealth racism" which is similar to how Jews were perceived prior to Adolf Hitler getting into power.
Stealth Jihad By Roberhttp://ezinearticles.com/ Read More ..
His last book, The Truth about Muhammad: Founder of the World's Most Intolerant Religion, warned the U.S. to "stop insisting that Islam is a religion of peace" while he bended the truth on the life of the Prophet Muhammad and focused on his life during war time.
The most intolerant religion happens to be the religion of all the peaceful Muslims that Spencer says he is not against, but who he is offending by claiming their religion is a religion of War. Even the late Benzair Bhutto claimed in her book, that Spencer is guilty of presenting "a skewed, one-sided, and inflammatory story." If a liberal Muslim like Bhutto believed this, then we must be suspicious of what Spencer has to say.
The book starts out by calmly giving us statements from Muslim leaders who say they are out to turn the United States into a nation run by Sharia law and he calls these Muslims "the most influential leaders in the U.S." One of those high-ranking leaders is Sami al-Arian who is quoted as saying "Let us damn America to death." This is a Palestinian immigrant who gained his Phd in computer engineering and has spent the last 5 years in prison. It would not be farfetched to think that most Muslims living in America don't even know who this man is.
The other Muslim leader in the U.S. is Ibrahim Hooper, a high ranking member of the Council of American-Islamic Relations. Hooper once made an offhand remark that he would not mind if the U.S. government became Islamic in the future and said he would not do anything violent to promote it. If Mr. Hooper is a leading and influential spokesman for Muslims in America, then I guess he should making a fatwa anytime soon based on his great knowledge of Islamic law. These are the only influential Muslim spokespeople mentioned, unless you consider a Muslim college student from Queensborough, NY who said "Eventually there will be a Muslim in the White House dictating the laws of Shariah" as quoted from Aaron Klein from a Muslim Student Association meeting.
When Spencer is not busy bashing Islam, he is giving the thumbs up to people who are actively fighting against the surge of Islam in America. Congresswoman Sue Myrick of North Carolina is praised by Spencer and he backs up her 10 point "Wake Up America" plan to battle radical Islam. This is the same Sue Myrick who criticized the Justice Department just for sending representatives to a convention held by the Islamic Society of North America because she thought they were a group of "radical jihadists."
It would be frightening indeed if all Muslims or most Muslims wanted Sharia law to be implemented in the West, but this is an exaggeration of monumental proportions. Spencer quotes in his book Sheikh Hisham Kabbani, a Sufi Muslim, who said that 80% of mosques in the U.S. are run by "extremist ideologies."
ISNA, a group which condemns Islamic terrorism at nearly every convention they have had since 9-11, is one of eight major U.S. Muslim organizations that issued a joint statement to Kabbani which demanded that he retract his accusation or prove it and an additional 100 Muslim groups and people have endorsed the condemnation and asked that he publicly make the financial details of the tax-exempt organizations which he runs.
Spencer's book ends with advice that we should be aware and active in stopping Muslims from increasing their power in the West and he implies that we should have suspicion towards any Muslim group or mosque in the U.S., whether they are peaceful or not. One must wonder if this preconceived notion of fearing Muslims is not a form of "stealth racism" which is similar to how Jews were perceived prior to Adolf Hitler getting into power.
Stealth Jihad By Roberhttp://ezinearticles.com/ Read More ..
The Islamic Deception
Google the phrase “Muslim violence,” and more than 29 million entries pop up. Granted, some of these citations represent violence committed against Muslims, but, unfortunately, quite a few represent violence committed in the name of Islam.
This makes me wonder: What does Islam really stand for? I hear a great deal about Muslims who do not believe in violence. Yet, it seems that this is a troubling form of faith that rewards people for committing acts of violence.
Imagine if Klansman David Duke claimed he was part of the Ku Klux Klan but was not a racist—that he just liked wearing sheets. Wouldn’t that be a little hard to accept as a credible concept?
While it may seem outrageously politically incorrect to do so, a number of individuals are openly questioning whether the Muslim religion is truly a religion of peace. Some of these individuals are disaffected Muslims who feel as if they were sold a bill of goods by Islamic leaders. They believe they were betrayed—and they worry that others may be hoodwinked into believing that the Islamic faith is one of peace, love, and harmony.
Islamic regimes have been responsible for major human rights violations, especially against religious minority groups and women. Even some Muslims openly admit the religion has a history of violence—at least dating back to the 12th century. While some Muslims have openly called for a peace movement within their religion, the fact of the matter is that, year after year, the news pages are filled with instances of Muslim violence.
Another important thing to keep in mind here is that lying is actually sanctioned within the Islamic religion. As Islam spreads throughout the West, Americans need to be particularly vigilant, recognizing the fact that Muslim activists may try to deceive us into believing that they do not endorse violence, when their actions say otherwise. A number of Muslims artfully neglect to mention the more controversial aspects of Islamic writings and teachings.
For instance, the Koran is often quoted selectively to indicate that the religion stands for peace and tolerance. But after Mohammed migrated to Medina, the Koran became filled with passages showing not only prejudice and intolerance, but the endorsement of violence.
For example, Mohammed, a supposed prophet of peace, commanded his army to kill a Jewish tribe. Obviously, killing is the most extreme form of violence one can engage in, and it is appalling that a religious leader would sanction what can euphemistically be described as ethnic cleansing. The Koran contends that the “only reward of those who make war upon Allah and His messenger and strive after corruption in the land will be that they will be killed or crucified, or have their hands and feet on alternate sides cut off, or will be expelled out of the land.” Such lines of text could never be confused with the lyrics to “Let There Be Peace on Earth.”
It’s hard to reconcile such writings with the popular image of Islam as a peace-loving religion that is being unfairly attacked. The fact is, the media are often complicit in this deception. News reports suggest that violence is perpetrated by extremists or fundamentalists, leading the average Westerner to believe that mainstream Islam does not condone any form of violence.
Because of Islam’s traditional acceptance of lying, it’s entirely possible that, when Islamic leaders speak, they are not speaking the unadulterated truth. In fact, they may say one thing and believe something entirely different.
In the end, by their fruits you will know them—and, regrettably, the fruits of Islam are often destruction, violence and death.http://ezinearticles.com/ Read More ..
This makes me wonder: What does Islam really stand for? I hear a great deal about Muslims who do not believe in violence. Yet, it seems that this is a troubling form of faith that rewards people for committing acts of violence.
Imagine if Klansman David Duke claimed he was part of the Ku Klux Klan but was not a racist—that he just liked wearing sheets. Wouldn’t that be a little hard to accept as a credible concept?
While it may seem outrageously politically incorrect to do so, a number of individuals are openly questioning whether the Muslim religion is truly a religion of peace. Some of these individuals are disaffected Muslims who feel as if they were sold a bill of goods by Islamic leaders. They believe they were betrayed—and they worry that others may be hoodwinked into believing that the Islamic faith is one of peace, love, and harmony.
Islamic regimes have been responsible for major human rights violations, especially against religious minority groups and women. Even some Muslims openly admit the religion has a history of violence—at least dating back to the 12th century. While some Muslims have openly called for a peace movement within their religion, the fact of the matter is that, year after year, the news pages are filled with instances of Muslim violence.
Another important thing to keep in mind here is that lying is actually sanctioned within the Islamic religion. As Islam spreads throughout the West, Americans need to be particularly vigilant, recognizing the fact that Muslim activists may try to deceive us into believing that they do not endorse violence, when their actions say otherwise. A number of Muslims artfully neglect to mention the more controversial aspects of Islamic writings and teachings.
For instance, the Koran is often quoted selectively to indicate that the religion stands for peace and tolerance. But after Mohammed migrated to Medina, the Koran became filled with passages showing not only prejudice and intolerance, but the endorsement of violence.
For example, Mohammed, a supposed prophet of peace, commanded his army to kill a Jewish tribe. Obviously, killing is the most extreme form of violence one can engage in, and it is appalling that a religious leader would sanction what can euphemistically be described as ethnic cleansing. The Koran contends that the “only reward of those who make war upon Allah and His messenger and strive after corruption in the land will be that they will be killed or crucified, or have their hands and feet on alternate sides cut off, or will be expelled out of the land.” Such lines of text could never be confused with the lyrics to “Let There Be Peace on Earth.”
It’s hard to reconcile such writings with the popular image of Islam as a peace-loving religion that is being unfairly attacked. The fact is, the media are often complicit in this deception. News reports suggest that violence is perpetrated by extremists or fundamentalists, leading the average Westerner to believe that mainstream Islam does not condone any form of violence.
Because of Islam’s traditional acceptance of lying, it’s entirely possible that, when Islamic leaders speak, they are not speaking the unadulterated truth. In fact, they may say one thing and believe something entirely different.
In the end, by their fruits you will know them—and, regrettably, the fruits of Islam are often destruction, violence and death.http://ezinearticles.com/ Read More ..
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