Oh, the Irony of it all


The boogeyman quote from the Pope - er, his restatement of a 14th century emperor quote:

"Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached"

Statement from so-called "radical Islamist" (not to be confused with regular Joe-Schmoe Islamists)

Mujahedeen Shura Council, an umbrella organization of Sunni Arab extremist groups that includes al-Qaida in Iraq, issued a statement yesterday, "We shall break the cross and spill the wine ... God will (help) Muslims to conquer Rome ... (May) God enable us to SLIT THEIR THROATS, and make their money and descendants the bounty of the mujahideen," said the statement, posted on Sunday on an Internet site often used by al Qaeda and other militant groups.

Another news account from the same mainstream, er..."radical" group, "We will break up the cross, spill the liquor and impose head tax, then the only thing acceptable is a CONVERSION (to Islam) or (KILLED BY) the SWORD."

The Joe-Schmoe Islamist sit quietly on the sidelines. The "radical Islamists" make vast us of the media mouthpiece and spread their message worldwide. I ask, which group is the real face of Islam today? Wolf in sheep's clothing?

If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck...



reply

Once again, the "Religion of Peace" proves that it's actually NOT. Theo van Gogh, Cartoongate, Popegate ... on and on it goes.

I've been reading a bit of Robert Spencer lately. He says that a lot of moderate Muslims don't speak out against extremism within their own religion because they think, "Well, bin Laden and his followers COULD be right about jihad and all that. Their interpretation of the Koran MIGHT be more accurate than mine. They MIGHT be better Muslims than me, so who am I to speak out against them?" Which kind of sounds to me like a Catholic who only goes to church every Easter and Christmas saying, "Well, those Christian fundamentalist abortion clinic bombers PROBABLY know the Bible better than I do, so who am I to criticize them?"

reply

"Well, those Christian fundamentalist abortion clinic bombers PROBABLY know the Bible better than I do, so who am I to criticize them?"


I don't know anyone who has ever said that, do you? And if you did, it would be pretty easy to show them where and how they're wrong -- you don't need to be a theologian to do that.

The same is not true in Islam. As you correctly pointed out, many so-called "moderates" don't speak out not just because they're afraid for their lives (which they have cause to be) but also because they have very good reasons to suspect the Islamist agenda conforms to true Islam. When you have numerous examples in the sira and the hadith of Muhammad taking heads, waging war and slaughtering unbelievers, and couple that with the Qur'anic command to follow Muhammad's example, then what is a non-violent Muslim but a disobedient Muslim?

But above all, the ultimate goal of Islam in general, "moderate" and "extremist" alike, is the global spread of Islam. The worldwide ummah. The only real disagreement is in how to acheive that end.

Spencer's great, isn't he? That guy has had his life threatened so many times. If he makes people angry enough to threaten to rip out his spine, he must be on to something.

reply

[deleted]

The "current situation in Iraq" is the direct result of an invasion by a Christian army under completely false pretenses.

How many Christian/Amish/Buddist/Hindu..countries have been invaded recently? Of course if a Christian country was "shocked and awed" its army disbanded, its entire government and security apparatus dismantled i'm sure the Christians wouldn't riot or form insurgent organisations against the invader.



"Gentlemen you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!"

reply

"The "current situation in Iraq" is the direct result of an invasion by a Christian army under completely false pretenses."

That is a opinion, not a fact. There are still some of us who are patriots and support the war.

reply

How quickly everyone forgets the real start of this... Iraq invading Kuwait, and fears that he would push on into Saudi Arabia.

_____________
Gun control, the theory that 110lb women should have to fistfight with 210lb rapists-Chris Morton

reply

You hit the nail on the head with that one mrzeebub.

Boston, you are the only only only.

reply

The invasion of Kuwait was over and done with for 10 years, with no further threat.

If one wants to compare this with WWII the rest of the world sees it: The invaders of Iraq are the Nazis and the Iraqis are those guys who ended up in concentration camps (read Guantanamo, etc.).

Some idiot bad guys destroy a building and you people go in and destroy an entire country. One that had absolutely no links with the original terrorist attack. Think about it a little bit. If an invading force came into your country to "free you", devastated your country's infrastructure, raped and bullied your people, would you not quite rightly rise up and fight back?



Freedom is the answer. Not right, not left. Not the New World Order.

reply

I'm a patriot and I don't support the war. I challenge you to explain what patriotism has to do with this war in Iraq. I love this country so much that it sickens me that our leaders are willing to sacrifice our citizens for stated reasons that were later proven (not opinion, fact) to be lies.

reply

Ok hmmm how about that little war involving ..... BOSNIA and the SERBS!! Yes the serbs are predominantly Orothodox christians, and i believe coalition forces went in to PROTECT people from them. There are other motives why coalition forces went into Iraq ok its simply the truth, im not saying that America and Britain are these angels because they are not.
But Islam as a whole has been fighting religious wars since their conception, just every now and then they get their asses kicked by some of the bigger predominantly christian nations, and then lol they turn around and say that its all our fault.

reply

bigmatt, what other motives? Moral motives? I hope that's not the suggestion. Islam has been fighting wars that been declared upon them, there's no question. Christianity too, although Christian wars tend to be more brutal and deadly than any other wars.

reply

[deleted]

[deleted]

for all the posts on these boards that galilleo 2005 makse on these boards, it makes him sound awfully bitter towards muslims? whats the matter darling? got rejected by a muslim? got beaten up by a bunch of arabs? lol... keep typing. keep babbling. they arent going away...

ta ta for now
xxx

reply

[deleted]

you could say the same about yourself thought couldn't you?

xx

reply

[deleted]

Cronenfly, I am compelled to respond to your statement that Spencer's great. Well, I, too, have been sucked into their wiles, but David Horowitz is not credible. Thus, Spencer cannot be credible. Please don't get me wrong, I believe there are bad people, but I also believe that people like David Horowitz, Bush, Kristol, Rice, Rumsfeld, Cheney, Powell, and every other person with an "R" after their name are FOISTING a fictional fear on America. Is America threatened by Osama bin Laden? No, absolutely not. Is American threatened by George Bush and his pals? Yes, absolutely. Does radical Islam have a bone to pick with the US? Yes, I think they do. The US has for at least 50 years propped up tyrants, dictators and fascists in their countries. The US foreign policy has been a disaster and now the results came home to roost. The problem has always been that US foreign policy has ignored the harm it does to the little people. Conservative, Republican foreign policy sought to aggrandize themselves to the exclusion of anyone else. It's actually the very essence of what is wrong with conservative, republican thought. And, before you mention it, I love America, just not the one envisioned by Republicans, conservatives or neo-cons would have someone believe. No matter how many times Bush says he wants to spread freedom and democracy it just don't make it so or, certainly, not any definition of freedom or democracy that I would understand.

reply

I'm sorry you feel that way, but everything you said is just that -- feeling. That seems to be all the left has to offer these days; maudlin emotionalism and a paucity of clear thought.

First, to suggest that Osama bin Laden does not pose a threat to the western world is an error of epic proportions, firstly because he very obviously is. He has made good on his many threats numerous times in the past -- you might as well say water is not wet, you'd be just as patently incorrect. Secondly because the threat posed by radical Islam is much broader than simply Osama bin Laden. If bin Laden was killed tomorrow, it would do nothing to remove the threats we face from militant Islam.

Second, you've fallen for the rampant conspiracy theory that the dreaded "neocons" pose a bigger security threat to the world than the radicals who want to overthrow us. I've simply run out of patience for this foolishness, and won't spend any more time arguing against it than I would against someone who belives the Apollo missions never happened or that the world is flat. It's the kind of thing that can only thrive in ignorance. I don't mean to be insulting, I just don't think you know what you're talking about.

Third, you've also fallen for the bromide that American foreign policy is the cause of Islamic radicalism. This is also patently untrue. All you have to do to understand this is READ WHAT THE ISLAMISTS ACTUALLY SAY. When a western educated Islamic doctor straps bombs to his chest and blows himself up to kill civilians, he is not raging about policy issues. The jihad, like Marxism, Nazism, and other radical movements, is utopian in nature, seeking to overthrow the existing order and usher in a "perfected" version of society. That's not to say America, like every other country on the planet, has not made egregious mistakes. But to excuse the brutality of Islamic violence this way is just totally immoral. What would you say to the thousands of innocent Christians, Muslims, Hindus and Jews who have been brutally slaughtered in Pakistan, Iraq, Malaysia, Darfur, and all across the Islamic world in the over 10,000 jihad attacks that have taken place since 9/11? Were the monsters who chopped off the heads of Christian school girls in Indonesia motivated by American foreign policy? This idea of yours that America has brought this on the world is egotistical. Not to mention ignorant of the fact that the jihad to expand Islam around the globe is centuries old, much older than America itself. You're looking through a very limited prism of recent events. The fullness of history shows you to be wrong.

Finally, you assert that Horowitz is not credible. That's neither here nor there, since you don't offer any reason for saying so. Even if he were not, you make the logical error of extending this lack of credibility to anyone associated with him. That's silly. Spencer is a clear and lucid historian who cites all of his sources and whose findings are borne out by the lessons of history and what we see around us everyday. You don't have to take his word for anything. Simply following up his research and testing his conclusions demonstrates his excellence.

Stop parroting Bill Maher and Keith Olbermann and educate yourself, and you'll see how limited your perspective really is.

reply

"That seems to be all the left has to offer these days; maudlin emotionalism and a paucity of clear thought."

I haven't seen much 'clear thought' coming from the right either. Since you're not supplying any arguments for your statement, I can't be bothered to supply some for mine.


"Second, you've fallen for the rampant conspiracy theory that the dreaded "neocons" pose a bigger security threat to the world than the radicals who want to overthrow us. I've simply run out of patience for this foolishness, and won't spend any more time arguing against it"

The difference between neocons and the average muslim extremist is that the former are high up inside the leadership of a country in possesion of thousands of nuclear weapons and the most powerful military in the world. I'd definitely consider individuals like Richard Perle, who expressed the wish to wage 'total war', and 'projects' such as the PNAC which openly state the wish for global American military and cultural domination, more threatening to my 'freedom' than the average joe angry muslim extremist who is hardly able to lift his rusty RPG up. Even though you said you don't want to spend more time on it, I'd still love to hear your rebuttal.


"Third, you've also fallen for the bromide that American foreign policy is the cause of Islamic radicalism. This is also patently untrue."

Strange... Why then did muslim extremism rise up so suddenly and recently? Just take a look at the following figure: http://www.terroristtimeline.org/

You seem to be suggesting that Islam by itself is plainly evil, as through the course of history it has always been out to wage 'jihad' to subject the entire world, and the current rise of violent attacks is just the logical outcome of that. Then again, I ask of you, why has the rise of Islam inspired violence occured so suddenly and so evidently correlated to major turning points in U.S. and British foreign policy?


"to excuse the brutality of Islamic violence this way is just totally immoral."

I don't think greenbanzanas is 'excusing' for anything. He's just offering up a reason for the rise of muslim violence. Right wing oriented people seem to get the two confused sometimes.

reply

Defending an ignorant tool like David Horowitz is a good way to destroy one's credibility.

reply

galilleo 2005 - hmmmm, odd that all in the USA armed forces are NOT christian.


The vast majority of them are Christian. But not just Christian. I've watched nearly all the video's coming out of Iraq from all sides and the impression I get from the American forces is one of extremist, evangelical-like Christianity, which their British counter-parts do not display. I'm not referring to prayer services in war zones (all of which by the way are Christian on the coalition side) i'm talking about interviews with soldiers who express Christianity as being one of the reasons they're fighting.

galilleo 2005 - oh and that little thing saddam was doing to all his people....you know, killing them.


How many people did Saddam kill in 2001? or 2002? Was it more than 30,000? (the lowest possible figure from non-other than George Bush himself)

galilleo 2005 -if iran wasnt behind most of the muslim killing, maybe i would start to agree.


Most of the civilians being killed are Shia the same as Iran. Their killers are Sunni groups led by Al Qaeda who hate Iran.



"Gentlemen you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!"

reply

[deleted]

and what mass murder are you referring to?

+30,000 dead civilians does not qualify as mass murder?



"Gentlemen you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!"

reply

[deleted]

In general, this war between Osama and Bush is nothing to do with religion at all. Bush is as much a speaker for Christianity as Osama is for Islam. Bush is out for conquest, Osama's out for revenge. Two of the largest egos of the world battle it out and paradise burns. Could be made into a summer blockbuster if you ask me.

reply

http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/474/optimistsguidetowarwithnr6.jpg

"Gentlemen you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!"

reply

[deleted]

Beleiving your own patriotic hyperbole. You forget the U.S. isn't the only country in the world with nuclear weapons. Plus the fact that since WW2 the U.S. has never directly taken on a power that was anything other than third world or borderline.
Christ, even the peasant farmers of Vietnam kicked your ass and you dropped more tonnage of bombs on them than during all of WW2.

Oh you may think the USSR went away but Putin still has all those ICBMs and they're quite busy sharing technology with growing pals China.

"Gentlemen you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!"

reply

[deleted]

"2nd worlds"? You said the U.S. would take Europe easily, once again I have to correct your ignorance. Both France and Great Britain have nuclear deterrence.

"Gentlemen you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!"

reply

[deleted]

but may i remind you of ww1, and ww2....do you really think ww3 would be any different?


So the Russians are going to do all the work and then the U.S. will claim all the glory? yeeeeeah, go back to watching Saving Private Ryan and leave history for the real historians.

"Gentlemen you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!"

reply

[deleted]

The wide opinion that World War 2 was won only because of America is completely false. it's as ludicrous as the Russian opinion that the Soviets won the war and the British opinion that the Brits won the war. True, all three were large players: Hitler completely underestimated the strength of Russian patriotism and their determination to not be taken over - Russians carried the brunt of the allied manpower; America was the main provider of artillery and airforce to the allies; but if the Brits had not won the Battle of Britain, there would have been no allied landing in France, ie. no way the Americans could have got across the Atlantic to fight the Germans in Europe.

True, the Americans came out best after the war, with the Brits losing their empire and being severely in financial debt to the US (which continues to today) and the Soviets, although winning a moral victory had the most casualties. But this does not equate to actually 'winning' the war.

And also, going back to your older comment that Mohammed is a 'warmongerer'. It's completely absurd that you can even compare him to Osama Bin Laden. All religious books have words that can easily be distorted to create war, but only symbolise self-defense. In the same way Jews were persecuted at the beginning of their faith, so were Christians, as were Muslims. If self-defence was not advocated, there'd have been no way that those religions (ie. free speech in the day) could have spread. Even Jesus advocated self-defense - "...and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one." Luke 22:36.

Galilleo, you may believe that if America wanted to, it could invade Europe, the Middle East and the rest of the world. But then, so did Hitler.

reply

It's completely absurd that you can even compare him to Osama Bin Laden. All religious books have words that can easily be distorted to create war, but only symbolise self-defense.


Tell that to the Banu Qurayza.

Your digest of WWII is pretty spot on, but I can't say the same thing for your denial of Islam's warlike nature. First of all, the Qur'an is chock full of suras prescribing violence in the name of Allah. The appeal to self-defense is both notorious and notoriously disingenuous -- Muslims have a long history of claiming self-defense as a cover for aggression. That's not to say that some of the battles Muhammad was involved with weren't in self-defense -- many were, mostly in the early, pre-Medina period. But just as many were not, and by the time the Muslim army gathered strength in Medina, and in the period following Muhammad's death, it was all conquest all the time.

I was talking to a Palestinian Muslim just the other day who fled Gaza with his family because he was so sick of his fellow Arabs going on about the "humilition" of Israeli "occupation" and using self-defense as an excuse for brutality (he also said there are many Palestinians who are just as sick of the whole thing as he is, which gave me some measure of hope).

You can only point to one tiny passage where Jesus appears to advocate defensive combat, but compared with the Qur'an, this is a footnote at best.

The other critical point though is that Islam is not based solely on the Qur'an. The University of Southern California’s Compendium of Muslim Texts says: "The Qur’an is one leg of two which forms the basis of Islam. The other leg is the Sunnah of the Prophet." The sunnah (way of the prophet) is comprised of some suras in the Qur'an, the sira (biography of Muhammad) and the sahih (legitimate) hadith. The accepted hadith and the sira are positively brimming with violence -- beheadings, sanctioned-rape and wholesale slaughter. There is nothing in any Christian text that even remotely compares.

So next time you assert that a claim is "absurd" be sure you know what you're talking about.

reply

Nope, sorry dude. I'm still holding onto the claim that Muhammed and Osama can be compared is completely absurd. Muhammed was a prophet in the same way that Jesus and Moses was and he led the people to salvation in a similar as the prophets before him. Islam was NOT spread by the sword. The common myth that Muhammed tried to convert everyone in the lands he conquered is... a common myth. Haven't found any evidence to counter your argument of Islam's evolution from self-defence to 'pre-emptive' attacks, but haven't found any to agree with it either.

However, your argument that the Quran is more violent than the Bible has been heavily argued in this large blog

http://dwindlinginunbelief.blogspot.com/2006/06/which-is-more-violent-bible-or-quran.html

which has some very interesting facts. Basically, it says that, though the Bible's 857 violent passages outnumber the Quran's 493, the Quran is a smaller book. So percentagewise, it 3 times the percentage of cruel verses as the bible. However, many of the violent phrases are repeated many times over, whilst the ones in the Bible are always different. Also, it is not explained to what violent an extent these passages are. So generally, you can't really tell which is the more violent book.

I pointed to one tiny passage of Jesus in the previous statement because it was the one I found most important. However, if you want a few more references, check out this page:

http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/cruelty/nt.html


I am not trying to put down Christianity. I am not trying to say Islam is right in everything it says. The Bible has been rewritten so many times that nobody knows what the original word of Jesus may have been. The Quran's word hasn't changed since the day it was written - which has lead to extremely dangerous interpretations.

It's never going to happen, granted, but what we really need here is an air of tolerance. Everybody has different beliefs. Respect them.



An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.

reply

Impressive debate occurring in here.

I am all for non-violence and respecting others beliefs; however, bending over backwards using tortured logic to equate Christianity of the 21st century via US/Bush, with the fascist portion of Islam of today is procrastination. Yes, Christianity had a bloody past centuries back, but today it is Islam that carries this burden. Islam needs reform and Americans are offering help. Sorry if this sounds pompous but it is something that must occur to stop the violence.

In the end, Islam will need to respect other's beliefs (i.e. Judaism) and become much more tolerant.

Sorry DJ-Shai-guy, but it isn't fair. In the long run, you, Mr. DJ-Shai-guy, can make a greater impact on Islam for the better, than I.

reply

Islam needs to be renewed, not reformed. If there was the religion of 'new Islam', there'd be a whole new sect to disagree and have war with. Look at what happened with the reformation of Christianity - Catholics and Protestants are still arguing over which one of them are most right. Let's stop inventing new religions and start respecting the ones that we have.

And you're right in that Americans are offering to help. The whole world is offering to help in spite of what atrocities islamic fundamentalists have done in the world which is the beauty of humanity. But Christianity has quite a few fundamentalists too, especially Bush - have you noticed the amount of times he's hinted towards the War on Terror as a 'crusade'? He may deny it, but through his subtext, he surely sees this as a war on Islam. And if he sees it like that, all the muslims in the world are going to see it like that. Check out the media on the other side of the world and it's the West who are seen as the real killers, which, as you know, isn't true. As I said before, and I'll say it again - there are good people and bad people all over the world, no matter what their religion. However media propaganda can go a long way.

And to your final point, Islam does need to learn to become more tolerant, as does Christianity and Judaism. Just that last point shows that you don't tolerate Islam. It's a two way thing dude!

PS How can I make a greater impact on Islam? I don't get it.



An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.

reply

Nope, sorry dude. I'm still holding onto the claim that Muhammed and Osama can be compared is completely absurd.

You can hold on to the claim all you like, but that doesn't make it true.

You go on to assert that Islam did not spread by the sword and compare Muhammad to Jesus. Those are two outrageously bogus claims that can only be made by someone who doesn't know the facts of history. Set aside for a moment that fact that I'm obviously not a big fan of Muhammad's and just look at it objectively: the only reason anyone claims Muhammad was a prophet "in the same way as Jesus" is because he said so. But was he? Look at his actions. Compare the messages. How many Jewish tribes did Jesus have beheaded? How many nine year olds did he marry? How many battles did he lead? Not to mention the difference of divinity; Jesus' followers claim he was divine, while Muslims may think Muhammad was "the perfect man," but he was still a man. There is no meaningful way to compare Jesus to Muhammad when their actions, purpose and natures were so fundamentally opposed.

Show me where Jesus ever said anything as ghoulish as Muhammad did after the battle of Wadi Bedr in 623, quoted by the Islamic biographer Ibn Ishaq: "The other chieftains were killed, their bodies tossed in a pit, whereupon Muhammad, in his joy, said: 'O people of the pit, have you found what God threatened is true? For I have found what my Lord promised me is true.'" Given Muhammad's notorious violence and bloodthirst, comparing him to bin Laden makes a lot more sense then comparing him to Jesus.

As for "Islam didn't spread by the sword," with all due respect, that's just foolish. Read a book. Better yet, read a Muslim book. Read Sirat Rasul Allah. "A prophet must slaughter before collecting captives. A slaughtered enemy is driven from the land. Muhammad, you craved the desires of this world, its goods and the ransom captives would bring. But Allah desires killing them to manifest the religion." (Ibn Ishaq (Guillaume) p. 327)

Islam spread through the conquest first of local tribes, then the city of Mecca, then Egypt, etc. etc. Islam has never been only a faith. It has always been simultaneously political. If there is a predominantly Muslim country that didn't become so without being conquored first, I haven't heard of it. Perhaps you can enlighten me.

Then you go through a numbers excercise to comapre the violence of the Bible with the violence of the Qur'an. Unfortunately, without context, this is a pointless excercise.

Briefly, there is a lot of disagreement among suras in the Qur'an -- peaceful versus warlike, etc. The Islam doctrine of naskh (abrogation) was developed to reconcile them. Naskh states that when two suras conflict, it's the more recent one that takes precedence, as it reflects Allah's latest thinking on a subject.

There are also conflicting passages in the Bible, and Christianity has a form of abrogation as well. There is no shortage of laws in the Old Testament that modern believers consider repressive, brutal and unthinkable to 21st century societies. Leviticus in particular contains many of these. But Jesus proclaimed himself the "fulfillment of the law" and thereby brought a new law – love your enemy, turn the other cheek, treat your neighbor as you would like to be treated. Thus the progression of Christian scripture is from harsh legalism to love, forgiveness and long suffering.

Islam, however, tracks the exact inverse course. The suras dealing with peace and tolerance uniformly date from the early days of the Islamic movement, with the revelations becoming more warlike and aggressive as Muhammad gathered strength and consolidated Muslim power. There is no such thing as the Golden Rule in Islam. There is no equivilent to "turn the other cheek."

You also assert that the Qur'an has not been changed over the centuries. I know Muslims believe that, and they would like us too, but it's simply impossible to buy that.

From wikipedia: The Qu'ranic revelations were originally memorised by Muhammad's companions as Muhammad spoke them, with some being written down by one or more companions on whatever was at hand, from stones to pieces of bark. Compilations of the Qu'ran began under the Caliph Umar, but it was Uthman who decided upon a definitive copy and destroyed all other versions. All Muslims use the same Qur'an with no differences among the sects. The Qu'ran has never changed in substance since.

Two problems with that -- first, who knows how many changes it went through before it was codified. Muhammad's child wife Aisha even tells a story of one of the prophets revelations which she'd written down being eaten by a goat. Second, there is no history of textual criticism in Islam -- even questioning the validity of a sura or the example of the prophet is punishable by death. Under those circumstances, I find it very hard to swallow that anyone can say with certainty that the Qur'an has never been altered -- maybe it has and maybe it hasn't, but saying it had been would get you killed. That's a very effective way to silence critique.

You end by saying: "Everybody has different beliefs. Respect them." To which I ask: why? Do you respect everyone's beliefs, even ones you think are wrong or dangerous? Do you respect fascism? Do you respect Kali worshippers?

reply

Wow Cronen, that is what I said the first run through. Wow, to the complete lack of knowledge.

First, what Jewish tribes do you speak of that Muhammed had beheaded, I'd really like to know. Second, he married nine year olds? Haha, no, no he did not, please give me your source as to this. Because it seems the only one you have is wikipedia...
Now, Jesus and Muhammed are both believed in by Muslims. Jesus and Muhammed led two different lives as well. Jesus tried to reform Judaism, Muhammed had introduced an entirely new religion. Now, the wars Muhammed waged were not wars of conquest they were wars that were started upon him.

You quote:
"The other chieftains were killed, their bodies tossed in a pit, whereupon Muhammad, in his joy, said: 'O people of the pit, have you found what God threatened is true? For I have found what my Lord promised me is true.'"
First, not all historical figures, in fact very few, knew Muhammed, a biography was only written well after his death. This being said this quote could be a complete and utter falsehood, by the way what was your source for this?

Islam DIDN'T spread by the sword. Only the Arabian Empire did. Citizens of newley conquered territories were not forced to convert to Islam, though many did. And you quote:
"A prophet must slaughter before collecting captives. A slaughtered enemy is driven from the land. Muhammad, you craved the desires of this world, its goods and the ransom captives would bring. But Allah desires killing them to manifest the religion." (Ibn Ishaq (Guillaume) p. 327)
The sources of Ibn Ishaq have fallen under heavy suspicion. Secondly, I didn't know the quote of a man means this is what Islam is about, that's just as bad as saying Osama bin Laden speaks for Islam.

The "conquest" of local tribes you are refering to were diplomatic agreements, as I said in another post, after the death of his wife, Muhammed would marry a woman from another tribe in order to have relations with the people, this is the way the people of that area lived at the time.

You state:
"If there is a predominantly Muslim country that didn't become so without being conquored first, I haven't heard of it. Perhaps you can enlighten me. "

Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world, and it isn't a country "conquested" by the Muslims. India has a population of 300 million muslims, this is a country that hasn't been "conquered" by the Muslims.

You state:
". Islam has never been only a faith. It has always been simultaneously political."
To say Islam is the only political faith is pretty foolish, even now the Church engages in political affairs. Secondly a leader of a mass of people, even the leader of a few must be wise in politics, Muhammed was political, yes, but not Islam, get that right.

You state:
"The suras dealing with peace and tolerance uniformly date from the early days of the Islamic movement, with the revelations becoming more warlike and aggressive as Muhammad gathered strength and consolidated Muslim power. There is no such thing as the Golden Rule in Islam. There is no equivilent to "turn the other cheek."
Where is your evidence for this? I've actually read the Qur'an, I don't recall any warlike and agressive revelations. Please, give me your quotes (please don't pull out one sentence among many and completley remove them from context)

You quote wikipedia as your source as to the creation of the Qur'an. Yet you forget the same thing was done with the Bible, when many different versions were destroyed for one.
Questioning the validity of the Qur'an is not proof of any inaccuracies. Produce some evidence. Where did you get the murdering of men and women that questioned the Qur'an, or is that a modern incident, if so, that would explain it. What you need to stop doing is throwing your own made up ideas into your arguments.

Respect means many things Cronen. When I respect someone's beliefs I allow them to have this belief without trying to murder them. However, if these people try to attack me or what have you, I will defend myself. Based on what you said, you would have facists killed? You seem to be just like the fanatics.

reply

I've already addressed all your points in the other thread you started.

If you don't know Aisha's age and what the sources for it are, with all due respect, how long have you been studying Islam? The sources are in the other thread.

Likewise the warlike and aggressive suras. Read sura 9, among others. Again, there's more in the other thread. You say "I've actually read the Qur'an" as if to insinuate that I have not. But I have, some of it many many times.

The sources of Ibn Ishaq have fallen under heavy suspicion. Secondly, I didn't know the quote of a man means this is what Islam is about, that's just as bad as saying Osama bin Laden speaks for Islam.


I hope Ibn Ishaq is someday completely discarded. Unfortunately, you know just as well as I do that the sira is an integral component of the sunnah. Like it or not, we're stuck with Muhammad's biography. To your second point, I quoted one famous and widely accepted source. But there are dozens of mutawatir that support the portrait of Muhammad, as well as death to apostates, etc.

Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world, and it isn't a country "conquested" by the Muslims.


Indonesia has always been religiously syncretic and the Islam practiced there differs greatly from Orthodox Islam. The portion of shari'ah minded Muslims in Indonesia is very small but -- frighteningly -- growing fast. What's growing within the Muslims in Indonesia is terrifying. For example, jihadists decapitating a group of Christian schoolgirls as "Ramadan trophies." In an article in The Australian, November 09, 2006: "The girls' severed heads were dumped in plastic bags in their village in Indonesia's strife-torn Central Sulawesi province, along with a handwritten note threatening more such attacks ... The note read: ‘Wanted: 100 more Christian heads, teenaged or adult, male or female; blood shall be answered with blood, soul with soul, head with head.’" A Javanese trader named Hasanuddin conceived the idea after visiting with Islamic militants in the Philippines and deciding that taking the heads of Christians would qualify as 'an act of Muslim charity.'"

Even so, I'll take your point -- that's one example. India doesn't count because it's nowhere even close to a Muslim majority country, you should have known that. Got any other examples?

To say Islam is the only political faith is pretty foolish, even now the Church engages in political affairs.


Again, are you trying to be deceptive? I never said that Islam was the only political faith. I said that Islam has been a political movement as well as a religious movement from it inception, and that Christianity has not. That's just true. If you don't like it, take it up with reality. The difference is that Christianity, at its root, apart from how imperfect men practice it, and apart from what politicians have done in its name, is not concerened with earthly domination. Islam, while full of promises about heavenly paradise, is and has always been equally concerend with spreading Islam across the globe, going back to Muhammad himself.

reply

First, what Jewish tribes do you speak of that Muhammed had beheaded, I'd really like to know.


Banu Qurayza. Not only did he have so many of them beheaded that it took late into the night to finish the job, he did so after they had offered to surrender.

Again, according to Ibn Ishaq:

"Then they surrendered, and the apostle (Muhammad) confined them in Medina ... Then the apostle of Allah went out to the market of Medina and dug trenches in it. Then he sent for them and struck off their heads in those trenches as they were brought out to him in batches. They were brought out in groups, and among them was the enemy of Allah Huyayy ibn Akhtab and Ka’b ibn Asad, their chief. There were 600 or 700 in all, though some put the figure as high as 800 or 900. As they were being taken out in batches to the apostle they asked Ka’b what he thought would be done with them. He replied, 'Will you never understand? Don’t you see that the summoner never stops and those who are taken away never return? By Allah it is death!' This went on until the apostle made an end of them ..."

"Huyayy was brought out wearing a flowered robe in which he had made many holes about the size of the finger tips in every part so that it should not be taken from him as spoil, with his hands bound to his neck by a rope. When he saw the apostle he said, 'By God, I do not blame myself for opposing you, but he who forsakes God will be forsaken.' Then he went to the men and said, 'God’s command is right. A book and a decree, and a massacre have been written against the Sons of Israel.' Then he sat down and his head was struck off."


Militant Muslims have been taking heads ever since. Where do you think they got the idea? Qur’an 8:12 -- "When your Lord revealed to the angels: I am with you, therefore make firm those who believe. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them." And Qur'an 47:4 "When you encounter the unbelievers on the battlefield, strike off their heads until you have crushed them completely; then bind the prisoners tightly."

reply

Damn, you're good. Back in a week.

For the record though, the argument of 'my religion's better than yours', or 'my religion's less violent than yours' could go on forever. What else do you think make these wars strive? If Christianity is so pure, how could the first settlers in America have justified using Christianity to kill Native Americans? The Crusades? Hitler? Timothy McVeigh? Bush?

The truth is, they distorted Christianity for their own means. Christianity is generally compared more to pacifist Buddhism than Islam and Judaism, yet still people kill in the name of it.

In the same vein, using the very same violent Quranic quotes you come up with, Islamic fundamentalists are doing the same thing all over the world.

Really sleepy now so will continue later. But quick question - is it possible to disagree with someone's beliefs yet respect them? Because if you disagree with Islam, that's fine - I disagree with a hell of a lot of it. But being intolerant of it is just plain sad.

reply

If Christianity is so pure, how could the first settlers in America have justified using Christianity to kill Native Americans? The Crusades? Hitler? Timothy McVeigh? Bush?


Again, you have to separate what fallible, political, squabbling human beings do in the name of religion from the tenets of the religion itself. That's why it's important to compare the examples of Jesus and Muhammad, not historical Christians and Muslims. Making that comparison shows clearly that in order for a Christian to be less violent, they have to be more like Christ. For a Muslim to be less violent, they have to be as little like Muhammad as possible.

is it possible to disagree with someone's beliefs yet respect them? Because if you disagree with Islam, that's fine - I disagree with a hell of a lot of it. But being intolerant of it is just plain sad.


Sure it's possible. I do it all the time. But what do you mean by "intolerant?" And "just plain sad?"

It really boils down to this: the difference between a Muslim we can live with and a Muslim we can’t live with is that one of them can ignore the violent, repressive, fascistic aspects of the Qur’an and the sunnah, and the other cannot ignore them. It really is as simple as that. The ones who can historically contextualize their faith and their prophet are no problem. The ones who can't must be stopped.

See you in a week.

reply

I reject the notion that Bush desires to destroy Islam. That view is false and making that claim plays into the hands of enemies of peace. Despite overwhelming evidence showing Bin Laden and Al Qaida are behind a growing list of murderous acts, including 9-11, much of the Islamic world is divided on whether or not Bin Laden or Bush or the Jews are to blame for terror.

Perhaps contributors to this are lower literacy rates--mostly among women, the lack of free press and liberal education in the Islamic world. This is a major problem. Widespread denial needs to end before Islam can "renew". I am not in denial, those that are in denial need to change their views. I am sorry if this sounds crass, but it is not I that can lead this change, for I and Western societies are already leading peaceful and tolerant lives.

It is those that hold views that infidels need to be converted or killed that need to change. They are the broken ones. Those that make excuses for radical Islam, or blame Jews or blame Bush for provoking Islam, these people need to change their views. This isn't about meeting in the middle, where the West needs to give and change as much as Islam; the West has already been "renewed".

As I mentioned before, American's are offering help, I want Islam to thrive in a modern world, but I am asking Islam to first admit it has a serious problem. I am not denying the West and Christianity have its problems, but they are currently not equal to the problems of Islam. Sorry, but at this moment in time, Islam and those that deny its problems hold a much larger share of the burden to change that would lead to greater peace and security.

reply


First off I don't know much about the Koran.

I do know some things about the Bible.

The Bible says not to take any one scripture by itself, it must be taken all together and in the right context.

Secondly, there are many books in the Bible that are historic and describing historic events that were violent. The entire old testament is violent and points to the coming of Jesus, who, is the whole point and message of the Bible.

Find out what Jesus said and you will find out what Christians are to be like.
Also when they found the dead sea scrolls they found ancient scriptures were very close to the message that is read today.

Lastly, The Bible also says that you need to have the holy spirit in order to properly understand it, therefore a non believer, or skeptic will not be able to understand what the Bible says. Many of you might argue with that but as a person who believes in Jesus, I myself have only been revealed certain scriptures. Others I read and don't understand them.




reply

"The Bible says not to take any one scripture by itself, it must be taken all together and in the right context."


Here, here!

An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.

reply

Jews enjoyed their freedom best in the past in Islamic nations.
even nowaday, he they live in Arabic countries without problems. Muslims have a problem with Isreal the country, and not the jewish faith. if u rape someone's land, do u expect them to just let it go?

reply

i have never seen a more ignorant post. it shows how soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo little u know about islam. and if u don't know something, u better Not talk about it.
1- Mohammad never fought before Madina, psycho.
and most foolishly
2- the Suunah of the prophet is NOT in any way part of the Quran, it's his sayings, while the quran is the words of Allah.

reply

Keep "pretending" you know what you're talking about.

I never said the Sunnah was "part of the Qur'an." Try reading what was said.

And I'm not sure where you think I said Muhammad fought before Medina. I categorized his conflicts with the local Arab tribes in Mecca as defensive, but I didn't say he fought -- how could he? He didn't have an army yet. That would have to wait until his numbers swelled significantly after the hijra to Medina. We all know that the use of violence in the name of Islam began in earnest in 624, with the Nakhla raid (although I prefer his 300 strong army, raised in 623, with which he fought the Meccans in the battle of Wadi Bedr).

But let's have a little excercise. Let's pretend that you're talking to someone who really is as "ignorant of Islam" as you say -- pretend for a moment that someone mixes up the dates and thinks Badr and Nakhla and Uhud and the Battle of the Trench and the mass beheading of the Banu Quarayza, and on and on and on, happened between 613 and 622, rather than 624 and 627.

What difference would it make? Such a person would have to do some more research to get the dates right, but the point is exactly the same.

Muhammad was a warlord who suppressed his enemies with brutality and violence, regardless of what years he did it in.

But you can't answer the actual content of the charges, so you stick to empty arguments about dates and putting words in the mouth of Islam's critics.

Typical.

reply

Qoute:
1-The sunnah (way of the prophet) is comprised of some suras in the Qur'an.
2- That's not to say that some of the """"""battles"""" Muhammad was involved with weren't in self-defense -- many were, mostly in the early, pre-Medina period.
-------------
if u say something as foolish and u expect us to believe that u know anything abt Islam then u r mistaken.
The sunnah is what all we know about what mohammad did or said- so , again, don't lie to get out of it like u did last time.
the same applies for the second qoutation, what does battle mean? pre-madina isn't the same as before madina?
------------------------------------------------------
i think i made my point clear, u know nothing abt islam, u just collect materials from the internet u which may not even understand.

reply

Clown.

The Sunnah is the ways and sayings of the prophet, and as the Qur'am contains some passages describing the ways and saying of the prophet, they are included in the Sunnah. So is the hadith and the Sira.

You should know this.

Stop trying to evade the point with stupid, fabricated ad hominem attacks. Answer the argument or move along.

reply

pretty boy:
The sunnah (way of the prophet) is comprised of some suras in the Qur'an.
is the same as:
The Sunnah is the ways and sayings of the prophet, and as the Qur'am contains some passages describing the ways and saying of the prophet, they are included in the Sunnah. So is the hadith and the Sira?
and what about fighting before madina, liar?
I'll leave it to other ppl to decide who's evasive, lying, and he talks about things he knows nothing about.
now i'll leave it to WESTERN scholars to defend Islam and Mohammad:

Napolean Bonaparte as Quoted in Christian Cherfils, ‘Bonaparte et Islam,’

"Moses has revealed the existence of God to his nation. Jesus Christ to the Roman world, Muhammad to the old continent...


"I hope the time is not far off when I shall be able to unite all the wise and educated men of all the countries and establish a uniform regime based on the principles of Qur'an which alone are true and which alone can lead men to happiness."




Thomas Carlyle in ‘Heroes, Hero Worship, and the Heroic in History,’ Lecture 2, Friday, 8th May 1840.


"As there is no danger of our becoming, any of us, Mahometans (i.e. Muslim), I mean to say all the good of him I justly can...
"When Pococke inquired of Grotius, where the proof was of that story of the pigeon, trained to pick peas from Mahomet's (Muhammad's) ear, and pass for an angel dictating to him? Grotius answered that there was no proof!...

"A poor, hard-toiling, ill-provided man; careless of what vulgar men toil for. Not a bad man, I should say; Something better in him than hunger of any sort, -- or these wild arab men, fighting and jostling three-and-twenty years at his hand, in close contact with him always, would not revered him so! They were wild men bursting ever and anon into quarrel, into all kinds of fierce sincerity; without right worth and manhood, no man could have commanded them. They called him prophet you say? Why he stood there face to face with them; bare, not enshrined in any mystry; visibly clouting his own cloak, cobbling his own shoes; fighting, counselling, ordering in the midst of them: they must have seen what kind of man he was, let him be called what you like! No emperor with his tiaras was obeyed as this man in a cloak of his own clouting. During three-and-twenty years of rough actual trial. I find something of a veritable Hero necessary for that, of itself...

"These Arabs, the man Mahomet, and that one century, - is it not as if a spark had fallen, one spark, on a world of what proves explosive powder, blazes heaven-high from Delhi to Granada! I said, the Great man was always as lightning out of Heaven; the rest of men waited for him like fuel, and then they too would flame..."

Marcel Clerget in 'La Turquie, Passe et Present,' Paris, 1938.


"Many proofs of high cultural level of the Ottoman Empire during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent are to be found in the development of science and law; in the flowering of literary works in Arabic, Persian and Turkish; in the contemporary monuments in Istanbul, Bursa, and Edirne; in the boom in luxury industries; in the sumptuous life of the court and high dignitaries, and last but not least in its religious tolerance. All the various influences - notably Turkish, Byzantine and Italian mingle together and help to make this the most brilliant epoch of the Ottomans."


to qoute only a few.


Sir George Bernard Shaw in 'The Genuine Islam,' Vol. 1, No. 8, 1936.


"If any religion had the chance of ruling over England, nay Europe within the next hundred years, it could be Islam."
"I have always held the religion of Muhammad in high estimation because of its wonderful vitality. It is the only religion which appears to me to possess that assimilating capacity to the changing phase of existence which can make itself appeal to every age. I have studied him - the wonderful man and in my opinion far from being an anti-Christ, he must be called the Savior of Humanity."

"I believe that if a man like him were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring it the much needed peace and happiness: I have prophesied about the faith of Muhammad that it would be acceptable to the Europe of tomorrow as it is beginning to be acceptable to the Europe of today."


http://www.cyberistan.org/islamic/quote2.html

reply

Keep dodging those arguments with your appeals to authority and double speak.

The context of my original comments about Medina were clear enough, and I even clarified them further for you in a subsequent post. Your tactics here are all too typical of Islamic apologists and therefore need no further comment. Your methods themselves say all there is to say about the subject.

reply

[deleted]

You are, the Chinese and Russians did help fight Japan.

reply

[deleted]

You are wrong, Bridge over the River Kwai should ring a few bells but then again....




'FIRST TO GO, LAST TO KNOW, WE WILL DEFEND TO THE DEATH OUR RIGHT TO BE MISINFORMED.'

reply

[deleted]

galilleo, you have come off as the "know it all" to me. You've denied all of my facts and substituted only your own. The reason I know yours are incorrect, and slanderous? Because I have actually studied Islam, U.S. foreign relations, and the Middle East thoroughly, and all my words are words of intellectuals that have studied far more than me, I can begin to site many of them for you. I would really enjoy it, however, if you sited just one.

reply

[deleted]