Posted on 03/02/2004 7:11:12 PM PST by yonif
As long as they aren't hurting me or other people they can practice what they believe.
Could you please cite all pertinent verses in the Koran so as I might be able to verify your claims, please? Thanks in advance...
We just call him the pedophile prophet. That's the dirty old pervert named Muhammad.
It would be very helpful if a good summary of this with pictues were distributed along with everyone of those "Islam is just another religion" pieces of propaganda that are distributed in our nation courtesy of oil wealth.
I have always felt uncomfortable agreeing with the left. I would describe myself as the extreme left of liberal, not quite socialist. What really upsets me, though, is how uninformed people are about what they argue. This is true for both the right and the left.
I proudly claim heritage from the Muslim Middle East. Having lived there, and coming from a Muslim family let me clarify some things...
Islam IS a very aggressive religion. It had to be from the beginning, in order to survive in the violent world of the bedouins at the time. It hasn't rid itself of that violence yet.
The Middle East is a backward place. This is perhaps due to the fact that widespread literacy hasnt been around for that long. There are unsavory traditions that remain from long ago that haven't been abandoned yet, since people don't see a reason to leave them behind. Modernization of the PEOPLE will take decades yet.
The Middle East is a very confused place right now. Think 18th century Catholic rural Italy or Spain, with some Puritan thrown in, except with modern technology.
I hope that explains things a bit. You are right. It is a disgusting barbaric ritual. It IS NOT A CELEBRATION though. Its MOURNING the martyrdom of Imam Hussein.
Why do the worst parts of Islamic culture receive disproportionate attention and the advocates of those worst parts of Islam have such disproportionate power? What is the reason for the failure of the better parts of Islam to exert a dominant voice and why does the structure of communication within Islam disproportionately lead to the constant glorification of the worst parts of the religion? Why is Al Jazeera completely uninterested in truth in the sense that the concept of truth developed out of the combination of Judiac and Greek culture as transmitted in the Truth of Christ? Why are so many lies asserted that no one can bear eyewitness to, and why are they repeated over and over? Those that adhere to lies as part of a religion will never be free.
Shortly after this weekend is the most solemn holiday of the Jewish year, one that mourns the destruction by Babylonia of the First Temple and the Romans of the Second Temple, the holiday of Tisha B'Av (link to full discussion, excerpted below). It is the only Holiday where Jews traditionally wear black. In contrast to the better-known Yom Kippur, it is truly a day of mourning, whereas Yom Kippur is more redemptive. The Holiday is celebrated, by the wearing of black, and a 24 hour no food, no water fast (I do this for Yom Kippur, not Tisha B'Av.
The Muslims mark a similar tragedy, the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad at the Battle of Karbala on 10 Muharram in the year 61 AH (December 10, 680 AD) on a holiday known as Ashoura in the manner excerpted below (link).Excerpts: The restrictions on Tisha B'Av are similar to those on Yom Kippur: to refrain from eating and drinking (even water); washing, bathing, shaving or wearing cosmetics; wearing leather shoes; engaging in sexual relations; and studying Torah. Work in the ordinary sense of the word [rather than the Shabbat sense] is also restricted. People who are ill need not fast on this day. Many of the traditional mourning practices are observed: people refrain from smiles, laughter and idle conversation, and sit on low stools.
Excerpts:To me, the Muslim ceremony is more genuine, more sincere and one that we should emulate. I suggested, in Temple tonight, that the Jews add avenging the Temple's destruction. Someone raised a practical problem that there were no Babylonians to "avenge" against. I suggested the random slaughter of any non-Jewish people using suicide bombs, planes into buildings, to make the holiday more meaningful. The idea did not receive an overwhelming response, unfortunately.BEIRUT, Lebanon - Tens of thousands of Shiite Muslim men, some beating their chests and slashing their heads with blades, marched along city streets throughout the Middle East on Tuesday to mark Ashoura.
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In the southern Lebanese town of Nabatiyeh, thousands of Shiite men walked in circles in the town square, many slashing their heads with swords and then pounding the wound with the palm of their hand. They wore white sheets as symbolic shrouds, which also served to absorb the blood.
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Men brought their young sons, parts of their heads shaven, to a hall in Nabatiyeh where a man cleansed a pocketknife with alcohol before striking each boy several times on the head. Some boys cried and resisted, but the cutting proceeded.
“We’re used to it,” said Mahmoud Jaber, 43, who brought his five boys to slash their heads. “We’ve been doing this since we were kids. I started when I was three. It doesn’t hurt because the cry of pain goes away with the faith.”
Another participant, Abbas Mahmoudi, an engineer, explained why he cut himself by saying: “If the intention is sincere, then I will be rewarded (by God).”
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