Posted on 05/19/2004 9:10:28 PM PDT by quidnunc
Muslim reaction to the beheading of Nicholas Berg tells us a lot about what's happening in the Islamic world. More than that, it reveals what's not happening, yet needs to, if Muslims are going to transcend the intellectual and moral crisis in which we find ourselves today.
First, the good news. A few scholars at Cairo's Al-Azhar University, the Harvard of Sunni Islam, are denouncing Mr. Berg's decapitation. So are a handful of Muslim lobby groups in Europe and North America. Add some English-language newspapers based in the Middle East, and a picture of progress emerges.
But the big canvas shows that many of these Muslims continue to cradle a dangerous delusion. Islam, they still insist, had nothing to do with this horrific crime. Iqbal Sacranie, secretary-general for the Muslim Council of Britain, described Mr. Berg's decapitation as "utterly repugnant to the Islamic rules of war."
A similar sentiment was expressed by Ibrahim Al-Fayoumi of Al-Azhar. He told an online news source that "Islam respects the human being, dead or alive, and cutting off the American's head was an act of mutilation forbidden by Islam."
Sound familiar? In the days following September 11, Muslim spokespeople mouthed the mantra that the Koran makes it absolutely clear when jihad can and can't be pursued, and the terrorists unquestionably crossed the line. To quote a Muslim American scholar who typified this perspective, Allah "says in unequivocal terms that to kill an innocent being is like killing entire humanity."
Wishful whitewashing. The Koran verse that's cited as "unequivocal" actually bestows wiggle room. Here's how it fully reads: "We laid it down for the Israelites," meaning those who believe in one God, "that whoever killed a human being, except as punishment for murder or other villainy in the land, shall be regarded as having killed all mankind." Sadly, the clause starting with "except" can be deployed by militant Muslims to fuel their jihads. That's precisely how Nicholas Berg's executioners justified their travesty.
-snip-
(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...
Ohh ya?
Not according to historical accounts.
How come Quid always posts the good stuff first?
http://www.prophetofdoom.net/
Islam rises and falls on Muhammad. He is the doctrine’s sole prophet, its lone founder, its god’s singular conduit. Yet the picture the Islamic scriptures paint is not flattering. I analyzed the five most holy Islamic books and spent two years studying Muhammad and his message. What I found was bone chilling. The depiction of the prophet by the most revered Muslim sources is horrendous. Nearly every page reveals behavior that is immoral, criminal, and violent. The five oldest and most trusted Islamic sources don’t portray Muhammad as a great and godly man. They reveal that he was a thief, liar, assassin, mass murderer, terrorist, warmonger, and an unrestrained sexual pervert engaged in pedophilia, incest, and rape. He authorized deception, assassinations, torture, slavery, and genocide. He was a pirate, not a prophet. According to the Hadith and the Qur’an, Muhammad and his henchmen plundered their way to power and prosperity. And by putting the Qur’an in chronological order and correlating it with the context of Muhammad’s life as it was reported in the Sira, Sunnah and Hadith, we also find that Allah mirrored his prophet’s character. Muhammad’s god condoned immoral and criminal behavior. Allah boasts about being a terrorist. He claims to have deceived men, to have stolen their property, to have enslaved women and children, to having committed acts of murder, genocide, and sadistic tortures.
Islam has been at war with everyone, including itself, for 1400 years. In Prophet Of Doom you’ll see why Muslims celebrate their “victories,” no matter how many innocents perish. You’ll learn why their state-controlled media promotes terror. You’ll know why their state-controlled schools teach hate. It will become evident why imams encourage martyrdom and jihad. You will discover Islam’s goals and read what it has to say about itself. You will see how violent conquest, racist genocide, and the spoils of war established the doctrine and turned a failed prophet into a world-renowned profiteer. I recognize that these words are incompatible with the prevailing notions of our politicians, religious leaders, and media. Yet the evidence is unambiguous and ubiquitous. The truth is undeniable: today’s terrorists haven’t corrupted their religion. Islam has corrupted them. They are following their prophet’s example.
later.......
The five oldest and most trusted Islamic sources don’t portray Muhammad as a great and godly man. They reveal that he was a thief, liar, assassin, mass murderer, terrorist, warmonger, and an unrestrained sexual pervert engaged in pedophilia, incest, and rape.
The five oldest and most trusted Islamic sources don’t portray Muhammad as a great and godly man. They reveal that he was a thief, liar, assassin, mass murderer, terrorist, warmonger, and an unrestrained sexual pervert engaged in pedophilia, incest, and rape.
I thought it bore repeating.
The idea that "Islam" is just another religion deserved of the same respect as Judaism or Christianity is pure propoganda.
"Ishmael shall be a wild ass of a man..
As was the propaganda against Catholics and Jews by the KKK?
What problems in our Holy Book?
Excellent link, dennis. Thanks!
Muslims perform Salat (prayers) to Allah in their prescribed ritual five times a day - at sunrise, noon, afternoon, sunset, and midnight. They have to face the direction of Kaaba (the House of Allah) in Mecca, but they have difficulty locating the direction in the desert.
Last prayer at midnite, first prayer at dawn??? These folks are obviously suffering from cultural sleep deprivation - is it any surprise they haven't invented anything in 300 years?
there no problems in my holy book, the Bible.
must we always have an equivocator on board?
comparing Klan misdeeds and crimes and Moon Rock worshippers historical atrocities is simply not comparable.....one was bad, the other is horrific and wishes to destroy all in it's path that does not submit and has been that way for 1400 years.
Good post dennis btw.
In order to be successful we must have people who rationally think things through and logically approach these types of things.
There's never a black/white on issues, there's always some form of deep thing stuck in that hole.
That's why you never see one-sided meshbrains running our country. . . Listen to Krauhammer, Ledeen, Rubin, Perle and any other Conservative Middle East expert and you never hear some of the irrational perspectives you get on here.
Black and White is easy for me.
How old are you?
You're 25 I see and Muslim I gather.
Do you have issues with Jewish Conservatives on the Middle East?
If so, you can find plenty of Jewish Liberals who will equivocate the situation with you till the cows come home.
There absolutely IS only a black/white only stance on some issues.And you've taken such stances on your personal page;though some of your positions are dead wrong.
Both Judaism and Christianity are
based on Scriptures that can be
read to justify Holy War. Even
Passover has a potentially horrific dimension: what was
the sin of the first-born of Egypt
that God should strike them down?
All religious documents contain truth and error both...you must
use discernment to determine which
is which.
Out of all the moderate lesbian Islamobabes in the media, I think Irshad is my favorite.
Of course, and to even take this step you have to use your G-d given brain. One cannot evaluate the truth of some parts a a religious text unless you first start with the premise that however great the words are, they are redacted to print by humankind. Many Jews are aware of this, and the many books that evaluate the Torah, (Mishna and Talmud). Christians have their "every word is true" group, and their questioners, and their apostates, but all believe some things are above questioning. One does not question the critical essence of the faith. Muslims have the word, and the final word from the angel to man. There is no questioning but if there were, new sects of muslims would arise and be a peace with the Jews and Christians. I am not holding my breath.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.