Posted on 10/22/2004 5:55:09 AM PDT by Clive
Today marks the end of the first week of Ramadan, the sacred month in the Islamic calendar devoted to fasting, prayers, reflection and repentance.
As a Muslim, I believe there is nothing more urgent at this time than for us to reflect on our appalling situation.
It is by deeds -- terrorism -- irrespective of what is in their hearts, that some Muslims have desecrated Islam, bringing ignominy and ruin upon themselves.
For Muslim apologists, only a small fraction of over a billion people are engaged in global terrorism, amounting to a war against civilization.
But God knows what is in the heart of every living soul. Muslim silence in the face of atrocities can only mean, apologists aside, complicity with or support for terrorists.
There is a deafening silence of Muslim religious and political leaders when it comes to categorically condemning terrorism or openly fighting to defeat those who defame Islam.
On the contrary, religious leaders such as Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, an Egyptian cleric based in Qatar, regularly preach politics of violence against America and Israel.
Muslims generally tend to be selective in reading the Koran. Hence, many fail to understand how their situation is proportional to their misconduct.
The Koran unequivocally declares, "God will not change the condition of a people until they change themselves, (13:11)."
Muslims need to reflect on how greatly they have wronged Jews and, in my view, thereby transgressed the Koran.
Muslims rarely consider that the Koran is a text rehearsing for them the story of Jews. Muhammad, for Muslims the last of God's messengers, saw himself in the tradition of the great Jewish prophets. Muhammad's line of descent is traced from Abraham -- the common patriarch of Jews and Arabs -- and his son Ishmael, born of Hagar, who was Sarah's maid.
Muslims tend to to consider their politics as inseparably bound and shaped by religion. They need, then, to reflect on religious grounds why so many of them wage war on Jews, when the sacred words are indisputable.
The Koran recites the story of God directing Moses and the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt. It states how Moses was commanded, "Go into the holy land which God has ordained for you" (5:21).
Since Muslims believe the Koran is God's revelation to Muhammad, how can they reconcile the atrocities committed by their coreligionists in the Holy Land with their scripture's authoritative words?
Jewish and Muslim calendars are lunar. This is the Islamic year 1425 and the Jewish year 5765. Many Muslims need to be reminded of over four millennia of Jewish history, and of how Islam's noontide also marked the golden age of Judaism in Muslim lands.
The miracle of the Jews as a people in history is survival, of keeping faith with God as encountered by Abraham. Through the rise and fall of civilizations, captivity, exile and holocaust, Jewish survival constitutes a narrative of a people who were the first witness of God's glory.
It is in the virtue of this history, of remaining bound by the covenant God makes with Abraham, that Jews occupy a special place of historic responsibility.
Max Dimont, a Jewish historian, has noted astutely that Muhammad was "an Arab, imbued with the fervour of Judaism." The Koran is heavenly words revealed for a people who were outside history and ignorant of God, as well as a people -- the Jews -- who entered history by witnessing His glory.
As Muslims, we need to reflect on our scripture, seek understanding and make repentance if our hearts desire Islam, meaning peace, from the source of all creation.
Then we might hope to be guided on the path of right conduct, the path of those whom God favours and not of those who went astray.
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When will we hear that this courageous man was killed for his ideas?
We think alike. I immediately wondered if his life insurance was paid up.
Great post.
Thank You.
PONG
What does "too little, too late" mean?
He's calling on muslims to condemn terrorists and the extremists within the religion.
This is what we want. This is what the President wants. And this is how we will ALL successfully fight islamofascism throughout the world.
Sorry to inform you, but islam will always be a murderous death cult.
I suggest you save your lack of respect for those who continue to fail to speak out.
As others have pointed out, Mr. Mansur is risking his life by speaking as he does. That deserves everyone's respect.
I'm not sure that this guy is as courageous as you suggest. Consider:
It is by deeds -- terrorism -- irrespective of what is in their hearts, that some Muslims have desecrated Islam, bringing ignominy and ruin upon themselves.Note that he doesn't feel that "terrorism" has brought any ignominy upon people such as himself. Apparently what is in the hearts of the "terrorists" may be as pure as the driven snow.
These "deeds" are part and parcel of Islam. They are similar to the "deeds" of the "Prophet." I put terrorism in quotes because is as closely tied to Islam as putting is to golf. Your courageous author doesn't seem to realize that if he doesn't like terrorism he must Rance Islam.
ML/NJ
"Mr. Mansur is risking his life by speaking as he does. That deserves everyone's respect"
EXACTLY !
Muslims or Idol worshippers?
Many of us to this day do not fall for Prophet Muhammad's lies. He claimed that he knew nothing about religion, yet the Qur'an has lots of copycat material. Many of the writings in it confirm the fact that he was a Jesus wanna be. The fact is that Jesus, not Muhammad, had already preached to us about submitting to God. All Muhammad did, was that, he took context from the bible and changed it around.
Muhammad's biography claims that he was illiterate, bull…how can a statesman and ruler be illiterate? He claims to have known nothing about religion, bull…how the hell would he know whom the angel Gabriel was. For instance, the appearance of the angel Gabriel to Muhammad is a story too much like the appearance of Gabriel to Mary and how Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth. There is of course one difference; Mary was pure when God chose her. Muhammad was not.
The truth is that Muhammad, like a snake, went into a cave named Hira' and for three years wrote out a religious business plan. This business plan would make him richer. He knew all the time what he was doing. His plan involved taking advantage of ignorant idol worshippers, to get his business up and running. He went to Hira' to pass long hours in retirement meditating and speculating over all aspects of his religious business plan.
The prophet of Islam, Muhammad, is a real documented and historical figure. He lived in the full light of history and most minute details of his life are known. What the blinded Muslims lacked to notice was that Muhammad was more that just a "prophet", he was also a greedy statesman and ruler.
Take note at how interested Muhammad was with the Pope, this is because the interest was not on the Pope but on the size of the Vatican and the size of Ka'bah. Muhammad being a successful merchant saw that the Vatican was growing in wealth and power, if only he too could find such real estate. A great big temple was all that was missing to complete his religious enterprising venture.
Muhammad saw that the temple of Ka'bah was huge like the Vatican and at the time full of no less than three hundred and sixty idols and a bunch of ignorant idol worshipers. Muhammad like many times throughout the Qur'an decided to act like a Jesus wanna be, Luke 20: verses 45 & 46. So, Muhammad swept clean the Holy Ka'bah from its heathen idols. It was he again who restored the original pilgrimage to its pristine purity, and so the ignorant idol worshipers followed him into a religion we now call Muslim. His business venture had become a reality.
How lucky could Muhammad get, he bought turnkey business. This turnkey business included a temple with idol worshippers who had no problem worshipping a Black Stone, nothing really changed for them and to this day they are still worshipping the idol (The Black Stone). The bottom line, Muhammad became rich like the Pope whom he was so jealous of.
To this day, the Muslims have a working procedure of the Tawaf, it consists of circling around the Ka'bah seven times. Each circle begins by kissing the Black Stone, or by caressing it, which is its normal procedure. Today the world wonders, who are these confused idol worshippers worshipping, God or the Black Stone?
The Muslim people need to open their eyes and realize that the last true prophet was Jesus. Jesus was the Son of God and totally submitted to God. Jesus never owned anything of this earth and Jesus was the only human being on earth that has performed any supernatural miracles.
Muhammad claims that his miracle is the Qur'an. I've got news for the Muslims, after the bible was written, "Any disturbed man can write a book of Prophecy. And that disturbed man will use the Bible as a reference point." The Bible is the greatest book on Earth. It is the word of God that is why the Christians kiss it.
Today I learned of a man named Brian David Mitchell who like Muhammad also wrote a book. Mitchell's book is called The Book of Emmanuel David Isaiah. It is a 27 page of densely packed text, filled with ramblings of a disturbed man. Ramblings that make no sense and like the Qur'an it is hard to interpret. The one thing that will make a difference in the public not falling for Mitchell's book is, that, today we are not as ignorant as the people were back in Muhammad's lifetime.
Note: Brian David Mitchell is the man who kidnapped Elizabeth Smart.
And we should have taken it more seriously before 9/11, too.
Wow.
Spare us your propaganda - we're not buying it. We'll respect you when you preach your message of reform in Mecca, Cairo, or Damascus in Arabic - not english!
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