Posted on 03/31/2006 10:01:53 PM PST by freedom44
The Saudi fatwa reads as follows: "The Permanent Council for Scholarly Research and Religious Legal Judgment has studied the queries some individuals brought before the Chief Mufti… concerning the topic of the construction of houses of worship for unbelievers in the Arabian Peninsula, such as the construction of churches for Christians and houses of worship for Jews and for other unbelievers and [the question of] the owners of companies or organizations allotting a fixed place for their unbelieving workers to perform the rites of unbelief.
"After considering the queries the Council answered as follows:
"All religions other than Islam are heresy and error. Any place designated for worship other than [that of] Islam is a place of heresy and error, for it is forbidden to worship Allah in any way other than the way that Allah has prescribed in Islam. The law of Islam (shari'a) is the final and definitive religious law. It applies to all men and jinns and abrogates all that came before it. This is a matter about which there is consensus.
"Those who claim that there is truth in what the Jews say, or in what the Christians say - whether he is one of them or not - is denying the Koran and the Prophet Muhammad's sunna and the consensus of the Muslim nation… Allah said: 'The only reason I sent you was to bring good tidings and warnings to all [Koran 34:28]'; 'Oh people, I am Allah's Messenger to you all [Koran 7:158]'; 'Allah's religion is Islam [3:19]'; 'Whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it shall not be accepted from him [3:85]'; 'The unbelievers from among the people of the Book [i.e. Jews and Christians] and the polytheists are in hellfire and will be [there] forever. They are the worst of all creation… [98:6].'
"Therefore, religion necessitates the prohibition of unbelief, and this requires the prohibition of worshiping Allah in any way other than that of the Islamic shari'a. Included in this is the prohibition against building houses of worship according to the abrogated religious laws, Jewish or Christian or anything else, since these houses of worship - whether they be churches or other houses of worship - are considered heretical houses of worship, because the worship that is practiced in them is in violation of the Islamic shari'a, which abrogates all religious law that came before it. Allah says about the unbelievers and their deeds: 'I will turn to every deed they have done and I will make them into dust in the wind [Koran 25:23].'
"Thus the 'ulama agreed that it is forbidden to build heretical houses of worship - such as Christian churches - in a Muslim country, and that it is forbidden for there to be two directions of prayer coexisting in a Muslim country, and that there should be no symbol of unbelief, neither churches nor anything else. They agreed that it is obligatory to destroy any church or other heretical house of worship that was built after [the advent of] Islam, and it is forbidden to oppose the ruler in the matter of its destruction, and he must be obeyed.
"The 'ulama agreed that building heretical houses of worship, such as churches, in the Arabian Peninsula is the most weighty of sins and the worst of crimes, because there are reliable and explicit sayings of the Prophet [hadith] that prohibit the existence of two religions in the Arabian peninsula [i.e. another religion in addition to Islam], among them the Prophet's words that were related by [Imam] Malik and others and were recorded in the Sahihayn [the two most authoritative collections of hadith for Sunni Muslims compiled by Al-Bukhari and by Muslim]: 'There shall not be two religions together in the Arabian Peninsula.'
"The Arabian Peninsula is Islam's sanctuary and its basis. It is forbidden to allow or permit unbelievers to penetrate it or to receive citizenship there or to buy property, not to speak of building churches for the worshipers of the cross. There is no place in the Arabian Peninsula for two religions, but only for one - the religion of Islam, sent by Allah through Muhammad, His Prophet and Messenger. There will not be two directions of worship there, but just one single direction - the direction of the Muslims, towards the Ka'ba in Mecca. Praise Allah who enabled the rulers of these lands to ward off these heretical houses of worship from the pure Islamic land.
"[We turn to] Allah, to whom we complain about the heretical houses of worship that the enemies of Islam brought, like the churches and others, to many Muslim countries. We ask Him to protect Islam from their cunning and deceit.
"If one allows or consents to the establishment of heretical houses of worship, like churches, or if one allots a fixed place in a Muslim country [for them to worship] - this is the worst sort of aid to unbelief and of bringing their rites into the open, [in defiance of what is said in Koran 5:2] 'Help one another to good deeds and fear of Heaven, and don't help one another to sin and aggression. Fear Allah, for Allah punishes harshly.'
"Sheikh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyya said: 'Whosoever thinks that churches are Allah's houses and serve as places for His worship, or whosoever thinks that the deeds of the Jews and the Christians are worship of Allah and obedience to His Prophet, and whosoever likes this and permits it or helps them [the unbelievers] to open [houses of worship] and to perform their religion and thinks this to be proximity or obedience [to Allah] - he is an unbeliever.'
"He also said: 'Whosoever thinks that visiting dhimmis [monotheist non-Muslims under Muslim rule] in their churches is proximity to Allah, he is an apostate. If he didn't know that this was forbidden, he should be so informed, and then if he persists, he is an apostate.'
"We find refuge in Allah in order not to backtrack from the right path… Those who turned back on their tracks after the right path was clear to them - Satan seduced them and filled their hearts with false hopes [Koran 47:25]'; 'They said to those who hated what Allah revealed: we will obey you in some matters, but Allah knows your secrets [Koran 47:26]'; 'How will it be when the angels take their souls and strike them on their faces and their backsides [Koran 47:27]'; 'This is because they followed that which angered Allah and they hated Allah's satisfaction, so he thwarts their actions [Koran 47:28]'.
How very inclusive and tolerant.
I get this feeling that this is not a good blueprint for a "religion of peace".
Was this guy trying to see how many different ways he could say the same thing, "get the hell out"?
I don't think fatwas mean much. They are fatwas on different sides of many issues, it seems.
Surprise Surprise Surprise! (Insert Gomer Pyle pic)
Breathtaking chutzpah from a 'religion' that borrowed most of its early traditions from the two faith traditions that it now considers heresy.
For I will never bow to a muslim and his filthy so-called religion:
"Therefore, religion necessitates the prohibition of unbelief, and this requires the prohibition of worshiping the True God in any way other than that of the Christian Faith and Secular Law. Included in this is the prohibition against building houses of worship according to the abrogated religious laws, islam or anything resembling it or anything else, since these houses of worship - whether they be mosques or other houses of worship - are considered heretical houses of worship, because the worship that is practiced in them is in violation of the Christian Law, which abrogates all religious law that came after it. God says about the unbelievers and their deeds: 'I will turn to every deed they have done and I will make them into dust in the wind...
I don't really worry about these unbelieving, fanatical followers of Islam, in the end, the True God will overcome.
Absolutely correct. Years ago, when I first started reading about the history and tenets of Islam, I was intrigued by many of its ideas and its connection with Judaism and Christianity. The more I explored, however, the more alarmed I became at the differences between Islam and other major faiths.
Some might say I could've saved myself the time and just examined who has been responsible for most of the terrorist actions of the last few decades. Unfortunately, it hasn't been the work of a "just a few extremists". A huge percentage of the Islamic world agrees with people like Osama bin Laden, and has no problem with the murder of non-Muslims and fellow Muslims alike.
I've heard the same arguments before: Every religion has its radicals. All religions have periods of violence and oppression. Passages from the Bible seem as bad as those in the Koran.
My answer? All of the above may be true, but Islam has, far and away, the largest number of hard-core radicals. (How many Buddhists have hijacked jetliners?) The Catholic Church had the Spanish Inquisition, but later came reform and a return to the core beliefs of Christianity. (Is Islam capable of reform?) As for Islam...well...they haven't changed that much since the 7th century, now have they?
The Koran? Far more than a "few passages" advocating violence and death for non-Muslims. In fact, if you edited out the most bloodthirsty verses from the Koran, you might eliminate half the text!
As much I hate to say it, I think the roots of that particular tree are rotten. Trying to "reform" Islam would be like trying to "reform" Nazism. Pluck out the "anti-Semitism" from National Socialism, and you've plucked out the heart & soul of the ideology. Unlike most religions, Islam doesn't seem much concerned with heart & soul, matters of the spirit. It's main focus is political, legal and militaristic.
Among other things, I think this is what makes Islam so different from Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism or other faiths --- instead of trying to achieve union with God, Islam (like Nazism or Communism) wants to make the world into its own utopian vision --- a nightmare for the rest of us.
I hope everybody here knows a "jinn" is a genie.
These buffoons have laws even for the imaginary!
Bomb 'em back to the 7th century, where they truly belong!
It's not a problem that Islam views all other religions as heresy. So does Christianity.
The major problem is in Islam's militant attitude towards other religions.
A lesser but still significant problem is that Islam is able to conduct missionary and political activities in Christian lands, while protecting their base from Christian missionary activities. This asymetrical playing field needs to be challenged.
Islam is a virus.
very well stated.
Islam as an ideology is of a totalitarian construct, it's tenets, are similar to Nazism or Communism, likewise; intolerant of any dissent.
We must remember that Christian have failed their duty since conversion of europe. Our church are so busy their business in Europe and forget the rest, especially middle east. When St Thomas preach into India, I am sure our Church was surprise about it and never heard of it. Now, the problem is how we gonna preach into Kingdom of Islam where their law is violence. If one person convert, the next day his head behead. We should blame ourselve for failure to spread the word of God into Middle East coz' we're busy our thing. Now, what is more important is unite our prayer for One Church.
“Slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them captives and besiege them and lie in wait for them in every ambush.”
Aap aap ahh dap dap!!!!!
It's a religion of peace
It's a religion of peace
It aint Slim W, but this'll gitr done!
Kill A Commie For Mommie
Islam, a Religion of Peace®? ( links, blogs, quips, quotes, aggravating pictures ) is located here- click the Pic, and scroll backwards:
"Thunder on the Border," click the picture:
( PS- my personal prediction? That picture will become one of the most widely distributed, and most hated, pictures on the internet. The Illegal lobby could not have done more damage to themselves with that "Mexican Flag Superior, America in Distress" photgraph if they had tried... )
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