LOL :-)
Posted on 02/18/2008 1:06:02 PM PST by 2banana
Whenever western governments mention weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and Muslims in the same breath, the western media immediately breaks into wild frenzy warning its people that a catastrophic event of epic proportions is about to unfold.
Old European fables of Muslims spreading Islam by the sword are reinvented to convey the impression that Muslims are extremely dangerous, highly irresponsible and pay scant regard to human life. Hence the mantra of disarming Muslim countries of WMD has become the rallying cry of the West directed against the Muslim world.
In some cases the arguments are extended to justify the West’s ongoing policy of regime change in Syria, Iran and perhaps Pakistan. However, a close study of Islamic rule in the past contradicts the popular western myth that Muslims are bloodthirsty people anxious to wipe out the rest of mankind in the name of Islam.
The same however, cannot be said about the West. The West armed with its secular doctrine and materialistic world-view proceeded to exploit, plunder and colonise vast populations in order to control resources and maximise wealth.
In pursuit of these newfound riches the West succeeded in destroying civilisation such as the Incas, American Indians, Aztecs, and Aborigines. Those who survived colonisation were forcibly converted to Christianity, stripped of their heritage and sold into bondage to western companies. For the indigenous people of Africa, India, Asia, Middle East and others, the promises of freedom quickly evaporated and were replaced by colonial rule. Rather than show remorse towards such atrocities the West could only gloat at its achievements.
Technologies such as cannons, pistols, steam engines, machine guns, aeroplanes, mustard gas etc only hastened the acquisition of colonies and the exploitation of its people. Resistance offered by the natives towards their colonial masters was met by brute force – often resulting in the destruction of entire communities. When the West was not destroying the natives they were too busy annihilating each other in a desperate bid to cling on to their precious colonies. World Wars I and II are prime examples of the destructive nature of western values.
This is a description of the Old World where countries like England, France, and Germany built empires and accumulated immense wealth on the death and destruction of millions of innocent people. Is the New World (America leading the West) any different today?
Take the example of the New World and its relationship with Afghanistan and Iraq. Liberation has become occupation; democracy has given way to colonial rule, devastation is termed as precision bombing and the slaughter of innocent Muslims is described as collateral damage. Meanwhile, American and British oil companies are queuing up to exploit the oil wells of Iraq and transport the energy reserves of the Caspian Sea to Europe via Afghanistan.
The Islamic Khilafah in the past never treated mankind in such a barbaric fashion. Neither did the Khilafah spread Islam by force nor destroy civilisations. When Islam spread to Egypt, many Coptic Christians did not embrace Islam and today they still number approximately 7 million. Likewise, when India was opened up to Islam the inhabitants were not coerced into accepting Islam. India today has a population of more than 750 million Hindus.
Compare this to extermination of Muslim and Jews in the courts of the Spanish Inquisitors during the much-coveted European renaissance. Those Jews that survived this Spanish holocaust, were warmly welcomed by the Ottoman Caliphate. In Islamic Spain they flourished and became important members of the Islamic society.
Today the world has more to fear from the destructive nature of western values than WMD. In the past these values were enforced upon nations either through direct colonial rule or through tyrannical regimes loyal to the West. Presently, the greatest danger-facing mankind is the constant threat of the West imposing its values on the rest of the world through WMD.
Abid Mustafa is a political commentator who specialises in Muslim Affairs
Mohammed went into "trances" and fits (like epileptic fits) when he was given the "word of God" and would shout out what he was told. These would be written down by his followers. This is the makeup of the Koran.
When Mohammed was just walking and talking and acting like "normal", his words and deeds were written down by his followers and this went into the Hadith. Now, acting "normal" for Mohammed was taking 12+ wives (including a 6 year old when he was 51), taking slaves (including sex slaves), executing infidels, conducting raids for treasure, etc.
Now, this is where it gets complicated.
A large part of the words he spoke in trances were "taken back" by Mohammed. He determined them to be the work of the devil (thus they are called the "Satanic Verses" and these are the same verses that Mr. Salman Rushdie got in trouble for writing about).
Now, how Mohammed determined which verses were from God and which were from Satan I do not know.
Also, there were literally dozens of widely different versions of the Hadith floating around right after Mohammends death and there are large amounts of Hadith that are disputed. Now, even Mohammed could not remember what he was told by God and forgot it (those are his words as written in the Hadith) so I do not know how the powers in charge decided which was the correct version.
Also according to the Hadith, Mohammed turned people into monkeys, you can determine a child's sex depending on whether the male or female has an orgasm first (that advice came directly from the Angel Gabriel), dogs are evil and should be killed, that the devil lives in your nose at night (and how to get rid of him in the morning), chess is forbidden, muslims have one intestine while infidels have seven, don’t pray looking up or your eyes will be snatched away, that one wing of a fly is poison but the other is the cure, that drinking camel urine is good for you and I could go on.
And that Mohammed himself didn't even know if he was going to heaven. If even Mohammed doesn't know, what chance does the average muslim have?
And for some non-PC info, Mohammed was described as a white man.
Now, if you can bear it, to compare to the Gospels of New Testament.
Jesus was born into a poor Jewish family in an area of the world under the occupation of the Roman Empire. He would grow up to be a carpenter for the majority of his life, living quietly and humbly in Nazareth. However, for the last three years of his life he would travel throughout Palestine teaching, healing, and challenging the conventional Jewish order. Jesus was killed for basically saying he was a King and Son of God (blasphemy) by the powers in charge (Roman and Jewish). The government wanted Jesus destroyed and wanted his growing movement destroyed (as it threatened their power). If, after 3 days, the followers of Jesus proclaimed he has risen from the dead, (just as he predicted), and is truly our Savior, the High Officials would have wanted to destroy such a "myth." They could have easily done this by producing the dead body of Jesus and saying "Your Messiah is still dead and so is your movement" or producing many eye witnesses of the dead Jesus. But they couldn't.
So fundamentally, without education, without an army, and without money, this Jesus of Nazareth would forever change the course of human history.
The letters that make up the core of the New Testament were written by the eye witnesses of the events of Jesus or by their associates. They were written in just one generation when many other eye witnesses were still alive. They were written without collusion from other Apostles. Even if any of the Apostles wanted to "add" to the "myth" of Jesus, they would have done so in a very disjointed and easily detectable fashion. Yet, the main Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) that describe the life of Jesus are amazingly in harmony with one another and the small differences are consistent with what we would see today if four people witnessed a major event and wrote about the event apart from each other. The Gospels can be traced back to their sources and are basically unchanged from their originals.
The Bible (especially the New Testament) is the most investigated historical document in the history of the world. It has been investigated by scientists, philosophers and archeologists using technology undreamed of when the Bible was written. It is been desperately tried to be "disproved" for over 2000 years, yet, the Bible still stands as the truth.
The stories of Jesus still make sense to us today. It may be because they are true, it may be because they are based in love or it may be because they were written to tell the people of the Word of God.
Regards,
2banana
-------------------------------
PS - There are many topics that could be compared - The stories of a adulterous woman is found in both the Bible and Koran. They seem to sum up each religion.
Christianity
But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
"No one, sir," she said.
"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin." (John 8:1-11)
Islam
There came to him (the Holy Prophet) a woman from Gamid and said: ‘Allah’s Messenger, I have committed adultery, so purify me.’ He (the Holy Prophet) turned her away. On the following day she said: ‘Allah’s messenger, why do you turn me away? ... By Allah I have become pregnant.’ He said ‘Well, if you insist upon it, then go away until you give birth.’ When she was delivered she came with the child (wrapped) in a rag, and said ‘Here is the child whom I have given birth to.’ He said ‘Go away and suckle him until you wean him.’ When she had weaned him, she came to him (the Holy Prophet) with the child who was holding a piece of bread in his hand. She said ‘Allah’s Apostle, here is he as I have weaned him and he eats food.’ He (the Holy Prophet) entrusted the child to one of the Muslims and then pronounced punishment. And she was put in a ditch up to her chest and he commanded people and they stoned her. (Sahih Muslim 4206)
Jesus
One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."
"Well said, teacher," the man replied. "You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."
When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions. (Mark 12:28-34)
Mohammed
Allah's Apostle was asked, "What is the best deed?" He replied, "To believe in Allah and His Apostle (Muhammad). The questioner then asked, "What is the next in goodness? He replied, "To participate in Jihad in Allah's Cause." The questioner again asked, "What is the next (in goodness)?" He replied, "To perform Hajj Mubrur."
"Believers! - wage war against such of the infidels as are your neighbors, and let them find you rigorous; and know that God is with those who fear him." (Koran 9:124)
Is the word ‘Love’ even mentioned in the Koran?
THe umbrella of Islam keeps the truth from the eyes and ears of muslims.
No, they were murdered. IIRC the "Hindu Kush" is another way of saying "the Hindu Killing-Ground"
It mentions how Mohammed waited three years after he had married his last wife to make love to her. She was six when he married her. True love!
Where are all the Assyrian Christians today? The Christians in Turkey? What happened to the Assyrian Christians in ancient Persia, Tibet, South China, and Western India? How about Zoroastrians? What happened to them?
Islam happened.
When the jizya was to collected it was to be paid immediately. Special clothes had to be worn by non-muslims. Non-muslims had to dismount and walk in the presence of a Muslim. No weapons could be carried. They had to get up to give a Muslim their seat. In many areas they were not allowed to trade or sell. Christian children were lined up by the Turks and the strongest children were taken from their parents, before their very eyes, and never seen again by them except as Jannisaries.
LOL :-)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1972420/posts
Quoting:
The Muslim mob used guns, axes and sticks in an attack on Christians of village Sabz-Kot, in sub-division Pasrur of District Sialkot in Punjab…
On February 6, 2008, Muslims gathered in village two miles from Sabz-Kot after calls from mosques and attacked Christians in broad daylight.
The first victim of attackers was John Masih, they fired shot in air and asked him to kneel down before them, on refusal, three Muslims took control over John Masih and one Muslim took his one eye out with dagger…
Khariat Masih came to help John Masih and he was attacked by axe who fell down with broken head, wounds in abdomen and legs.
The area Christian Councilor, Basharat Masih, rushed to defuse tension and to prevent attackers but he was brutally beaten with sticks. His mother Salima Bibi fell him to save his son Basharat Masih from attackers but she was also dragged by hair in courtyard.
Later, Muslim mob broke out doors, which have been closed in fear of attack and dragged out children, men, women and elders. In gunfire, mob disrespected women and tortured men before their families.
The police came after attack and arrested Christians instead to register any case against Muslims.
The old European fables have it just about right. Muslims frown upon backsliders and those who “fall away” from Islam, and they regard the dictum to convert all the world to Islam (which at its heart is a very bad imitation of both the older Zoroastrian religion and Christianity), as a compelling doctrine, because it is “newer” and theefore “closer” to the concept of divinity.
In fact, the Muslim concept of Paradise and all its attributes is a vastly simplified form of the great construct of the Torah, but the words of both the Old and New Testaments are largely ignored in the practice of Islam.
There is no concept of the Ten Commandments (Mosaic law) or of the Golden Rule - “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you” - anywhere in Islamic theology, and there is no differentiation between the concept of government, and the administration of religious doctrine. The legal system is based on interpretation of the Koran and the various Hadith transcriptions, Shari’a law.
In an act of passive aggression, I have recently changed my diet to include a larger variety of pork and swine-based products, and seek these foods out when visiting a restaurant (like McRibs at McDonald’s - makes the Muslim servers nuts!) Sonny’s Barbeque or Dixie Pig are good too.
“Abid Mustafa is a political commentator who specialises in Muslim Affairs.”
Abid Mustafa is a propagandist and a liar. There are plenty of histories around covering the Moslem conquests. India in particular was subjected to massacre and pillage as the Moslems have a special place in hell for “polytheists” and have never been shy about giving them a little taste of the afterlife before dispatching them.
Today’s Islamist lunatics are not much different from yesteryear’s jihadist. These fanatics believe they are doing God’s work and so commit the most horrendous acts with a clear conscience.
The much talked about and much exaggerated Spanish Inquisition amounted to a few hundred Jews executed at most. Those executed were not executed for being Jews. They were executed for having renounced the Jewish religion in order to stay in Spain and then were found to be still practicing the Jewish faith in Spain. They were thus tried and convicted of Heresy.
Perhaps these are not great discrepancies in the larger scheme of things but clarity on these points is rarely seen anywhere and the Inquisition is so often pulled out a blown out of proportion when talking about Christianity’s crimes against humanity.
You’ve probably noticed already—spelling error in headline and keyword, “mulsims”
Lebanon once considered the jewel of the Middle East, once a Christian majority country.
Now it is majority Muslim the Christians driven out by Muslim violence.
The heyday of the European imperialism he complains of was from about 1830 to 1914, with a hazy afterlife up to about 1950. That’s about 120 years total. Most of the Muslim world was directly affected for less than 40 years of this period. Today not a single Western nation has imperialistic ambitions.
Meanwhile the Muslim jihad has a continuous history of about 1300 years of imperialistic expansion, although with limited success for the past 200 years or so. This lack of success is due to an inability to compete militarily and economically, not to a change of heart.
Bears repeating.
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.