Posted on 11/29/2001 10:30:57 AM PST by EclipseVI
Myself included, there are over one billion humans on earth who call God by his Arabic name, Allah. Out of that billion, over seven million of us call America our home. Many of us are born as Americans, study in American institutions and go on to work and pay American dollars to our tax system. Like everyone else, we eventually find our better half, have chubby babies, go to zoos, get season tickets to the Chicago Bulls, go on our childrens' field trips and fix the leak in our roofs. With all the growing pains in the life that we lead as normal Americans, everyday we turn our face to Mecca to pray to what our Christian brothers call God, our Jewish sisters call Yahweh and whom we call Allah.
Islam, Christianity and Judaism have exactly the same origin. We each believe in the monotheistic deity of Abraham, who was the father of all three of these noble religions. Islam's moral and ethical standards are equivalent, if not more stringent, than those of modern day Christianity and Judaism. We, as Muslims, believe in every prophet of both Judaism and Christianity. We believe the world began with Adam and Eve and great prophets, namely Moses, Aaron, Jacob, Joseph and Jesus (peace be upon all of them) were all divinely inspired by God.
We revere Jesus as a great prophet and the messiah of God. He is mentioned by name in the Quran 33 times. We equally revere the Virgin Mary as the mother of the Messiah. She is the only woman mentioned by name in the Quran and she is mentioned 34 times. Anyone who says Muslims don't respect women, read the entire chapter dedicated to Mary (peace be upon her). How many times was our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) mentioned by name in the Quran? Five.
In Islam, a woman receives a monetary dowry from her husband, of which he has no legal claim. A woman is not obligated to change her maiden name. CNN happily broadcasts women being oppressed by the Taliban regime. Islam abhors the oppression of women. The Taliban says women are not allowed to work, yet the Prophet Muhammad's wife, Khadijah, was one of the most successful merchants in all of Arabia. Should we base our belief on a bunch of tribal warlords or the teachings of our Prophet?
In Islam, both men and women have to dress modestly. One aspect of this modest dress for women is the hijab (head covering). This is a religious mandate, but whether a woman decides to wear it or not, is an issue between her and Allah, because as the Quran categorically states, "there is no compulsion in religion." The hijab symbolizes empowerment, not oppression of women. It allows women to be judged on the content of their character, rather than the physical features that we men today objectify onto them. When we see a nun covered from head to toe in her habit, we commend her on her devotion to God. But when we see a Muslim woman wearing hijab, she is oppressed. In how many likenesses of the Virgin Mary, sculptures or paintings, is her hair not covered? Not one. Was she oppressed? Hardly.
Muslim American is not a paradox. As Muslim Americans we currently live in a diaspora having to deal with an attack on our, yes, our, country. We also have a dual anxiety because our way of life, which is not far different from our Christian and Jewish counterparts, is under attack.
I am a law student. I study international human rights. I have been to U2, Sarah Maclachlan, Dido and Outkast concerts. I have been a ball boy for the Chicago Bulls. I have owned a Ford Mustang. I pray for peace and have read Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech ninety-six times. I may be a dreamer, but I promise you, I am not the only one.
I am a Muslim and I am an American. I am proud of both and will compromise neither.
Some Muslims do this; some Jews do it as well, and of course Christians are INFAMOUS for doing it over the centuries.
Again, your unfair characterizations of ALL Muslims based on the actions of a few are unwarranted--but they've become common here on FR, where CERTAIN KINDS of religious bigotry are apparently tolerated.
The violence of the Quaran can be denied till doomsday, the evidence is very much to the contrary. There have been many posters on FR that have posted the verses(?) from the Quaran saying it's ok to lie and decieve infidels, it's ok to kill those that refuse to embrace their religion.
And I've posted references to I Samuel chapter 15, and Matthew 10:34, just two places among MANY in the Bible where violence against unbelievers is approved, but all I've gotten in response is name-calling, and a declaration that I'm "taking it out of context." (FWIW, why it's okay to risk taking scriptures from the Qu'ran out of context, but not the Bible, no one has bothered to explain to me).
Now compare the life of Jesus and Mohammed.
ROTFLMAO
Passion and emotion are fine. But think before you write.
The other scripture is from the Old Testament under the old covenant where breaking the law was punishable by death. God compares it to being married to a man who is right, but has no mercy, only the law is upheld with no grey areas or pity, and promising to send a husband that is just as right as the former, but full of mercy, pity, and love.
I did not lump all Muslims together, like I said, anyone can take anything they want away with them from the Quaran. It makes me very uncomfortable that those that seem to take violence from it, are in no way rejected by those that take peace from it.
You have a good mind Illbay, you know a great majority of these people are still stuck in the dark ages because they reject any new revelation from any other source, even Doonsbury or Peanuts.
If they stay stuck we are all going to have problems, hopefully in time they will lighten up and join the 2000's, until then the onus is on them to prove they are civilized and open to reasoned thought and exchange. They have used up all their credit with the civilized world.
In watching some of their best and brightest youth on Politically Incorrect the other night, they seemed, as Bill fumed, not to be able to connect their actions to the results they get. This is a huge problem, and they can't seem to do more than brush off as inconsequential anything they do to anyone else while anything done to them in retaliation is paramount to a crime against humanity. I think they mean Islamic humanity, the only kind they seem to recognize.
Allah is a totally different story. He is an impersonator, and he claims to be the creator, but he gives himself away by his character. He runs and X-rated paradise for men who can fornicate forever with the wide eyed virgins (hooris) who are perpetual virgins. Allah advocates killing all who do not agree with him and oppose him, and this most certainly is not an attribute of the God of the bible, who is love. Allah is cruel, and advocates chopping off hands, feet, and heads of those who do not comply with his rules. The God of the bible advocates free will, and he said, "Whosoever will, let him come. Let him drink of the water of Life". The God of the bible does not want forced allegiance at all, only those who are willing, only those who are persuaded. Allah advocates killing the infidels, and the God of the bible teaches us to love our enemies, and to pray for those who despitefully use us, and he said that without love we are nothing , no more than a clanging cymbal, just a noise maker. Allah wants Sharia law, and to rule in this world. The God of the bible said that his kingdom was not of this world, and that we should render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and unto God what is his, and he said to obey those who have rule over us.
Please read the bible and see for yourself. My God, for sure is not allah. I do not want to spend eternity with him. No way! I don't want to go to Paradise where the Muslim men are made to believe that they can fornicate forever. I want to see Jesus who loved me so much that he died for me. I want to see him face to face in all of his glory!
A culture of lies, death, and hatred. Hatred against each other, and all others.
By blaming the Jews and Americans for their nauseating existance, they maintain their sorry state of affair. By creating a culture of fantasy, lies and self delusion, they maintain their backwardness.
The Arabs have spread their nauseating religion to gullible morons around the world at the point of a sword, guaranteeing that those nations that follow that religion will remain mired in poverty, ignorance and filth.
Let the billion Moslems blame their object failure on five million Jews. It just demonstrates their impotance, ignorance, shallowness and stupidity.
We in America must laugh at myth of Moslem solidarity, when Moslems are killing Moslems with GLEE in Afghanistan, as they always do.
Islam is diseased and perverted. It will rot from within and sink into the depleted oil wells which support it now.
Satan wanted the honor, praise, and glory that belonged to Jesus alone. Now here comes Muhammed wanting the same thing, the honor, the praise, the glory of Christ, and even having the gall to state that Jesus, the sinless one, will follow him and be a Muslim. If that is not blasphemy, I have never heard any thing more blasphemous.
No, Muslims believe in one, unique, incomparable God, Who has no son nor partner, and that none has the right to be worshipped but Him alone. He is the true God, and every other deity is false. He has the most magnificent names and sublime perfect attributes. No one shares His divinity, nor His attributes. In the Quran, God describes Himself:
Say, “He is God, the One. God, to Whom the creatures turn for their needs. He begets not, nor was He begotten, and there is none like Him.” (Quran, 112:1-4)
No one has the right to be invoked, supplicated, prayed to, or shown any act of worship, but God alone.
God alone is the Almighty, the Creator, the Sovereign, and the Sustainer of everything in the whole universe. He manages all affairs. He stands in need of none of His creatures, and all His creatures depend on Him for all that they need. He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing, and the All-Knowing. In a perfect manner, His knowledge encompasses all things, the open and the secret, and the public and the private. He knows what has happened, what will happen, and how it will happen. No affair occurs in the whole world except by His will. Whatever He wills is, and whatever He does not will is not and will never be. His will is above the will of all the creatures. He has power over all things, and He is able to do everything. He is the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, and the Most Beneficent.
In one of the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad , we are told that God is more merciful to His creatures than a mother to her child. God is far removed from injustice and tyranny. He is All-Wise in all of His actions and decrees. If someone wants something from God, he or she can ask God directly without asking anyone else to intercede with God for him or her.
God is not Jesus, and Jesus is not God. Even Jesus himself rejected this. God has said in the Quran:
Indeed, they have disbelieved who have said, “God is the Messiah (Jesus), son of Mary.” The Messiah said, “Children of Israel, worship God, my Lord and your Lord. Whoever associates partners in worship with God, then God has forbidden Paradise for him, and his home is the Fire (Hell). For the wrongdoers, there will be no helpers.” (Quran, 5:72)
God is not a trinity. God has said in the Quran:
Indeed, they disbelieve who say, “God is the third of three (in a trinity),” when there is no god but one God. If they desist not from what they say, truly, a painful punishment will befall the disbelievers among them. Would they not rather repent to God and ask His forgiveness? For God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. The Messiah (Jesus), son of Mary, was no more than a messenger... (Quran, 5:73-75)
Islam rejects that God rested on the seventh day of the creation, that He wrestled with one of His angels, that He is an envious plotter against mankind, or that He is incarnate in any human being. Islam also rejects the attribution of any human form to God. All of these are considered blasphemous. God is the Exalted. He is far removed from every imperfection. He never becomes weary. He does not become drowsy nor does he sleep.
The Arabic word Allah means God (the one and only true God who created the whole universe). This word Allah is a name for God, which is used by Arabic speakers, both Arab Muslims and Arab Christians. This word cannot be used to designate anything other than the one true God. The Arabic word Allah occurs in the Quran more than 2150 times. In Aramaic, a language related closely to Arabic and the language that Jesus habitually spoke, God is also referred to as Allah.
And this is also the source of the (hated by me) term godd@mmit, which started up north among Yankees and has now sifted down into the southern U.S. So called Christians should have their mouthes washed out if they use that term!
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