George Bush’s continued stance that islam is a “religion of peace” is ridiculous and undermines his credibility. It’s time to call a spade a spade and declare a war on islam which is clearly an evil “religion” as are its followers.
Owl_Eagle
”Guns Before Butter.”
Actual Quotes from the Koran:
"O Prophet! Make war against the unbelievers [all non-Muslims] and the hypocrites and be merciless against them. Their home is hell, an evil refuge indeed." (Koran, 9:73)
"When you meet the unbelievers in jihad [holy war], chop off their heads. And when you have brought them low, bind your prisoners rigorously. Then set them free or take ransom from them until the war is ended." (Koran, 47:40)
"The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and his messenger and strive after corruption in the land will be to be killed or crucified, or have their hands and feet and genitals cut off, or to be expelled out of the land. Such will be their humiliation in the world, and in the next world they will face an awful horror." (Koran, 5:33-34)
"When we decide to destroy a population, we send a definite order to them who have the good things in life and yet sin. So that Allah's word is proven true against them, then we destroy them utterly." (Koran, 17:16-17)
"In order that Allah may separate the pure from the impure, put all the impure ones [all non-Muslims] one on top of another in a heap and cast them into hell. They will have been the ones to have lost." (Koran, 8:37)
"How many were the populations we utterly destroyed because of their sins, setting up in their place other peoples." (Koran, 21:11)
"Remember Allah inspired the angels: I am with you. Give firmness to the believers. I will instill terror into the hearts of the unbelievers: you smite them above their necks and smite all their fingertips off of them." (Koran, 8:12)
(reprinted from the JTF.org website)
I am certain that if we would go back in history, we would find many examples of Christians performing cruel actions
against non-beleivers. Northern Ireland, and Serbia are just two recent examples.
Feast marks end of pilgrimage to Mecca
By KHURRAM SAEED THE JOURNAL NEWS (Original publication: Feb. 22, 2002)
Seema Kibria didn't celebrate one of Islam's holiest days last year because she was in Saudi Arabia stoning the devil.
Kibria and her husband, Jamal, who live in Suffern, were taking part in their first hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca that is required of every Muslim who is financially and physically able to perform it.
Today and tomorrow, 1 billion Muslims worldwide will celebrate the Feast of the Sacrifice, or Eid al-Adha in Arabic, which marks the end of the hajj and honors Abraham for his readiness to sacrifice his son to prove his faith in God. Muslims believe God spared the life of the prophet's son, Ishmael, by substituting an animal.
Hajjis, or pilgrims in Mecca, do not offer Eid prayers, however. Instead, tradition calls for them to stone three pillars that represent the devil's temptation of Abraham and their rejection of evil deeds.
But Muslims in Mecca, as well as around the world, also mark the day by sacrificing an animal, whose meat is distributed to the poor, neighbors and relatives.
Kibria, a mother of three who works at a software company in Mahwah, N.J., said the experience of worshipping with nearly 2 million Muslims changed her. It wasn't a holier-than-thou type of transformation, she said, but rather a subtle shift in the way she saw herself and her life.
Since the events of Sept. 11 have placed Islam firmly in the spotlight, Kibria has not shied away from identifying herself as a Muslim and answering questions, some of which have been difficult.
"I think it's an obligation to tell people about Islam," Kibria said, "not in the way to convert them, but to inform them about it."
The hajj is one of the five basic tenets of the Islam faith. The other "pillars," as they are known in the religion, include a declaration of faith, five daily prayers, offering charity annually and observing daily sunrise-to-sunset fasts during the month of Ramadan, which ends with the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which was on Dec. 16 last year.
Meherban Syed, president of the Islamic Center of Rockland, said the main benefit of the hajj was the sense of purification, atonement and spiritual renewal it provided.
"When Muslims return, they're like a newborn baby," said Syed, who made the pilgrimage two years ago, citing a saying of the Prophet Muhammad: "Their sins are all washed away."
The Islamic center will celebrate the Eid al-Adha holiday tomorrow with 9 a.m. prayers at Rockland Country Day School in Congers.
Some 9,000 Muslims from the United States took part in the pilgrimage last year, according to visa records at the Saudi Arabian Embassy, the Council on American-Islamic Relations said. The council said the numbers were expected to increase this year.
An estimated 6 million Muslims live in the United States. Tosun Bayrak, spiritual leader of the Jerrahi Mosque in Chestnut Ridge, said Muslims in America had kept alive age-old traditions, such as sacrificing animals on Eid al-Adha, while living by the rules of their new home.
For example, the mosque employs a Turkish butcher in Paterson, N.J., who buys the animals with the members' donations, slaughters them in God's name and packages the meat.
Today, the butcher will sacrifice 40 lambs and seven cows on behalf of the mosque's members. Because of its size, each cow is considered to provide ample food on behalf of seven members.
Half the meat is given to the needy, with the remainder going to friends and family.
Bayrak said a good portion of it ended up coming back to the mosque, which feeds 150 to 200 people weekly.