Ex-NBA star educates police on Islam (using his money and fame to promote the virtues of Islam)

Beats Lou Alcindor, err- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, doing beer commercials.

Olajuwon spoke to officers

I'll be the "dialogue" was pretty much a one-way street. I somehow doubt any participants were allowed to ask any probing questions of the speaker.

Hmmm, where was he on 9-12?

"Olajuwon said he plans to continue using his money and fame to promote the virtues of Islam."

Just ask Cassius and Lew what a great community Islam is. Ole Lew had to continue playing hoops until he was 40 something just to pay his bills. I wonder where his fortune went?

"Representatives of the Islamic Circle of North America also attended, giving officers a history of Islam."

Yeah, violence... repression... perversion...

Wonder how ol' Hakeem's Arabic is. Seems to me you can't speak for an entire religious community until you have mastered, or at least can read, the languages that built that faith's texts.

Leave Olajuwon alone. He was one of the greatest centers in NBA history. He made Shaq look ridiculous in the '94 playoffs.

Too bad extremists in his religion are now giving him a bad name, when nobody didn't care all these years.

using his money and fame to promote the virtues of Islam

That shouldn't take much money...

The man had class on and off the court, and to my knowledge rarely spent time in one. If this is how he wants to spend his own money, more power to him. Maybe he can be an influence on his fellow believers.

I'm not sure but he spent the 2001-2002 NBA season playing lacklustre and injured for the Toronto Raptors. It was a rather poor swansong for him in the NBA.

Hakeem Olajuwon would do the world a greater service if he put his money into education for the yutes in Houston as David Robinson has done so many time for the San Antonio community.

"It's a chance for us to understand American Muslims better, and it's a chance for American Muslims to understand us better,"

Herin lies the important distinction, I think. American Muslims, with notable exceptions like Jose Padilla, and spoiled, over-indulged brat Taliban Johnny Walker, for the most part are peaceable citizens and neighbors. This is because either they have lived their entire lives under the American system of the Rule of Law, and have known nothing other than our ways, or if they immigrated here, they've had to learn to accept it. Even if they haven't accepted it, the threat of reprisal if they break the law keeps them in line.

Important caveat here: I do not count Muslim exchange students among "American Muslims". On 9-11, we had a group of Pali students at USF celebrating outside the student union building, and a group of Tampa Boys showed up to do a little butt stomping. Fortunately for the Palis, the cops showed up and told 'em to shut up and disperse, for their own good. Obviously, they and the foreign Muslim community that surrounds USF (Sami Al-Arian's neighborhood), are not people who have American values, and believe in the Rule of Law.

I believe American Muslims are the exception to the global extremist rule. I have nothing more to fear from the Arab guys who own my neighborhood Subway shop than I do any American walking the street. I'd be willing to bet, though, that if I stepped foot outside the US, the situation would change big time. Once again, it's America, our Constitution, our morals, values, and beliefs, that makes all the difference.

Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!

I got no problem with Olajuwon. My comment was directed more at these community "dialogues" that often consist more of lectures directed to a captive audience than an actual dialogue.

This is an abbreviated version of the article in the Houston Chronicle. The Chronicle version actually quoted Akeem (his name before his mamma reportedly came to Houston and told him that he was misspelling it) as talking about Islam freeing the slaves and one of the police officers asked if that included the women. Priceless! Unfortunately the article is archived and you have to subscribe or pay a fee to access-which I refuse to do.

The idea was to put a human face on Islam . To show local police officers that not all Muslims are like Osama bin Laden or Saddam Hussein.

So organizers of a Houston Police Department cultural awareness program called in Hakeem Olajuwon.

In brief remarks to about 40 officers Wednesday, the former Houston Rockets star said most Muslims are peaceful, law-abiding people who need not be feared.

"This type of program is so important in today's world, where Islam has been so misunderstood by so many people," Olajuwon, a native of Nigeria, told the officers.

Olajuwon - who funded the conversion of a grand and capacious old downtown bank building into a mosque and Islamic education center - said he plans to continue using his money and fame to promote the virtues of Islam .

Muslim leaders welcome the support of the NBA star center, particularly in these times when, they say, nightly television shows images that equate Islam with terror and violence.

Aziz A. Siddiqi, representative of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston, recalls a conversation he had with a police officer. When Siddiqi asked what the officer thought of when he thought of Muslims, he responded, "Bin Laden."

"I said: What about Hakeem? What about Kareem Abdul-Jabbar? These are Muslims."

The Houston Police Department runs regular cultural awareness programs to educate officers about the city's diverse communities. Different programs have been set up for officers to meet with Latinos, Jews, Asians and gays, for example.

The programs strive to overcome stereotyping and open dialogue, said Lt. Bill Hoffman, who oversees HPD's in-service training.

"It's a chance for us to understand American Muslims better, and it's a chance for American Muslims to understand us better," Hoffman said.

Organizers from the Islamic Circle of North America told the history of Islam . They also sought to dispel some of the stereotypes about violence in Islam .

The officers did challenge some assertions. When the speakers told of how some of the early Muslims were slaves who became free, an officer pointedly asked if this emancipation included Muslim women. The speakers explained that Muslim women are much freer than what is sometimes portrayed, and they noted that some of the restrictions of women come from cultural traditions rather than from the Quran.

The meeting took place in the basement of the mosque Olajuwon created on Main Street, known as the Hakeem Islamic Dawah Center. Besides being a place of worship, the center serves to welcome and inform the public.

"Feel free to come anytime," Olajuwon told the officers.

You know, I always liked Hakeem as a player and he seems like a decent enough guy. But this is just more America-bashing, although of a more subtle stripe. The plain fact of the matter is that, generally speaking, mainstream American Christians and Jews are the most tolerant and accepting people on God's Earth. Further our Constitution is the world's best and our institutions charged with protecting the rights of all are second to none. Sure, anyone can improve. But when prominent Muslims talk about the need for "understanding" of those of their faith and yet these same humanitarians can't say one word about the hatred of America and of white Americans particularly that is rampant within parts of American society, then their effect, if not their intent, is to apologize for and to encourage those who would undermine our freedom and security. Let Hakeem go to the ghetto and tell the Muslims there that they should try to understand and accept President Bush and condemn the black Muslim traitor who murdered his own in the 101st. Then I'll be impressed with all of this "Can't we all get along" crap.

Will this crap ever end?

"Kill the disbelievers wherever we find them" (Koran 2:191)

"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)

"Not to make friendship with Jews and Christians" (Koran 5:51)

"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)

"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)

"If there are twenty amongst you, you will vanquish two hundred: if a hundred, you will vanquish a thousand of them [infidels]" (Koran 8:65).

Allah and his messenger announce that it is acceptable to go back on our promises (treaties) and obligations with Pagans and make war on them whenever we find ourselves strong enough to do so (Koran 9:3)

"Fight and slay the Pagans, seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem" (Koran 9:5)

Our God tells us to "fight the unbelievers" and "He will punish them by our hands, cover them with shame and help us (to victory) over them" (Koran 9:14).

"Until they pay the Jizya [a penalty tax for the non-Muslims living under Islamic rules] with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued" (Koran 9:29)

"Unless we go forth, (for Jihad) He will punish us with a grievous penalty, and put others in our place" (9:39).

"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)

"Murder them and treat them harshly" (Koran 9:123)

"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)

"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)

"How many were the populations we utterly destroyed because of their sins, setting up in their place other peoples." (Koran, 21:11)

"strike off the heads of the disbelievers" (Koran 47:4)

"Seize ye him, and bind ye him, And burn ye him in the Blazing Fire. Further, make him march in a chain, whereof the length is seventy cubits! This was he that would not believe in Allah Most High. And would not encourage the feeding of the indigent! So no friend hath he here this Day. Nor hath he any food except the corruption from the washing of wounds, Which none do eat but those in sin." (Koran 69:30-37)

"You (i.e. Muslims) will fight wi the Jews till some of them will hide behind stones. The stones will (betray them) saying, 'O 'Abdullah (i.e. slave of Allah)! There is a Jew hiding behind me; so kill him.' " (Sahih Bukhari Volume 4, Book 52, Number 177)

The Prophet killed the men of the Jewish tribe Bani Quraiza (some 600 to 800 of them) and distributed their women, children and property among the Muslims All the other Jews of Medina were exiled. (Bukhari 5:59:362)

The Prophet had the date-palms of the Jewish tribe of Bani-Al- Nadir burnt and cut down. "It was with Allah's permission" (Koran 59:5)

The Prophet said to Sa'd, :The Bani Quraiza have agreed to accept your verdict" Sa'd said, "Kill all their men and take their women and children as slaves" The Prophet replied, "You have judged according to God's Judgment" (Bukhari 5:59:447)

"The Christians say: The Christ is the son of Allah; "Fight against such as those to whom the Scriptures were given [Jews and Christians]...until they pay tribute out of hand and are utterly subdued." (Surah 9:29)

These are the words of their mouths; they imitate the saying of those who disbelieved before; may Allah destroy them." (Sura 9:30)

"Unbelievers are those who say: 'God is one of three.' There is but one God. If they do not desist from so saying, those of them that disbelieve shall be sternly punished." (Surah 5:73)

islam, the religion of peace…

From
Owl_Eagle

”Guns Before Butter.”

Leave Olajuwon alone. He was one of the greatest centers in NBA history. He made Shaq look ridiculous in the '94 playoffs. Too bad extremists in his religion are now giving him a bad name, when nobody didn't care all these years.

Update:

A Houston mosque founded by former NBA star Hakeem Olajuwon was criticized earlier this year [2005] for contributing to Islamic American Relief [IARA] and a second charity allegedly linked to terrorism.--------------- "Mosque's donation to charity prompts closing of account," CBS 2 Chicago ^ | March 11, 2005 | AP Posted on Friday, March 11, 2005 9:18:29 PM by Land_of_Lincoln_John