Posted on 11/14/2004 4:32:15 AM PST by MidTown_Doc
Shedding light on Islam Although welcomed in Memphis, the faith is misunderstood
By Bima Said Special to Viewpoint November 14, 2004
When foreigners talk about the United States, they all know about New York. They all know about Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles.
I'm sure they also know about Elvis Presley and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. But not all foreigners know that Elvis was from Memphis and that rock and roll was born here.
Perhaps not all foreigners are aware that King was assassinated in Memphis, and that the National Civil Rights Museum was built on the site of the Lorraine Motel, where King was shot.
I was really delighted during my three weeks in Memphis. Participating in an International Journalism Exchange program sponsored by American Society of Newspaper Editors and International Center for Journalists, I felt lucky to have a newspaper attachment with The Commercial Appeal.
Being able to look at an American newsroom's practices was an amazing experience. But what fascinated me the most was the overall religious scene of this city.
I felt a lot of peace here; everyone was tolerant of other faiths. There are several churches, Jewish synagogues, Hindu temples and Islamic mosques. I visited the Muslim Society of Memphis (MSM) and was surprised to learn that four other mosques are in the city.
I was even more surprised when Nabil Bayakly, community relations director for MSM, told me that Muslims here were never victims of harassment as a result of the atrocities of Sept. 11, 2001.
By contrast, he told me that as many as four people convert to Islam every month, and more people are becoming interested in learning about Islam after 9/11.
Still, Americans hold numerous misconceptions about Islam. Since many Americans have asked me questions about my religion, it has come to my attention to straighten this out. Here is my list of the top 10 misconceptions about Islam.
Misconception No. 10: Muslims don't believe in Jesus or any other prophets.
Jesus is considered as one of the greatest of God's messengers to mankind. Muslims respect and revere Jesus, upon Him be peace, and await His Second Coming.
A Muslim never refers to Him simply as Jesus, but always adds the phrase "upon him be peace." The Koran confirms his virgin birth (a chapter of the Koran is titled "Mary"), and Mary is considered the purest woman in all creation.
Misconception No. 9: Muhammad was the founder of Islam, and Muslims worship him.
Muhammad (peace be upon him) was born in Mecca in the year 570. Because his father died before his birth and his mother shortly afterward, he was raised by his uncle from the respected tribe of Quraysh.
As he grew up, he became known for his truthfulness, generosity and sincerity, so that he was sought after for his ability to arbitrate in disputes. Historians describe him as calm and meditative.
Muhammad (peace be upon him) was of a deeply religious nature, and had long detested the decadence of his society.
It became his habit to meditate from time to time in the Cave of Hira near Mecca.
At the age of 40, while engaged in a meditative retreat, Muhammad (peace be upon him) received his first revelation from God through the Angel Gabriel. This revelation, which continued for 23 years, is known as the Koran.
As soon as he began to recite the words he heard from Gabriel and to preach the truth God had revealed to him, he and his small group of followers suffered bitter persecution. The persecution grew so fierce that in 622 God gave them the command to emigrate.
This event, the Hijrah or "migration" in which they left Mecca for the city of Medina, marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar.
After several years, the Prophet and his followers were able to return to Mecca, where they forgave their enemies and established Islam definitively. Before the death of the Prophet at the age of 63, the greater part of Arabia was Muslim, and within a century of his death Islam had spread to Spain in the west and as far east as China.
He died with fewer than five possessions to his name.
While Muhammad (peace be upon him) was chosen to deliver the message, he is not considered the "founder" of Islam, since Muslims consider Islam to be the same divine guidance sent to all peoples before.
Muslims believe all the prophets, from Adam, Noah, Moses, Jesus, etc., were all sent with divine guidance for their peoples. Every prophet was sent to his own people, but Muhammad (peace be upon him) was sent to all of mankind.
Muhammad is the last and final messenger sent to deliver the message of Islam. Muslims revere and honor him for all he went through and his dedication, but they do not worship him.
Misconception No. 8: Muslims are a barbaric, backward people.
Among the reasons for the rapid and peaceful spread of Islam is the simplicity of its doctrine -- Islam calls for faith in only one God worthy of worship. It also repeatedly instructs man to use his powers of intelligence and observation.
Within a few years, great civilizations and universities were flourishing, for according to the Prophet (peace be upon him), "seeking knowledge is an obligation for every Muslim man and woman."
The synthesis of Eastern and Western ideas and of new thought with old brought about great advances in medicine, mathematics, physics, astronomy, geography, architecture, art, literature and history.
Many crucial systems such as algebra, Arabic numerals and the concept of the zero (vital to the advancement of mathematics) were transmitted to medieval Europe from Islam.
Sophisticated instruments that made possible the European voyages of discovery were developed, including the astrolabe, the quadrant and good navigational maps.
Misconception No. 7: All Muslim men marry four wives.
The religion of Islam was revealed for all societies and all times, and so it accommodates widely differing social requirements. Circumstances may warrant the taking of another wife but the right is granted, according to the Koran, only on condition that the husband is scrupulously fair.
No women can be forced into this kind of marriage if they do not wish it, and they have the right to exclude it in their marriage contract.
Polygamy is neither mandatory nor encouraged, but merely permitted. A man is only allowed at most four wives only if he can fulfill the stringent conditions of treating each fairly.
Permission to practice polygamy is not associated with mere satisfaction of passion. It is rather associated with compassion toward widows and orphans. It was the Koran that limited and put conditions on the practice of polygamy among the Arabs, who had as many as 10 or more wives and considered them "property."
It is honest and accurate to say that it is Islam that regulated this practice, limited it, made it more humane and instituted equal rights and status for all wives. It is also evident that the general rule in Islam is monogamy and not polygamy. A very tiny percentage of Muslims throughout the world practice it.
Misconception No. 6: The Nation of Islam is a Muslim group.
Islam and the so-called Nation of Islam (NOI) are two different religions. NOI is more of a political organization because its members are not limited to a single faith. Muslims consider this group to be just one of many cults using the name of Islam for their own gain.
The only thing common between them is the jargon, the language used by both. NOI is a misnomer; this religion should be called Farrakhanism, after its propagator, Louis Farrakhan.
Islam and Farrakhanism differ in many fundamental ways. For example, Farrakhan followers believe in racism and that the black man was the original man and is therefore superior. In Islam, there is no racism and everyone is considered equal in the sight of God, the only difference being in one's piety.
There are many other theological examples that show the NOI's teachings have little to do with true Islam. There are many groups in America that claim to represent Islam and call their adherents Muslims.
Any serious student of Islam has a duty to investigate and find the true Islam. Malcolm X is an example of an NOI member who later found the true Islam, realizing that it is much different than NOI. After finding the true Islam, Malcolm X changed his name to Al-Hajj Malik al-Shabazz.
Misconception No. 5: All Arabs are Muslims.
Not all Muslims are Arabs, and not all Arabs are Muslims. The Muslim population of the world is around 1.2 billion. One out of five people in the world is a Muslim.
Muslims are a vast range of races, nationalities and cultures from around the globe -- from the Philippines to Nigeria -- and are united by their common Islamic faith. Only about 18 percent live in the Arab world; the largest Muslim community is in Indonesia. Most Muslims live east of Pakistan. Thirty percent of Muslims live in the Indian subcontinent, 20 percent in sub-Saharan Africa, 17 percent in Southeast Asia, 18 percent in the Arab world, and 10 perent in the Soviet Union and China.
Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan make up 10 percent of the non-Arab Middle East. Although Muslim minorities are in almost every area, including Latin America and Australia, they are most numerous in Russia and its newly independent states, and in India and central Africa. There are about 6 million Muslims in the United States.
Misconception No. 4: Islam was spread by the sword and is intolerant of other faiths.
Many social studies textbooks for students show the image of an Arab horseman carrying a sword in one hand and the Koran in the other, conquering and forcibly converting. That is not a correct portrayal of history.
Islam has always given respect and freedom of religion to all faiths. The Koran says: "God forbids you not, with regards to those who fight you not for (your) faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them; for God loves those who are just (Koran 60:8)."
Freedom of religion is laid down in the Koran itself: "There is no compulsion (or coercion) in the religion (Islam).The right direction is distinctly clear from error (Koran 2:256)."
It is a function of Islamic law to protect the privileged status of minorities, and this is why non-Muslim places of worship have flourished all over the Islamic world. History provides many examples of Muslim tolerance toward other faiths, such as when the caliph Omar entered Jerusalem in the year 634, Islam granted freedom of worship to all religious communities in the city.
Proclaiming to the inhabitants that their lives and property were safe and that their places of worship would never be taken from them, he asked the Christian patriarch Sophronius to accompany him on a visit to all the holy places.
Islamic law also permits non-Muslim minorities to set up their own courts, which implement family laws drawn up by the minorities themselves. The life and property of all citizens in an Islamic state are considered sacred whether the person is Muslim or not.
Racism is not a part of Islam; the Koran speaks only of human equality and how all peoples are equal in the sight of God. "O mankind! We created you from a single soul, male and female, and made you into nations and tribes, so that you may come to know one another. Truly, the most honored of you in God's sight is the greatest of you in piety. God is All-Knowing, All-Aware (Koran 49:13)."
Misconception No. 3: Muslims worship a different God.
Allah is simply the Arabic word for God. Allah for Muslims is the greatest and most inclusive of the names of God. It is an Arabic word of rich meaning, denoting the one and only God and ascribing no partners to Him.
It is exactly the same word the Jews, in Hebrew, use for God (eloh), the word Jesus Christ used in Aramaic when he prayed to God. God has an identical name in Judaism, Christianity and Islam; Allah is the same God worshiped by Muslims, Christians and Jews.
Muslims believe Allah's sovereignty is to be acknowledged in worship and in the pledge to obey His teaching and commandments, conveyed through His messengers and prophets who were sent at various times and in many places throughout history.
However, it should be noted that God in Islam is One and Only. He, the Exalted, does not get tired, does not have a son or have associates, nor does He have human-like attributions as found in other faiths.
Misconception No. 2: Islam oppresses women.
The image of the typical Muslim woman wearing the veil and forced to stay home and forbidden to drive is all too common in most people's thoughts. Although some Muslim countries may have laws that oppress women, this should not be seen as coming from Islam.
Many of these countries do not rule by any kind of Shari'ah (Islamic law), and introduce their own cultural standpoints on the issue of gender equity.
Islam, on the other hand, gives men and women different roles, and equity between the two is laid down in the Koran and the example of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
Islam sees a woman, whether single or married, as an individual in her own right, with the right to own and dispose of her property and earnings. A marriage gift is given by the groom to the bride for her own personal use, and she keeps her family name rather than taking her husband's.
Both men and women are expected to dress in a way that is modest and dignified. The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) said: "The most perfect in faith amongst believers is he who is best in manner and kindest to his wife."
Violence of any kind toward women and forcing them against their will for anything is not allowed. A Muslim marriage is a simple, legal agreement in which either partner is free to include conditions.
Marriage customs thus vary widely from country to country. Divorce is not common, although it is acceptable as a last resort. According to Islam, a Muslim girl cannot be forced to marry against her will.
Misconception No. 1: Muslims are violent, terrorists and/or extremists.
Even before the 9/11 attacks, this was already the biggest misconception in Islam. It no doubt resulted from the constant stereotyping and bashing the media give Islam.
When a gunman attacks a mosque in the name of Judaism, a Catholic IRA guerrilla sets off a bomb in an urban area, or Serbian Orthodox militiamen rape and kill innocent Muslim civilians, these acts are not used to stereotype an entire faith. Never are these acts attributed to the religion of the perpetrators. Yet how many times have we heard the words "Islamic fundamentalist" linked with violence?
Politics in so-called Muslim countries may or may not have any Islamic basis. Often dictators and politicians will use the name of Islam for their own purposes. One should go to the source of Islam and separate what the true religion of Islam says from what is portrayed in the media.
Islam literally means "submission to God," and is derived from a root word meaning peace.
Islam may seem exotic or even extreme in the modern world. Perhaps this is because religion doesn't dominate everyday life in the West, whereas Islam is considered a way of life for Muslims, and they make no division between secular and sacred in their lives.
Like Christianity, Islam permits fighting in self-defense, in defense of religion, or on the part of those who have been expelled forcibly from their homes. It lays down strict rules of combat, which include prohibitions against harming civilians and against destroying crops, trees and livestock.
The Koran says: "Fight in the cause of God against those who fight you, but do not transgress limits. God does not love transgressors (Koran 2:190)."
War, therefore, is the last resort, and is subject to the rigorous conditions laid down by the sacred law.
The term "jihad" literally means struggle. Muslims believe there are two kinds of jihad. The other jihad is the inner struggle of the soul that everyone wages against egotistic desires for the sake of attaining inner peace.
Contact Bima Said at bima.prameswara@waspada.co.id
But he won't find many takers here where intelligence and logic overcome islamic-fascism.
Here's an article I came across awhile ago.
Who Should We Love? Who Should We Hate?
Urban Peace-Making, The Good Samaritan and Muslim-Christian Relationships
The Four Questions
True Christians and true Muslims cannot and will never come to any real agreement. To Muslims, Christians, while people of the book, are perceived as still in the "realm of war", not yet submitted to Allah. To Christians, Muslims, though respected, are perceived as unbelievers yet to be converted to Christianity. The differences between the two faiths are enormous, vital and substantial. A bible-believing Christian cannot follow Mohammed or agree with many of the teachings of the Koran. A true Muslim cannot believe in the Trinity or the incarnation. These are impossibilities. Our two faiths are irreconcilably different. Our two faiths have been at war for centuries and our two faiths will always seek to convert each other. True believers in each camp will always see the other as sinners, outside the faith, and on their way to Hell. Given that biblical Christianity and fundamentalist Islam will never agree, and will always see each other as sinners then:
Should we kill someone because they are a sinner, outside our faith, and going to Hell?
Should we walk on by and let someone die, say in a car accident, because they are a sinner, outside our faith, and going to Hell?
Should we refuse to spend money on someone to help them recover back to health if they are a sinner, outside our faith, and going to Hell?
Should we hate our neighbor because they are a sinner, outside our faith, and going to Hell?
In short what is the realm of people I should love? And what is the realm of people a holy and righteous person should hate and detest ? Are the boundaries of my love determined by the boundaries of my nation, ethnic group, customs, practices or my faith? Who should I show mercy to and who should I show no pity to at all?
The Story
These were also the urgent questions of Jesus' day when relationships between Jews, Romans and Samaritans were tense. Jews saw Romans as unclean Gentile dogs and despised the Samaritans as corrupted, idolatrous apostates. No good Jew would talk with a Samaritan. Romans saw Jews as stubborn troublemakers and Samaritans generally hated Jews and would not give anyone hospitality who was heading towards Jerusalem. In the midst of this irreconcilable religious tension Jesus told the following story:
(Luke 10:25-37 NKJV) And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" {26} He said to him, "What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?" {27} So he answered and said, " 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.'" {28} And He said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live." {29} But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" {30} Then Jesus answered and said: "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. {31} "Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. {32} "Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. {33} "But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. {34} "So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. {35} "On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.' {36} "So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?" {37} And he said, "He who showed mercy on him." Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."
A certain lawyer asks Jesus what should he do to inherit eternal life.
Jesus points the lawyer to the Jewish Law and asks him what it says.
The lawyer replies that eternal life comes if we love God with all our heart mind and strength and our neighbor as ourselves.
Jesus replies - Correct! Now go and do this and you will live.
The lawyer hedges, it looks too hard a task, too big a job. So like a good lawyer he goes for the definition and asks "Who is my neighbor?". The real question being "who do I have to love?" or in the context of the original question about eternal life "Who do I have to love in order to inherit eternal life?" The hidden plea is "Tell me I can have eternal life by just loving a few people, give me a definition that lets me off the hook so I can justify myself."
So Jesus tells a story about a well known and hazardous bit of road between Jerusalem and Jericho, the highway probably just outside where they were talking.
A Jew is robbed and badly beaten and left for dead, the clergy that were supposed to look after him and show compassion (a priest and a Levite) just walk on by. Jesus clearly thinks this behavior is wrong.
Then a Samaritan comes along and has compassion on the Jew (who to him is a sinner, outside the Samaritan faith and going to Hell)
The Samaritan does not kill the man but instead heals the wounded Jew.
The Samaritan does not leave the Jew to die but bandages him and puts him on his own donkey, so the wounded man rode while the Good Samaritan walked.
The Samaritan pays money to the innkeeper to take care of this man who is outside of the Samaritan faith.
The Good Samaritan promises to come back and check and see how he is going and to pay any additional expenses.
The Samaritan does not convert the Jew and the Jew does not convert the Samaritan. Both remain very different in their religious beliefs.
The Samaritan does not hate, but rather loves and shows practical mercy on, someone with whom he had an irreconcilable religious difference.
The Application
Jesus/Isa told that story to answer the lawyers implied question "Who do I have to love in order to inherit eternal life?" .
Do I have to love sinners?
Do I have to love people who believe wrongly?
Do I have to love people of other races and cultures?
Do I have to love those who despise and oppress me as the Jews despised and oppressed the Samaritans?
If you are to have the sort of love that God/Allah will take note of on the Day of Judgment ; the sort of love that will cause Him to grant you eternal life, then the answer to all these questions is Yes. Yes, you must love sinners. Yes you must love those who believe wrongly. Yes you must love people of other races and cultures. Yes you must love those who despise and oppress you. According to Jesus only this sort of love will be great enough to make you fit for Paradise. In another place Jesus teaches about what our attitude to our enemies should be:
(Luke 6:27-38 NKJV) "But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, {28} "bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. {29} "To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. {30} "Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. {31} "And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. {32} "But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. {33} "And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. {34} "And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. {35} "But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. {36} "Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. {37} "Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. {38} "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."
Here Jesus is quite specific. There is no reward from God for behaving just like ordinary sinners. The righteous must live by a higher and holier standard and have a deeper and greater love. If sinners can show a little mercy then the righteous should show much mercy, if the sinners can lend, then the righteous can give, if the sinners can love their friends, the righteous can love their enemies.
If we are to demonstrate a greater love than that of the sinners, and bring ourselves eternal life on the Day of Judgment, then we must love our enemies. So Christians and Muslims must love each other, if they are to listen to the teaching of Jesus and inherit eternal life. Like the Good Samaritan we must show practical love, care, mercy and hospitality to people with whom we have an irreconcilable religious difference.
You do not have to convert to their beliefs in order to love them and help them. You can bandage their wounds without having to believe their religion. You need not follow their behavior or their lifestyle. You can still disapprove of their sins while you take them to hospital. You do not have to agree with their actions or whitewash their past atrocities. But you must not kill them for it either.
Muslims and Christians must not kill each other because of their religious differences. Murderers do not inherit eternal life. Only people who love their enemies can inherit eternal life. If your heart is cold, if you are filed with rage and anger, then you are filled with darkness and you will stumble and fall. John, one of the disciples of Jesus, wrote these wise words:
(1 John 2:9-11 NKJV) He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. {10} He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. {11} But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
There are some religious people, both Christians and Muslim, who go around saying "I have the light, follow me" and a few of them are full of hate and anger. Of these John says they are "still in darkness until now". People of great light are people of great love, they are not people of hatred and anger. Anger and hatred is darkness and blinds us. Our anger keeps us from seeing what is good in other people and so we do not see life correctly. Soon we add to our list of people to hate. Eventually we hate many people and love only a few and our soul is in deep darkness.
To sum up God is love and love leads to eternal life. God is merciful and we should also be merciful. Our righteousness should surpass that of the sinners and our love should be much greater than theirs. If sinners can love those who love them, then the righteous must be able to love those who do not love them. The righteous must love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them. The realm of those we are to love includes those we disagree with, and sinners, and those of other cultures and faiths; in fact it includes the whole world. The realm of those we must hate in order to be considered righteous is nobody, it is empty.
In the modern city Muslims and Christians live side by side, travel on the same roads. go to the same schools, work in the same offices. If a Muslim is injured by the side of the road I as a Christian will stop and help. If I am in a rush at work I would hope a Muslim colleague would show compassion. This world is to small a place and the modern city too close and complex for us to fight and hate and kill over religious differences. We may not agree with one another, but we can and must love one another.
by John Edmiston
I started to compare you to the Nazis but then I took that back in my post 112, "I thought you wanted to kill 1.3 billion people. I was wrong." [I hope] IOW, was comparing Islamofascists (the ones with the moons and stars) with the original fascists (the ones with the crosses).
There's lots of good reasons to not become a Moslem, but if you use the "some of them are evil" line in front of a Jew or Buddhist, it won't wash.
Nice quote-- we need more of that kind of attitude around here. And not just because it says so in the Bible (something wrong with that?), but it's also a hell of a lot easier on the gastro-intestinal tract (prune juice time again).
How about you go and read this garbage to one of the girls who is about to be stoned for being RAPED?
Or go read it to a class full of the girls who the "good Muslims" were trying to force back INTO A BURNING BUILDING, solely because they weren't "covered enough".
"Nice quote-- we need more of that kind of attitude around here. And not just because it says so in the Bible (something wrong with that?), but it's also a hell of a lot easier on the gastro-intestinal tract (prune juice time again)."
Pour me a glass, please. lol Yes, I've come to the sad realization that there are some who are so filled with hate, fear and loathing that they surely must be legally blind now. I'm not quite sure how a Christian (and I'm assuming that at least some, if not many here are Christians) can have extremely deep-seated hatred for all Muslims, and still believe they are walking with Christ.
Also, Bible or no Bible, to hate an entire group of people, and paint them all with the same brush, is not only wrong, it's also extremely arrogant and ignorant. People like this will not bring peace to the world.
Ah, er, help me out here: is it that you're trying to win me over to your point of view? Maybe Chena has a better way with words-- check out post #127
A brave, heroic, U. S. soldier was killed in Iraq last June. Did anyone here notice? Would you have prayed for him and his grieving family? Would you pray for his fellow soldiers who were praying for their Captain? Last week I told someone on FR that our son fought alongside dedicated and honorable U. S. Army soldiers, who happen to be Muslims. The response I got was that it was unimportant and irrelevant. Disgusting frame of mind.
US Muslim Soldiers Put Their Lives On The Line - But For What?
Few people noticed the military funeral at Arlington National Cemetary outside Washington, DC on June 15th. Perhaps it is because there have been so many of them, but this one was different that the rest. A Muslim Army chaplain led several of the mourners in the janazah (funeral) prayers for Captain Humayun Khan, who lured a suicide car bomb away from the men in his charge, joining other Muslim soldiers in giving their life for a country that increasingly bases its opinion of Islam on the sensational and horrific beheading videos that have clogged the Net recently. Dozens of condemnations or terror from Muslim groups across America and support for their fellow Muslims in the service seem to have made no difference. "I do often feel like I am viewed with suspicion, but that is always from soldiers who don't know me," said PFC Mirza Bashir Ahmed, a medic currently serving in Iraq. "There are always jokes about me helping the terrorists and being a spy, but I shrug it off as humor in bad taste." While there have undoubtedly been Muslims who disgraced their oath of service, the vast majority of Muslims in the armed forces serve with honor, even after enduring indignities such as those faced by Chaplain James Yee. Now Corporal Wassef Ali Hassoun, a US Marine from Utah captured over the weekend, faces a possible beheading similar to the murders of Kim Sun-il and Nicholas Berg as his hometown mosque prays for his safety. Will the same people who raged on the talk shows show the same outrage if a Muslim soldier is killed? Will they still take the actions of these thugs as representative of Islam, even if they kill other Muslims? The answer will reveal what hope American Muslims have left to defining themselves on their own terms.
Efharisto poli! Thank you for taking the time to answer my question.
"Efharisto poli!"
Parakalo.
Hassoun turned up -- he probably was a deserter (at least).
I don't trust Muslims in the US military.
Siamese Princess wrote: "I don't trust Muslims in the US military."
Part of what Chena posted: "A Muslim Army chaplain led several of the mourners in the janazah (funeral) prayers for Captain Humayun Khan, who lured a suicide car bomb away from the men in his charge, joining other Muslim soldiers in giving their life for a country that increasingly bases its opinion of Islam on the sensational and horrific beheading videos that have clogged the Net recently."
I hope and pray that Captain Khan's family never has to read words such as yours. This brave man died fighting for our country, and thru his bravery saved his fellow soldiers. Your selfish and cruel opinion saddens me beyond words.
My goodness, this must be my lucky day. Or perhaps my prayers are being answered. I've been praying for Muslims and for divine intervention for those who hate, or have a deep prejudice towards Muslims. I was just saying on another thread related to this subject, that today I had decided that it was time I quit reading FR. I found so many hateful people when it came to this issue, that I no longer considered it a wise choice to be involved with this website.
And then, lo and behold, I found that there are a few others on FR who also disagree with the Muslim bashing going on here on FR. Thank you so much for your post. Our son was in Iraq, and he would love to have a nice, little chat (har har) with alot of the Freepers who insult the honor of soldiers just because they happen to be of the Muslim faith.
Just what we needed. A moderate's view on Islamic murdering beasts!
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