Muslims Angered By Church?s Koran Sign

Maranatha Christian Journal ^ | February 7, 2003 | MCNS

[tessalu]

( MCNS) -- A Florida church has been criticized for its roadside sign that declares Islam's founder endorsed murder in the Quran. Muslim groups have called on First Conservative Baptist Church in Jacksonville to remove the message that contrasts the teachings of Jesus and Muhammad.

But pastor Gene Youngblood defended his right to post the statement, reported the Associated Press.

"First and foremost, are we not entitled to freedom of speech?" He said that he had been threatened and his property vandalized, and he had needed to file 13 police reports since July.

The church sign declares: "Jesus Forbade Murder. Matthew 26:52. Muhammad Approved Murder. Surah 8:65." But Muslim groups said that the passage cited from the Quran has nothing to do with murder. "None of the translations...have translated it this way," said Zaid Malik, imam at the Islamic Center of Northeast Florida.

Ataf Ali, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Florida, said attempts to talk with officials at the church had been rebuffed, the AP reported. "All Americans must band together to condemn hate speech designed to divide our nation along religious and ethnic lines," he said.

[tessalu]

Muslims only want free speech for themselves, and they want to deny it to all others. This needs to be snapped in the bud right now. Islam is not compatible with free speech or democracy, and it should not be here. Americans should not have to appease them or their Islamic way of life. Give them one inch, and they will want the whole mile.

[stainlessbanner]

Baptist Bump

[TheHound]

agree

[demosthenes the elder]

any enterprising FReeper have the full text of this Surah?

[Procyon]

"O Apostle! rouse the Believers to the fight. If there are twenty amongst you, patient and persevering, they will vanquish two hundred: if a hundred, they will vanquish a thousand of the Unbelievers: for these are a people without understanding." Surah 8:65

[Illbay]

This isn't about free speech, it's about CIVILITY.

Some "church," just looking for an opportunity to roll around in the mud with the "enemy." It's beyond contemptible.

To me, this is not different than the odious practice of "liberal" churches of turning everything into an opportunity for social commentary and "social justice."

Do these cretins ever take any time to actually worship? Or are they just Jerry Springer in priestly robes?

Just ridiculous.

[Steve Eisenberg]

any enterprising FReeper have the full text of this Surah?

I just found a web site that gives three translations of each verse, shown together. Here it is for this:

008.065

YUSUFALI: O Prophet! rouse the Believers to the fight. If there are twenty amongst you, patient and persevering, they will vanquish two hundred: if a hundred, they will vanquish a thousand of the Unbelievers: for these are a people without understanding.

PICKTHAL: O Prophet! Exhort the believers to fight. If there be of you twenty steadfast they shall overcome two hundred, and if there be of you a hundred (steadfast) they shall overcome a thousand of those who disbelieve, because they (the disbelievers) are a folk without intelligence.

SHAKIR: O Prophet! urge the believers to war; if there are twenty patient ones of you they shall overcome two hundred, and if there are a hundred of you they shall overcome a thousand of those who disbelieve, because they are a people who do not understand.

The above is from:

Quran

[Illbay]

Sorry, but the passage you cite doesn't say a single thing about murder.

Or are you suggesting that the hymn "Onward, Christian Soldiers" is LITERALLY about "marching as to war" and killing and bloodshed?

"Chri$tians" are such odious hypocrites.

[Steve Eisenberg]

This isn't about free speech, it's about CIVILITY.

I agree that the sign is a bad one. But even bad speech should not result in vandalism.

[demosthenes the elder]

I *hate* to say it, but none of that seems to my eye to equate to an endorsement of murder.

[maranatha]

You said that perfectly...the truth in a nutshell. You should save it in your files and post it whenever appropriate on threads. And, the muslims' big project in the U.S. for years now has been to gain political power to further their goal of taking over the U.S. Never let them on your city council, your state representative, etc.

[Luis Gonzalez]

Nothing will be solved by searching for ‘true Islam’ or quoting the Qur'an. The Qur'an is a vast, vague book, filled with poetry and contradictions (much like the Bible). You can find in it condemnations of war and incitements to struggle, beautiful expressions of tolerance and stern pictures against unbelievers. Quotations from it usually tell us more about the person who selected the passages than about Islam. Every religion is compatible with the best and the worst of humankind. Through its long history, Christianity has supported inquisitions and anti-Semitism, but also human rights and social welfare.

[Kevin Curry]

Sorry, but the passage you cite doesn't say a single thing about murder.

What's it about? Tiddlywinks? Poker? Tug-of-war?

[Luis Gonzalez]

If war is murder, then we as a nation are about to engage in wholesale murder in Iraq?

[Steve Eisenberg]

Sorry, but the passage you cite doesn't say a single thing about murder.

All the Koran translations I have seen are written in such bad English that it is often hard to tell what the passage means. The Koran does have an extraordinary number of verses which seem to advocate a military response to the continued existence of unbelievers. I have no problem with moderate Moslems who have ways to explain these away or say that modern values are better.

[Kevin Curry]

Islam is a brutal religion, founded on murder.

Individual Muslims are something else entirely. The ones I have known personally are decent enough people.

But Islam itself is of the devil. Period. Full-stop.

[hoot2]

""Chri$tians" are such odious hypocrites. "

they vote for demonRATS n support partial-birth abortion...
n show up every sunday @church to show "how good they are"...

[Kevin Curry]

Muhammad slaughtered the Jews of Medina who would not convert. The founder committed mass murder. Do you deny this?

[Luis Gonzalez]

Exodus

32:26 Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who [is] on the LORD'S side? [let him come] unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.

32:27 And he said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, [and] go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour.

32:28 And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.

[Kevin Curry]

Don't misdirect my question. The founder of Isalm slaughtered the Jews who would not convert. Are you seeking to justify his murderous acts?