Message
Anonymous wrote:Muslima wrote:Anonymous wrote:Muslima wrote:Anonymous wrote:I'm not anti-Islam because i am too ignorant for that, but from the little I know, I would not approve of A) worshiping a man rather than a god and B) worshiping and following the advice of a soldier-man at that. How would a soldier help a people live in peace and be better people, which are things I think matter the most in a religion?
I think we are one of the only religions out there that totally reject worshiping of a man , idol, ect . In fact the declaration of faith for one who wants to embrace Islam is: "Ashadu Alla Ilaha Illallah wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan rasoolullah", which means when translated to English: "There is nothing worthy of worship but Allah; alone, and Muhammad is His Messenger." Worshiping anything else is to associate partners with Allah, and it is the only sin that would never be forgiven on the Day of Judgment.
Religions are only as true and real as the ideologies they stand for. When a religion ventures into the realm of claiming superiority or denigrating other religions , belief systems, it loses credibility. There are myriad ways of reaching God. Who is anyone to dictate one way is superior to other. That's where you lose me
Well it is not just anyone after all, it is God, the Creator of the universe, that would surely be a right He would have, don't you think?But that's where Faith comes in, you cant have a religion without faith.
God revealed him/herself to many people not just Mohammed. God in my belief is pure, boundless love. There are no restrictions on how I choose to worship my God. Neither would I deem myself worthy enough to comment how you or anyone else does
And no one can argue with that. That is a basic right that the Creator Himself gave to His Creation . "There shall be no compulsion in religion". So you are free to believe in whatever and however you want. Muslims choose to believe that His way is Al Islam, Christians choose to believe in Christianity and Jews in the Torah, and that is their right too.
Anonymous wrote:There isn't a single contradiction in the Quran. I know exactly the verses you are referring to, feel free to cite them and I will give you the story behind each. The Quran wasnt revealed over night but it was revealed in 23 years and verses were revealed according to what was going on at the time and there is a clear explanation of each verse of the Quran. If you want to learn the meaning of verses, you have to read what we call Tafseer of the Quran which will tell you when a verse was revealed, why it was revealed and what the meaning is
Perhaps there are no contradictions in the Quran, but the Muslims then certainly contradict what is in the book of Allah-especially the radical fundamentalist ones-they seem hell bent on the destruction of humankind.
Don't judge Islam by the actions of Muslims, judge the Muslims by what they know about Islam. Islam is perfect but Muslims are not. Many Muslims are not only ignorant of what is correct or incorrect according to Islam, but many are also very heavily involved with many cultural customs and traditions that have been a part of their lifestyle for centuries and just refuse to give them up.
One of the problems facing the world today in general and facing Muslims specifically is that unqualified people think that it is possible to read a book, badly translated into a language other then Arabic, and instantly become able to give religious rulings on subjects they really have no knowledge about. People with very little real Islamic knowledge suddenly become experts while the real experts are unable to have their opinions heard. Extreme groups preach extreme ideologies that have no place in the way of life that is Islam. Islam is the middle ground, extreme is not from the teachings of Islam. We are told in the Quran :" And We have created you a middle ground (moderate) nation”” The need to be moderate and temperate is a central message within Islam.
Lady Warsi, Britain's senior Foreign Office minister, has resigned from the government in protest at its policy on Gaza, describing it as “morally indefensible". She announced on Twitter , saying: “With deep regret I have this morning written to the Prime Minister & tendered my resignation. I can no longer support Govt policy on ?#?Gaza?.” The full letter of resignation is available here : https://mobile.twitter.com/SayeedaWarsi/status/496582811047170048/photo/1
Anonymous wrote:So much I don't understand I guess (and I'm not anti-Islam). I normally meet my neighbors when walking my dog (exercise and a reason to be outside). It's a super friendly neighborhood and we'll talk for hours. My Muslim neighbors (there are 3 houses, so not just one family) used to literally run from me, cross the sidewalk to not be on the same side as me. I did know that their kids were extremely afraid of my small dog, but I didn't realize it was the issue with the adults. Turns out I was told that Muslims view dogs as unclean. My dog is pretty laid back and doesn't jump on people or even act interested.
Anyways, just thought that I had crazy rude neighbors for years.
I was involved in my HOA's social committee for years as well. We had trouble getting the Muslims to come to our socials because we served wine and beer (and they said they wouldn't attend because of that). So we had a few dry socials and low and behold, no one else would show up for those either.
I had to laugh at the bold part because I do the same thing loool. Please don't take offense to it. Muslims have to do what is called Wudu before they pray (ablutions). One of the things that invalidates your wudu is if a dog's saliva touches you have to do it again. It is not the dog that's impure, but its saliva. So, sometimes, I'm in a state of ablution and a dog comes towards me, I'm afraid it will start licking me, so you better believe, I will run just because I don't want to go back and do my ablutions again.
As for the Muslims in your HOA, no idea why they didn't attend the dry socials. Not every human being is social, and that has nothing to do with religion...
Anonymous wrote:
Please pray for the Christians of Iraq. They have been in Iraq since shortly after the time of Christ - much longer than the Muslims.
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/wearen.thousands.unite.to.support.persecuted.christians.in.iraq/39026.htm
May Allah protect them against their oppressors! He is a just God and verily, those who oppress the innocents will have to answer to Him
Muslims are protesting against this
http://stream.aljazeera.com/story/201407232058-0023959
Anonymous wrote:Muslima wrote:Anonymous wrote:I'm not anti-Islam because i am too ignorant for that, but from the little I know, I would not approve of A) worshiping a man rather than a god and B) worshiping and following the advice of a soldier-man at that. How would a soldier help a people live in peace and be better people, which are things I think matter the most in a religion?
I think we are one of the only religions out there that totally reject worshiping of a man , idol, ect . In fact the declaration of faith for one who wants to embrace Islam is: "Ashadu Alla Ilaha Illallah wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan rasoolullah", which means when translated to English: "There is nothing worthy of worship but Allah; alone, and Muhammad is His Messenger." Worshiping anything else is to associate partners with Allah, and it is the only sin that would never be forgiven on the Day of Judgment.
Religions are only as true and real as the ideologies they stand for. When a religion ventures into the realm of claiming superiority or denigrating other religions , belief systems, it loses credibility. There are myriad ways of reaching God. Who is anyone to dictate one way is superior to other. That's where you lose me
Well it is not just anyone after all, it is God, the Creator of the universe, that would surely be a right He would have, don't you think?
But that's where Faith comes in, you cant have a religion without faith.
Anonymous wrote:Muslima wrote:Anonymous wrote:Islam is the only religion I know that professes death to infidels.
This is not true, Islam doesn't profess death to infidels. One of the fundamental truths established by the sacred texts is that no one can be compelled to accept Islam. It is the duty of Muslims to establish the proof of Islam to the people so that truth can be made clear from falsehood. After that, whoever wishes to accept Islam may do so and whoever wishes to continue upon unbelief may do so. No one should be threatened or harmed in any way if he does not wish to accept Islam. This is a right that God himself gave to the creation, so how can a Muslim take it upon himself to kill infidels?
Among the many decisive pieces of evidence in this regard are the following. Allah says:
“Let there be no compulsion in religion. Truth has been made clear from error. Whoever rejects false worship and believes in God has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that never breaks. And God hears and knows all things.” (Quran 2:256)
Allah says:
“If it had been your Lord’s will, all of the people on Earth would have believed. Would you then compel the people so to have them believe?” (Quran 10:99)
Allah says:
“So if they dispute with you, say ‘I have submitted my whole self to God, and so have those who follow me.’ And say to the People of the Scripture and to the unlearned: ‘Do you also submit yourselves?’ If they do, then they are on right guidance. But if they turn away, your duty is only to convey the Message. And in God’s sight are all of His servants.” (Quran 3:20)
Allah says:
“The Messenger’s duty is but to proclaim the Message.” (Quran 5:99)
The Qu'ran, like the Bible, sometimes contradicts itself. A quick google will turn up multiple other Quranic quotes that urge believers to slay infidens. I'm not going to get into it here, because I tried once and the moderator accused me of being anti-Islam with my humble cut-and-pastes, but I'll let the rest of you do your own research.
There isn't a single contradiction in the Quran. I know exactly the verses you are referring to, feel free to cite them and I will give you the story behind each. The Quran wasnt revealed over night but it was revealed in 23 years and verses were revealed according to what was going on at the time and there is a clear explanation of each verse of the Quran. If you want to learn the meaning of verses, you have to read what we call Tafseer of the Quran which will tell you when a verse was revealed, why it was revealed and what the meaning is
Anonymous wrote:I am a middle eastern Christian. On the one hand I share a culture with middle eastern Muslims. With the best of the Muslims, we share our faiths - they come to Christmas and Easter liturgies and we share in their Eids. On the other hand, we know what it is like to be treated as najis (unclean).
Right now, all I can think of are my brothers and sisters of faith who have fled Mosul.
My consolation is that our God so loved the world that He took on human guise and suffered as my brothers and sisters from Mosul are suffering - persecution and death.
And I am standing with you against the persecution of people in Mosul. They might be your brothers in faith but they are my brothers in humanity. Our Prophet Mohamed Saw would be ashamed of them if He was here today. This is not Islam, so I stand with you and I will march with you agains the injustice dine to your people. This is the promise and treaty that our beloved prophet had 1400 years ago and he would be appalled had he witnessed this today . One proof of that is the Charter of Privileges made to the Christians of Najran by the prophet Mohamed saw :
"This is a message from [Prophet] Muhammad ibn Abdullah, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them.
Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by Allah! I hold out against anything that displeases them.
No compulsion [in religion] is to be on them.
Neither are their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries.
No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims' houses.
Should anyone take any of these, he would spoil God's covenant and disobey His Prophet. Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter against all that they hate.
No one is to force them to travel or to oblige them to fight.
The Muslims are to fight for them.
If a female Christian is married to a Muslim, it is not to take place without her approval. She is not to be prevented from visiting her church to pray.
Their Churches are to be respected. They are neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness of their covenants.
No one of the nation (of Muslims) is to disobey this covenant till the Last Day (end of the world)."
The original letter can be seen to this day in the Topkapi Museum in Instanbul)
Anonymous wrote:Islam is the only religion I know that professes death to infidels.
This is not true, Islam doesn't profess death to infidels. One of the fundamental truths established by the sacred texts is that no one can be compelled to accept Islam. It is the duty of Muslims to establish the proof of Islam to the people so that truth can be made clear from falsehood. After that, whoever wishes to accept Islam may do so and whoever wishes to continue upon unbelief may do so. No one should be threatened or harmed in any way if he does not wish to accept Islam. This is a right that God himself gave to the creation, so how can a Muslim take it upon himself to kill infidels?
Among the many decisive pieces of evidence in this regard are the following. Allah says:
“Let there be no compulsion in religion. Truth has been made clear from error. Whoever rejects false worship and believes in God has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that never breaks. And God hears and knows all things.” (Quran 2:256)
Allah says:
“If it had been your Lord’s will, all of the people on Earth would have believed. Would you then compel the people so to have them believe?” (Quran 10:99)
Allah says:
“So if they dispute with you, say ‘I have submitted my whole self to God, and so have those who follow me.’ And say to the People of the Scripture and to the unlearned: ‘Do you also submit yourselves?’ If they do, then they are on right guidance. But if they turn away, your duty is only to convey the Message. And in God’s sight are all of His servants.” (Quran 3:20)
Allah says:
“The Messenger’s duty is but to proclaim the Message.” (Quran 5:99)
Anonymous wrote:I'm not anti-Islam because i am too ignorant for that, but from the little I know, I would not approve of A) worshiping a man rather than a god and B) worshiping and following the advice of a soldier-man at that. How would a soldier help a people live in peace and be better people, which are things I think matter the most in a religion?
I think we are one of the only religions out there that totally reject worshiping of a man , idol, ect . In fact the declaration of faith for one who wants to embrace Islam is: "Ashadu Alla Ilaha Illallah wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan rasoolullah", which means when translated to English: "There is nothing worthy of worship but Allah; alone, and Muhammad is His Messenger." Worshiping anything else is to associate partners with Allah, and it is the only sin that would never be forgiven on the Day of Judgment.
I would live to know too though I have a few guesses... Thanks for asking..
Anonymous wrote:This is going to be subjective, but... I feel like it would be easier if more Muslim countries condemned the bad Muslim actors. Without stronger leadership from the Muslim world, it's hard for us to criticize without coming off as seeming anti-Islam, intolerant of other cultures' values, and all the rest.
I'm aware that some Muslims do criticize others, but it never seems to rise to the level you see when, for example, one western nation criticizes another. You see brave individuals criticizing Hamas or whomever. But it's much rarer that one Muslim state will take an official position about the behavior of another state or a movement.
They do, you just don't see it on Western media because that is not the narrative. ALL Muslim countries, leaders and scholars condemned 9.11. People marched on the streets against the terrorists, but they only showed you those celebrating. Why?
Anonymous wrote:whenever a Muslim is responsible for one, everybody starts talking about the" religion of terror" while other acts committed by members of other religions are not associated to their faith.
It is difficult to separate Muslim terrorists from their religion when they shout, "Allahu akbar” when committing their atrocities.
I don't blame you. I always noticed a lot of overlap between American values and Islamic values: the concepts of equality, justice, peace, and civic duty. This is why I was surprised when the image of Islam was being shattered in the media after 9/11 – made to look like a violent, hateful religion. Growing up with Islamic teachings, these messages from the media were as shocking to me as they were to someone who had never heard of Islam before. But you know what, I don't blame you, these fanatics with their terrorist acts hijacked my religion and made more damage to Muslims than any foreign policy could have ever done! !!!
Anonymous wrote:Muslima, everything changed on 9/11. Check out the stats since then.
9/11 happened in 2001. The FBI numbers are for terrorism from 1980 to 2005, that includes 9/11.
But here another article for you. I know it's shocking for some to accept that Muslims have not committed the most terror acts on US soil or in Europe since the narrative that has emerged since 9/11 is that terror=islam.
Here are more recent numbers for you from a CNN study:
There have been 10 deadly attacks in the United States by nonjihadist extremists since 9/11 compared to just four by jihadists. (One of those incidents was at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009 in which 13 were killed.)
The New America Foundation study suggests that law enforcement's tendency to regard Muslim-American communities as the most likely source of terrorism risks missing the threat from other extremists.
Additionally, the New America Foundation found that no jihadist terrorists have acquired or even attempted to acquire chemical and biological weapons since 9/11, while 11 anarchist, white supremacist or right-wing extremists have been indicted for possessing such materials, and another four were indicted for attempting to produce them.
Some politicians and much of the public continue to believe that the threat from terrorists comes from violent jihadists, when in reality far-right extremists pose as much or possibly even more of a threat, something that we would do well to consider on the 11th anniversary of 9/11.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/11/opinion/bergen-terror-september-11/?c=&page=0
My point was from the beginning that Muslims have not been responsible for most terror acts in the US, but whenever a Muslim is responsible for one, everybody starts talking about the" religion of terror" while other acts committed by members of other religions are not associated to their faith. I will say it one more time to the risk of sounding unpatriotic, the US government's foreign policy is one of the major reason for militancy in the Middle-East. As an American, I'm not afraid to say that , our foreign policy is wrong, among other things, we support insurgent groups in those regions and provide them with weapons when they are in line with our interests. And as a Muslim, I'm not afraid to say, fanaticism in those regions has increased to fight the West that they see as their enemy. Why? They don't just wake up one morning and say "hey let's go bomb the infidels" They think every American citizen approves of this foreign policy and supports the atrocities happening there, what they don't know is that the average American could probably not even locate them on a map. These are over zealous kids, young men and teens who for the most part have zero aqueedah, a very basic understanding of Islam, are not students of knowledge or scholars but think they can rule the world. They talk the good speech to people who are probably oppressed, don't have a job, don't have anything to lose, depressed and think wow they did this to me. They use beautiful words to rally people to their causes. Bin Laden wasn't a student of knowledge, he is self-taught, very basic understanding of Islam and think his purpose is to revolutionize the world. These groups kill Muslims, they kills Non Muslims, they don't care. You will never see someone who has an understanding of Islam, aqueedah, tassawouf, who studied the laws and jurisprudence of Islam, leading these groups, never. Because that is contrary to everything this religion is and aspires to be. Spilling innocent civilian blood is never ever okay in Islam, never and these people will have to answer to their Lord about that. This is fanaticism at its best !
Anonymous wrote:http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/10/28/terrorist-attacks-and-deaths-hit-record-high-report-shows/
According to this study, in 2012 Islamic terrorists were responsible for the majority of terrorist acts worldwide, sadly often targeting other Muslims.
This shows mainly Muslim on Muslim attacks in Muslim countries in 2012. The articles that I cited referred to Terrorism in the US & in Europe from 1980s to the 2000s. Sadly Muslims around the world are most often than not the victims of these attacks perpetrated by radicals and almost most are politically motivated.