Posted on 11/13/2003 7:54:28 AM PST by stainlessbanner
I wish more Americans had an opportunity to get to know Muslims. Then they would not be susceptible to the silly anti-Muslim propaganda that is floated by some right-wing Christians.
Muslims are good folks. One fellow e-mailed me quite convinced that Muslims lop off the heads of every infidel they meet. I've been a guest in the homes of many Muslim friends, and the only thing they lopped off were extra servings of lamb.
People believe such nonsense because they are ignorant of the facts. The oldest Christian communities in the world are in Muslim countries. Some of the oldest Jewish communities in the world are in Muslim countries. The deputy foreign minister of Iraq is a Christian. Saddam Hussein donated $1 million to help build a Christian church in the United States. There are Christians in prACactically all Muslim countries, and there have been for centuries. I've said all this before, but when lies blow strong, truth bears repeating.
Islam, like other religions, has different groups. Some are strict in their observances, and they might be likened to the Christian Pilgrims who settled Massachusetts. But even the most strict -- commonly called fundamentalists these days -- know that a Muslim is commanded to treat Jews and Christians "as I would treat myself," in the words of a Hamas leader.
In my travels in Muslim countries, sometimes among the poorest of the poor, I was never panhandled or attacked. As far as crime goes, you'll find cities like Beirut or Damascus or Amman or Ramallah much safer than most American cities.
Islam is not a religion with a hierarchy such as the Roman Catholic Church. In that respect, Muslims are much like Southern Baptists, only more so. Any group of Muslims can build a mosque and hire themselves an imam, or teacher. They are independent. There is no Muslim pope or College of Cardinals. There are no bishops. When an imam somewhere issues a fatwa, which is a sort of formal opinion on a subject, it is not binding. Like Protestant Christians, Muslims interpret their holy writings themselves and consider themselves answerable directly to God -- or, to use the Arabic word, Allah.
Most of the disputes in the Middle East are secular and political. Hamas' quarrel with Israelis is not about the fact that they are Jews but about the fact that they occupy Palestine. The objections some Muslims have to Western culture are the same as those some Christians have. They don't like the violence, the immorality, the pornography and the greed. The conflict one sees between the religious and the secular in some Muslim countries is similar to the conflict in this country between religious and secular folks.
There are 6 million or 7 million American citizens who are Muslims. Muslims have been in this country since the late 19th century. If you don't already, you should make an effort to get to know Muslims. You'll find that they don't fit the stereotypes created by mean-spirited propaganda or superficial news coverage.
Racism is a monstrous injustice because it imposes a stereotype on millions of innocent individuals. The only real solution is education and broad experience. It seems to me that God creates individuals one at a time, and it is the human mind that insists on grouping and classifying them. We should resist that temptation.
{crickets}
Charlie Reese is obviously an idiot. "Some" Muslims may be nice people, but, at its core, the religion is a blight upon humanity.
GOD
Historical Christianity: There is one true and living God, who exists as three distinct, co-equal, co-eternal persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Deut. 6:4; John 20:28; Acts 5:3-4; 2 Cor. 13:14; 1 Peter 1:2).
Islam: The one true God is a being called Allah. He is a distant god, unknowable and unapproachable. He does not love all people, only those who do well. He is the author of evil as well as good since he predestines all things. He is not a triune god.
JESUS
Christianity: He is the virgin-born Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit (Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:13-23; Luke 1:35). He is the eternal God, the Creator, co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and Holy Spirit (John 1:1-14; Col. 1:15-20; Phil. 2:5-11; Heb. 1:1-13). Jesus died for our sins (1 Cor. 15:3), rose physically from the dead (Matt. 12:38-40; Rom. 1:4; 1 Cor. 15:4-8; 1 Peter 1:18-21) and is coming back physically and visibly one day (Matt. 24:29-31; John 14:3; Titus 2:13; Rev. 19:11-14).
Islam: He is one of God's prophets or messengers, but inferior to Muhammad, who brought Allah's final revelations to man. The Koran denies that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and any Muslim who believes in the deity of Jesus has committed "the one unforgivable sin" called shirk -- a sin that will send that person to hell. Muslims do believe Jesus is the Messiah; was born of a virgin; lived a sinless life; and is coming back one day to establish Islam throughout the earth. They do not believe He died on the cross, but was called to heaven by Allah.
SALVATION
Christianity: Christ's death at Calvary completely paid our sin debt so that salvation comes by grace alone through faith in the person and work of Jesus (John 3:16, 5:24; Rom. 4:4-5; 1 Cor. 15:1-4; Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5; 1 John 1:7).
Islam: The Koran teaches, "The true religion with God is Islam." This means salvation is achieved only through submission to the teachings of Islam. Forgiveness is based on good works and Allah's choice of mercy. The Muslim's chances for heaven are good if he 1) accepts the Muslim god Allah and his apostle Mohammad; 2) does good works and all that is required of him by Allah; and 3) is predestined to Allah's favor.
THE BIBLE
Christianity: The Bible is the inerrant, infallible, inspired Word of God, and is His sole written authority for all people (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21).
Islam: Corrupted and untrustworthy. Islam claims the Koran is the literal Word of God, received supernaturally by Muhammad from the angel Gabriel. It supersedes the Bible, which also was given by Allah.
Charlie lets review the text of these lovely fatwahs. Perhaps you could translate the Friday sermons at some of the major mosques and tell us that "O God kill the Jews, Christians and infidels" really means "Please pass the mint sauce with that lamb."
People don't do suicide bombings from secular, political motivations. They do it because they think they'll go to heaven.
Racism is a monstrous injustice because it imposes a stereotype on millions of innocent individuals.
Yeah, so what? Islam is a voluntarily-selected religion, not an ethnicity.
Except for those nifty theocratic governments with that delightful sharia law.
Oh really?? Maybe Charles should read the hamas charter to verify this claim...
Hamas Charter
Israel will rise and will remain erect until Islam eliminates it as it had eliminated its predecessors.
For our struggle against the Jews is extremely wide-ranging and grave, so much so that it will need all the loyal efforts we can wield, to be followed by further steps and reinforced by successive battalions from the multifarious Arab and Islamic world, until the enemies are defeated and Allah's victory prevails.
When the Faith wanes, there is no security
There is no this-worldliness for those who have no faith
Those who wish to live their life without religion
Have made annihilation the equivalent of life.
The time will not come until Muslims will fight the Jews (and kill them); until the Jews hide behind rocks and trees, which will cry: O Muslim! there is a Jew hiding behind me, come on and kill him! This will not apply to the Gharqad, which is a Jewish tree
Allah is its goal, the Prophet its model, the Qur'an its Constitution, Jihad its path and death for the case of Allah its most sublime belief.
waging Jihad against the enemy and confronting him when he sets foot on the land of the Muslims. And this becomes an individual duty binding on every Muslim man and woman; a woman must go out and fight the enemy
peaceful solutions, and the international conferences to resolve the Palestinian problem, are all contrary to the beliefs of the Islamic Resistance Movement.
There is no solution to the Palestinian problem except by Jihad.
the Palestinian, the Arab and the Islamic. Each one of these circles has a role to play in the struggle against Zionism
Jihad becomes a duty binding on all Muslims We must spread the spirit of Jihad among the [Islamic] Umma, clash with the enemies and join the ranks of the Jihad fighters. I indeed wish to go to war for the sake of Allah! I will assault and kill, assault and kill, assault and kill
The Muslim women have a no lesser role than that of men in the war of liberation; they manufacture men, educating their sons to observe the religious injunctions in preparation for the duty of Jihad.
various Zionist Organizations which take on all sorts of names and shapes such as: the Freemasons, Rotary Clubs, gangs of spies and the like. Islam…will wipe out those organizations which are the enemy of humanity and Islam. the Freemasons, Rotary Clubs, Lions Clubs, B'nai B'rith and the like. All of them are destructive spying organizations
Safety and security can only prevail under the shadow of Islam
Leaving the circle of conflict with Israel is a major act of treason and it will bring curse on its perpetrators. We have no escape from pooling together all the forces and energies to face this despicable Nazi-Tatar invasion
Within the circle of the conflict with world Zionism, the Hamas regards itself the spearhead, but more steps need to be taken by the Arab and Islamic peoples and Islamic associations throughout the Arab and Islamic world in order to make possible the next round with the Jews. We have cast among them enmity and hatred till the day of Resurrection
This, for the purpose of calling upon the Arab and Islamic peoples as well as their governments, popular and official associations, to fear Allah in their attitude towards and dealings with Hamas, and to be, in accordance with Allah's will, its supporters and partisans who extend assistance to it and provide it with reinforcement after reinforcement, until the Decree of Allah is fulfilled, the ranks are over-swollen, Jihad fighters join other Jihad fighters, and all this accumulation sets out from everywhere in the Islamic world, obeying the call of duty, and intoning "Come on, join Jihad!"
only the true faith of Islam can vanquish their false and falsified faith.
Hamas will only be of help to all associations and organizations which act against the Zionist enemy and those who revolve in its orbit.
But even the most strict -- commonly called fundamentalists these days -- know that a Muslim is commanded to treat Jews and Christians "as I would treat myself," in the words of a Hamas leader.
Reese, HAMAS PEOPLE BLOW THEMSELVES UP!!! And that is how they treat Christians and Jews.
For goodness sake, if you want us to learn to love Muslims, DON'T QUOTE TERRORIST ONES!
How stupid can you get.
Shalom.
But the fact is, some 10% of them do agree with the crazy Jihadists. Thats only 10%, but that means some 100 million worldwide! Thats enough for me to be worried about..
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