I received the following in response to a statement I had made (in the comment section of my post on Muslim stereotypes) that Islam was not a religion of peace. I thought it would be easier to address Mohammed's questions in this forum. My response is in red type.
"mohammed said...
Mrs. incoginto (it's Ms) what do you know about islam to say it is not a religion of peace have you ever been a muslim before ? (No, I have never been a Muslim, Mohammed, nor would I ever choose to be, considering what I feel it represents: the antithesis of love, grace and acceptance.) what did you read or see about islam ? do you really make any effort to know about it or you only see tv and make these conclusion? (Admittedly, I have not read the Koran extensively, but the research I have done has led me to believe that your religion is inextricably linked with violence and always has been, since its beginnings and even more so now. And I don't base all my conclusions on what I see on TV though, frankly, what more proof does one need when all one sees on the news is death and destruction? Are you saying what we see is fabricated?) who are the imams you are taking about? (I am talking about Omar Brooks (aka Abu Izzadeen) a British convert who I actually saw, on a documentary that aired on CNN, called "The War Within", claim that Islam was not a religion of peace. From the mouth of one of your own. You can read more about his radical Islamic views in this article. You also have Anjem Choudary and Omar Shamsuddin. There are other Muslims cited in this article that talk of Islam as being a religion of violence. They might be considered radicals but many Muslims are beginning to embrace that ideology.) and what about your priests and whoever who are just trying to insult islam and muslims but of course in vain because an ant cannot hurt a mountain .are we terrorist in your opinion . (No-one would be insulting Islam if it indeed was a religion of peace, that allowed others to believe as they wished. But when people of your religion start trying to impose their beliefs on those of different religions (particularly through violent means) and by claiming all people should be Muslims, than yes, we will take issue with that. And no, not all Muslims are terrorists, obviously, but most terrorists do happen to be Muslim. My question to you would be, do you support what the terrorists are doing, and if so, does this not make you, in essence, one?) well what about IRAQ, PALESTINE, BOSNIA, CHECHAN.SOMALIAS,LEBANON.....ETC (What about those countries? Other than the violence and murder that Muslims are perpetrating on each other there?) do you think that we vilently kill ourselves and invade our land and destroy our civilsatio . (Yes, unfortunately, you do violently kill each other. It's happening right now in Palestine with followers of Hamas and Fatah fighting and murdering each other. In Iraq Sunnis are killing Shiites and Shiites killing Sunnis. Destroying each others' ancient religious monuments. And, yes, Arab countries have been invading each other for centuries! ) did the iraq invade america so america is retaliating? (We both know Iraq did not invade America, but he was supporting terrorists who did attack this country on 9/11, by allowing terrorist training camps in his country. Everyone knows he paid money to suicide bombers in Palestine. Who's to say he didn't finance terrorists in some other way.) and what well do really if we invade your country and try to contol your economy and interfer in you life? who are the terrorist we or you who kill women and children and slaughter men you who help ISRAEL to destroy PALESTINE ? (And who shamelessly uses women and children as human shields to protect themselves?? Not the coalition forces! Only cowards would do that! So who do you think are the real terrorists? And who is doing most of the killing in Iraq today? It's the insurgents who arbitrarily bomb market places and other public areas where there are women and children, killing them in cold blood!!) do you think baby are violent. (No, Mohammed, babies are not inherently violent, but when YOU preach hatred to your children and that Jihad is a good thing, they eventually do become violent. And it's PALESTINE that wants to destroy ISRAEL, not the other way around. The Palestinians and most other Muslim countries have the same agenda. Iran's President Ahmadinejad has publicly called for the destruction of Israel. And Palestinians have always initiated the violence, the Israelis just retaliate, as is their right. They never target civilian populations, unlike the Palestinian suicide bombers. Unfortunately, there might be some collateral damage, but they have never deliberately bombed a public place.) JUST BE FAIR AND REALLY STUDY THOSE YOU SPEAKES ABOUT" (I think I am being more than
fair, Mohammed. What you and other Muslims need to do is open your hearts to Love rather than embrace the Hatred of all things non-Muslim that seems to consume so many of you. Maybe then we could all live in peace.)
I would venture to say that Mohammed is neither a terrorist nor a radical, but his comments illustrate the extreme hatred that permeates the Islamic religion and Arab culture, in particular. That hatred is spreading to areas outside of that region and with frightening rapidity. How do you quell the fires of hatred when people seem to revel in it, rather than attempting to purge it from their being? And when that hatred turns to frenzy, does it not become a form of extremism, so that those non-terrorist/non-radicals become exactly that: radicals and extremists?
I wish you peace, Mohammed, peace from all the hatred that you have harbored within your Soul. And the same for all Muslims. Things will change if you allow Love to be your daily guide instead of Hate.
10 comments:
What about the notion that Islam is right now at about the stage Christianity was in the 14th & 15th Centuries? Doesn't the Ku Klux Klan have strong ties to a form of Christianity?
As a non-practicing Laztheist, I don't hold a brief for any religion. Laztheists don't know any revealed Truths, so we don't have to be upset at others who think THEY have the Truth.
hi,
well i haven't followed your previous posts and i do not really know the history of the discussion and this comment is solely based on this post right here.
To start off with, i would say that you guys can be taken as a perfect examples of the two sections of the world, the Muslims and the anti-Muslims. Muslims just go on fighting for their religion without really understanding the source of this hatred and anti Muslims just keep highlighting the bad that terrorists have done and generalize it for the whole Muslim community.
Guys please take a break. Rise above this mud slinging. I would say both of you are partially correct and have reasons for your strong beliefs but please try to understand the root cause of this evil.
Incognito, i would really suggest that you should read the holy Koran to understand what Islam really stands for and I'm sure that you would realize that what you see Muslims doing these days is exactly opposite to what they should have been doing. And Mohammed, don't you agree that Islam is the most wrongly interpreted religion in the world and not by others but Muslims themselves. the holy Koran should be the only guide for a Muslim to lead his life. but the problem is only a few actually read Koran, they follow what the religious heads tell them, instead. And sadly many of them either mold the verses in Koran to their benefit or are unable to understand its meaning itself. Unfortunately Koran is been written in the form of Poetic verses and its been misunderstood or mis preached for a long long time which has resulted in what we see of Muslims today. I can really keep on writing about what it actually stands for and what it preaches but the fact remains that most Muslims(though going by Islamic standards, and what Koran preaches i doubt calling them Muslims anymore) under the impact of wrong beliefs and corrupt leaders are the most violent race ever.
May Allah show them light, for its time now, the truth should be revealed.
Yes, Bert, my point exactly. Islam has not evolved. The Christians left their violence back with the Crusade days.
And are you implying that the KKK is the Christian equivalent of Islam's terrorists?
Hello Danish,
Can I assume you are a Muslim? If so, by birth or a convert? (I must say your moniker "Danish- the knowledge" intrigues me. Do you have a blog?)
If you are a Muslim, I appreciate the civility with which you put forth your argument, and your ability to see both sides of the issue, including mine, as a non-Muslim. However, my claims are not baseless. I have not read the Koran, in its entirety, but excerpts from it found on websites lik this and others(http://www.flex.com/~jai/satyamevajayate/terrorist2.html)demonstrate the intolerant and violent nature of the religion. "Koran 5:33
The Punishment for those who oppose Allah and his messenger is : Execution or Crucifixion or the cutting off of hands and feet from opposite sides or exile from the land.." That is just one of many verses in the Koran that incites violence against non-Muslims.
Now I would agree that all Holy Books are subject to the misinterpreation of man, so, in that case it is up to those, who claim to be tolerant and understanding of the true meaning of their faith, to stand up against those who are corrupting it. That means the majority of Muslims need to stand up and say we renounce violence, reign in those who embrace it, and show the world that you are indeed a religion of peace.
If you are a Muslim, I would welcome civil dialogue, as I have many questions. I truly want to believe that Islam is a religion of peace, but I need to understand some things about it, and perhaps you can enlighten me..
"And are you implying that the KKK is the Christian equivalent of Islam's terrorists?"
No. I was just trying to point out that the fringes of any 'way of life' movement have lunatics. There are hard core Christians who will kill you if they think it will lessen the number of abortions performed. There are Christians who will kill 'uppity' Black people if given half that chance, and think that God approves.
But at heart, I don't have any complaints about any religion. I mean other than that I feel it would be nice if none of them existed. Talk about a pipe dream!
No matter how rational those of us are who talk to each other, it doesn't remove the dangers so many of us face because of 'religion.' I just can't see that 'pot calling the kettle black' is all that helpful. Better we should argue about who will win the Super Bowl. It will contribute as much to world peace as anything else.
I know that intelligent people ought to look for solutions; but what about being intelligent enough to realize that not all problems have solutions?
And yes, Bert, I would agree. I wrote a Post about religion and violence that included the lunatic fringe of the Christian faith. (12/25/06)
I have also discussed how organized religion is divisive and has been, historically, the root cause of most wars to date and I have often mentioned that I believe that there are many paths.
And just because the issue is disagreable shouldn't make us hide our heads in the sand or throw up our hands and give up. I think that would be a terrible mistake. By bringing to light the inherent dangers of religious extremism, (and yes I know all religions have those factions, but in particular, Islamic extremism), perhaps we can galvanize the secular and moderate Islamists into doing something about *their* lunatic fringe. Because it's a growing, global problem that isn't just going to go away because you don't like religion.
If I liked football, maybe I'd agree with you on that point, but to some, sports is a religion. And there's been a lot of violence associated with sports events...partic. soccer... soooo.... maybe we should all just hold hands and Kumbaya it away.
As for seeking solutions... I'm not one of those that would *give up* my life without a fight.. so I will always seek a solution, even for problems without a solution. For example, I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, (it's under control, thank GOD with herbs and supplements) but I will always search for 100% healing even though there is no cure!
Cheers, and hope your team wins on Sunday!
I forget which 'old dead White guy said it, but the little phrase about ...all that evil needs to triumph is that enough good men to nothing... is probably a common ground all rational people could agree on. It's just that we all differ on what we should be doing, or rather what we think others should be doing.
I think there are short term solutions that will help see to it that my kids don't think dodging incoming rockets, mortar and artillery is normal behavior, but as long as men are born with testosterone, I don't see any lasting change.
Edmund Burke, but many have said similar things, because it is a truism.
Too bad all that testosterone isn't channeled into doing something constructive.
As long as people fear and hate that which is different, and as long as they love their hate more than love, then we will always be subject to wars and conquests.
It's true that not all Muslims are terrorists, however it is also true that most Terrorists are Muslim.
Yes, BCF, you are absolutely right. Other than the Tamil's and the Basque ETA and the mostly retired IRA, they are mostly Muslim. And they are certainly the most violently active in this day and age. Unfortunately.
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