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From: Barbara Di Gilio To: heb_roots_chr@hebroots.org Subject: Islam: The Facade and The Facts
Shalom to all,
We felt that many of you do not really understand the "global threat" that Islam poses to the all people of faith. The following is an article by Abdullah Al Araby, an America born to Pakistani parents, a woman who is now a Believer in Messiah. Please read her personal testimony after you read this article.
Here is the link:
http://www.islamreview.com/testimonials/testimonials.html <http://www.islamreview.com/testimonials/testimonials.html>
Islam: The Facade and The Facts By Abdullah Al Araby
The Facade
The "Islam" Muslim activists introduce to the West these days is completely different from the Islam we knew and experienced in the Middle East. This is a new edition - revised, modified, expanded and abridged - of the real Islam. A major facelift operation has been taking place here.
To their credit, I must acknowledge that the international Islamization movement, in recent years, has grown much in both intelligence and sophistication. They lacked power, so they decided to be smart. Since they could no longer use the sword to conquer the world, as they once did, they decided to use more cunning methods.
The following are some of the methods Muslim activists are now adopting:
1.Change of Identity
They avoid referring to teachings that may offend the Western citizen, such as the Islamic code of punishment. They stress that they believe in Moses and Jesus. They refrain from calling Jews and Christians "infidels", nor would they call them "Zionists" or "Crusaders". The last thing they want to do is to shock people. They once had a Muslim host on their TV. program with a Christian name, "Paul"; names like Mohammed, Mustafa and Omar were too strong to swallow they thought. They use the term "Sunday School" in place of "Friday Class", and they end their speeches with the Christian expression "may God bless you". They brag about being Americans, and have the American flag cover the background of their program set. This is the same flag Muslims in Iran used to burn in their daily rituals, calling America "The great Satan".
2.Change of Vocabulary
They are using now a completely new terminology. Words like love, grace... are now part of their vocabulary. Theological Christian terms such as : Salvation, Justification and Sanctification are now part of their teachings. They change Quranic translations to hide some of Islam's harsh teachings. An example is the new French translation of the Quran which has caused tremendous furor among Muslim fundamentalists. The translation attempted to please Jews by modifying some verses of the Quran that condemned Jews. An example is a verse that used to read "The people of Israel, after sowing corruption twice on earth for the purpose of dominating other people, will push themselves up into a position of extreme power before being punished by God."
The new translation reads just the opposite: "The people of Israel will be twice destroyed as an innocent victim, and God will reward them by elevating them to great heights."
3.Change of Strategy
Their new strategy lies in trying to be accepted, included and involved in all activities; religious, social and political. They are now becoming active in partisan functions in order to have a say in parties platforms. They conduct letter campaigns to members of Congress to influence legislation. They run for public offices in hope of reaching a position of authority. They make full use of their voting power to get concessions in their favor. They try to be represented on educational programs to go in line with their beliefs. The stage of weakness and the stage of Jihad (Holy War) It seems that these new tactics we discussed are not without precedent in Islamic history. Mohammed Hassanein Heikal, the noted Egyptian author, refers to this concept in his book "Autumn Furor". He states: "So the element of Jihad emerged in the ideology of Abul Aala Almaudoody. He went on to differentiate between two separate stages a Muslim community goes through:
"The stage of weakness - In it a Muslim community is unable to take charge of its own destiny. In this case - according to his thinking - they must withdraw for the purpose of preparing themselves to be capable of executing the second stage.
"The second stage is the Jihad stage, and it will come when the Muslim community has completed its preparedness and is ready to come out of its isolation to take charge, through Jihad.
"In this, Abul Aala Almaudoody was making a comparison between the two stages of weakness and Jihad on the one hand, and on the other hand, Mohammed's struggle in Mecca then in Medina."
Mohammed in Mecca and Mohammed in Medina Historians agree that there is a big difference between Mohammed's personality in Mecca and his personality after his migration to Medina. In Mecca Mohammed was weak, struggling to be accepted, often mocked at and ridiculed. He tried to appeal to the people of Mecca by being compassionate and loving. His teachings condemned violence, injustice, neglect of the poor. However, after he moved to Medina and his followers grew in strength and number, he became a relentless warrior, intent on spreading his religion by the sword. This change in Mohammed's personality becomes apparent by comparing the Meccan and the Medinan surahs.
The following are some examples:
In surah 73:10 God tells Mohammed to be patient with his opponents "Be patient with what they say, and part from them courteously." While in surah 2:191 God orders him to kill his opponents "Kill them wherever you find them, and drive them out from wherever they drove you out..."
In surah 2:256 God tells Mohammed not to impose Islam by force "There is no compulsion in religion." While in verse 193 God tells him to kill whoever rejects Islam "Fight (kill) them until there is no persecution and the religion is God's."
In surah 29:45 God tells Mohammed to speak nicely to people of the Book (Christians and Jews) "Argue with people of the Book, other then evil doers, only by means of what are better! and say, we believe in what has been sent down to us and sent down to you. Our God is the same as your God, and we are surrendered to him."
While in surah 9:29 God tells him to fight the people of the Book, "Fight those who do not believe in God and the last day...and fight People of the Book, who do not accept the religion of truth (Islam) until they pay tribute by hand, being inferior."
To justify this sudden change in the Quran's mood from peaceful to militant, conciliatory to confrontational, Mohammed claimed that it was God who told him so. It was God who abrogated the peaceful verses and replaced them by harsh ones.
However the truth of the matter, as Almaudoody puts it, is that Mohammed became strong enough to move from the stage of weakness to the stage of Jihad.
Today, in the West, we are witnessing the Islamic stage of weakness, but lets not be fooled, the stage of Jihad is coming sooner or later. This meek little lamb will turn out to be a ravening wolf, the sweet melodious "Baa Baa" will change to a thunderous roar.
The Facts
The following are some real teachings of Islam:
Men are superior to women (surah 2:228).
Women have half the rights of men: in court witness (surah 2:282) and in inheritance (surah 4:11).
A man may punish his wife by beating her (surah 4:34).
A man may marry up to four wives at the same time (surah 4:3).
A wife is a sex object for her husband (surah 2:223).
Muslims must fight until their opponents submit to Islam (surah 9:29).
A Muslim must not take a Jew or a Christian for a friend (surah 5:51).
A Muslim apostate must be killed (surah 9:12).
Stealing is punished by the amputation of the hands (surah 5:38).
Adultery is punished by public flogging (surah 24:2).
Resisting Islam is punished by death, crucifixion or the cutting off of the hands and feet (surah 5:33).
Fate decides everyone's eternal destination (surah 17:13).
Every Muslim will pass through Hell (surah 19:71).
Heaven in Islam is the place where a Muslim will be reclining, eating meats and delicious fruits, drinking exquisite wines, and engaging in sex with virgins (surah 55:54- 56) & (surah 52:17,19).
(70 virgins will be given each man in paradise if they are a martyred for the faith - AG).
For information or comments, write to Feedback@IslamReview.com
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From: Melvin W. Spicer To: heb_roots_chr@hebroots.org Subject: The Koran and Terrorism
Suicide Bombers
Why do they kill themselves and others, and what does Islam say about their actions?
The dangerous escalation of violence in the world is disturbing to all people of conscience. Tuesday's events were a crime against humanity - innocent, unsuspecting people murdered. In the fight against terrorism of all forms, it is important to understand who or what is ourbenemy. We can only fight against this horrorbif we understand its causes and motivations.
What motivates a person to lash out in this violent, inhumane way? That is something that all of us -- mental health professionals, politicians, and common people -- need to understand, so that we can address the issues more honestly, prevent more violence, and find ways to work towards lasting peace.
In Islam, several things are clear:
Suicide is forbidden.
"O ye who
believe!... [do not] kill yourselves, for
truly Allah has been to you Most Merciful.
If any do that in rancour and injustice,
soon shall We cast him into the Fire..."
(Qur'an 4:29-30).
The taking of life is
allowed only by way of justice (i.e. the
death penalty for murder), but forgiveness
is better. "Nor take life - which Allah
has made sacred - except for just cause..." (17:33)
In pre-Islamic Arabia, retaliation and mass murder was commonplace. If someone was killed, the victim's tribe would retaliate against the murderer's entire tribe. This practice was forbidden in the Qur'an (2:178-179).
Following this statement of law, the Qur'an says, "After this, whoever exceeds the limits shall be in grave chastisement" (2:178).
No matter what wrong we perceive as being done against us, we may not lash out against an entire population of people. The Qur'an admonishes those who oppress others and transgress beyond the bounds of what is right and just.
"The blame is only against those who oppress
men with wrongdoing and insolently transgress
beyond bounds through the land, defying right and
justice. For such there will be a chastisement grievous" (42:42).
Harming innocent bystanders, even in times of war, was forbidden by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). This includes women, children, noncombatant bystanders, and even trees and crops. Nothing is to be harmed unless the person or thing is actively engaged in an assault against Muslims.
The predominant theme in the Qur'an is forgiveness and peace. Allah (God) is Merciful and Forgiving, and seeks that in His followers. Indeed, most people who spend time on a personal level with ordinary Muslims have found them to be peaceful, honest, hard-working, civic-minded people.
Those who support the suicide bombings claim that it is merely a tactic of war. They see it as martyrdom, not suicide. In Israel, these attacks have usually been perpetrated by young men who have lived their entire lives under humiliating occupation. To them, it is a final act of power, stemming from desperation.
Tuesday's attack was not desperate, and it was not random. This sort of cold, calculated attack cannot fall into any understandable category. There is no noble cause that could gain from this injustice, and no person of faith can defend it.
Make no mistake: Muslims around the world have spoken out forcefully against this barbaric act, and thousands of Muslims are directly involved in the relief efforts. Indeed, there may very well be Muslims among the dead and wounded. We stand together with the world against this treachery.
O ye who believe!
Remain steadfast for Allah, bearing
witness to justice. Do not allow your
hatred for others make you swerve to wrongdoing and
turn you away from justice.
Deal justly; that is closer to true piety.
- Surah al-Maidah (5:8)
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