Some Hard Facts on Islam

A list of Qur’anic Truth

Main Items

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 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).
- No separation between Church and State. (Surah 2:193)
- No opposition party allowed. (Surah 4:59)
- 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).

WOMEN'S RIGHTS

Are women equal to men according to Islam?
- Islam teaches that women are inferior to men. "...And women shall have rights similar to the rights against them, according to what is equitable; but men have a degree over them..."Surah 2:228

In what areas are women unequal to men in Islam?
- Islam teaches that women are less than equal to men in at least two major areas:
First, in inheritance: A woman's share is half that of a man; "To the male a portion equal to that of two females..." Surah 4:11; Second, in court witness: The witness of two women equals the witness of one man: "And get two witnesses out of your own men, and if there are not two men, then a man and two women such as ye choose, for witness..." Surah 2:282

What is the status of a wife in relation to her husband?
- Islam considers the wife a possession: "...Fair in the eyes of men is the love of things they covet: Women and sons; heaped-up hoards of gold and silver; horses..." Surah 3:14

What is the extent of a husband's authority over his wife in Islam?
- Islam teaches that a wife is subject to punishment by her husband. As a punishment, beating a wife or abstaining from sexual relations with her is allowed. "...As to those women on whose part ye fear disloyalty and ill-conduct, Admonish them, refuse to share their beds, beat them,..." Surah 4:34; "For those who take an oath for abstention from their wives, a waiting for four months is ordained; if they return, God is oft-forgiving, most merciful." Surah 2:226

What rules apply only to women regarding their appearance in public?
- Islam instructs women to veil themselves always when they are outside their homes. And, even inside their homes, in certain situations: "And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty..." Surah 24:31; "O prophet! Tell thy wives and daughters, and the believing women, that they should cast their outer garments over their persons (when abroad)..." Surah 33:59

SEX AND MARRIAGE

How many wives may a Muslim man marry?
- Islam allows polygamy: A man may marry up to four wives at one time. "...Marry women of your choice, two,or three, or four..." Surah 4:3 Note: Extra privileges were given to Mohammed, "The Prophet of Islam." He was allowed unlimited wives. Mohammed had 13 wives in addition to several concubines which we know of for a fact. Ayesha was only nine years old at the time he married her, Mohammed was fifty-three years old. Another wife, Zaynab Bint Jahsh, was his daughter-in-law. When Zaid, Mohammed's adopted son, saw that Mohammed desired his wife, he divorced her so that Mohammed could marry her.

What is the sexual role of the wife in marriage according to Islam?
- Islam considers the wife a sex object. "Your wives are as a tilth (a field to be ploughed) unto you, so approach your tilth when or how ye will." Surah 2:223

Is divorce allowed in Islam?
- A man can divorce his wife by oral pronouncement. The wife has no such right in the Qur’an:"It may be, if he divorced you that Allah will give him in exchange consorts better than you..."Surah 66:5

May a man reunite with his wife after divorcing her?
- When a husband has pronounced divorce three times on his wife, he may not lawfully remarry her until she has married (and hd sexual intercourse) and been divorced by another man called "Al Mohalil" (the legalizer)."A divorce is only permissible twice; after that, the parties should either hold together on equitable terms, or separate with kindness,..." Surah 2:229 "...So if a husband divorces his wife he cannot after that, remarry her until after she has married another husband, and he has divorced her, in that case there is no blame on either of them if they reunite..." Surah 2:230

HUMAN RIGHTS

Does Islam permit freedom of choice regarding religion?
- Islam compels its adherents to force others to accept Islam. Muslims must fight until all their opponents submit to Islam, unless, of course, those opponents prefer death. Christians and Jews may be spared if they pay "Jizya" (penalty tax) with willing submission, and humiliation:"Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the last day... Nor acknowledge the religion of truth, (even if they are) of the people of the Book, until they pay the Jizya (taxes) with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued." Surah 9:29 "But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the pagans wherever ye find them and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait (ambush) for them in every stratagem (of war); but if they repent and establish regular prayers and practice regular charity then open the way for them." Surah 9:5 (see also Surah 2:193)"Therefore; when ye meet the unbelievers (in a fight) smite at their necks; at length;when ye have thoroughly subdued them, bind a bond firmly in (on them): thereafter (is the time for) either generosity or ransom, until the war lays down its burdens." Surah 47:4

Does Islam teach the equality of all people?
- Islam teaches that Muslims are superior to others. "Ye (Muslims) are the best of peoples, evolved for mankind..." Surah 3:110

Can Islam co-exist with and tolerate other religions?
- Islam condemns non-Muslims, other than Christians and Jews, as infidels. "The life of this world is alluring to those who reject faith (infidels), and they scoff at those who believe. But the righteous will be above them on the day of resurrection..." Surah 2:212

Neither do Christians and Jews escape Islam's condemnation: "The Jews call Uzair a son of Allah, and the Christians call Christ the son of Allah. That is a saying from their mouths; (in this) they but imitate what the unbelievers (infidels) of old used to say. Allah's curse be on them: how they are deluded away from the truth!" Surah 9:30

Islam instructs Muslims to not befriend Jews or Christians: "O ye who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends and protectors. They are but friends and protectors to each other. And he amongst you that turns to them (for friendship) is one of them. Allah guideth not a people unjust." Surah 5:51

What happens to a person who converts to Islam and then later changes his mind?
- Islam teaches that any person who accepts Islam and then later turns away from it will be subject to death.
"But if they violate their oath after their covenant, and taunt you for your faith, fight ye the chiefs of unfaith: for their oaths are nothing to them." Surah 9:12 (See also Surah 4:89)

DEMOCRACY

Does Islam teach the "Separation of Church and State?"
- Islam teaches that the Qur’an is the Constitution, God is the author of law, and the State is the agent to implement the law."And fight them on, until there is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah (and the religion is Allah's)." Surah 2:193; "We have sent down to thee the Book (the Qur’an) in truth, that thou mightest judge between men, as guided by Allah: so be not as an advocate by those who betray their trust."Surah 4:105"; So judge between them by what Allah hath revealed and follow not their vain desires, diverging from the truth that has come to thee. To each among you have we prescribed a law and open way." Surah 5:48; "The command (the rule) is for none but Allah; He hath commanded that ye worship none but Him: That is the right religion, but most men understand not." Surah 12:40

How Does the Qur’an consider those who do not abide by its laws?
- The Qur’an considers them wrong-doers, rebels, and unbelievers: "And if any fail to judge by what Allah hath revealed, they are wrong-doers." Surah 5:45; "If any do fail to judge by what Allah hath revealed, they are those who rebel." Surah 5:47; "If any do fail to judge by what Allah has revealed,they are unbelievers." Surah 5:44

What are some of Islamic rules and punishments that must be implemented in an IslamicState?
- Islam imposes a harsh code of punishment on those who violate its laws. Here are some examples:
- Resisting Islam: punished by death, crucifixion or the cutting off of the hands and feet."The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His Apostle, and strive with might and main for mischief through the land is: execution, or crucifixion, or the cutting off of the hands and feet from opposite sides or exile from the land..." Surah 5:33
- Adultery and Fornication: punished by public flogging for the unmarried person. For the married, the punishment is stoning."The woman and the man guilty of adultery or fornication, flog each of them with a hundred stripes; let not compassion move you in their case, in a matter prescribed by Allah, if ye believe in Allah and the Last Day; and let a party of the believers witness their punishment." Surah 24:2
- Stealing: punished by amputation of the hands."As to the thief, male or female, cut off his or her hands: A punishment, by way of example, from Allah for their crime: and Allah is exalted in power." Surah 5:38
- Drinking: punished by 40 to 80 lashes according to the Hadith (Mohammed's sayings). - See Sahih al-Bukhari vol. 8:770; Islam forbids wine."O ye who believe! Intoxicants and gambling, stones and arrows, are an abomination, of Satan's handiwork: Eschew such that you may prosper." Surah 5:90. Ironically, the faithful are promised "rivers of wine" in Paradise. "The garden which the righteous are promised...in it are rivers of wine, a joy to those who drink..."Surah 47:15"...truly the righteous will be in bliss,,, their thirst will be slaked with pure wine sealed." Surah 83:22, 25

Would these laws be imposed on non-Muslim minorities in an Islamic State?
- Non-Muslims must follow the same rules, and are subject to the same punishment.
"If anyone desires a religion other than Islam, never will it be accepted of him; and inthe hereafter he will be in the ranks of those who have lost. " Surah 3:85

Would an opposition party be allowed in an Islamic State?
No, because the ruler rules by a mandate from God, and God must not be opposed. "Whatever it be wherein ye differ, the decision (the rule) thereof is with Allah: such isAllah my Lord: In Him I trust, and to Him I turn." Surah 42:10"; O ye who believe obey Allah and the Apostle and those charged with authority among you. If you differ in anything among yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Apostle. "Surah 4:59

Has the experiment of an Islamic State been applied in modern history? If so, how successful has it been?
There are many countries today that rule, to different degrees, by Islamic laws. Some of the countries that rigidly apply Islam are: Saudi Arabia, Iran, Sudan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. The condition of these countries speaks for itself; human rights violations, violence and terrorism, oppression and persecution. Most Islamic countries are economically bankrupt.

ETERNAL SECURITY

How sure can a Muslim be about his eternity?
- Islam teaches that "fate" decides everyone's eternal destination."Every man's fate We have fastened on his own neck: on the day of Judgment We shall bring out for him a scroll which he will see spread open." Surah 17:13
- The Qur’an teaches that every Muslim will pass through hell. "Not one of you but will pass over it (originally: through it [hell]). This is a decree which must be accomplished." Surah 19:71
- The only assurance for a Muslim to go to heaven is through fighting for the cause of spreading Islam and being martyred in the process. "And if ye are slain, or die in the way of Allah, forgiveness and mercy from Allah are far better than all they could amass." Surah 3: 157

Does the God of Islam lead each Muslim to eternal salvation?
- According to the Qur’an, God leads and misleads as He pleases. "Allah leaves straying those whom He pleases and guides whom He pleases." Surah 14:4"; Those whom God willeth to guide, He openeth their breast to Islam; Those whom He willeth to leave straying, He maketh their breast close and constricted as if they had to climb up to the skies." Surah 6:125
- God's will is that some be not guided aright, but He will inflict punishment on them for not being guided aright. "If We had so willed, We could certainly have brought every soul its true guidance: But the word from Me will come "I will fill hell with jinns (demons) and men all together."Surah 32:13
- God makes it impossible for those who reject Islam to believe later. "As to those who reject faith, it is the same to them whether thou warn them or do not warn them; they will not believe. Allah hath set a seal on their hearts and on their hearing, and on their eyes is a veil; great is the penalty they (incur)." Surah 2:6-7
- God orders people to transgress so that He will have an excuse to destroy them. "When We decide to destroy a population, We (first) send a definite order to those among them who are given the good things of this life to transgress, so that the word is proved true against them: then (it is) We destroy them utterly." Surah 17:16
- It is up to Allah to forgive and punish as He pleases. "He (Allah) forgiveth whom He pleaseth, and punisheth whom He pleaseth, for Allah has power over all things." Surah 2:284

What is Islam's concept of heaven?
- Heaven in Islam is the place where a Muslim man will be reclining, eating meat and delicious fruits, drinking exquisite wines, and engaging in sex with beautiful women, (and eternally-young beautiful boys or young men "Wildan or Ghilman," (according to some Muslim theologians). There is no mention of women's rewards. "As to the righteous, they will be in gardens, and in happiness...(to them will be said:) "Eat and drink ye, with profit and health, because of your (good) deeds." They will recline (with ease) on thrones (of dignity) arranged in ranks; and We shall join them (in the original: marry them) to companions with beautiful, big and lustrous eyes... And We shall bestow on them, of fruit and meat, anything they desire. They shall there exchange, one with another, a cup free of frivolity, free of all taint of ill. Round about them will serve to them youths (handsome) as pearls well-guarded." Surah 52:17, 19, 20, 22-24 (see also Surah 4:57; Surah 76:12-22; Surah 55:54-56; and Surah 47:15)

INCREDIBILE TEACHING OF MUHAMMAD

Mohammed's teachings are included in what is called "Hadith." The "Hadith" is a record of Mohammed's words and deeds according to his wives, relatives, and companions. Next to the Qur’an, it is the most important part of Islamic law; its teachings are just as binding. The Hadith is recorded in many books, and by many people, not all of them are agreed upon by all Muslims. All of our quotes here are from "Sahih Al-Bukhari" which comes in nine volumes, and contains thousands of Hadiths. Al Bukhari is accepted by most Muslims as the authentic words of Mohammed. Because of the limited space, we will mention here just a few examples. Our purpose is to give the reader a taste of the teachings of Mohammed, the prophet of Islam. Some of these teachings may shock you, and some may amuse you. Others may simply leave you mystified.

WOMEN

Women are deficient in mind and religion.
- Mohammed asked some women, "Isn't the witness of a woman equal to half that of a man?" The women said, "yes," He said, "This is because of the deficiency of the woman's mind. "Vol. 3:826
- Mohammed to women: "I have not seen any one more deficient in intelligence and religion than you." Vol. 2:541

The majority of people in hell are women.

- Mohammed said, "I was shown the Hell-fire and that the majority of its dwellers are women. " Vol. 1:28, 301; Vol. 2:161; Vol. 7:124

Women are a bad omen.
- Mohammed said, " Bad omen is in the woman, the house and the horse." Vol. 7:30

Women are harmful to men.
- Mohammed said, "After me I have not left any affliction more harmful to men than women."Vol. 7:33

Women may not wear wigs.
- Mohammed said, " Don't wear false hair for Allah sends His curse upon such ladies who lengthen their hair artificially." Vol. 7:133

SEX AND MARRIAGE

Mohammed's sexual strength is equal to 30 men.
Anas said, "The prophet used to visit all his wives in an hour round, during the day and night and they were eleven in number." I asked Anas, "Had the prophet the strength for it?" Anas replied, "We used to say that the prophet was given the strength of thirty (men). " Vol. 1:268

Mohammed married a 9 year old girl.
"Narrated Aisha that the prophet married her when she was six years old and he consummated his marriage when she was nine years old."Vol. 7:64

Allah hurries to please Mohammed's sexual desires.
When the Qur’anic verse that allows Mohammed to postpone the turn of any wife was revealed, and when Mohammed said that Allah allowed him to marry his adopted son's wife, Aisha (one of his wives) told him, "O Allah's Apostle I do not see but that your Lord hurries in pleasing you. " Vol. 7:48

When a woman is divorced irrevocably, she can not return to her husband until she marries (including having sexual intercourse) with another man. "Narrated Aisha: The wife of Rifaa Al-Qurazi came to Allah's Apostle and said, 'O Allah's Apostle, Rifaa divorced me irrevocably. After him I married Abdur-Rahman bin Az-Zubair Al-Qurazi who proved to be impotent.' Allah's Apostle said to her, 'Perhaps you want to return to Rifaa? Nay (You cannot return to Rifaa) until you and Abdur-Rahman (the impotent man) engage in sexual intercourse!" Vol. 7:186

HUMAN RIGHTS

Islam is to be imposed by force.
Mohammed said, "I have been ordered to fight with the people till they say, "None has the right to be worshipped but Allah, and whoever says, " None has the right to be worshipped but Allah , his life and property will be saved by me." (otherwise it will not).Vol. 4:196

Apostasy is punishable by death.
Mohammed said, "Whoever changes his Islamic religion, kill him." Vol. 9:57

A Muslim must not be killed if he kills a non-Muslim.
- Mohammed said, " No Muslim should be killed for killing a Kafir" (infidel). Vol. 9:50

Ethnic cleansing is practiced.
- Mohammed said to the Jews, "You should know that the earth belongs to Allah and His Apostle (Mohammed) and I want to expel you from this land (The Arabian Peninsula), so, if anyone owns property, he is permitted to sell it." Vol. 4:392

Mohammed's last words at his deathbed were: "Turn the pagans (non-Muslims) out of theArabian Peninsula." Vol. 5:716

ETERNAL SECURITY

No assurance of Salvation.
- Mohammed said. "By Allah, though I am the apostle of Allah, yet I do not know what Allah will do to me." Vol. 5:266

God punishes a deceased if his relatives weep.
- Mohammed said, "The deceased is punished because of the weeping of his relatives." Vol. 2:375

When you speak badly about a deceased, the deceased will go to hell.
- Mohammed said, "You praised this, so Paradise has been affirmed to him, and you spoke badly of this, so hell has been affirmed to him. You people are Allah's witnesses on earth."Vol. 2:448

Urine on your clothes will bring punishment from God.
- Mohammed said, "The deceased person is being tortured in the grave not for a great thing to avoid, it is for being soiled with his urine. " Vol. 2:460

Holy war (Jihad) is a guarantee of heaven.
- Mohammed said, "The person who participates in (Holy battles) in Allah's cause and nothing compels him to do so except belief in Allah and His Apostle, will be recompensed by Allah either with a reward, or booty (if he survives) or will be admitted to paradise (if he is killed). " Vol. 1:35

MEDICINE

Drinking camel's urine will make you healthy.
"The prophet ordered them to follow his camels, and drink their milk and urine , so they followed the camels and drank their milk and urine till their bodies became healthy." Vol. 7:590

Fever is from the heat of hell.
- Mohammed said, " Fever is from the heat of hell, so put it out (cool it) with water." Vol. 7:619

A fly in your drink is a cure.
- Mohammed said, "If a housefly falls in the drink of anyone of you, he should dip it (in the drink), for one of its wings has a disease and the other has the cure for the disease." Vol. 4:537

How the baby's looks are determined.
- Mohammed said, "As for the child, if the man's discharge precedes the woman's discharge, the child attracts the similarity of the man, and if the woman's discharge precedes the man's, then the child attracts the similarity of the woman." Vol. 5:275

MISCELLANEOUS

If you eat garlic don't come to the place of worship.
- Mohammed said, "Whosoever ate from this plant (i.e. garlic) should not enter the mosque."Vol. 1:812

Effect of evil eye
- Mohammed said, "The effect of an evil eye is a fact. " Vol. 7:636

Which shoe you should put on first.
Mohammed said, "If you want to put on your shoes, put on the right shoe first, and if you want them off, take the left one first." Vol. 7:747

Breathing in your drink is bad.
- Mohammed said, "Don't breath into your drinking utensil." Vol. 1:156

God frightens his devotees with eclips.
- Mohammed said, "The sun and the moon are two signs amongst the signs of Allah and they do not eclipse because of the death of someone but Allah frightens His devotees with them. " Vol. 2:158

Satan urinates in people's ears, when they don't wake up for prayer.
- Narrated Abdullah: the prophet was told that a person had kept on sleeping till morning and had not got up for the prayer. The prophet said, "Satan urinated in his ears." Vol. 2:245

Yawning is from Satan.
- The prophet said, "Yawning is from Satan and if anyone of you yawns, he should check his yawning as much as possible, for if anyone of yuo (during the act of yawning) should say: "Ha", Satan will laugh at him." Vol. 2:158

Stars are missiles which God uses to hit the devils.
- The creation of stars is for three purposes, i.e., as decoration of the sky, as missiles to hit the devils, and as signs to guide travelers. Vol. 2:158

In the case you are going to marry a Muslim Man:

Your Children
Your children have to be raised according to their Muslim father's religion: Islam. If he divorces you, he gets custody of the children, and you wouldn't be able to see your children again. The Sharia (Islamic Law) states that in mixed marriages "the children will follow the better of the two religions of their parents", which in your case is considered Islam. The Qur’an states that Islam is the only true religion, "The religion before Allah is Islam" Surah 3:19. Non Muslims can not act as protectors to Muslims, "O ye who believe; take not for friends (protectors) unbelievers rather than believers" Surah 4:144

Your Future
Should you survive your Muslim husband, and his wealth is in an Islamic country, the Islamic law will apply. The wife who has not converted to Islam gets nothing, the wife who has converted to Islam gets very little. According to the Qur’an a Muslim wife does not inherit all her husband's wealth. If the husband dies and he leaves no children, she gets a fourth of his wealth, his parents, brothers, uncles...etc will get the rest. If the deceased husband leaves children, then the wife gets an eighth, the children get the rest; the male child gets double the portion of the female. "In what ye leave, their (wives) share is a fourth if you leave no child; but if you leave a child, they (wives) get an eighth ; after payment of legacies and debts." Surah 4:12

Before You Say "I DO"
Before you commit yourself to marry a Muslim, it is a good idea to examine the motives behind it. While your motive may be love, his motive could be just to obtain a "Green Card". I know, they say "love is blind", I hope however that this message will serve as an eye- opener for you. You may say that your husband-to-be is a non-practicing Muslim. But let's not forget thatIslam is more than a religion; it includes a complete legal code for Muslims and non- Muslims to follow in an Islamic State. In case of a dispute between you and him, all he needs to do to get the upper hand over you is to travel to an Islamic country. If you are still in doubt about this, may I suggest that you see the movie "Not without my daughter" which is based on a true life story of an American woman who married a Muslim man. Other similar movies are: "Princess, Dreams of Trespass, and The Stoning of Soraya M?" This may be a life-saving experience. The lives you will save are your own, and those of your future children. "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?" 2 Corinthians 6:14

IHS

Ahmadinejad's Imam a Misunderstander of Islam, says Islam allows raping, torturing prisoners

But don’t forget to wash your hands BEFORE raping

It's so hard to get good clerical help these days. Even the top clerics misunderstand the Religion of Peace™.

"Ahmadinejad's Imam: Islam Allows Raping, Torturing Prisoners," by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz for Israel National News, September 1 (thanks to all who sent this in):

(IsraelNN.com) A highly influential Shi'a religious leader, with whom Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad regularly consults, apparently told followers last month that coercion by means of rape, torture and drugs is acceptable against all opponents of the Islamic regime. [...]

"Can an interrogator rape the prisoner in order to obtain a confession?" was the follow-up question posed to the Islamic cleric.

Mesbah-Yazdi answered: "The necessary precaution is for the interrogator to perform a ritual washing first and say prayers while raping the prisoner. If the prisoner is female, it is permissible to rape through the vagina or anus. It is better not to have a witness present. If it is a male prisoner, then it's acceptable for someone else to watch while the rape is committed."...

A related issue, in the eyes of the questioners, was the rape of virgin female prisoners. In this instance, Mesbah-Yazdi went beyond the permissibility issue and described the Allah-sanctioned rewards accorded the rapist-in-the-name-of-Islam:

"If the judgment for the [female] prisoner is execution, then rape before execution brings the interrogator a spiritual reward equivalent to making the mandated Haj pilgrimage [to Mecca], but if there is no execution decreed, then the reward would be equivalent to making a pilgrimage to [the Shi'ite holy city of] Karbala."

One aspect of these permitted rapes troubled certain questioners: "What if the female prisoner gets pregnant? Is the child considered illegitimate?"

Mesbah-Yazdi answered: "The child borne to any weakling [a denigrating term for women - ed.] who is against the Supreme Leader is considered illegitimate, be it a result of rape by her interrogator or through intercourse with her husband, according to the written word in the Qur’an. However, if the child is raised by the jailer, then the child is considered a legitimate Shi'a Muslim."

Source: http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/027435.php

IHS

Islamic anti-Semitism and the Arab-Isral Conflict

Muslims should respect their own Scriptures

(…)

Contrary to what Muslim/Arab propagandists would deceptively have we non-Muslims believe, the Arab-Israeli conflict has never been a territorial dispute for establishing a Palestinian state. If it was, Arabs would have set up the Palestinian state when they exercised sovereignty over the so-called occupied territories for first two decades after Israel attained independence (1948-67). Jordan had the West Bank, while Egypt controlled Gaza.

Not only did the so-called Palestinians not agitate for a Palestinian state during this period of Arab occupation; Fatah / Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) which was formed during the same period of Arab occupation, renounced all claims to both Gaza and the West bank in article 24 of their founding charter in 1964. The only “Palestine” PLO were interested in “liberating” was Israel itself.

Even today the charters of both Hamas and Fatah are pledged to Israel’s destruction, not to the hyped but misguided two-state solution. Just this month (Aug ’09) at Fatah’s Bethlehem conference, the PLO reaffirmed its determination to expel all Jews and obliterate Israel.

Herein lies the crux of the intractable conflict – Muslim Arabs refusal to acknowledge the right of Jews to a nation in the ancestral Jewish homeland of Judea & Samaria (renamed Palestine by Roman colonizers to spite rebellious Jews), which Muslims now consider Dar ul Islam– Muslim territory.

Only the long extinct biblical Canaanites (Perizites, Hittites, Jebusites, Philistines, Amalekites etc) might have a better claim to Palestine than Jews who not only built a kingdom there, but have inhabited the area continuously for over 3000 years.

Certainly not the Muslim Arabs who invaded and occupied Palestine in 640 AD, almost 2000 years after the Jews had established a kingdom there.

Even the Qur’an acknowledges Palestine belongs to Jews (Q 5:21, 7:137) with the Jewish Kings David (Daud) and Solomon (Suleiman) as Muslim prophets. Mohammed concocted these favourable verses when he was sucking up to the Medinan Jews for their endorsement of his bogus prophethood. Early Muslims even joined Jews in praying towards Jerusalem.

The prophet wannabe craved Jewish endorsement because this whole business of prophets was hitherto a Jewish tradition which he hijacked for megalomanic self-glorification. But the Jews refused to massage Mo’s narcissist ego with the sorely desired endorsement; so he changed the Qibla (direction of prayer) to Mecca then gradually ethnically cleansed Jews from most of Arabia with an order for Muslims to exterminate Jews:

Allah’s Apostle (Mohammed) said, ‘You Muslims will fight the Jews till some of them hide behind stones. The stones will betray them saying, “O servant of Allah, there is a Jew hiding behind me; so kill him.”- Sahih Bukhari 4:5:176, 177

Muslims are thus piqued that Jews who should be grateful for not being wiped out as their “prophet” commanded and should have been contented with their subjugated Dhimmi status under Muslim rule, now have the temerity to establish a nation in Dar ul Islam where they even rule over Allah’s chosen race – Arabs. What impudence? How dare these insolent apes & pigs – as the Qur’an derides Jews (Q 2:65, 5:60) ?

It is this Islamic anti-Semitism that has made the peaceful resolution of Arab-Israeli conflict impossible. Hence, in a moment of uncommon clarity devoid of the usual Taqiyya spin for non-Muslim media, the late Palestinian leader Yassir Arafat declared:

“We (Palestinians) don’t want peace, we want victory. Peace for us means Israel’s destruction and nothing else. What you call peace is peace for Israel….For us it is shame and injustice. We shall fight on to victory. Even for decades, for generations, if necessary.” (Interview with Italian writer/journalist Oriana Fallaci, New Republican 1974).

Hassan Nassrallah, Hezbollah’s Shiite terror leader agrees, “there is no solution to the conflict in this region except with the disappearance of Israel.”

Consequently in 2000, Arafat rebuffed Ehud Barak’s proposal in which the then Israeli Prime Minister offered Palestinians most of the territories they asked for – West bank and Gaza with significant concessions on the hotly disputed East Jerusalem.

Nothing but the destruction of the Jewish nation would do. Or as Iran’s Ahmedinajad puts it “wipe Israel of the map”. With Iran’s ongoing nuclear programme, it would appear that Teheran is planning to make good on Ahmedinajad’s threat of decimating the Jewish nation.

In a December 2001interview, Ahmedinajad’s predecessor, the “moderate” former Iranian president Hashemi Rafsanjani stated that “the use of even one nuclear bomb against Israel will destroy everything. However (in the unlikely event of Israel retaliation), it will only harm the Islamic world [not destroy it]”. Never mind that Palestinians and Israeli Arabs would also be wiped out by such Iranian nuclear strike.

Just last month (July 2009) Iran’s maximum tyrant, Ayatollah Khameini ordered Ahmedinajad to fire his newly appointed Prime minister Mashai because the latter committed the grievous crime of stating that: “Iranians want to be friends with everyone, including the Israelis”

Ehud Barak’s 2000 offer included all of Gaza, concessions on East Jerusalem and 97% of West bank with the remaining 3% to be made up by ceding parts of Israel to the Palestinians. This is consistent with the hyped but often misquoted UN resolution 242 that never called for Israel to return to pre ’67 boundaries as erroneously propagandized, but rather to secure defensible borders through peace negotiations.

As Britain’s Lord Caradon – one of the authors of resolution 242 – explained, the pre ’67 boundaries were not proper borders but arbitrary armistice lines of the 1948 war. Even the Saudi monarch castigated Arafat for rejecting that deal.

Arafat’s rejection of Ehud Barak’s deal wasn’t the first time Arabs spurned an Israeli peace offer. Soon after the 1967 war (the 3rd unsuccessful Arab attempt to destroy the Jewish nation), Israel offered to return West bank & Gaza in return for peace and full recognition of the Jewish state by Arabs.

They rejected it at the 1967 Arab League Khartoum conference with the infamous three No’s – “no peace, no negotiation, no recognition. We (Arabs) have lost round 3 (1967 war) and can lose 40 rounds but Israel can lose only one”.

Only when it later dawned on Arabs that they would never defeat Israel militarily, did they begin the deceptive agitation for a Palestinian state in order to demonize the Jewish nation as the villain. But as Zahir Muhsein, a former member of PLO executive committee and Palestinian National Council candidly explained in another moment of uncommon clarity, the agitation for Palestinian state is just another ploy to destroy Israel:

“Palestinian people do not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. Only for tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct ‘Palestinian people’ to oppose Zionism” – Interview with James Dorsey published in Trouw (Dutch Weekly) – March 1977.

Earlier this year, Egyptian Islamic cleric Muhammad Yaqoub spoke the minds of many Muslims when he publicly declared on TV: “The Jews are the Enemies of Muslims regardless of the occupation of Palestine; we will fight, defeat and annihilate them until not a single Jew remains on the face of the earth”.

During World War II, Palestinians under the leadership of Hajj Amin Al-Hussein even collaborated with Nazi Germany to wipe out Jews.

Source: http://www.faithfreedom.org/2009/08/31/islamic-anti-semitism-and-the-arab-israeli-conflict/

IHS

Apostasy; Wafa Sultan’s Exchange with an Oxford Educated Muslim on Allah “The Harmer”

A Jihad Watch exclusive from Andrew Bostom, editor of The Legacy of Islamic Antisemitism, on the Rifqa Bary case:

Last evening I read a particularly illuminating anecdote from Wafa Sultan’s forthcoming book (due out October 13th), A God Who Hates, which provides an irrefragable counterpoint to the taqiya-mongering drivel on Rifqa Bary’s apostasy case recently spewed forth by the cultural jihadist Salam Al-Marayati.

Let me first digress and dispense with Al-Marayati’s crudely unsophisticated taqiya. Yes, despite Al-Maryati’s denial, apostasy is mentioned in the Qur’an—Qur’an 4:89 most prominently—and the punishment is death, as noted for example by two of the most important classical Qur’anic exegetes, Baydawi and Ibn Kathir, in their commentaries on this verse. Al-Maryati’s crude taqiya fully ignores the fact that punishment by death for apostasy from Islam is firmly rooted in all the most holy Muslim texts—both the Qur’an, and the hadith—as well as the sacred Islamic Law (the Shari’a). Qur’an 4:89 states,

“They desire that you should disbelieve as they have disbelieved, so that you might be (all) alike; therefore take not from among them friends until they fly (their homes) in Allah's way; but if they turn back, then seize them and kill them wherever you find them, and take not from among them a friend or a helper.”

One of the most authoritative Qur’anic commentators, Baydawi (d. 1315/16) interprets this passage thus: “Whosoever turns back from belief (irtada), openly or secretly, take him and kill him wheresoever ye find him, like any other infidel. Separate yourself from him altogether. Do not accept intercession in his regard.” (cited in Zwemer, The Law of Apostasy in Islam, 1924, pp. 33-34).” Ibn Kathir's (d. 1373) venerated commentary on Qur’an 4:89 concurs, maintaining that as apostates have manifested their unbelief, they should be punished by death.

These draconian judgments are reiterated in a number of hadith (i.e., collections of the putative words and deeds of the Muslim prophet Muhammad, as compiled by pious transmitters). For example, Muhammad is reported to have said “Kill him who changes his religion” in hadith collections of both Bukhari and Abu Dawud. There is also a consensus by all four schools of Sunni Islamic jurisprudence (i.e., Maliki, Hanbali, Hanafi, and Shafi’i), as well as Shi’ite jurists, that apostates from Islam must be put to death. Averroes (d. 1198), the renowned philosopher and scholar of the natural sciences, who was also an important Maliki jurist, provided this typical Muslim legal opinion on the punishment for apostasy (vol. 2, p. 552): “An apostate...is to be executed by agreement in the case of a man, because of the words of the Prophet, 'Slay those who change their din [religion]'.... Asking the apostate to repent was stipulated as a condition...prior to his execution…”

Even the contemporary (i.e., 1991) Al-Azhar (Cairo) Islamic Research Academy-endorsedShafi’i manual of Islamic Law, 'Umdat al-Salik (pp. 595-96) states plainly: “Leaving Islam is the ugliest form of unbelief (kufr) and the worst.... When a person who has reached puberty and is sane voluntarily apostasizes from Islam, he deserves to be killed. In such a case, it is obligatory...to ask him to repent and return to Islam. If he does it is accepted from him, but if he refuses, he is immediately killed.”

Back to Wafa Sultan’s book which records her exchange with a Muslim woman interlocutor who was an Oxford University graduate. Wafa and her interlocutor engaged in a discussion about the legitimacy and morality of the offensive attributes of Allah encapsulated by some of the “99 names” conferred upon the Muslim deity, uniquely, during Islam’s advent, including notably, “The Imperious,” “The Humiliator,” “The Bringer of Death,” and “The Harmer.” It is this latter appellation that Wafa finds particularly troubling, and she questions why Muslims refuse to confront the negativism implicit in sanctioning the commission of harm by Islam’s God. She understands the typical stated rationale, “They say:

‘When a person believes in God’s ability to harm he will take care not to disobey him, so as to avoid being harmed by him.’”

But Wafa believes this kind of broadly internalized rationalization has extracted a terrible toll on Islamic societies, in conjunction with other flawed ethical conceptions, and debased, rather than elevated their moral standards. She makes very cogent arguments in support of her thesis at some length throughout the book, which I will leave to a subsequent discussion, but her attempt to find common ground with a highly educated Muslim woman on the appellation “The Harmer,” captures a very dangerous conundrum Westerners till now appear almost incapable of appreciating.

The exchange and Wafa’s concluding lament bring us back to the question of “apostasy,” and the unacceptable plight of Muslim apostates in our own Western societies, let alone their native Islamic societies.

“…a Muslim reader from London, an Oxford University graduate with whom I conducted an extensive e-mail correspondence…wrote to me on one occasion: ‘Can you deny that God is capable of causing harm? Could he not destroy the universe if he wanted to?’ She continued” ‘What’s wrong with proclaiming his destructive powers? Isn’t this necessary in order to prevent people from crossing the line and disobeying his commands?’

I replied: ‘A father has the ability to harm his child when he disobeys him, but does he do so? Is that the proper way to educate our children not to overstep the boundaries we set for them?’

The Oxford graduate responded: ‘There’s no comparison! The difference between God’s power and that of a human being is much greater than the difference between a father and a son’s.’

I replied: ‘But shouldn’t God’s wisdom, mercy, and love far surpass the wisdom, mercy, and love of a father?’

The exchange turned into a fruitless quarrel at the end of which I heard only the e-mailed shouts of the Oxford graduate as she described me as a misguided unbeliever and apostate deserving only of being put to death.”

Source: http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/027405.php#respond

IHS

Is the death penalty for apostasy in the Qur'an?

Yes it is, sweet little Rifqa

Salam al-Marayati of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, a thoroughly unpleasant character with whom I have appeared on many radio shows (on which he invariably likens me to Osama bin Laden, although I have never flown any planes into buildings, beheaded anyone, or exhorted anyone to do so), attacks Rifqa Bary, the seventeen-year-old girl who converted from Islam to Christianity and fled from her home and father after he threatened to kill her (as she explains here), and her supporters in a contemptuous, dishonest, condescending and arrogant piece at the Huffington Post, "Rifqa, the Reverand [sic] and Apostasy" (August 18).

Hugh Fitzgerald and Andy Bostom have already weighed in on this utterly contemptible article, but I have a few things to add.

Al-Marayati is intent on impugning Rifqa's own testimony in favor of her father's protestations that he does not intend to kill her -- and indeed, it is her word against his, and the only price we will have to pay if al-Marayati turns out to be wrong is a murdered teenage girl. To support his case, al-Marayati makes essentially two points, both encapsulated in this sentence: "Mohamed Bary allowed his daughter to become a cheerleader and says she can practice any faith she wants -- clearly, he is not a fundamentalist."

His first point is thus that Mohamed Bary, by allowing his daughter to prance around in skimpy cheerleader costumes, clearly was not the sort to insist on the finer points of Islamic law like the death penalty for apostasy (which al-Marayati implies does not exist anyway, so it's hard to see why it would be a feature of "fundamentalism" in the first place). However, honor killing victims in the West have invariably been girls who have been Westernized, adopting Western non-Muslim mores to the growing dismay of their male relatives. Al-Marayati's point is that if Mohamed Bary were a "fundamentalist," he would not have allowed Rifqa to become Westernized in the first place. Real life, however, is not always that simple. Honor killing victims like Amina and Sarah Said in Texas and Aqsa Parvez in Canada appear to been quite Westernized for a considerable period before their relationships with their fathers reached a tipping point, and they were murdered. Rifqa Bary fled before that could happen, but the fact that she was a hijab-less cheerleader indicates nothing. Pamela Geller explains further in responding to the same claim from Mike Thomas of the Orlando Sentinel:

Victims are generally beautiful, Westernized, and dressed in a manner that perhaps Thomas would term “provocative.” Muslim girls who live in the West lead two lives. Amina and Sarah Said, allegedly murdered by their father in Texas on New Year’s Day 2008 for having non-Muslim boyfriends, were honor students, star athletes, soccer players, tennis players, etc. Rifqa was the same way in Ohio before she fled. These girls led double lives. The murder always happens when the family sees they have lost control of the child.

Al-Marayati's second point is that, contrary to Rifqa's own claim, the Qur'an says nothing about killing apostates:

She claims that her parents "love God more than me" and therefore have to perform an honor killing on her. She argues "it's in the Qur’an". No it's not, sweet little Rifqa. It's not in the Qur’an. Whoever told you that is either ignorant or a liar. You should look it up yourself before claiming it's in the Qur’an.

Rev. Lorenz is then quoted in a local television station report saying that if a Muslim leaves his religion and does not return to Islam in a couple of days, then he must be killed. He claims that someone showed him the verse. There is no such verse, Rev. Lorenz. In every faith, apostasy is shunned but ultimate judgment is left to God, not people.

Two things are being confused here: honor killing and the death penalty for apostasy. Honor killing is not discussed directly in the Qur'an, although it is given strong implicit support by 18:74, 80-81, when the mysterious figure known in Islamic tradition as Khidr, traveling with the prophet Moses, kills a young man Moses terms "innocent" (18:74). Khidr explains: "And as for the lad, his parents were believers and we feared lest he should oppress them by rebellion and disbelief. So we desired that their Lord would give them in exchange (a son) better in purity (of conduct) and closer in affection." The young man is murdered because he is an unbeliever, so that his parents may be given a believing child in exchange. (Why the unbelieving son has to be killed before the believing son can be given to them is not explained.) Thus the precedent is set: a child who is an unbeliever is killed for his unbelief.

The death penalty for apostasy is found more directly in the Qur'an -- Islamic authorities generally root it in two Qur'anic verses, 2:217 and 4:89, as Hugh has noted. Here is 2:217:

They ask thee concerning fighting in the Prohibited Month. Say: "Fighting therein is a grave (offence); but graver is it in the sight of Allah to prevent access to the path of Allah, to deny Him, to prevent access to the Sacred Mosque, and drive out its members." Tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter. Nor will they cease fighting you until they turn you back from your faith if they can. And if any of you turn back from their faith and die in unbelief, their works will bear no fruit in this life and in the Hereafter; they will be companions of the Fire and will abide therein.

What does it mean that the works of those who "turn back from their faith and die in unbelief" will "bear no fruit in this life" as well as in the next? Let's go for an answer to the Tafsir al-Qurtubi, a classic and thoroughly mainstream exegesis of the Qur'an. About 2:217, Qurtubi says this:

Scholars disagree about whether or not apostates are asked to repent. One group say that they are asked to repent and, if they do not, they are killed. Some say they are given an hour and others a month. Others say that they are asked to repent three times, and that is the view of Malik. Al-Hasan said they are asked a hundred times. It is also said that they are killed without being asked to repent.

Did you notice one option that Qurtubi never mentions? That's right: he never says anything like "some say the apostate should not be killed." The only point of contention seems to be how long the Muslim must wait before he kills the apostate.

Meanwhile, 4:89 says this:

They but wish that ye should reject Faith, as they do, and thus be on the same footing (as they). But take not friends from their ranks until they flee in the way of Allah (from what is forbidden). But if they turn renegades, seize them and slay them wherever ye find them; and (in any case) take no friends or helpers from their ranks.

Thus those who have fled from what is forbidden, i.e., embraced Islam, should be killed if they "turn renegades." The Tafsir al-Jalalayn, another venerable and respected commentary on the Qur'an, explains that a Muslim should not trust these people "until they emigrate in the way of God, a proper emigration that would confirm their belief" -- that is, if they leave their homes to join up with the Muslims. "Then, if they turn away, and remain upon their ways, take them, as captives, and slay them wherever you find them." Here again, no attempt is made, in this Qur'an commentary or any of those that Muslims revere as trustworthy, to explain that this does not actually mean that one should kill the "renegade."

And of course al-Marayati focuses narrowly on Rifqa's statement about the Qur'an. He never mentions, although he surely must know, that Muhammad said "Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him," and that this statement in the Hadith (in which it appears several times) became the foundation for the unanimous verdict of all the schools of Islamic jurisprudence: the apostate must be killed.

That he does not mention this key point is just one indication that as a witness to Islamic teaching on this (and other) matters, Salam al-Marayati is not to be trusted.

Source: http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/027407.php#respond

IHS