Muslim Scholars' "A Common Word Between Us and You" Claims Too Much
29 Oct, 2007
- Recently, a group of 138 Islamic scholars, muftis, ayatollahs,
and policy makers issued a message that, they claim, should usher
in a new era of dialogue, understanding and goodwill between
Muslims and Christians. The document, A Common Word Between Us
[1], seems to have generated interest in the media and in some
areas of academia.
Any step that enhances understanding between peoples and faiths should of course be lauded. A close examination of the document suggests, however, that it is a medley of wishful thinking and misleading interpretations of selected pieces of scriptures that comes close to self delusion. It is quite unlikely to increase understanding between Muslims and Christians, unless both groups are a bunch of extremely simple- minded people, which evidently they are not. The authors of the document boldly claim that “Not only can A Common Word Between Us [ provide] a starting point for cooperation and worldwide co-ordination, but it does so on the most solid theological ground possible: the teachings of the Qur’an and the Prophet, and the commandments described by Jesus Christ in the Bible.” It will be seen that this is a tall claim. The document should not pass for what it is not.
The central argument of the document is this: both Islam and Christianity are founded on the common principles of (i) love of one God and (ii) love of one’s neighbour. Since the two faiths share the same principles, ergo, this must be an obvious basis for “peace and understanding” between them. To start with, the premise that the existence of a set of common principles can by itself lead to greater understanding between two antagonists is truly amazing. Are not there many religions that are driven by internal dissents and conflicts? Both Catholics ant Protestants share basically the same concept of God, and in the present context love the same God, and yet the history of Christianity is replete with repressions of one denomination by the other and even massacres. The thousands of burnings at the stake and the slaughter of Saint Bartholomew’s Day, for example, should testify to that. As for the Muslims, ask a sunni and a shia whether they worship (and love) the same God, and both will unequivocally say, yes, of course. Yet, to many sunnis, the shia are only renegades, who deserve to be killed. And they continue to be killed. Look at what has happened in Pakistan even in very recent past. Hundreds of shia have been killed in the past few years, as well as a good number of sunnis, mainly in retaliation. See what is happening in Iraq: the most sacred of the shrines and mosques have been destroyed and desecrated and thousands killed in inter-sect violence. In each country, and in many hearts, though not all, no love is lost between the two factions, but they share the same love for God. It is quite unlikely therefore that love of God can by itself be the basis of understanding and peace between Christians and Muslims or between members of any two communities. No matter how many quotes the authors of the document produce from the Koran and the Bible, the absurdity of its assertion would not go away.
But the quotes themselves need to be given a close examination. I shall restrict myself to quotes from the Koran.
The authors go into considerable lengths on the theme of “love of God in Islam”. In the numerous verses cited I could find only a single instance where the word love appears. The central tenet of Islam is obedience to One God, and obedience is not necessarily love. There are numerous references of the servant-master relationship between God and man. But even the most benevolent of that relationship is not love.
It is fear, not love that dominates the relationship. Even the Prophet of Islam is asked in the Koran to fear God. (e.g. in verse V:4) The authors of the document aptly say “Through fear of God, the actions, might and strength of Muslims should be totally devoted to God. God says in the Holy Qur’an: …[A]nd know that God is with those who fear Him. ( Al- Tawbah, 9:36)” In the same vein the document quotes other verses from the Koran. For example: [A]nd fear God, and know that God is with the God-fearing… (2:194)
The document goes thorough a long list of verses in the Koran in the same vein, ending with the only verse where word love appears: Say, (O Muhammad, to mankind) if ye love God, follow me; God will love you and forgive your sins. God is Forgiving, Merciful (3:31) The document then goes on to assert, on the basis of a single verse, that “ Love of God is thus part of complete and total devotion to God…”. It ignores its own quotes that emphasize fear. And it does not mention the verse that follows immediately: Say, “Obey God and His Apostle”: but if they turn back, God loveth not those who reject Faith (3:32).[2] We are back to fear and obedience. The overwhelming emphasis in the Koran is on obedience, devotion, and fear of retribution. Love, as commonly understood, has little place in it.
On His part, does God love His creation? God’s bounty, in the form of the rain that nourishes life and sustains mankind, for example, is cited in the document. Apart from the consideration, first mooted by Aristotle, that if rain comes down for the good of the crops, why then it ruins the farmer’s grains drying in the yard, it is not clear that such bounties are manifestations of God’s love for man. At best, such bounty is a reward for obedience. And for the disobedient who fail to appreciate it, there is severe penalty.
There is no unrequited love on the part of God. Consider this verse from the Koran: For the worst of beasts in the sight of God are those who reject Him…( VIII: 55) He is actually calling the unbelievers beasts, and the worst of them for that matter. And they are His creation. The authors of A Common Word might protest that they are talking of Christians, the People of the Book, and not of unbelievers. But then they will be in the uncomfortable position of hugely restricting the role of God’s love for mankind.
Equally untenable is the assertion in A Common Word that both Christianity and Islam call for love of the neighbour. The failure to be convincing here is actually far more damaging to the purpose of the document. It quotes a single verse from the Koran purporting to be related to love of the neighbour: It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces to the East and the West; but righteous is he who believeth in God…and giveth wealth, for love of Him, to kinsfolk and to orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and to those who ask….( Al-Baqarah 2.177) Even here the emphasis is on charity, which has no necessary relationship with love, and is a matter of duty enjoined by religion. The failure to comply is punishable. It is important to note that the word “neighbour” is also conspicuous in its absence.
Far more important is the fact that love of the neighbour does not extend, either in the Koran or the Bible, to people of other religions. Nowhere in the Koran have I seen a statement that calls on Muslims to love their Christian or Jewish neighbours, and A Common Word does not provide us with one. There are of course many verses in the Koran on Muslim relationship with the Jews and Christians. The significance of these verses often varied with historical circumstances, especially according to the evolving relationships of the Prophet of Islam with these communities. But there is, for example a verse like this: Those who reject (Truth), among the people of the Book and among the Polytheists, will be in hell-fire, to dwell therein ( for aye). They are the worst of the creatures. (XCVIII:6) Or this: 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… (V:51) Muslims are not even allowed to pray for the unbelievers, even for those from among kinsmen. It is not fitting, for the Prophet and those who believe, that they should pray for forgiveness for Pagans, even though they be of kin….( IX:113)
The most benign light thrown on the relationship is perhaps in this verse: Those who believe (in the Qur’an), and those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Christians and the Sabians,-- any who believe in God and the Last Day, and work righteousness, shall have their reward with their Lord…”( II:62) But this does not amount to a call for brotherly love for these communities. Neither do these verses: Those who resist God and His Apostle will be among those most humiliated.(LVIII:20). God has decreed: “It is I and My Apostles who must prevail…. (LVIII:21) It is He Who has sent His Apostle with Guidance and the Religion of truth, to proclaim it over al religion…” (XLVIII:28). The overwhelming message in the last two verses is the call for capitulation, which serves the purpose of propagation of the religion, but is not a call for loving the neighbour.
It is actually futile to look for messages of love for people of other faiths in any scripture, be it the Koran or the Bible. In Muslim countries where the messages of the Koran largely or entirely regulate intercommunity relationships, such relationships leave much to be desired, and have varied between total exclusion to grudging acceptance of the members of the other faiths. The most glaring example is, of course, Saudi Arabia, where Christians and Jews cannot worship openly and are not allowed to build places of worship. It is difficult to see here an expression of love for the infidel neighbours, who might as well have been told, “We love you very much but you cannot practice your religion here.” In other countries, animosity and apathy have prevailed in various degrees. In many countries, a proposal for construction of a church would face insurmountable difficulties. The recent resurgence of literal Islam in a number of Muslim-majority countries has been accompanied by violent attacks on Christians, leading to death and destruction. Pakistan and Indonesia come to mind. It is only in countries with strong secular traditions that harmony between Muslims and Christians has tended to be based on a relationship of equals.
This indeed is the crux of the matter. The way to forge understanding between religious communities cannot be found in scriptures of these communities. Religion is not in the business of fostering understanding with other religions. It can only call for its total acceptance by members of other faiths. If you wish to love a human being who does not profess your religion, you must love him only as member of the human race; you cannot love him as a member of a faith that you oppose. In other words, it is only in a secularist tradition that such a goal can be achieved. ‘Theological’ efforts like those in A Common Word Between Us and You are unlikely to succeed in propagating love and understanding, simply because these efforts are based on false premises.
-----
[1] acommonword.com
[2] I have used the translation of the Koran by Yusuf Ali throughout
The author has been studying the Koran for some time.
- Name:
- Date: Sunday October 28, 2007
- Time: 21:09:15 -0700
Comment
It may be futile to look for messages of love for those of other faiths in the Koran: it specifically forbids such a thing. The injunction to love you neighbour in the New Testament is not conditional on the religion of the other person and there is an instance of Jesus fraternising with a Samaritan, making a Samaritan the hero of a parable and the phrase 'go the extra mile' refers to an instruction about obeying a Roman soldier. A spelled-out obsessive distinction between believer and non-believer is a peculiarity of Islam, with dozens of verses in the Koran insulting the latter - this and appallingly intolerant behaviour, at times, throughout history by some Christians may have distorted your perception of what was originally taught.
- Name: Truth Seeker
- Date: Monday October 29, 2007
- Time: 09:52:02 -0700
Comment
Concerning the Christians, the Quran says: "They say, "Allah hath begotten a son!" - Glory be to Him! He is self-Sufficient (so He does not a son)! His are all things in the heavens and on earth! No warrant have ye for this! Say ye about Allah what ye know not? Say: " Those wo invent a lie against Allah will NEVER prosper" (10:68-69). Should, and do, the Christians worship Allah when He has made it clear that He will never allow them to become prosperous in their lives? The Christians' prosperity clearly indicate that they do not believe and worship the Allah of the Muslims. So, how the Muslim scholars are going to bring about unanimity and understanding between the Muslims and the Christians? Do they plan to change Allah's mind in order to succeed in their mission?
- Name: Larry Houle
- Date: Monday October 29, 2007
- Time: 22:49:59 -0700
Comment
ISLAM IS ISLAMO - FASCISM THE EVIL INSANITY THAT IS ISLAM By, Larry Houle www.godofreason.com intermedusa@yahoo.com There is no Islamic fundamentalism, Islamo – fascism, political Islam, Islamic terrorists, Islamic militants, jihadists, Wahhabism, radical Islam, Islamists who have hijacked the religion. There has been no hijacking. These demented souls are following exactly the teachings of the Koran – they are following in the footsteps of their founder – the man of evil – Muhammad. In the end – IT’S ALL ABOUT ISLAM. Islam is a barbaric, sexist, violent ideology (not a religion) that worships a pagan god (Allah) and women are oppressed under Islam. How could any reasonable person be ‘proud’ to follow a man who was a pedophile, endorser of clitoridectomy, slave trader, rapist, polygamist, punched his child bride and endorsed whipping/beating women and ploughing them like fields, stoned women to death, flogged his slave women for fornication while he had sex with slaves himself, raped his slaves, propositioned women and passed them round to friends, denied women equal inheritance, or equality under the law etc forever and abused and denigrated them in every way--not to mention his general sadism to others, mass murder, amputations, beheading, flogging, thievery, pillaging, lying, megalomania---unending horror. All Muslims believe the Koran is the divine word of God – the laws of God - that God authored the Koran and a copy of the Koran is in heaven. The Koran remains for all Muslims, not just "fundamentalists," the uncreated word of God Himself. It is valid for all times and places; its ideas are absolutely true and beyond all criticism. To question it is to question the very word of God, and hence blasphemous. A Muslim's duty is to believe it and obey its divine commands. This means that all teachings of the Koran are the Laws of God and must be obeyed without question. A Muslim has the full right granted by God to do the following to infidels: Infidels can be murdered by Muslims as an ETERNAL LAW OF GOD. Not only can they all be murdered but the wives and daughters of the murdered infidels can be taken as booty, raped, and then sold as slaves. That’s right - God permits the raping of female slaves. Indeed in Islam - rape is not a only a sexual weapon – it is a weapon of war. Having murdered the woman’s man, Muslims can now - sanctioned by the law of God complete their final humiliation and domination of her body. Her sons can be sold into slavery. If there is any doubt as to the boy’s age of puberty - Muslims can pull down their pants and inspect their genital area for hairs. Even the slightest sign of hair growth means that these young men can be taken and beheaded. These infidel women can then be bred like cattle and their off spring sold for profit. As an ETERNAL LAW OF GOD, Muslims can then loot and pillage the property of the murdered infidels, and must share 1/5 of the booty obtained from the sale of boys and women and the proceeds of looting with God. Muslims can own slaves as an ETERNAL LAW OF GOD. Slavery has been an integral institutionalized part of Islam since it’s creation by Muhammad. Muhammad owned 40 slaves. Muhammad was allowed by a ETERNAL LAW OF ALLAH to rape his slaves ALL THIS EVIL ARE THE LAWS OF GOD AS SET DOWN IN THE KORAN. Not only that but righteous Muslims who slay and are slain in the service of God can ascend as martyrs to the evil sexually depraved Islamic Paradise of eternal hard - ons and virgins who re - generate as virgins after each sex act. THIS IS THEIR ETERNAL REWARD FOR OBEYING THESE EVIL LAWS OF GOD. What I have described are not sins or crimes against the Laws of God - THEY ARE THE LAWS OF GOD. Ask yourself the following questions: How can any Normal, rational, reasonable person read the Koran with it’s language of pure hate, terror, violence – a blue print of murder, war, slaughter and not immediately realize that these are not the words/teachings of any God – not the teachings of any God - The Creator of the Universe - a God of Peace and Goodness but the words and teachings of a 7th century Arab chieftain – Muhammad. Slavery is one of the most evil and vile institutions ever created by humanity. Slavery is an integral institution central to Islam. As a Muslim you can kill non – Muslims, take their wives and daughters as sex slaves, rape them at will, loot and pillage, sell the sons and women and daughters into slavery and then MUST share the immoral proceeds with God. Can you imagine such evil insanity? To any rational, normal person reading these Kornic verses (and these are just a small sample of the 1000’s and 1000.s of the total teachings of hate, terror, cruelty, depravity etc that are Islam.) the claim by Muslims that they are reading the words, teachings, laws of ALLAH is insanity. How can you be a normal person and believe in a religion that preaches a Paradise of big breasted, big eyed sexual nymphs called Hurs that you can molest with eternal hard ons for all eternity in the presence of God who teaches you how to engage in orgies, group sex etc. How can you be normal and believe that by fulfilling Kornic teaching 9:111- “Lo! Allah hath bought from the believers their lives and their wealth because the Garden will be theirs: they shall fight in the way of Allah and shall slay and be slain” you will go to this demented sexual whorehouse of God and not directly to hell and damnation. 9:111 is the teaching that has been used by Muhammad and his lieutenants to mobilize the suicide bombers, the beheaders, the jihadists to kill and slaughter millions. An estimated 270,000,000 people have been murdered by Islam because of 9:111 over the past 1400 years. No ALLAH would ever teach 9:111 for if ALLAH gave such a law He would be the greatest killer in all the universe – not an ALLAH of love and peace and goodness but a mass murderer on the scale of a Hitler or Stalin or Muhammad. 9:29 Fight against such of those who have been given the Scripture as believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, and forbid not that which Allah hath forbidden by His messenger, and follow not the Religion of Truth, until they pay the tribute readily, being brought low. 9:29 is the declaration of war as a law of ALLAH against the infidels. The LAW OF WAR is permanent and will not end until all the infidels are murdered or pay a subrogation tax or convert to Islam. This is criminal. Again and again – this is not ALLAH’s law – this is Muhammad’s law. There is no way you can claim to be a peace loving Muslim and leave this evil in the Koran. 9:50 When the sacred months have passed away, THEN SLAY THE IDOLATERS WHEREVER YOU FIND THEM, AND TAKE THEM CAPTIVES AND BESIEGE THEM AND LIE IN WAIT FOR THEM IN EVERY AMBUSH, then if they repent and keep up prayer [become believers] and pay the poor-rate, leave their way free to them No God who is God would ever teach the following words of violence, war, terror. You can hear Muhammad yelling at his followers – “ Slay the Idoltars” giving instructions of war – “ lie in wait for them in every ambush” Do you think God, Creator of the universe would order murder and micro manage these murders telling Muhammad how to kill his prey. Muhammad gave these instructions – “lie in ambush.” All the Kornic teachings are the teachings of Muhammad. He created the ALLAH of the Koran. Muhammad invented ALLAH, and staged the revelations to give him authority over his followers and justification to war against the neighboring tribes of so called idoltars (pagan Arabs) and Jews and Christians – the first infidels that faced the murderous onslaught of this killer and murderous conquering ideology. When Muhammad spoke, he was speaking the word of ALLAH – the laws of ALLAH - that had to be obeyed without question. How could the word of ALLAH be challenged. By morphing into ALLAH and His messenger, Muhammad set up the perfect totalitarian system whereby his rule could not be challenged. MUHAMMAD WAS ALLAH and ALLAH WAS MUHAMMAD. The ALLAH of the Koran never existed except in the mind of Muhammad. No God would ever create the depraved Paradise of Islam described as: “Men with protracted erections and engaging themselves in sex present a scene worth watching: most of them, if not all, remain locked, like the dogs, with the Hurs and the young boys for a protracted period of time. Lying on the top of the Hurs (this position changes, on the basis of the men’s fancy), and riding the boys from their back, they create a scene that no human has seen before in his lifetime. In a sentence, it is a mass orgy. God loves orgy, but it does not cause arousal to His own sexual desires, as He is impotent. He, however, visits His honored guests from time to time to make sure they have been doing fine in the Gardens. He helps them with guidance where they need it in order to make their stay in them most pleasurable. After all, this is what He had promised them all along.” This immoral evil Paradise would be laughable if it wasn’t so tragic. Millions have been murdered so their Muslim murderers can ascend to this evil Paradise. Again quoting– “Lo! Allah hath bought from the believers their lives and their wealth because the Garden will be theirs: they shall fight in the way of Allah and shall slay and be slain” 9:111 Those who “fight in the way of ALLAH” and kill and are killed will achieve martyrdom and enter this Paradise (Garden). On 911 - the 19 Muslims on those planes were obeying 9:111 so they could ascend to the highest levels of Paradise and each be rewarded with a 1000 virgins that they could molest and sexually abuse for all eternity. The eternal hard – on promised to Muslim men who achieve martyrdom is a powerful motivation. How can any normal person believe in Islam with such a pagan Paradise, believe in such an evil ALLAH, pray to such an evil book – the Koran. "As for the righteous (Muslims)...We (Allah) shall wed them to beautiful virgins with lustrous eyes" - Q 44:51-54 Estimates vary as to the number of virgins (2 to 72) per male Muslim in heaven (Sahih Bukhari 4:54:476, Al-Tirmidhi 2562). Actually the Tirmidhi Hadith states that 72 wives is the minimum, perhaps for the not so devout Muslims in the 7th heaven. Mohammed said: "The least reward for the people of paradise is 80,000 servants and 72 wives" - Al-Tirmidhi 2562, 2687. Prophets, suicide bombers and other Islamic martyrs in Islam's first heaven may get up to 1000 virgins each. For maximum enjoyment of these numerous wives, Muslim men are guaranteed superb erection in heaven: Paradise for sexual intercourse". It was questioned: "O prophet of Allah! can he do that?" He said: "He will be given the strength of one hundred persons.'" (Mishkat al-Masabih 4:42:24; Sunan al-Tirmidhi 2536). When asked, "Do we have sex in Paradise?" Ibn Kathir, the renowned Islamic scholar explained: 'Yes, by him who holds my soul in his hand, and it will be done...and when the sex is finished she will return pure and virgin again' – Tafsir Ibn Kathir. Al-Suyuti (15th century) another famous Islamic theologian and Quranic comentator adds: "Each time we sleep with a houri we find her virgin. Besides, the penis of the Elected (Muslims in heaven) never softens. The erection is eternal; the sensation that you feel each time you make love is utterly delicious and out of this world ...Each chosen Muslim will marry seventy houris, besides the women he married on earth, and all will have appetising vaginas." With its offer of eternal hard-ons and gratifying heavenly sex with virgins who "re-virginate" after sex, its little wonder Muslim terrorists, suicide bombers and other Islamic martyrs are in a hurry to enter Islam's brothel paradise. Do you believe that God selected an evil murderer Muhammad to create a religion and then commanded that anyone who refused to believe in God’s religion – refused to believe the evil teachings of God and His Messenger - Muhammad must be murdered. That believers in God’s religion have the moral right to murder all human beings who refuse to convert to Islam, rape their wives and daughters, etc and if they are killed in the process of fulfilling 9:111 they will ascend to the immoral and sexually depraved, sick Islamic paradise to rape and molest virgins for all eternity. THIS IS TRUE INSANITY.
- Name:
- Date: Tuesday October 30, 2007
- Time: 16:56:55 -0700
Comment
Forget about all other the nasty stuff in the koran - like 72 virgins for martyr etc. - the very fact that the followers are so intolerant of other faiths and discrimnate against other cultures as a rule - should be enough to ban the vile faith from all countries.
- Name: leigh
- Date: Wednesday October 31, 2007
- Time: 01:20:55 -0700
Comment
Mahfuzur: you should also study the Bible!!: The parable of Jesus about the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37- see also John 4:1-7_ is in fact evidence that Christianity as Jesus taught it promotes mercy. love ans compassion with respect to other religious people. The Samaritans weren’t considered Jews at all by Jews. Also the OT (Yahweh) required Jews to care for aliens (they would be pagan or of non-Jewish religions: see Exodus22:23;Leviticus 24:22 and Yahweh’s own compassion (Psalm 146:9)
- Name: kafir/infidel ( & Ex-communist ).
- Date: Wednesday October 31, 2007
- Time: 09:27:24 -0700
Comment
To all Asian moslems - particularly the INDIAN, PAKI_SATAN ,Bangladeshi Moslems - Without doubt - " the common word between us & You " is a deception by ISLAMIC MULLAS carefully planned as if they are big scholars & thinkers. Mo Copied the stories from BIBLE, christianity, Judaism . This is a common sense & 100% evident who wants to analyze the origins. Mo was a jealousied guy - he became jealous of the spread of christianity & judaism those days - Mo wanted to make his tribe superior than other tribes - this happens all the time in history. Mo was hearing & talking about these religions (christianity & Judaism, Bible,Thora etc.) His knowledge is confined to the area around him - so in all of QURRAN one sees only local customs,talk7 ideas about local flora & fauna - the animals & plants, people ( tribes he came across. Beyond that, MO never displayed an Iota of new thinking or knowledge or understanding. In Qurran there are no new ideas or knowledge or philosophyical musings. Mo knows how to subjugate, enslave, kill, loot, rape ,destroy nonmoslems, pagans of ARABIA - that is what Mo did his entire life. Raids ,RAIDS more RAIDS . He lived off the innocent people. QURRAN is the most unholy book - a sewage of ideas, thinking, philosophy, deeds, action, intolerance by MO . Mo created this monster evil ISLAM & Monster of followers called Mussalmans - who never accept any good thing in this world & for all true followers of MO - good is bad & bad is good ( ie for rest of humanity). It is laughble, ridiculous even to think that these so called ISLAMIC scholars are worth any good - don't even think of talking with them- Dismiss them as some evil, wicked, barbarians unworthy of human attention. These ISLAMIC " SCHOLARS" are acting cunningly- by advocating as if they are big thinkers, humanitarians or good hearted people. In fact ISLAM is the most evil religion, ISLAMISTS are the most evil people, ISLAMIC countries are hell holes, the history of ISLAM is steeped in blood & built with gory of death & destruction, slavery, loot, plunder, killing, murder, treachery. Christianity is equally bad - but of late they became civilized. By broaching & initiating talks with christianity these BLOOD thirsty ISLAMISTS- MULLAS are telling that they want to divide the spoils of booty which was amassed by these 2 religions - ISLAM & christianity , over the centuries past ( in 1000 years ),between themselves ,like thieves !!!!! This is the truth. How can the bloodthirsty, rapist,looters, intolerant, evil,wicked, barbarous ,fascist ISLAMISTS propose such an idea !!!!!! ?????? This is demonism . These ISLAMISTS - monsters of ISLAM - want to legitimize their evil, wicked, barbaric, bloodthirsty, murderous theology of ISLAM by this clever means . The best thing to do for the civilized world - particularly for nonmoslems, nonchristians - is to dismiss this as some evil design hatched by these ISLAMIC jinns/devils/monsters to make themselves as part of civilized world. Reject them out right as brutal, uncivilized monsters. In this connection- the apostates of ISLAM/Ex.Moslems & Moslems with honesty,integrity & those who want to live a decent, dignified life as civilized, kind compassionate people - it is their duty to not only reject these Mullas by telling truth but also tell truth about their glorious ancestry - in the INDIAN subcontinent - the birth place of the most noble ,most open, most liberal, most progressive, most compassionate, most tolerant, most peace loving philosophy, way of life of SANATANA DHARMA (What is called by westerners, christians ,Moslems as HINDU ). This must propel them to a new thinking based on truth, facts, nobility.
- Name:
- Date: Thursday November 01, 2007
- Time: 07:22:37 -0700
Comment
- Name: Walter Sieruk
- Date: Friday November 02, 2007
- Time: 11:05:13 -0700
Comment
The Imams also went so far as to further claim of "common essentials of our two religions" and the "simlarites between passages of the Bible and the Koran." Sounds rather disingenous, for people can find even isolated passages out of context between the written works of the founders of communism and the Bible and find "common essentials" between the two conflicting systems. Furthermore, Islam teaches Jesus was a teacher and a prophet but not God and that he never went to the cross but was whisked up to heaven before his enemies could find him. In contrast,Christianity teachs Jesus was a teacher and a Prophet, and that He is God [John1-5. Colossians2:9. First Timothy3:16. Hebrews 1:6-8. First John 5:20]. Also that He did go to the cross.[Matthew chapters26 and 27.Philippiann2:6-8. First Corinthians 15:3-8 Romans 1:4. 10:9,10.]. This is the subject that is far beyound the matter of someones opinion. In short, the written statement of the Imams looks like they are trying to entice Christians into a policy or philosophy of appeasment. If Christians would accept this appeasment philosophy the result would only be furthering a view of cotempt and scorn towards Christians by Muslim leaders for gullibiliy, weakness, and stupidity.
- Name: DH
- Date: Thursday November 08, 2007
- Time: 09:46:55 -0700
Comment
The Muslim scholars are clearly carrying out the Koranic order to: "SAY: "O People of the Book! come to common terms as between us and you: That we worship none but Allah; that we associate no partners with him; that we erect not, from among ourselves, Lords and patrons other than Allah." If then they turn back, say ye: "Bear witness that we (at least) are Muslims (bowing to Allah's Will)." (003:36)....................... This verse was allegedly included in Muhammad's missive to Roman Emperor Heraclius prior the full-scale Islamic invasion of his territories. Draw your own conclusions.
- Name: Ben
- Date: Tuesday November 13, 2007
- Time: 02:17:55 -0700
Comment
The letter is too long and too loaded with rich targets to tackle in a single sitting. I have dedicated a blog to it at http://totheulama.wordpress.com . My tactic: dissecting the Qur'an quotes, providing context & reinforcement from fiqh & hadith. Bottom line: its an extortion letter, slickly disguised.
- Name: josie
- Date: Friday November 16, 2007
- Time: 21:34:24 -0700
Comment
I agree that it would be futile to look for the message of love in the koran.Muhammad's message was totally different from the message of Jesus.Love in islam is confined to muslims only whereas Jesus' message was for the world (love was not exclusive to the christians & jews only)...not only through his words but his actions as well...he talked to the adulterer, the leper, the samaritan woman etc...which is something unheard of at that time
- Name: The Evil Allah
- Date: Wednesday December 12, 2007
- Time: 22:26:48 -0700
Comment
Truth seeker.. this site doesnt lie .. its your religion that lies.. this site tells the truth .. GOOd ON YA ALI SINA!!!!!!!!!!
- Name: far
- Date: Saturday September 27, 2008
- Time: 01:24:39 -0700
Comment
So the god doesn't love in islam? So in otherwords, when the quran refers to the god giving things and this and that and bounty stuff, does that the god is giving without love?
- Name: KK GHEI
- Date: Saturday November 08, 2008
- Time: 12:53:41 -0500
Comment
OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS, I have studied and meditated on different systems suggested in different religions. FIRST, THIS CRUELTY PART IS NOT CONFINED TO ANY ONE RELIGION.BUDDHIST AND FOLLOWERS OF VAISHANAV DHARMA FOUGHT AS BITTERLY AS MUSLIMS AND CHRISTIANS. PLUNDER AND SEX MALPRACTICES WERE VERY COMMON IN ALL RELIGIONS. POWERFUL PERSONS WILL HAVE HUNDREDS OF WIVES DULY APPROVED BY RELIGION. IN TODAYS WORLD...ONLY EXCELLENCY MATTERS WHAT EVER U R DOING.
- Name: 2thepoint
- Date: Thursday April 02, 2009
- Time: 09:46:08 -0500
Comment
Thanks for this article. A precise distinction between Muhammad's teachings and Jesus, we are not only to love God and neighbor, but also enemy. We do not do this to earn God's love, but to become as God in becoming creatures of love, not hate. Thus we will find no teachings that lead us away from being examples of the perfect love of God that Jesus demonstrated in the Gospel. The same can not be said about Islam. They are diametrically opposed to one another.