We will have two ten-minute breaks: at 7:30 and 9:00 pm. Roll will be taken early before Discussion at 9:45 and you are dismissed at 10:15 pm.
We will have two ten-minute breaks: at 11:30 am and 1 pm. Roll will be taken early before Discussion at 2:00 and you are dismissed at 2:30.
Read: Chapter 10: Islam
https://www.librarything.com/catalog/gmicksmith&collection=-1&deepsearch=Islam
View the Other Preparation Materials
View the lectures contained in the course shell
Participate in the Discussion titled "Differences in Islam"
Complete and submit the World View Chart Assignment
What comes to mind about the subject of this week's content?
Historical-critical work on the Text of the Koran
Islamism is an ideology that demands man's complete adherence to the sacred law of Islam and rejects as much as possible outside influence, with some exceptions (such as access to military and medical technology).
An Islamist then is imbued with a deep antagonism towards non-Muslims and has a particular hostility towards the West. It results in the effort to demonstrate that Islam is an ideology.
Qader Noorzad, Mujahideen (Arabic: المجاهدين) is the plural form of mujahid (Arabic: مجاهد), the term for one engaged in Jihad. In English usage, it mostly referred to the guerrilla type military outfits led by the Muslim Afghan warriors in the Soviet war in Afghanistan, but now it often refers to other jihadist outfits in various countries.
Cat Stevens, "Peace Train," "Morning Has Broken," early 1970s
1979, Islamic Revolution
Baha'i and Bahá'u'lláh (/bəˈhɑːʊˌlɑː/; Arabic: بهاء الله, "Glory of God"; 12 November 1817 – 29 May 1892), born Mírzá Ḥusayn-`Alí Núrí (Persian: میرزا حسینعلی نوری), was the founder of the Bahá'í Faith.
Salman Rushdie, 1988
David Rapoport, 1989
The 1970s and the 1980s had a huge influence on my study of religion.
Islam FisherBriefPPT_Ch10.ppt
Attempts to Reform Islam: Feminism
Islamist Refugees in Sweden, Ami Horowitz
Stockholm Syndrome
Islamist Anti-Trump Call to Prayer
loud-arab-call-prayer-times-square-muslims-protest-trump-shout-allahu-akbar-video
Our Father
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeDVOP-GOUI
Huma Abedin, Deputy Chief of Staff to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: Perhaps most famous in the U.S. as the wife of the disgraced former congressman Anthony Weiner, Huma Abedin appears to have family ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. In an interview with FrontPageMag, anti-Islamist author Walid Shoebat explained that Huma’s mother, Saleha Abedin, is involved with the Muslim Brotherhood and that Huma’s brother, Hassan, sits in on the board of the Oxford Centre For Islamic Studies (OCIS) where he is a fellow and partners with other board members including “Al-Qaeda associate, Omar Naseef and the notorious Muslim Brotherhood leader Sheikh Youssef Qaradawi; both have been listed as OCIS Trustees.”
Hillary's Islamist
/huma-abedin-worked-at-a-radical-muslim-journal-for-10-years
The journal pinned blame for the 9/11 terror attacks on the United States, the Post said, adding that it has published articles saying single moms, working moms and gay couples with children shouldn’t be recognized as families and that revealing dress “directly translates into unwanted results of sexual promiscuity and irresponsibility.”
The American Academy of Religion:
Islamic Feminism
/Ziba_Mir-Hosseini
"I am a free-lance academic, passionately involved in debates on gender equality in law. As a feminist, I expose and criticize the injustices that these laws continue to inflict on women in some Muslim contexts. As a Muslim, I approach these injustices by stressing one crucial element in the tradition of Muslim legal thought: the distinction between Shari‘a (the ‘path’, found in the Qur’an and the Prophet’s practice) and fiqh (‘understanding’, the jurists’s efforts to deduce laws from these textual sources); this distinction enables us to see patriarchal laws not as ‘divine Shari‘a’, but as outdated human fiqh. My aim is to bring Islamic and human rights frameworks together in order to lay the basis for an egalitarian Muslim family law."
Fiqh (/fɪk/; Arabic: فقه [fɪqh]) is Islamicjurisprudence.[1] While Sharia is believed by Muslims to represent divine law as revealed in the Quran and the Sunnah (the teachings and practices of the Islamic prophet Muhammad), fiqh is the human understanding of the Sharia[2]—sharia expanded and developed by interpretation (ijtihad) of the Quran and Sunnah by Islamic jurists (Ulama)[2] and implemented by the rulings (Fatwa) of jurists on questions presented to them.
Documentary Films
“RUNAWAY is a powerful and heart-breaking documentary about a group of young runaway girls who are taken to a women's shelter in Tehran, Iran. The film focuses on the sufferings of young girls who struggle to free themselves from the tyrannical and abusive power of their families, mainly their fathers, brothers, and stepfathers. The sisterly feelings of the girls towards each other, their spiritual strength, their courage to rebel, and their wit are shown with a great degree of compassion and empathy in the film. The filmmakers have beautifully criticized the patriarchal system of family and the destructive power of male family members over the lives of their daughters and sisters. One can imagine that the issue of confinement and abuse goes beyond the issue of class when it comes to the problem of domestic violence and the desire to control women through anger, aggression and madness.” - Mehrnaz Saeed, Colombia College Chicago Divorce Iranian Style Hilarious, tragic, stirring, this fly-on-the-wall look at several weeks in an Iranian divorce court provides a unique window into the intimate circumstances of Iranian women’s lives. Following Jamileh, whose husband beats her; Ziba, a 16-year-old trying to divorce her 38-year-old husband; and Maryam, who is desperately fighting to gain custody of her daughters, this deadpan chronicle showcases the strength, ingenuity, and guile with which they confront biased laws, a Kafaka-esque administrative system, and their husbands’ and families’ rage to gain divorces.
Scholar and filmmaker Ziba Mir-Hosseini, a specialist in Islamic law, gender and development and Professorial Research Associate at the Centre for Middle Eastern and Islamic Law, University of London, is the recipient of the 2015 Martin E. Marty Award for the Public Understanding of Religion. At the Marty Forum, Professor Mir-Hosseini will be interviewed by Diana L. Eck, Harvard University. The Marty Award recognizes extraordinary contributions to the public understanding of religion.
Michael Kessler (Georgetown University) and Ayesha S. Chaudhry (University of British Columbia), Presiding
Fight for equality for women in Islam: Musawah.
I am a free-lance academic, passionately involved in debates on gender equality in law. As a feminist, I expose and criticize the injustices that these laws continue to inflict on women in some Muslim contexts. As a Muslim, I approach these injustices by stressing one crucial element in the tradition of Muslim legal thought: the distinction between Shari‘a (the ‘path’, found in the Qur’an and the Prophet’s practice) an
Pakistan is often caricatured and stereotyped as a volatile nuclear country on the precipice of disaster. Such depictions are often especially acerbic when comes to the issue of Women’s rights in the country. In her important new book, Interpreting Islam, Modernity, and Women’s Rights in Pakistan (Palgrave Macmillan, 2015), Anita Weiss, Professor of International Studies at the University of Oregon, provides a much-needed corrective to such sensationalist stereotypes. By exploring how multiple state and non-state actors have engaged the question of gender and women’s rights over time and space, Weiss demonstrates ways in which a diversity of voices in Pakistan conduct what she calls “everyday Ijtihad,” thus offering a much more nuanced and informed perspective. In our conversation, we talked about a range of issues such as the history of the Pakistani state’s approach towards defining and engaging women’s rights, the role of Progressive NGOs like the Aurat Foundation, Orthodox Islamist voices on this question, and the Tehrik-i Taliban in Swat. This lucidly written book contains a plethora of useful information and analysis for specialists and non-specialists alike.
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/Quran/003-wife-beating.htm
| The Qur'an: Qur'an (4:34) - "Men are the maintainers of women because Allah has made some of them to excel others and because they spend out of their property; the good women are therefore obedient, guarding the unseen as Allah has guarded; and (as to) those on whose part you fear desertion, admonish them, and leave them alone in the sleeping-places and beat them; then if they obey you, do not seek a way against them; surely Allah is High, Great." Qur'an (38:44) - "And take in your hand a green branch and beat her with it, and do not break your oath..." Allah telling Job to beat his wife (Tafsir). | |
From the Hadith: Bukhari (72:715) - A woman came to Muhammad and begged her to stop her husband from beating her. Her skin was bruised so badly that she it is described as being "greener" than the green veil she was wearing. Muhammad did not admonish her husband, but instead ordered her to return to him and submit to his sexual desires. Bukhari (72:715) - "Aisha said, 'I have not seen any woman suffering as much as the believing women'" This is Muhammad's own wife complaining of the abuse that the women of her religions suffer relative to other women. Muslim (4:2127) - Muhammad struck his favorite wife, Aisha, in the chest one evening when she left the house without his permission. Aisha narrates, "He struck me on the chest which caused me pain." Muslim (9:3506) - Muhammad's father-in-laws (Abu Bakr and Umar) amused him by slapping his wives (Aisha and Hafsa) for annoying him. According to the Hadith, the prophet of Islam laughed upon hearing this. Abu Dawud (2141) - "Iyas bin ‘Abd Allah bin Abi Dhubab reported the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) as saying: Do not beat Allah’s handmaidens, but when ‘Umar came to the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) and said: Women have become emboldened towards their husbands, he (the Prophet) gave permission to beat them." At first, Muhammad forbade men from beating their wives, but he rescinded this once it was reported that women were becoming emboldened toward their husbands. Beatings are sometimes necessary to keep women in their place. Abu Dawud (2142) - "The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: A man will not be asked as to why he beat his wife." Abu Dawud (2126) - "A man from the Ansar called Basrah said: 'I married a virgin woman in her veil. When I entered upon her, I found her pregnant. (I mentioned this to the Prophet).' The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: 'She will get the dower, for you made her vagina lawful for you. The child will be your slave. When she has begotten (a child), flog her'" A Muslim man thinks his is getting a virgin, then finds out she is pregnant. Muhammad tells him to treat the woman as a sex slave and then flog her after she has delivered the child. Ibn Ishaq/Hisham 969 - Requires that a married woman be "put in a separate room and beaten lightly" if she "act in a sexual manner toward others." According to the Hadith, this can be for an offense as petty as merely being alone with a man to whom she is not related. Kash-shaf (the revealer) of al-Zamkhshari (Vol. 1, p. 525) - [Muhammad said] "Hang up your scourge where your wife can see it" | |
Additional Notes: Some contemporary Muslim apologists often squirm over this relatively straightforward verse from the Qur'an (4:34) - which actually give men the right to beat their wives if they even have a "fear" of disloyalty or disobedience. Their rhetorical aerobics inspired us to write a separate article: Others are not nearly as squeamish. Sheikh Yousef al-Qaradhawi, one of the most respected Muslim clerics in the world, once made the famous (and somewhat ridiculous statement) that "It is forbidden to beat the woman, unless it is necessary." He also went on to say that "one may beat only to safeguard Islamic behavior," leaving no doubt that wife-beating is a matter of religious sanction. (source) Dr. Muzammil Saddiqi, the former president of ISNA (the Islamic Society of North America), a mainstream Muslim organization, says it is important that a wife "recognizes the authority of her husband in the house" and that he may use physical force if he is "sure it would improve the situation." (source) Sheikh Dr. Ahmad Muhammad Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, the head of Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam's most prestigious institution says that "light beatings" and "punching" are part of a program to "reform the wife" (source). Dr. Jamal Badawi endorses corporal punishment as "another measure that may save the marriage" (source). He isn't clear on how striking a woman will make her more inclined toward staying with her assailant, unless the implication is fear of a more serious beating if she leaves. Egyptian cleric, Abd al-Rahman Mansour, said in a 2012 televised broadcast that in addition to discouraging the wife from filing divorce, beatings would inspire the wife to "treat him with kindness and respect, and know that her husband has a higher status than her." (source) During Ramadan of 2010, another cleric named Sa'd Arafat actually said the woman is "honored" by the beating (source). No one else seemed terribly surprised by this. An undercover report from progressive Sweden in 2012 found that 60% of mosques there actually advised beaten women not to report the abuse to the police. These women were also told that they must submit to non-consensual 'sex' with their husbands. (source) In the birthplace of Islam, about half of Saudi women are beaten at home. "Hands and sticks were found to be used mostly in beating women, following by men’s head cover and to a lesser extent, sharp objects." (source) According to Islamic law, a husband may strike his wife for any one of the following four reasons:
Any of these are also sufficient grounds for divorce. Respected Quran scholars from the past interpreted verse 4:34 with impressive candor. Tabari said that it means to "admonish them, but if they refused to repent, then tie them up in their homes and beat them until they obey Allah’s commands toward you." Qurtubi told wife-beaters to try to avoid breaking bones, but added that "it is not a crime if it leads to death." (source) Muslim apologists sometimes say that Muhammad ordered that women not be harmed, but they are actually basing this on what he said before or during battle, such as in Bukhari (59:447), when Muhammad issued a command for all the men of Quraiza be killed and the women and children taken as slaves. (Having your husband murdered and being forced into sexual slavery apparently doesn't qualify as "harm" under the Islamic model). But, in fact, there are a number of cases in which Muhammad did have women killed in the most brutal fashion. One was Asma bint Marwan, a mother or five, who wrote a poem criticizing the Medinans for accepting Muhammad after he had ordered the murder of an elderly man. In this case, the prophet's assassins literally pulled a sleeping infant from her breast and stabbed her to death. After taking Mecca in 630, Muhammad also ordered the murder of a slave girl who had merely made up songs mocking him. The Hadith are rife as well with accounts of women planted in the ground on Muhammad's command and pelted to death with stones for sexual immorality - yet the prophet of Islam actually encouraged his own men to rape women captured in battle (Abu Dawood 2150, Muslim 3433) and did not punish them for killing non-Muslim women (as Khalid ibn Walid did on several occasions - see Ibn Ishaq 838 and 856). In summary, according to the Qur'an, Hadith and Islamic law, a woman may indeed have physical harm done to her if the circumstances warrant, with one such allowance being in the case of disobedience. This certainly does not mean that all Muslim men beat their wives, only that Islam permits them to do so. |
Ayaan Hirsi Ali: Explaining Taqqiya, 3:47
Why are there positive explanations of feminist Islam?
Ayaan Hirsi Ali (Dutch: [aːˈjaːn ˈɦiːrsi ˈaːli] (
listen), born Ayaan Hirsi Magan,[a] on 13 November 1969) is a Somali-born Dutch-American activist, author, and former Dutch politician. She is a leading opponent of female genital mutilation, and calls for a reformation of Islam.[1] She is a feminist and atheist. Her latest book was released in 2015 and is called: Heretic: Why Islam Needs a Reformation Now.In 2003, Hirsi Ali was elected a member of the House of Representatives (the lower house of the Dutch parliament), representing the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). A political crisis related to the validity of her Dutch citizenship led to her resignation from parliament, and indirectly to the fall of the second Balkenende cabinet in 2006.[2]
Ayaan has been a vocal critic of Islam. In 2004, she collaborated on a short movie with Theo van Gogh, entitled Submission, the English rendering of the word "Islam", a film about the oppression of women under Islam. The documentary sparked controversy, which resulted in death threats against the two and the eventual assassination of Van Gogh later that year by Mohammed Bouyeri, a second-generation migrant from Morocco. In a 2007 interview, she described Islam as an "enemy" that needs to be defeated before peace can be achieved.[3] But in her latest book Heretic (2015) she moderated her views of Islam and now calls for a reform of the religion by supporting reformist Muslims.[4]
In 2005, Hirsi Ali was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.[5] She has also received several awards, including a free speech award from the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten,[6] the Swedish Liberal Party's Democracy Prize,[7] and the Moral Courage Award for commitment to conflict resolution, ethics, and world citizenship.[8] Hirsi Ali has published two autobiographies: in 2006[9] and 2010.
Hirsi Ali emigrated to the United States, where she was a fellow of the American Enterprise Institute.[10] She founded the women's rights organization the AHA Foundation.[11] She became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2013 and that year was made a fellow at the Kennedy Government School at Harvard University and a member of The Future of Diplomacy Project at the Belfer Center.[12][13] She is married to British historian and public commentator Niall Ferguson.
https://youtu.be/Mmf0zi4FI6Q
As a review, bear in mind the self-critical, and skeptical tradition that characterizes the Judeo-Christian West with figures such as Voltaire, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche.
Christianity
In a letter to Frederick II, King of Prussia, dated 5 January 1767, he wrote about Christianity:
In La bible enfin expliquee, he considered Bible as:
MohammedIn his tragedy Le Fanatisme ou Mahomet, Voltaire described Mohammed as an "impostor", a " false prophet", a "fanatic" and a "hypocrite". Voltaire defended the play, he said that he "tried to show in it into what horrible excesses fanaticism, led by an impostor, can plunge weak minds".
One of the leading Muslims in the world--Tariq Ramandan--objected to the play, "Mohammed"--and, the performance did not take place.
Paul Lawrence Berman (born 1949) is an American writer on politics and literature whose articles and reviews have appeared in numerous influential publications.
His books include Terror and Liberalism (a New York Times best-seller in 2003), The Flight of the Intellectuals, A Tale of Two Utopias, Power and the Idealists, and an illustrated children's book, Make-Believe Empire. He edited, among other anthologies, Carl Sandburg: Selected Poems, for the American Poets Project of the Library of America.
Historical-critical work on the Text of the Koran
Does the original text of the Koran exist?
Qur'an Textual Problems
The Qur’an was not collected before Mohammed died.
Significant parts of the Qur’an were obtained form its reciters and memorizers but not from manuscripts.
There is no "hard copy" version of the Qur'an, as there is for the Hebrew bible and the New Testament, to check its accuracy.
The accuracy of those codices is questionable because many reciters and memorizers of the Qur’an had already been killed in the battles of the war of the apostasies (ridda), which raged for seven months in Arabia in 633 right after the death of Muhammad.
In fact, portions of the Qur'an were irretrievably lost in the Battle of Yamama when about 450 of the companions of Muhammad who had memorized the text of the Qur’an had perished:
“Many (of the passages) of the Qur'an that were sent down were known by those who died on the day of Yamama ... but they were not known (by those who) survived them, nor were they written down, nor had Abu Bakr, Umar or Uthman (by that time) collected the Qur'an, nor were they found with even one (person) after them” (Ibn Abi Dawud, Kitab al-Masahif, p.23).
In fact, Aisha, youngest wife of Muhammad, testified that certain verses of the Qur’an on suckling and stoning were lost (Muslim 8.3421).
The second caliph ‘Umar bin al-Khattab stated emphatically that certain verses, including the verse of stoning adulterers, were lost (Bukhari 8.82.816-817; 9. .424; 4.52.299; 5.59.416, 421; Muslim 5.2286).
According to “Legal Opinions” (part 1, p. 102) of Sheikh Kishk:
“The four most important commentators were ibn ‘Abbas, ibn Mas’ud, ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, and ‘Ubay ibn Ka’b al-Ansari”
However, according to Bukhari 6.61.510, the caliph ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan (644-656 AD) commanded Zayd ibn Thabit together with Abdullah ibn Zubair, Sa’id ibn al-‘As and Abdul-Rahman ibn al-Harith to collect and edit the Qur’an.
According to Islamic tradition, ‘Uthman’s text of the Qur’an was largely based on the text of the Qur’an in the possession of Hafsah (one of the wives of Muhammad and the daughter of ‘Umar bin al-Khattab).
Other important Qur’anic codices were ignored. These important codices differed radically from Hafsah’s text though Mohammed favored Ibn Mas'ud.
Ibn Mas’ud was excluded from the committee despite the fact that Muhammad himself had considered him one of the best authorities on the Qur’an:
“Learn the recitation of the Qur’an from four: Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, Salim, the freed slave of Abu Hudhaifa, Mu’adh ibn Jabal, and Ubai ibn Ka’b” (Bukhari 5.57.104; 6.61.521, 522, 524).
It is significant that Muhammad did not mention Zaid ibn Thabit in this list.
As a result, the two full chapters (Surahs) of al-Hafd and al-Khal’, which were in the Qur’anic versions of ‘Ubay ibn Ka’b, ibn ‘Abbas (a cousin of Muhammad) and Abu Musa, were eliminated.
In addition, Surah al-Fatihah (1), Surah al-Falaq (113) and Surah al-Nas (114) were added (al-Suyuti, al-Itqan fi ‘Ulum al-Qur’an, part 1, pp. 221-2).
Those Surahs were not in ibn Mas’ud codex.
More than 200 verses were dropped from Surah al-Ahzab (33) (al-Suyuti, al-Itqan, part 3, p.72).
Al-Suyuti records the two deleted chapters (Surahs) of al-Hafd and al-Khal’ in their entirety in his “al-Itqan,” part 1, p. 185.
Twenty years after Muhammad’s death, the caliph ‘Uthman codified the revised Medinan codex and ordered the destruction of all other codices in order to standardize the consonantal text of the Qur’an.
After Mohammed's death, memorizers of portions of the Qur'an disagreed on verses of the text or were killed and thus portions of the Qur'an were lost forever.
According to Muslim sources, Uthman collected what he wanted in the present text of the Qur'an and Uthman burned the portions he declined to include.
The original Qur'an, whatever it was, has not been preserved according to Islamic sources.
In addition to the Islamic sources documenting that the original Qur'an has not been preserved scholars have added their research.
Keith E. Small
The source is a contemporary scholar who maintains that academics can examine the Quranic the text as well.
http://evangelicaltextualcriticism.blogspot.com/2011/07/textual-criticism-and-quran-manuscripts.html
This is the first book-length examination of the kinds of textual variants one can observe in Qur'an manuscripts, and how these variants affect commonly held views on the transmission of the text of the Qur'an.
Ahmed, for instance gives a very common view that the Qur'an's original text is preserved better than the NT because of oral tradition supplementing the written tradition.
Actually the reverse is true. The NT is better preserved because of the written record that remains, even without an accompanying oral transmission.
My book challenges this normal Islamic views and concludes that the oral tradition actually complicated the textual history rather than simplifying it and preserving the original text.
Also, if the early Caliph Uthman performed the action on the text of the Qur'an that is attributed to him in Islamic tradition of establishing one text and destroying variant texts around 653 AD, then he cut off access to more original forms of the text of the Qur'an.
One cannot recover the original text of the Qur'an from Islamic written or oral tradition or a combination of both.
What one can achieve is a later revised version of a consonantal text that was officially standardized in the first Islamic century.
Also, that particular consonantal text, over three centuries, went through a process of development and improvement so that it could phonetically reproduce just one form of the text.
Before that, the text was recited in at least 50 different ways, because the ambiguity of the Arabic script allowed such diversity.
Every time the written script was improved it provided a new platform for the development of additional oral traditions and discouraged the use of prior ones.
The challenge of textual criticism as applied to the Qur'an is to account for the plethora of factors, both intentional and unintentional, oral and written, that have made the text what it is today.
It was produced over four centuries to read a certain way to bring political and religious unity in the midst of competing Islamic groups. There has consistently been more of an attitude of standardizing the text to a desired ideal, then preserving the most original forms of the text.
Permit me to quote my own conclusion (p. 179):
'Though Muslims may take pride in the fidelity of the preservation of this text, it does not reproduce precisely what was originally considered to be the Qur'an in the early seventh century. Because of the standardizations of the text in 653-705/33-86 AH and 936/324 AH, together with the constant pressure throughout Islamic history to have one text match their dogma, many texts which had equally good claims to containing authentic readings were suppressed and destroyed. And, because of the emphasis on oral transmission and the vagaries of Arabic as it developed, the written text was constantly vocalized in new ways which did not preserve the original vocalization. The original vocalization must have been lost very early on if it did indeed exist. While bearing testimony to the careful preservation of one particular consonantal text, the history of the transmission of the text of the Qur'an is at least as much a testament to the destruction of Qur'an material as it is to its preservation. It is also testimony to the fact that there never was one original text of the Qur'an.'
In conclusion, the Koran, as we have it today, is the one politicized, authoritative text collated years after Mohammed died; and, this is the one version from among at least 50 that existed previously but were destroyed within Islamic tradition. The original text of the Koran does not exist."
Small's conclusion has been supported by other scholars: John Burton and Mondher Sfar demonstrate the certainty that "necessitated the placing of the collection of the Qur'an in the period following the Prophet's death" (from the book jacket).
The Collection of the Qur'an by John Burton, Cambridge University Press (1977).
http://www.librarything.com/work/3395401/33705857
In Search of the Original Koran: The True History of the Revealed Text by Mondher Sfar, Other authors: Emilia Lanier (Translator), Prometheus Books (2008).
"This is an excellent introduction to the issue of how corrupt the text of the Koran is. Sfar demonstrates that Muhammed never collected a Koran, that in fact it was a controversial decision to collect the Koran--literally recitation, and not a book--after his death, and the original fragments of Koranic material were destroyed, and perhaps most importantly, a book of the Koran did not exist until about the time of the Third Caliph. Nonetheless, Islam has suppressed any attempt to understand the Koran in historico-critical terms and has thus glossed over the problematic collection of Koranic materials. In its stead, a miraculous and fanciful narrative predominates Islamic accounts of the Koran and this fairy tale predominates contemporary accounts of Islamic development as well."
The Koran_PP.pptx
Activity
In small groups, compare and contrast the reliability of accounts in the Hebrew Scriptures, the Synoptics, and the Koran.
Quranic Textual Variations & Alterations, 3:11
https://youtu.be/R6bO-bfdI_A
Life of Muhammad
Even if the text is corrupt, a religious tradition may have access to its founder, and in the case of Islam, seek to emulate Muhammed.
As cited in the introductory PowerPoint, "Muhammad's life became a model for Muslims to follow."
Perhaps there is no need for the Qur'an.
Bill Warner, PhD: To Know Islam, Know Mohammed, 4:14
Thought experiment: compare the Buddha, Jesus, and Mohammed.
Are there similarities? Differences?
https://youtu.be/PXpX2OJhS2w
The use of assassination to achieve political/religious goals has been important throughout the history of Arabia and Islamic expansion, and the very word "assassin" has Arabic roots (حشّاشين).
This list contains the results and reasons for the targeted killings and assassinations ordered or supported by Prophet Muhammad, as well as the primary sources which mention these incidents.
List of Killings Ordered or Supported by Muhammad
http://wikiislam.net/wiki/List_of_Killings_Ordered_or_Supported_by_Muhammad
There are 43 separate incidents.
Banu Qurayza tribe 600-900 beheaded
Attack Banu Qurayza because according to Muslim tradition he had been ordered to do so by the angel Gabriel. One of Muhammad's companions decided that "the men should be killed, the property divided, and the women and children taken as captives". Muhammad approved of the ruling, calling it similar to God's judgment, after which all male members of the tribe who had reached puberty were beheaded.
This one incident is documented exceptionally well:
- Peters, Muhammad and the Origins of Islam, p. 222-224.
- Stillman, The Jews of Arab Lands: A History and Source Book, pp. 137-141.
- Subhash C. Inamdar, Muhammad and the Rise of Islam: The Creation of Group Identity, Psychosocial Press, p. 166 (footnotes), ISBN 1887841288, 2001, http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=PNDXAAAAMAAJ&q
- Ibn Ishaq, A. Guillaume (translator), The Life of Muhammad (Sirat Rasul Allah), Oxford University Press, pp. 461–464, ISBN 978-0-19-636033-1, 2002 pp. 461–464.
- Adil, Muhammad: The Messenger of Islam, p. 395f.
- William Muir, The life of Mahomet, Kessinger Publishing, p. 329, ISBN 9780766177413, 2003, http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=QyIPouT4DqcC&printsec=frontcover
The religious scholar, Robert Spencer, explains.
How should the `perfect man' act?
How many Jews were beheaded?
What happens when 7th Century warlord behavior occurs today?
http://youtu.be/l0NI93kL-C8
Activity
In small groups, compare and contrast Muhammed, Jesus, or other religious figures we have studied.
The Spread of Islam
Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes by Tamim Ansary, PublicAffairs (2010).
This is an important work to consider for an understanding of Islamist prejudices. As Ansary himself explains, he is propagandizing American textbook publishers to promote his biased view of Islamic history and he seeks to evangelize among impressionable and ignorant youth. He states: "I kept wanting to give more coverage to Islam in world history" (p. xiv), translation, make it positive. Historians of religion have no problem providing equal space to Islam, except that often the standard histories, encyclopedias, and accounts of ideas that arise from Eliade and others do not prioritize Islamist ideas. Ansary does.
Historians of religion have long understood Islam, with different conclusions than the supremacist Ansary, in fact he provides the example of Wilfred Cantwell Smith who in the '50s noted the importance for Islamism of Sayyid Jamāl ad-Dīn al-Afghānī (Persian: سید جمالالدین افغاني), also known as Sayyid Jamāl ad-Dīn Asadābādī (Persian: سید جمالالدین اسدآبادی), and commonly known as Al-Afghani (1838/1839 – March 9, 1897). He was a political activist and Islamic ideologist in the Muslim world during the late 19th century, particularly in the Middle East, South Asia and Europe. One of the founders of Islamic Modernism and an advocate of Pan-Islamic unity, he has been described as "less interested in theology than he was in organizing a Muslim response to Western pressure."
Since Ansary wants to dispense with a Western story, the triumph of Islam historically would place us in the period of the Islamist Reaction currently. He so clearly is a supremacist he makes simple, factual errors in the history of religion. He wrongly states that older (presuming their irrelevance in light of the revelation of Islam) religions are the Other. Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism are in fact dynamic, evolving, and ongoing religiously today despite the alleged prophetic clarifying message of Mohammed. In addition, he also mistakenly states that the Koran was faithfully preserved from the very beginning of Islam's history (xxi-xxii). In fact, the process took years and was anything but clear, straightforward, and accurate which numerous scholars have demonstrated. Ansary states that he is not writing a scholarly work but this does not free him from accuracy and making factually correct statements despite his biases.
If you wish to be informed about the Ottoman Empire for example, Osman's Dream: The History of the Ottoman Empire by Caroline Finkel, does a much more thorough job of surveying the last gasp of Islamism, and the subsequent updating of the archaic dreams of many Muslims to live in the past. I suppose the appeal though of Ansary is the Romantic notion that implies he is somewhat more authentic than the sound research demonstrated in the Finkel volume.
Basic Books (2007), Paperback, 704 pages
http://www.librarything.com/work/8095754/summary/91147624
Islamic Imperialism: A History by Efraim Karsh Yale University Press (2007).
Karsh begins by describing the two main interpretive lines that have emerged since 9/11. The first position invokes the clash of civilizations as a motif along the lines of Bernard Lewis and Samuel Huntingdon; the other postulates an anti-American, pro-Islamic line such as that enunicated by Karen Armstrong and Edward Said. Karsh concludes though that a solution to Islamic imperialism will occur only when Islamists cease acting like Saladins and confine their religious beliefs to the private sphere.
"Contrary to the conventional wisdom, it is the Middle East where the institution of empire not only originated (for example, Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Iran, and so on) but where its spirit has also outlived its European counterpart. . . . The birth of Islam, by contrast [to Christianity], was inextricably linked with the creation of a world empire and its universalism was inherently imperialist. It did not distinguish between temporal and religious powers, which were combined in the person of Muhammed, who derived his authority directly from Allah and acted at one and the same time as head of the state and head of the church. This allowed the prophet to cloak his political ambitions with a religious aura and to channel Islam's energies into `its instrument of aggressive expansion, there [being] no internal organism of equal force to counterbalance it'" (pp. 2, 6,)
http://www.librarything.com/work/837890/summary/33242772
The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror by Bernard Lewis Random House Trade Paperbacks (2004). Cf. also, "What Went Wrong," by Bernard Lewis.
In this slim volume Lewis artfully explains the complexity of Islam in brief but understandable terms. The work would be a useful introduction for anyone seeking to learn reliably and usefully how to explain the Islamic holy war against the West. It is superseded by many more comprehensive works but Lewis does not claim to go beyond the introductory in this short work. Lewis is on less sure ground, and more controversial on his political and diplomatic points but I do not see him straying from an accurate and factual account of Islam regardless of what his critics argue.
http://www.librarything.com/work/22270/edit/42589776
Melanie Phillips Interview, 40:24
Londonistan by Melanie Phillips Encounter Books (2007).
This is a frightening book and yet one that is essential to understand how Britain is under ideological attack. The attack is so critical to the U.K. that it will largely determine Britain's ability to support further efforts by the U.S. against Islamism. Phillips provides sound evidence that the ideological underpinnings of the liberal British tradition may not survive the latest onslaught from Islamofascism. There are books of this ilk but Phillips nails the dilemma that Britain faces. Insecure in its moorings in the liberal legal tradition of the West, which guarantees constitutional law and citizen's rights to liberty, the U.K. is prone to the victim mentality of Islamofascists who seek to replace British tradition with international law, human rights, as defined by segments of the world community who are anything but humane, and by forces which push their agenda in order to displace one of the nations that exemplifies personal liberty and limited government.
Great Britain is in dire straits and the implications for Europe are enormous, not to mention how America may stand alone as the sole standout of constitutional government and personal liberty. The U.K. may not enjoy the special relationship that had previously characterized the grand cultural Western tradition shared by the U.S. and Britain. Britain may fall, and fail to be up to the cultural task of reviving liberty.
Great Britain, and Europe in general, has recently been described as Eurabia in that Islamist penetration and a lack of assimilation has meant that the European tradition has been compromised.
The Morality of Terrorism: Religious and Secular Justifications (Morningside Book) by David C. Rapoport Other authors: Yonah Alexander (Editor) Columbia University Press (1989).
I feel fortunate to have learned at UCLA from one of my professors, David Rapoport, and one of the earliest works available to identify terrorists with religious violence. I have been identifying religious violence long before 9/11. Quoting from the volume is helpful, c. 1989.
One of the earliest works available to identify terrorists with religious violence. The contribution of Richard Martin notes that
"the association of violence with religion, though not consistent, has nonetheless been persistent in history" (p. 349).
Martin states: "one of the most urgent items of discussion among modern students of violent social behavior is to understand how religious groups. . . such as the Jihadi movements in the Muslim Middle East, and other violent religious groups, justify their actions.
Quite often the contextual, cultural determinants of religious discourses on violence are alien to Western scholarly discourse and we are likely to substitute our own reference frames for them" (p. 365).
One instructive incident is the assassination of President Anwar al-Sadat of Egypt on October 6, 1981.
"He seemed to be a rational and desirable alternative to the anti-Western proponents of violent recourse in Middle Easter politics" (p. 365).
In short, "the events which led to Sadat's assassination and the discussions that followed it are framed by the signal texts and events in early Islamic civilization" (p. 366).
One of the discussion points was a fatwa, which based on Islamic reasoning, concluded that Sadat should die.
Martin addresses a key issue in that Westeners tend to misunderstand Islamic reasoning.
"Too often the texts of the past and other civilizations are appropriated for our own scholarly discourses--out of context, as it were--and thus not understood, especially when they involve conflict and violence" (p. 367).
In conclusion, Islamic religious violence should be understood for what it is: Islamic and violent.
Why did the Balfour Declaration produce problems in Palestine?
In-class: what are the Islamists connection to Hitler?
Who represented the Islamists before Hitler?
Where was a Muslim army formed to assist Nazi Germany?
The Nazi Connection To Islamists, 4:13.
http://www.youtube.com/embed/dbP2EyF8d34
Adolph Hitler Meets with Grand Mufti Amin Al Husseini. Grand Mufti Amin Al Husseini of Jerusalem organises recruitment to Bosnia's and Kosovo's Muslim Nazi SS divisions. Another prominent Kosovar Albanian Muslim, Bedri Pejani, was appointed to committee the Nazi occupation authorities established to rule the Nazi-created Greater Albania. Pejani announced a plan to create a Greater Islamic State consisting of Albania, Bosnia-Hercegovina, and the Sandzak/Rashka region of Serbia. The plan was presented to the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin el Husseini, who approved of the Pejani plan because it was seen as being in the interests of Islam.
Consider the effect on individuals that the transition of Europe from a post-Enlightenment tradition to an Islamist one has had.
Europe and Islam
Based on his early 1970s recordings does Cat Stevens seem like a peaceful song writer?
Is he religious or spiritual based on his lyrics?
Bear in mind that this is about the same time that "Sympathy for the Devil" and back masking, as we listened to previously, was on the air waves as well.
Morning Has Broken, 1971, 3:01
Consider the beauty and peacefulness (another of his hit tunes was "Peace Train") of Cat Stevens (product of an English Greek Orthodox and a Swedish Baptist home).
http://youtu.be/X48weyESpec
"Eden [as in the Garden of] saw play."
"Morning Has Broken"
Morning has broken, like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning
Praise for the springing fresh from the world
Sweet the rain's new fall, sunlit from heaven
Like the first dewfall, on the first grass
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden
Sprung in completeness where his feet pass
Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning
Born of the one light, Eden saw play
Praise with elation, praise every morning
God's re-creation of the new day
Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning
Praise for the springing fresh from the world
Sweet the rain's new fall, sunlit from heaven
Like the first dewfall, on the first grass
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden
Sprung in completeness where his feet pass
Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning
Born of the one light, Eden saw play
Praise with elation, praise every morning
God's re-creation of the new day
Roman Catholic Hymn sung in a 7th Day Adventist Church
Cat Stevens Islam Theft.
Peace Train: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7sjSHazjrWg
cat stevens peace train lyrics, 4:13
https://youtu.be/MZ5iHgcPnHA
Cf. lyrics at: http://www.oldielyrics.com/lyrics/yusuf_islam/peace_train.html
On the other hand, Stevens formally converted to the Islamic religion on 23 December 1977 and hereafter he was known as Yusuf Islam (now just Yusuf). As Yusuf, Stevens was asked about the Rushdie Affair.
Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie (/sælˈmɑːn ˈrʊʃdi/; Kashmiri: अहमद सलमान रुशदी (Devanagari), احمد سلمان رشدی (Nastaʿlīq); born 19 June 1947) is a British Indian novelist and essayist.
The Satanic Verses controversy, also known as the Rushdie Affair, was the heated and frequently violent reaction of Muslims to the publication of Salman Rushdie's novel The Satanic Verses, which was first published in the United Kingdom in 1988. Many Muslims accused Rushdie of blasphemy or unbelief and in 1989 Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini of Iran issued a fatwa ordering Muslims to kill Rushdie. Numerous killings, attempted killings, and bombings resulted from Muslim anger over the novel.
The issue was said to have divided "Muslim from Westerners along the fault line of culture," and to have pitted a core Western value of freedom of expression—that no one "should be killed, or face a serious threat of being killed, for what they say or write"—against the view of many Muslims—that no one should be free to "insult and malign Muslims" by disparaging the "honour of the Prophet" Muhammad. English writer Hanif Kureishi called the fatwa "one of the most significant events in postwar literary history."
1989, Muslim convert would kill author Salman Rushdie.
Cat Steven on BBC Program Discussing Salman Rushdie, 1989, 2:14
Cat Stevens aka Yusuf Islam discussing Salman Rushdie on BBC program in 1989.
Should people be killed for what they say or write about Muhammed?
http://youtu.be/2-wjxwpvqps
If ordered because of a fatwa, a religious ruling, Yusuf Islam would kill or hope that he could beat the real Salman Rushdie.
Sir Salman Rushdie vs. Yusuf Islam
Sir Salman Rushdie responds to Yusuf Islam, 1:35
http://youtu.be/ThUgpNYr2Oo
Activity
In small groups, discuss the Rushdie Affair, are there limits to free speech about religious figures? Should people be killed for their ideas?
Islam in American Politics
What would happen if the ISIS flag, and then an Israeli flag, were waved at Berkeley?
Anti-Semitism at Berkeley, Islamic State Support
As demonstrated in an earlier session, the Islamic State is not condemned on University campuses, however, Israel and the Jews are roundly criticized.
Muslim Leaders Gather In Texas For "Stand With The Prophet" Conference - America's News HQ, (2:00), 3:17
https://youtu.be/048SLo3TDS4
Islamists Deny Media Access at At Muslim Free Speech Conference, 11:29
https://youtu.be/FoOCMjc-n_o
stand with the prophet garland tx Jessie waters with Fox News, 2:37
https://youtu.be/wX28sblFv4M
Texas Islamist Conference and Islamic Blasphemy Laws, 5:53
https://youtu.be/9fgBG1SxZJ0
Garland Shooting - Attack at Anti-Jihad Mohammad Cartoon Event in Texas: 2 Islamists Killed |VIDEO 3:12
https://youtu.be/MMRV2Wn97YY
Attack on “Muhammad Art’ Contest Was Attack On Freedom Of Speech-News Brief, 2:00
Two men were killed by a Garland, Texas police officer after firing at a security guard in front of a “Muhammad Art Exhibit and Cartoon Exhibit” Sunday night. The event was at the Curtis Culwell Center which is the same facility where the “Stand With The Prophet Conference” was held last January. Pamela Geller, the founder of American Freedom Defense Initiative, organized the event to award a $10,000 prize to the winning cartoon depicting the prophet Muhammad. Mrs. Geller decided to have the cartoon contest to defend the freedom of speech.
https://youtu.be/PGaQFCAUeaQ
Islam in the Public Schools
In 2004, Sandra Stotsky, who had served as senior associate commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Education (MDOE) from 1999 to 2003, was the first to bring the Saudi and National Resource Centers maneuverings to public attention.
In American public schools and at leading universities such as Harvard and Georgetown Islam is taught from a Saudi Wahabist perspective.
In late 2005 a landmark investigative report by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) built on Stotsky's work and revealed the full magnitude of Saudi influence over university outreach programs at NRCs funded under Title VI. As the JTA put it:
“Saudi Arabia is paying to influence the teaching of American public schoolchildren. And the U.S. taxpayer is an unwitting accomplice….Often bypassing school boards and nudging aside approved curricula….These materials praise and sometimes promote Islam, but criticize Judaism and Christianity….Ironically, what gives credibility to…these distorted materials is Title VI of the Higher Education Act….Believing they’re importing the wisdom of places like Harvard or Georgetown, they are actually inviting into their schools whole curricula and syllabuses developed with the support of Riyadh.”
Adapted from "Saudi in the Classroom," by Stanley Kurtz (July 25, 2007).
http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/viewSubCategory.asp?id=213
Efforts are being made to acquaint Americans with the story of Mohammed.
Who Advocates Violence?
Three major peer-reviewed studies in the last 10 years have all found the same results. Over 75% of the 2,000 mosques in America are "radicalized." And what does radicalized mean?
That of the 100 mosques surveyed, 51% had texts on site rated as severely advocating violence; 30% had texts rated as moderately advocating violence; and only 19% had no violent texts at all.
That in 84.5% of the mosques, the imam recommended studying violence-positive texts.
That mosques which are Sharia adherent were more likely to feature violent texts than their non-Sharia-adherent counterparts and that leadership at Sharia-adherent mosques was more likely to recommend that a worshipper study violent texts than leadership at non-Sharia-adherent mosques.
In the years since 9/11 in the U.S., what religious group is most often the victim of religious violence?
I will present some data on this topic.
The statistical fact remains that world-wide, both the perpetrators of violence, and the victims of violence, are similar.
About five deaths a day, or 29,801 since 9/11 were committed by Islamists.
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/Pages/TheList.htm
A famous example of Islamist religious violence was of course on 9/11.
Last statement by Islamists Praising Allah on 9/11
http://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/fbi-releases-copy-of-four-page-letter-linked-to-hijackers
In the four-page document, written in Arabic, that was found in the baggage of the suspected ringleader behind the carnage, Mohamed Atta, there are 90 mentions of Allah in the text. The Observer, Sunday 30 September 2001 11.31 EDTThe
THE LAST NIGHT 1) Making an oath to die and renew your intentions.
Shave excess hair from the body and wear cologne.
Shower
2) Make sure you know all aspects of the plan well, and expect the response, or a reaction, from the enemy.
3) Read al-Tawba and Anfal [traditional war chapters from the Qur'an] and reflect on their meanings and remember all of the things Allah has promised for the martyrs.
4) Remind your soul to listen and obey [all divine orders] and remember that you will face decisive situations that might prevent you from 100 per cent obedience, so tame your soul, purify it, convince it, make it understand, and incite it. Allah said: 'Obey Allah and His Messenger, and do not fight amongst yourselves or else you will fail. And be patient, for Allah is with the patient.'
5) Pray during the night and be persistent in asking Allah to give you victory, control and conquest, and that He may make your task easier and not expose us.
6) Remember Allah frequently, and the best way to do it is to read the Holy Qur'an, according to all scholars, as far as I know. It is enough for us that it [the Qur'an] are the words of the Creator of the Earth and the plants, the One that you will meet [on the Day of Judgment].
7) Purify your soul from all unclean things. Completely forget something called 'this world' [or 'this life']. The time for play is over and the serious time is upon us. How much time have we wasted in our lives? Shouldn't we take advantage of these last hours to offer good deeds and obedience?
8) You should feel complete tranquility, because the time between you and your marriage [in heaven] is very short. Afterwards begins the happy life, where Allah is satisfied with you, and eternal bliss 'in the company of the prophets, the companions, the martyrs and the good people, who are all good company'. Ask Allah for his mercy and be optimistic, because [the Prophet], peace be upon him, used to prefer optimism in all his affairs.
9) Keep in mind that, if you fall into hardship, how will you act and how will you remain steadfast and remember that you will return to Allah and remember that anything that happens to you could never be avoided, and what did not happen to you could never have happened to you. This test from Almighty Allah is to raise your level [levels of heaven] and erase your sins. And be sure that it is a matter of moments, which will then pass, Allah willing, so blessed are those who win the great reward of Allah. Almighty Allah said: 'Did you think you could go to heaven before Allah knows whom amongst you have fought for Him and are patient?'
10) Remember the words of Almighty Allah: 'You were looking to the battle before you engaged in it, and now you see it with your own two eyes.' Remember: 'How many small groups beat big groups by the will of Allah.' And His words: 'If Allah gives you victory, no one can beat you. And if He betrays you, who can give you victory without Him? So the faithful put their trust in Allah.'
11) Remind yourself of the supplications and of your brethren and ponder their meanings. (The morning and evening supplications, and the supplications of [entering] a town, and the [unclear] supplications, and the supplications said before meeting the enemy.
12) Bless your body with some verses of the Qur'an [done by reading verses into one's hands and then rubbing the hands over whatever is to be blessed], the luggage, clothes, the knife, your personal effects, your ID, passport, and all your papers.
13) Check your weapon before you leave and long before you leave. (You must make your knife sharp and must not discomfort your animal during the slaughter).
14) Tighten your clothes [a reference to making sure his clothes will cover his private parts at all times], since this is the way of the pious generations after the Prophet. They would tighten their clothes before battle. Tighten your shoes well, wear socks so that your feet will be solidly in your shoes. All of these are worldly things [that humans can do to control their fate, although Allah decrees what will work and what won't] and the rest is left to Allah, the best One to depend on.
15) Pray the morning prayer in a group and ponder the great rewards of that prayer. Make supplications afterwards, and do not leave your apartment unless you have performed ablution before leaving, because the angels will ask for your forgiveness as long as you are in a state of ablution, and will pray for you. This saying of the Prophet was mentioned by An-Nawawi in his book, The Best of Supplications. Read the words of Allah: 'Did you think that We created you for no reason...' from the Al-Mu'minun Chapter.
THE SECOND STEP
When the taxi takes you to (M) [this initial could stand for matar, airport in Arabic] remember Allah constantly while in the car. (Remember the supplication for entering a car, for entering a town, the supplication of place and other supplications).
When you have reached (M) and have left the taxi, say a supplication of place ['Oh Allah, I ask you for the best of this place, and ask you to protect me from its evils'], and everywhere you go say that prayer and smile and be calm, for Alah is with the believers. And the angels protect you without you feeling anything. Say this supplication: 'Allah is more dear than all of His creation.' And say: 'Oh Allah, protect me from them as You wish.' And say: 'Oh Allah, take your anger out on [the enemy] and we ask You to protect us from their evils.' And say: 'Oh Allah, block their vision from in front of them, so that they may not see.' And say: 'Allah is all we need, He is the best to rely upon.' Remember Allah's words: 'Those to whom the people said, "The people have gathered to get you, so fear them," but that only increased their faith and they said, Allah is all we need, He is the best to rely upon.' After you say that, you will find [unclear] as Alllah promised this to his servants who say this supplication:
1) They will come back [from battle] with Allah's blessings
2) They were not harmed
3) And Allah was satisfied with them.
Allah says: 'They came back with Allah's blessings, were not harmed, and Allah was satisfied with them, and Allah is ever-blessing.'
All of their equipment and gates and technology will not prevent, nor harm, except by Allah's will. The believers do not fear such things. The only ones that fear it are the allies of Satan, who are the brothers of the devil. They have become their allies, Allah save us, for fear is a great form of worship, and the only one worthy of it is Allah. He is the only one who deserves it. He said in the verses: 'This is only the Devil scaring his allies' who are fascinated with Western civilisation, and have drank the love [of the West] like they drink water [unclear] and have become afraid of their weak equipment, 'so fear them not, and fear Me, if you are believers.'
Fear is a great worship. The allies of Allah do not offer such worship except for the one Allah, who controls everything. [unclear] with total certainty that Allah will weaken the schemes of non-believers. Allah said: 'Allah will weaken the schemes of the non-believers.'
You must remember your brothers with all respect. No one should notice that you are making the supplication, 'There is no Allah but Allah,' because if you say it 1,000 times no one will be able to tell whether you are quiet or remember Allah. And among its miracles is what the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: 'Whoever says, "There is no Allah but Allah," with all his heart, goes to heaven.' The prophet, peace be upon him, said: 'If you put all the worlds and universes on one side of the balance, and "No Allah but Allah" on the other, "No Allah but Allah" will weigh more heavily.' You can repeat these words confidently, and this is just one of the strengths of these words. Whoever thinks deeply about these words will find that they have no dots [in the Arabic letter] and this is just one of its greatnesses, for words that have dots in them carry less weight than those that do not. And it is enough that these are the words of monotheism, which will make you steadfast in battle [unclear] as the prophet, peace be upon him, and his companions, and those who came after them, Allah willing, until the Day of Judgment.
Do not seem confused or show signs of nervous tension. Be happy, optimistic, calm because you are heading for a deed that Allah loves and will accept. It will be the day, Allah willing, you spend with the women of paradise.
[poetry] Smile in the face of hardship young man/For you are heading toward eternal paradise
You must remember to make supplications wherever you go, and anytime you do anything, and Allah is with his faithful servants, He will protect them and make their tasks easier, and give them success and control, and victory, and everything...
THE THIRD PHASE
When you ride the (T) [probably for tayyara, aeroplane in Arabic], before your foot steps in it, and before you enter it, you make a prayer and supplications. Remember that this is a battle for the sake of Allah . As the prophet, peace be upon him, said, 'An action for the sake of Allah is better than all of what is in this world.' When you step inside the (T), and sit in your seat, begin with the known supplications that we have mentioned before. Be busy with the constant remembrance of Allah. Allah said: 'Oh ye faithful, when you find the enemy be steadfast, and remember Allah constantly so that you may be successful.' When the (T) moves, even slightly, toward (Q) [unknown reference], say the supplication of travel. Because you are traveling to Almighty Allah , so be attentive on this trip.
Then [unclear] it takes off. This is the moment that both groups come together. So remember Allah , as He said in His book: 'Oh Allah, pour your patience upon us and make our feet steadfast and give us victory over the infidels.' And His words: 'And the only thing they said Allah, forgive our sins and excesses and make our feet steadfast and give us victory over the infidels.' And His prophet said: 'Oh Allah, You have revealed the book, You move the clouds, You gave us victory over the enemy, conquer them and give us victory over them.' Give us victory and make the ground shake under their feet. Pray for yourself and all your brothers that they may be victorious and hit their targets and ask Allah to grant you martyrdom facing the enemy, not running away from it, and for Him to grant you patience and the feeling that anything that happens to you is for Him.
Then every one of you should prepare to carry out his role in a way that would satisfy Allah. You should clench your teeth, as the pious early generations did.
When the confrontation begins, strike like champions who do not want to go back to this world. Shout, 'Allahu Akbar,' because this strikes fear in the hearts of the non-believers. Allah said: 'Strike above the neck, and strike at all of their extremities.' Know that the gardens of paradise are waiting for you in all their beauty, and the women of paradise are waiting, calling out, 'Come hither, friend of Allah .' They have dressed in their most beautiful clothing.
If Allah decrees that any of you are to slaughter, dedicate the slaughter to your fathers and [unclear], because you have obligations toward them. Do not disagree, and obey. If you slaughter, do not cause the discomfort of those you are killing, because this is one of the practices of the prophet, peace be upon him. On one condition: that you do not become distracted by [unclear] and neglect what is greater, paying attention to the enemy. That would be treason, and would do more damage than good. If this happens, the deed at hand is more important than doing that, because the deed is an obligation, and [the other thing] is optional. And an obligation has priority over an option.
Do not seek revenge for yourself. Strike for Allah's sake. One time Ali bin Abi Talib [a companion and close relative of the prophet Muhammad], fought with a non-believer. The non-believer spit on Ali, may Allah bless him. Ali [unclear] his sword, but did not strike him. When the battle was over, the companions of the prophet asked him why he had not smitten the non-believer. He said, 'After he spat at me, I was afraid I would be striking at him in revenge for myself, so I lifted my sword.' After he renewed his intentions, he went back and killed the man. This means that before you do anything, make sure your soul is prepared to do everything for Allah only.
Then implement the way of the prophet in taking prisoners. Take prisoners and kill them. As Almighty Allah said: 'No prophet should have prisoners until he has soaked the land with blood. You want the bounties of this world [in exchange for prisoners] and Allah wants the other world [for you], and Allah is all-powerful, all-wise.'
If everything goes well, every one of you should pat the other on the shoulder in confidence that (M) and (T) number (K). Remind your brothers that this act is for Almighty Allah. Do not confuse your brothers or distract them. He should give them glad tidings and make them calm, and remind them [of Allah ] and encourage them. How beautiful it is for one to read Allah 's words, such as: 'And those who prefer the afterlife over this world should fight for the sake of Allah .' And His words: 'Do not suppose that those who are killed for the sake of Allah are dead; they are alive... ' And others. Or they should sing songs to boost their morale, as the pious first generations did in the throes of battle, to bring calm, tranquillity and joy to the hearts of his brothers.
Do not forget to take a bounty, even if it is a glass of water to quench your thirst or that of your brothers, if possible. When the hour of reality approaches, the zero hour, [unclear] and wholeheartedly welcome death for the sake of Allah. Always be remembering Allah . Either end your life while praying, seconds before the target, or make your last words: 'There is no Allah but Allah, Muhammad is His messenger'.
Afterwards, we will all meet in the highest heaven, Allah willing.
If you see the enemy as strong, remember the groups [that had formed a coalition to fight the prophet Muhammad]. They were 10,000. Remember how Allah gave victory to his faithful servants. He said: 'When the faithful saw the groups, they said, this is what Allah and the prophet promised, they said the truth. It only increased their faith.'
And may the peace of Allah be upon the prophet.
• The document was released by the F.B.I. and translated for The New York Times by Capital Communications Group, a Washington-based international consulting firm and by Imad Musa, a translator for the firm.
After 9/11, how do you address an ideology of hatred?Shave excess hair from the body and wear cologne.
Shower
2) Make sure you know all aspects of the plan well, and expect the response, or a reaction, from the enemy.
3) Read al-Tawba and Anfal [traditional war chapters from the Qur'an] and reflect on their meanings and remember all of the things Allah has promised for the martyrs.
4) Remind your soul to listen and obey [all divine orders] and remember that you will face decisive situations that might prevent you from 100 per cent obedience, so tame your soul, purify it, convince it, make it understand, and incite it. Allah said: 'Obey Allah and His Messenger, and do not fight amongst yourselves or else you will fail. And be patient, for Allah is with the patient.'
5) Pray during the night and be persistent in asking Allah to give you victory, control and conquest, and that He may make your task easier and not expose us.
6) Remember Allah frequently, and the best way to do it is to read the Holy Qur'an, according to all scholars, as far as I know. It is enough for us that it [the Qur'an] are the words of the Creator of the Earth and the plants, the One that you will meet [on the Day of Judgment].
7) Purify your soul from all unclean things. Completely forget something called 'this world' [or 'this life']. The time for play is over and the serious time is upon us. How much time have we wasted in our lives? Shouldn't we take advantage of these last hours to offer good deeds and obedience?
8) You should feel complete tranquility, because the time between you and your marriage [in heaven] is very short. Afterwards begins the happy life, where Allah is satisfied with you, and eternal bliss 'in the company of the prophets, the companions, the martyrs and the good people, who are all good company'. Ask Allah for his mercy and be optimistic, because [the Prophet], peace be upon him, used to prefer optimism in all his affairs.
9) Keep in mind that, if you fall into hardship, how will you act and how will you remain steadfast and remember that you will return to Allah and remember that anything that happens to you could never be avoided, and what did not happen to you could never have happened to you. This test from Almighty Allah is to raise your level [levels of heaven] and erase your sins. And be sure that it is a matter of moments, which will then pass, Allah willing, so blessed are those who win the great reward of Allah. Almighty Allah said: 'Did you think you could go to heaven before Allah knows whom amongst you have fought for Him and are patient?'
10) Remember the words of Almighty Allah: 'You were looking to the battle before you engaged in it, and now you see it with your own two eyes.' Remember: 'How many small groups beat big groups by the will of Allah.' And His words: 'If Allah gives you victory, no one can beat you. And if He betrays you, who can give you victory without Him? So the faithful put their trust in Allah.'
11) Remind yourself of the supplications and of your brethren and ponder their meanings. (The morning and evening supplications, and the supplications of [entering] a town, and the [unclear] supplications, and the supplications said before meeting the enemy.
12) Bless your body with some verses of the Qur'an [done by reading verses into one's hands and then rubbing the hands over whatever is to be blessed], the luggage, clothes, the knife, your personal effects, your ID, passport, and all your papers.
13) Check your weapon before you leave and long before you leave. (You must make your knife sharp and must not discomfort your animal during the slaughter).
14) Tighten your clothes [a reference to making sure his clothes will cover his private parts at all times], since this is the way of the pious generations after the Prophet. They would tighten their clothes before battle. Tighten your shoes well, wear socks so that your feet will be solidly in your shoes. All of these are worldly things [that humans can do to control their fate, although Allah decrees what will work and what won't] and the rest is left to Allah, the best One to depend on.
15) Pray the morning prayer in a group and ponder the great rewards of that prayer. Make supplications afterwards, and do not leave your apartment unless you have performed ablution before leaving, because the angels will ask for your forgiveness as long as you are in a state of ablution, and will pray for you. This saying of the Prophet was mentioned by An-Nawawi in his book, The Best of Supplications. Read the words of Allah: 'Did you think that We created you for no reason...' from the Al-Mu'minun Chapter.
THE SECOND STEP
When the taxi takes you to (M) [this initial could stand for matar, airport in Arabic] remember Allah constantly while in the car. (Remember the supplication for entering a car, for entering a town, the supplication of place and other supplications).
When you have reached (M) and have left the taxi, say a supplication of place ['Oh Allah, I ask you for the best of this place, and ask you to protect me from its evils'], and everywhere you go say that prayer and smile and be calm, for Alah is with the believers. And the angels protect you without you feeling anything. Say this supplication: 'Allah is more dear than all of His creation.' And say: 'Oh Allah, protect me from them as You wish.' And say: 'Oh Allah, take your anger out on [the enemy] and we ask You to protect us from their evils.' And say: 'Oh Allah, block their vision from in front of them, so that they may not see.' And say: 'Allah is all we need, He is the best to rely upon.' Remember Allah's words: 'Those to whom the people said, "The people have gathered to get you, so fear them," but that only increased their faith and they said, Allah is all we need, He is the best to rely upon.' After you say that, you will find [unclear] as Alllah promised this to his servants who say this supplication:
1) They will come back [from battle] with Allah's blessings
2) They were not harmed
3) And Allah was satisfied with them.
Allah says: 'They came back with Allah's blessings, were not harmed, and Allah was satisfied with them, and Allah is ever-blessing.'
All of their equipment and gates and technology will not prevent, nor harm, except by Allah's will. The believers do not fear such things. The only ones that fear it are the allies of Satan, who are the brothers of the devil. They have become their allies, Allah save us, for fear is a great form of worship, and the only one worthy of it is Allah. He is the only one who deserves it. He said in the verses: 'This is only the Devil scaring his allies' who are fascinated with Western civilisation, and have drank the love [of the West] like they drink water [unclear] and have become afraid of their weak equipment, 'so fear them not, and fear Me, if you are believers.'
Fear is a great worship. The allies of Allah do not offer such worship except for the one Allah, who controls everything. [unclear] with total certainty that Allah will weaken the schemes of non-believers. Allah said: 'Allah will weaken the schemes of the non-believers.'
You must remember your brothers with all respect. No one should notice that you are making the supplication, 'There is no Allah but Allah,' because if you say it 1,000 times no one will be able to tell whether you are quiet or remember Allah. And among its miracles is what the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: 'Whoever says, "There is no Allah but Allah," with all his heart, goes to heaven.' The prophet, peace be upon him, said: 'If you put all the worlds and universes on one side of the balance, and "No Allah but Allah" on the other, "No Allah but Allah" will weigh more heavily.' You can repeat these words confidently, and this is just one of the strengths of these words. Whoever thinks deeply about these words will find that they have no dots [in the Arabic letter] and this is just one of its greatnesses, for words that have dots in them carry less weight than those that do not. And it is enough that these are the words of monotheism, which will make you steadfast in battle [unclear] as the prophet, peace be upon him, and his companions, and those who came after them, Allah willing, until the Day of Judgment.
Do not seem confused or show signs of nervous tension. Be happy, optimistic, calm because you are heading for a deed that Allah loves and will accept. It will be the day, Allah willing, you spend with the women of paradise.
[poetry] Smile in the face of hardship young man/For you are heading toward eternal paradise
You must remember to make supplications wherever you go, and anytime you do anything, and Allah is with his faithful servants, He will protect them and make their tasks easier, and give them success and control, and victory, and everything...
THE THIRD PHASE
When you ride the (T) [probably for tayyara, aeroplane in Arabic], before your foot steps in it, and before you enter it, you make a prayer and supplications. Remember that this is a battle for the sake of Allah . As the prophet, peace be upon him, said, 'An action for the sake of Allah is better than all of what is in this world.' When you step inside the (T), and sit in your seat, begin with the known supplications that we have mentioned before. Be busy with the constant remembrance of Allah. Allah said: 'Oh ye faithful, when you find the enemy be steadfast, and remember Allah constantly so that you may be successful.' When the (T) moves, even slightly, toward (Q) [unknown reference], say the supplication of travel. Because you are traveling to Almighty Allah , so be attentive on this trip.
Then [unclear] it takes off. This is the moment that both groups come together. So remember Allah , as He said in His book: 'Oh Allah, pour your patience upon us and make our feet steadfast and give us victory over the infidels.' And His words: 'And the only thing they said Allah, forgive our sins and excesses and make our feet steadfast and give us victory over the infidels.' And His prophet said: 'Oh Allah, You have revealed the book, You move the clouds, You gave us victory over the enemy, conquer them and give us victory over them.' Give us victory and make the ground shake under their feet. Pray for yourself and all your brothers that they may be victorious and hit their targets and ask Allah to grant you martyrdom facing the enemy, not running away from it, and for Him to grant you patience and the feeling that anything that happens to you is for Him.
Then every one of you should prepare to carry out his role in a way that would satisfy Allah. You should clench your teeth, as the pious early generations did.
When the confrontation begins, strike like champions who do not want to go back to this world. Shout, 'Allahu Akbar,' because this strikes fear in the hearts of the non-believers. Allah said: 'Strike above the neck, and strike at all of their extremities.' Know that the gardens of paradise are waiting for you in all their beauty, and the women of paradise are waiting, calling out, 'Come hither, friend of Allah .' They have dressed in their most beautiful clothing.
If Allah decrees that any of you are to slaughter, dedicate the slaughter to your fathers and [unclear], because you have obligations toward them. Do not disagree, and obey. If you slaughter, do not cause the discomfort of those you are killing, because this is one of the practices of the prophet, peace be upon him. On one condition: that you do not become distracted by [unclear] and neglect what is greater, paying attention to the enemy. That would be treason, and would do more damage than good. If this happens, the deed at hand is more important than doing that, because the deed is an obligation, and [the other thing] is optional. And an obligation has priority over an option.
Do not seek revenge for yourself. Strike for Allah's sake. One time Ali bin Abi Talib [a companion and close relative of the prophet Muhammad], fought with a non-believer. The non-believer spit on Ali, may Allah bless him. Ali [unclear] his sword, but did not strike him. When the battle was over, the companions of the prophet asked him why he had not smitten the non-believer. He said, 'After he spat at me, I was afraid I would be striking at him in revenge for myself, so I lifted my sword.' After he renewed his intentions, he went back and killed the man. This means that before you do anything, make sure your soul is prepared to do everything for Allah only.
Then implement the way of the prophet in taking prisoners. Take prisoners and kill them. As Almighty Allah said: 'No prophet should have prisoners until he has soaked the land with blood. You want the bounties of this world [in exchange for prisoners] and Allah wants the other world [for you], and Allah is all-powerful, all-wise.'
If everything goes well, every one of you should pat the other on the shoulder in confidence that (M) and (T) number (K). Remind your brothers that this act is for Almighty Allah. Do not confuse your brothers or distract them. He should give them glad tidings and make them calm, and remind them [of Allah ] and encourage them. How beautiful it is for one to read Allah 's words, such as: 'And those who prefer the afterlife over this world should fight for the sake of Allah .' And His words: 'Do not suppose that those who are killed for the sake of Allah are dead; they are alive... ' And others. Or they should sing songs to boost their morale, as the pious first generations did in the throes of battle, to bring calm, tranquillity and joy to the hearts of his brothers.
Do not forget to take a bounty, even if it is a glass of water to quench your thirst or that of your brothers, if possible. When the hour of reality approaches, the zero hour, [unclear] and wholeheartedly welcome death for the sake of Allah. Always be remembering Allah . Either end your life while praying, seconds before the target, or make your last words: 'There is no Allah but Allah, Muhammad is His messenger'.
Afterwards, we will all meet in the highest heaven, Allah willing.
If you see the enemy as strong, remember the groups [that had formed a coalition to fight the prophet Muhammad]. They were 10,000. Remember how Allah gave victory to his faithful servants. He said: 'When the faithful saw the groups, they said, this is what Allah and the prophet promised, they said the truth. It only increased their faith.'
And may the peace of Allah be upon the prophet.
• The document was released by the F.B.I. and translated for The New York Times by Capital Communications Group, a Washington-based international consulting firm and by Imad Musa, a translator for the firm.
Nonie Darwish on Peaceful Muslims, 4:40
Nonie Darwish (Arabic: نوني درويش; born 1949)[1][2] is an Egyptian-American human rights activist and critic of Islam, and founder of Arabs for Israel, and is Director of Former Muslims United. She is the author of three books: Now They Call Me Infidel; Why I Renounced Jihad for America, Israel and the War on Terror, Cruel and Usual Punishment: The Terrifying Global Implications of Islamic Law, and The Devil We Don't Know: The Dark Side of Revolutions in the Middle East. Darwish's speech topics cover human rights, with emphasis on women's rights and minority rights in the Middle East. Born in Egypt, Darwish is the daughter of an Egyptian Army lieutenant general, who was called a "shahid" by the Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser,[3] after being killed in a targeted killing by the Israel Defense Forces in 1956. Darwish blames "the Middle Eastern Islamic culture and the propaganda of hatred taught to children from birth" for his death. In 1978, she moved with her husband to the United States, and converted to Christianity there. In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks, she has written on Islam-related topics.[3]
Nonie Darwish, 4:40
https://youtu.be/cAoXgZLRee0
Since 9/11, who, most often, are the victims of anti-religious hatred in the United States?
Source:
https://ucr.fbi.gov/hate-crime/2015/topic-pages/victims_final
“2015 Hate Crime Statistics,” FBI
…By bias motivation (Based on Table 1.)
An analysis of data for victims of single-bias hate crime incidents showed that:
59.2 percent of the victims were targeted because of the offenders’ bias against race/ethnicity/ancestry.
19.7 percent were victimized because of bias against religion.
17.7 percent were targeted because of bias against sexual orientation.
1.7 percent were victims of gender-identity bias.
1.2 percent were targeted because of bias against disability.
0.4 percent (30 individuals) were victims of gender bias….
Religious bias (Based on Table 1.)
Of the 1,402 victims of anti-religious hate crimes:
52.1 percent were victims of crimes motivated by their offenders’ anti-Jewish bias.
21.9 percent were victims of anti-Islamic (Muslim) bias.
4.3 percent were victims of anti-Catholic bias.
4.1 percent were victims of bias against groups of individuals of varying religions (anti-multiple religions, group).
3.6 percent were victims of anti-Eastern Orthodox (Russian, Greek, Other) bias.
3.4 percent were victims of anti-Protestant bias.
1.3 percent were victims of anti-Other Christian bias.
0.6 percent were victims of anti-Mormon bias.
0.4 percent were victims of anti-Hindu bias.
0.4 percent were victims of anti-Sikh bias.
0.1 percent were victims of anti-Jehovah’s Witness bias.
0.1 percent were victims of anti-Buddhist bias.
0.1 percent were victims of anti-Atheist/Agnostic bias.
7.6 percent were victims of bias against other religions (anti-other religion)….
FBI stats
–Of the 5,928 incidents of hate crime tabulated in 2013, 135 (2.3 percent) were anti-Islamic, an increase of five over the prior year but still slightly below the annual average of 139 from 2002 to 2011. –The small rise in recorded anti-Islamic incidents could be attributable to improved data collection rather than a true uptick. Reports submitted by law enforcement agencies covered a population of 295 million Americans in 2013, 18.6 percent higher than in 2012.
–There were 1,031 incidents inspired by religion last year, 625 (60.6 percent) of which were anti-Jewish. Anti-Islamic ones constituted just 13.1 percent.
–Anti-Islamic incidents were also outnumbered by those targeting blacks (1,856), whites (653), gay men (750), lesbians (160), LGBTs in general (277), Hispanics (331), and people of other ethnicities (324). Anti-Asian incidents (135) equaled anti-Islamic ones.
–Based on a 2013 estimate of 2.95 million Muslims derived from Pew’s 2011 figure and typical growth of 100,000 per year, there were 4.6 anti-Islamic incidents per 100,000 Muslims in 2013, the same as 2012’s rate and lower than the average of 6.0 per 100,000 for 2002–11.
The 2013 rate for Muslims was less than half that for Jews (9.6 per 100,000 for a population of roughly 6.5 million) and homosexuals/bisexuals (11.0 per 100,000, assuming that they comprise 3.5 percent of the U.S. population). The rate for blacks was similar to that of Muslims (4.5 per 100,000 for a population of 41.6 million).
–Anti-Islamic hate crimes were no more violent than others in 2013. Of the 6,933 offenses spanning all hate crimes, 734 (10.6 percent) were aggravated assaults and 1,720 (24.8 percent) were simple assaults. The 165 anti-Islamic offenses mirrored this breakdown: 17 (10.3 percent) were aggravated assaults and 41 (24.8 percent) were simple assaults. Further, none of the five deaths in 2013 resulted from anti-Islamic hate crimes.
Year after year, the hostility against Jews is consistent (previous year's report):
Religious biasHate crimes motivated by religious bias accounted for 1,166 offenses reported by law enforcement. A breakdown of the bias motivation of religious-biased offenses showed:
- 59.7 percent were anti-Jewish.
- 12.8 percent were anti-Islamic.
- 7.6 percent were anti-multiple religions, group.
- 6.8 percent were anti-Catholic.
- 2.9 percent were anti-Protestant.
- 1.0 percent were anti-Atheism/Agnosticism/etc.
- 9. 2 percent were anti-other (unspecified) religion. (Based on Table 1.)
Anti-Semitism Plagues D.C.
Anti-Semitic D.C.
Activity
In small groups, discuss who most often perpetuates violence, and who is most often victimized by violence?
In three instances (Suras 2:65, 5:60, and 7:166), the Quran tells of Allah turning Jews into apes and/or pigs.
Sura 2:65 “And you had already known about those who transgressed among you concerning the sabbath, and We said to them, ‘Be apes, despised.’”
Sura 7:166 “So when they were insolent about that which they had been forbidden, We said to them, ‘Be apes, despised.’"
Sura 5:60 “Say, ‘Shall I inform you of [what is] worse than that as penalty from Allah? [It is that of] those (i.e., the Jews) whom Allah has cursed and with whom He became angry and made of them apes and pigs and slaves of Taghut.
Those are worse in position and further astray from the sound way.’" "And remember, Children of Israel, when We made a covenant with you and raised Mount Sinai before you saying, "Hold tightly to what We have revealed to you and keep it in mind so that you may guard against evil."
But then you turned away, and if it had not been for Allah's grace and mercy, you surely would have been among the lost. And you know those among who sinned on the Sabbath.
We said to them, "You will be transformed into despised apes." So we used them as a warning to their people and to the following generations, as well as a lesson for the God-fearing."[Quran 2:63]
Fatah spokesman: Jews are "sons of apes and pigs" :45
http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=787
Islamic hate speech on PA TV: Jews are "most evil among creations," "barbaric apes, wretched pigs" :48
http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=787&fld_id=787&doc_id=12686
Teacher at Al-Aqsa Mosque school: Jews who visit Temple Mount are "monkeys and pigs" :37
http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=787&fld_id=787&doc_id=10307
PA TV: Allah describes Jews as "apes and pigs" :36
http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=787&fld_id=787&doc_id=6909
Hamas suicide farewell video: Jews apes and pigs; Maidens reward for killing Jews, :27
http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=787&fld_id=787&doc_id=2680
Hamas: Jews are sons of apes and pigs, :37
http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=787&fld_id=787&doc_id=1709
Jews are "barbaric monkeys," "most evil among creations," in poem recited by girl on PA TV, 1:23
http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=787&fld_id=787&doc_id=14953
PA cleric: Jews are "apes and pigs and slaves of deities" :43
http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=787&fld_id=787&doc_id=13884
Jews are the “most evil among creations, barbaric monkeys, wretched pigs” 1:12
http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=787&fld_id=787&doc_id=9312
Girl recites poem: Jews are "Allah’s enemies, the sons of pigs" 1:40
http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=787&fld_id=787&doc_id=8732
Jews are conceited, so turned into apes and pigs, :52
http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=787&fld_id=787&doc_id=1030
PA cleric: The "cursed apes and pigs" [Jews] undoubtedly poisoned Arafat, :42
http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=787&fld_id=787&doc_id=4668
In his "wrath" God has "cursed" the Jews and will turn them into apes/monkeys and swine and idol worshipers because they are "infidels" (Schweitzer, Frederick M. and Perry, Marvin Anti-Semitism: myth and hate from antiquity to the present, Palgrave Macmillan, 2002, p. 266). Martin Kramer contends that Islamic tradition provides the sources for Islamic antisemitism. Thus, Kramer concludes that there is no doubt modern Muslims effectively make selective use of the Quran (Martin Kramer, The Salience of Islamic Antisemitism, Institute of Jewish Affairs Report (London), no. 2, October 1995).
Demonization of Jews/Israelis http://www.palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=786&page=2&all=1
Since the Palestinian Authority was established it has systematically indoctrinated young and old to hate Israelis The PA assigns responsibility to the Jews for all the problems in the world: Wars, conflicts and civil wars are all said to be triggered by Jews. Indeed, the oppression suffered by Jews throughout history is presented as the legitimate response of nations seeking revenge for the injury caused them by the Jews living among them. The creation of the State of Israel is said to have been a European plot, in order to be rid of their Jews and save Europe from the evil of Jewish presence in their countries. The following are examples of Palestinian demonization: and Jews. Using media, education, and cultural structures that it controls, the PA has actively promoted religious hatred, demonization, conspiracy libels, etc. These are packaged to present Israelis and Jews as endangering Palestinians, Arabs, and all humanity. This ongoing campaign has so successfully instilled hatred that fighting, murder and even suicide terror against Israelis and Jews are seen by the majority of Palestinians as justified self-defense and as Allah’s will. The PA presents Jews as possessing inherently evil traits. Jews are said to be treacherous, corrupt, deceitful and unfaithful by nature. These Jewish “attributes” and traditions are presented as the unchangeable nature of Jews. Forgeries and fiction masquerading as history are used to document and support the libel that Judaism is in essence racist and evil. Jews are said to be planning and executing heinous crimes, including burning Palestinians in ovens, murder, using prisoners for Nazi-like experiments, and more. If unchecked, these crimes constitute a mortal danger, not only to all Muslims and Arabs but to all of humanity. |
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Sharia
These cases are the stories of Muslim American families, mostly Muslim women and children, who were asking American courts to preserve their rights to equal protection and due process.
As of 2015, there were 146 cases in 32 states in which a party to litigation attempted to have the matter resolved by applying shariah, rather than the statutes of the state in question (in 2011 when I first tabulated the results there were only 23 states).
Should families that came to America for liberty from Shariah be afforded protection?
Or, should American courts apply Shariah law in the lives of these families, and deny them equal protection?
Shariah in American Courts: The Expanding Incursion of Islamic Law in the U.S. Legal System
http://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/2015/01/05/shariah-in-american-courts-the-expanding-incursion-of-islamic-law-in-the-u-s-legal-system/
Minnesota, Sharia Law
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uB6gps7dkUA
Muslims in the USA want Sharia law and say they will not follow US laws, 4:26
https://youtu.be/uB6gps7dkUA
The Myth of the Tiny Radical Muslim Minority, 6:17
Is there anything to fear from only a tiny, radical minority?
http://youtu.be/CkwsQvPZn2M
What does the 1st Amendment state about religion and government?
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . . ." - See more at: http://constitution.findlaw.com/amendment1.html#sthash.TXyM1fww.dpuf
Since 2009, New Islamic mortgages are available in Minnesota
http://www.mprnews.org/story/2009/02/28/islamicfinancing
A home buyer can get a loan through the state's New Markets Mortgage Program. That's because, program manager Nimo Farah says, he has all the makings of a successful homeowner.
"I had lots of applications, but he's the first one, because really, he was ready. He has been working at the same job for quite a while; he took care of his credit; he had the right size family, and he had all his documents together," she said. "He was basically ready to go."
The program is targeted at low-to-moderate income families. Qualified applicants have to complete first-time home buyer education classes. The goal is to help Muslim home buyers build wealth and reap the benefits of home ownership.
There is no such thing as a Christian mortgage, a Jewish mortgage, etc.
What about American textbooks?
A world history book used in American classrooms is under review over allegations it favors Islam at the expense of Christianity and Judaism.
The Prentice World History textbook rewrites Islamic history and presents a biased version of the Muslim faith.
The book has a 36-page chapter on Islam but no chapters on Christianity or Judaism.
The authors make a very obvious attempt not to insult Islam by reshaping history.
For example, a reference to Mohammed and his armies taking over Medina states, “people happily accepted Islam as their way of life.”
It leaves out that tens of thousands of Jews and non-believers were massacred by Mohammed’s armies.
The book indicates that Jesus proclaimed himself to be the Messiah while stating as fact that Mohammed is a prophet. Students are also given lessons on the Koran and the five pillars of Islam, not for Christianity.
Some of the descriptions of the battles use the word ‘massacre’ when it’s a Christian battle and ‘takeover’ when it’s a Muslim battle.” In young minds, massacre paints a very different visual picture than a takeover or occupation – when in fact both battles were very bloody.
The book devotes an entire chapter to Islam.
Homeland Security Promotes Plight of U.S. Muslims
Obama Editorial in the L.A. Times Promotes Islam
Promote Islam
Obama declared that the root cause of the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorism is not radical Islam but poverty.
“We have to address grievances terrorists exploit, including economic grievances,” said Obama.However, as terrorism experts explain, a vast percentage of Islamic terrorists come from middle-class backgrounds, wealthy families, or have impressive educational pedigrees. CNN’s national security analyst Peter Bergen says many of the world’s most notorious terrorists came from affluence and education:
- Osama bin Laden: son of a Saudi construction magnate who attended Saudi Arabia’s top high school and best university.
- Mohamed Atta: ringleader of the 9-11 terrorist attacks and the son of an Egyptian lawyer. Atta worked on his doctorate at a German university.
- Ayman al Zawahiri: Present leader of al Qaeda and a “surgeon who comes from a leading Egyptian family that counts ambassadors, politicians and prominent clerics amongst its ranks.”
- Nidal Hasan: the Fort Hood terrorist who “was not only an officer in the U.S. Army and a psychiatrist, but is also from a comfortably middle-class family in Virginia.”
- Faisal Shahzad: the terrorist who tried to blow Times Square on May 1, 2010. “He had obtained an MBA in the United States and had worked as a financial analyst for the Elizabeth Arden cosmetics company. His father was one of the top officers in the Pakistani military.”
- Anwar al-Awlaki: “The late leader of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, who tasked the underwear bomber to blow up an American plane over an American city, was studying for his Ph.D. at George Washington University before he took up arms with al Qaeda. Awlaki’s father was a Cabinet minister in Yemen.”
- Umar Abdulmuttalab: the so-called “underwear bomber” who tried to detonate “a bomb on a U.S. passenger jet flying over Detroit on Christmas Day 2009, is the son of one of the richest men in Africa and attended University College London.”
In the case of ISIS terrorists, if its estimated 31,500 members weren’t well off to start, they certainly could be now if ISIS were to divvy up its massive $2 billion and growing wealth–a sum that makes it the world’s richest terrorist group. That works out to $63,492 per ISIS terrorist–an amount well above U.S. median income.
As even the U.S. Treasury Department notes, ISIS makes about $1 million a day off just its black market oil sales.
Other ways ISIS makes massive money? “They rob banks. They lay waste to thousands of years of civilization in Iraq and Syria by looting and selling antiquities,” said David Cohen, the Treasury Department official in charge of undermining ISIS finances. “They steal livestock and crops from farmers. And despicably, they sell abducted girls and women as sex slaves.”
Moreover, ISIS uses its digital savvy to recruit often middle-class individuals online. As recently as Friday, ABC News reported on three London teenage schoolgirls who had been recruited by ISIS boarding flights to join the Jihad–an increasingly common story.
Still, the Obama White House persists in forwarding its belief that poverty, not radical Islam, fuels Islamic State terrorism.
State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf insisted on doubling-down on her contention that poverty is the root cause of terrorism.
“We need, in the longer term, medium and longer term, to go after the root causes that leads people to join these groups, whether it’s lack of opportunity for jobs,” said Harf.
Obama agrees.
“When millions of people — especially youth — are impoverished and have no hope for the future, when corruption inflicts daily humiliations on people, when there are no outlets by which people can express their concerns, resentments fester,” said Obama. “Where young people have no education, they are more vulnerable to conspiracy theories and radical ideas.”
Huma Abedin, Deputy Chief of Staff to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: Perhaps most famous in the U.S. as the wife of the disgraced former congressman Anthony Weiner, Huma Abedin appears to have family ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. In an interview with FrontPageMag, anti-Islamist author Walid Shoebat explained that Huma’s mother, Saleha Abedin, is involved with the Muslim Brotherhood and that Huma’s brother, Hassan, sits in on the board of the Oxford Centre For Islamic Studies (OCIS) where he is a fellow and partners with other board members including “Al-Qaeda associate, Omar Naseef and the notorious Muslim Brotherhood leader Sheikh Youssef Qaradawi; both have been listed as OCIS Trustees.”
REFERENCESIslamic Feminism
/Ziba_Mir-Hosseini
"I am a free-lance academic, passionately involved in debates on gender equality in law. As a feminist, I expose and criticize the injustices that these laws continue to inflict on women in some Muslim contexts. As a Muslim, I approach these injustices by stressing one crucial element in the tradition of Muslim legal thought: the distinction between Shari‘a (the ‘path’, found in the Qur’an and the Prophet’s practice) and fiqh (‘understanding’, the jurists’s efforts to deduce laws from these textual sources); this distinction enables us to see patriarchal laws not as ‘divine Shari‘a’, but as outdated human fiqh. My aim is to bring Islamic and human rights frameworks together in order to lay the basis for an egalitarian Muslim family law."
Fiqh (/fɪk/; Arabic: فقه [fɪqh]) is Islamicjurisprudence.[1] While Sharia is believed by Muslims to represent divine law as revealed in the Quran and the Sunnah (the teachings and practices of the Islamic prophet Muhammad), fiqh is the human understanding of the Sharia[2]—sharia expanded and developed by interpretation (ijtihad) of the Quran and Sunnah by Islamic jurists (Ulama)[2] and implemented by the rulings (Fatwa) of jurists on questions presented to them.
Documentary Films
“RUNAWAY is a powerful and heart-breaking documentary about a group of young runaway girls who are taken to a women's shelter in Tehran, Iran. The film focuses on the sufferings of young girls who struggle to free themselves from the tyrannical and abusive power of their families, mainly their fathers, brothers, and stepfathers. The sisterly feelings of the girls towards each other, their spiritual strength, their courage to rebel, and their wit are shown with a great degree of compassion and empathy in the film. The filmmakers have beautifully criticized the patriarchal system of family and the destructive power of male family members over the lives of their daughters and sisters. One can imagine that the issue of confinement and abuse goes beyond the issue of class when it comes to the problem of domestic violence and the desire to control women through anger, aggression and madness.” - Mehrnaz Saeed, Colombia College Chicago Divorce Iranian Style Hilarious, tragic, stirring, this fly-on-the-wall look at several weeks in an Iranian divorce court provides a unique window into the intimate circumstances of Iranian women’s lives. Following Jamileh, whose husband beats her; Ziba, a 16-year-old trying to divorce her 38-year-old husband; and Maryam, who is desperately fighting to gain custody of her daughters, this deadpan chronicle showcases the strength, ingenuity, and guile with which they confront biased laws, a Kafaka-esque administrative system, and their husbands’ and families’ rage to gain divorces. Scholar and filmmaker Ziba Mir-Hosseini, a specialist in Islamic law, gender and development and Professorial Research Associate at the Centre for Middle Eastern and Islamic Law, University of London, is the recipient of the 2015 Martin E. Marty Award for the Public Understanding of Religion. At the Marty Forum, Professor Mir-Hosseini will be interviewed by Diana L. Eck, Harvard University. The Marty Award recognizes extraordinary contributions to the public understanding of religion.
Michael Kessler (Georgetown University) and Ayesha S. Chaudhry (University of British Columbia), Presiding
Fight for equality for women in Islam: Musawah.
I am a free-lance academic, passionately involved in debates on gender equality in law. As a feminist, I expose and criticize the injustices that these laws continue to inflict on women in some Muslim contexts. As a Muslim, I approach these injustices by stressing one crucial element in the tradition of Muslim legal thought: the distinction between Shari‘a (the ‘path’, found in the Qur’an and the Prophet’s practice) an
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/Quran/003-wife-beating.htm
| The Qur'an: Qur'an (4:34) - "Men are the maintainers of women because Allah has made some of them to excel others and because they spend out of their property; the good women are therefore obedient, guarding the unseen as Allah has guarded; and (as to) those on whose part you fear desertion, admonish them, and leave them alone in the sleeping-places and beat them; then if they obey you, do not seek a way against them; surely Allah is High, Great." Qur'an (38:44) - "And take in your hand a green branch and beat her with it, and do not break your oath..." Allah telling Job to beat his wife (Tafsir). | |
From the Hadith: Bukhari (72:715) - A woman came to Muhammad and begged her to stop her husband from beating her. Her skin was bruised so badly that she it is described as being "greener" than the green veil she was wearing. Muhammad did not admonish her husband, but instead ordered her to return to him and submit to his sexual desires. Bukhari (72:715) - "Aisha said, 'I have not seen any woman suffering as much as the believing women'" This is Muhammad's own wife complaining of the abuse that the women of her religions suffer relative to other women. Muslim (4:2127) - Muhammad struck his favorite wife, Aisha, in the chest one evening when she left the house without his permission. Aisha narrates, "He struck me on the chest which caused me pain." Muslim (9:3506) - Muhammad's father-in-laws (Abu Bakr and Umar) amused him by slapping his wives (Aisha and Hafsa) for annoying him. According to the Hadith, the prophet of Islam laughed upon hearing this. Abu Dawud (2141) - "Iyas bin ‘Abd Allah bin Abi Dhubab reported the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) as saying: Do not beat Allah’s handmaidens, but when ‘Umar came to the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) and said: Women have become emboldened towards their husbands, he (the Prophet) gave permission to beat them." At first, Muhammad forbade men from beating their wives, but he rescinded this once it was reported that women were becoming emboldened toward their husbands. Beatings are sometimes necessary to keep women in their place. Abu Dawud (2142) - "The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: A man will not be asked as to why he beat his wife." Abu Dawud (2126) - "A man from the Ansar called Basrah said: 'I married a virgin woman in her veil. When I entered upon her, I found her pregnant. (I mentioned this to the Prophet).' The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: 'She will get the dower, for you made her vagina lawful for you. The child will be your slave. When she has begotten (a child), flog her'" A Muslim man thinks his is getting a virgin, then finds out she is pregnant. Muhammad tells him to treat the woman as a sex slave and then flog her after she has delivered the child. Ibn Ishaq/Hisham 969 - Requires that a married woman be "put in a separate room and beaten lightly" if she "act in a sexual manner toward others." According to the Hadith, this can be for an offense as petty as merely being alone with a man to whom she is not related. Kash-shaf (the revealer) of al-Zamkhshari (Vol. 1, p. 525) - [Muhammad said] "Hang up your scourge where your wife can see it" | |
Additional Notes: Some contemporary Muslim apologists often squirm over this relatively straightforward verse from the Qur'an (4:34) - which actually give men the right to beat their wives if they even have a "fear" of disloyalty or disobedience. Their rhetorical aerobics inspired us to write a separate article: Others are not nearly as squeamish. Sheikh Yousef al-Qaradhawi, one of the most respected Muslim clerics in the world, once made the famous (and somewhat ridiculous statement) that "It is forbidden to beat the woman, unless it is necessary." He also went on to say that "one may beat only to safeguard Islamic behavior," leaving no doubt that wife-beating is a matter of religious sanction. (source) Dr. Muzammil Saddiqi, the former president of ISNA (the Islamic Society of North America), a mainstream Muslim organization, says it is important that a wife "recognizes the authority of her husband in the house" and that he may use physical force if he is "sure it would improve the situation." (source) Sheikh Dr. Ahmad Muhammad Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, the head of Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam's most prestigious institution says that "light beatings" and "punching" are part of a program to "reform the wife" (source). Dr. Jamal Badawi endorses corporal punishment as "another measure that may save the marriage" (source). He isn't clear on how striking a woman will make her more inclined toward staying with her assailant, unless the implication is fear of a more serious beating if she leaves. Egyptian cleric, Abd al-Rahman Mansour, said in a 2012 televised broadcast that in addition to discouraging the wife from filing divorce, beatings would inspire the wife to "treat him with kindness and respect, and know that her husband has a higher status than her." (source) During Ramadan of 2010, another cleric named Sa'd Arafat actually said the woman is "honored" by the beating (source). No one else seemed terribly surprised by this. An undercover report from progressive Sweden in 2012 found that 60% of mosques there actually advised beaten women not to report the abuse to the police. These women were also told that they must submit to non-consensual 'sex' with their husbands. (source) In the birthplace of Islam, about half of Saudi women are beaten at home. "Hands and sticks were found to be used mostly in beating women, following by men’s head cover and to a lesser extent, sharp objects." (source) According to Islamic law, a husband may strike his wife for any one of the following four reasons:
Any of these are also sufficient grounds for divorce. Respected Quran scholars from the past interpreted verse 4:34 with impressive candor. Tabari said that it means to "admonish them, but if they refused to repent, then tie them up in their homes and beat them until they obey Allah’s commands toward you." Qurtubi told wife-beaters to try to avoid breaking bones, but added that "it is not a crime if it leads to death." (source) Muslim apologists sometimes say that Muhammad ordered that women not be harmed, but they are actually basing this on what he said before or during battle, such as in Bukhari (59:447), when Muhammad issued a command for all the men of Quraiza be killed and the women and children taken as slaves. (Having your husband murdered and being forced into sexual slavery apparently doesn't qualify as "harm" under the Islamic model). But, in fact, there are a number of cases in which Muhammad did have women killed in the most brutal fashion. One was Asma bint Marwan, a mother or five, who wrote a poem criticizing the Medinans for accepting Muhammad after he had ordered the murder of an elderly man. In this case, the prophet's assassins literally pulled a sleeping infant from her breast and stabbed her to death. After taking Mecca in 630, Muhammad also ordered the murder of a slave girl who had merely made up songs mocking him. The Hadith are rife as well with accounts of women planted in the ground on Muhammad's command and pelted to death with stones for sexual immorality - yet the prophet of Islam actually encouraged his own men to rape women captured in battle (Abu Dawood 2150, Muslim 3433) and did not punish them for killing non-Muslim women (as Khalid ibn Walid did on several occasions - see Ibn Ishaq 838 and 856). In summary, according to the Qur'an, Hadith and Islamic law, a woman may indeed have physical harm done to her if the circumstances warrant, with one such allowance being in the case of disobedience. This certainly does not mean that all Muslim men beat their wives, only that Islam permits them to do so. |
The Kominas Sharia Law in the U S A, 3:45
http://youtu.be/_M1cijnO4nA
Muslim Punk - A Taqwacore Call to Prayer, 2:57
http://youtu.be/NNZnZJIRL40
Muslim Sesame Street V: Pepsi Cola, the Apes, Pigs and Jews, 2:59
Saudi TV
palestinian kid "jews are apes" - parents teaching kids to hate jews, propaganda, 1:42
Jews are apes.
War song, 3:03
Spencer Geller vs. Islamists at Temple, 4:42
Krauthammer on Obama's 2015 Prayer Breakfast, 7:23
Dearborn Sharia, 11:24
http://youtu.be/-2okgUG_5Ys
Fitna The Movie, 16:48
Dutch politician Geert Wilders made this short film about islam and was put on trial for telling the truth.It seems the Dutch government would rather prosecute one of its own citizens concerned about the islamisation of the Netherlands than tell muslims to integrate or leave.
http://youtu.be/8RmiRPEvUIk
The Qur’an’s Archeological Evidence
If we are to take the Qur’anic records seriously, we will need to inquire further as to whether there are other sources which we can turn to for a corroboration of their accounts. Since we are dealing with scriptures which often speak of history, probably the best and easiest way to confirm that history is to go to the areas where the history took place because history never takes place in a vacuum. It always leaves behind its forgotten fingerprints, waiting dormant in the ground to be discovered, dug up and deciphered. It is therefore, important that we also get our digets dirty and take a look at the treasures which our archaeologist friends are discovering, to ascertain if they have been able to reward us with any clues as to the authenticity of both the Qur’anic accounts. Let’s see what archaeology tells us concerning the Qur’an.
THE QUR’AN’S ARCHEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE:
As with the manuscript and documentary evidence, there is not much archaeological data to which we can turn for corroboration of the Qur’an. What we can do, however, is look at the claims the Qur’an makes and ascertain whether they can be backed up by archaeology. Let’s start with the Qibla, or direction of prayer.
(1) The Qibla:
According to the Qur’an, the direction of prayer (the Qibla), was canonized (or finalized) towards Mecca for all Muslims in or around 624 A.D.
Yet, the earliest evidence from outside Muslim tradition regarding the direction in which Muslims prayed, and by implication the location of their sanctuary, points to an area much further north than Mecca, in fact somewhere in north-west Arabia 2. Consider the archaeological evidence which has been and is continuing to be uncovered from the first mosques built in the seventh century:
According to archaeological research carried out by Creswell and Fehervari on ancient mosques in the Middle East, two floor-plans from two Umayyad mosques in Iraq, one built at the beginning of the 8th century by the governor Hajjaj in Wasit (noted by Creswell as, “the oldest mosque in Islam of which remains have come down to us” – Creswell 1989:41), and the other attributed to roughly the same period near Baghdad, have Qiblas (the direction which these mosques are facing) which do not face Mecca, but are oriented too far north 3. The Wasit mosque is off by 33 degrees, and the Baghdad mosque is off by 30 degrees.
This agrees with Baladhuri’s testimony (called the Futuh) that the Qibla of the first mosque in Kufa, Iraq, supposedly constructed in 670 A.D. 5, also lay to the west, when it should have pointed almost directly south.
The original ground-plan of the mosque of Amr b. al As, located in Fustat, the garrison town outside Cairo, Egypt shows that the Qibla again pointed too far north and had to be corrected later under the governorship of Qurra b. Sharik 7. Interestingly this agrees with the later Islamic tradition compiled by Ahmad b. al-Maqrizi that Amr prayed facing slightly south of east, and not towards the south.
If you take a map you will find where it is that these mosques were pointing. All four of the above instances position the Qibla not towards Mecca, but much further north, in fact closer possibly to Jerusalem.
We find further corroboration for this direction of prayer by the Christian writer and traveller Jacob of Edessa, who, writing as late as 705 A.D. was a contemporary eye-witness in Egypt. He maintained that the Mahgraye’ (Greek name for Arabs) in Egypt prayed facing east which was towards their Ka’ba 9. His letter (which can be found in the British Museum) is indeed revealing. Therefore, as late as 705 A.D. the direction of prayer towards Mecca had not yet been canonized.
Yet, the Qur’an tells us (in sura 2) that the direction of the Qibla was fixed towards Mecca by approximately two years after the Hijra, or around 624 A.D., and has remained in that direction until the present.
Thus, according to Crone and Cook and Hawting, the combination of the archaeological evidence from Iraq along with the literary evidence from Egypt points unambiguously to a sanctuary [and thus direction of prayer] not in the south, but somewhere in north-west Arabia (or even further north) at least till the end of the seventh century.
What is happening here? Why are the Qiblas of these early mosques not facing towards Mecca? Why the discrepancy between the Qur’an and that which archaeology as well as documents reveal as late as 705 A.D.?
How else did Muslims perform the obligatory Hajj, which we are told was also canonized at this time? And why are so many of the mosques facing in the direction of northern Arabia, or possibly Jerusalem? A possible answer may be found by looking at archaeology once again; this time in Jerusalem itself.
The Dome of the Rock:
In the centre of Jerusalem sits an imposing structure (even today) called the Dome of the Rock, built by Abd al-Malik in 691 A.D. One will note, however, that the Dome of the Rock is not a mosque, as it has no Qibla (no direction for prayer). It is built as an octagon with eight pillars, suggesting it was used for circumambulation (to walk around). Thus, it seems to have been built as a sanctuary (Glasse 1991:102). Today it is considered to be the third most holy site in Islam, after Mecca and Medina. Muslims contend that it was built to commemorate the night when Muhammad went up to heaven to speak with Moses and Allah concerning the number of prayers required of the believers (known as the Mi’raj in Arabic).
Yet, according to the research carried out on the inscriptions on the walls of the building by Van Berchem and Nevo, they say nothing of the Mi’raj, but state mere polemical quotations which are Qur’anic, though they are aimed primarily at Christians. The inscriptions attest the messianic status of Jesus, the acceptance of the prophets, Muhammad’s receipt of revelation, and the use of the terms “islam” and “muslim”.
Why, if the Dome of the Rock were built to commemorate that momentous event, does it saying nothing about it? Perhaps this building was built for other purposes than that of commemorating the Mi’raj. The fact that such an imposing structure was built so early suggests that this and not Mecca became the sanctuary and the centre of a nascent Islam up until at least the late seventh century.
From what we read earlier of Muhammad’s intention to fulfill his and the Hagarene’s birthright, by taking back the land of Abraham, or Palestine, it makes sense that the caliph Abd al-Malik would build this structure as the centre-piece of that fulfilment. Is it no wonder then, that when Abd al-Malik built the dome in which he proclaimed the prophetic mission of Muhammad, he placed it over the temple rock itself.
According to Islamic tradition, the caliph Suleyman, who reigned as late as 715-717 A.D., went to Mecca to ask about the Hajj. He was not satisfied with the response he received there, and so chose to follow abd al-Malik (i.e. travelling to the Dome of the Rock) (note: not to be confused with the Imam, Malik b. Anas who, because he was born in 712 A.D. would have been only three years old at the time). This fact alone, according to Dr. Hawting at SOAS, points out that there was still some confusion as to where the sanctuary was to be located as late as the early eighth century. It seems that Mecca was only now (sixty years after the Muhammad’s death) taking on the role as the religious centre of Islam. One can therefore understand why, according to tradition, Walid I, who reigned as Caliph between 705 and 715 A.D., wrote to all the regions ordering the demolition and enlargement of the mosques (refer to ‘Kitab al-‘uyun wa’l-hada’iq,’ edited by M. de Goeje and P. de Jong 1869:4).
Could it be that at this time the Qiblas were then aligned towards Mecca? If so it points to a glaring contradiction in the Qur’an which established Mecca as the sanctuary and thus direction for prayer during the lifetime of Muhammad some eighty to ninety years earlier.
And that is not all, for we have other archaeological and inscripted evidence which point up differences with that which we read in the Qur’an. Let’s look at the reliability of Muhammad’s prophethood, using the data at our disposal.
Nevo’s Rock inscriptions:
In order to know who Muhammad was, and what he did, we must go back to the time when he lived, and look at the evidence which existed then, and still exists, to see what it can tell us about this very important figure. Dr. Wansbrough, who has done so much research on the early traditions and the Qur’an believes that, because the Islamic sources are all very late, from 150 years for the Sira-Maghazi documents, as well as the earliest Qur’an, it behoves us not to consider them authoritative.
It is when we look at the non-Muslim sources that we find some rather interesting observances as to who this man Muhammad was.
The best non-Muslim sources on this period which we have are those provided by the Arabic rock inscriptions scattered all over the Syro-Jordanian deserts and the Peninsula, and especially the Negev desert. The man who has done the greatest research on these rock inscriptions is the late Yehuda Nevo, of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. It is to his research, which is titled Towards a Prehistory of Islam, published in 1994, that I will refer.
Nevo has found in the Arab religious texts, dating from the first century and a half of Arab rule (seventh to eighth century A.D.), a monotheistic creed. However, he contends that this creed “is demonstrably not Islam, but [a creed] from which Islam could have developed.”
Nevo also found that “in all the Arab religious institutions during the Sufyani period [661-684 A.D.] there is a complete absence of any reference to Muhammad.” In fact neither the name Muhammad itself nor any Muhammadan formulae (that he is the prophet of God) appears in any inscription dated before the year 691 A.D.. This is true whether the main purpose of the inscription is religious, such as in supplications, or whether it was used as a commemorative inscription, though including a religious emphasis, such as the inscription at the dam near the town of Ta’if, built by the Caliph Mu’awiya in the 660s A.D.
The fact that Muhammad’s name is absent on all of the early inscriptions, especially the religious ones is significant. Many of the later traditions (i.e. the Sira and the Hadith, which are the earliest Muslim literature that we possess) are made up almost entirely of narratives on the prophet’s life. He is the example which all Muslims are to follow.
Why then do we not find this same emphasis in these much earlier Arabic inscriptions which are closer to the time he lived? Even more troubling, why is there no mention of him at all? His name is only found on the Arab inscriptions after 690 A.D.
And what’s more, the first dated occurrence of the phrase Muhammad rasul Allah (Muhammad is the prophet of God) is found on an Arab-Sassanian coin of Xalid b. Abdallah from the year 690 A.D., which was struck in Damascus.
Of greater significance, the first occurrence of what Nevo calls the “Triple Confession of Faith,” including the Tawhid (that God is one), the phrase, Muhammad rasul Allah (that Muhammad is his prophet), and the human nature of Jesus (rasul Allah wa- abduhu), is found in Abd al-Malik’s inscription in the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, dated 691 A.D. Before this inscription the Muslim confession of faith cannot be attested at all.
As a rule, after 691 A.D. and on through the Marwanid dynasty (until 750 A.D.), Muhammad’s name usually occurs whenever religious formulae are used, such as on coins, milestones, and papyrus “protocols”. One could probably argue that perhaps these late dates are due to the fact that any religious notions took time to penetrate the Arabic inscriptions. Yet, according to Nevo, the first Arabic papyrus, an Egyptian entaqion, which was a receipt for taxes paid, dated 642 A.D. and written in both Greek and Arabic is headed by the “Basmala,” yet it is neither Christian nor Muslim in character.
The religious content within the rock inscriptions do not become pronounced until after 661 A.D. However, though they bear religious texts, they never mention the prophet or the Muhammadan formulae. “This means,” Nevo says, “that the official Arab religious confession did not include Muhammad or Muhammadan formulae in its repertoire of set phrases at this time,” a full 30-60 years and more after the death of Muhammad. What they did contain was a monotheistic form of belief, belonging to a certain body of sectarian literature with developed Judaeo-Christian conceptions in a particular literary style, but one which contained no features specific to any known monotheistic religion.
Of even greater significance, these inscriptions show that when the Muhammadan formulae is introduced, during the Marwanid period (after 684 A.D.), it is carried out “almost overnight”. Suddenly it became the state’s only form of official religious declaration, and was used exclusively in formal documents and inscriptions, such as the papyrus “protocols”.
Yet even after the Muhammadan texts became official, they were not accepted by the public quite so promptly. For years after their appearance in state declarations, people continued to include non-Muhammadan legends in personal inscriptions, as well as routine chancery writings. Thus, for instance, Nevo has found a certain scribe who does not use the Muhammadan formulae in his Arabic and Greek correspondence, though he does on papyrus “protocols” bearing his name and title.
In fact, according to Nevo, Muhammadan formulae only began to be used in the popular rock inscriptions of the central Negev around 30 years (or one generation) after its introduction by Abd al-Malik, sometime during the reign of Caliph Hisham (between 724-743 A.D.). And even these, according to Nevo, though they are Muhammadan, are not Muslim. The Muslim texts, he believes, only begin to appear at the beginning of the ninth century (around 822 A.D.), coinciding with the first written Qur’ans, as well as the first written traditional Muslim accounts.
Thus, it seems from these inscriptions that it was during the later Marwanid period (after 684 A.D.), and not during the life of Muhammad that he was elevated to the position of a universal prophet, and that even then, the Muhammadan formula which was introduced was still not equivalent with that which we have today.
The Qur’an:
We now come to the Qur’an itself. It seems evident that the Qur’an underwent a transformation during the 100 years following the prophet’s death. We have now uncovered coins with supposed Qur’anic writings on them which date from 685 A.D., coined during the reign of Abd al-Malik. Furthermore, the Dome of the Rock sanctuary built by Abd al-Malik in Jerusalem in 691 A.D. “does attest to the existence, at the end of the seventh century, of materials immediately recognizable as Koranic.” Yet, the quotations from the Qur’an on both the coins and the Dome of the Rock differ in details from that which we find in the Qur’an today. Van Berchem and Grohmann, two etymologists who have done extensive research on the Dome of the Rock inscriptions, maintain that the inscriptions contain “variant verbal forms, extensive deviances, as well as omissions from the text which we have today.”
If these inscriptions had been derived from the Qur’an, with the variants which they contain, then how could the Qur’an have been canonized prior to this time (late seventh century)? One can only conclude that there must have been an evolution in the transmission of the Qur’an through the years (if indeed they were originally taken from the Qur’an).
The sources also seem to suggest that the Qur’an was put together rather hurriedly. This is underlined by Dr. John Wansbrough who maintains that, “the book is strikingly lacking in overall structure, frequently obscure and inconsequential in both language and content, perfunctory in its linking of disparate materials, and given to the repetition of whole passages in variant versions. On this basis it can plausibly be argued that the book is the product of the belated and imperfect editing of materials from a plurality of traditions.” Thus Crone and Cook believe that because of the imperfection of the editing, the emergence of the Qur’an must have been a sudden and late event.
As to when that event took place we are not altogether sure, but we can make an educated guess. From the earlier discussion concerning the dating of the earliest manuscripts we can conclude that there was no Qur’anic documentation in existence in the mid-late seventh century. The earliest reference from outside Islamic literary traditions to the book called the “Qur’an” occurs in the mid-eighth century between an Arab and a monk of Bet Hale, but no-one knows whether it may have differed considerably in content from the Qur’an which we have today. Both Crone and Cook conclude that except for this small reference there is no indication of the existence of the Qur’an before the end of the seventh century.
Crone and Cook in their research go on to maintain that it was under the governor Hajjaj of Iraq in 705 A.D. that we have a logical historical context in which the “Qur’an” (or a nascent body of literature which would later become the Qur’an) could have been compiled as Muhammad’s scripture 46. In an account attributed to Leo by Levond, the governor Hajjaj is shown to have collected all the old Hagarene writings and replaced them with others “according to his own taste, and disseminated them everywhere among [his] nation.” A reasonable conclusion is that it was during this period that the Qur’an began its evolution, possibly beginning to be written down, until it was finally canonized in the mid to late eighth century as the Qur’an which we now know.
From this brief survey we can conclude that the archaeological evidence for the historicity of the Qur’an proves to be the most damaging. Not only do the seventh and eighth century ruins and inscriptions from the area seem to contradict the notion that Muhammad canonized a direction of prayer during his lifetime, or that he had formulated a scripture known as the Qur’an, but the idea of his universal prophethood, that he was the final “seal” of all prophets is brought into question. This indeed is significant and troublesome.
Contemporary Debates Within Islamism
the-world-war-inside-islam-isis-caliphate-saudi-arabia-iraq-syria
/war-between-two-worlds
generational-long-war
Why Sharia Does Not Work in Israel
Speaking to the Jewish Chronicle in 2008, Dr. Aviad Hacohen, a constitutional law expert from Hebrew University and the head of the Mosiaca Centre on State and Religion, detailed what he sees as the “two main shortcomings” of Israel’s system:
The first is that it creates a twin-track system of religious and civil law that are not always compatible. Over-ruling of the religious courts by the Supreme Court is not uncommon, and in 1992, in the landmark case Bavli v Bavli, the Supreme Court ruled that civil courts take precedence over religious courts.The second shortcoming is that the system isn’t good for everyone. It can’t deal with mixed marriages, or those who are not recognised as belonging to a religion.Such arrangements between religious courts and the civil authorities are impossible in countries like the US and France, where there is a strict division between state and religion, but they exist in Germany and Belgium where some religious groups are allowed to rule on such matters.
Salafism or Philology?
Islamic Art
https://www.khanacademy.org/partner-content/asian-art-museum/aam-islam-topic/islam/a/introduction-to-islam
Islamic (Sharia) Law in America, J. Christian Adams, Minnesota
2012 James Lafferty Minnesota Condell on Sharia
Qur'an, Eno, Byrne, Banned, My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, 1981, 3:49
https://youtu.be/ezGQX6RmmgY
"Way back when the record first came out, in 1981, it might have been '82, we got a request from an Islamic organization in London, and they said, 'We consider this blasphemy that you put grooves to the chanting of the Holy Book.' And we thought, 'Okay, in deference to somebody's religion, we'll take it off.' You could probably argue for and against monkeying with something like that. But I think we were certainly feeling very cautious about this whole thing. We made a big effort to try and clear all the voices, and make sure everybody was okay with everything. Because we thought, 'We're going to get accused of all kinds of things, and so we want to cover our asses as best we can.' So I think in that sense we reacted maybe with more caution than we had to. But that's the way it was.[28]" Dahlen, Chris (2006-07-17). "Interviews: David Byrne". Pitchfork Media.
See-Something-Say-Nothing, 1:52
An ethnic Chinese rapper in Malaysia has been detained for allegedly insulting Islam in his latest music video.
Oh My God! 4:04
https://youtu.be/12Xh5pK_zQ0
