Islam is a peaceful religion..HA HA HA!!!
Yes...many of us would laugh when the dichotomous relationship betwenn Islam and Peace is mentioned.
When would the common sense pervail. Muslims are more violent. Let us analyse some recent conflicts as history can be debated for years for its truthness. Hezbollah and Israel. Violence count 1100 (Muslims) and 120 (Jews). Who is more violent?. Iraq and So called coalition of willing - 100,000 (muslims) - 2700 Americans + 500 (others). Who is more violent?. Afghanistan and So called coalition of willing - 10,000 (msulims) and around 500 (americans and others) Who is more violent. The list can go on and on and on. Their is only one difference between all these violenct encounters .. Muslims do not have CNN, BBC and FOX and UN Security council to justify all these although when aljazeera tries to do just that even they get their office and journalist bombed. It is high time that we stop blaming religion for the violence. It is all about money and nothing else. People use religion, democracy, freedom to further their economic interest.
The west has finally out done itself in hypocrisy. While passing the laws to prevent hatred and extremism (UK). It has started to heap hatred toward Islam in form of passing laws to ban Headdresses (Hijab), monitoring religious gathering, abducting people from the streets and rendition them secretly and holding them incommunicado. Repeatedly publishing cartoon showing Prophet Mohammad as a terrorist.
Now, it is utterly hypocritical of Pope Benedict to criticize Islam and it Prophet while it is his followers (the Christian west) who have waged most wars and caused most of the bloodshed in the modern history (WWI, WWII ? resulted in the use of Atomic Weapons by the US, Korean War, Vietnam War and now unjustified invasion of Iraq). The Christians have to look at themselves before slandering Islam or other great religions either by publishing offensive cartoons or quoting their bigot brothers of the past. Catholicism's murderous and compromised history (crusades sanctioned by the Pope Urban) left it with no moral leg to stand on to criticize other religions. It was the Christian west who colonized and enslaved most of the world by force and pillaged various continents of their natural resources during most of the modern history.
But THEN...
I love my Muslim brothers and non-Muslim friends. I want only the best for them. It pains me to see Islam connected to thin-skinned emotional reactions to comments by the likes of Popeye popes and insulting cartoons.
Why can't Muslim leadership be true wise leaders? I fail to accept them as being so incapable and impotent? Don't they want to help our Muslim brothers and sisters to walk a path of restrain? Don't they see the value of mature broadshouldered acceptance of outsiders occasional inappropriate comments? A shrug is a more advanced reaction than a fist or a fury. It's the Sunnah. It's the Quran!
The current path is embarrassing. The rabble rousing and the inability of Muslim leadership to contain the resulting violence and vitriolic makes me cringe in sympathy for the ordinary Muslim. They are the ones who must live, and cope daily, with the reputation this creates.
This is on top the linkage of modern Islam to terrorism, murder, intolerance. What a burden!
We have a voice. Why hinder? Why not help? Help in making this World a Better place!
13 comments:
Fahim,
Thank you for visiting my youth group's blog. I appreciated your willingness to enter the dialogue with us. While I believe that Islamic terrorist pose a huge threat to the world, I think you offer some fair critiques of America (this is coming for an American). I do not believe that America is God nor do I believe that our Constitution is the Bible as many in our nation seem to believe. I do believe that Jesus is the Son of God and died as a substitute on the cross for all those who would believe in Him. We all deserve hell and need a Savior. Again, thanks for the comments.
Dear Scott, for those who might get to read this, I\ll put a reference to our discussion that exists here.
First of all, did the realisation of the wrong/cunning quotation by your source of the mentioned Hadith, bring about any notional / actual, change in your impression about the sources you get to read of Islam? Would you make any extra effort to cross check/refer whatever you get to hear about Islam (not Muslims) again?
If your answer is emphatically.. Yes!! We are in for a rational dialogue.
Coming to the point that we all deserve hell and need a saviour, is not only irrational to me but doesn't find any basis in Bible either. Please direct me to the chapter in either OT/NT where God decrees that ALL men deserve to be in Hell.
On the contrary, by sending Jesus (pbuh) and die for our sins goes against what is taught in the OT:
"A child shall not suffer for the iniquity of the parent, nor a parent suffer for the iniquity of a child; the righteousness of the righteous shall be his own, and the wickedness of the wicked be his own." (Ezekiel 18:20)
"Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor sons for their fathers; each shall be executed for his own crime." (Deuteronomy 24:16)
Also sending a man(yes Christians believe he was god but while he was on earth he was also a man) to suffer and die for everyone else is cruel and unjust. And God is never unjust.
Thanks to you too for taking the initiative for this dialogue. Hope to continue in the same flavor.
EXACTLY!!!
The OT is the opposite to the NT, that is because Christians today follow the NT, Jews follow the OT as they are still waiting for Jesus.
The OT was written before forgiveness, Jesus came and introduced this when he forgave our sins, Jesus dieing for our sins created the NT, forgiveness.
That was a fast comment and interesting one for that matter...but lacks any theological merit.
Correct me if I am wrong but didnt Jesus (pbuh) confirm and fulfill the OT?? And if they are oppisites why would it be included in the Bible? Remember the Bible isnt the Bible with just the NT.
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:17-20)
There you go straight outta the NT
Now, just as the ews are still awaiting Jesus(peace be upon him) in delusion, aren't chrisians awaiting their 'pariclytos' or 'paraclete' in error??
Fahim,
Here are a couple of verses to consider:
"And you were dead in your trespasses and sins." Ephesians 2:1
Paul does not present the state that we are born into as a sickness but as death. Dead men cannot do anything, but be dead. They cannot please God. My father-in-law has just posted about this on Our Sovereign Joy.
Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
This all inclusive verses teaches that all men have sinned. What is sin? To fail to glorify God. This makes sin much deeper that that which we "do". It includes thoughts and motives.
Paul goes on in his argument, in which he has already presented in Romans 1-3 a defense of how all are without excuse to say in chapter 6:
For the wages of sin is DEATH, but the free gift of God is eternal life." Romans 6:23
If all have sinned, and I don't think any Muslim would deny the reality of sin (please correct me if I am in error), therefore all deserve death. Paul means much more than second death here. In Revelation 23:8, when unbelievers are cast into the lake of fire at the final judgement, this is called the second death. I look forward to talking with you. I appreciate your kindness in the debate and willingness to post my comments. I will certainly take your advice and make an effort to cross check my Muslim sources. That was an error on my part and Lord willing I will not do it again.
:)
Hi Scott...I again appreciate your comments though they failed to deal with my earlier references to bible regarding Jesus(pbuh) being assigned the charater of a blanket saviour for the whole of mankind till the end of times, by Saint Paul. None still argues, what authority did Saint Paul had to make such statements on Jesus (pbuh) behalf which the Bible verses themselves contradicts.
Anyways...IF the physical death (Greek 'thanatus'), did spread to all men through the SIN of Adam (Romans 5:12), and IF the act of Jesus was indeed the payment of debt or its satisfaction and reconciliation with God and the justification and life (Greek 'zoe') for all men, (Romans 5:18), then why are men still dying the physical death?
The existence of physical death, clearly indicates that every living person is individually answerable for his or her SINS and is not yet SAVED by the Act of Jesus. I quote below a verse from the Bible to support the above.
The person who sins shall die. A child shall not suffer for the iniquity of a parent, nor a parent suffer for the iniquity of a child; the righteousness of the righteous shall be his own, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be his own. Ezekiel 18:20
Did you notice, I am not yet bringing the Final testament (The Quran) into our conversation. ;)
Salaam Alaikum sir...
my comment is not at all related to the conversation you were having with Mr Scott Welch.
It is regarding the site Guided Ones. Now I visit that site regularly and really appreciate the information there but I have noticed it hasnt been updated for a long time..that is disappointing because I really look forward to the materials posted on that site!! Why isnt that site updated anymore??
We (@ guidedones) are looking for someone who can help us (at a moderate price) change the whole interface using something better (like open source CMS Mambo,joomla). The current website interface was done using Frontpage 2000 and it takes real effort to update the contents.
Moreover, time is a issue too. From the initial days of activism we have moved to doing more substantial ground activism as we feel, that would yield desired results more than debating, writing replies to demagogues on the Internet etc.
But yes..keep paying the site a visit every now and then. The reason that we are still paying for the domain name and space every month, spells that we have something better on our mind ;)
Thanks for appreciating our efforts, albeit they are nothing as compared to the job at hand for every Muslim of the world.
Who crashed into the Twin Towers? Who killed 2,996 people? I don't want to read the so-called reasons why they did it. I just want you to say who did it.
Who crashed the Twin towers??
Probably Al Qaeda!!Hmm??
But I have a query too...
Who pulled down the WTC 7??
Do you have any answers??
Watch the Truth..and Truth shall set you free..InshAllah!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVmH6qLFwag&NR
Salaam Alaikum
Thanks a lot for your reply sir... I do visit the site regularly to check for updates but now the site is down..
U mentioned something about substantial ground activism...can u elaborate a bit more on that please?? I really appreciate the people on Guided Ones and would like to help and assist in any way I can..
Thanks
Khuda Hafiz
There was a service oytage by the provider. The site is back up and running. We are going for an outlook change..soon..InshAllah.
By ground activism, I meant..in spirit...."Conduct".
Your conduct in the society is what makes heads and minds move. Move much better than all media and it's hypocrisy combined.
We are trying to leave an impression and example in the society by being a good Muslim.
In a nutshell..trying to follow the ayah of the Quran: "...And command good and forbid evil, and be patient with whatever afflicts you; indeed this is the firmness required for matters.' (31:17)"
You can help...of course!! :)
Post a Comment