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Post by justjohn on Sept 14, 2010 4:01:08 GMT -7
A German's View on Islam: It's the Fanatics, Who Ruleby Celestial Junk 12 Nov, 2007 I used to know a man whose family were German aristocracy prior to World War Two. They owned a number of large industries and estates. I asked him how many German people were true Nazis, and the answer he gave has stuck with me and guided my attitude toward fanaticism ever since. "Very few people were true Nazis," he said, "but many enjoyed the return of German pride, and many more were too busy to care. I was one of those who just thought the Nazis were a bunch of fools. So, the majority just sat back and let it all happen. Then, before we knew it, they owned us, we had lost control and the end of the world had come. My family lost everything. I ended up in a concentration camp and the Allies destroyed my factories." We are told again and again by "experts" and "talking heads" that Islam is the religion of peace, and that the vast majority of Muslims just want to live in peace. Although this unqualified assertion may be true, it is entirely irrelevant. It is meaningless fluff, meant to make us feel better, and meant to somehow diminish the spectre of fanatics rampaging across the globe in the name of Islam. The fact is that the fanatics rule Islam at this moment in history. It is the fanatics who march. It is the fanatics who wage any one of 50 shooting wars worldwide. It is the fanatics who systematically slaughter Christian or tribal groups throughout Africa and are gradually taking over the entire continent in an Islamic wave. It is the fanatics who bomb, behead, murder, or honor killers. It is the fanatics who take over mosque after mosque. It is the fanatics who zealously spread the stoning and hanging of rape victims and homosexuals. The hard quantifiable fact is that the "peaceful majority", the "silent majority", is cowed and extraneous. Communist Russia was comprised of Russians who just wanted to live in peace, yet the Russian Communists were responsible for the murder of about 20 million people. The peaceful majority were irrelevant. China 's huge population was peaceful as well, but Chinese Communists managed to kill a staggering 70 million people. The average Japanese individual prior to World War II was not a warmongering sadist. Yet, Japan murdered and slaughtered its way across South East Asia in an orgy of killing that included the systematic murder of 12 million Chinese civilians; most killed by sword, shovel, and bayonet. And, who can forget Rwanda, which collapsed into butchery? Could it not be said that the majority of Rwandans were "peace loving"? History lessons are often incredibly simple and blunt, yet for all our powers of reason we often miss the most basic and uncomplicated of points: Peace-loving Muslims have been made irrelevant by their silence. Peace-loving Muslims will become our enemy if they don't speak up, because, like my friend from Germany, they will awaken one day and find that the fanatics own them and the end of their world will have begun. Peace-loving Germans, Japanese, Chinese, Russians, Rwandans, Serbs, Afghanis, Iraqis, Palestinians, Somalis, Nigerians, Algerians, and many others have died because the peaceful majority did not speak up until it was too late. As for us who watch it all unfold; we must pay attention to the only group that counts; the fanatics who threaten our way of life.
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Post by karl on Sept 14, 2010 9:32:32 GMT -7
J.J. Thank you for this presentation It would so appear some one in this publication of has their head on the shoulders screwed on in the correct direction. For they have exactly determined a truth, for many years has been hidden in the smoke screen of popular propaganda, that extends even to the present as a carry over. Primarily for the reason, many wish to believe it. There is a skill in mass communication for specific purpose of manipulation for direction of intent. This may take most any form of convenience and/or with manner of slant or omission of key verbiage. Rather this is accepted or dismissed by individuals is simply moot. The key of understanding, is education/ training in the mechanics of communication, and direction.. Very important. For the fairly well informed, are influenced by technical terms and leading statements of intrigue. Whilst in opposite, the individuals of sparse education, are most likely to dismiss such technical words of intrigue as non-sense. But, are in opposite, most interested in gain with out risk, or labour involved. And/or a promise of betterment as a means of easier life through support of a promised programme, for only a slight involvement of personal nature. Yes, we as people, have our sensitive buttons, it takes only a bit of time, for those of knowledge to press them for their own advantage. Karl
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Post by pieter on Sept 14, 2010 14:45:56 GMT -7
JJ,
How about the Peace-loving Dutch, Flemish, Wallons, Danes, French, Austrians, Hungarians, Rumanians, Ukrainians, Russians, Baltic people, Slovaks, and last but not least the Croats, Bosniaks, and Albanians who were SS-soldiers or in another form collaborators with the Nazi regime. How many of them participated with their German Nazi comrades in the bureaucratic process of the Holocaust, in progroms against jews and gypsies and other undesirables. How many Poles, Jews, Ukrainians, Belarussians, Hungarians, Czechs, Germans, Slovaks, Russians, Serbs, Croats, Georgians, Bulgarians and others participated in the Stalinist crimes in the thirtees, fourtees and fiftees?
How many Militairy, rightwing, leftwing and theocratic dictatorships have we today? How many extremists have we in our own societies? Is totalitarianism a threat to us today? What is the role of China in Africa and the Middle east today?
Pieter
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Post by justjohn on Oct 28, 2010 5:28:37 GMT -7
Muhammad's promise to Christians By Muqtedar Khan Director of Islamic Studies at the University of Delaware Muslims and Christians together constitute over 50 percent of the world. If they lived in peace, we would be half way to world peace. One small step we can take towards fostering Muslim-Christian harmony is to tell and retell positive stories and abstain from mutual demonization. In this article I propose to remind both Muslims and Christians about a promise that Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) made to Christians. The knowledge of this promise can have enormous impact on Muslim conduct towards Christians. Muslims generally respect the precedent of their Prophet and try to practice it in their lives. In 628 AD, a delegation from St. Catherine's Monastery came to Prophet Muhammed and requested his protection. He responded by granting them a charter of rights, which I reproduce below in its entirety. St. Catherine's Monastery is located at the foot of Mt. Sinai and is the world's oldest monastery. It possess a huge collection of Christian manuscripts, second only to the Vatican, and is a world heritage site. It also boasts the oldest collection of Christian icons. It is a treasure house of Christian history that has remained safe for 1,400 years under Muslim protection. The Promise to St. Catherine: "This is a message from Muhammad ibn Abdullah, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them. Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by Allah! I hold out against anything that displeases them. No compulsion is to be on them. Neither are their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries. No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims' houses. Should anyone take any of these, he would spoil God's covenant and disobey His Prophet. Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter against all that they hate. No one is to force them to travel or to oblige them to fight. The Muslims are to fight for them. If a female Christian is married to a Muslim, it is not to take place without her approval. She is not to be prevented from visiting her church to pray. Their churches are to be respected. They are neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness of their covenants. No one of the nation (Muslims) is to disobey the covenant till the Last Day (end of the world)." The first and the final sentence of the charter are critical. They make the promise eternal and universal. Muhammed asserts that Muslims are with Christians near and far, straight away rejecting any future attempts to limit the promise to St. Catherine alone. By ordering Muslims to obey it until the Day of Judgment the charter again undermines any future attempts to revoke the privileges. These rights are inalienable. Muhammed declared Christians, all of them, as his allies and he equated ill treatment of Christians with violating God's covenant. A remarkable aspect of the charter is that it imposes no conditions on Christians for enjoying its privileges. It is enough that they are Christians. They are not required to alter their beliefs, they do not have to make any payments and they do not have any obligations. This is a charter of rights without any duties! The document is not a modern human rights treaty, but even though it was penned in 628 A.D. it clearly protects the right to property, freedom of religion, freedom of work, and security of the person. I know most readers, must be thinking, So what? Well the answer is simple. Those who seek to foster discord among Muslims and Christians focus on issues that divide and emphasize areas of conflict. But when resources such as Muhammad's promise to Christians is invoked and highlighted it builds bridges. It inspires Muslims to rise above communal intolerance and engenders good will in Christians who might be nursing fear of Islam or Muslims. When I look at Islamic sources, I find in them unprecedented examples of religious tolerance and inclusiveness. They make me want to become a better person. I think the capacity to seek good and do good inheres in all of us. When we subdue this predisposition towards the good, we deny our fundamental humanity. In this holiday season, I hope all of us can find time to look for something positive and worthy of appreciation in the values, cultures and histories of other peoples. Dr. Muqtedar Khan is Director of Islamic Studies at the University of Delaware and a fellow of the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding. By Muqtedar Khan | December 30, 2009; 11:27 AM ET
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Post by justjohn on Dec 12, 2010 14:12:41 GMT -7
“To me it seems certain that the fatalistic teachings of Mohammed and the utter degradation of women is the outstanding cause for the arrested development of the Arab” – Gen. George S. Patton
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Post by karl on Dec 12, 2010 14:52:14 GMT -7
“To me it seems certain that the fatalistic teachings of Mohammed and the utter degradation of women is the outstanding cause for the arrested development of the Arab” – Gen. George S. Patton It all seems as to be so strange and contradictory in terms. For it matters not of rather to be: Islamic or Israeli or Christian. For all of us are the Children of God, the same God as has always been. It would so seem it is the frailties of people as their weakness that is the problem. Perhaps I think, it is some confusion of terms of the original writings. For these were for the welfare and survival of the peoples of the book {Koran, Torah, Bible} it {Books} placed in writing what they should eat {for their safety-there was not refrigeration in the desert} how they needs be to treat one another, to place their woman folk as to be safe from predatory single males, and of the various rules to the time. The time of the books were written, has long past departed, and as also, the conditions the people lived in have long since changed. But, the same writing, rules are still in place in the books. As be it: Now, it is to the learnt religious leadership to acknowledge this and translate for the people for that what God has meant. This has not been accomplished and the result is nonsense being perpetrated by those wishing to act out the role of extremism. For they accomplish not, they produce not, they simple take with out giving. They are indeed human beings, but some thing in their heads become wrong. Every one has a face, and they {extremest} are no different. It is now to the good people to protect them selves, and that is not to for get who we are, we are the Children Of God. Karl
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