Ramadan: When Time No Longer Mattered

The Muslim fasting month of Ramadan may begin on August 1 this year. Or perhaps it will not. The start of Ramadan must be determined by religious clerics observing the new moon with the naked eye. Also, Ramadan may begin in different countries on different days – because the new moon appears on different days as it orbits the earth. Islamic obsession with physically observing the new moon obscures the embarrassing truth that the accuracy of time doesn’t really matter much in Islam.

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Scientific calculatians can predict the time of moon-rise with an error of only a few seconds. But in Islamic tradition, Ramadan fasting cannot start until the moon has been sighted by naked eyes, which is grossly inaccurate.

Today’s quartz watches have an accuracy of 10 to 20 seconds a year. A watch that gains or loses even a few minutes a day would be discarded, or at least sent to the jeweler for repairs. So it is remarkable that Muslims use a calendar which is out-of-sync with the solar year by eleven days a year. A wristwatch marking Muslim time would be off by 43 minutes a day!

The explanation for this phenomenal inaccuracy in keeping time is that Muslims observe a lunar year, while the rest of the world observes a solar year. Long ago, observing the moon was a crude but convenient way of marking the passing of calendar months, but almost nobody was foolish enough to believe that 12 cycles of the moon constituted a full year. Long before Islam was introduced, astronomers adjusted between the lunar year and the solar year by inserting the missing days in a “thirteenth month” – a process called “intercalculation.”

But the moon is a central element of Islamic ideology. In the Quran, Allah swears by the moon (Surah 74:32). The crescent moon adorns the tops of mosques and the flags of Muslim countries. Some scholars even assert that Allah is actually the Moon God of the Meccan Quraysh tribe. Because the moon is so central to Islam, using the moon to mark time became an important religious distinction for Muslims – even if it failed to mark time accurately. So in his final address to Muslims, Muhammad made a major point of condemning the practice of intercalculation:

"Intercalculating a month is an increase in unbelief whereby the unbelievers go astray; one year they make it profane, and hallow it another, [in order] to agree with the number that God has hallowed, and so profane what God has hallowed, and hallow what God has made profane... The number of months with Allah is twelve: [they were] in the Book of God on the day He created the heavens and the earth." (Al Tabari, Vol. IX, para. 1754, and Surahs 9:36 and 9:37)

The origins of Islam were basically urban, with many allusions to trade and commerce in the texts. Seasons were not as important to urban dwellers as they were to farmers. Islam had a poor understanding of agriculture, as reflected by the claim that rainfall was important for farming in Egypt (Surah 12:49) or that the moon could be used to determine the seasons (Surah 10.5). So it was probably disconcerting to Muhammad that the farmers around Medina used the Jewish intercalculated solar calendar in preference to the Muslim lunar calendar. Ultimately, Muhammad and Quran condemned that as un-Islamic.

For Muslims, the calendar wasn’t used primarily for planting or harvesting crops. Rather it was used for determining when Muslims could engage in fasting, pilgrimages, and most importantly, collective jihad. Read Surah 9:36 again: "...And fight against those who ascribe divinity to aught beside Allah, all together – just as they fight against you, [Oh, believers] all together."

Modern Islamic apologists extol the virtue of the shortened year, because it allows the fasting month to occur during all the seasons of the year, and thus helps Muslims experience and understand the plight of needy fellow Muslims during all seasons. There are plenty of studies, however, that show that Muslims actually consume 50% more food during Ramadan than during other months in the year. So much for experiencing poverty! Anyone who has seen farmers harvesting their crops at night by lamp-light during Ramadan -- because they physically cannot work the fields without food and water during the harvest season -- would have no sympathy for the merits of a seasonally rotating fasting season.

So this year, I hope my Muslim friends will take time to reflect on the abject failure of Islamic timekeeping to be useful for anything – whether it is knowing when to plant crops or when to schedule a major holiday. A $20 Timex watch almost 50,000 times more accurate.

Democracy's Problems with Islam

A relatively recent demographic change—significant increase in Muslim population—poses a serious challenge to the American system of governance—democracy.

Historically, people from all over the world came to this land-of-take-all and made it their home. In becoming American, each new aspirant had to meet specific provisions and take the “Pledge of Allegiance” as sworn affirmation of his highest loyalty to his new homeland. After a couple of generations, all hyphenated Americans saw themselves as Americans with a special affection for their ancestral heritage. An Irish-American, for instance, considered himself every bit as American as a German-American, or a Chinese-American.

Traditionally, America did not homogenize its diverse people. The notion of the “melting pot,” is inaccurate. Instead, America did one better. As it welcomed its diverse people, America united them around a set of core values such as respect for human rights, democratic governance, and the rule of law. The large number of Muslims arrival of recent years is posing a serious problem to this nation of all nations. Bluntly speaking, no one can be a faithful Muslim and an American at the same time. Here are some of the reasons.

A Muslim is, first and foremost, an Ummahist—a citizen of international Islam. So, when a Muslim takes the Pledge of Allegiance, he is either ignorant of the implication of his pledge or is lying willfully. Ignorance is never a valid reason in the court of law, and lying in the process of becoming a citizen is a ground for denying the application and even deporting the violator. Sadly enough, tagyyeh (taqiyya) —lying, or dissimulation—is not only condoned, it is recommended to the Muslims in their scripture. Hence, a Muslim can and would lie without any compunctions, whenever it is expedient.

Muslims, by belief and practice, are the most blatant violators of human rights. We hardly need to detail here Muslims’ systemic cruel treatment of the unbelievers, women of all persuasions, and any and all minorities across the board. To Muslims, human rights have a different meaning, and its protective provisions are reserved strictly for Muslims—primarily for Muslim men. Just a couple of examples should suffice for now.

Oppression of women, for one, is so systemic in Islam that to this day women are, at best, second class citizens under Islamic law. Saudi Arabia, the custodian of Islamdom, denies women the right to drive, vote or hold elective offices—the most basic rights of citizens in democratic societies.

For another, no non-Islamic literature is allowed in Saudi Arabia. A visiting Christian, for instance, is denied to enter the Kingdom with a Bible. Further, severe punishment is meted out to anyone daring to disagree with Islam or espouse a different religion. Iran’s resurgent Shiism often vies with Saudi Arabia in its mistreatment of religious and non-religious minorities. To the fanatical ruling gang in Iran, it is their brand of Islam or disenfranchisement of rights of citizenship and even death for the “sin” of apostasy. And of course, there is no point at all in talking about the savage Islamic Taliban.

Respect for the rule of law, as it is understood and practiced by civilized people, is an instrument of convenience to be used to advantage and to be violated when it is not, for the Muslim. A Muslim believes in a different law—the Shariah: a set of stone-age rules. Violation of the non-Muslim laws, therefore, is no violation at all to a Muslim.

What is incredible is the gall and audacity of Muslims in demanding that Western and other democracies legalize Shariah in their societies. Due to large populations of Muslims, mostly recent arrivals, in countries such as Canada, Great Britain, and Sweden, these countries are experiencing the insistent demands by Muslims to have Shariah rule their Islamic communities. This is just the beginning and it may seem relatively harmless to the simpletons in our midst. Yet, once Shariah is recognized to any extent, it will reach out to rule not only on matters that concern Muslims, but also those that may involve a Muslim and non-Muslim. Under Shariah, a Muslim man married to a non-Muslim woman is able to divorce the woman at will, automatically have custody of the children, and literally toss the wife out of “his” home with practically no compensation.

As for democracy, the rule of the people, Muslims have no use at all. Muslims believe that Allah’s rule must govern the world in the form of Caliphate—a theocracy. Making mockery of democracy, subverting its working, and ignoring its provisions is a Muslim’s way of falsifying what he already believes to be a sinful and false system of governance invented by the infidels.

To Muslims, Ummah-ism—international Islamism—is the legitimate form of government. Ummah-ism is another form of despotism such as Communism and Fascism, with the added feature of enjoying “divine” authority.

The world has good samples of Ummah-ism in practice to scrutinize in Islamic autocracies. Khamenei of Iran is not called "Caliph". He is called the “Supreme Guide.” The Saudi King is just another Caliph vessel of the "divine". These Islamic despots are every bit as vile as the Hitlers, the Stalins, the Pol Pots, and the Mussolinis. The government these Islamic autocrats head is infested to the core with the Islamic disease of oppression, corruption and the absence of accountability to the people.

Democracies believe that government must be of the people, by the people, and for the people. Ummah-ism is anathema to this sacrosanct fundamental democratic ideal.

As more and more Muslims arrive in non-Islamic lands, as they reproduce with great fecundity, as they convert the disenchanted and minorities, and as petrodollar-flush Muslims and Muslim treasuries supply generous funds, Muslims gather more power to undermine the democratic rule. A consortium composed of pandering politicians, blinded with short-term self-interest and egoism; attention and fund-seeking self-proclaimed prima donna professors; and, bastions of useful idiot liberals, universities, is the witting or unwitting promoter of Ummah-ism.

It is human nature to be concerned, first and foremost, with his personal well-being. Some people evolve to a higher level of humanness and place the welfare of the general public above their own. Yet, many remain fixated at the constricted stage of “self first, self, last.” Even if you belong to this latter group, your self-interest demands that you do all you can to make sure that the disease of Islamofascism does not devour democracy. Democracy is both fragile and corruptible. It takes vigilant citizenry to protect its integrity.

We fully agree with Churchill’s observation, "Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the rest." Yet, as imperfect as it is, democracy is still humanity’s best system of self-rule. We, one and all, must defend it with our all.

The Majestic Allah, Part 5

A peep into Jannat al-Firdous, the finest of Allah's seven heavens...

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“There (in Paradise) they shall pass from hand to hand a (wine) cup, free from any 'Laghw' (dirty, false, evil vague talk between them), and free from sin (because it will be legal for them to drink). [Koran 52:23]

Like with other aspects of the unseen, Muslims are obligated to believe in Heaven in order to complete their faith.

A Detailed description of the Islamic Jannat al-Firdaus, the finest of seven, is given below.

The Doors of Heaven

One ahadith implies that the Islamic heaven has eight doors: Whoever performed a perfect ablution and recited the Shahadah, then all the eight doors of the Jannah is thrust open for him (believer) for he may enter from whichever door he likes. [Sahih Muslim].

The Prophet of Allah has narrated:

“When Ramadan comes round, the doors of the skies are opened. Another tradition has it that the doors of the Heaven are opened and those of the Fire are closed” [Sahih Bukhari].

Width of the Doors of Heaven

The Prophet of Allah said:

“By Him in whose hands my soul is, the distance between the two gate posts of paradise is like the distance between Makkah and Himyar or between Makkah and Basra” [Bukhari].

Keys of Heaven

“Indeed swords are the keys of heaven”. [Ibn Abi Sheeba, Kitabul Jihad]

The Width of Heaven

“Be you foremost (in seeking) forgiveness from your Lord, and a garden of Bliss the width of whereof is as the width of heaven and earth. [Al-Hadid: 21]

The Prophet has described the width of heaven thus: Harith’s [RA] mother came to the Prophet; Harith had been martyred during the battle of Badr. She said: "O Prophet of Allah! You know how much I loved him. If his reward is heaven, than I will not cry but if not than you see what I will do before you?" The Prophet of Allah said: "Is that just one heaven? There are very many heavens and your son is in the best of them, Al-Firdous Al-Aala." [Sahih Bukhari]

The Width of Hundred Grades of Heaven and Sublimity of Jannat al-Firdaus

The Prophet of Allah said:

“Indeed, there are hundred grades of the Heaven and the distance between the two grades is as great as between the heaven and earth. Allah has prepared these grades for those who perform Jihad in the way of Allah”. [Bukhari]

The Prophet said of Firdous:

“When you pray ask for Firdous, for it is in the middle of heaven and is higher in grade than the heaven and above Firdous is Allah’s throne, moreover the canals of heaven flow from Firdous”. [Bukhari]

Land and Weather of Heaven

The Prophet said:

"And then I was showed in the heaven, I saw there were camps made of pearls and the soil was of musk." [Bukhari]

The Qur’an says of the dwellers of the heaven: ‘They will see there neither the sun’s [excessive heat] nor the moon’s excessive cold’.

Trees in Heaven

The Prophet of Allah said:

“Indeed, there is a tree in heaven so big that if a person keeps riding on a brisk Madhamar [a specially bred horse] for a hundred years even then he would not reach the end of that tree”. [Bukhari]

Each Tree is of Gold

Abu Huraira (RA) reported that the Prophet of Allah (SAW) said:

‘There is no tree in the heaven that does not have a trunk of gold’. [Muslim]

A Tree That Will Manufacture Robes

There is a tree in the heaven, which will manufacture robes for the dwellers of the heaven. That tree is called Tuba. An ahadith has these words about this tree.

‘Tuba is a tree in the heaven, which spreads out as much as a distance that can be covered in a hundred years. Robes for the dwellers of the heaven will sprout from its buds’.

How to Plant Trees in Heaven

The Prophet said:

“In the night of Isra when I met Ibrahim (AS) he said: O Muhammad (SAW) tell your people that the heaven has pure soil and sweet water but the land is bare. If they want to plant trees in the heaven, they should say Subhan Allah Al-Hamdulillah and Allah Akbar”.

Scent of Heaven

According to an ahadith, ‘the scent of the Heaven can be smelled from a distance of 70 years’. [Sahih Al-Jame As-sagheer]

Mansions in Heaven

The Prophet of Allah said:

“Indeed, there will be a mansion made of pearls for a believer. It will be spread over an area of 60 miles, and in it will be the household of a believer who will visit them but they will not be able to see each other”. [Bukhari]

No Sleep in Heaven

The Prophet said:

“Sleep is the sister of death and the dwellers of the heaven will not sleep”. [Silsalatul Ahadith]

The Bazaar of Heaven

It is reported on the authority of Anas bin Malik (RA). The Prophet of Allah said:

“Indeed, there is a bazaar in the heaven where the dwellers of the Heaven will come on every Friday. The northerly wind will spray scent on them and this will enhance their beauty. And when they will return to their homes, their households will say "By Allah, your beauty has enhanced." "So has yours," they will return the compliment”. [Muslim]

In short, they will be overwhelmed by Allah’s favours.

“And when you look, it is there you will see bliss and a realm magnificent”. [Ad-Dahr: 20]

Gabriel’s Impression of Heaven

The Prophet of Allah said:

“When Allah Almighty created the heaven and the hell, He asked Jibraiel to go and take a look at what He has prepared for the believers in Heaven. Jibraiel went and had a look at what was there in the Heaven, and then he came back and expressed himself thus: ‘By your dignity! Whoever will hear of this Heaven will certainly strive for it’. Then it was said that the road to the heaven is littered with hardships, and Jibraiel was asked to take another look at the Heaven. He came back and said, ‘By your dignity I am afraid that nobody will be able to enter it’. [Tirmizee]

Can anyone imagine? Wearing the finest silk clothing and sitting on chairs made of gold and precious gem stones? Those, who disbelieve in the words of the Majestic Allah, say that this is all a fairy-tale, made up by a would-be prophet!

The most striking expression of what the believers feel when they will win Allah's good pleasure …is that He will manifest Himself to them in a way that they can see Him. This is impossible in the world because, as the Koran says: "Eyesight cannot perceive Him" (Surah 6:10). But according to the same Koran, in the next life and in a certain way Lord (Allah) will manifest Himself to His believing servants. Only the Majestic Allah (Mohammad?) knows how this will happen?

Apart from the Koranic descriptions, Muhammad, would often describe this Paradise to his companions. His descriptions were oftentimes so vivid and moving to him that, many-a-companion would hurriedly rush towards it. This was the case, as Anas narrated that the ‘Messenger of Allah, and his companions proceeded towards Badr and arrived there before the disbelievers of Makkah. When the disbelievers arrived, the Messenger of Allah said, "None of you should step forward ahead of me to do anything." Then the disbelievers advanced [towards us], and the Messenger of Allah, said, ‘Rise to enter Paradise whose width is equal to the Heavens and the Earth.’ Umayr Ibnul Humam al-Ansari asked, "O Messenger of Allah is Paradise equal in width to the heavens and the earth?" He said, "Yes." Umayr said, "Bak'hin! Bak'hin!" (An Arabic word denoting excitement and astonishment) The Messenger of Allah asked him, "What made you say these words: Bak'hin, Bak'hin?" He said, "Messenger of Allah, nothing but the desire to be amongst its residents." Mohammad said, "You are surely among its residents." He then took some dates form his bag and began to eat them. Then he said, "If I were to live until I had eaten all of the dates, indeed this life would be too long." Anas then said, "He threw away the remaining dates he had with him. He then fought [the disbelievers] until he [Umayr Ibnul Humam al-Ansari] was killed." [Sahih Muslim]

As Paradise is the aim and hope of each and every Muslim… And even though Allah describes Paradise for the believers in the Koran, He still says:

"So no soul knows the delights of the eyes, which is hidden for them; a reward for what they did." [Surah 32:17]

To be continued…

Why 20% Americans Think President Obama is a Muslim

Because they have solid grounds, thanks to Obama himself, to assume so..

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Barack Obama, Michelle Obama with Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Egyptian Foreign Minister & H. E. Laila Kamal El Din Salah

A recent Gallup poll found that one in five Americans believe that President Barack Hussein Obama is a Muslim. Reporting on the poll, VoaNews opined: "The number of Americans with that mistaken idea has risen in the past year, although President Obama is a practicing Christian and has made many public statements about his faith."

While such a large number of Americans could be mistaken as VoaNews asserts, but their assumption is, at all, not without foundation. On several occasions, Obama has admitted that he is a Muslim. There a number of Youtube videos, showing Obama confess that he is a Muslim.[1] In a private meeting on Saturday, June 12, 2010, Obama told Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit: "…he was still a Muslim, the son of a Muslim father, the stepson of Muslim stepfather, that his half-brothers in Kenya are all Muslims, and that he was sympathetic towards the Muslim agenda."

Don't these confessions in his very own words give one a solid ground to assume that President Barack Hussain Obama could, indeed, be a Muslim?

Apart from this, Obama attended a racist anti-White church for 20 years (for whatever reason), but since he cut ties with his former racist pastor and that church, after latter's virulent attack on the Whites during the election campaign, he is yet to find another church to pray (is he bothered to find one at all?).

From another angle, since Obama’s father was a Kenyan Muslim, he is by-default a Muslim for being born to a Muslim father. And he has not openly said that he renounced Islam. Had he done so, he would be an apostate of Islam in the Muslim eye, and his life would be at stake. Instead, when he toured Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and other Muslim countries of Middle East, he was welcomed and greeted everywhere as an honoured guest and a friend of Muslims. Can an openly 'Muslim apostate' expect such warm welcome from Muslim leaders and peoples of the Middle East? While he could be spared, given his position as the president of America, he could never ever expect the warmest welcome reserved for a foreign leader from the fanatical Arab Muslim populace and leaders.

Moreover, Obama's confession as a Muslim to the Egyptian Foreign Minister is much more revealing:

…he asked that the Moslem world show patience and promised that once he could overcome some domestic American problems, he would show the Moslem world what he would do with Israel.

The Israel-Palestine issue is closest grievance to Muslims all over the world, so, it seems, is for Obama. Moreover, this is a serious, indeed ominous, statement, which obviates that, in near future, he is going to adopt a strong anti-Israel policy to please the Muslim leaders of the Arab nations.

Apart from several interviews, in which he claimed himself to be a Muslim, he glorified Islam on a number of occasions, which is a sacred religious duty of Muslims, who do it assiduously. In his famous, nay infamous, Cairo speech, Obama told in glorification of Islam that:

“As a student of history, I also know civilization’s debt to Islam. It was Islam – at places like Al-Azhar University – that carried the light of learning through so many centuries, paving the way for Europe’s Renaissance and Enlightenment. It was innovation in Muslim communities that developed the order of algebra; our magnetic compass and tools of navigation; our mastery of pens and printing; our understanding of how disease spreads and how it can be healed. Islamic culture has given us majestic arches and soaring spires; timeless poetry and cherished music; elegant calligraphy and places of peaceful contemplation. And throughout history, Islam has demonstrated through words and deeds the possibilities of religious tolerance and racial equality.”

Yet on another occasion, Obama said: "Islam has always been a part of America's story."

Commenting on this claim, Ralph Peters wrote in NY Post:

"Guess the Founding Fathers missed that one. But I'm assured that George Washington turned to his mullah in the dark days at Valley Forge, that Daniel Boone read the Koran around the campfire, and that al Qaeda stood by us at the Alamo. Yeah, there was that misunderstanding with the Muslim Barbary Pirates, when they killed, kidnapped and enslaved American citizens for years.”

What Obama proudly said of Muslim achievements are blatant lies. In reality, Maths and Sciences have their roots in ancient India, Far East China and the Greeks. Ancient Indian sages were the ones, who gave the world the decimal system and the “zero”, the concept of infinity. While commenting on science and math of ancient India, Albert Einstein said, "We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made." Similarly American author, William James, recognized ancient Indian treatise Vedas as the "encyclopedia of every aspect of life, culture, religion, science, ethics, law, cosmology and meteorology."

But no eminent scientist has ever said that the world has benefitted by Islamic wisdom in science and maths. In this context, former NASA Administrator Michael Griffin under the Bush Administration told the Fox News on July 5, 2010 that: “There is no technology they (the Muslim world) have that we need.”

In refutation of Obama's gloating assertions on Islam's achievements, NASA's 12th Administrator Charles F. Bolden said:

I do not find where Islam developed Algebra. It is an Indian invention adopted by Islam during their bloody conquest of the Sub-continent. Did Islam pave the way for Europe’s Renaissance and Enlightenment? I have been hard pressed to find any proof of this claim. I always thought that Johann Gutenberg invented the printing press in Germany. The “Diamond Sutra” was published in China and Korea by using wooden blocks even earlier, but I can find no record of Islamic printing. I was taught in college that the French were the leaders in the study of infectious diseases, reference Louis Pasteur. I do recall the Islamic use of small pox cadavers being used as weapons of war, but not the discovery of how to cure small pox or any other diseases.

Bolden added:

Additionally, the last sentence above from President Obama’s Cairo address, really bothers me. When has Islam demonstrated through deeds, religious tolerance and racial equality? The historical record that I read is exactly the opposite of religious tolerance and racial equality. Where am I going wrong? Based on the facts I tend to agree more with former NASA Administrator Michael Griffin’s statement that “There is no technology they have that we need,”... In fact looking back on NASA’s record of landing men on the moon, sending probes to every planet in our solar system and advances in many fields of science, I know of no contributions from Islamic countries. Am I missing something? It leaves me to wonder what history does President Obama study?

Whether Obama truly is a Muslim or not, his own confessions more than once to be a Muslim and his kowtowing to and farcical glorification of Islam, and having the Muslim agenda close to his heart—all clearly spelt in his own words—give one enough ground to believe that Obama could be what he himself thinks: 'A Muslim'.

And placing him in the White House on the back of the 9/11 attacks and raging Islamic scourge around the world may prove to be a mistake of mammoth proportion. His strenuous efforts to disconnect Islam from violence and terrorism and give Islam a clean-chit, and employing so many Sharia-loving and radical-leaning Muslim ambassadors, namely Dalia Mogamed, AliKhan and Rashad Hussain et al., in the White House (which is turning it into a Muslim darbar or palace) and other key positions, who would work for nothing less than make Islam supreme in America—makes it amply clear that that mistake has started making itself manifest.

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[1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dj5XymGmwfo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-T-gShrSYI&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGohpZp-q5w&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FH_jYyhAqM4&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Auwe-aGF4Lo&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kLFeVH7_sg&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGkb6Okp5ko&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCAffMSWSzY-Obama admits that he is a Muslim

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCAffMSWSzY - Obama admits his Muslim Faith

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYWeK4w3PKk Obama’s Muslim faith

Incredible Story of Shibani Acharya, Victim of Seduction by Muslim

Shibani Acharya, 19, from a well-educated and well-off Hindu Brahmin family, fell victim to seduction by an uneducated Muslim day-labourer, who already had a wife and five children. When her father, after spending much effort, could reach her, she was outrageously rude to him and in passionate defence of the poverty-stricken, uneducated and already-married man... Is that incredible?

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Affluent and educated Harishchandra Acharya, a Brahmin, is a resident of the Bolangir district in the Orissa State of India. Harishchandra works for the Orissa Government as a Revenue Officer and his wife is a Lecturer in a local college at Bolangir. The couple has a son and a daughter; Shibani, the daughter, is the elder. She is 19 and in the second-year of her B. Sc. Course in a local college. She is also doing a computer course, B.C.A., in a local computer training centre. With the son, 18, studying engineering in Bhubaneshwar, the capital of the state, there's a happy, well-off family.

But trouble appeared from quite an unexpected quarter. Harishchandra had engaged some Muslim masons for repairing work of his house. There is a shortage of menial workers, such as masons, in Orissa; people of the state generally hire Muslim artisans from the adjacent state of West Bengal, particularly from the district of Murshidabad.

The people of Orissa, the land of Lord Jagannath, though poor, are generally deeply pious and devoted to Lord Jagannath. Notably, two states in India, namely Orissa and Assam, where Muslims could not penetrate much during the Muslim rule, due to patriotism and bravery of the people. When other parts of India were bleeding due to Muslim onslaughts, these two states were able to resist the Muslim invaders and protect their freedom and culture. Therefore, conversion to Islam was also much less; as a result, the proportion of Muslim population in Orissa is much less than in other parts of today’s India.

Naimur Shaikh (35) was one of the Muslim masons, hired by Harishchandra. On one fine morning at the end of April this year (2010), Shibani was found to have eloped with Naimur. Distressed at this totally unexpected development, her family's initial search for the couple in the started went in vain. At last, Harishchandra could obtain Naimur's whereabouts from other Muslim masons working in the locality.

Shibani’s father, an influential Government officer, lodged a complaint with local police and received good cooperation. The reader should understand that such incidents are quite common in India, with hundreds to thousands of cases every year, and in many cases, police are not cooperative enough. Hence advice from peoples, who previously handled such cases, is also important.

In this context, it is worth mentioning one incident, in which Baruipur police station sent a police officer and 6 constables to Pune to rescue a Bengali girl, who had been seduced and kidnapped to Pune and ultimately sold to a brothel. But the police failed to bring her back. Police displayed this incompetence despite knowing that certain Hindu organization had previously succeeded in rescuing a girl, similarly kidnapped from Canning and sold into a brothel in Pune, without help from police.

Shibani’s father also informed the Hindu organization, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), about her disappearance with Naimur, and asked for their help. VHP folks promised Harishchandra to do their best, but were doubtful of how much they could do, given the Suti Block in the district of Murshidabad, where Naimur Shaikh lived, is a Muslim-dominated (65%) locality.

On May 3, Harishchandra, with two police officers, one constable and two VHP activists from Bolangir came to Kolkata. Meanwhile Calcutta-based Hindu organizations were able to enlist help from the Bharat Sevashram Sangha that runs a big Ashram, including a boy’ residential boarding house, near Fatepur, Naimur's village. It also offers help and shelter for Hindus of the Muslim-dominated district of Murshidabad.

Having investigated the case, Bharat Sevashram Sangha people informed that Naimur, who already had a wife and five kids, had brought a new girl, who does not understand Bengali, and that she wasn't eating anything for last three days.

After arrival of the team from Bolangir at Kolkata, local activists set out with them for the Bahrampur police station, where they met the Additional SP. As per latter's instruction, they headed to the Suti police station and arrived there in the darkness of night (~9 PM) so as to keep the operation secret. While in most such cases, Muslim staff of the police would secretly inform the culprits so that they could hide the kidnapped girl, the Officer-in-charge of the Suti police station fully cooperated with the rescue team.

A team of police personnel from the Suti police station, allied with the team from Bolangir (accompanied by Harishchandra and two members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad), raided Naimur's house at midnight. Naimur, alarmed by the headlight of the police convoy, fled. Upon knocking the door, Shibani came out of the room, where she was sleeping with Naimur, while his other wife was sleeping in the adjacent room with her five children.

Harishchandra became extremely emotional after seeing his daughter. He clasped her hands and broke into tears and said: “Please return to your home. Your mother has fallen ill after your disappearance. She is not eating anything for last a few days. She will die if you do not return with me.”

The manner and tone of Shibani's reply to her father was extremely harsh and totally unexpected. Everyone was dumbfounded by her behavior. In an extremely rude, rough and shrill voice, she said: “None has kidnapped me and I have come here out of my own will. I am having good time here and I won’t return.” To the police team from Orissa, She said (in Oria): “Naimur was not ready to bring me here; I came here with unwilling Naimur.” She added: “I am an adult woman and hence I have the right to do what I want.”

A police officer from Orissa asked her: “Who is that man, who has just fled?” Shibani boldly replied: “He is my husband.” The officer asked: “Who is that man to you.” With added boldness, she replied: “Being an officer, don't you know what is the relation between a husband and a wife?”

The police officers were taken aback by the rude and harsh behavior of Shibani. In general, the children of educated families in Orissa never talk in this manner with their parents. Even Shibani, previously, would never have behaved in this manner with her father, under whatsoever circumstances. Her attitude toward her father was unthinkable. Shibani was speaking for Naimur, despite the fact that he was way too poor for Harishchandra's family, and that he already had a wife and five children.

Shibani then went inside and brought all the documents to prove her age and showed those documents to the police officers. The police team from the Suti then told the team from Orissa that, in such a situation, they have nothing to do. “We cannot take an adult woman to the police station by force”, they said. Her father could understand that any request and advice to his daughter would be futile. The case of Rijwanur Rahman and Prianka Todi was still haunting the West Bengal police. So, they returned bowing down their heads with shame.

While the tale of Shibani Acharya, indeed an incredible story, has been told above, the important point one must ponder over as to why Hindu girls behave so outrageously, even to their parent and dear ones, after being seduced by Muslim men. While one may guess that Muslims probably use some kind of black magic or some other form of occult science or sorcery, or some herbs to charm and hypnotize those girls, what is undeniable is that they definitely apply some psychological process to hypnotize them, which make them hate and disrespect their own parents so deeply, soon after they fall prey to Muslim seduction. It, nonetheless, is baffling to the extreme as to how Hindu girls from educated and well-off families, well-loved and well-groomed, can accept such unequal marriages with uneducated Muslim men, most of whom are poor daily-labourers and often having a wife and children at home, can so passionately accept a loveless married life of misery and subjugation.

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This story, originally published by Tapan Ghosh is a Bengali magazine, is an edited translation.

Muhammad's 'Dead Hand' Behind Muslim Honor Killings

Therefore, Muhammad is an "unindicted co-conspirator" in the ongoing Islamic honor-crimes against women in Islamic countries and communities around the world...

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I have watched with great interest the ongoing debate about Muslim honor killings. On the one hand, Islamic apologists predictably maintain that Islam does not condone such conduct. Conversely, most Islamic critics do blame Islam for one reason or another. However, I have yet to see a discussion of the subject that I considered complete and which definitively resolved the debate. I tried to offer that discussion/analysis here to any rational, open-mined person.

There is much in Islamic doctrine itself that can and does directly lead to honor killings and I will discuss some but not all of that material in this analysis. Only a fraction of the material is needed to prove my case. However, before I launch into the material that directly supports Muslim honor killings, I want to start off with the most important reason, albeit indirect reason, why I believe honor killings are so prevalent in Islamic culture and among Muslims. The simple answer is the way in which women are depicted in Islamic doctrine which then poisons over-all Islamic culture.

Honor killings undeniably preceded Islam and that fact is used by Islamic apologists—many of whom are no doubt practicing taquiyya and Jihad of the Pen—to support their arguments, but the mere fact that honor killings precede the advent of Islam hardly exonerates the religion. Murder, rape, and robbery existed prior to Islam, but that hardly means that Islam should not be blamed for the murder, rape and robbery it commands, sanctions and patently causes. Most aspects of Islam existed in some form before Muhammad. Muhammad simply borrowed from Arabian Paganism, Judaism, Zoroastrianism and heretical Christianity in order to develop Islam as a new, syncretic religion. Hence, if we exonerate Islam for anything that existed before its advent, we have to exonerate Islam as a new religion as well.

The worst thing that Muhammad did to the World was to falsely claim that his ideology and policies were from Allah, who he claimed to be the one God and therefore had to be followed for all time. Equally disastrous was his claim that Allah repeatedly commanded that Muhammad had to be obeyed and his life was a perfect model of behavior for all time. The end result is that he developed a religion wherein morality was determined by looking at Muhammad's inherently flawed seventh century ideology and practices. Muhammad created a religion and culture that is in large part significantly locked in the past. Muhammad attributed his philosophy, wants and desires as the word of Allah; and in doing so, he has prevented the Islamic world from advancing as it should have.

One Hadith claims that Muhammad had said: 'Islam cannot change' (Fn 1). If Islam cannot change, it should be no surprise that an Islamic culture, so overwhelmingly influenced by Islam, also has difficulty adapting and changing and, as such, its decline, continued difficulties and deplorable attitude and treatment of women are in large part to be directly attributable to Islam and its inherent flaws.

Islamic doctrine directly leads to the restrictions on and prejudices against women in Islamic culture that impedes the rights and advancement of women. It was not all that long ago that European attitudes and treatment of women were much worse than today. However, the approach toward, and treatment of, women in European culture was not mandated by actual religious doctrine. As such, European culture was able to and did advance women's rights over time. Islamic culture did not fare so well as a direct influence of Islam. We refer to the Islamic world using its majority religion to identify the culture for a compelling reason: Islam is more than just a religion. In its original form, Islam is a complete social, political, and religious way of life that absolutely dominates the lives and thoughts of fundamentalist Muslims. Islam overwhelmingly drives and dominates Islamic culture and it would be hard to overestimate Islam's role in the sad state of Islamic Civilization, including its treatment of women.

It is beyond credible dispute that Islam is an inherently misogynist religion that has resulted in untold discrimination against women. Muhammad taught that captured women were lawfully subject to slavery and rape by their male captors (Fn 2). Note that, in the Quran, references of "those whom your right hands possess" is a euphemism for captives and slaves. Today, it continues to be applied to non-Muslim women working in Muslim households in Islamic countries. It is common to hear reports of workers in Islamic countries, especially Saudi Arabia, being raped by their male employers (Fn 3).

Islamic doctrine is no more enlightened with respect to Muslim women. Muhammad declared that women are intellectually inferior to men and that they comprise the majority of Hell's occupants (Fn 4). One hadith records Muhammad as stating: "Women are naturally, morally and religiously defective" (Fn 5).

The Qur'an describes men as being above their wives, demands women's obedience to their husbands, demands that women cover themselves, and states that their husbands may beat them (Fn 6). Muslim women are given less of an inheritance than men. (Fn 7)

Today, probably the most terrible aspect of Islamic discrimination against women is that their testimony in court is considered to be worth only half that of a man's (Fn 8). This law, in addition to other aspects of Sharia Law, yields the terrible result that if a woman wants to prove that she was raped, then she must have solid evidence beyond her own testimony as the male rapist's testimony is deemed to outweigh her testimony as a matter of law. Muslim women, who fall victim to rape, sometimes find themselves jailed or stoned to death for reporting rape, because since it cannot be proven, they have effectively admitted to adultery (Fn 9).

Based on the foregoing, it seems obvious that Islam has directly impedes women's rights to advance in Islamic culture as would have otherwise been expected. Bernard Lewis eloquently assessed the problem as follows:

"According to Islamic law and tradition, there were three groups of people who did not benefit from the general Muslim principle of legal and religious equality* - unbelievers, slaves, and women. The women were obviously in one significant respect the worst-placed of the three. The slave could be freed by his master; the unbeliever could at any time become a believer by his own choice, and thus end his inferiority. Only the women were doomed forever to remain what she was - or so it seemed at the time" (Fn 10).

In my view, so it still seems.

In short, by declaring negative attributes to women as being determined by both himself and Allah, Muhammad created a situation wherein women's rights failed to advance. In the context where a man is angry, because his wife, daughter or sister is perceived to be violating Sharia Law, it is far easier to kill a woman, even a relative, when you have been led to believe that women comprise the majority of Hell's occupants and that she is "naturally, morally and religiously defective." (See Fn's 4 and 5)

Equally important, Islam is not a religion that teaches and promotes a general sense of love. There is no equivalent of 'love thy neighbor as thyself' or 'do unto others as you would have them do unto you' in Islam. The hatred generated by Islamic doctrine is palpable upon even the most cursory reading of Islamic doctrine. In addition to such religiously sanctioned conduct as murder and robbery, the Qur'an refers to non-Muslims in numerous derogatory ways and clearly teaches that non-Muslims are fair game for almost every type of indignity and violence. The Qur'an states that non-Muslims are not to be taken as a friend (3:28), confused (6:25), to be terrorized: "I will instill terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers: smite ye above their necks and smite all their finger-tips off them" (8:12), to be made war upon (9:5 & 29), to be considered unclean (9:28), evil and a helper of evil against God (23:97 & 25:55), to be punished (25:77), humiliated (37:18) and hated (40:35), to be beheaded (47:4) and laughed at (83:34), and assumed to be plotting against Muslims (86:15).

As if there could be any doubt based on the foregoing, the earliest biography of Muhammad originating from Ibn Ishaq flatly quotes Muhammad as stating: "Muhammad is the apostle of Allah! Those with him are violent against Unbelievers but merciful to one another… "The Qur'an is in accord: "Muhammad is the apostle of God; and those who are with him are strong against Unbelievers, (but) compassionate amongst each other…" (Fn 11)

Islam generates so much hatred that even some of Muhammad's early successors and companions, who should have received overwhelming respect and support from Muslims, were instead murdered by fellow Muslims. A religion that cannot even promote peace and harmony amongst the companions of its founder is clearly deficient in compassion and elements of peace. One only has to look at Islamic doctrine to see that it inherently generates hatred and loathing for non-Muslims and that hatred and loathing spills over to women that are not being obedient to their male masters and Islam as the Qur'an and Hadith dictate. At that point they are often perceived as apostates, or dishonorable to the family, clan, society and to Islam itself. It is here that direct Islamic doctrine comes into play, because once the purportedly offending woman's conduct has risen to such as level, as deemed by her male master or relatives, that Islamic doctrine directly authorizes her death.

Islamic doctrine demands the killing of apostates (also blasphemers of Islam). That murderous command is vaguely set forth in the Qur'an, chapter 9, verse 12, but clearly set forth in the Hadith (Fn 12).

In light of such attitude toward women generated by Islamic doctrine, Qur'anic verses 18:74,78,80-81 can be, and often are, easily interpreted as supporting honor killings. A reading of the verses reveals why:

'so they [Moses and another man that is not identified other than as being learned in Islam] twain journeyed on till, when they met a lad, he slew him. [Moses] said: What! Hast thou slain an innocent soul who hath slain no man? Verily thou hast done a horrid thing. He said: This is the parting between thee and me! I will announce unto thee the interpretation of that thou couldst not bear with patience. And as for the lad, his parents were believers and we feared lest he should oppress them by rebellion and disbelief. And we intended that their Lord should change him for them for one better in purity and nearer to mercy.'

The foregoing verses also establish that in addition to apostasy, failure to believe and the rather ambiguous crime of 'rebellion' allow for a justified killing lest the parents be 'oppressed' and so that they might have a better child.

Many honor killings are done due to belief or fear that adultery has or might occur. In the case of actual adultery, Muhammad did establish a hard-to-meet evidentiary burden in order to save his beloved child-bride Aisha, but angry Muslim males easily avoid that hurdle by also attributing offending behavior such as going out without permission or the violation of other Islamic rules regarding veiling, being with unrelated men, etc. as 'rebellion' for which no clear evidentiary standards are applied.

Given the low place women hold in Islamic doctrine and the few if any sources of support or assistance available to them in their culture, they are virtual slaves to however their male guardians control their life, with little hope of intervention unless they live within a larger non-Islamic culture that they can escape to or appeal to for help.

I have not gone into the rather difficult nature of Islam's honor culture. That culture precedes the advent of Islam and, in my view, is hard to wrap up in a way that is comprehensible to anyone that has not lived within such a culture. For those interested in understanding honor culture, I suggest Raphael Patai's excellent book titled 'The Arab Mind.' Suffice it to say, however, that the honor culture is easy to reconcile with Islamic doctrine and its associated lack of love and compassion and it is no wonder that it survived the advent of Islam.

By now, hopefully you have come to agree with me that Muhammad is in fact an unindicted co-conspirator in Muslim honor killings. Even Muslims have tacitly admitted the truth of my observations about Muhammad. In 'The Future of Islam', Wilfred Scawen Blunt accurately points out that Islam is not amenable to change, because even 'students of the Sheriat (Sharia Law) have not inaptly compared the Koranic law to a dead man's hand [Muhammad's hand], rigid and cold, and only to be loosened when the hand has been cut away.'

Such an observation, given that Sharia Law is based on the Quran and hadiths, both of which are either the work of Muhammad or based upon his life and statements, reveals the nature of the Islamic faith as inextricably entwined with the life and beliefs of Muhammad. It is hardly a giant stretch from that obvious and unassailable conclusion to see why a barbaric practice such as honor killing that continues into the modern world is directly attributable to Muhammad himself and, therefore, to Islam.

If Muslims are to love women as much as fellow men, as one rightfully should, if Muslim women are to receive equal treatment as men to which they are entitled—the grip of Muhammad's 'dead hand' must be cut off from the modern world everywhere Islam holds sway.

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• Fn. 1: Al Bukhari, Vol. 9, Book 88, Number 174
• Fn. 2: Fn 17: Qur'an 4:24 and 33:52
• Fn. 3: See e.g., http://hrw.org/reports/2004/saudi0704/7.htm#_ftn145
• Fn. 4: Al Bukhari 2:28 and 6:301
• Fn. 5: Al Bukhari 3:195
• Fn. 6: Qur'an 2:228, 4:34, and 24:31
• Fn. 7: Qur'an 4:11
• Fn. 8: Qur'an 2:282
• Fn. 9: http://www.hrw.org/reports/1992/pakistan/
• Fn. 10: What Went Wrong, (2002) Bernard Lewis, p67-69
• Fn. 11: Qur'an 48:29
• Fn. 12: Al Bukhari, Vol. 4, Book 52, Number 260: "The Prophet said, 'If a Muslim discards his religion, kill him.'"

* I have a hard time swallowing that there is in fact a 'general Muslim principle of legal and religious equality.' Women, slaves and non-Muslims comprise the vast majority of the World's population and even the majority of the population of most Islamic countries. In addition, Islam has generated its fair share of racism and bigotry such that any claim that it has a general characteristic of 'legal and religious equality' is misleading.

Islamic ‘Justice’ Continues in the Muslim world: Pak Taliban Chops Hands of Three

Open house to render barbaric Islamic justice by the Taliban in Pakistan continues and widens...

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“The smell of hatred spreads all over out of your spoiled poisonous words”

Taliban militants on Wednesday amputated the right hands of three alleged thieves in the volatile Orakzai tribal region in northwest Pakistan. They "arrested" Khaista Jan, Azam Shah and Razim Shah in Orakzai Agency 20 days ago on charges of theft, sources said. The militants freed the three men two days ago after chopping off their right hands. They described the ‘amputation as punishment meted out according to Islamic law’. The amputated men were taken to Kohat town in Peshawar-Pakistan and admitted to a hospital, doctors said. Hospital official Musa Khan confirmed the incident and said that doctors were trying to save the men's lives. Orakzai is the latest district in northwest Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal area to have witnessed an anti-Taliban operation by the military, following US pressure to eradicate extremism.

Washington calls Pakistan's tribal belt the global headquarters of Al-Qaeda and the most dangerous region in the world. Militants in the area are believed to be fuelling the nearly nine-year insurgency in Afghanistan.

THE gruesome incident in which the Islamic militants (Talibans) chopped off the hands of three ‘alleged thieves’ in Orakzai underscores Taliban’s obscurantist agenda. The men, sentenced by a Taliban Shura ‘court’, said they were “innocent and had been targeted by the extremists because they hailed from the same area as a former commander who had parted ways with the militants”. This is entirely believable because the Talibans have physically punished people more to settle scores and terrorize the locals than to dispense anything close to what they perceive as ‘Islamic Justice’. As per the Taliban’s belief, -amputations, floggings, beheadings and other Islamic barbaric acts are acceptable forms of administering Islamic Justice. The Talibans play the part of judge, jury and executioner, highlighting the missing writ of the state in areas where such barbarity exists! Many such incidents are reported by the media have brought the Taliban’s brutal Islamic Punishments into the limelight… The most notorious of these was the flogging of a 17-year-old girl in Swat during the Taliban’s rule over the Swat valley.

While there is no doubt that these brutal punishments are unacceptable in a civilized society, one must ask what the world is doing to curb such barbaric practices that make a mockery of the principles of justice? The writs of the Pakistani government were never very strong in the tribal regions to begin with! But, with the spread of Islamic militancy, it has been eroded even more… This is widely ignored as Islam teaches this, and who’s government is it? It is the Islamic Republic of Pakistan!

‘Yes ISLAM…!!!

The Pakistan Army’s gains against the Islamic Militants (because America has voiced its’ concerns to eradicate Islamic Militancy) must be followed up with effective democratic civilian governance that provides for swift justice, as well as health and education facilities… Even, in settled areas of Pakistan where the process of justice is corrupt and slow, the Islamic extremists and its’ vigilantes are not prevented from taking the law into their own hands. The Talibans have made the civilians as hostage and prelude Koranic interpretations as God’s Law!

Abominable punishments handed down by the Islamic Jirgas (community of Islamic Elders) are not unheard of in this country. The state needs to urgently reform the criminal justice system and remove the Islamic concepts from Islamic Shariah. The Mullahs demand Islamic Justice and the population rightfully tags along them!

I was reading some Islamic Q & As where I happened to come across this:

Q. Is there any evidence in the Quran or Sunnah which supports the chopping of heads on Friday?

A. ‘We’ (Muslims) were instructed to carry out the cutting of hands or heads, stoning people to death, lashing, etc. in public and in the greatest gathering of Muslims, excluding the two Eids and Hajj, is on Fridays. It was the practice of the Prophet (pbuh) to gather as many people from the community to witness the implementation of the Islamic Shariah law. Executing the individual was not just punishment for that individual, but it was also awareness to the people what will happen if they committed the same crime - Bilal Philips.

Bilal Philips proclaimed that “the cutting of hands and heads, stoning of people to death, and lashings are only to be held on Fridays". Since public executions of Muslims are limited to once a week, the Islamic Circle of North America, (ICNA), has established the Muslim Alert Network, to fight against media reporting of Islamist atrocities in negative terms.

One of the distinguishing factors between Islamic Shariah (criminal law) and Western criminal justice is public executions. In the past, the west used to execute people and then they stopped. Afterwards they made an analysis that concluded that, the crime level didn't decrease due to executions, so there was no reason to bring it back.

However in Muslim societies, public executions do keep crime levels down and this is a fact. The barbaric justice is less because the unsettling fear which is used to create awareness of the harsh punishments (by Allah’s commands) will be implemented with out any challenge of Islamic law, where innocence is not heard or investigated but only what the Shura says is ‘good’!

It can be estimated that the population of Saudi Arabia is similar to the population of New York City, but the number of murders which are committed in Saudi Arabia in a year are less than the number of murders which are committed in New York City in a week. One of the key factors for this is the public executions. Indeed nowhere is the claim that "Islam is a mercy for all mankind" better reflected then in the Islamic Shariah Justice System, which only allots one day a week for decapitation, mutilation, stoning, and public lashing.

Philips’ extolled the low crime rate in Saudi society, noting that it had a population equal to New York City but had less murders in a year then NYC has in a week. He stated that "one of the key factors" for this was the Islamist practice of "public executions". Is this a wise justice of a civilized man? Can we accept the gullible justice? Can moral actions make religion a goal?

How sad when religion is based on fallacies!

To me religion is the problem here, a Stone Age mentality. Religion is just the vehicle they use to transport and package that of hate and discriminations. A convenience and a handy tool to input fear of God’s Wraths!!! Nothing compares to religion for massive reach, and relevance.

Pick any politician, singer or actor, many of them have mass appeal, but are irrelevant. The vehicle has to be religious to get your message out. The fact that they drive a particular car doesn't mean they believe in it!
To the Muslims, giving some one 200 lashes that tears open all the skin of the back and leaves the person, (more often than not), with a crippling effect, cutting off the hand of a thief, or stoning a woman half buried in the earth, or the beheadings are a form of entertainment that reaffirms their "Faith" in Islam and the Shariah..

Only a fool would remain a Muslim and that too be foolish enough to go to Mecca for the Hajj with that hanging over his head. Well, what can you expect from those insane megalomaniacs?

No! We are dealing with sick people who are as religious as pigs. Congregate and Oink!

Islamic Barbarism in Action: Acid Attack on Muslim Egyptian Girl for Converting to Christianity

Dina el-Gowhary, a 15-year-old Egyptian Muslim-born girl, who converted to Christianity, was subjected to an acid attack. This is the latest in a string of failed attempts by Muslim fanatics to harm her and her father, 57-year-old Peter Athanasius (Maher el-Gowhary), who converted to Christianity 35 years ago.

Several Fatwa's were issued calling for the "spilling of his blood", which makes their lives in constant danger in the face of the reactionaries and advocates for the enforcement of Islamic apostasy laws, which call for the death for leaving Islam.

Three weeks ago, when she ventured out from their hiding place in Alexandria with her father to get some bottled water, acid was thrown upon her, which set her jacket on fire.

"My father quickly took my jacket off before the fire reached my arms. Ever since then I am terrorized to go out to the street, with or without my father," said Dina.

In an interview with Freecopts advocacy, Dina pleaded Egyptian President Mubarak to save her and her father, and allow them to leave Egypt.

She had previously written to President Obama, who got her message and responded to it. It was reported that the el-Gowharys met with the US Committee on International Religious Freedom on their last visit to Egypt in January 2010, and that they have asked for asylum in the United States.

Dina wonders whether she will get the same attention from President Mubarak as she did from President Obama.

"Will he listen and lend us a helping hand, if, as they claim, he truly does not differentiate between Muslim and Christian citizens?" She asked the Egyptian President, who newly became grandfather to a girl.

"Do you accept that your granddaughter would live under the same conditions like mine? I have no home, I am always afraid when I go to church or even go out in the street, I have no friends and no education," she added.

In her letter to President Mubarak, Dina expressed her deep distress at the mistreatment and continuous troubles she faces everywhere she goes, including being beaten and humiliated. She told of how persecution by teachers and fellow students after she embraced Christianity, forcing her to abandon school.

"I was threatened many times before. Once coming back from school, a bearded young man stepped out of a car, lifted me through my clothes from the ground and warned me that if my father and myself do not go back to Islam, both of us will be killed," she wrote to Obama.

Dina, now living with her Christian father for the last two years, has to move with him from one place to another in search of personal safety for both, in the face of the many threats they experienced since her father declared his conversion to Christianity and his desire to his change religious designation in official documents.

In June 2009 a Court refused his plea to change his religious designation on his ID to reflect his Christian religion and his Christian name, Peter Athanasius. The Court ruling said that the religious conversion of a Muslim is against Islamic Sharia law and poses a threat to the "Public Order" in Egypt. He has appealed the ruling.

In the Freecopts interview, Dina hoped that President Mubarak will help them leave Egypt in order for them to live a normal life and continue her education.

The el-Gowhary family was barred from leaving Egypt on September 17, 2009 without any legal reason. They were told, however, that the order came from a higher authority, without telling which authority exactly is barring him.
He explained, in an interview with Freecopts this week, the extremely difficult circumstances they are living under, being hunted the whole time and with many attempts on their lives.

"It is only due to the Grace and Protection of God, that we are still alive until today," he added.

"Why did they confiscate our passports? What have we done wrong?" lamented Dina, except embracing Christian, which they would not abandon, no matter what.

Michigan Muslim leader: Crime scene photos of slain imam raise questions about FBI’s actions

This undated file photo provided by Muslim Alliance of North America shows Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah, imam of the Masjid Al-Haqq mosque in Detroit. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Muslim Alliance of North America, Ron Foster Sharif

DETROIT - A Muslim civil rights group released crime scene photos Wednesday of the body of a mosque leader shot 20 times during an FBI raid - images the group's director says suggest the imam likely had to defend himself against a vicious dog attack before he was killed.

FBI agents were trying to arrest Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah on a variety of federal charges during a raid in October on a warehouse in Dearborn, a Detroit suburb. The FBI said Abdullah resisted arrest and fired a gun, prompting agents to fire on him. An FBI dog was killed during the raid.

Dawud Walid, who heads the Council on American-Islamic Relations' Michigan chapter, said three of the five photos his group released Wednesday show Abdullah sustained facial wounds he believes were from the dog. He said the large wounds were located on various parts of Abdullah's head, indicating they were inflicted while he was struggling.

"It appears to be obvious that the dog wasn't scraping on him or chewing on him when he was dead," said Walid, whose group is conducting its own investigation and sent the autopsy report and all 75 crime scene photos to an outside expert for review.

"We don't know if he had a weapon or not, but most people, if they're being mauled by a dog and they have a (gun), they're not going to think about whether they're going to be shot," Walid said. "Their imminent threat would be the dog."

Local and federal authorities are still investigating and have said little about what transpired the night of the raid.

An FBI spokeswoman, Sandra Berchtold, said Wednesday that the bureau would not be commenting until those investigations are completed. And Dearborn police Chief Ronald Haddad said in February that his department's investigation would take several more weeks. City spokeswoman Mary Laundroche said Wednesday that Haddad was on vacation and that she would try to reach someone else who could comment for the department.

Walid said CAIR was denied its request for any warehouse video surveillance footage of the clash and the results of the examination of the dog's body. He said CAIR has sent the crime scene photos and autopsy report to noted Pennsylvania pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht for review. The former Allegheny County medical examiner has conducted high-profile autopsies of Elvis Presley and slain child beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey.

In February, Wayne County's chief medical examiner, Dr. Carl Schmidt, released the autopsy report and said there was no distinct pattern to the facial wounds. He said he didn't know if they were dog bites.

Abdullah, who was also known as Christopher Thomas, was the imam of a small mosque in Detroit that served mostly black Muslims. The raid stemmed from an FBI investigation of Abdullah and 11 associates for various crimes, chief among them conspiracy to sell stolen goods. Abdullah's associates were arrested without incident.

The bureau accused Abdullah of spreading a radical anti-government ideology that called for an Islamic state within the U.S. His family and supporters deny those allegations and say the shooting of Abdullah was an act of brutality aimed at a black Muslim. The government was not considering terrorism-related charges against any of those tied to the case.

In addition to the police investigation, the shooting is being examined by the FBI's Inspection Division, which will send its findings to the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division.

Walid said members of Michigan's various Muslim communities have raised concerns about what they regard as preferential treatment for the dog, which was airlifted for medical care and given a memorial service. Wherever he speaks, Walid said, "there's at least one person who said they treated a man like a dog and a dog like a man."

"Technically, that dog may have been a law enforcement officer, but that dog wasn't a human being who swore an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States," Walid said. "It really has offended a lot of people's sensibilities."

CAIR’s Dangerous Game of Chicken

Even when it does something right, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) finds a way to turn it into a confrontation with federal law enforcement.

Since helping connect the families of five young Muslim men missing from the D.C.-area to law enforcement, the group has postured itself as an asset in the fight against extremism. CAIR's Executive Director Nihad Awad even described the "disturbing" farewell video the group's ringleader, Ramy Zamzam, left behind.

It "made references to the ongoing conflict in the world, and that young Muslims have to do something," Awad told reporters in December.

Somehow, Awad believes the good deed of advising relatives to go to the FBI gives him the power to demand that the five suspected terrorists be brought back to the United States and set free with nothing more than a slap on the wrist. If that doesn't happen, he has said repeatedly, there could be consequences.

As Awad said:

"Charging them and throwing them in jail is not the solution….The government has to show some appreciation for the actions of the parents and the community. That will encourage other families to come forward."

This is lunacy, as any review of the case shows.

The five young men, Zamzam, Umar Farooq, Waqar Khan, Amin Yemer, and Ahmad Mimmi, all lived within blocks of one another in Alexandria, Virginia. Last year, they contacted a Taliban recruiter via YouTube and exchanged communications in a draft email folder in a Yahoo account. After months of watching radical videos on the Internet, the men left Washington on November 28, leaving behind a videotape for relatives that showed scenes of American casualties and a speech by one of them talking about the need to defend Muslims.

Although their parents apparently did not know where their children had gone, they contacted the authorities to report them missing. By all accounts, they have continued to cooperate. As much as they deserve praise for these actions, it is important to remember that this is something that any parent would do upon learning of their kids' disappearance.

While the parents were trying to work with authorities to locate their children, the Zamzam Five were attempting to gain terrorist training in Pakistan.

Authorities say that the men traveled to Hyderabad, Pakistan. There, they were denied entry into militant training camps operated by Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e Tayyiba, both designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations. They were eventually arrested on December 8, at the family home of Khalid Farooq Chaudhry, the father of one of the men.

After months of investigation, in both the United States and Pakistan, on March 17, the men were formally charged in a Pakistani anti-terrorism court in Sargodha. Among the charged offenses are conspiracy to commit terrorism in Pakistan and plotting attacks against a friendly country, both of which could result in life sentences. The men have pled not guilty and the expected six-month trial is set to begin on March 31.

Although U.S. authorities have not yet said whether they intend to seek extradition of the men to stand trial here, it remains a possibility that they may one day face other charges in America. Should they return to the United States, CAIR would like to see them set free. Such a step would be an extraordinary departure from both established principles and common sense.

While it axiomatic that federal prosecutors have broad discretion to decide what charges to bring, when to bring them, and where to bring them, it is highly unlikely that anybody in the Justice Department would find the cooperation of parents in locating their missing children to be a compelling enough justification to forego prosecution of suspected terrorists. Rather, the cooperation of family members should be given the same weight as it is normally given in criminal investigations—a mitigating factor to be considered during the sentencing phase of a trial. In at least two high-profile cases of domestic terrorism, the Justice Department took just that step.

From 1978 to 1995, Ted Kaczynski sent 16 bombs to targets including universities and airlines, killing three and injuring 23. After an FBI investigation spanning nearly two decades, the "Unabomber" wasn't caught until his brother tipped off authorities. Despite the cooperation of a family member, a federal grand jury indicted Kaczynski in April 1996 on 10 counts of illegally transporting, mailing, and using bombs. Although the Unabomber eventually pled guilty in exchange for a sentence of life in prison, his brother David was in negotiations with federal prosecutors to ensure that his cooperation would be considered as a mitigating factor as sentencing.

Similarly, Stephen John Jordi, a religious fundamentalist who was accused of plotting to fire bomb abortion clinics, churches, and gay bars, was turned in to authorities by relatives. Rather than demand that he not be prosecuted, his family spoke at Jordi's sentencing hearing, and he received the guidelines-minimum of five years.

CAIR is either willfully ignorant of these precedents or believes that this case is special. Yet Awad repeated his argument for leniency this week, hinting at trouble down the road if their expectations are not met:

"I think the outcome of this trial will determine how parents in the future will interact with the government."

Think about that. You find a farewell video from your son, who disappeared days ago. You have reason to believe he is in league with people bent on violence. What options do you, as a parent, have? Either go to the authorities in the hope they can find your child before it is too late, or roll the dice and hope the kid changes his mind and makes his way home.

Awad seems to be saying parents may opt to gamble on their children's lives. At the least, he suggests their cooperation is contingent upon a quid-pro-quo.

This takes CAIR's repeated exhortations to not cooperate with law enforcement authorities to a new extreme.

The suggestion that the only reasonable response to the cooperation of family members is a "get out of jail free" card is preposterous. Even if that were true, however, it's certainly a dangerous game of chicken in which CAIR suggests engaging.

If the Zamzam Five ever make it back to the United States, the crimes of which they have been suspected are simply too serious to be brushed under the carpet. They offered support to terrorist groups and conspired to kill American troops. According to authorities in Pakistan, police recovered maps of nuclear power plants and air force bases, the intended targets of the men. Even the group's alleged leader, Ramy Zamzam, has not denied their ultimate objective: "we are not terrorists…we are jihadists, and jihad is not terrorism."

The cooperation of their parents should be taken into account as a mitigating factor when they are brought to justice, but in no way should it immunize the men from prosecution.

UK Muslim Leader: Islam Not a Religion of Peace

The Obama administration has released a review of its strategy in the war on terrorism. The report failed to even mention the word "Islam."

CBN News traveled to London to talk with Anjem Choudary, a leading Muslim radical who says Islamic teachings are what shaped his pro-jihad message.

Although both George W. Bush and Barack Obama have declared that Islam is a religion of peace, Choudary begs to differ.

A Religion of Peace?

"You can't say that Islam is a religion of peace," Choudary told CBN News. "Because Islam does not mean peace. Islam means submission. So the Muslim is one who submits. There is a place for violence in Islam. There is a place for jihad in Islam."

Choudary is the leader of Islam4UK, a group recently banned in Britain under the country's counter-terrorism laws. He wants Islamic Sharia law to rule the United Kingdom and is working to make that dream a reality.

While Islamic radicals in the United States usually prefer to speak in more moderate tones while in public, masking their true agenda, Choudary has no such inhibitions.

He has praised the 9/11 hijackers and has called for the execution of Pope Benedict. He also stirred controversy recently when video emerged of him converting a 10-year-old British boy to Islam.

Openly Praising Jihad

Choudary told CBN News his group is a "non-violent political and ideological movement" that resides in the UK under "a covenant of security."

Yet he openly praises violent jihad.

"The Koran is full of, you know, jihad is the most talked about duty in the Koran other than tawhid -- belief," he said. "Nothing else is mentioned more than the topic of fighting."

Several former members of Choudary's group have been arrested on terrorism charges.

"A very significant amount of former al-Muhajiroun people were involved in terrorist plots against this country," London-based terrorism expert Peter Neumann said. "A number of people have actually gone to Afghanistan, joined the Taliban and died fighting for the Taliban."

Choudary refuses to condemn acts of terror including 9/11 and the July 7, 2005 London bombings, which killed 52 people.

Islam More than Religion

CBN News asked Choudary for his thoughts on the 7/7 bombings on London's transport system, and whether he condemned them.

"For the people who carried it out, it was legitimate," he replied. "If you look at the will of the 7/7 bombers Mohammed Siddique Khan and Shehzad Tanweer, they would be justified. And there are many verses from the Koran and many statements to say that's the Islamic argument. And that is a difficult Islamic argument to refute. And there are many scholars who support that argument as well."

Choudary says his group is merely following core Islamic teachings and that Islam is much more than a religion.

"This particular belief is more than just a religion," he declared. "It is not just a spiritual belief. It is, in fact, an ideology which you believe in and you struggle for and you are willing even to die for, because you believe in that: That is your whole life."

Choudary seems to relish being called Great Britain's "most hated man" and pledges to continue his rallies calling for the overthrow of the British system.

Real Stories of Muslim Dominance in Europe: a Warning to America

I am here to warn Americans about two Muslim war strategies: the salami method, slice by slice so no one opposes; and secondly, the dominant behavior method of the Muslims. They have used these two strategies in Denmark and Europe for 30 years now. In fact, Islam would never have achieved such a stronghold in Europe if it had not been for the European dhimmies.

What is a dhimmi then?

The basic understanding of a dhimmi is a person who is under Islam’s so-called protection and pay Muslims, “jizya”, a kind of "protection money". A lot of Christians live under very bad conditions as dhimmies all over the Muslim world but today I will use the word dhimmi in another way.

We use dhimmi to describe mainly left-wing multicultural people who are Muslim appeasers. When I think about these dhimmies I always think of the old Winston Churchill quote: "An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last."

They are ready to do anything to please the Muslims and meet their demands in order to avoid any trouble or tensions. In fact they are ready to sell out Western values to "live in peace". It is another way of paying “jizya”. In fact they have not only allowed the salami method – they have encouraged it.

In the beginning when there were not so many Muslims, there were no demands, but when the numbers increased they started to demand special treatment for Muslims. Here follows a few examples of the salami method in Europe:

Muslims demanded special times for Muslim women only to use the public swimming pool because Muslim women are not allowed to swim together with men.

That was one slice.

Muslim men demanded curtains in the changing room in the shower section because Muslim men are not allowed to show themselves naked in front of other men. They have got their curtains.

Yet another slice.

The Muslim children are not allowed to take showers with the other children after gym hours in school.

Yet another slice.

The Muslims can't even be dead together with the so-called non-believers in the mortuaries in the hospitals. Muslim relatives have demanded special rooms for their dead family members. And they have got it – paid for by our tax money.

Yet another slice.

In some cemeteries, the dead are buried facing Mecca – Muslim or not.

In England, a church was converted into a mosque and the Christian graves there were bulldozed to oblivion. Only the Muslim dead are to be respected in dhimmi Europe.

Pigs were removed from children’s books and banks have removed the children’s piggy banks because they offend the Muslims’ feelings.

Banks now offer Sharia banking because Muslims are not allowed to pay interest. This gives Muslims the control of where the money goes and Muslim so-called charities are financed.

Muslims have demanded praying rooms in the schools and have got it.

Everybody is obliged to take any kind of job offered when getting social welfare, but unemployed Muslim women are allowed to say no to certain jobs where they could come in contact with men – or with pork meat.

At Christmas time, big supermarkets have removed the Christian Christmas decorations, just because it could offend the Muslims.

Oxford, in England, has changed Christmas into the Winter Festival, to avoid offending Muslims, but the mosque is allowed to use loudspeakers five times a day for calling to prayer.

Ninety-nine percent of all poultry in Denmark is now halal-slaughtered, and a fee is paid to Muslim organizations for each poultry that is slaughtered that way.

Large food chains such as KFC now only offer halal meat in some stores.

In many big towns, institutions don’t serve pork meat for the children any longer. So, even though the Danish economy is largely based on pork exports, Danish children are no longer allowed to eat all the different and common pork dishes.

Some of the schools in Copenhagen have recently introduced mothers-only parent-teacher meetings. The fact is that they are appeasing the Muslim men who do not allow their wives to take part in any meetings where men are present. Therefore, Danish fathers have to stay home when women-only meetings take place.

Because of the cartoon crisis, journalists no longer dare to publish Muhammed cartoons in the newspapers. Books have been rewritten because of fear of violent Muslims and recently, an auction house didn't want to sell a drawing made by Kurt Westergaard, the artist who drew the Muhammed cartoon, because of fear from Muslim protests. Clearly, Sharia censorship is creeping in.

The appeasement politics carried out by the European dhimmis has not made Muslims more satisfied with the Europeans. In fact, it is the contrary. Because the many Muslim demands are being met, they feel that they have enough power now to move to the next step and that is to use a well known Muslim weapon: dominant behavior towards everybody who is not a Muslim.

This dominant behavior is intended make non-Muslims convert to Islam so the Muslim and the formerly-non-Muslims can live in peace. We see this dominant behavior in the rise of the crime rate committed by the non-Western population. They want to show that they are in charge of the whole infidel kuffar system. For instance, Muslims throw stones and bottles at police, firemen and rescue teams when they enter the Muslim-only ghettoes. Ambulances and firemen have to wait for police escort.

In Denmark we have the right to demonstrate in any public place we like. As long as the demonstrations are peaceful the police cannot forbid them. But because of the increasing Muslim population, the police have now ordered the demonstrations to stay out of certain areas with many Muslim inhabitants.

The reason: the police fear Muslim violence and vandalism.

In other words, we now have areas where Muslims control the streets and where Danish law no longer applies. We have to hire professional security for our own legal demonstrations.

Muslim criminal gangs are ruling the streets in many of the major cities in Europe where their dominant behavior spreads fear amongst the people living there. In Copenhagen, Muslim gangs have made special zones where people will be body searched if they want to pass through.

The police have not yet succeeded in stopping it.

This dominant behavior spreads to non-Muslim areas as well. If a person meets a group of young Muslims on the street and dares to look them in the eyes, the Muslims take that as a provocation and attack the person. This happens every day. Most Danes now look down when passing Muslim groups as a result of their dominant behavior.

Rape is also a part of the dominant behavior. Rapes have increased over the last 20 years and many do not report the rape because of threats. Sweden is the most compliant nation of all European countries and they have one of the highest rape rates in Europe. Most of them are committed by Muslims.

The more you appease the Muslims, the more dominant behavior you will suffer. In Norway, dhimmi politicians said women must dress in such a way that they do not invite Muslim men to rape them. What happened to the rights women have fought for? Homosexuals are also feeling the Muslim dominant behavior. Attacks on them are the most common hate-crimes in big cities.

Greenland is part of the Danish state, which is why there are many Greenlanders in Denmark. Some of them have been stoned out of Muslim areas, and they have actually been expelled from Gellerup, a Muslim area in the second biggest town Århus.

Jews are being hunted down and beaten up in Europe these days. Many Jews dare not to wear their kippa in certain areas because they fear violent attacks from Muslims. In fact many Jews have now left Europe because it is no longer safe to live in major cities in Europe as a Jew. Jews have also left Denmark because of that. It hurts to watch this development in Denmark, because Denmark is known for our rescuing of numerous Jews during World War II. Now, Police Intelligence has openly declared that they cannot even guarantee their safety anymore.

With all this in mind, a special quote comes to my mind which fits Islam exactly in Europe:

The way to march a thousand miles, and still win the battle, is to make the other side march the thousand miles.

The dhimmies and their dhimmi attitude have marched – and are still marching – for Islam.

How can we stop this suicidal development? How can we turn this quote around and use it against the Islamization of Europe?

SIOE (Stop the Islamization of Europe) was founded in 2007 as a European model of SIAD, Stop Islamization of Denmark. One of the cornerstones in SIAD is our provocations.

We are fully convinced that if we should have a chance to wake up our population, we need to provoke, in order to get the truth well known and widespread.

By provocations, we mean it in the understanding of Roman law: to act as an advocate in a courtroom to provoke the accused until he reveals his true face.

SIAD and SIOE have carried out numerous demonstrations and, especially the ones that took place in certain Muslim areas, we made the Muslims show their true face so the people could be informed that Islam is not the religion of peace.

SIAD held a demonstration in 2006 in a Muslim area in Århus with the title: The Genociders Hamas out of Scandinavia. 800 furious Palastinians turned up, fired crysantemum-bombs and fireworks at the police and journalists, threw stones and made so much disturbance that the police had to escort our little demonstration away before it was finished.

SIOE held a demonstration and commemoration on September 11th 2009 in Harrow, London to oppose the building of a big mosque. There was only Stephen Gash and around 20 others, but around 2000 furious Muslims turned up and made riots in the streets. Stephen Gash was arrested and the demonstration was prevented. SIOE was called fascist and far right by media and even government ministers.

Contrast this with the response to a Muslim demonstration in London the previous January where Muslims rioted. Nobody called them fascists and the BBC described the demonstration as peaceful. SIOE demonstrated again in Harrow in December, to show we were not defeated. Hardly any Muslims showed up. Since September 11th 2009 five mosques have been stopped from being built in England, including the world’s largest planned for the 2012 Olympics in London.

So action does work.

Remember, the shoe-bomber and other terrorists were sent out from these mosques.

Socialism, Communism and Islam are collectivist totalitarian doctrines, which is why they support each other. The biggest totalitarian project is the European Union. The European Union acts secretly, deceiving the European people about its development. Democracy is being deliberately removed, the latest evidence of that being the passage of the Lisbon Treaty.

However, the plan goes much further with the ultimate goal being a Eurabian superstate, incorporating Muslim countries of North Africa and the Middle East and the European Union. This was already initiated with the signing of the Barcelona Treaty in 1995 by the EU and 9 North African States and Israel, which became effective the 1^st of January 2010. It is also known as the Euro-Mediterranean co-operation.

In return for some European control of oil resources, Muslim countries will have unfettered access to technology and movement of people into Europe. The price Europeans will have to pay is the introduction of Sharia law and removal of democracy.

Believe me, America is not far behind, and we think you are overtaking us.

Violent, economic, cultural and stealth Jihad is the knife slicing the salami of freedom. It is time for us to snatch the slicing-knife of jihad, stop mosque building, stop Sharia law and stop Sharia finance, for we are free – not dhimmis – and we will never be dhimmis. And we will never surrender!

That is why the Western World needs to stand together and fight evil, and fight for freedom and democracy!