More on Islam
Religion and Philosophy
Islamic Practice
Other cultural things that Muhammad took from the culture around him include praying five times a day while facing Mecca in Saudi Arabia. This reminds the Muslim five times a day that he must bow in obedience to Arabia.
A Muslim is also required, often in the face of great hardship and great cost, to go on a pilgrimage to Arabia at least once in his life to worship at the Kaaba in Mecca. Historical evidence is clear in showing that Muhammad adopted the pagan religious rite of a pilgrimage to Mecca, which was already being widely practiced long before Muhammad was even born.
Muhammad, in order to appease the merchants of Mecca (who made tremendous amounts of money by people coming there on pilgrimages), put this requirement into Islam as part of his religion. For financial and cultural reasons Islam adopted this pagan practice, which must be fulfilled even by the poorest Muslims as one of their five pillars of faith.
One of the most demeaning practices of Islam is its barbaric treatment of women. Women are considered property in the fundamental sects of Islam. They are not allowed to have ownership of any kind of property. Approximately 75 percent of Muslim women suffer female circumcision in a most barbaric, painful ritual designed to make them obedient and docile. They are dressed from head to toe in cloths that cover all but the eyes, and often even these are covered by a veil.
It is interesting that what an illiterate nomadic tribesman wore in the desert in seventh-century Arabia is still mandated as the dress code for Muslim women today! It is a clear denial of civil rights to women and is reflective on the Islamic Arabian culture and its low view of women.
You might remember what took place during the Gulf War. On March 10, 1991, The New York Times Magazine reported the following incident about women's rights in Saudi Arabia.
The crisis in the Gulf spawned a much-publicized demonstration by women who dumped their chauffeurs and drove in convoy, defying a ban on women driving in Saudi Arabia. The incident promoted a vicious campaign acquiescence. The religious police patrolled the street and shopping malls, telling women to cover their faces and the young men to pray.
The government punished the demonstrating women as severely as it would any public protester. The women as well as their husbands were forbidden to leave the kingdom. They were forbidden to speak with foreign reporters or to discuss their situation with an outsider. They were warned of further reprisals if they attempted to drive again and stage another demonstration.
But the government's treatment of these women was mild compared to their treatment by the Islamic religious establishment. The fundamentalist sheiks denounced them from one of the kingdom's most powerful political platforms, the Mosque Opus.
In the Friday services after the demonstration, the women were branded as "red Communists, dirty American secularists, whores and prostitutes, fallen women and advocators of vice." Their names, occupations, addresses, and phone numbers were distributed in leaflets at the mosques and other public places. One leaflet accused them of having denounced Islam, an office punishable by death in Saudi Arabia. And these women were all educated Ph.D.'s, most of them teachers at the University. Some were medical doctors. Yet they were threatened with death because they had gotten into cars and driven them. Several of the women remained unrepentant, convinced that eventually the issue of their status would be addressed. And in November of 2008 this:
..TR> ..TR>
..TABLE>
..TABLE>
Islam In Action
..TR> ..TR>
..TABLE>..TABLE>
US, Australia, and the UK:Islamic Leaders Calling for Sharia law
Posted: 20 Nov 2008 06:43 PM CST
As time goes on more and more Islamic leaders are not hiding their agenda and are calling for Islamic law. Let us examine three cases of this. The first taking place
in the US. He is a Phoenix Imam who is calling for Muslims not to follow the laws of the US government, but instead follow those of Sharia or Islamic law . Here is what Omar Shahin, president of the North American Imams Foundation has said.
"A Muslim must try his best to abide by the rulings of Sharia [Islamic law] whenever possible as much as he can. He should not allow himself to be liable to those western laws that contradict the clear-cut Islamic rulings".
Islamic laws include stonings for adultery and the extortion of non-Muslims. (Koran verse 9 29) If you ask me, it sounds like those laws and ours cannot coexist within the same country.
The next case is coming from Australia where in the past Muslim students petitioned the universities there to change every ones class schedule times to accommodate the pray times of Muslims. A recently released report shows that some Islamic leaders in OZ are condoning rape within a marriage (Koran verse 2 223), domestic violence (Koran verse 4 34),
polygamy, (Koran verse 4 003), welfare fraud (not part of Islamic law) and the exploitation of women. (Koran verse 4 11).
The third case in is an Imam in the UK, who preaches at Britain's best known Mosque. Abu Zahra declared: "Male and female thief – amputate their hands. Those who kill – their life is not secure." And he slammed unmarried sex, saying: "Lash them". In the UK Muslims who are calling for sharia are well on their way, as some aspects of sharia are being allowed in a string of UK Sharia Courts.
Isn't time that our governments start fighting back? There are a few things that should be happening here. The first is that sharia law should be made illegal, as US Congressman Tom Tancredo has stated. Secondly those that call for sharia should be charged with treason and finally we need to put an end to all Muslim immigration including student visas. As this problem will only get worse and worse as more of them come here...:namespace prefix = v ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" />
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Muslim Woman who Played the Victim Card~Pleads Not Guilty
Posted: 20 Nov 2008 01:34 PM CST
This is an update to this story.
Muslim student pleads not guilty in reporting Elmhurst College attack
Officials say woman made up story about assault, anti-Islamic slurs
Tribune staff report
A Muslim student who allegedly made a false claim that a masked man attacked her after he wrote anti- Islamic slurs in a women's restroom at Elmhurst College pleaded not guilty Monday to a charge of disorderly conduct. Safia Jilani, 19, made no public comment.
Outside the DuPage County courtroom, her attorney, Terry Ekl, said "she is in treatment, and I hope the public wouldn't judge her until all the facts are known."
He declined to specify the type of treatment.
Link to Article
..TR> ..TR>
..TABLE>
..TABLE>
Islam In Action
..TR> ..TR>
..TABLE>
..TABLE>
6:31 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment -
Pope Questions Interfaith Dialogue
Posted: 23 Nov 2008 05:49 PM CST
While Pope Benedict XVI will continue to show the world that he tried by having more interfaith talks, it appears that he knows that nothing will result from them. He sees that these conferences are full of empty talk by Muslims, as nothing actually gets any better for the Christians and Jews living in Islamic countries.
Pope Questions Interfaith Dialogue
By RACHEL DONADIO
Published: November 23, 2008
ROME — In comments that could have broad implications in a period of intense inter-religious conflict, Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday cast doubt on the possibility of interfaith dialogue but called for more discussion of the practical consequences of religious differences.
The pope's comments were from a letter he wrote to Marcello Pera, an Italian center-right politician and scholar whose forthcoming book, "Why We Must Call Ourselves Christian," argues that Europe should stay true to its liberal, Christian roots. A central theme of Benedict's papacy has been to focus attention on the Christian roots of an increasingly secular Europe.
In comments from the letter that appeared on Sunday in Corriere della Sera, Italy's leading daily, the pope said the book "explained with great clarity" that "an inter-religious dialogue in the strict sense of the word is not possible." In theological terms, he added, "a true dialogue is not possible without putting one's faith in parentheses."
But Benedict added that "intercultural dialogue which deepens the cultural consequences of basic religious ideas" was important. He called for confronting "in a public forum the cultural consequences of basic religious decisions."
The Vatican spokesman, Rev. Federico Lombardi, said the pope's comments seemed intended to draw interest for Mr. Pera's book, not to cast doubt on the Vatican's many continuing inter-religious dialogues.
"He has a papacy known for religious dialogue, he went to a mosque, he's been to synagogues," Rev. Lombardi said. "This means that he thinks we can meet and talk to the others and have a positive relationship."
Instead, the pope's remarks seemed aimed at pushing some more theoretical inter-religious conversations into the practical realm.
"He's trying to get the Catholic-Islamic dialogue out of the clouds of theory and down to brass tacks: how can we know the truth about how we ought to live together justly, despite basic credal differences?" said George Weigel, a Catholic scholar and biographer of Pope John Paul II.
This month, the Vatican hosted a conference with Muslim religious leaders and scholars aimed at improving ties that had been strained in 2006, when some Muslims were offended when the pope quoted a Byzantine emperor criticizing the Prophet Muhammad.
The conference participants agreed to condemn terrorism and protect religious freedom, but they did not address issues of conversion and of the rights of Christians to worship in majority Muslim countries.
The Church is also engaged in dialogue with Muslims organized by the King of Saudi Arabia, a country where non-Muslims are forbidden from worshipping in public.
Link to Article
UAC Launches Anti-Sharia Billboard
Posted: 23 Nov 2008 06:26 PM CST
The United American Committee has just launched a forty-eight foot long anti-Sharia billboard on the Detroit-Toledo highway. The UAC is a bi-partisan group aimed at fighting Islamofascism across the globe. They are lead by Jesse Petrilla and have chapters across America and Canada. Great work guys!!
UK:Muslims to be Offered Sharia Pensions
Posted: 23 Nov 2008 02:51 PM CST
Yesterday I said that it seems that every week the politically correct Brits are going out of their way to cater to Muslims when they agreed to change the name of an historic building because the Church thought that the name was offensive to Muslims. Today it gets worse as the UK is going to be offering sharia compliant pensions to Muslims because they might not have enough money saved to retire on. The country already has sharia compliant baby bonds. The Kingdom needs to look for reasons to get Muslims to leave and not stay there until they get old. If our British friends want to win this war and save their country, they need to make all aspects of sharia law illegal in order to stop the financial companies from catering to Islam. Please take some advice from US Congressman Tom Tancredo.
Muslims to be offered Sharia-compliant pensions by Government
Muslims are to be offered Sharia-compliant pension funds by a new Government body.
By Martin Beckford, Social Affairs Correspondent
Last Updated: 3:35PM GMT 21 Nov 2008
The scheme to provide retirement funds for millions who do not already have a company pension is likely to include a special option that would not invest in companies deemed sinful under Islam.
Ministers are keen to get Muslims saving with the Personal Accounts Delivery Authority, as many who have low-paid jobs or who have moved to Britain in recent decades are unlikely to have put away much for their old age.
The decision to provide a Sharia-compliant pension fund is another sign of the growing influence of Islamic law in British public life and in particular the country's finance industry.
The prospect of some aspects of Sharia law such as divorce proceedings and dispute resolution being enshrined in the English legal system – raised by the Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Chief Justice this year – remains highly controversial because of fears that the system discriminates against women and that a two-tier approach would be divisive.
But more and more financial products are being tailored to cater for Britain's population of 2 million Muslims.
The religion's holy book, the Qu'ran, forbids Muslims from making money from money, so they cannot use products that involve the charging of interest nor invest in traditional financial services firms.
Gambling, drinking and pornography are also seen as immoral under Islam, so Muslims cannot put their money into companies that promote these activities.
The Islamic finance market is estimated to be worth £500 million already and is growing rapidly.
Families can already get Sharia-compliant baby bonds under the Government's Child Trust Fund scheme while the UK is likely to become the first Western country to issue Islamic bonds in order to raise money from the Middle East.
This year has also seen the launch of Britain's first Islamic insurance company and pre-paid MasterCard. There are a handful of wholly Islamic banks in the country and several more that offer alternatives to mortgages which do not involve the charging of interest.
When the Personal Accounts Delivery Authority launches in 2012, as many as 10 million people who do not have a decent occupational pension will become automatically enrolled and made to save a minimum of 4 per cent of their earnings a year, matched by a 3 per cent contribution from their employer and 1 per cent tax relief from the Government.
Savers will be able to choose from a range of funds into which their money will be invested, with one option likely to be Sharia-compliant.
A spokesman for the authority said: "In early 2009 we will be consulting on the potential approach to investment. Issues that we envisage incorporating into the consultation document include the overarching investment objective, the default strategy and lifestyling of funds and fund choices beyond the default strategy.
"This will include the appropriateness of making available religion compliant funds (e.g. Sharia) and funds focusing on social, environmental and ethical issues."
Its plan was backed this week by a report by the Pensions Policy Institute and the Equality and Human Rights Commission on how to improve the lot of Britain's "under-pensioned", such as disabled people, women and ethnic minorities, who in many cases have not worked long enough to be entitled to a full state pension of £90.70 a week when they retire.
The study said: "The inclusion of a Sharia-compliant investment choice might be important to encourage participation among some ethnic minority groups."
Douglas Murray, director of the Centre for Social Cohesion think tank, said the Government should not be creating parallel financial or legal systems for different groups in Britain.
He said: "It's a great mistake for the Government to think this is desirable or even necessary."
Link to Article
UK:Muslim Illegals Caught in Pork Delivery Truck
Posted: 23 Nov 2008 12:37 PM CST
This story just cracked me up. We see Muslims complaining that they cannot eat or handle pork but these Muslims must of forgotten that part of Islam as they tried to get smuggled into the UK in a lorry full of pork products. I wonder if they got hungry and ate any?
Thanks to Joan of the UK.
MUSLIM ILLEGALS IN A HAM LORRY
By Vincent Moss Political Editor, sundaymirror.co.uk
Five Iraqi Muslims whose religion forbids them from contact with pork were caught trying to sneak illegally into Britain - in a lorry load of ham.
Uk Border Agency officers searched the truck and found the gang hiding inside among tons of the meat.
The Polish-registered lorry, bound for Haverhill in Suffolk, was stopped at the French port of Calais.
The five were detained and handed to the French immigration authorities.
The attempt, last Wednesday, was all the more bizarre because Muslims are banned from eating or touching ham.
A uk Border Agency spokeswoman said: "We use heartbeat and breath detectors, sniffer dogs and visual searches to find illegal immigrants. A million lorries were searched last year"
Dog Reponds to the Islamic Call to Prayers
Posted: 23 Nov 2008 11:42 AM CST
Lets lighten the day with a funny story from the Islamic world. The video below shows this beautiful German Shepard in Palestine who responds after each line of the call to prayers or adhan, (article 4) is sung. I wonder if he is a Muslim or he is anti-Islamic and is sick of hearing the daily calls?
Hat tip to Joan.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
About | FAQ | Terms | Privacy: | Safety Tips | Contact Myspace | Posted by | Promote | Advertise | MySpaceShop
©2003-2007 MySpace.com. All Rights Reserved.
Islamic Practice
Other cultural things that Muhammad took from the culture around him include praying five times a day while facing Mecca in Saudi Arabia. This reminds the Muslim five times a day that he must bow in obedience to Arabia.
A Muslim is also required, often in the face of great hardship and great cost, to go on a pilgrimage to Arabia at least once in his life to worship at the Kaaba in Mecca. Historical evidence is clear in showing that Muhammad adopted the pagan religious rite of a pilgrimage to Mecca, which was already being widely practiced long before Muhammad was even born.
Muhammad, in order to appease the merchants of Mecca (who made tremendous amounts of money by people coming there on pilgrimages), put this requirement into Islam as part of his religion. For financial and cultural reasons Islam adopted this pagan practice, which must be fulfilled even by the poorest Muslims as one of their five pillars of faith.
One of the most demeaning practices of Islam is its barbaric treatment of women. Women are considered property in the fundamental sects of Islam. They are not allowed to have ownership of any kind of property. Approximately 75 percent of Muslim women suffer female circumcision in a most barbaric, painful ritual designed to make them obedient and docile. They are dressed from head to toe in cloths that cover all but the eyes, and often even these are covered by a veil.
It is interesting that what an illiterate nomadic tribesman wore in the desert in seventh-century Arabia is still mandated as the dress code for Muslim women today! It is a clear denial of civil rights to women and is reflective on the Islamic Arabian culture and its low view of women.
You might remember what took place during the Gulf War. On March 10, 1991, The New York Times Magazine reported the following incident about women's rights in Saudi Arabia.
The crisis in the Gulf spawned a much-publicized demonstration by women who dumped their chauffeurs and drove in convoy, defying a ban on women driving in Saudi Arabia. The incident promoted a vicious campaign acquiescence. The religious police patrolled the street and shopping malls, telling women to cover their faces and the young men to pray.
The government punished the demonstrating women as severely as it would any public protester. The women as well as their husbands were forbidden to leave the kingdom. They were forbidden to speak with foreign reporters or to discuss their situation with an outsider. They were warned of further reprisals if they attempted to drive again and stage another demonstration.
But the government's treatment of these women was mild compared to their treatment by the Islamic religious establishment. The fundamentalist sheiks denounced them from one of the kingdom's most powerful political platforms, the Mosque Opus.
In the Friday services after the demonstration, the women were branded as "red Communists, dirty American secularists, whores and prostitutes, fallen women and advocators of vice." Their names, occupations, addresses, and phone numbers were distributed in leaflets at the mosques and other public places. One leaflet accused them of having denounced Islam, an office punishable by death in Saudi Arabia. And these women were all educated Ph.D.'s, most of them teachers at the University. Some were medical doctors. Yet they were threatened with death because they had gotten into cars and driven them. Several of the women remained unrepentant, convinced that eventually the issue of their status would be addressed. And in November of 2008 this:
..TR> ..TR>
..TABLE>
..TABLE>
Islam In Action
..TR> ..TR>
..TABLE>..TABLE>
US, Australia, and the UK:Islamic Leaders Calling for Sharia law
Posted: 20 Nov 2008 06:43 PM CST
As time goes on more and more Islamic leaders are not hiding their agenda and are calling for Islamic law. Let us examine three cases of this. The first taking place
in the US. He is a Phoenix Imam who is calling for Muslims not to follow the laws of the US government, but instead follow those of Sharia or Islamic law . Here is what Omar Shahin, president of the North American Imams Foundation has said.
"A Muslim must try his best to abide by the rulings of Sharia [Islamic law] whenever possible as much as he can. He should not allow himself to be liable to those western laws that contradict the clear-cut Islamic rulings".
Islamic laws include stonings for adultery and the extortion of non-Muslims. (Koran verse 9 29) If you ask me, it sounds like those laws and ours cannot coexist within the same country.
The next case is coming from Australia where in the past Muslim students petitioned the universities there to change every ones class schedule times to accommodate the pray times of Muslims. A recently released report shows that some Islamic leaders in OZ are condoning rape within a marriage (Koran verse 2 223), domestic violence (Koran verse 4 34),
polygamy, (Koran verse 4 003), welfare fraud (not part of Islamic law) and the exploitation of women. (Koran verse 4 11).
The third case in is an Imam in the UK, who preaches at Britain's best known Mosque. Abu Zahra declared: "Male and female thief – amputate their hands. Those who kill – their life is not secure." And he slammed unmarried sex, saying: "Lash them". In the UK Muslims who are calling for sharia are well on their way, as some aspects of sharia are being allowed in a string of UK Sharia Courts.
Isn't time that our governments start fighting back? There are a few things that should be happening here. The first is that sharia law should be made illegal, as US Congressman Tom Tancredo has stated. Secondly those that call for sharia should be charged with treason and finally we need to put an end to all Muslim immigration including student visas. As this problem will only get worse and worse as more of them come here...:namespace prefix = v ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" />
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Muslim Woman who Played the Victim Card~Pleads Not Guilty
Posted: 20 Nov 2008 01:34 PM CST
This is an update to this story.
Muslim student pleads not guilty in reporting Elmhurst College attack
Officials say woman made up story about assault, anti-Islamic slurs
Tribune staff report
A Muslim student who allegedly made a false claim that a masked man attacked her after he wrote anti- Islamic slurs in a women's restroom at Elmhurst College pleaded not guilty Monday to a charge of disorderly conduct. Safia Jilani, 19, made no public comment.
Outside the DuPage County courtroom, her attorney, Terry Ekl, said "she is in treatment, and I hope the public wouldn't judge her until all the facts are known."
He declined to specify the type of treatment.
Link to Article
..TR> ..TR>
..TABLE>
..TABLE>
Islam In Action
..TR> ..TR>
..TABLE>
..TABLE>
6:31 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment -
Pope Questions Interfaith Dialogue
Posted: 23 Nov 2008 05:49 PM CST
While Pope Benedict XVI will continue to show the world that he tried by having more interfaith talks, it appears that he knows that nothing will result from them. He sees that these conferences are full of empty talk by Muslims, as nothing actually gets any better for the Christians and Jews living in Islamic countries.
Pope Questions Interfaith Dialogue
By RACHEL DONADIO
Published: November 23, 2008
ROME — In comments that could have broad implications in a period of intense inter-religious conflict, Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday cast doubt on the possibility of interfaith dialogue but called for more discussion of the practical consequences of religious differences.
The pope's comments were from a letter he wrote to Marcello Pera, an Italian center-right politician and scholar whose forthcoming book, "Why We Must Call Ourselves Christian," argues that Europe should stay true to its liberal, Christian roots. A central theme of Benedict's papacy has been to focus attention on the Christian roots of an increasingly secular Europe.
In comments from the letter that appeared on Sunday in Corriere della Sera, Italy's leading daily, the pope said the book "explained with great clarity" that "an inter-religious dialogue in the strict sense of the word is not possible." In theological terms, he added, "a true dialogue is not possible without putting one's faith in parentheses."
But Benedict added that "intercultural dialogue which deepens the cultural consequences of basic religious ideas" was important. He called for confronting "in a public forum the cultural consequences of basic religious decisions."
The Vatican spokesman, Rev. Federico Lombardi, said the pope's comments seemed intended to draw interest for Mr. Pera's book, not to cast doubt on the Vatican's many continuing inter-religious dialogues.
"He has a papacy known for religious dialogue, he went to a mosque, he's been to synagogues," Rev. Lombardi said. "This means that he thinks we can meet and talk to the others and have a positive relationship."
Instead, the pope's remarks seemed aimed at pushing some more theoretical inter-religious conversations into the practical realm.
"He's trying to get the Catholic-Islamic dialogue out of the clouds of theory and down to brass tacks: how can we know the truth about how we ought to live together justly, despite basic credal differences?" said George Weigel, a Catholic scholar and biographer of Pope John Paul II.
This month, the Vatican hosted a conference with Muslim religious leaders and scholars aimed at improving ties that had been strained in 2006, when some Muslims were offended when the pope quoted a Byzantine emperor criticizing the Prophet Muhammad.
The conference participants agreed to condemn terrorism and protect religious freedom, but they did not address issues of conversion and of the rights of Christians to worship in majority Muslim countries.
The Church is also engaged in dialogue with Muslims organized by the King of Saudi Arabia, a country where non-Muslims are forbidden from worshipping in public.
Link to Article
UAC Launches Anti-Sharia Billboard
Posted: 23 Nov 2008 06:26 PM CST
The United American Committee has just launched a forty-eight foot long anti-Sharia billboard on the Detroit-Toledo highway. The UAC is a bi-partisan group aimed at fighting Islamofascism across the globe. They are lead by Jesse Petrilla and have chapters across America and Canada. Great work guys!!
UK:Muslims to be Offered Sharia Pensions
Posted: 23 Nov 2008 02:51 PM CST
Yesterday I said that it seems that every week the politically correct Brits are going out of their way to cater to Muslims when they agreed to change the name of an historic building because the Church thought that the name was offensive to Muslims. Today it gets worse as the UK is going to be offering sharia compliant pensions to Muslims because they might not have enough money saved to retire on. The country already has sharia compliant baby bonds. The Kingdom needs to look for reasons to get Muslims to leave and not stay there until they get old. If our British friends want to win this war and save their country, they need to make all aspects of sharia law illegal in order to stop the financial companies from catering to Islam. Please take some advice from US Congressman Tom Tancredo.
Muslims to be offered Sharia-compliant pensions by Government
Muslims are to be offered Sharia-compliant pension funds by a new Government body.
By Martin Beckford, Social Affairs Correspondent
Last Updated: 3:35PM GMT 21 Nov 2008
The scheme to provide retirement funds for millions who do not already have a company pension is likely to include a special option that would not invest in companies deemed sinful under Islam.
Ministers are keen to get Muslims saving with the Personal Accounts Delivery Authority, as many who have low-paid jobs or who have moved to Britain in recent decades are unlikely to have put away much for their old age.
The decision to provide a Sharia-compliant pension fund is another sign of the growing influence of Islamic law in British public life and in particular the country's finance industry.
The prospect of some aspects of Sharia law such as divorce proceedings and dispute resolution being enshrined in the English legal system – raised by the Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Chief Justice this year – remains highly controversial because of fears that the system discriminates against women and that a two-tier approach would be divisive.
But more and more financial products are being tailored to cater for Britain's population of 2 million Muslims.
The religion's holy book, the Qu'ran, forbids Muslims from making money from money, so they cannot use products that involve the charging of interest nor invest in traditional financial services firms.
Gambling, drinking and pornography are also seen as immoral under Islam, so Muslims cannot put their money into companies that promote these activities.
The Islamic finance market is estimated to be worth £500 million already and is growing rapidly.
Families can already get Sharia-compliant baby bonds under the Government's Child Trust Fund scheme while the UK is likely to become the first Western country to issue Islamic bonds in order to raise money from the Middle East.
This year has also seen the launch of Britain's first Islamic insurance company and pre-paid MasterCard. There are a handful of wholly Islamic banks in the country and several more that offer alternatives to mortgages which do not involve the charging of interest.
When the Personal Accounts Delivery Authority launches in 2012, as many as 10 million people who do not have a decent occupational pension will become automatically enrolled and made to save a minimum of 4 per cent of their earnings a year, matched by a 3 per cent contribution from their employer and 1 per cent tax relief from the Government.
Savers will be able to choose from a range of funds into which their money will be invested, with one option likely to be Sharia-compliant.
A spokesman for the authority said: "In early 2009 we will be consulting on the potential approach to investment. Issues that we envisage incorporating into the consultation document include the overarching investment objective, the default strategy and lifestyling of funds and fund choices beyond the default strategy.
"This will include the appropriateness of making available religion compliant funds (e.g. Sharia) and funds focusing on social, environmental and ethical issues."
Its plan was backed this week by a report by the Pensions Policy Institute and the Equality and Human Rights Commission on how to improve the lot of Britain's "under-pensioned", such as disabled people, women and ethnic minorities, who in many cases have not worked long enough to be entitled to a full state pension of £90.70 a week when they retire.
The study said: "The inclusion of a Sharia-compliant investment choice might be important to encourage participation among some ethnic minority groups."
Douglas Murray, director of the Centre for Social Cohesion think tank, said the Government should not be creating parallel financial or legal systems for different groups in Britain.
He said: "It's a great mistake for the Government to think this is desirable or even necessary."
Link to Article
UK:Muslim Illegals Caught in Pork Delivery Truck
Posted: 23 Nov 2008 12:37 PM CST
This story just cracked me up. We see Muslims complaining that they cannot eat or handle pork but these Muslims must of forgotten that part of Islam as they tried to get smuggled into the UK in a lorry full of pork products. I wonder if they got hungry and ate any?
Thanks to Joan of the UK.
MUSLIM ILLEGALS IN A HAM LORRY
By Vincent Moss Political Editor, sundaymirror.co.uk
Five Iraqi Muslims whose religion forbids them from contact with pork were caught trying to sneak illegally into Britain - in a lorry load of ham.
Uk Border Agency officers searched the truck and found the gang hiding inside among tons of the meat.
The Polish-registered lorry, bound for Haverhill in Suffolk, was stopped at the French port of Calais.
The five were detained and handed to the French immigration authorities.
The attempt, last Wednesday, was all the more bizarre because Muslims are banned from eating or touching ham.
A uk Border Agency spokeswoman said: "We use heartbeat and breath detectors, sniffer dogs and visual searches to find illegal immigrants. A million lorries were searched last year"
Dog Reponds to the Islamic Call to Prayers
Posted: 23 Nov 2008 11:42 AM CST
Lets lighten the day with a funny story from the Islamic world. The video below shows this beautiful German Shepard in Palestine who responds after each line of the call to prayers or adhan, (article 4) is sung. I wonder if he is a Muslim or he is anti-Islamic and is sick of hearing the daily calls?
Hat tip to Joan.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
About | FAQ | Terms | Privacy: | Safety Tips | Contact Myspace | Posted by | Promote | Advertise | MySpaceShop
©2003-2007 MySpace.com. All Rights Reserved.
posted by Claudia Barlow at 8:13 PM
1 Comments:
Before you diss Islam, know your Christianity first… And quit generalizing, too.
While chatting with a friend the other day, we found ourselves on the topic of religion. This particular friend is getting a tattoo of the word in Islam for “infidel” in a few weeks. When I asked him why he would do this (he’s Christian), he told me that he was doing it as a mockery of the faith. He spoke of Islam as a violent religion, out to massacre and kill, pillage and rape. He cited this passage from the Quran: “Prophet make war on the unbelievers and the hypocrites and deal rigorously with them. Hell shall be their home: an evil fate” (Quran 9:73) “Those who believe fight in the cause of Allah, and those who reject faith fight in the cause of evil: so fight ye against the friends of Satan” (Quran 4:76), and of course, he referenced suicide bombings.
This logic no longer surprises me, but it does continue to agitate me. The direct correlation between Islam and September 11, the assertions that all Muslims are America-haters and Christian-killers, that the religion teaches them to either convert non-believers or exterminate them… all of this I’ve heard time and time again, and all of it I roll my eyes at. The overt hypocrisy, the vast generalizations, and the sheer idiocy of these remarks are so easy to see, yet even easier to overlook.
The Christian Bible’s Old Testament repeatedly calls on those of faith to either convert or kill non-believers. For example, Deuteronomy 17 states, “17:2 If there be found among you, within any of thy gates which the LORD thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness in the sight of the LORD thy God, in transgressing his covenant; 17:3 And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded; 17:4 And it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it, and enquired diligently, and, behold, it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel; 17:5 Then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, which have committed that wicked thing, unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones, till they die.”
Why can we point out passages in the Quran that call for extermination of infidels while we continue to ignore the very passages in the CHRISTIAN BIBLE that promote the exact same actions? What makes our “peaceful” Christian religion justified in its writings urging murder yet labels Islam a violent faith?
After reaching this point in the argument, I am usually reminded of the events of September 11; I’m told that terrorists bombed the World Trade Center in the name of their faith, and thus, any faith that promotes such a thing must surely be a hostile one. I’d like to direct anyone who chooses to utilize this argument back to the actions of our peaceful Christian brothers and sisters. Think of the Christians who have blown up abortion clinics or attacked doctors and nurses who work there in the name of Christianity. Is this not a similar concept? European countries in the 16 and 1700s colonized and enslaved the people of Africa and Asia in the name of Christianity, in the name of saving the savage people from their filthy sin filled lives. Their land and resources were exploited and their human dignity ravaged all disguised under a veil of Christianity’s greater good, of a mission to bring the Christian faith to those who were too stupid and too uncivilized to know it.
But no, it is the Muslims who are violent.
The men who bombed the World Trade Center were not Muslims at all. The faith strictly forbids alcohol consumption, loose sexual values, and gambling, yet the terrorists of 911 drank heavily, utilized the service of prostitutes, and visited casinos all the night before their act of terrorism was to be executed. Wouldn’t it seem that men who are thought to be killing American lives all in the name of Islam would be interested in rigidly following the basic rules of their faith?
“Oh yes, well the Quran states that those who die for their faith will be rewarded greatly in heaven.” I would like to guide you toward Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount for a response to this argument. “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake/ Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. (Matthew 5:11-12). We honor martyrs and pray to saints, many of whom have died in the name of their Christian faith. We immortalize those who have died for the sake of Christianity… Sound familiar?
Of course, at this point I must add a disclaimer, although I know that there will still be someone who chooses to point this out: I am in no way saying that Islam is never used by evil people as a shield for evil deeds. However, we have to remember to separate the religion from the people. By this I mean, while the faith itself may say one this, someone else may interpret it to mean something else, something violent and hostile, and may act on it. This does not mean that that is what all Muslims believe!
Again, to Christianity… Some Christians believe that only through baptism can one be saved. Even if one has never heard of Jesus Christ, because that person has not been baptized and does not accept Christ as his or her savior (again, not by choice but because the belief in Christ has never been made known to that person), that person will go to hell. Not all Christians believe this. Not all Christians believe that homosexuality is a sin; not all Christians believe that the death penalty is bad; not all Christians believe evolution is real; not all Christians choose to wait to have sex until after marriage. This means that Christianity, like Islam, is not a uniform belief. Some people believe and do one thing while some people believe and do another. It is not just to generalize a whole people, an ENTIRE FAITH on the actions of the few or with regards to the events that we see on the news. It’s not fair, and it’s not right.
I really am becoming more and more disgusted with the hatred and bigotry toward Islam. Yes, there are bad Muslims out there, and Christians and Jews, and Hindus and atheists. We have to stop judging and entire faith on our shallow predispositions and skin-deep generalizations. We have to let go of our contempt and judgmental attitudes and stop being so childish and inane.
More senseless idealism and bleeding-heart liberalism from an untainted nineteen year old youth.
“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
MLK Jr.
Perhaps it’s not too late…
Tags: Christianity, Christians, Islam, Muslims, Religion
This entry was posted on January 1, 2008 at 11:35 pm and is filed under Christian, Christianity, Islam, Muslims, Religion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
4 Responses to “Before you diss Islam, know your Christianity first… And quit generalizing, too.”
1. ahh Says:
January 2, 2008 at 12:07 am
prokopios is the solution
2. amberfireinus Says:
January 2, 2008 at 12:10 am
I absolutely loved your blog. Finally someone who tells it like it is!!! I love it! I am planning to send this link to people who I feel need to see it in their lives. I have tried to articulate these same thoughts in my own blog.
Very eloquently put. Bravo!!
3. Before you diss Islam, know your Christianity first… And quit generalizing, too. « Opinions are like… « Amberfireinus’s Weblog Says:
January 2, 2008 at 12:14 am
[…] January 2, 2008 by amberfireinus Before you diss Islam, know your Christianity first… And quit generalizing, too. « Opinions are l… […]
4. ilegirl Says:
January 2, 2008 at 2:32 am
Thanks for this well-stated post. It’s good to know that there are others who are as troubled by misinformation and misinterpretation of Islam as I.
Post a Comment
<< Home