Understanding Radical Islam

[doc]

From Fox News, some interesting outpourings:

A sermon last Friday by a prominent Muslim cleric and Hamas member of the Palestinian parliament openly declared that "the capital of the Catholics, or the Crusader capital," would soon be conquered by Islam.

The fiery sermon, delivered by Yunis al-Astal and aired on Hamas' Al-Aqsa TV, predicted that Rome would become "an advanced post for the Islamic conquests, which will spread though Europe in its entirety, and then will turn to the two Americas, even Eastern Europe."

"Allah has chosen you for Himself and for His religion," al-Astal preached, "so that you will serve as the engine pulling this nation to the phase of succession, security and consolidation of power, and even to conquests through da'wa and military conquests of the capitals of the entire world.

"Very soon, Allah willing, Rome will be conquered, just like Constantinople was, as was prophesized by our prophet Muhammad," he added.

Al-Astal last June preached how it was the duty of Palestinian women to martyr themselves by becoming homicide bombers.

"The most exalted form of jihad is fighting for the sake of Allah, which means sacrificing one's soul by fighting the enemies head-on, even if it leads to martyrdom," he said in a June 23, 2007 interview.

"When jihad becomes an individual duty, it applies to women too, because women do not differ from men when it comes to individual duties," he said, calling Jews "the brothers of apes and pigs" who should "taste the bitterness of death."

Friday's rant repeated that theme: "Today, Rome is the capital of the Catholics, or the Crusader capital, which has declared its hostility to Islam, and has planted the brothers of apes and pigs in Palestine in order to prevent the reawakening of Islam.

"I believe that our children, or our grandchildren, will inherit our jihad and our sacrifices, and, Allah willing, the commanders of the conquest will come from among them.

"Today, we instill these good tidings in their souls – and by means of the mosques and the Koran books, and the history of our Prophets, his companions, and the great leaders, we prepare them for the mission of saving humanity from the hellfire at whose brink they stand."

[flow]

Forgive me for giving in this conversation I left one year ago or so

I belive that to understand Islam you need to look at it under at least 2 different angles:

-What it IS now or how it is widely represented: blood hungry beasts who live with one purpose, destroying anyone who doesn't adhere to the Chariah law:

EX1:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...02968312745410


Easy to fall for it...The sad music, the horror shown, the hand picked quotes from pseudo translations of the verses...

-What it WAS (historically) at the time of Mohamed in a society composed of an incredible mix of different polytheist religions and in times of incredible violence. We find passages of conquests made by the prophet which are no more shocking than the conquest of David or Salomon in the old testament.

I did some research, and found this page really representative of how different verses can be interpreted differently and how it is important to be aware of the historical context of the birth of an idea, regardless of the religion or philosophy investigated.

EX2:

http://www.religionofpeace.com/index_files/Page1006.htm

Then, you still find these as well, which it is important to remember, represent a very small proportion of the millions of Muslims scattered around the world (Muslims don't only live in Irak, Iran and Afghanistan as the medias tend to show, and they don't all wish to slaughter any living non Muslim).

EX3:

http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/Pages/Myths-of-Islam.htm

That's it, just wanted to illustrate this point...I have no conclusion on this...I personally have something against any form of extremism...As soon as the word is taken for the word and the mass is not given the opportunity to step back from it and analyse it a minimum, it will lead to extremism, for Christians, Jews, Buddhists...and Muslims!

Peace

Flow

[blooming tianshi lotus]

A good friend sent this to me. He has some friends in England, where, as I've also heard, things are changing...



To put things into perspective, my friend is Jewish, born in Iraq. He has a "concern" about these things.

Interesting picket signs. I once sat with a military man of The Islam Army who returned home to N.Z. and ate the throats out of his wife and 2 children..

[doc]

EXCERPTS FROM BRIGITTE GABRIEL'S SPEECH

An Arab Jewish friend of mine sent this to me. Obviously, it is an issue which is important to him. I present it solely as evidence of an opinion. It is an interesting read. Bridgette Gabriel is an Intelligence specialist who represents Arab Christians living in Lebanon. This speech was given at an Intelligence seminar in Washington DC:

"WE GATHER HERE TODAY TO SHARE INFORMATION AND KNOWLEDGE. INTELLIGENCE IS NOT MERELY COLD HARD DATA ABOUT NUMERICAL STRENGTH OR ARMAMENT OR DISPOSITION OF MILITARY FORCES. THE MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENT OF INTELLIGENCE HAS TO BE UNDERSTANDING THE MINDSET AND INTENTION OF THE ENEMY. THE WEST HAS BEEN WALLOWING IN A STATE OF IGNORANCE AND DENIAL FOR THIRTY YEARS AS MUSLIM EXTREMIST PERPETRATED EVIL AGAINST INNOCENT VICTIMS IN THE NAME OF ALLAH.

I WAS TEN YEARS OLD WHEN MY HOME EXPLODED AROUND ME, BURYING ME UNDER THE RUBBLE AND LEAVING ME TO DRINK MY BLOOD TO SURVIVE, AS THE PERPETRATORS SHOUTED, "ALLAH AKBAR!" MY ONLY CRIME WAS THAT I WAS A CHRISTIAN LIVING IN A CHRISTIAN TOWN. AT 10 YEARS OLD, I LEARNED THE MEANING OF THE WORD "INFIDEL."

I HAD A CRASH COURSE IN SURVIVAL. NOT IN THE GIRL SCOUTS, BUT IN A BOMB SHELTER WHERE I LIVED FOR SEVEN YEARS IN PITCH DARKNES S, FREEZING COLD, DRINKING STALE WATER AND EATING GRASS TO LIVE. AT THE AGE OF 13, I DRESSED IN MY BURIAL CLOTHES GOING TO BED AT NIGHT, WAITING TO BE SLAUGHTERED. BY THE AGE OF 20, I HAD BURIED MOST OF MY FRIENDS--KILLED BY MUSLIMS. WE WERE NOT AMERICANS LIVING IN NEW YORK, OR BRITONS IN LONDON. WE WERE ARAB CHRISTIANS LIVING IN LEBANON .

AS A VICTIM OF ISLAMIC TERROR, I WAS AMAZED WHEN I SAW AMERICANS WAKING UP ON SEPTEMBER 12, 2001, AND ASKING THEMSELVES "WHY DO THEY HATE US?" THE PSYCHOANALYST EXPERTS WERE COMING UP WITH ALL SORT OF EXCUSES AS TO WHAT DID WE DO TO OFFEND THE MUSLIM WORLD. BUT IF AMERICA AND THE WEST WERE PAYING ATTENTION TO THE MIDDLE EAST THEY WOULD NOT HAVE HAD TO ASK THE QUESTION. SIMPLY PUT, THEY HATE US BECAUSE WE ARE DEFINED IN THEIR EYES BY ONE SIMPLE WORD: "INFIDELS."

UNDER THE BANNER OF ISLAM "LA, ILAHA ILLA ALLAH, MUHAMMAD RASOULU ALLAH," (NONE IS GOD EXCEPT ALLAH; MUHAMMAD IS THE MESSENGER OF ALLAH) THEY MURDERED JEWISH CHILDREN IN ISRAEL, MASSACRED CHRISTIANS IN LEBANON, KILLED COPTS IN EGYPT, ASSYRIANS IN SYRIA, HINDUS IN INDIA, AND EXPELLED ALMOST 900,000 JEWS FROM MUSLIM LANDS. WE MIDDLE EASTERN INFIDELS PAID THE PRICE THEN. NOW INFIDELS WORLDWIDE ARE PAYING THE PRICE FOR INDIFFERENCE AND SHORTSIGHTEDNESS.

TOLERATING EVIL IS A CRIME. APPEASING MURDERERS DOESN'T BUY PROTECTION. IT EARNS ONE DISRESPECT AND LOATHING IN THE ENEMY'S EYES. YET APATHY IS THE WEAPON BY WHICH THE WEST IS COMMITTING SUICIDE. POLITICAL CORRECTNESS FORMS THE SHACKLES AROUND OUR ANKLES, BY WHICH ISLAMISTS ARE LEADING US TO OUR DEMISE.

AMERICA AND THE WEST ARE DOOMED TO FAILURE IN THIS WAR UNLESS THEY STAND UP AND IDENTIFY THE REAL ENEMY: ISLAM. YOU HEAR ABOUT WAHABBI AND SALAFI ISLAM AS THE ONLY EXTREME FORM OF ISLAM. ALL THE OTHER MUSLIMS, SUPPOSEDLY, ARE WONDERFUL MODERATES. CLOSER TO THE TRUTH ARE THE PICTURES OF THE IRRATIONAL ERUPTION OF VIOLENCE IN REACTION TO THE CARTOONS OF MOHAMMED PRINTED BY A DANISH NEWSPAPER. FROM BURNING EMBASSIES, TO CALLS TO BUTCHER THOSE WHO MOCK ISLAM, TO WARNINGS THAT THE WEST BE PREPARED FOR ANOTHER HOLOCAUST, THOSE PICTURES HAVE GIVEN US A GLIMPSE INTO THE REAL FACE OF THE ENEMY. NEWS PICTURES AND VIDEO OF THESE EVENTS REPRESENT A CANVAS OF HATE DECORATED BY DIFFERENT NATIONALITIES WHO SHARE ONE COMMON IDEOLOGY OF HATE, BIGOTRY AND INTOLERANCE DERIVED FROM ONE SOURCE: AUTHENTIC ISLAM. AN ISLAM THAT IS AWAKENING FROM CENTURIES OF SLUMBER TO RE-IGNITE ITS WRATH AGAINST THE INFIDEL AND DOMINATE THE WORLD. AN ISLAM WHICH HAS DECLARED "INTIFADA" ON THE WEST.

AMERICA AND THE WEST CAN NO LONGER AFFORD TO LAY IN THEIR LAZY STATE OF OVERWEIGHT IGNORANCE. THE CONSEQUENCES OF THIS MENTAL DISEASE ARE STARTING TO ATTACK THE BODY, AND IF THEY DON'T TAKE THE NECESSARY STEPS NOW TO CONTROL IT, DEATH WILL BE KNOCKING SOON. IF YOU WANT TO UNDERSTAND THE NATURE OF THE ENEMY WE FACE, VISUALIZE A TAPESTRY OF SNAKES. THEY SLITHER AND THEY HISS, AND THEY WOULD EAT EACH OTHER ALIVE, BUT THEY WILL UNITE IN A HIDEOUS MASS TO ACHIEVE THEIR COMMON GOAL OF IMPOSING ISLAM ON THE WORLD.

THIS IS THE UGLY FACE OF THE ENEMY WE ARE FIGHTING. WE ARE FIGHTING A POWERFUL IDEOLOGY THAT IS CAPABLE OF ALTERING BASIC HUMAN INSTINCTS. AN IDEOLOGY THAT CAN TURN A MOTHER INTO A LAUNCHING PAD OF DEATH. A PERFECT EXAMPLE IS A RECENTLY ELECTED HAMAS OFFICIAL IN THE PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES WHO RAVES IN HEAVENLY JOY ABOUT SENDING HER THREE SONS TO DEATH AND OFFERING THE ONES WHO ARE STILL ALIVE FOR THE CAUSE. IT IS AN IDEOLOGY THAT IS CAPABLE OF OFFERING HIGHLY EDUCATED INDIVIDUALS SUCH AS DOCTORS AND LAWYERS FAR MORE JOY IN ATTAINING DEATH THAN ANY RESPECT AND STATURE RE, LIFE IN SOCIETY IS EVER CAPABLE OF GIVING THEM.

THE UNITED STATES HAS BEEN A PRIME TARGET FOR RADICAL ISLAMIC HATRED AND TERROR. EVERY FRIDAY, MOSQUES IN THE MIDDLE EAST RING WITH SHRILL PRAYERS AND MONOTONOUS CHANTS CALLING DEATH, DESTRUCTION AND DAMNATION DOWN ON AMERICA AND ITS PEOPLE. THE RADICAL ISLAMIST DEEDS HAVE BEEN AS VILE AS THEIR WORDS. SINCE THE IRAN HOSTAGE CRISIS, MORE THAN THREE THOUSAND AMERICANS HAVE DIED IN A TERROR CAMPAIGN ALMOST UNPRECEDENTED IN ITS CALCULATED CRUELTY ALONG WITH THOUSANDS OF OTHER CITIZENS WORLDWIDE. EVEN THE NAZIS DID NOT TURN THEIR OWN CHILDREN INTO HUMAN BOMBS, AND THEN REJOICE AT THEIR DEATHS AS WELL THE DEATHS OF THEIR VICTIMS. THIS INTENTIONAL, INDISCRIMINATE AND WHOLESALE MURDER OF INNOCENT AMERICAN CITIZENS IS JUSTIFIED AND GLORIFIED IN THE NAME OF ISLAM.

AMERICA CANNOT EFFECTIVELY DEFEND ITSELF IN THIS WAR UNLESS AND UNTIL THE AMERICAN PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THE NATURE OF THE ENEMY THAT WE FACE. EVEN AFTER 9/11 THERE ARE THOSE WHO SAY THAT WE MUST ENGAGE OUR TERRORIST ENEMIES, THAT WE MUST ADDRESS THEIR GRIEVANCES. THEIR GRIEV ANCE IS OUR FREEDOM OF RELIGION.. THEIR GRIEVANCE IS OUR FREEDOM OF SPEECH. THEIR GRIEVANCE IS OUR DEMOCRATIC PROCESS WHERE THE RULE OF LAW COMES FROM THE VOICES OF MANY NOT THAT OF JUST ONE PROPHET. IT IS THE RESPECT WE INSTILL IN OUR CHILDREN TOWARDS ALL RELIGIONS. IT IS THE EQUALITY WE GRANT EACH OTHER AS HUMAN BEINGS SHARING A PLANET AND STRIVING TO MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE FOR ALL HUMANITY. THEIR GRIEVANCE IS THE KINDNESS AND RESPECT A MAN SHOWS A WOMAN, THE JUSTICE WE PRACTICE AS EQUALS UNDER THE LAW, AND THE MERCY WE GRANT OUR ENEMY. THEIR GRIEVANCE CANNOT BE ANSWERED BY AN APOLOGY FOR WHO OR WHAT WE ARE.

OUR MEDIOCRE ATTITUDE OF NOT CONFRONTING ISLAMIC FORCES OF BIGOTRY AND HATRED WHEREVER THEY RAISED THEIR UGLY HEAD IN THE LAST 30 YEARS, HAS EMPOWERED AND STRENGTHENED OUR ENEMY TO LAUNCH A FULL SCALE ATTACK ON THE VERY FREEDOMS WE CHERISH IN THEIR EFFORT TO IMPOSE THEIR VALUES AND WAY OF LIFE ON OUR CIVILIZ ATION.

IF WE DON'T WAKE UP AND CHALLENGE OUR MUSLIM COMMUNITY TO TAKE ACTION AGAINST THE TERRORISTS WITHIN IT, IF WE DON'T BELIEVE IN OURSELVES AS AMERICANS AND IN THE STANDARDS WE SHOULD HOLD EVERY PATRIOTIC AMERICAN TO, WE ARE GOING TO PAY A PRICE FOR OUR DELUSION. FOR THE SAKE OF OUR CHILDREN AND OUR COUNTRY, WE MUST WAKE UP AND TAKE ACTION. IN THE FACE OF A TORRENT OF HATEFUL INVECTIVE AND TERRORIST MURDER, AMERICA'S LEARNING CURVE SINCE THE IRANHOSTAGE CRISIS IS SO SHALLOW THAT IT IS ALMOST FLAT. THE LONGER WE LAY SUPINE, THE MORE DIFFICULT IT WILL BE TO STAND ERECT.. "



BRIGITTE GABRIEL IS AN EXPERT ON T HE MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT AND LECTURES NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY ON THE SUBJECT. SHE'S THE FORMER NEWS ANCHOR OF WORLD NEWS FOR MIDDLE EAST TELEVISION AND THE FOUNDER OF AMERICANCONGRESSFORTRUTH.COM AND MORE BIO INFO AT HTTP://WWW.INTELLIGENCESUMMIT.ORG/SP...TTEGABRIEL.PHP

Sorry about the "all caps". I didn't write it, nor did I want to rewrite it.

[doc]

In the end I think it's a hopeless struggle born out of desperation. I honestly believe old school religious ideas are dying out in the world and these groups of radical religious fundamentalists on both sides are essentially born of desperation.

They're having children at a faster rate than people in the western world.

Nuff said.

[Iron Cross]

Part of me worries about the future at times. How long do you suspect the people in the west will sit by and do nothing while radicals like these slowly try to eat away at our societies? I think most people don't do anything publicly because it does not affect them personally at the moment. Still, i think eventually something has to give. I wonder how long it will take for a significant portion of our populations to become "radicalized" against islamic ideas as they are against western ones. If that happens will we see a return to a society based on discrimination of an ethnic group? These kinds of environments are breeding grounds for fanatical leaders too which is unfortunate. I honestly think if things continue to worsen in this area it would be easy for an openly anti-islamic leader to be elected in almost any capacity.

But honestly, I think a conflict of ideas is inevitable. It has an almost darwinian sense to it. Survival of the fittest, but this time with cultures. Will 12th century ideas beat out 21st century ones? To be honest I seriously doubt it, and I'm not just saying that because I'm born and raised american. The old saying "its hard to go back to the farm after you've seen paris" fits here. Could anyone who is educated and used to a life of freedoms seriously give them up over night? Even if you were forced to at the barrel of a gun how long could you stay that way before fighting back? Even if they subtly infiltrated all aspects of government and business to transform our societies I don't think that would work either. In the end I think it's a hopeless struggle born out of desperation. I honestly believe old school religious ideas are dying out in the world and these groups of radical religious fundamentalists on both sides are essentially born of desperation.

I say develop an alternative fuel source for our cars like batteries and pull all our assets from the middle east. We can then promptly tell them all to piss off and get on with our lives. BUt still I think the inevitable outcome is always education and modernization. I think history has shown this happening again and again.

[doc]

Militant Islam

A good friend sent this to me. He has some friends in England, where, as I've also heard, things are changing...

A friend of mine is dating a woman from Bristol , England . She just returned from there and said it is no longer English, the Muslims have taken it over, and the trend continues. While we want them to assimilate it looks like they would rather annihilate. Muslims have stated that England will be the first country they take over & they have already lay claim to parts of Sudan, Spain, Thailand, Philippines, Russia, China, Bali...the
list goes on. This is NOT Bush's war.. it is everybody's war !
pictures of Muslims marching in London during their "Religion of
Peace Demonstration."

These Pictures tell it all! These are pictures not shown on American TV or in American Newspapers (as they might help Bush's war on terror), but were forwarded to me by a Canadian Friend who thought Americans ought to know!

To put things into perspective, my friend is Jewish, born in Iraq. He has a "concern" about these things.

[jt1]

When I worked in Bayonne (New Jersey) I came in contact with quite a few Coptic Christians. They were extremely grateful to be in this country, and had some terrible stories of how the Christians were being persecuted in Egypt. An older woman, who I got to know over the course of several years, said to me one day "John, the problem with many Americans is they just don't understand what they (Muslims) truly believe and are capable of. Many of those who are not extreme will not come out against those who are."

I also had a number of muslim customers who were very respectful and easy to deal with. However, there was a distance between us that never changed. The one exception was a woman I got know (somewhat) who told me she thought coming to this country (USA) was a mistake. The effect on her children was, all in all, a negative one.

[zachsan]

Don't think that because the stated purpose of these laws is "to safeguard the ladies", the real reason is at all related to that.

Now imagine he said "the children" instead of "the ladies", and see if it reminds you of anywhere else...

[master splinter]

its just that those assholes are all so freakin perverted, their women cant walk around without wearing masks so they wont attract men, and if they are suspected of adultery they are maimed and stuff like that. pretty primitive if you ask me.

in america we have slutty women who love to dress in skimpy clothes to attract attention, but we are so used to that stuff its like a passing breeze.

could you imagine if the women in the middle east were to dress like ours, how out of control it would be?

imo, that shows the level of maturity over there, no wonder its so messed up in those parts, but thats what religion does, it controls and traps.

[doc]

You give dry humps in Albertson's? What city do you shop in? Is this on the "ten items or less" line?

[jt1]

It is truly better to give than receive. When society limits the potential for giving a nice dry hump, while on the supermarket checkout line, well that society has just gone to s**t.

[doc]

It only gets more bizarre in Malaysia:

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysia's only state run by the Islamic opposition party will get stricter about enforcing separate lines for men and women at supermarkets, an official said Tuesday.

Authorities in the northern state of Kelantan — governed by the opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party — will fine supermarkets and shops if they let men and women use the same lines at checkout counters, said party spokesman Anual Bakri Haron.

Chief Minister Nik Aziz Nik Mat has called for stricter enforcement "to safeguard the ladies" from being harassed and to avoid close proximity between opposite sexes while lining up to buy groceries, Anual said. "He wants the enforcement to be looked into thoroughly."

Kelantan is the only Malaysian state governed by the opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party. The rest are ruled by the National Front coalition, which is made up of various parties representing Malaysia's different ethnic groups.

The coalition is dominated by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's United Malays National Organization party, which draws its support from the ethnic Malay Muslims who account for 60 percent of the country's 27 million people.

The Islamic opposition party, which has ruled Kelantan for more than 17 years, imposed the separate lineup rule as part of its agenda to promote Islamic values. In recent years, however, people ignored the regulation, and there was little enforcement.

[jt1]

I love that statement about beating your wife where it will do no damage. A good air beating should do the trick.

[tetsumaru]

All that is spoken about Islam seems unharmonious. It can't be like that...or can it?

I had an experience with the extreme sides of the religion when I worked at a hotel. A woman and her sister came in and requested a room(No this isnt a penthouse letter, pervs!) . The woman was visibly in fear. Her sister translated and explained that no can know she is here. "If anyone asks you dont know anyone staying here by that name." she said. I was a bit surprised but I'm so numb from emotion I didnt pay partiular attention to it as the escorts that checked into the hotel usually were on my mind. Anyway, checked her in under a normal american sounding name and that was it. Until some called asking for her and I was dumb and forwarded the call. THe dude called back with a very serious tone, not angry just very serious. Apperently the woman was going to get murdered for some disrespect to her husband. I dont know what happened after that night. I wonder now though....

Metro-detroit has one of the largest arabic populations outside the Middle-east, or so it goes. So the culture has spread there and mixed with american culture and the two are obviously clashing...

against islam

islam in america

halal mcnuggets

muslim art is beautiful

Can someone find some more positive stuff?