Iraqi Muslims Take Church Hostage, Murder Several Christians during Rescue Attempt

Imagine the international Muslim outrage we'd all experience if Jews or Christians were to storm a mosque and hold dozens of Muslims hostage, ultimately killing a number of them. There would be massive demonstrations in every major city, and riots in many places.

Sadly, we rarely hear more than a peep from Muslims when their fellow Muslims slaughter Christians or Jews. (I'm waiting for the token press release from ISNA.)

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - At least seven Iraqi Catholics died Sunday when police stormed a Baghdad church where gunmen were holding dozens of parishioners hostage, threatening to kill them if al Qaeda prisoners were not released.

The U.S. military said between seven and 10 hostages and seven members of the Iraqi security forces, as well as five to seven attackers, were killed in the rescue operation.

Witnesses reported seeing many bodies inside the church after the gunmen wearing suicide vests threw grenades or blew themselves up as Iraqi forces stormed the building.

The insurgents laid siege to one of Baghdad's biggest churches as more than 100 parishioners attended Sunday mass in a central district near the heavily fortified Green Zone, home to embassies and the Iraqi government.

U.S. military officials watched the rescue operation from cameras in hovering helicopters.

Lieutenant Colonel Eric Bloom, a U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad, said three militants detonated suicide vests as Iraq forces entered the church. He said a total of 120 hostages were held by the assailants, adding that 30 people were wounded.

Colonel Kadhim Basheer Saleh, an Iraqi civil defence spokesman, said 15 civilians, four policemen and eight attackers were killed.

Al Qaeda's Iraqi affiliate, the Islamic State of Iraq, claimed responsibility for the attack on "the dirty place of the infidel which Iraqi Christians have long used as a base to fight Islam." Read more.

Bomb Materials from Yemen Headed to Jewish Places of Worship

I think we should all tell ourselves, over and over again, that this has nothing to do with Islam. Perhaps saying it enough times will make it true.

Suspicious packages discovered in Dubai and England in air cargo shipments to the U.S. contained explosive materials and appeared headed for Jewish places of worship in Chicago, President Obama confirmed Thursday afternoon.

Obama's remarks in a brief address to reporters capped a tense daylong drama, in which federal authorities grounded UPS planes at airports in Newark, N.J., and Philadelphia to inspect packages based on fears of a terrorist threat originating from Yemen.

The Yemen-based Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is suspected, and U.S. officials told the Associated Press that the chemical used, PETN, was also used in the failed Christmas Day airline bombing that was tied to the same group.

President Obama, confirming that authorities had uncovered a "credible terrorist threat," spoke shortly after military jets escorted a passenger jet from the United Arab Emirates to New York's JFK airport as a precautionary measure because it was carrying a package from Yemen.

"We will continue to pursue additional protective measures for as long as it takes to ensure the safety and security of our citizens," Obama said. Read more.

Farooque Ahmed Arrested in Washington D.C. Area Terror Plot

Was Farooque Ahmed a Quaker extremist? A radical Methodist? A disgruntled Baptist? Let's look for clues.

A Virginia man has been arrested for allegedly trying to help Al Qaeda plan multiple bombings around the nation's capital, according to U.S. officials.

Farooque Ahmed, 34, of Ashburn, Va., was arrested today by the FBI and charged with providing material support to terrorists and collecting information for a terrorist attack.

“It’s chilling that a man from Ashburn is accused of casing rail stations with the goal of killing as many Metro riders as possible through simultaneous bomb attacks,” said Neil MacBride, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Today’s arrest highlights ... our ability to find those seeking to harm U.S. citizens and neutralize them before they can act."

According to an indictment filed in U.S. Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, between April 2010 and Oct. 25, Ahmed repeatedly met with individuals he thought were affiliated with Al Qaeda to discuss "jihad."

On May 15, in a hotel room in Sterling, Va., Ahmed told one individual that he might be ready to travel overseas to conduct jihad, but only after he completed the Hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia in November, according to the indictment. Read more.

Hmmm. He wanted to make sure he performed the Hajj before he started killing the unbelievers (so that he wouldn't die without having observed one of the Five Pillars). It almost sounds like he's a Muslim. No, no, no. That can't be right. How could a follower of the Religion of Peace ever think of hurting unbelievers?

Qur’an 9:29—Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the Religion of Truth, from among the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.

Qur’an 9:73—O Prophet! strive hard against the unbelievers and the hypocrites and be unyielding to them; and their abode is hell, and evil is the destination.

Qur’an 9:111—Surely Allah has bought of the believers their persons and their property for this, that they shall have the garden; they fight in Allah's way, so they slay and are slain; a promise which is binding on Him in the Taurat and the Injeel and the Quran; and who is more faithful to his covenant than Allah? Rejoice therefore in the pledge which you have made; and that is the mighty achievement.

Qur’an 9:123—O you who believe! fight those of the unbelievers who are near to you and let them find in you hardness; and know that Allah is with those who guard (against evil).

Qur’an 47:35—Be not weary and fainthearted, crying for peace, when ye should be uppermost: for Allah is with you, and will never put you in loss for your (good) deeds.

Sahih al-Bukhari 6924—Allah’s Messenger said, “I have been ordered to fight the people till they say: La ilaha illallah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah), and whoever said La ilaha illahllah, Allah will save his property and his life from me.”

Sahih al-Bukhari 2785—Narrated Abu Hurairah: A man came to Allah’s Messenger and said, “Guide me to such a deed as equals Jihad (in reward).” He replied, “I do not find such a deed.”

Sahih al-Bukhari 2787—Allah guarantees that He will admit the Mujahid in His Case into Paradise if he is killed, otherwise He will return him to his home safely with rewards and war booty.”

Sahih al-Bukhari 2795—Narrated Anas bin Malik: The Prophet said, “Nobody who dies and finds good from Allah (in the Hereafter) would wish to come back to this world, even if he were given the whole world and whatever is in it, except the martyr who, on seeing the superiority of martyrdom, would like to come back to the world and get killed again (in Allah’s cause).”

Sahih al-Bukhari 2796—Narrated Anas: The Prophet said, “A single endeavor (of fighting) in Allah’s cause in the afternoon or in the forenoon is better than all the world and whatever is in it.”

Sunan An-Nasa’i 3099—It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet said: “Whoever dies without having fought or having thought of fighting, he dies on one of the branches of hypocrisy.”

Sunan An-Nasa’i 3138—Abu Musa Al-Ash’ari said: “A Bedouin came to the Messenger of Allah and said: ‘A man fights for fame, or he fights for the spoils of war, or he fights to show off. Who is the one who is fighting in the cause of Allah?’ He said: ‘The one who fights so that the word of Allah will be supreme is the one who is fighting in the cause of Allah, the Mighty and Sublime.’”

Sunan Ibn Majah 2763—It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah said: “Whoever meets Allah with no mark on him (as a result of fighting) in His cause, he will meet Him with a deficiency.”

Only in Michigan!

Michigan Woman Faces Civil Rights Suit For Seeking Christian Roommate.

Only in Michigan do you see innocent Christians who seek to live out their due freedoms getting slapped with jail time and lawsuits!

A civil rights complaint has been filed against a woman in Grand Rapids, Mich., who posted an advertisement at her church last July seeking a Christian roommate. "The ad expresses an illegal preference for a Christian roommate, thus excluding people of other faiths," according to the complaint filed by the Fair Housing Center of West Michigan. "It's a violation to make, print, or publish a discriminatory statement," executive director Nancy Haynes told fox news. "There are no exemptions to that." Haynes said the unknown 31 year old woman's case was turned over to the Michigan Department of Civil Rights. Depending on the outcome of the case, she said, the woman could face several hundred dollars in fines and "fair housing training so it doesn't happen again." Read More.

Someone in the Media Finally Stands up to CAIR

In typical dhimmedia fashion, the major news networks consistently give in to the demands of one of America's premier Islamic-supremacist organizations--the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). After Juan Williams was fired for offending CAIR, however, Fox's Megyn Kelly took the extraordinary step of standing up to CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper. We can only hope the other networks will stand up for their fellow reporters and recognize CAIR for what it is.

Outtakes of Our "Original Burn the Qur'an Day" Video

By popular demand, here's Nabeel's documentary revealing the long, difficult process of completing a video when it's late at night and we get the giggles.



In case you missed it, here's the finished product.

Tavis Smiley: More Christian Than Muslim Terrorists???

Tizita sent me this link. As absurd as Irshad Manji's "raisin" defense was, Manji has nothing on Tavis Smiley when it comes to making ridiculous, unsubstantiated claims.

Suicide and Islam

I have been told that suicide in strictly forbidden in Islam. However it seemed that Muhammad wished his enemies would do it.

Whoever thinks that Allah will not help him (Muhammad SAW) in this world and in the Hereafter, let him stretch out a rope to the ceiling and let him strangle himself. Then let him see whether his plan will remove that whereat he rages! (22:15 Hilali-Khan)

This seems like a very human response to the situation.

ABC's Islam Deception: Did Muhammad Promise "Raisins" or "Virgins" in Paradise?

And here we have it, folks. Heaven on Earth:

No, you can't has them. But you can has a couple mouthfuls of raisins.

Salvation for non-Muslims? Reconciling 2:62 and 3:85

Some verses of the Qur'an indicate that salvation is possible for non-Muslims:

Those who believe (in the Qur'an), and those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Christians and the Sabians,- any who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and work righteousness, shall have their reward with their Lord; on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve. -- 2:62

Other verses of the Qur'an deny this:

If anyone desires a religion other than Islam (submission to Allah), never will it be accepted of him; and in the Hereafter He will be in the ranks of those who have lost. -- 3:85

This apparent contradiction is resolved by some principal proponents of the Shafi'i madhhab as follows:

Suddi states that (2:62) was revealed about the former companions of Salman the Persian when he mentioned them to the Prophet, relating how they had been, saying, "They used to pray, fast, and believe in you, and testify that you would be sent as a prophet." When he had finished praising them, the Prophet replied, "Salman, they are the denizens of hell," which came to discomfit Salman greatly, and so Allah revealed (2:62).

The faith of the Jews was that of whoever adhered to the Torah and the sunna of Moses until the coming of Jesus. When Jesus came, whoever held fast to the Torah and the sunna of Moses without giving them up and following Jesus was lost.

The faith of the Christians was that whoever adhered to the Gospel and precepts of Jesus, their faith was valid and acceptable until the coming of Muhammad. Those of them who did not then follow Muhammad and give up the sunna of Jesus and the Gospel were lost.

The foregoing is not contradicted by the hadith relating that (2:62) was followed by Allah revealing (3:85), for the hadith merely confirms that no one's way or spiritual works are acceptable unless they conform to the Sacred Law of Muhammad, now that he has been sent with it. As for people prior to this, anyone who followed the messenger of his own time was guided, on the right path, and was saved. (Reliance of the Traveller, 848-849)

In other words, salvation for non-Muslims was possible "until the coming of Muhammad." After that point, "those of them who did not follow Muhammad... were lost (to Hell)."

Some polemicists will play semantic games with the words "Islam", defining it as "submission to God" in order to make it appear that 3:85 allows for a Jew or a Christian to be saved. Indeed, even the above translation by Yusuf Ali seems to be doing that. However, traditional commentaries are much more forthright and they exegete the Qur'an more honestly: Islam teaches that non-Muslims cannot be saved.

Of course, I have only provided the Shafi'i interpretation; I believe it will be representative of the other major schools, but if I find otherwise, I will make a note.

As a final note, I would like to add that the Shafi'i interpretation is the best case scenario for the Muslims. They've got a dilemma: either the Shafi'i interpretation is accurate, or these two verses pose a contradiction. If the Shafi'i interpretation is accurate, it doesn't make good sense of the present tense used in 2:62. If there's a contradiction, well, it's clear what the implications would be. I actually think the latter is a better conclusion, but so as to offer the benefit of the doubt to Muslim exegetes and commentators (and the virtually unanimous decisions of the fuqaha), I will concede the Shafi'i interpretation.

Wafa Sultan's Statement at Trial of Geert Wilders

Wafa Sultan was called to testify as an expert witness at the Wilders trial. The judge read her statement. These videos include English subtitles.

PART ONE


PART TWO

Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar Walk off "The View" after Bill O'Reilly Comment

Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar just couldn't take it. Bill O'Reilly actually said that Muslims killed people on September 11th! How dare he? Doesn't he know that telling the truth is racism, hate-filled bigotry, and Islamophobia?

U.K. Muslim Cleric Sheikh Maulana Abu Sayeed Declares That Rape Is Not Possible in Marriage

Of course, it's racist and Islamophobic for Westerners to object to such teachings.

London, Oct 14 – There cannot be rape within marriage, a Muslim cleric in Britain has ruled. A key Muslim leader in the country promptly denounced the views as ‘misguided’ and ‘inappropriate’.

‘In Islamic Sharia, rape is adultery by force. So long as the woman is his wife, it cannot be termed as rape,’ The Independent quoted cleric Sheikh Maulana Abu Sayeed as saying.

Men accused of raping their wives should not be prosecuted as ’sex is part of marriage’, said Sayeed, president of the Islamic Sharia Council in Britain.

He made the comments to the blog The Samosa — and reiterated them to the The Independent.

Sayeed told the website: ‘Clearly there cannot be any rape within the marriage. Maybe aggression, maybe indecent activity… Because when they got married, the understanding was that sexual intercourse was part of the marriage, so there cannot be anything against sex in marriage.

‘Of course, if it happened without her desire, that is no good, that is not desirable.’

British law makes rape within marriage illegal.

Sayeed also suggested that women who claim to have been raped by their husbands should not immediately go to the police.

‘Not in the beginning, unless we establish that it really happened. Because in most of the cases, wives… have been advised by their solicitors that one of the four reasons for which a wife can get a divorce is rape, so they are encouraged to say things like this.’

Asked how men found to have raped their wives were to be punished, he said: ‘He may be disciplined, and he may be made to ask forgiveness. That should be enough.’

Muslims4UK’s chairman Inayat Bunglawala said: ‘Sheikh Sayeed’s comments are woefully misguided and entirely inappropriate. Rape – whether within marriage or outside it – is an abominable act and is clearly against the law.’

Dave Whatton, spokesman on rape for the Association of Chief Police Officers, told the daily: ‘We know that the majority of rapes do not take place through strangers attacking women late at night but between acquaintances and within marriages and partnerships.

‘It is a fundamental principle that Sharia law should not replace the laws of the UK. Putting out views that rape can be dealt with in another way fundamentally undermines everything we are trying to do,’ he said. Source

Zeba Khan and Maajid Nawaz vs. Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Douglas Murray: Is Islam a Religion of Peace?

This was an excellent debate. A lot of minds were changed about Islam at NYU. It's amazing what can happen when the facts are laid out.

In the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks, President George W. Bush characterized Islam as a religion of peace. Many people agree with that belief, saying the vast majority of Muslims live peaceful lives.

But others counter that the roots of Islam include violent leaders, teachings and scripture.

A team of experts argued both sides of the motion "Islam Is a Religion of Peace" in a recent Intelligence Squared U.S. debate. Two argued in favor and two against.

Before the Oxford-style debate at New York University's Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, the audience voted 41 percent in favor of the motion and 25 percent against. Thirty-four percent were undecided. After the debate, however, 55 percent disagreed that "Islam Is a Religion of Peace," 36 percent supported the motion and 9 percent were still unsure.

John Donvan, correspondent for ABC News' Nightline, moderated the Oct. 6 debate. Source

PART ONE


PART TWO


PART THREE


PART FOUR


PART FIVE


PART SIX


PART SEVEN


FOR THE MOTION

Maajid Nawaz is director of the Quilliam Foundation. Formerly, Nawaz served in the U.K. national leadership for the Islamist party Hizb ut-Tahrir and was involved in HT for almost 14 years. He was a founding member of HT in Denmark and Pakistan. He eventually served four years in an Egyptian prison and was adopted by Amnesty International as a "prisoner of conscience." In prison, Maajid gradually began changing his views until he finally renounced the Islamist ideology for traditional Islam and inclusive politics. He now engages in counter-Islamist thought-generating, writing and debating.

Zeba Khan is a writer and advocate for Muslim-American civic engagement. Born and raised in Ohio by devout Muslim parents, she attended Hebrew school for nine years while actively participating in her local Muslim community. In 2008, she launched Muslim-Americans for Obama, an online network to mobilize Muslim-American voters in support of the Obama presidential campaign. Since then, she continues to work on issues of Muslim-American civic engagement and was recognized for her work by the American Society for Muslim Advancement as a 2009 Muslim Leader of Tomorrow.

AGAINST THE MOTION

Ayaan Hirsi Ali was born in Somalia and raised a devout Muslim. She escaped an arranged marriage by immigrating to the Netherlands in 1992 and served as a member of the Dutch parliament for three years. She has since become an active critic of fundamentalist Islam, an advocate for women's rights and a leader in the campaign to reform Islam. She has also become a target of death threats by Islamic extremists. Hirsi Ali is a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and author of The Caged Virgin (2006), Infidel (2007) and Nomad (2010). She is the founder of the AHA Foundation, whose mission is to defend the rights of women in the West against militant Islam and tribal custom.

Douglas Murray is a best-selling author and award-winning journalist. He is also founder and director of the Centre for Social Cohesion, a nonpartisan think-tank in Westminster, London, that focuses on radicalization and has published work on both Islamist and far-right extremism. Murray is a columnist for Standpoint magazine and writes for many other publications. In 2005, he published the critically acclaimed Neoconservatism: Why We Need It, which Christopher Hitchens praised as "a very cool but devastating analysis." He is a co-author of the NATO strategy report, "Towards a Grand Strategy for an Uncertain World: Renewing Transatlantic Partnership."

Mayor John O'Reilly Spreads More Deception on Anderson Cooper 360

Mayor John O'Reilly was on Anderson Cooper 360 yesterday, commenting on our videos and the idea that Sharia is in effect in Dearborn, Michigan. (Sadly, Mr. Cooper didn't bother having one of us on the show to respond to the mayor's claims. Indeed, he wouldn't even mention the name "Acts 17," apparently so that people wouldn't be able to look up the videos. It seems that the media are aware of the story, but that they are actively keeping the public in the dark. At least Mr. Cooper played part of the video, though, and acknowledged that there was a problem with security.)

Here's the clip:



The mayor, of course, has been repeatedly exposed for his deceptive remarks about us.





Since our position continues to be deliberately misrepresented, I'll clarify it once again. We are not (and never have been) saying that Sharia law is in full effect in Dearborn, Michigan. That would be ridiculous. We're saying that certain elements of Sharia law are being enforced in certain contexts, and that Mayor O'Reilly and other Dearborn leaders refuse to stop it.

The mayor, however, holds that Sharia plays no role in Dearborn. If that's the case, perhaps he can explain to me why Muslims are free to slap Christians around for attempting to film a peaceful dialogue in which Christians question Islamic doctrine (questioning Islam is perfectly legal under the Constitution, but not under Sharia).



Perhaps the mayor can explain why eight armed police officers would surround three Christians attempting to distributed Bibles (distributing Bibles is perfectly legal under the Constitution, but not under Sharia).



Perhaps the mayor can explain why there are double standards in effect, so that Christians attempting to distribute pamphlets are taken to police, while Muslims doing the same are free to do so (double standards are perfectly acceptable under Sharia, but not under the Constitution).



Perhaps the mayor can explain why Christians would be arrested for sharing their faith with young Muslims (sharing one's faith is perfectly legal under the Constitution, but not under Sharia).



To say that Sharia has taken over Dearborn is an overstatement. But to say that Sharia plays no role in Dearborn is equally misleading. Michigan Congressman Tom McMillin summed things up nicely:

"What does the Dearborn Mayor expect? He, his prosecutor and his police department launched a vicious months-long assault on the free speech rights of four Christians who were simply talking to festival-goers (who approached them first) about their faith on public property. When Dearborn dismisses the Constitution like this, then many Americans are naturally going to wonder under whose laws the city thinks they operate. If Mayor O'Reilly doesn't want people to think Dearborn is moving toward Sharia law, then he should make sure the city stops singling out and attacking Christians as second-class citizens."

Controversy Over British Muslim Cop Guarding the Israeli Embassy

Alternatively, there is a different perspective here: Sodahead.com

What are your thoughts?

God of the Old Testament: Jesus or Allah?

This is a debate between Abdullah Kunde and Samuel Green. August 2010.

Abdullah Kunde's Opening Statement.



Samuel Green's Opening Statement.



10 Minute Rebuttals.



4 Minute Rebuttals.

ABC News Promotes Revolution Muslim as America's First Line of Defense against Terrorism

ABC News recently did a 20/20 special titled "Islam: Questions and Answers," with Diane Sawyer, Bill Weir, and Lama Hasan. The program drew attention to moderate Muslims who will serve as America's "first line of defense" against terrorism. Unfortunately, one of the moderate Muslims presented by ABC isn't so moderate.

Adulterous Sexual Relations Sanctioned by Islam

The following short article was written by Dr. A. A. Ahmed and appears here with permission.
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THERE ARE FIVE TYPES OF SEXUAL RELATION IN ISLAM ONLY ONE CAN BE CALLED MARRIAGE BUT THE OTHER FOUR ARE ADULTEROUS RELATIONS.

There are five types of marriages in Islam:

1-Monogamous Marriage: A lawful relationship between one man and one woman.

2-Polygamous Marriage: A lawful relationship between one man and more than one woman, not to exceed four wives at a time.

3-Muta’a or Enjoyment Marriage: A temporary lawful relationship between a man and a woman. The relationship could be one hour, two hours, three days, a month, etc. The enjoyment marriage doesn’t require a judge or witnesses. The man has to say to the woman ‘I marry you myself’ and she has to say to him ‘I marry you myself.’ This kind of marriage differs from the ordinary marriage because it does not aim at a continuous married life, but the enjoyment in a lawful way. It has been permitted by the prophet, but abolished by the second caliph, Omar Ibn al-Khattab. The Shi’te sect argues that because this kind of marriage is permitted by the Qur’an (Q Surah al-Nisa 4: 24), the caliph Omar has no legal right to abolish it. According to the Shari’a law, no one has the right to abrogate any verse from the Qur’an after the death of the prophet. However, Muta’a marriage is unlawful in Sunni Islam, but practiced until today by the Shi’te Muslims. In Iran, it is estimated that over 70% of temporary wives become prostitutes (Woodsmall 1983: 119).

4-Al-Misyar Marriage: Al-Misyar marriage institution in Islam, allows for a lesser form of relationship between man and woman than normal marriage. Al-Misyar is an official relationship between man and woman, but does neither require that the two live together, nor that the man is economically responsible for his wife. Al-Misyar allows the man to have a normal wife in an addition to his wives. The misyar wife is expected to live with her parents, and her husband can visit her according to a predetermined schedule. Al-Misyar marriage has been practiced in Saudi Arabia and Egypt for years. The Egyptian Sunni Imam Shaykh Muhammad Sayyed Tantawi and the Mufti of Egypt officially legalized it in February 1999, and has also been defending the arrangement of misyar. Marriage is defined as ‘a permanent, immediate, and unconditional civil contract (which is not contingent) between two persons of opposite sex for mutual enjoyment and procreation of children’ (Verma 1988: 56). As we shall see soon this definition doesn’t apply to the concept of marriage in Islam. The two concerned persons who sign the marriage contract in Muslim countries are not the husband and wife. According to Shafi’ and Maliki Shari’a schools, ‘a woman is utterly incompetent to enter into a marriage contract either herself or for another even though her guardian should authorize her to do so. A father can contract the marriage of his virgin daughter without asking her consent whatever her age’ (Verma 1988: 24). There are no specific minimum age limitations in marriage in Islam. This is because the prophet Muhammad had married A’isha at the age of six and slept with her when she was nine years old. The Qur’an allows the girl to get married before she reaches the age of having her menstruation. Qur’an states, “Such of your women as have passed the age of monthly courses, for them the prescribed period, if ye have any doubts, is three months, and for those who have no courses (it is the same): for those who carry (life within their wombs), their period is until they deliver their burdens: and for those who fear Allah, He will make their path easy (Qur’an Surah Al-Talaq 65: 4). The commentator Ibn Kathir explains this verse as follows; there are three kinds of women, those who are grown old and their periods ceased and those small girls who do not yet have their periods. The old women and the underage girls who have not yet menstruated if they get married and divorced they have to stay three months before they are allowed to get married again. The third type of women is those who still have their periods or are pregnant. Those women have to stay three months and ten days before they remarry.

5-The fifth Marriage in Islam is to 72 VIRGINS IN PARADISE.

“We shall wed them unto [huris] fair ones with wide, lovely eyes” (Qur’an al-Dukhan 44: 51-54).

“Therein maidens resting their glances, untouched before them by any man or jinn…Lovely as rubies, beautiful as coral” (Qur’an al-Rahman 55: 56-58).

“The fair, the beautiful ones [huris]. With large eyeballs, kept close in their pavilions” (Qur’an al-Rahaman 55: 72).

“… and maidens of swelling breasts (kawa’eb) like of age, and a cup overflowing” (Qur’an al-Muzzamil 73: 33). Kawa’eb means the woman who has breasts that are swelling and firm, not sagging (Haqq & Newton 1996: 16).

“A woman does not give trouble to her husband in this world, but his wife of the pure-eyed ones [huris] does say to her: ‘Do not give him trouble. May Allah destroy you. He is only a passing guest with you and it is very near that he will soon leave you to come to us” (Mishakat al-Masabih, book, 1, hadith no. 62).

“The prophet was asked: ‘Do we have sex in paradise? He answered: ‘Yes, by him who holds my soul in his hand and it will be done dahman, dahman (that is the intercourse done with such shove and disturbance). And when it is finished she will return pure and virgin again” (Haqq & Newton 1996: 17).

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Dr. Ahmed, a convert from Islam to Christianity, is originally from the Sudan, earned a Ph.D in philosophy from the University of Bombay, India and has written twelve books to date on Islam and Women. For more information on Dr. Ahmed, see here.

David on "Iron Sharpens Iron" Tonight

I'll be on "Iron Sharpens Iron" tonight at 8:00 P.M. (Easter Standard Time) with Chris Arnzen. You can listen live via live-streaming here.

***UPDATE*** Scheduling mistake. I'll be on the show tomorrow (Thursday) at 8:00 P.M. (Eastern Standard Time).

Child Bride Horrors Last a Lifetime

Qur’an 21:107—We sent thee not, but as a Mercy for all creatures.



I. QUR’AN ON SEX WITH PREPUBESCENT GIRLS

Qur’an 65:4 (Shakir)—And (as for) those of your women who have despaired of menstruation, if you have a doubt, their prescribed time shall be three months, and of those too who have not had their courses; and (as for) the pregnant women, their prescribed time is that they lay down their burden; and whoever is careful of (his duty to) Allah He will make easy for him his affair.

Qur’an 65:4 (Hilali-Khan)—And those of your women as have passed the age of monthly courses, for them the 'Iddah (prescribed period), if you have doubts (about their periods), is three months, and for those who have no courses [(i.e. they are still immature) their 'Iddah (prescribed period) is three months likewise, except in case of death] . And for those who are pregnant (whether they are divorced or their husbands are dead), their 'Iddah (prescribed period) is until they deliver (their burdens), and whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make his matter easy for him.

Qur’an 33:49 (Hilali-Khan)—O you who believe! When you marry believing women, and then divorce them before you have sexual intercourse with them, no 'Iddah [divorce prescribed period, see (V.65:4)] have you to count in respect of them. So give them a present, and set them free i.e. divorce, in a handsome manner.

II. COMMENTARY ON 65:4

Tafsir Ibn Kathir (on Qur’an 65:4)—Allah the Exalted clarifies the waiting period of the woman in menopause. And that is the one whose menstruation has stopped due to her older age. Her `Iddah is three months instead of the three monthly cycles for those who menstruate, which is based upon the Ayah in (Surat) Al-Baqarah. [see 2:228] The same for the young, who have not reached the years of menstruation. Their `Iddah is three months like those in menopause.

Tafsir al-Jalalayn (on Qur’an 65:4)—And [as for] those of your women who (read allà'ï or allà'i in both instances) no longer expect to menstruate, if you have any doubts, about their waiting period, their prescribed [waiting] period shall be three months, and [also for] those who have not yet menstruated, because of their young age, their period shall [also] be three months.

Tafsir Ibn Abbas (on Qur’an 65:4)—(And for such of your women as despair of menstruation) because of old age, (if ye doubt) about their waiting period, (their period (of waiting) shall be three months) upon which another man asked: "O Messenger of Allah! What about the waiting period of those who do not have menstruation because they are too young?" (along with those who have it not) because of young age, their waiting period is three months.

Maududi, Tafhim al-Qur'an (on Qur’an 65:4)—Here, one should bear in mind the fact that according to the explanations given in the Quran the question of the waiting period arises in respect of the women with whom marriage may have been consummated, for there is no waiting-period in case divorce is pronounced before the consummation of marriage. (Al-Ahzab: 49). Therefore, making mention of the waiting-period for the girls who have not yet menstruated, clearly proves that it is not only permissible to give away the girl in marriage at this age but it is also permissible for the husband to consummate marriage with her. Now, obviously no Muslim has the right to forbid a thing which the Quran has held as permissible.

III. HADITH ON MUHAMMAD’S RELATIONSHIP WITH AISHA

Sahih al-Bukhari 3895—“. . . and he consummated that marriage when she was nine years old.”

Sahih al-Bukhari 5133—“. . . and he consummated his marriage when she was nine years old.”

Sahih Muslim 3309—“. . . and I was admitted to his house at the age of nine.”

Sahih Muslim 3311—“ . . . and she was taken to his house as a bride when she was nine, and her dolls were with her . . .”

Sunan Abu Dawud 2116—“Aisha said: . . . He had intercourse with me when I was nine years old.”

Sahih al-Bukhari 6130—“Narrated Aishah: ‘I used to play with the dolls in the presence of the Prophet’ . . . The playing with the dolls and similar images is forbidden, but it was allowed for 'Aisha at that time, as she was a little girl, not yet reached the age of puberty. (Fateh-al-Bari page 143, Vol.13).”

Sahih al-Bukhari 5236—“Narrated Aishah: The Prophet was screening me with his Rida . . . So you may deduce from this event how a little girl (who has not reached the age of puberty) . . . should be treated in this respect.”