Monday, December 31, 2012

Refuting Zakir Naik on Muhammad in the Bible

According to Qur'an 7:157, the Bible contains prophecies about Muhammad. Not surprisingly, Muslim apologists like Zakir Naik have searched the Bible desperately in order to find these so-called prophecies about Muhammad. Some of the most common passages Muslims point to are Deuteronomy 18:18, Isaiah 29:12, Song of Solomon 5:16, John 14:16.

In this video, Sam Shamoun and I examine Naik's arguments, showing that all of the passages he refers to actually prove that Muhammad was a false prophet. Indeed, as we demonstrate, any Muslim who takes Naik's arguments seriously must conclude that Allah is a mouse, that Muhammad stubbornly refused to listen to God, and that Jesus is Muhammad's God!


Click here for more on Muhammad in the Bible.

Sunni Cleric Muhammed al-Arifi Calls for More Prostitution among Muslims Fighting in Syria

Muhammad allowed his followers to practice a form of prostitution called Muta. In Muhammad's time, a Muslim could pay a woman for "temporary marriage," which would last a few hours or a few days. According to certain traditions, Muhammad eventually changed his mind about this obviously immoral practice. Today, Sunnis often claim that Muta is a Shia practice. However, Sunni scholars understand that the Muslim sources are inconsistent, with some of Islam's most trusted sources declaring that Muhammad never prohibited Muta. For instance, the following passage in Sahih Muslim declares that Muslims were practicing Muta well beyond the lifetime of Muhammad:

Sahih Muslim 3248—Ibn Uraij reported: 'Ati' reported that Jabir b. Abdullah came to perform 'Umra, and we came to his abode, and the people asked him about different things, and then they made a mention of temporary marriage, whereupon he said: Yes, we had been benefiting ourselves by this temporary marriage during the lifetime of the Holy Prophet and during the time of Abu Bakr and ‘Umar.

Some hadith claim that it was Umar, rather than Muhammad, who outlawed Muta:

Sahih Muslim 3250—Abu Nadra reported: While I was in the company of Jabir b. Abdullah, a person came to him and said that Ibn 'Abbas and Ibn Zubair differed on the two types of Mut'a (Tamattu’ of Hajj 1846 and Tamattu’ with women), whereupon Jabir said: We used to do these two during the lifetime of Allah's Messenger. Umar then forbade us to do them, and so we did not revert to them.

Not surprisingly, since these are Sunni hadith, some Sunni scholars support temporary marriage. Popular Wahhabi Cleric Muhammed al-Arifi has even issued a fatwa allowing Jihadists fighting in Syria to hire prostitutes:


Yes, Jihad and prostitution. Welcome to Islam!

Last Day for Tax-Deductible Donation to Acts 17 in 2012

Acts 17 Apologetics is a 501(c)3 charitable organization. If you'd like to support our shows, videos, articles, lectures, debates, etc., and you'd like to see us do even more in 2013, today is the last day to make a tax-deductible donation for 2012.

Syrian Rebels Behead Christian and Feed His Body to Dogs

But don't let these brutal murders distract you from the real problem: Islamophobia.

DAILY MAIL--Syrian rebels beheaded a Christian man and fed his body to dogs, according to a nun who says the West is ignoring atrocities committed by Islamic extremists.

The nun said taxi driver Andrei Arbashe, 38, was kidnapped after his brother was heard complaining that fighters against the ruling regime behaved like bandits.

She said his headless corpse was found by the side of the road, surrounded by hungry dogs. He had recently married and was soon to be a father.

Sister Agnes-Mariam de la Croix said: ‘His only crime was his brother criticised the rebels, accused them of acting like bandits, which is what they are.’

There have been a growing number of accounts of atrocities carried out by rogue elements of the Syrian Free Army, which opposes dictator Bashar al-Assad and is recognised by Britain and the West as the legitimate leadership.

Sister Agnes-Miriam, mother superior of the Monastery of St James the Mutilated, has condemned Britain and the west for supporting the rebels despite growing evidence of human rights abuses. Murder, kidnapping, rape and robbery are becoming commonplace, she says.

‘The free and democratic world is supporting extremists,’ Sister Agnes-Miriam said from her sanctuary in Lebanon. ‘They want to impose Sharia Law and create an Islamic state in Syria.’ (Continue Reading.)

Al-Qaida Using Bounty Program to Kill Americans

But here in the U.S., anyone who so much as questions Muhammad's teachings is immediately labeled a racist, Islamophobic, hate-mongering bigot.

SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Al-Qaida's branch in Yemen has offered to pay tens of thousands of dollars to anyone who kills the U.S. ambassador in Sanaa or an American soldier in the country.

An audio produced by the group's media arm, the al-Malahem Foundation, and posted on militant websites Saturday said it offered three kilograms of gold worth $160,000 for killing the ambassador, Gerald Feierstein.

The group said it will pay 5 million Yemeni riyals ($23,000) to anyone who kills an American soldier inside Yemen.

It said the offer is valid for six months. (Continue Reading.)

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Muslims in Nigeria Forcing Christians to Convert

Meanwhile, Muslim organizations in America are too busy complaining about "bigotry" and "Islamophobia" to lift a finger in response to the merciless violence against non-Muslims in places like Nigeria.

(CNN) -- At least 22 people have been killed in three separate attacks in northeastern Nigeria since Friday, including 15 Christians shot Sunday inside a church, according to officials.

The violence began early Friday when unidentified gunmen raided a village in Musari, in Borno state, killing five people, said Joint Task Force Lt. Col. Sagir Musa. JTF troops responded, and a gun battle ensued. Three of the attackers were killed, and troops recovered weapons and ammunition. Musa declined to provide further details of the attack.

Also Friday, gunmen with suspected ties to the Islamist militant group Boko Haram killed two people and wounded another in an attack in Maiha, in Adamawa state, according to Godfrey Okeke, Adamawa state commissioner. The attackers freed 35 inmates from the Maiha prison and set government buildings on fire, Okeke said.

In Sunday's attack, gunmen entered a church in Chibok, also in Borno state, and killed at least 15 worshipers, said Mohammed Kana, a regional official for the National Emergency Management Agency.

"Some of the people had their throats slit," Kana said, citing NEMA staff who responded to the scene.

Sunday's violence comes six days after attackers raided two churches during Christmas Eve services, killing 12 people.

In October, a report from Human Rights Watch addressed the violence plaguing northern Nigeria, particularly from Boko Haram. The group's name means "Western education is forbidden." It seeks to impose a strict version of Sharia law in the Muslim-dominated northern part of the country.

"Suspected members of the group have bombed or opened fire on worshipers in at least 18 churches across eight northern and central states since 2010. In Maiduguri, capital of Borno state, the group also forced Christian men to convert to Islam on penalty of death," it said. (Source)

A New Life of Muhammad Moving Coming

There is a new major Muslim movie on the life of Muhammad due in 2013.

http://varietyarabia.com/Docs.Viewer/3b261725-28dd-433d-b6bd-298e63778f1c/default.aspx

I do not want this to catch us by surprise. I assume the movie will be praising Muhammad like the earlier Muslim versions have. It seems to me that our biggest complaint will be that it will not show what Muhammad was really like. How can we engage with this opportunity?

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Khalil Meek Exposed by James White

After receiving some requests, I wanted to respond to the silly argumentation presented by Muslim convert Khalil Meek on The Deen Show, but James White beat me to it. The Deen Show loves to parade former "Christians," who always seem to be utterly clueless when they discuss Christianity. Khalil Meek is no exception. The Deen Show presents him as some kind of expert, yet he clearly got his information about Christianity from Islam's most ignorant and deceptive apologists, rather than from reputable sources.

I'm sure there's plenty of material here for an upcoming episode of "Jesus or Muhammad?" Since Mr. Meek is presenting himself as an authority, I'm sure he'll have no objections to several Christians responding to his claims. Perhaps he'll even accept James White's debate challenge. (We can only dream!)


Here's the original Deen Show interview with Khalil Meek:

Only a Few Days Left to Support Acts 17 through End-of-Year Giving

We gladly put our lives on the line for the sake of truth, justice, and the Gospel, but the fact remains that we need your support. Acts 17 Apologetics is a 501(c)3 charitable organization. If you'd like to support our shows, videos, articles, debates, etc., and you'd like to see us do even more in 2013, you have a few days left to make a tax-deductible donation for 2012.

Muslims Assault Student for Refusing to Convert to Islam . . . in Germany

But we shouldn't let these brutal attacks against non-Muslims distract us from the real problem: Islamophobia. True tolerance means that we accept Islam's intolerant teachings with open arms and never even think of criticizing Muhammad's commands to violently subjugate non-Muslims.

BERLIN (AP) - Police say an Indian student in Germany has been attacked and injured by suspected Islamic extremists who accosted him and demanded that he convert to Islam.

Police spokesman Frank Piontek said on Thursday that two attackers in the western German city of Bonn severely beat the 24-year-old and then slashed his tongue with a knife.

Police say the attackers walked up to the student in a city street late on Monday and demanded that he convert to Islam - then beat him up after he refused to do so. (Source)

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Pray for the Northeast . . . Again

We made it through Hurricane Sandy. But the electric company left several messages on our phone today telling us that the coming storm may cause power outages. Since we have two sons on life-support (breathing machines, etc.), losing power could be deadly. Please pray that our electricity isn't affected by the storm.

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Former Muslim Antonio Santana on CBN!

I've known Antonio for several years. He comes to the Arab Festival in Dearborn to discuss the Gospel with Muslims. He's one of many people who have left Islam for the sake of obedience to Christ.


Here's an interview with two more friends who left Islam:

Zakir Naik Exposed: The Sign of Jonah

Jesus' death by crucifixion is one of the most certain facts of history, as even non-Christian historians attest. Bart Ehrman, for instance, maintains: "One of the most certain facts of history is that Jesus was crucified on orders of the Roman prefect of Judea, Pontius Pilate.” Atheist New Testament scholar Gerd Lüdemann declares that “Jesus’ death as a consequence of crucifixion is indisputable.” John Dominic Crossan, of the notoriously liberal Jesus Seminar, says that there is not the “slightest doubt about the fact of Jesus’ crucifixion under Pontius Pilate.” According to Crossan, “That he was crucified is as sure as anything historical can ever be.”

The indisputable evidence for Jesus' death by crucifixion puts Muslims in an awkward position, for the Qur'an maintains that Jesus never died and wasn't even crucified (4:157-158). How are Muslims going to defend their position when the evidence so clearly proves that Islam is false? This is where people like Zakir Naik come in. Naik has built his career on spouting complete nonsense to an ignorant audience. Naik is so thoroughly deceptive, he draws his primary response to Jesus' crucifixion from the Bible itself, claiming that Jesus warned his followers that he would survive crucifixion in the following passage:

Matthew 12:38-40–Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."

But how could Jesus have meant that he would survive crucifixion when he told his followers, repeatedly, that he would die by crucifixion (see Matthew 16:21-23; 17:9, 22-23; 20:17-19; 21:33-40; etc.)? In this video, Sam and I discuss some of the glaring problems with Naik's claims.


For more on Zakir Naik, click here.

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Pakistani Muslim Mob Beats Man to Death over "Blasphemy"

But Muslim organizations in the U.S. continue to assure us that Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance. Question: Why are Muslim groups like CAIR and ISNA so desperate to convince non-Muslims that Islam is peaceful, when they could be focusing their efforts on showing violent Muslims that Islam is peaceful?

PAKISTAN--A mob in Pakistan has stormed a police station and beaten to death a Muslim man accused of desecrating the Koran.

The victim's body was then set alight, according to witnesses.

The unnamed victim had earlier been handed over to the police after burnt pages of the Koran were found in a mosque in Dadu district, 330km (200 miles) north of Karachi, where he had been staying overnight.

Hours later a mob went to the police station, seized the man and killed him.

The district police chief, Usman Ghani, told the BBC the gruesome incident was filmed on mobile phones. He said the footage was being reviewed to identify culprits.

Thirty people have so far been detained in connection with the attack.

The local police chief and five of his officers have been arrested for failing to protect the man.

The BBC's Shahzeb Jillani says blasphemy is a highly sensitive issue in Pakistan, where scores of people have been killed by mobs or vigilantes.

Our correspondent in Karachi adds that the controversial laws are often misused to persecute minorities or settle scores. (Continue Reading.)

Friday, December 21, 2012

Former Muslim Mursal Isse Siad Murdered in Somalia

Meanwhile, Muslim organizations like CAIR and ISNA are complaining about an imaginary mental illness called "Islamophobia" here in America. This complaining takes up so much of their time, they can't manage to speak out against the actual murder of Christians in Muslim countries.

NAIROBI, Kenya (Morning Star News) – Gunmen in central Somalia on Saturday (Dec. 8) killed an underground Christian who had been receiving death threats for leaving Islam, area sources said.

Two unidentified masked men shot Mursal Isse Siad, 55, outside his home in Beledweyne, 206 miles (332 kilometers) north of Mogadishu, for leaving Islam, Muslim and Christian sources told Morning Star News. The assailants fled immediately after the murder.

Siad’s oldest daughter (name withheld), 15, said her father was killed “because he failed to attend the mosque for prayers and used to pray at home. He used to share with us about Jesus.” She said that he had received messages on his mobile phone stating, “We know what you are doing, and you must stop, otherwise you risk your life.”

Siad’s 42-year-old wife (name withheld), three daughters and two sons have fled the area, fearing for their lives.

A Christian source in Mogadishu confirmed the killing, and a Muslim resident of the Beledweyne area also said Siad was killed for leaving Islam.

“Siad deserved to die because he was not committed to the Islamic religion,” the resident said. (Continue Reading.)

Br. Imran & Samuel Green Debate Video

Back in July I had a debate with Br. Imran.
http://www.answeringmuslims.com/2012/06/sydney-debate-july-7.html

I have had a number of people contact me about the recent video of this debate that has appeared on Youtube.

http://youtu.be/WLySrGMt-4M
http://youtu.be/AvTNU5KQP8I

Here is an update.

The original plan I had with IREA Australia was the video would be made in accordance with our signed agreement. This involved including all PowerPoint presentations and not removing or adding any of the speakers words. The video was to be a historical record of what happened on the night. When the video/DVD became available there would be a period before it went on Youtube to allow for DVD sales. I was happy with all of this.

However it seems that IREF India have edited the video and done it in a way that is clearly not inline with the debate agreement. None of my slides were included and since they were an integral part of my presentation my whole presentation has been gutted. Br. Imran who had no slides on the night has had many slides added in. There are "commentary" slides aimed at me and an extended section of Ahmed Deedat preaching which has been added in.

I was deeply troubled when I saw this video and have lost sleep from worry.

I have been in touch with IREA Australia and I believe that they have been caught out by these events as well. As far as I know they were planning to sell the DVD first before it went to Youtube. I have expressed my concern to IREA Australia and am waiting for their representative to return from India so that we can discuss this matter.

I believe that there has been miscommunication between IREF India and IREA Australia but I have full confidence that IREA Australia intends to abide by the debate agreement. This is why I have not done anything publicly yet. I understand that in a large organisation like IREA things may not always go according to plan and so this is why I am giving IREA some time to sort out the matter, which I believe they will.

To my Christian friends I ask that you wait with me to see what happens. Please do not make any accusations yet though you can certainly leave comments on the Youtube videos. I believe that God has sent this moment so that both Christian and Muslim debating communities can grow though it. I am prepared to wait for one month for the matter to be resolved.

Your brother in Christ Samuel

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Refuting Zakir Naik on the Crucifixion of Jesus

Zakir Naik claims that a careful reading of the New Testament shows that Jesus never died on the cross. But are his arguments sound? Sam Shamoun and I discuss Naik's main arguments in our latest episode of "Jesus or Muhammad?"

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Christian Convert Saeed Abedini Arrested While Visiting Family in Iran

Since Muslim groups like CAIR believe in freedom and tolerance (even though they support terrorism behind closed doors), we might expect them to campaign for the safe return of former Muslim Saeed Abedini. Unfortunately, CAIR and other groups are too busy complaining about Islamophobia to show any concern for the open, Sharia-based, state-sanctioned persecution of Christians in Muslim countries.

IRAN (Fox News)--A 32-year-old Iranian who is a U.S. citizen and a Christian convert has been imprisoned without notice of any formal charges while visiting his family in Iran, according to his wife and attorneys in the U.S., who are now hoping that a media campaign will help set him free.

The Rev. Saeed Abedini, who lives in the U.S. with his wife and two young children, was making one of his frequent visits to see his parents and the rest of his family in Iran, his country of origin and where he spent many years as a Christian leader and community organizer developing Iran's underground home church communities for Christian converts.

On this last trip, the Iranian government pulled him off a bus and said he must face a penalty for his previous work as a Christian leader in Iran.

He is currently awaiting trial at Iran's notoriously brutal Evin Prison, where he has been incarcerated since late September.

"When he became a Christian, he became a criminal in his own country. His passion was to reach the people of Iran," Naghmeh, his wife, said in an exclusive interview with Fox News.

"He comes from a very close-knit family, and he loved evangelizing and passing out Bibles on the streets of Tehran. This was his passion," she said.

In July, Abedini left his wife and kids to go to Iran to visit family and continue a humanitarian effort he began years ago to build an orphanage.

After a short visit to a nearby country, Abedini was traveling back into Iran to catch his flight back to the U.S. when members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard stopped his bus near the Turkey-Iran border and pulled Abedini from the bus, confiscating his passports and subjecting him to intense interrogation, according to his wife.

After weeks under house arrest and many calls to Iran's passport control office about the status of his confiscated passport, Abedini was told that his case has been referred to the Revolutionary Guard, the Iranian government's elite military force.

On Sept. 26, five men kicked open the door of Abedini's parents' residence in Tehran where they collected all communications devices and arrested him while placing the rest of his family members, who are also Christians converts from Islam, under house arrest. (Continue Reading.)

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Four Weeks of Refuting Zakir Naik Begins Tuesday!

Muslim apologist Zakir Naik has never faced an experienced Christian debater, and he has rejected challenges from James White, Sam Shamoun, Nabeel Qureshi, myself, and others. Since Naik won't face us on stage, Sam and I are going to refute his claims about Christianity and Islam on our show "Jesus or Muhammad?" Beginning this Tuesday, at 8:00 P.M. (Eastern Standard Time), Sam and I will respond to Naik's claims on Jesus' crucifixion, Islamic jihad, and other issues. If you don't get ABN via satellite, you can watch live here.

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Friday, December 14, 2012

Acts 17 Apologetics Is Now a 501(c)(3) Organization

Acts 17 Apologetics has been approved as a 501(c)(3) charitable religious organization, which means that donations are tax-deductible. If you'd like to contribute to our work (shows, videos, articles, debates, lectures, etc.) before the end of the year, and you'd like to claim the donation on your taxes, make sure you get a receipt.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Egyptian Atheist Albert Saber Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Insulting Religion

Unless the Muslim Brotherhood decides to practice a little Taqiyya during the appeal, Egyptian atheist Albert Saber will be heading to prison for criticizing Islam. (In order to appear balanced, prosecutors even added that he made statements "critical of Christianity." Note: If possession of statements critical of Christianity is going to be a crime in Egypt, everyone who has a copy of the Qur'an is about to go to prison.)

The world cheered as the "Arab Spring" began toppling dictators in the Muslim world. But people like me were asking, "Don't you realize who's going to take over these countries when the dictators fall?" Of course, anyone who criticized the Arab Spring was immediately labeled a racist, Islamophobic, hate-mongering bigot. After all, Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance, and when Islam controls a land, you get an interfaith utopia, just like the mythical interfaith utopia of Cordoba. Now that the Muslim Brotherhood has taken the reigns in Egypt and has begun punishing people for blasphemy, however, Westerners are scratching their heads wondering what went wrong. It's Islam, Silly.

CAIRO — A Cairo court sentenced an atheist from a Christian family on Wednesday to three years in prison for insulting religion, firing up fears about the future of freedom of expression here just as Egyptians prepare to vote on an Islamist-backed draft constitution denounced by secular groups as failing to protect such rights.

The convicted man, Albert Saber, is expected to be released on bail of about $167 pending an appeal. An open and avowed atheist, Mr. Saber, 27, was initially accused of circulating links to an offensive online video lampooning the Prophet Muhammad that set off protests across the Muslim world in September. Mr. Saber has denied promoting the video, and he is being charged for other statements critical of Islam and Christianity that police investigators found on his computer. Open profession of atheism is almost unheard-of in Egypt and is widely considered an affront to society as a whole.

Although blasphemy was a criminal offense under former President Hosni Mubarak before Egypt’s revolution as well, Mr. Saber’s case has raised special alarm because it comes against the backdrop of the sometimes violent battle over Egypt’s draft constitution, which elevates the crime of insulting religion to the level of the charter itself.

“Expect to see many more blasphemy prosecutions in the future now that it’s embedded as a crime in the constitution,” said Heba Morayef, a researcher with Human Rights Watch who is tracking the case. (Continue Reading.)

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Devout Muslim Glen Francis on Trial for 1990 Murder of Qur'an Translator Rashad Khalifa

Rashad Khalifa claimed that two verses of the Qur'an are not authentic, that the Hadith are not authoritative, and that he was a messenger of Allah. He is also the main source of the silly argument that the Qur'an contains mathematical miracles based on the number 19.

In 1989, the Islamic Legal Council of Saudi Arabia issued a fatwa against Khalifa, declaring him to be a heretic. Less than a year later, he was was stabbed to death in his Tucson mosque. If you're thinking that he was killed by Islamophobes, think again.

ARIZONA--Soad Rayan Khalifa cried softly Tuesday afternoon as she recalled the long ago day she found her brother dead on the floor of the mosque where he studied and taught.

He was on his back with "many, many stab wounds" evident from his neck down. His fingers were slashed horribly.

She remembered grabbing his hand and finding it cold.

Tuesday was the first day in the trial of Glen Francis, who is charged with first-degree murder in the Jan. 31, 1990, death of Rashad Khalifa, 54.

During opening statements, Deputy Pima County Attorney Casey McGinley told jurors Khalifa's religious beliefs and teachings brought about his demise. He had received death threats from all over the world, in part because he believed two verses did not belong in the Quran.

"This is a case about many suspects, but the evidence only points to one killer," McGinley said.

In the months after Khalifa's death, McGinley said, many potential suspects were ruled out, but one remained intriguing because he disappeared the day of the slaying.

Benjamin Phillips had come to the mosque saying he wanted to learn more about Islam, but he sometimes seemed to know more than he let on, McGinley said. In addition, he sometimes spoke with a Jamaican accent and sometimes did not.

Phillips couldn't be located, however, and the case went cold.

At least until 1994, McGinley said.

That year the FBI in Dallas received a tip that a resident named J.Q. Wall might be Phillips, McGinley said.

Wall denied ever having been in Arizona, but he told agents he was aware of Khalifa's teachings and, as a Muslim, he "deserved what he got," McGinley said. (Continue Reading.)

New U.S. Military Handbook Blames U.S. Soldiers for Afghan Insider Attacks

More self-loathing and contempt for reality from the U.S. Government. Anyone with a cursory grasp of Islam can understand why Muslims kill U.S. soldiers. According to the Qur'an, the penalty for "making mischief" in a Muslim land is death, crucifixion, dismemberment, or imprisonment:

Qur'an 5:33—The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His apostle and strive to make mischief in the land is only this, that they should be murdered or crucified or their hands and their feet should be cut off on opposite sides or they should be imprisoned; this shall be as a disgrace for them in this world, and in the hereafter they shall have a grievous chastisement.

The most severe form of "mischief making" is bringing a non-Muslim military to interfere in the affairs of a Muslim country. Has the United States done that, according to Islam? Absolutely. What's the penalty, according to Islam? Death. So if an Afghan Muslim really believes in the Qur'an, what is he commanded to do? Kill American soldiers (and anyone who supports them). Is any of this difficult to figure out? Not a bit.

Yet the U.S. Military now wants everyone to believe that Afghan insider attacks are the result of "cultural insensitivity" on the part of American soldiers. Yes, when a U.S. soldier is gunned down by a supposed ally, he has no one to blame but himself. He should have been more respectful towards the Taliban. If our troops would simply avoid sensitive discussion topics such as women's rights and pedophilia, all would be well.

Welcome to Fantasy Land.

Wall Street Journal—American soldiers should brace for a "social-cultural shock" when meeting Afghan soldiers and avoid potentially fatal confrontations by steering clear of subjects including women's rights, religion and Taliban misdeeds, according to a controversial draft of a military handbook being prepared for troops heading to the region.

The proposed Army handbook suggests that Western ignorance of Afghan culture, not Taliban infiltration, has helped drive the recent spike in deadly attacks by Afghan soldiers against the coalition forces.

"Many of the confrontations occur because of [coalition] ignorance of, or lack of empathy for, Muslim and/or Afghan cultural norms, resulting in a violent reaction from the [Afghan security force] member," according to the draft handbook prepared by Army researchers.

The 75-page manual, reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, is part of a continuing effort by the U.S. military to combat a rise in attacks by Afghan security forces aimed at coalition troops. . . .

The draft handbook offers a list of "taboo conversation topics" that soldiers should avoid, including "making derogatory comments about the Taliban," "advocating women's rights," "any criticism of pedophilia," "directing any criticism towards Afghans," "mentioning homosexuality and homosexual conduct" or "anything related to Islam."

"Bottom line: Troops may experience social-cultural shock and/or discomfort when interacting with" Afghan security forces, the handbook states. "Better situational awareness/understanding of Afghan culture will help better prepare [troops] to more effectively partner and to avoid cultural conflict that can lead toward green-on-blue violence." (Continue Reading.)

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

2011 Census Shows Islam Surging, Christianity Declining in UK

According to a government census released today, the Muslim population in the United Kingdom has increased from 1.5 million in 2001 to 2.7 million in 2011. During the same time period, the number of Christians fell from 37.3 million to 33.2 million, and the number of people identifying themselves as non-religious rose from 7.7 million to 14.1 million.


Here are the "Key Points" of the census:

  • Despite falling numbers Christianity remains the largest religion in England and Wales in 2011. Muslims are the next biggest religious group and have grown in the last decade. Meanwhile the proportion of the population who reported they have no religion has now reached a quarter of the population.

  • In the 2011 Census, Christianity was the largest religion, with 33.2 million people (59.3 per cent of the population). The second largest religious group were Muslims with 2.7 million people (4.8 per cent of the population).

  • 14.1 million people, around a quarter of the population in England and Wales, reported they have no religion in 2011.

  • The religion question was the only voluntary question on the 2011 census and 7.2 per cent of people did not answer the question.

  • Between 2001 and 2011 there has been a decrease in people who identify as Christian (from 71.7 per cent to 59.3 per cent) and an increase in those reporting no religion (from 14.8 per cent to 25.1 per cent). There were increases in the other main religious group categories, with the number of Muslims increasing the most (from 3.0 per cent to 4.8 per cent).

  • In 2011, London was the most diverse region with the highest proportion of people identifying themselves as Muslim, Bhuddist, Hindu and Jewish. The North East and North West had the highest proportion of Christians and Wales had the highest proportion of people reporting no religion.

  • Knowsley was the local authority with the highest proportion of people reporting to be Christians at 80.9 per cent and Tower Hamlets had the highest proportion of Muslims at 34.5 per cent (over 7 times the England and Wales figure). Norwich had the highest proportion of the population reporting no religion at 42.5 per cent.

Tunisian Qur'an Schools Teaching Children to Praise Terrorists

Really? At a Qur'an school? And here I thought that Qur'an schools would, like Westernized Muslims, ignore all of the Qur'an's clear commands to terrorize and violently subjugate non-Muslims. It's as if some Muslims actually take the Qur'an seriously.

TUNISIA--Education professionals and parents are increasingly concerned about illegal kindergartens, private schools and Qur'anic schools in Tunisia.

A video titled "Dedication from Children of Unification in Tunisia to Mullah Omar" recently spread on social networking websites, sparking a broad controversy.

Children at one religious school were heard repeating words dictated by a teacher, praising Osama Bin Laden and describing him as "Commander of the Faithful".

The children are seen chanting to bin Laden: "We sacrifice our souls for you, O emir!"

"One of the biggest problems is that some private schools are not subjected to regulations," education inspector Ammar Lammouchi told Magharebia. "They don't apply the Ministry of Education's curricula and, as a result, violations take place.

"Some of these schools teach extremist programmes and a certain type of indoctrination to children," he said. "This is dangerous to children's mentalities" the inspector added.

Nabiha Kammoun Tlili, head of Tunisia's National Kindergartens' Chamber, confirmed that many Qur'anic schools are not under any supervisory authority. (Continue Reading.)

Monday, December 10, 2012

Islamic Seminary Darul Uloom Issues Fatwa against Zakir Naik

Those of us who study apologetics consider Zakir Naik's arguments to be hopelessly flawed, illogical, and grounded in silly assumptions. Interestingly, many Muslim scholars also reject Naik's claims, albeit for different reasons. Darul Uloom Seminary (the Indian equivalent of Al-Azhar) has gone so far as to issue a fatwa condemning Naik as "unreliable."

Hindustan Times--Darul Uloom, the globally influential Islamic seminary has slammed the religious views of controversial televangelist Dr Zakir Naik in a fatwa as doubtful, urging Muslims to avoid following him. The fatwa came in response to queries from people seeking clarifications on Naik’s teachings since Sunni Muslims either turn to Egypt’s Al-Azhar University or India’s Darul Uloom for guidance.

Although Naik, a doctor turned preacher, has gained prominence as a speaker on Islam, he has been a controversial figure because of his disparaging remarks on other religions and radical views.

The fatwa said Naik was a ghiar muqallidin, a term used to describe those whose teachings are not directly based on any one of the four accepted schools of Islamic thought and, was therefore, unreliable. (Continue Reading.)

Sydney Debate

Abdullah Kunde & Samuel Green
Friday December 14, 2012, 7pm.
Auburn Presbyterian Church
29 Queen St. Auburn NSW Australia

Please come if you live in Sydney and say hello :-)

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Al Qaeda-Linked Rebel Group on the Rise in Syria

Horrible spot to be in. We've got a brutal dictator fighting against a brutal Jihadist group. Whoever wins, people suffer.

BAGHDAD — The lone Syrian rebel group with an explicit stamp of approval from Al Qaeda has become one of the uprising’s most effective fighting forces, posing a stark challenge to the United States and other countries that want to support the rebels but not Islamic extremists.

Money flows to the group, the Nusra Front, from like-minded donors abroad. Its fighters, a small minority of the rebels, have the boldness and skill to storm fortified positions and lead other battalions to capture military bases and oil fields. As their successes mount, they gather more weapons and attract more fighters.

The group is a direct offshoot of Al Qaeda in Iraq, Iraqi officials and former Iraqi insurgents say, which has contributed veteran fighters and weapons.

“This is just a simple way of returning the favor to our Syrian brothers that fought with us on the lands of Iraq,” said a veteran of Al Qaeda in Iraq, who said he helped lead the Nusra Front’s efforts in Syria.

The United States, sensing that time may be running out for Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, hopes to isolate the group to prevent it from inheriting Syria or fighting on after Mr. Assad’s fall to pursue its goal of an Islamic state. (Continue Reading.)

Friday, December 7, 2012

Islam's Secret Santa (Blast from the Past)

I put out this video last year, but it's a Christmas video, so I'll most likely post it every year in December.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

The Argument from Reason

Nothing to do with Islam here. But since I'm going to be doing some follow-up videos on the same topic, I'd be interested in feedback or criticisms.

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood Accused of Paying Gangs to Rape Women

And here I thought that helping an Islamist government rise to power would benefit all Egyptians.

FOX NEWS--Egypt’s embattled Muslim Brotherhood regime is paying gangs of thugs to rape women and beat men who gather in Tahrir Square to protest the power grab of President Mohamed Morsi, say activists.

In a bitter replay of the Arab Spring protests that brought down President Hosni Mubarak nearly two years ago, protesters have flooded the Cairo square to denounce Morsi, who has stripped the judiciary of power and is rushing through an Islamist constitution. And while Mubarak is now in prison for using violence to quell protests targeting him, Morsi’s regime is now accused of doing the same.

“This is still happening now,” Magda Adly, director of the Nadeem Center for Human Rights, told The Times of London. “I believe thugs are being paid money to do this ... the Muslim Brotherhood have the same political approaches as Mubarak.”

Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians have gathered in the square to protest the new constitution and to call for Morsi’s ouster. Morsi briefly fled the Itihadiya presidential palace in Cairo Wednesday, after the complex was surrounded by tens of thousands of protesters chanting slogans reminiscent of those used during the revolution that ousted Mubarak. The protesters scrawled anti-Morsi graffiti and waved giant banners carrying images of revolutionaries killed in earlier protests.

A protester the newspaper identified as Yasmine said she was attacked while videotaping demonstrations. She said about 50 men surrounded her and began tearing off her clothes, grabbing her breasts and sexually assaulting her. She said she suffered internal injuries and was unable to walk for a week.

The Daily Mail reported that most attacks take place at night when men form a human chain around women, then move in for the assault. Two men told the paper they were paid to attack women.

“We're told to go out and sexually harass girls so they leave the demonstration," one said. (Continue Reading.)

Ahmed Ferhani Convicted in Plot to Blow up New York Synagogues

Now I'm confused. Politicians, the media, and leftists keep telling us that we shouldn't judge other people's beliefs or cultures. Ahmed Ferhani is a Muslim who believes in following Allah's commands to violently subjugate non-Muslims. And here we are sending him to prison! Didn't the judge realize that in condemning Islamic violence, he was condemning Islam?

NEW YORK POST--He dreamed of blowing up 10 synagogues — simultaneously, on the same remote detonator — and grinned like a child when he bought what he thought was a live grenade.

Yesterday, Islamic bomb plotter Ahmed Ferhani pleaded guilty to 10 hate and terror counts — giving Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. the first state-level terror conviction in New York history.

In return for his plea, the mentally ill Algerian agreed to serve a 10-year prison sentence offered him by a Manhattan judge over the objection of prosecutors, who had asked for 14 years.

“We’ll blow all those motherf--kers up at the same time,” he was caught saying on tape. “Imagine that, bro. Imagine what that would be like.”

Yesterday, Ferhani admitted in court that, by targeting synagogues, he intended to “send a message of intimidation and coercion to the Jewish population of New York City, warning them to stop mistreating Muslims.”

The sentence is a significant break for Ferhani, in light of the potential maximum of 32 years he had faced had he gone to trial and been convicted of the top counts.

After serving his 10-year term, he faces “inevitable” deportation, said Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Michael Obus.

Defense lawyers tried to portray Ferhani, 27, arrested in May 2011, as a stooge who was entrapped.

But surveillance cameras recorded him seeking specific weapons, calling himself a mastermind and “showing great excitement at handling a grenade,” prosecutor Margaret Gandy told the judge yesterday. (Continue Reading.)

Monday, December 3, 2012

Turkey Fines Television Channel for Simpsons "Blasphemy"

And yet "The Simpsons" will continue to mock every ideology in the world except Islam.

ISTANBUL: Turkey's broadcasting regulator is fining a television channel for insulting religious values after it aired an episode of "The Simpsons" which shows God taking orders from the devil.

Radio and television watchdog RTUK said it was fining private broadcaster CNBC-e 52,951 lira ($30,000) over the episode of the hit U.S. animated TV series, whose scenes include the devil asking God to make him a coffee.

"The board has decided to fine the channel over these matters," an RTUK spokeswoman said but declined further comment, saying full details would probably be announced next week.

CNBC-e said it would comment once the fine was officially announced.

Turkey is a secular republic but most of its 75 million people are Muslim. Religious conservatives and secular opponents vie for public influence and critics of the government say it is trying to impose Islamic values by stealth.

Elected a decade ago with the strongest majority seen in years, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and his Islamist-rooted AK Party have overseen a period of unprecedented prosperity in Turkey. But concerns are growing about authoritarianism. (Continue Reading.)

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Killing Babies For Allah




For additional material relevant to the issue addressed in the above video, see the following articles:

The Annihilation of the Amalekites

Revisiting God's Command to Kill the Amalekites

The Inconsistency of Bassam Zawadi (Part 1, Part 2)

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Zakir Hussain vs. David Wood: Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, and the Covenant

I think Zakir Hussain is going to be a popular debater. He's only started debating recently, but he's got three essential requirements for debate: (1) he's a confident communicator, (2) he studies his material, and (3) he doesn't panic when arguments are thrown at him. He'll obviously develop his abilities further as he builds on his experience.

In this debate, we discuss God's covenant with Abraham and the role of Ishmael in God's promises to Abraham.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

UK Debate Series Next Week: London, Birmingham, Portsmouth

Next week will be my UK debate series with the Muslim Debate Initiative. I'll be arriving in London this Sunday and heading to Speakers' Corner with Jay Smith's group. I hear that attendance at Speakers' Corner dies down in the Fall, but I'll still be there in case any of our Muslim friends would like to have a discussion. I hope to see some of you there!

Here's the debate lineup.

Monday, November 26th, 6:00 P.M.
Imperial College London
Sami Zaatari vs. David Wood: "The Message of Jesus and Muhammad"
(Note: Registration required. See below.)

Wednesday, November 28th, 6:00 P.M.
Birmingham Central Library
Zakir Hussain vs. David Wood: "Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, and the Covenant"

Thursday, November 29th, 6:00 P.M.
University of Portsmouth
King Henry Building, Lecture Theatre 0.01
David Wood vs. Sami Zaatari: "Is Islam a Threat to Modern Society?"

Here's the info posted by the Imperial College Islamic Society for Monday's debate:

The Messages of Jesus and Muhammad (may peace be upon them)
Hosted by Imperial College Islamic Society and the Muslim Debate Initiative.

***************************
An Interfaith Debate between two experienced apologists:
SAMI ZAATARI (UK)
and
DAVID WOOD (USA)
***************************

The format will be a debate followed by an open Q&A session.

Muslims, Christians, and people of all backgrounds with any interest/curiosity in this important topic are strongly encouraged to attend. Previous debates, including between these two speakers, have always ended on a civil note, and we expect this to be an enlightening evening where we can challenge the speakers in a safe, friendly environment.

Event is free and seating is limited so please arrive on time.

ENTRY ONLY TO IMPERIAL COLLEGE ID HOLDERS (students/staff), unless you REGISTER in advance (e-mail islam@ic.ac.uk with subject "MDI Debate"). We reserve the right to decline entry.

---------------------------------------------
DATE: Monday 26th November
TIME: 6pm
VENUE: Skempton Building, LT 201 (map: http://bit.ly/WMOJEp)
Imperial College London, South Kensington, SW7 2AZ

Taliban Vows Vengeance after India Executes Mumbai Terrorist

Clearly, the execution of a man who helped slaughter 166 people is a sign of Islamophobia. Who are we to judge another man's religion, even if his religion requires him to commit acts of terrorism?

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan's Taliban movement threatened on Thursday to attack Indian targets to avenge the country's execution of Mohammad Ajmal Kasab, the lone survivor of the militant squad responsible for a rampage through Mumbai that killed 166 people in 2008.

Kasab was hanged on Wednesday amid great secrecy, underscoring the political sensitivity of the Nov. 26, 2008, massacre, which still casts a pall over relations between nuclear-armed rivals Pakistan and India.

"We have decided to target Indians to avenge the killing of Ajmal Kasab," said Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan by telephone from an undisclosed location.

Ehsan demanded that India return Kasab's body. (Continue Reading.)

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Dennis Prager: The Middle East Problem

According to Dennis Prager, the Middle East problem isn't hard to understand. Hard to solve, maybe. But not hard to understand.

Robert Spencer: Jews in the Qur'an

Four California Muslims Arrested in Terror Plot

But we shouldn't let the constant, never-ending supply of Islamic terror plots distract us from the real problem: Islamophobia.

FoxNews--Four Southern California men have been charged with plotting to kill Americans and destroy U.S. targets overseas by joining Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan, federal officials said Monday.

The defendants, including a man who served in the U.S. Air Force, were arrested for plotting to bomb military bases and government facilities, and for planning to engage in "violent jihad," FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said in a release.

A federal complaint unsealed Monday says 34-year-old Sohiel Omar Kabir of Pomona introduced two of the other men to the radical Islamist doctrine of Anwar al-Awlaki, a deceased Al Qaeda leader. Kabir served in the Air Force from 2000 to 2001.

The other two -- 23-year-old Ralph Deleon of Ontario and 21-year-old Miguel Alejandro Santana Vidriales of Upland -- converted to Islam in 2010 and began engaging with Kabir and others online in discussions about jihad, including posting radical content to Facebook and expressing extremist views in comments.

They later recruited 21-year-old Arifeen David Gojali of Riverside.

Authorities allege that in Skype calls from Afghanistan, Kabir told the trio he would arrange their meetings with terrorists. Kabir added the would-be jihadists could sleep in mosques or the homes of fellow jihadists once they arrived in Afghanistan.

The trio made plans to depart in mid-November to carry out plots in Afghanistan, primarily, and Yemen, after they sold off belongings to scrape together enough cash to buy plane tickets and made passport arrangements. (Continue Reading.)

For more on terrorism and Jihad, visit our Jihad page.

Sunday, November 18, 2012

A Brief History of the Arab-Israeli Conflict

Here's a surprisingly common story. Once upon a time, countries ranging from Spain in the West all the way to India in the East submitted to Muslim rule, willingly, under no compulsion whatsoever. The entire population of this Islamic empire lived in an interfaith utopia, with Christians, Muslims, and Jews engaging in daily hug fests. In 1947, however, Jews decided to attack peaceful Muslims living in a Muslim land called "Palestine," which had belonged to Muslims for all eternity. For the past 65 years, Jews have oppressed, tortured, and raped the peaceful Palestinians. The only way to world peace is for Jews to leave Palestinian land and to admit that Israel has never existed.

Nice fairy tale. Anyone want to know what really happened?

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Attempted Terrorist Adis Medunjanin Sings Qur'an Verses at Sentencing

You'd think that, as Adis Medunjanin recited the Qur'an in court, he would have remembered all the imaginary passages calling for peace and tolerance. (Click here for something accurate about Jihad.)

NEW YORK--It’s too late to sing a sad song now.

The Queens man who trained overseas with al Qaeda and plotted a suicide bombing on the city’s crowded subway system sang Koranic verses in open court today as he was sentenced to spend the rest of his miserable life in prison.

Bearded terrorist Adis Medunjanin, 28, broke out in song as he, defense attorney Robert Gottlieb and federal prosecutors stood at the foot of Judge John Gleeson’s bench in Brooklyn federal court.

In fact, Medunjanin, wearing a black suit and white dress shirt, announced his intentions to Gleeson.

"I would like to be praising God in Arabic,” he said. "As a Muslim, it is my duty to invite you into this great religion.”

After singing prayers in Arabic, Medunjanin read verses from the Koran in English as his parents, sister and extended family members watched from the gallery.

He then launched into a verbal assault on the US and blasted its foreign policy and overseas wars, condemning torture and mass killings.

"I ask you, what is democracy? What kind of system endorses torture? I ask you, is this really the best system that humanity has ever produced?" (Continue Reading.)

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Al Qaeda Operative Abu Qatada Released from British Prison

The judge of the appeals case was concerned that an Al Qaeda operative convicted of terror plots might not be treated fairly if he is deported to Jordan. Hence, he had to be released. No worries!

LONDON – A radical Islamist cleric described by prosecutors as a key Al Qaeda operative in Europe was freed from prison Tuesday after a court ruled he cannot be deported from Britain to Jordan to face terrorism charges.

The preacher was seen smiling as he was driven away from Long Lartin maximum security jail in Worcestershire, central England, in a black MPV.

Britain's government has attempted since 2001 to expel Abu Qatada, a Palestinian-born Jordanian cleric convicted in Jordan over terror plots in 1999 and 2000, but has been repeatedly thwarted by European and British courts.

Abu Qatada won bail at a hearing Monday, when the Special Immigration Appeals Commission, which handles major terrorism and deportation cases, upheld his challenge to the decision to send him to Jordan.

Judge John Mitting said he was not convinced the cleric would receive a fair trial, despite the government's insistence that it has won assurances from Jordan over how Abu Qatada's case would be handled -- including from Jordan's King Abdullah II.

Mitting said there remained a real risk that evidence obtained through torture would be used against Abu Qatada, which would be a breach of his human rights. (Continue Reading.)

Hamas Military Chief Ahmed Jabari Killed in Israeli Airstrike

If only American Muslim groups like CAIR and ISNA had shared the Qur'an's peaceful teachings with Ahmed Jabari, surely he would have chosen a life of peace and tolerance over a life of Jihad.

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Hamas officials in the Gaza Strip say an Israeli airstrike has killed the commander of its military wing.

Ahmed Jabari becomes the most senior Hamas official to be killed since an Israeli invasion of Gaza four years ago. Jabari has long topped Israel's most-wanted list.

Witnesses say Jabari was traveling in his vehicle in Gaza City when his car exploded.

Israeli officials had said in recent days that they were considering assassinating top Hamas officials following a wave of heavy rocket fire from the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. (Source)

Sheikh Mohamed Saad El-Azhary Raises Concerns That Egyptian Constitution Could Conflict with a Muslim's Right to Marry and Beat His Child Bride

Notice that this article falsely claims that Aisha had reached puberty when Muhammad had sex with her. Absolute nonsense.

CAIRO, Nov 14 2012 (IPS) - An ultraconservative Salafi cleric recently sparked outrage among Egypt’s liberal circles when he attempted to justify his opposition to a proposed constitutional article that would outlaw the trafficking of women for sex.

Speaking on privately-owned Al-Nas satellite channel, Sheikh Mohamed Saad El-Azhary said he feared the proposed article could conflict with the local practice of child marriage. He explained that in Egypt, particularly in rural areas, there is a culture of marrying off girls as soon as they hit puberty.

“The important thing is that the girl is ready and can tolerate marriage,” El-Azhary declared.

He went on to protest proposed laws protecting women from violence, warning that if allowed to pass husbands could be prosecuted for beating their child brides or forcing themselves upon them.

“If you have intercourse with your wife against her will, she will be able to file a complaint against you,” he said. “That’s where things are headed.”

Followers of the Salafi trend believe in a literal reading of the Quran and hadith (traditions of Prophet Muhammad) and aspire to emulate the lifestyle of the Prophet and his companions. Their puritanical approach to Islam has put them at odds with secular Muslims and minority groups, who denounce their intolerant worldview.

For Salafis, the fundamental justification for child marriage is passages in the hadith that state Prophet Muhammad married his third wife when she was six years old, and consummated the marriage after her first menses at nine.

Sheikh Yasser Borhamy, spokesman for the Salafi Dawah, outlined his interpretation of the Quranic texts during an interview with TV presenter Wael El-Ebrashy. He argued that Egypt’s marriage laws contradict the provisions of Sharia (Islamic law), as girls should be married off once they reach puberty, or before “if she can”.

“If Islam allowed it during the Prophet’s time, it will be permissible until the End of Days,” Borhamy asserted. (Continue Reading.)

AFDI Ads Counter CAIR Deception

Maybe some day our country will no longer be governed by the biggest bunch of sniveling cowards the world has ever seen. On that day, Pamela Geller will be given a medal.

In an attempt to deceive ignorant Westerners, CAIR ran this ad in Washington Metro train stations:


The ad quotes Qur'an 7:199, which is from the middle-Meccan period (when Muhammad was still calling for peace because he was significantly outnumbered in Mecca). CAIR obviously wants people to believe that this is Islam's final word on how Muslims should behave. But CAIR knows what Islam teaches about the violent subjugation of non-Muslims, which is undoubtedly why so many representatives of CAIR have supported terrorism.

In an effort to educate Americans, Pamela Geller ran the following ad in the same train stations:


Read more about the ads over at Atlas Shrugs.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari Sentenced to Life in Prison for Texas Bomb Plot

Why send Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari to prison? Wouldn't it be easier to open a Qur'an, show him all the peaceful teachings, and then let him spend the rest of his life serving his fellow man? (Click here to see what the Qur'an really teaches.)

AMARILLO, Texas – A former Texas college student from Saudi Arabia was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday for trying to make a bomb for use in a religious attack, possibly targeting a former U.S. president.

Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari was sentenced in Amarillo, where jurors convicted him in June of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction. Prosecutors say he had collected bomb-making material in his apartment and researched possible targets, including the Dallas home of former President George W. Bush. A handwritten journal found in his apartment included notes that he believed it was time for "jihad," a Muslim term for holy war.

Although the 22-year-old Aldawsari apologized Tuesday for "these bad actions," Judge Donald E. Walter said the evidence against him was overwhelming. Walter acknowledged he was conflicted due to Aldawsari's youth and signs that outside influences had led him astray.

"But the bottom line is that but by the grace of God there would be dead Americans," Walter said. "You would have done it. In every step, it was you all alone."

Aldawsari stood silently in shackles as the sentence was read. The formerly clean-shaven, close-cropped man now had a full beard and long hair, and appeared to have lost a lot of weight.

There is no parole in the federal system for defendants convicted of recent crimes.

Aldawsari came to the U.S. legally in 2008 to study chemical engineering. He was arrested in Lubbock in February 2011, after federal agents secretly searched his apartment and found explosive chemicals, wiring, a hazmat suit and clocks, along with videos showing how to make the chemical explosive TNP.

Investigators say Aldawsari's goal was to carry out jihad. His attorneys claimed he was a harmless failure who never came close to attacking anyone.

FBI bomb experts have said the amounts of chemicals in the case would have yielded almost 15 pounds of explosive — about the same amount used per bomb in the 2005 London subway attacks. He also tried to order phenol, a chemical that can be used to make explosives.

Court records show that his emails and journal contained the explosive's recipe. Prosecutors said other targets he researched included nuclear power plants and the homes of three former soldiers who were stationed at Abu Ghraib prison. (Continue Reading.)

Monday, November 12, 2012

Palestinians Send Children to Provoke Israeli Soldiers

One of the most horrifying aspects of the Muslim concept of war is that children are entirely expendable. Thus, in Pakistan we see devout Muslims manipulating children into becoming suicide bombers. In territories closer to Israel, it is not uncommon for terrorists to launch rockets from areas crawling with children. The goal of the terrorists is for children to be killed in the Israeli counterattack (footage of which will be quite valuable when photos of dead children are splashed across newspapers as evidence of merciless Israeli aggression).

In the following video, we see a much subtler, but far more common tactic: Pushing children into Israeli soldiers. Photographers are circling like vultures, waiting for the soldiers to at least grab the children or push them away. Of course, if an Israeli soldier so much as touches one of the children, he'll be on Arab news that evening.

What kind of religion breeds such cowardice?

The Great Divorce: Allah and His Attributes


Since the Qur’an states many times over that Allah is above/established upon his throne,

Lo! Your Lord is Allah Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days, then MOUNTED He the Throne. He covereth the night with the day, which is in haste to follow it, and hath made the sun and the moon and the stars subservient by His command. His verily is all creation and commandment. Blessed be Allah, the Lord of the Worlds! S. 7:54, Pickthall – cf. S. 10:3, 13:2, 20:5, 25:59, 32:4, 57:4.

which is surrounded and supported or borne up by angels,

And thou wilt see the angels SURROUNDING the Throne (Divine) on ALL SIDES, singing Glory and Praise to their Lord. The Decision between them (at Judgment) will be in (perfect) justice, and the cry (on all sides) will be, “Praise be to God, the Lord of the Worlds!” S. 39:75

Those who SUSTAIN the Throne (of God) and THOSE AROUND IT Sing Glory and Praise to their Lord; believe in Him; and implore Forgiveness for those who believe: “Our Lord! Thy Reach is over all things, in Mercy and Knowledge. Forgive, then, those who turn in Repentance, and follow Thy Path; and preserve them from the Penalty of the Blazing Fire! S. 40:7

And the angels will be ON ITS SIDES, and eight will, that Day, BEAR the Throne of thy Lord ABOVE them. S. 69:17

and since the Qur’an also says that the throne is above the seven heavens,

Allah! There is no god but He,-the Living, the Self-subsisting, Eternal. No slumber can seize Him nor sleep. His are all things in the heavens and on earth. Who is there can intercede in His presence except as He permitteth? He knoweth what (appeareth to His creatures as) before or after or behind them. Nor shall they compass aught of His knowledge except as He willeth. His Throne doth EXTEND OVER the heavens and the earth, and He feeleth no fatigue in guarding and preserving them for He is the Most High, the Supreme (in glory). S. 2:255, Yusuf Ali – cf. S. 23:86.

and that it is to Allah who is mounted/established on the throne that various agents or things are said to rise or ascend,

Behold! Allah said: "O Jesus! I will take thee and RAISE THEE TO MYSELF and clear thee (of the falsehoods) of those who blaspheme; I will make those who follow thee superior to those who reject faith, to the Day of Resurrection: Then shall ye all return unto me, and I will judge between you of the matters wherein ye dispute. (S. 3:55, Yusuf Ali)

(A Penalty) from Allah, Lord of the Ways of Ascent. The angels and the spirit ASCEND UNTO HIM in a Day the measure whereof is (as) fifty thousand years: (S. 70:3-4, Yusuf Ali)

it is the view of many Muslims that Allah is not personally present everywhere at all times with his presumed creatures, for this idea is thought to be precluded by Allah’s transcendence as enunciated in the above verses.

While this interpretation of the above passages might seem to contradict or run aground on texts like the following:

He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in Six Days, and is moreover firmly established on the Throne (of Authority). He knows what enters within the earth and what comes forth out of it, what comes down from heaven and what mounts up to it. And He is WITH YOU WHERESOEVER YOU MAY BE. And Allah sees well all that ye do. S. 57:4, Yusuf Ali

It was We Who created man, and We know what dark suggestions his soul makes to him: for We are NEARER TO HIM than (his) jugular vein. S. 50:16, Yusuf Ali – cf. S. 2:249, 9:40, 20:46, 58:7

many Muslims see it differently. For them verses like the ones immediately above refer to Allah’s knowledge or hearing or seeing or power to help being present with man, and not to his personal presence (which is above the throne, the angels, the seven heavens, etc.). This view may be seen in the following translation of the above passages:

He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days and then Istawa (rose over) the Throne (in a manner that suits His Majesty). He knows what goes into the earth and what comes forth from it, what descends from the heaven and what ascends thereto. And He is with you (by His Knowledge) wheresoever you may be. And Allah is the All-Seer of what you do. (S. 57:4, Hilali-Khan)

And indeed We have created man, and We know what his ownself whispers to him. And We are nearer to him than his jugular vein (by Our Knowledge). (S. 50:16, Hilali-Khan)

But this explanation raises several questions that in turn point up several problems: How is an attribute of Allah, whether his knowledge, or hearing, or seeing, etc., said to be present with creation if Allah himself is not? Is there a separation between Allah and his attributes? If so, would not this bifurcation between the essence (dhat) and attributes (sifat) of Allah undercut the notion of Allah’s unity (tawhid) as Muslims perceive it? And if Allah’s essence can be thus separated from Allah’s attributes, doesn’t this entail that Allah in his essential being is a mere blank, an indefinable and therefore unknowable being? And if Allah’s attributes can dwell in creation among men, which already implies a kind of incarnation, what objection could Muslims have against something like an incarnation of Allah’s attributes in a human being?

In fact, just to run with the latter problem for a moment to illustrate the point, we know of at least one human being that the Islamic sources do teach was vested with Allah’s wayward attributes, namely Muhammad, Allah’s partner.

For example, while the Qur’an everywhere states that Allah is “full of  kindness” (raoofun) and “Most Merciful” (raheemun),

“… Allah is full of kindness (raoofun) to (His) devotees.” (Surah 2:207)
“… And Allah is full of kindness (raoofun) to those that serve Him.” (Surah 3:30)
“… For my Lord is indeed full of mercy (raheemun)…” (Surah 11:90)
“… For Allah is Oft-Returning, Most Merciful (raheemun).” (Surah 49:12)

it makes an exception among human beings when it says in what many authorities take to be the final verses of the Qur’an, i.e. the last verses to be revealed (and also the last ones to be included in the collection of the Qur’an), that Muhammad has these attributes as well:

Now hath come unto you a Messenger from amongst yourselves: it grieves him that ye should perish; ardently anxious is he over you: to the believers is he MOST KIND AND MERCIFUL (raoofun raheemun). S. 9:128

Hence the reason Islamic scholar Neal Robinson can speak of the objectification of Muhammad in the Qur’an reaching its peak in the second to last verse when it ascribes to Muhammad some of Allah’s own qualities:

… the objectification of Muhammad reaches its peak in Surah 9, which is indubitably one of the latest Madinan surahs. It repeatedly refers to ‘Allah and His Messenger’ (9.1, 3, 7, 16, 24, 29 etc.) and the penultimate ayah (9.128) describes the Messenger as ‘all-pitying all-merciful’, qualities which are elsewhere ascribed to Allah. (Discovering the Qur’an: A Contemporary Approach to a Veiled Text, 2nd edition, [Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press, 2003], p. 244)

Not only are these qualities of Allah also predicated of Muhammad, but nowhere else do we find these names or attributes, either individually or in tandem with each other, used of anyone other than Allah and Muhammad. The boast found in the following hadith, evidently based on the lofty claim that Muhammad is a co-sharer in the attributes of Allah mentioned in Surah 9:128, means little by way of showing Muhammad’s eminence if it does not indicate something that is supposed to be special about Muhammad over all other individuals:

Jubair b. Mut'im reported on the authority of his father that he heard Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: I have many names: I am Muhammad, I am Ahmad, I am al-Mahi through whom Allah obliterates unbelief, and I am Hashir (the gatherer) at whose feet people will be gathered, and I am 'Aqib (after whom there would be none), and Allah has named him as compassionate and merciful. (Sahih Muslim, Book 30, #5811) (emphasis mine)

In light of this, it is hardly surprising to find the following source that is much esteemed by Muslims admitting that Muhammad was singularly given and clothed with Allah’s own names and qualities, thus constituting him a fit and absolutely pure go-between or mediator between Allah and creatures who fall short of the perfection of the Islamic deity and what he requires, a fact that is believed to ground not only Muhammad’s ability to mediate between Allah and impure creatures but which also entails that he is to be praised and that the obedience and service given to Allah is also appropriately and necessarily to be given to Muhammad:

One of the men of knowledge, Al-Husayn ibn al-Fadl, said, “He honored him with two of His own names: THE COMPASSIONATE AND THE MERCIFUL (rauf, rahim).” The same point is made in another ayat: “Allah was kind to the believers when He sent among them a Messenger from among themselves.” (3:164) …
Jafar ibn Muhammad [as-Sadiq] said, “Allah knew that His creatures would not be capable of pure obedience to Him, so He told them this in order that they would realize that they would never be able to achieve absolute purity in serving Him. Between Himself and them He placed one of their own species, CLOTHING HIM IN HIS OWN ATTRIBUTES OF COMPASSION AND MERCY. He brought him out as a truthful ambassador to creation and made it such that when someone obeys him, they are obeying Allah, and when someone agrees with him, they are agreeing with Allah.” Allah says: “Whoever obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah.” (4:80)
As-Samarqandi explains that the words a mercy to all the worlds mean for both the jinn and mankind. It is also said that it means for all creation. He is a mercy to the believers by guiding them, a mercy to the hypocrites by granting them security from being killed, and a mercy to the unbelievers by deferring their punishment. Ibn Abbas said, “He is a mercy to the believers and also to the unbelievers since they are safe from what befell the other communities who cried lies.” It is related that the Prophet said to Jibril, “Has any of this mercy touched you?” He replied, “Yes, I used to have fear about what would happen to me, but now I feel safe because of the way Allah praised me when He said, ‘Possessing power, secure with the Lord of the Throne, obeyed, then trusty.’” (81:21) (Qadi Iyad Ibn Musa al-Yahsubi, Kitab Ash-shifa bi ta'rif huquq al-Mustafa (Healing by the recognition of the Rights of the Chosen One), translated by Aisha Abdarrahman Bewley [Madinah Press, Inverness, Scotland, U.K., third reprint 1991, paperback], pp. 4-6; capital, bold and underline emphasis mine)
And later the same source states:
Section 14. On Allah honouring the Prophet WITH SOME OF HIS OWN BEAUTIFUL NAMES and describing him with some of HIS OWN SUBLIME QUALITIES
… He has preferred our Prophet Muhammad [above other prophets - AR] since He has adorned him with a wealth of His names in His Mighty Book and on the tongues of His Prophets…
One of His names is the Praiseworthy (al-Hamid). This means the One who is praised because He praises Himself and His slaves praise him. It also means the One who praises Himself and praises acts of obedience. The Prophet is called Muhammad and Ahmad. Muhammad means praised, and that is how his name occurs in the Zabur of David. Ahmad means the greatest of those who give praise and the most sublime of those who are praised. Hassan ibn Thabit indicated this when he said:
It is taken for him from His own name in order to exalt him.
The One with the Throne is praised (Mahmud) and he is Muhammad.
Two of Allah’s names are the Compassionate, the Merciful (ar-Ra’uf, ar-Rahim). They are similar in meaning. He calls him by them in His Book when He says, “Compassionate, merciful to the believers.” (9.128) (Qadi Iyad Ibn Musa al-Yahsubi, Kitab Ash-shifa bi ta'rif huquq al-Mustafa (Healing by the recognition of the Rights of the Chosen One), translated by Aisha Abdarrahman Bewley [Madinah Press, Inverness, Scotland, U.K., third reprint 1991, paperback], pp. 126-127; capital and bold emphasis mine)

And so, these Muslims belie their own claims to be adherents of the religion of pure monotheism and at the same time reveal that they subscribe to a religion that turns a man into a god. They do this by separating Allah from his attributes, teaching that the former is transcendent while the latter can enter into creation, and when they say that Allah’s qualities or attributes were vested in one who is otherwise a mere man rather than inhering eternally and natively in a divine person who became flesh. That is, whereas Christians believe that Jesus always has been and always will be God and that He took into union with Himself a human nature, these Muslims believe that Muhammad was merely a man and that their deity conferred on him his own names and attributes thereby elevating his status to that of a man with divine qualities. And so the great contrast that results from this between Christianity and Islam as these Muslims conceive it is that Christians believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the God-man, who is one person with an eternal divine nature and a human nature that he took on Himself in time, whereas Muslims believe in Muhammad, a man-god, a creature who was infused or imbued with divine properties, qualities or attributes, in order thus to become a source of universal mercy, the fit recipient of praise and the absolute obedience that belongs to Allah.   

May the Lord forgive them for such blasphemy, and may He turn their hearts in repentance and faith to the Lord Jesus Christ.

For more on some of the things touched on in this post, see the following articles and video: