California Muslim Woman Shamci Rafani Calls for Execution of Women Who Commit Adultery

And yet whenever I say that we need to guard against the implementation of Sharia, I'm assured that Muslims in the West would never even think of establishing Sharia.

Unfaithful Wives Should Be Put to Death

Aren't we having fun?

Aren't we living in an advanced and civilized country?

If you noticed, the last few weeks, there has been nothing on television except the subject of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver.

Plus many, many more in the history of mankind, in recent years.

First, it was [Bill] Clinton, then it was Tiger Woods, now it is Arnold and Maria Shriver. As I heard, their daughter already had changed her last name to Shriver.

While media are busy ruining many people's lives, let's review some facts.

Coming from a different country and culture, and specially being a victim of betrayal and infidelity, I will allow myself to put my head where it does not belong.

In many countries, including mine, when a man makes such a mistake as Arnold did and fathers a child, the law makes him be the father and take the responsibility.

But the woman who had been aware of her wrongdoing, and yet had done it without any shame or fear, must be punished severely.

Yes, in many countries, the public will stone that woman to death.

Believe me, that might be the right answer to the behavior of these kind of loose women, who want to blame it all on men.

My main question is, how many more families have to be destroyed?

How many families have to lose their hap-piness and their dignity because of these loose women? And how long would it take for lawmakers to keep these loose women responsible for their own actions?

These women are doing it without any shame and embarrassment as long as the media and the society, in general, are accepting them with open arms, as if they had been victims.

I am not saying that these men had a right to do so, yet my con-cern is that women's liberalization had passed their boundaries by creating these kind of activities with the name of (equality of sexes), and by destroying many families' happiness, have not been able to gain any valuable thing.

To be equal with the opposite sex does not mean to sell yourself cheaply, announce it to the world and be proud of it.

Power could come from moral, dignity and real love (which means not to ruin other people's happiness) and then get away with it.

Sleeping around with any man who came along, especially with a married man, must not be something to be proud of and awarded for.

These women not only must not be awarded, but they must pay for destroying the happiness and the future of their victims, especially this woman who lived with the family and had become a member of that family.

These slut women do not know how to say no. To my judgment, these women who freely sleep with married men must be severely punished and put to death.

If the lawmakers do something about it, you will find less stories like Arnold's.

Shamci Rafani (Source)

Jerusalem: 4000 Years in Five Minutes

Andrew Klavan on the One-State Solution

British Muslims Declare: "We Will Never Integrate"

Muslim Woman Samira Abdalla Salim Arrested for Stabbing People at Library

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (WCCO) — Two people were stabbed in a seemingly random attack at a Twin Cities library.

After the incident Wednesday night at the Oxboro Library in Bloomington, 35-year-old Samira Abdalla Salim was arrested.

Salim was no stranger to the Oxboro Library. She had a reputation for handing out the Koran and talking religion outside the building.

“They had some issues with her harassing other patrons,” said Bloomington Police Commander Mark Stehlik.

But it’s what investigators say she did on Wednesday night that surprised everyone.

“I never thought she would do that. She was very nice,” said Anisa Ahmed, Salim’s neighbor.

Salim is accused of stabbing two people. The first victim was a woman who was walking into the library.

“The next thing she knew, she felt a sharp pain in the middle of her back and realized she had been stabbed,” said Stehlik.

The second was a security guard who heard the victim’s cry for help. He went to talk to Salim in the parking lot.

“Spoke to her briefly and then she actually stabbed him as well. Stabbed him in the abdomen,” said Stehlik.

Because Salim lived next door to the library, witnesses identified her right away and she was arrested in minutes.

“Nobody was worried about her committing a violent act,” said Stehlik.

Fourteen-year-old Ahmed lives next door to Salim and only knows a friendly lady whose kids were friends with her sisters.

“She’d greet us every morning … and she’d get to know us,” said Ahmed.

Now the question everyone wants answered is why a woman who was not seen as a threat suddenly became violent.

“It’s unusual. Somebody minding their own business, walking into library, it doesn’t happen too often where they become victim of assault like this,” said Stehlik.

The victims had minor injuries. Police say they weren’t stabbed with a knife but a sharp, pointy object. (Source)

Greek Asian Panda coming to remind us that this violence has nothing to do with Islam in three . . . two . . . one . . .

Not-So-Great Britain to Release up to Seventy Convicted Terrorists This Year

Of course, we can all rest assured that these Muslim terrorists have changed their ways after spending the past several years in their cells, studying peaceful Qur'anic teachings such as:

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.

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 48:29—Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those who are with him are severe against disbelievers, and merciful among themselves.

Undoubtedly, the soon-to-be-released terrorists all reinterpret these clear Qur'anic commands, based on Western values of peace and tolerance.

UP to 70 convicted terrorists due to be released this year will not be properly monitored, a probation chief warned yesterday.

The "high risk" extremists, some of them bomb makers, could be walking the streets after being freed on licence.

But Harry Fletcher, assistant general secretary of the National Association of Probation Officers, said cuts to services meant adequate checks could not be kept on them.

He added: "They have to be supervised by us and the police at a fairly intensive level.

"My fear is as cuts go deeper we're going to be unable to give them the close attention that we have hitherto. These men require maximum supervision and we're not going to be able to do it."

Among those set for release are Saajit Badat, jailed for 13 years in 2005 for plotting with shoe bomber Richard Reid. Also due to walk free is Moinul Abedin, jailed for 20 years in 2002 for making bomb detonators.

MPs said Government plans to water down control orders that allow dangerous individuals to be put under virtual house arrest will make the problem even worse.

Labour home affairs spokesman Gerry Sutcliffe said: "I think there is a danger that the security services are going to be overstretched.

"I would urge ministers to keep control orders in place until there is a better alternative."

Tory MP Patrick Mercer said: "The system needs a radical overhaul to protect the public." (Source)

Support Dearborn Outreach 2011

Some friends and I will be traveling to Dearborn, Michigan, for an outreach at the Arab International Festival. We're printing pamphlets on Christianity and Islam (including my recent posts "Who Corrupted the Gospel?" and "Who Was Muhammad?"), and we have a team of believers to distribute and explain them. However, costs are high, especially for printing (not to mention travel, etc.). We know someone who can print pamphlets at a cost of $299 for 5,000, or $499 for 10,000. Please contribute as much as possible to support our trip to the festival, as this is a phenomenal opportunity to reach Muslims with the Gospel. (In case anyone is wondering, no one on our end will be profiting financially from the trip. We'll be thrilled if we break even.)

Note: If anyone would like to cover an entire batch of tracts, either 5,000 or 10,000, let me know and I will put you in contact with the printer. You can pay directly via credit card, which means that PayPal and ChipIn won't get a percentage. If anyone covers 10,000 tracts, I will write an entirely new tract (that is, new material will go out to thousands of Muslims).

Waad Ramadan Alwan and Mohanad Shareef Hammadi Arrested on Federal Terrorism Charges in Kentucky

WASHINGTON—An Iraqi citizen who allegedly carried out numerous improvised explosive device (IED) attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq and another Iraqi national alleged to have participated in the insurgency in Iraq have been arrested and indicted on federal terrorism charges in the Western District of Kentucky.

The arrests in Bowling Green, Kentucky and the criminal complaints and indictment unsealed today were announced by Todd Hinnen, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security; David J. Hale, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky; Elizabeth A. Fries, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Louisville Division; and the members of the Louisville Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF).

Waad Ramadan Alwan, 30, and Mohanad Shareef Hammadi, 23, both former residents of Iraq who currently reside in Bowling Green, were charged in a 23-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Bowling Green on May 26, 2011. Alwan is charged with conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals abroad; conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction (explosives) against U.S. nationals abroad; distributing information on the manufacture and use of IEDs; attempting to provide material support to terrorists and to al Qaeda in Iraq; as well as conspiracy to transfer, possess, and export Stinger missiles. Hammadi is charged with attempting to provide material support to terrorists and to al Qaeda in Iraq, as well as conspiracy to transfer, possess, and export Stinger missiles.

Alwan and Hammadi were arrested on May 25, 2011, on criminal complaints and made their initial appearances today in federal court in Louisville, Ky. Each faces a potential sentence of life in prison if convicted of all the charges in the indictment. Both defendants were closely monitored by federal law enforcement authorities in the months leading up to their arrests. Neither is charged with plotting attacks within the United States.

“Over the course of roughly eight years, Waad Ramadan Alwan allegedly supported efforts to kill U.S. troops in Iraq, first by participating in the construction and placement of improvised explosive devices in Iraq and, more recently, by attempting to ship money and weapons from the United States to insurgents in Iraq. His co-defendant, Mohanad Shareef Hammadi, is accused of many of the same activities. With these arrests, which are the culmination of extraordinary investigative work by law enforcement and intelligence officials, the support provided by these individuals comes to an end and they will face justice,” said Todd Hinnen, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security. (Read more.)

Muslim Girl Katya Koren Stoned to Death in Ukraine for Being too Westernized

Katya Koren was stoned to death by Muslims, not in Afghanistan or Iran, but in Eastern Europe. And yet, when I tell people that Western civilization needs to be on guard against Sharia, I'm labeled an "Islamophobic, racist, bigot."

As this story circulates, we'll constantly be reminded that this girl's brutal murder, carried out in the name of Islam by Muslims because she rebelled against Islam, has absolutely nothing to do with Islam.

(Note: The most straightforward justification for executing Katya under Sharia would be on charges of apostasy. But the correct penalty would be beheading, not stoning. Apparently, the Muslims who killed her associated her activities with adultery.)

UKRAINE--A teenage Muslim girl was stoned to death under 'Sharia law' after taking part in a beauty contest in Ukraine.

Katya Koren, 19, was found dead in a village in the Crimea region near her home.

Friends said she liked wearing fashionable clothes and had come seventh in a beauty contest. Her battered body was buried in a forest and was found a week after she disappeared.

Police have opened a murder probe and are investigating claims that three Muslim youths killed her claiming her death was justified under Islam.

One of the three - named as 16-year-old Bihal Gaziev - is under arrest and told police she had 'violated the laws of Sharia'.

Gaziev said he had no regrets about her death because she had violated the laws of Islam. (Source)

Greek Asian Panda coming to defend Islam in five . . . four . . . three . . . two . . .

Jamal Badawi vs. Robert Morey: Is the Qur'an the Word of God?

Anti-Christian Bigotry in Dearborn

Who Was Muhammad?

The Qur’an demands complete submission, not only to Allah, but also to Muhammad:

Qur’an 33:36—It is not fitting for a Believer, man or woman, when a matter has been decided by Allah and His Apostle, to have any option about their decision: If anyone disobeys Allah and His Apostle, he is indeed on a clearly wrong Path.

The Qur’an even declares that Muhammad is the ultimate moral example, whom all Muslims should strive to imitate:

Qur’an 33:21—Ye have indeed in the Apostle of Allah a beautiful pattern (of conduct) for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Final Day, and who engages much in the praise of Allah.

But before we accept everything Muhammad says, adopting him as our supreme moral example, we have to ask ourselves, “Who was Muhammad?”

Over the centuries, and around the world, thousands of people have claimed to be prophets. The problem is that their messages, supposedly revealed by God, often contradict one another. Hence, unless we’re willing to grant that God has Multiple Personality Disorder, we can’t accept what someone says just because he claims to be a prophet. We need to examine such people to see whether we can trust their revelations.

When confronted with someone claiming to speak for God, there are three main possibilities we should consider. First, the person might be getting revelations from his own mind. This doesn’t necessarily mean that he is intentionally inventing things. He may sincerely believe that he is a prophet, and yet his teachings may have a purely human origin. Second, the person might be getting revelations from demonic sources. If demons exist and can influence people, a person who claims to be a prophet could be deceived by demons. Third, the revelation may actually come from God, in which case everyone should submit to it.

In this pamphlet, we will sift through the facts to see if we can determine the origin of Muhammad’s revelations. Did they come from Muhammad’s own mind? Did they come from demons? Did they come from God? Let’s consider the evidence.

I. ALL TOO HUMAN

In many ways, Islam seems like a religion that came from the mind of a caravan trader in seventh-century Arabia. Here we may reflect on various teachings and practices that were present during Muhammad’s time and which became a part of the fabric of Islam. Jewish monotheism had spread into many communities in Arabia, along with biblical and extra-biblical stories about Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David. Peculiar teachings about Jesus and Mary that certain quasi-Christian cults believed in (e.g. Jesus speaking at birth, Jesus giving life to clay birds, Mary giving birth under a palm tree, etc.) had taken firm root in Arabia. The Sabians, who are mentioned in the Qur’an, prayed at all five of the times Muslims pray during their daily prayers. Many of the polytheists of Arabia performed ablutions (ceremonial washings), prayed facing Mecca, took an annual pilgrimage to Mecca, circled the Ka’aba, and kissed a black stone that supposedly fell from heaven. All of these teachings and practices became a part of Islam, which means that Islam is exactly the sort of religion we would expect to arise in seventh century Mecca. So right from the beginning, we have good reasons to think that Islam had a merely human origin—the mind of a man deeply affected by the teachings and practices that surrounded him.

But we have other reasons to believe that the true origin of Islam was the mind of Muhammad. Take, for instance, Muhammad’s self-serving revelations. According to the Qur’an (4:3), Muslims can marry up to four women. But we know from history that Muhammad had far more than four wives. The early Muslim historian al-Tabari says that Muhammad consummated marriages with thirteen women.[1] We also know from references in Sahih al-Bukhari (Islam’s most trusted source on the life of Muhammad) that he had at least nine wives at one time.[2] So if the Qur’an says that men are allowed to have no more than four wives, why did Muhammad get more? As it turns out, Muhammad received another revelation (33:50) which gave him, and him only, special moral privileges—namely, the right to marry more women. Since human beings tend to feed their desires, this looks like a very human revelation.

But 33:50 wasn’t the only morally convenient revelation Muhammad received. The prophet of Islam had an adopted son named Zaid. One day, Muhammad went to visit him and was greeted by Zaid’s wife, Zaynab, who was very beautiful. Muhammad saw Zaynab practically naked, and Muslim sources report that his desire was aroused. When Zaynab found out that Muhammad was attracted to her, she began to despise her husband. Zayd divorced her, and Muhammad married the former wife of his adopted son. This sort of marriage wasn’t allowed at the time, but once again, Muhammad started receiving revelations to justify his behavior (see 33:5 and 33:37). This seems entirely human.

II. SPIRITUAL ISSUES

So we have good reasons to think that the origin of Muhammad’s message was his own seventh century Meccan mind. But we should also look to see if there might be something darker at work. Here we find plenty of evidence suggesting that forces beyond Muhammad were involved in his teachings.

Islam seems to be designed to keep people from believing in the true Gospel. The core of the Christian Gospel consists of three doctrines: (1) Jesus is the divine Son of God, who (2) died on the cross, and (3) rose from the dead. These are the key elements of the Gospel according to the New Testament. Yet we’re also told in the New Testament that false prophets would come, and that they would try to distort this message. Muhammad taught his followers to reject all three doctrines, and this is exactly what Christians would expect if Muhammad was led by something demonic. But is there any additional evidence that Muhammad was susceptible to the influence of evil spirits?

We know from Muslim records that when Muhammad began receiving revelations, his first impression was that he was demon-possessed. We also know that after his experience in the cave, he became suicidal and tried to hurl himself off a cliff. Muhammad’s wife Khadijah and her cousin Waraqah—people who weren’t with him in the cave and had no idea what he experienced—eventually persuaded him that he wasn’t possessed. Instead, he was a prophet of God. But this wasn’t Muhammad’s impression of what he encountered.

Even more startling is that, according to our earliest Muslim sources, Muhammad delivered a revelation from the devil. The story runs as follows. When Muhammad was preaching in Mecca, he didn’t win very many converts. But he wanted his countrymen to accept Islam, and he was hoping to receive a revelation that would help them. Then one day he got the revelation he was looking for. It said,

Have you not heard of al-Lat and al-Uzza
And Manat, the third, the other?
These are the exalted cranes
Whose intercession is to be hoped for.[3]

This revelation was originally part of Surah 53. It said that, in addition to Allah, there are three goddesses that Muslims can pray to: al-Lat, al-Uzza, and Manat. Muhammad delivered these verses to his followers, he bowed down in honor of them, and his followers bowed down with him. But a little later, Muhammad came back and said that these verses (which he had delivered as part of the Qur’an) weren’t really from God; they were from Satan. The only conclusion to draw from this is that Muhammad couldn’t tell the difference between a revelation from God and a revelation from Satan.

We also know from multiple sources that Muhammad was the victim of black magic that made him delusional and gave him false beliefs. According to Muslim accounts, one of the Jews stole Muhammad’s hairbrush and used it to cast a spell on him. The spell lasted about a year, and it affected Muhammad’s memory and gave him delusional thoughts.[4]

Could demonic powers have been at work in Muhammad’s teachings? Muhammad’s first impression of his revelations was that he was demon-possessed; early Muslim sources report that Muhammad delivered revelations from the devil; a person could give Muhammad delusional thoughts and false beliefs, simply by getting a hair from his hairbrush. Given such clear evidence of spiritual problems, it is extremely difficult to take Muhammad’s claims seriously.

III. A DIVINE ORIGIN?

So we have good evidence that some of Muhammad’s revelations had a purely human origin. At the same time, we’ve seen that something much darker was at work in the formation of Islam. The question before us now is whether we have any good reason to think that Islam is from God. Is there evidence strong enough to outweigh the difficulties we’ve seen? Let’s consider the two most common arguments for the prophethood of Muhammad.

First, Muslims argue that Muhammad’s miraculous scientific insights are proof that his message was from God. The obvious problem with this argument is that both the Qur’an and the Hadith are filled with scientific inaccuracies. In Sahih Al-Bukhari 547, Muhammad tells his followers that if a fly falls into their drink, they should dip the fly into the drink, because one of the fly’s wings has a disease, while the other wing has the cure for the disease. Clearly, flies don’t carry the cures for these diseases on their wings.

Muhammad told his followers that Adam was 90 feet tall, and that people have been shrinking since the time of Adam.[5] Yet it’s physically impossible for a human being to be anywhere near that tall, and we have no evidence that humans have been shrinking since the time of Adam.

The Qur’an tells us that the sun sets in a pool of murky water (18:86), and that stars are missiles that God uses to shoot demons when they try to sneak into Heaven (67:5). In Surah 27, ants talk to Solomon. In Surah 86, we learn that semen is produced between the ribs and the spine. According to several verses in the Qur’an (e.g. 96:1-2), humans come from a clot of blood. All of these claims are scientifically false.

Muslims, of course, are free to reinterpret these passages. But since these passages are much clearer than any supposedly scientifically accurate statements, it’s obvious that Muslim apologists can’t appeal to science as evidence for their faith. Second, the central argument of the Qur’an is found in Surah 2:23, which says, “[I]f you are in doubt as to that which We have revealed to Our servant, then produce a chapter like it and call on your witnesses besides Allah if you are truthful.” According to this verse, if a person can’t compose something similar to a chapter of the Qur’an, he must admit that the Qur’an is from God. To see how puzzling this claim is, consider one of the shorter chapters of the Qur’an:

Qur'an 108—Surely We have given you Kausar, Therefore pray to your Lord and make a sacrifice. Surely your enemy is the one who shall be without posterity.

Are we supposed to believe that this chapter is so wonderful that human beings are completely incapable of producing something like it? Such a claim would be absurd. Yet this was Muhammad’s challenge.

Notice also that if we take the Muslim challenge seriously, many things turn out to be inspired by God. I can’t compose symphonies like Mozart’s. Does this mean that Mozart’s symphonies are the inspired music of God? I can’t write plays like Hamlet or Romeo and Juliet. Does this mean that the works of Shakespeare are inspired Scripture? Muhammad’s criterion of truth amounts to “If my poetry is better than your poetry, then my poetry is from God,” and this simply makes no sense.

There are, of course, other arguments for Islam. Nevertheless, many Muslims believe that the two arguments we’ve considered provide their strongest evidence for the prophethood of Muhammad. Even a cursory examination of the evidence, however, shows that these arguments fail miserably.

IV. ASSESSMENT

We’ve seen that Islam looks like a mixture of Jewish teachings, heretical Christian teachings, and pagan practices, and that some of Muhammad’s revelations apparently had no purpose but to satisfy his desires. We therefore have good evidence that certain Qur’anic teachings had a purely human origin. We’ve also seen that Islam seems as if it was designed to keep people from the Gospel, that Muhammad’s first impression of his revelations was that he was demon-possessed, that he admittedly delivered a revelation from the devil, and that he was a victim of black magic. This gives us good reason to suppose that demonic forces were at work in Muhammad’s ministry. While Muslims claim that they have evidence for Islam, their two most common arguments (along with all other arguments for Islam) fail. Since we have no evidence that Muhammad received any of his revelations from God, we can only conclude that Muhammad was a false prophet, and that anyone who wants to follow the truth will have to look somewhere other than Islam.

V. NOTES

[1] According to Tabari, “the Messenger of God married fifteen women and consummated his marriage with thirteen. He combined eleven at a time and left behind nine” (The History of al-Tabari, Volume IX: The Last Years of the Prophet, Ismail K. Poonawala, tr. [Albany: State University of New York Press, 1990], pp. 126-7).
[2] “Anas bin Malik said, ‘The Prophet used to visit all his wives in a round, during the day and night and they were eleven in number.’ I asked Anas, ‘Had the Prophet the strength for it?’ Anas replied, ‘We used to say that the Prophet was given the strength of thirty (men).’ And Sa'id said on the authority of Qatada that Anas had told him about nine wives only (not eleven)” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Number 268).
[3] See Ibn Ishaq, Sirat Rasul Allah (Life of Muhammad), A. Guillaume, trans. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1955), pp. 165-6.
[4] Sahih al-Bukhari 5765.
[5] See Sahih al-Bukhari 3326 and Sahih Muslim 6809.

Free Speech Victory in Dearborn, Michigan!

Maybe I shouldn't say "in" Dearborn, since the city only sought to suppress free speech in this case. An outside court (the United States Court of Appeals) had to impose Constitutional law on the city.

Dearborn hosts an annual Arab Festival on Warren Avenue. During the festival, the street is reserved, but the adjacent sidewalks are not reserved and therefore remain public property. Hence, prior to 2009, many people would distribute pamphlets, DVDs, CDs, etc., on the public sidewalks. However, when Ronald Haddad took over as Chief of Police, he announced that no one would be allowed to distribute materials on the public sidewalks. Indeed, he insisted that no one would be allowed to distribute materials within five blocks of the festival. (He justified his decision by claiming that he needed to keep the area clear for pedestrian traffic.)

From a Constitutional perspective, this was quite disturbing, as the government was officially limiting free speech on public sidewalks. Moreover, those of us who attended the festival noticed that security only enforced the policy on Christians. Muslims remained free to distribute their materials.

Pastor George Saieg, an Arab Christian from the Sudan (who has observed the effects of Islamic law in his home country and therefore understands the importance of free speech better than many of us) decided to take the case to court. The freedom fighters at the Thomas More Law Center (praise God for them) took the case free of charge, and they won.

Lower courts had ruled in favor of Dearborn (i.e. that Dearborn police could stop people from exercising their freedom of speech on the public sidewalks adjacent to the festival). The appeals court reversed the decision on Constitutional grounds. Here are two excerpts:

On the free speech claim, we REVERSE the district court’s grant of summary judgment to the defendants and its denial of summary judgment to the plaintiffs. We thereby invalidate the leafleting restriction within both the inner and outer perimeters of the Festival.1 The restriction on the sidewalks that are directly adjacent to the Festival attractions does not serve a substantial government interest. The City keeps those same sidewalks open for public traffic and permits sidewalk vendors, whose activity is more obstructive to sidewalk traffic flow than pedestrian leafleting is. Moreover, the prohibition of pedestrian leafleting in the outer perimeter is not narrowly tailored to the goal of isolating inner areas from vehicular traffic. The City can be held liable because the Chief of Police, who instituted the leafleting restriction, created official municipal policy. . . .

The leafleting restriction is not a reasonable time, place, and manner restriction. In the inner perimeter, the restriction does not serve a substantial governmental interest. In the outer perimeter, the restriction is not narrowly tailored. The defendants therefore violated Saieg’s First Amendment right to freedom of speech. Absent an injunction, Saieg will continue to suffer irreparable injury for which there is no adequate remedy at law. As a result, on the free-speech claim, we REVERSE both the district court’s grant of summary judgment to the defendants and its denial of summary judgment to the plaintiffs.

Interestingly, the court even recognized that the penalty for leaving Islam is death. They state:

In 2009, Saieg had planned for 90 ACP members to continue the practice of leafleting while roaming the Festival. However, when Saieg shared these plans with a City police sergeant, Saieg learned that the new Chief of Police, Chief Haddad, would not permit anyone to distribute leaflets while walking around the Festival. Instead, the City provided the ACP with a booth, waiving the standard fee. The booth was poorly lit and located by carnival rides, which attracted mostly children. This problem was remedied in 2010, when the ACP’s booth was lit and located “in the central area.” Saieg v. City of Dearborn, 720 F. Supp. 2d 817, 834–35 (E.D. Mich. 2010) (describing then- upcoming plans for the 2010 festival). Saieg also faces a more basic problem with booth-based evangelism: “[t]he penalty of leaving Islam according to Islamic books is death,” which makes Muslims reluctant to approach a booth that is publicly “labeled as . . . Christian.” R. 48 (Ex. A: Saieg Dep. at 75). Saieg believes that evangelism is more effective when he can roam the Festival and speak to Muslims more discreetly. The ACP distributed 37,000 packets of religious materials in 2007 and 20,000 packets in 2008, but only 500 packets in 2009 due to the remote, fixed location. Numbers from 2010 are not in the record. (Click here to read the entire ruling.)

Hence, at the festival next month, police will no longer be permitted to interfere with Constitutionally protected free speech activities. Additionally, the city may now be held liable for damages to anyone whose rights were violated by police at the festivals. That has profound implications for our own case against the city, which is based, in part, on the following incident:



The ruling will also apply to many other people:



I wonder how long the city is going to put up with officials like Chief Haddad, Mayor John O'Reilly, Judge Mark Somers, Prosecuting Attorney William DeBiasi, and others, who apparently have no respect whatsoever for the Constitution, and are responsible for numerous lawsuits against Dearborn. Are the citizens of Dearborn going to continue letting their leaders destroy their city's reputation? Or will they eventually elect leaders who will champion the Constitution and fix the damage that's been done? Only time will tell.

For more on Dearborn, click here.

Now that we're allowed to distribute materials, please support our outreach this year:



***UPDATE*** Thomas More Law Center posted a press release:

The U. S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled today that Sudanese Christian Pastor George Saieg has a free speech right to distribute religious literature on public sidewalks and evangelize Muslims during the Annual Arab International Festival held each year in Dearborn, Michigan.

For five years Saieg, who specifically ministers to Muslims, had been discussing his Christian faith and passing out literature on Dearborn’s sidewalks during the Festival without encountering any problems. Nevertheless, in 2009 police officials informed him he had to remain in a booth, prohibiting him from distributing his literature on the nearby sidewalks and public streets.

Dearborn is one of the most densely populated Muslim communities in the United States. It has the largest Mosque in North America. In the past few years Dearborn has gained national attention for taking a pro-Muslim stance and for the arrest and intimidation of Christian evangelists for engaging in protected speech activity.

The Thomas More Law Center (TMLC), a national conservative Christian public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, filed the federal lawsuit on behalf of Pastor Saieg in 2009, naming the City of Dearborn and its police chief, Ronald Haddad, as defendants. The case was handled by TMLC Senior Trial Counsel Rob Muise.

In ruling for Saieg, the court recognized the problem Saieg had with booth-based evangelizing: “the penalty of leaving Islam according to Islamic books is death,” which makes Muslims reluctant to approach a booth that is publically “labeled as … Christian.”

Who Corrupted the Gospel?

Muslims often claim that the Gospel has been corrupted. The Qur’an, however, tells us that the Gospel is the Word of Allah, and that no one can corrupt Allah’s Word:

Qur’an 3:3—He has revealed to you the Book with truth, verifying that which is before it, and He revealed the Torah and the Gospel aforetime, a guidance for the people, and He sent the Qur’an.

Qur’an 6:115—The word of thy Lord doth find its fulfillment in truth and in justice: None can change His words: for He is the one who heareth and knoweth all.

Qur’an 18:27—And recite what has been revealed to you of the Book of your Lord, there is none who can alter His words; and you shall not find any refuge besides Him.

These verses lead to an obvious question. If the Gospel is the Word of God, and no one can corrupt God’s Word, who corrupted the Gospel? The answer may surprise you.

For nearly two thousand years, Christians have proclaimed Jesus’ death and resurrection. Islam rejects both of these doctrines and offers a different account of what happened at the cross and afterwards. However, the Muslim explanation comes at a terrible price: God is portrayed as a horrible deceiver, and Jesus as the most stupendous failure in the history of the prophets.

According to the Qur’an, Allah not only corrupted Jesus’ message, but also helped Christians spread false teachings. To understand why Islam demands such a view, let us consider seven facts.

FACT #1: The Qur’an states that Jesus was a messenger of Allah and a prophet of Islam. Indeed, Qur’an 19:23-33 tells us that Jesus began preaching Islamic theology shortly after he was born! Jesus continued to preach Islam throughout his life, until he was taken to heaven. According to Qur’an 42:13, Jesus’ message was no different from the message of the prophets before him.

FACT #2: The Qur’an states that Jesus won a number of followers, who were Muslims. Since Jesus spent his entire life proclaiming Islam, his preaching must have centered on the basic tenets of Islamic theology. The Qur’an tells us that Jesus was successful, and that some of his listeners converted to Islam (Qur’an 3:52, 5:111).

FACT #3: In the Qur’an, Allah promises Jesus that his followers would be superior to unbelievers until the Day of Resurrection. Notice that Allah doesn’t say to Jesus, “Sorry, but your disciples will be immediately overpowered by the Apostle Paul.” Instead, Allah promises victory for the Christians:

Qur’an 3:55—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.”

Since the Day of Resurrection hasn’t arrived yet, Christians must still be “superior to those who reject faith”!

FACT #4: If there were any first-century Jews who converted to Islam at the preaching of Jesus, they didn’t last very long. The claim that Jesus’ followers were Muslims leads us to ask: Why have we never heard of any Muslims existing in the first century? We have a great deal of historical information about Jesus’ disciples, but we have no evidence at all that any of them believed in Islam. Indeed, the evidence we have tells us that Jesus’ followers believed in his death and resurrection. Defenders of Islam will most likely respond that later Christians wiped out all records of Jesus’ “Muslim” followers (just as I could claim, based on sheer speculation, that Muhammad’s followers were all Christians, but that later Muslims wiped out all records of their Christian beliefs). However, even if we grant such an outlandish assumption, this still presents Muslims with an enormous problem: What happened to these first-century Muslims? Why was their Islamic faith replaced by belief in Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection from the dead?

FACT #5: According to Islam, Allah corrupted the Gospel through illusion, deceiving people into believing that Jesus died on the cross. History shows that Jesus’ early followers became convinced of his death and resurrection. Hence, the obvious reason that there were no Muslims after Jesus ascended into heaven is that Jesus’ followers came to believe that he died on the cross and rose from the dead. Where, according to Islam, did they get this idea? The Qur’an tells us that belief in Jesus’ death was caused by Allah!

Qur’an 4:157-158—That they said (in boast), “We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah”—But they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not—Nay, Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise.

Based on this passage (and on narrations going back to Muhammad’s companions), Muslims believe that Allah took Jesus to heaven, and then disguised someone else (Judas, according to the most popular interpretation) to make him look like Jesus. This other person was later crucified, but Allah made everyone think that it was Jesus.

Thus, even though Muslims often maintain that the Apostle Paul altered the Gospel, the Qur’an tells us that Jesus’ message was corrupted, at least in part, by Allah himself, who either intentionally or unintentionally originated belief in Jesus’ crucifixion. But Allah didn’t stop there. Instead of correcting the errors he invented, he took Christianity to the next level.

FACT #6: The Qur’an states that Allah helped spread Christianity. Once Allah had deceived countless people (thereby corrupting Jesus’ message), he worked diligently to aid the Christians in spreading their “false” Gospel:

Qur’an 61:14—O you who believe! be helpers (in the cause) of Allah, as [Jesus] son of Marium said to (his) disciples: Who are my helpers in the cause of Allah? The disciples said: We are helpers (in the cause) of Allah. So a party of the children of Israel believed and another party disbelieved; then We aided those who believed against their enemy, and they became uppermost.

This verse tells us that Allah helped the followers of Jesus against the Jews who rejected Jesus, and that these followers eventually, with the help of Allah, “became uppermost.” So who were these followers of Jesus who became stronger than the Jews? Muslims can’t claim here that Allah helped the “Muslim” followers of Jesus, because even if we assume that such a group existed, they obviously never gained an upper hand over anyone. Indeed, since we have no record of their existence, they must have gone astray immediately. The only Christians who ever “became uppermost” over the Jews were the Christians of the Roman Empire. But these Christians believed in Jesus’ death, resurrection, and divinity, all of which are false doctrines, according to Islam. Hence, if we believe the Qur’an, we can only conclude that Allah helped spread a corrupt version of Christianity!

FACT #7: The Qur’an affirms the Christian Scriptures. When Muslims say that the Bible has been corrupted, they contradict the Qur’an. As we have seen, the Qur’an declares that no one can corrupt God’s Word. Muslims will likely reply that this only refers to the Qur’an (as if Allah somehow acquired the ability to protect his Word after the earlier texts had been altered), but this doesn’t account for numerous clear Qur’anic passages affirming that the Christian Scriptures were available during the time of Muhammad:

Qur’an 5:47—Let the people of the Gospel judge by what Allah hath revealed therein. If any do fail to judge by (the light of) what Allah hath revealed, they are (no better than) those who rebel.

Qur’an 5:68—Say: “O People of the Book! Ye have no ground to stand upon unless ye stand fast by the Law, the Gospel, and all the revelation that has come to you from your Lord.”

Qur’an 7:157—Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered Prophet, whom they find mentioned in their own (Scriptures)—in the Law and the Gospel— . . . it is they who will prosper.

Amazingly, Muslims tell us not to trust the very Scriptures the Qur’an commands Christians to obey!

QUESTIONS

The seven facts we have examined leave a number of questions unanswered.

• Why would Allah lead Jesus’ followers astray and destroy everything Jesus had worked so hard to accomplish?

• Why did Allah tell Jesus that his followers would be superior to unbelievers until the Day of Resurrection? Didn’t Allah know that he was about to corrupt Christianity?

• If the Gospel was given to man as “guidance,” why didn’t Allah preserve his message (rather than start a heresy)?

• If the Gospel was corrupted in the early centuries of Christianity, why did Allah say that Christians still possessed it during Muhammad’s time?

• If Allah is powerless to stop people from corrupting his message, can we even trust the Qur’an?

• Once the Christian heresy had started, why did Allah help the Christians rise to power?

• If Allah deceives people who follow his prophets, how do Muslims know that he isn’t deceiving them?

Since Allah deceived people about Jesus, and since he couldn’t protect the rest of Jesus’ message, what did Jesus ultimately accomplish?

ASSESSMENT

Muslims boast about their reverence for God and their respect for his prophets. Yet, upon closer examination, we see that Islam accuses God of one of the most heinous religious deceptions ever. Allah leads people astray for no reason, starts false religions, overthrows the work of his prophets, and is powerless to preserve his message.

The Muslim position also suggests that Jesus was the greatest failure in the history of the prophets. Jesus spent his entire life preaching, yet he couldn’t win a single lasting convert, and his “Muslim” followers fell apart so rapidly that they vanished from history.

The true Jesus warned his followers that false prophets would come. He also commanded us not to believe them (Matthew 7:15-20). One of the ways we can spot false prophets is by carefully discerning when their teachings lead to unacceptable beliefs about God. God is Truth, and he is Love. Islam, when carefully examined, would have us believe otherwise.

If we compare Muhammad’s teachings with those of the New Testament, we see a stark contrast. According to the Bible, Jesus voluntarily entered our world to be the perfect sacrifice for sins (Isaiah 53, Mark 10:45, John 10:17-18). The Father was victorious from beginning to end. Jesus was entirely successful in his work. The disciples he chose preached his message fearlessly even in the face of torture and death. Hence, while Islam insults and degrades God and Jesus, Christianity glorifies the Father and the Son.

Who corrupted the Gospel? The facts we have examined leave us with only two options. Either (1) Allah corrupted the Gospel, by producing a false belief in Jesus’ crucifixion, or (2) Muhammad corrupted the Gospel, by changing the message from one of victory and sacrificial love to an absurd tale of a deceptive God and an incompetent Messiah. Since it is impious and immoral to accuse God of pointless deception, we must conclude that Muhammad was a false prophet.

Muslims Discuss the Legacy of Saddam Hussein

Notice that Sam and I never do this on "Jesus or Muhammad."

Dr. S.M. Lockridge: "That's My King"

Tampa Police Covering Up Honor Killing of Fatima Abdallah?

So . . . a Muslim woman who dishonored her family is found dead after her head was smashed into a coffee table. Conclusion? She must have thrown herself into the table. To conclude otherwise would be both racist and Islamophobic. Message to Muslim women? The U.S. government is too politically correct to protect you.

Muslim woman's death questioned by conservative activist: MyFoxTAMPABAY.com

Dearborn Arrests: Unedited Video Footage

Several people have requested unedited video footage of our arrests in Dearborn, to see whether the claims of police and Mayor O'Reilly (e.g., that we we inciting a riot, that we were screaming at people, etc.) are true. The idea seems to be that, even though we obviously weren't committing any crimes in the videos we posted, perhaps we were causing a riot in between scenes. In case there are any doubters, here's unedited footage of our final twenty minutes at the festival. As you can see, nothing important happens apart from what we originally posted. (The footage begins several minutes after the "Roger Williams Incident," which you can view here. Police testified at our trial that we were arrested based on our behavior when they approached us, not based on Williams' complaint. You can see our behavior in the following video.)



How does this video footage line up with Dearborn's story?

Here's Mayor John O'Reilly's version of events:

On Friday, June 18, they behaved very differently than what you saw on film from Saturday, June 19. They were not handing out flyers but were aggressively engaging passers-by in confrontational debate when they were arrested and cited for Breach of the Peace and Failure to Obey the Lawful Order of a Police Officer.

. . .

At the time he was arrested on Friday, June 18, Mr. Wood had gathered a large crowd around him, blocking a key access point between the tents. The crowd was forced to grow bigger solely because people could not pass. Those who created this public danger did so with the knowledge that they were violating the laws because they wanted to be arrested while their cohorts were actively recording the event for posting on the web. They knew that they could inflame the passions of viewers who would be taken in by their misrepresentation of what was really going on. They have even found media that would put them on air to repeat these inaccurate representations without seeking information or the truth from others. (You can read Mayor O'Reilly's letter in its entirety here. Notice that, despite obvious and blatant falsehoods, the Mayor's letter continues to be put forward as fact by the City of Dearborn.)

The City of Dearborn posted its own version of events. Here's the relevant portion:

The police command center received a complaint, from a Christian volunteer working the festival, regarding members of Acts 17 Apologetics harassing and intimidating patrons of the festival and that a large crowd was gathering. Officers responded to the area where, in fact, a large agitated crowd had gathered due to the actions of the individuals of Acts 17 Apologetics.

Public safety became an issue for both members of Acts 17 Apologetics and the gathering crowd. The four (4) members of Acts 17 Apologetics chose to escalate their behavior, which appeared well-orchestrated and deliberate, and chose not to follow the directions being given to them by the responding officers. The behavior of these individuals drew and incited a large crowd to a point where they were in violation of City of Dearborn Misdemeanor Ordinances of Breach of Peace and Failure to Obey the Lawful Order of a Police Officer. They were arrested. Upon their arrest, the crowd dispersed without further action being needed. (The rest of the City's response can be read here. Notice again that the City of Dearborn continues to portray their blatant falsehoods as fact.)

Here's an excerpt from the police report (by Sergeant Jeffrey Mrowka):

As a result of Qureshi screaming into the crowd while uniformed officers were present and the fact that the crowd had increased in numbers and agitation, all three were handcuffed and escorted to the police command post in an attempt to gain control of the situation and avoid a possible riotous crowd.

. . .

Negeen Mayel, Nabeel Qureshi, David Wood and Paul Rezkalla’s actions caused a crowd to gather and become agitated. The weather conditions, hot and humid temperatures, fueled an already agitated crowd. This was evident by the crowd’s yelling profanities and repeated calls to security on the behavior of Mayel, Qureshi, Wood and Rezkalla. When uniformed officers were present Qureshi was yelling into the crowd further inciting the crowd.

Of course, people keep telling me that everything is fine in Dearborn, and that the city is thoroughly dedicated to upholding the U.S. Constitution. The facts say otherwise.

For a complete summary of the events in Dearborn, click here.

Netanyahu, Peace, and Middle Eastern Reality