The Qur'an allows men to beat women into submission:
Qur'an 4:34--Men are in charge of women, because Allah hath made the one of them to excel the other, and because they spend of their property (for the support of women). So good women are the obedient, guarding in secret that which Allah hath guarded. As for those from whom ye fear rebellion, admonish them and banish them to beds apart, and scourge them. Then if they obey you, seek not a way against them. Lo! Allah is ever High, Exalted, Great.
It also declares that women are the sexual property of their husbands:
Qur'an 2:223--Your wives are as a tilth unto you; so approach your tilth when or how ye will; but do some good act for your souls beforehand; and fear God. And know that ye are to meet Him (in the Hereafter), and give (these) good tidings to those who believe.
So what happens when women ask for protection from domestic abuse or marital rape? Muslim clerics recognize that to protect women would be to condemn the Qur'an.
BEIRUT — Lebanon's highest Sunni Muslim authority on Friday rejected a bill aimed at protecting women against domestic violence and marital rape, saying it would lead to the demise "of the family as in the West."
"Islam is very aware of and concerned with... resolving problems of poor treatment... but this should not happen by cloning Western laws that encourage the breakdown of the family and do not suit our society," said the influential Dar al-Fatwa in a statement on its website.
Dar al-Fatwa also slammed as "heresy" a clause in the bill that criminalises marital rape, accusing those behind the draft law of "inventing new types of crimes."
"This will have a negative impact on Muslim children... who will see their mother threatening their father with prison, in defiance of patriarchal authority, which will in turn undermine the moral authority" of fathers, it said.
"We must continue to follow sharia (Islamic law) as concerns the Muslim family," it added.
The bill, drafted by feminist organisations, lawyers and forensic experts, was approved by Lebanon's cabinet in 2010 and is currently under study in parliament.
Should it be passed, the law would come under the penal code -- under which cases are referred to a criminal court -- rather than personal status laws, which are ruled on by religious authorities in multi-confessional Lebanon.
The bill criminalises marital rape and calls for police intervention should a woman notify authorities of abuse by her husband or another family member.
If found guilty, defendants would have to undergo rehabilitation or face prison should they fail to do so.
Domestic abuse and harassment continue to be taboo in Lebanon, considered the most liberal country in the largely conservative Arab world, with very few women filing complaints as police generally turn a blind eye and send the victims home. (Source)
Change takes time in the Muslim world, but it seems that more and more Muslims are calling for change.
GUARDIAN--As Ibrahim Baradiya recounts the events surrounding the last moments of his daughter's life at the bottom of a dark well, the agony of grief is drawn across the face of his wife, Fatima. She says almost nothing. Her eyes are half-closed. She shakes her head with small, rapid movements. A deep frown furrows her forehead. When the story is finished, she fetches her daughter's trinkets – beads, bangles, a hair clasp, a key ring, a purple pom-pom – and spreads them over the table and she weeps.
The story of Aya Baradiya's murder is like an incomplete jigsaw puzzle whose full picture may never be known; a dark and disturbing tale of death, lies, rumour, ruptured family relations, shame, despair and anger.
But the killing went far beyond a family affair. After the discovery of Aya's body more than a year after the 20-year-old university student went missing, her uncle confessed to Palestinian police, claiming it was an "honour" killing. Widespread protests against such crimes, led by students and women's organisations, erupted. In response, the Palestinian president last month scrapped historic laws that permitted leniency for the perpetrators of so-called "honour" killings. . . .
Under a 1960 Jordanian penal code, part of which still applies in the West Bank, which Jordan ruled between 1948 and 1967, perpetrators of such crimes are treated with leniency as they are deemed to have mitigating circumstances. The maximum sentence is six months, according to police. A clause in a 1936 British Mandate law, still in effect in Gaza, also allows for leniency in the punishment of "honour" killings.
Reliable statistics are hard to come by, but it is thought there are around 20 such crimes in the West Bank and Gaza each year. Women who have been raped or molested, or are victims of incest, are considered to have stained a family's reputation. Such acts of violation are rarely admitted by the victim's family. . . . (Read more.)
Have you ever noticed that some Muslims are so desperate to attack Christianity, they don't care if they contradict Islam in the process? Here is another response from Sam Shamoun to 1MoreMuslim.
It is time, once again, to turn the tables on 1MoreMuslim to show that he is both inconsistent and dishonest.
He wrote:
You should be busy correcting your theology, rather than teaching me about my language. And allah is not yahweh, Allah created human being knowing they will be wicked, so he felt no regrets, unlike Yahweh.
And:
unfortunately the only God who repents is the God of the bible, perhaps you can find other Greek Gods who do so.
What makes this assertion rather astonishing is that the Quran claims that Allah is a god who often and relents and changes his mind! Note the following verse carefully:
Then Adam received commandments from his Lord, and his Lord REPENTED towards him; for He is OFT-REPENTING (huwa al-tawwabu), Most Merciful. S. 2:37
Here is how the verse is translated in the various English versions:
Then Adam received from his Lord words (of revelation), and He RELENTED toward him. Lo! He is THE RELENTING, the Merciful. Pickthall
Then learnt Adam from his Lord words of inspiration, and his Lord TURNED towards him; for He is Oft-RETURNING, Most Merciful. Y. Ali
Then Adam received (some) words from his Lord, so He TURNED to him mercifully; surely He is Oft-RETURNING (to mercy), the Merciful. Shakir
Then Adam learnt from his Lord certain words of prayer. So HE TURNED toward him with mercy. Surely HE is Oft-RETURNING with compassion, and is Merciful. Sher Ali
Thereafter Adam received certain words from his Lord, and He TURNED towards him; truly He TURNS, and is All-compassionate. Arberry
And Adam caught certain words from his Lord, and He TURNED towards him, for He is the compassionate one easily TURNED. Palmer
And words of prayer learned Adam from his Lord: and God TURNED to him; for He loveth to TURN, the Merciful. Rodwell
And Adam learned words [of prayer] from his Lord, and God TURNED unto him, for he is easy to be reconciled and merciful. Sale
Notice that these versions render the Arabic words taba and tawwab as relented, relenting, turned, turns etc. Now my question to you is what does repentance mean if not a turning away from something towards something? What does repentance mean if not relenting from something? Moreover, what did Allah relent from? What did he turn from when he turned towards Adam in mercy and compassion?
Here are a few more cases where Allah is said to repent and change his mind or course of action:
Except those who repent (taboo) and make amends and openly declare: To them I repent (atoobu); for I am Oft-Repenting (wa ana al-tawwabu), Most Merciful. S. 2:160
Do they not know that Allah accepts repentance (al-tawbata) from his servants and takes the alms, and that Allah is the Oft-returning (huwa al-tawwabu), the Merciful? S. 9:104
And to the three who were left behind, until the earth became strait to them notwithstanding its spaciousness and their souls were also straightened to them; and they knew it for certain that there was no refuge from Allah but in Him; then He repented (taba) to them that they might repent (liyatooboo); surely Allah is the Oft-repenting (huwa al-tawwabu), the Merciful. S. 9:118
Let us see how the lexical sources define these words:
= Ta-Waw-Ba = TO RETURN; REPENT; TURN ONE’S SELF IN A REPENTANT MANNER (with ila or without it), TURN with mercy (with ala), ADAPT.
Now just in case 1MoreMuslim still wants to stubbornly deny that these words mean that Allah actually repents and changes his mind, here are some verses where the very same words are used in connection to Allah calling individuals to change or repent from their evils ways:
They will question thee concerning the monthly course. Say: 'It is hurt; so go apart from women during the monthly course, and do not approach them till they are clean. When they have cleansed themselves, then come unto them as God has commanded you.' Truly, God loves those who repent (al-tawwabeena), and He loves those who cleanse themselves. S. 2:222 Arberry
And when two of you commit indecency, punish them both; but if they repent (taba) and make amends, then suffer them to be; God turns, and is All-compassionate. S. 4:16 Arberry
And to Thamood their brother Salih; he said, 'O my people, serve God! You have no god other than He. It is He who produced you from the earth and has given you to live therein; so ask forgiveness of Him, then repent (tooboo) to Him; surely my Lord is nigh, and answers prayer. S. 11:61 Arberry
Save him who repenteth (taba) and believeth and doth righteous work; as for such, Allah will change their evil deeds to good deeds. Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful. And whosoever repenteth (taba) and doeth good, he verily repenteth (yatoobu) toward Allah with true repentance (mataban). S. 25:70-71 Pickthall
Believers, turn (tooboo) to God in sincere repentance (tawbatan); it may be that your Lord will acquit you of your evil deeds, and will admit you into gardens underneath which rivers flow. Upon the day when God will not degrade the Prophet and those who believe with him, their light running before them, and on their right hands; and they say, ‘Our Lord, perfect for us our light, and forgive us; surely Thou art powerful over everything.’ S. 66:8 Arberry
To further confirm that Allah literally changes his mind and repents, here is what the Quran says Allah did when the people whom Jonah preached to repented of their sins:
If only there had been a community (of all those that were destroyed of old) that believed and profited by its belief as did the folk of Jonah! When they believed WE DREW OFF FROM THEM THE TORMENT OF DISGRACE in the life of the world and gave them comfort for a while. S. 10:98 Pickthall
Let us see how the Muslim expositors interpreted this passage:
(If only there had been a community (of all those that were destroyed of old) that believed) if only the people of a township believed when the punishment befell them (and profited by its belief) He says: their faith did not benefit them upon the descent of punishment (as did the folk of Jonah) except the folk of Jonah who benefited from their belief. (When they believed We drew off) WE DIVERTED (from them the torment of disgrace) the severe punishment (in the life of the world and gave them comfort for a while) We left them without punishment until they died. (Tanwîr al-Miqbâs min Tafsîr Ibn ‘Abbâs, Q. 10:98; bold, capital and italic emphasis ours)
If only there had been one town - meaning its inhabitants - that believed, before chastisement befell it, and profited by its belief - except for the people of Jonah: when they believed, after seeing a portent of the chastisement, for they did not wait [to believe] until it came to pass, We removed from upon them the chastisement of degradation in the life of this world and We gave them comfort for a while, until the conclusion of their terms [of life]. (Tafsir al-Jalalayn, Q. 10:98; bold and italic emphasis ours)
And they believed, after they saw [with their own eyes] the chastisement WHICH THEY HAD BEEN PROMISED. So We gave them comfort, We kept them alive to enjoy their wealth, for a while, until their terms [of life] would be concluded [while they took comfort] therein. (Tafsir al-Jalalayn, Q. 37:148; bold, capital and italic emphasis ours)
… Then he mentioned the multitude of followers that Musa had, peace be upon him, then that he saw his nation of people filling from the west to the east. The point is that between Musa and Yunus, there was no nation, in its entirety, that believed except the people of Yunus, the people of Naynawa (Nineveh). And they only believed because they feared that the torment from which their Messenger warned them, might strike them. They actually witnessed its signs. So they cried to Allah and asked for help. They engaged in humility in invoking Him. They brought their children and cattle and asked Allah to lift the torment from which their Prophet had warned them. As a result, Allah sent His mercy AND REMOVED THE SCOURGE from them and gave them respite. Allah said…
In interpreting this Ayah, Qatadah said: "No town has denied the truth and then believed when they saw the scourge, and then their belief benefited them, with the exception of the people of Yunus. When they lost their Prophet and they thought that the scourge was close upon them, Allah sent through their hearts the desire to repent. So they wore woolen fabrics and they separated each animal from its offspring. They then cried out to Allah for forty nights. When Allah saw the truth in their hearts and that they were sincere in their repentance and regrets, He REMOVED the scourge from them." Qatadah said: "It was mentioned that the people of Yunus were in Naynawa, the land of Mosul." This was also reported from Ibn Mas`ud, Mujahid, Sa`id bin Jubayr and others from the Salaf. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Q. 10:98; bold and capital emphasis ours)
These commentators candidly admit that even though Allah had sworn to punish Nineveh, he nonetheless repented from destroying them when he saw their repentance!
The foregoing proves beyond any shadow of a doubt that when taba and tawwab are used in respect to the Islamic deity we are to interpret this as Allah literally changing his mind and course of action.
Now watch as 1More tries to pervert the plain and unambiguous meanings of these texts and Arabic words in order to force the Quran to agree with his theological presuppositions. Watch him do the very thing he condemns Christians for doing in trying to force these verses to fit in with his mistaken notion that his god is perfect and therefore never repents and changes his mind.
Lord willing, in my next post I will prove that Allah doesn’t simply allow people to do evil, as 1More erroneously asserted, but that he actually creates them to be evil and to act wickedly!
I just read the testimony of a young woman who left Islam and became a Christian last year. Her name is Malak. I'll post the beginning here. You can continue reading on her blog.
I didn’t grow up abused or neglected; my parents loved me more than they loved themselves. I was the result of seven years of failed attempts and desperation that led to in-vitro as a last resort. I was named Malak, Arabic for “angel”, because my dad thought I was a gift from God. My family is devoutly Muslim and proudly adheres the Shia’a School of Thought. Islam was a huge part of my life growing up and I spent almost as much time in Islamic School as I did my regular secular public schools. I started fasting during Ramadan when I was eight, and learned Salat (the five daily Islamic prayers) at age nine.
I came from your average family—my dad worked as a carpenter, my mom was the stay-at-home-and-raise-the-kids wife, and my siblings and I did a great job at being destructive little monsters (as every good child should be). Dad was the authority and disciplinary figure in our home, mom never had the heart to punish us when we did something wrong, she rarely even yelled at us.
For as long as I can remember dad was in and out of hospitals a lot, my siblings and I spent a lot of time at my uncle’s house because mom would stay overnight at the hospital with dad; we were often there for weeks at a time. I never really knew what was wrong with him because I was so young, but one day when I was in the fifth grade my mom told me that he had cancer. I laughed, I didn’t know what that meant and I didn’t know how else to react. I remember going to my friend’s house that day and telling her about it, the news didn’t really register with either of us, we just continued playing outside. Fast forward to sixth grade, late-November 2004, dad was back home for a few days. The night before he went back to the hospital I’d really irked him because I kept refusing to clean my room and he yelled, “I only have so little time left on this earth and you kids are shortening that time!” That was the last time he was home alive. I got to see him at the hospital for the last time on November 29th; he died December 1st of liver cancer that had spread to his lungs.
I wasn’t raised to trust in God or love Him; Islam was more of a guide on how to live a good and moral life. A bunch of rules with no real reason to follow them other than the get out of jail free card they might guarantee you. So when my dad died I didn’t know how to cope and neither did my mom; I remember walking in on her crying one night and in an attempt to comfort her, told her it was okay and that dad was in heaven now, happy and healthy. She got upset with me and insisted that my dad would rather be here with us on earth suffering than happy in heaven. Even as an eleven year old kid I thought that was strange, isn’t heaven supposed to be the greatest place ever? Back then heaven was just a place of worldly pleasures, a place where you got whatever you wanted and lived however you wanted; there was no sadness or death, just a place to be happy, healthy, and wealthy. God wasn’t the focus, the worldly stuff was, the idea of “being with God” was never really taught, He was God, what did He care about being in the presence of humans? Our goal was to be good so that He would let us into Paradise and we could finally be happy and content, with or without Him there. So when mom said that dad would rather be here with us then in heaven I realized that nothing could be more important, nothing could satisfy, other than family—not even heaven or God. Yes, when asked I would always say “God is first”, but only because that’s what you’re supposed to say.
My faith in God got shaky; I didn’t trust Him much. He’d taken my dad away which, according to my mom, was a huge mistake on His part. My dad was supposed to stay here and take care of us, what did God think He was doing when He took him away? Doesn’t He know that my dad would rather be here than in heaven? Shaky faith turned into anger and soon into unbelief. I never called myself an Atheist, it went against my conscious, but I refused to acknowledge Him and wanted nothing to do with such a malevolent deity. This didn’t last long though, once my Islamic School had started up again the fear of hell was beaten back into me with scary stories of eternal torment and Judgment Day; still no love, trust, or even respect for God, just fear for my own soul. (Continue reading . . .)
While CAIR complains about Islamophobia (in a country where Muslims are free to proclaim their faith from the rooftops), a Christian pastor is about to be executed by the Iranian government for leaving Islam and preaching to Muslims.
TEHRAN, Iran (Worthy News) — An Iranian pastor, convicted of apostasy and sentenced to death, may have only hours or days to live, according to a US-based Christian ministry acquainted with the facts of his case.
Jason DeMars, of Present Truth Ministries, told ANS: “We have been notified that the conviction of brother Youcef Nadarkhani for apostasy, as well as the sentence of death, has been upheld and confirmed by the Iranian Supreme Court.
“The way that this situation is typically handled is that at any time, and without advance notice, they will carry out the death sentence. First, they will ask him to recant, and if he does not, then he will be executed.”
DeMars says: “There is nothing more to be done to help his case from within Iran. The only thing that can affect his case now is international pressure.
“I ask that each of you earnestly pray and follow what God calls you to do. We know that we are called to be faithful unto death and that many are killed for their faith everyday around the world, but as Christians let’s do what we can for Youcef, pray for him and raise our voices against the Iranian regime.”
Youcef Nadarkhani is 33-years-old and from Rasht, in the Gilan province of Iran.
For the past ten years he has been a pastor in a network of house churches. He was previously imprisoned in December of 2006, the charges being apostasy (leaving Islam for Christianity) and evangelism (spreading the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ), but was released two weeks later.
Youcef is married and has two sons, ages 8 and 6. They were attending a local school when the government decided that all children should be taught about Islam, including those from Christian families.
Youcef went to the school and protested this based on the Iranian Constitution, which allows for freedom to practice religion. As a result, the secret police called him before the political tribunal in Rasht, Iran on October 12, 2009. At that time he was arrested, charged for protesting, and has been in prison in Lakan (which is seven miles south of Rasht) ever since. Later the charges were changed to apostasy and evangelism to Muslims.
DeMars told ANS that throughout this time he has had access to an attorney, and has been allowed visits from his wife, children, and friends.
“However, for the first month in prison and two weeks before his trial up until now the visits and meetings with his attorney have been limited. They have used various methods to try to convert him back to Islam, including giving him pills, apparently in an attempt to claim that he was insane.”
Because Youcef’s faith remained strong, Iranian authorities decided to arrest his wife in order to place more pressure on him. On June 18th, Fatemah Pasindedih was arrested and placed in prison in Lakan.
DeMars said: “During this time their boys went to live with a relative. Both Youcef and his wife Fatemah were threatened by authorities that their children would be taken away and given to a Muslim family.
“Youcef was not swayed to turn back to Islam, so his wife was put on trial without an attorney, and sentenced to life in prison. An attorney was later hired and the sentence appealed. The sentence and conviction were overturned and she was released.”
On September 21 and 22, 2010, Youcef was put on trial, and verbally given the sentence of death. A written verdict was delayed and then delivered, on November 13, 2010, by the 1st Court of the Revolutionary Tribunal. He is to be executed by hanging for the crime of apostasy. Twenty days are allowed to appeal the sentence with the Supreme Court of Iran.
DeMars said Youcef is now in the secret police security prison in Lakan. He has been held in solitary confinement. Recently he has been allowed visits from his attorney and wife once a week.
DeMars concluded: “Please contact your elected officials using the principle of the Importunate Woman of Luke 18:1-8 who had the judge listen to her because she continued to bother him. Please help us as we tirelessly fight against this conviction against our brother.
“It is critical that we continue to pray for Pastor Youcef and make our voices heard. Please reach out to your elected officials and to the international news media so that Youcef’s fate will come to light.”
For more on the Islamic penalty for apostasy, watch this video:
Sometimes a picture says much more than a thousand words. Here we see the infamous volunteer Roger Williams harassing yet another peaceful Christian at this year's Arab Festival in Dearborn, Michigan.
For those who don't remember Roger, he's the one who lied to police last year, claiming that we had surrounded him and that he asked us repeatedly to leave him alone, but we just wouldn't.
Roger even filed a false police report (which the city never charged him for), asserting that security actually had to rescue him from us! He then lied under oath in court (but wasn't charged), in a desperate attempt to get us convicted. (Note: Police testified at our trial that we weren't arrested based on Roger's complaint. They said that we were arrested for our supposedly riotous behavior when Nabeel was calmly answering the questions of Muslims who approached him.)
Based on Roger's actions, I didn't think there was much of a chance he'd be back for the 2011 Arab Festival.
Welcome to Dearborn, Michigan, where reality is never what you'd expect.
Three things are worthy of note in the above picture.
First, Roger isn't going after Terry Jones or Ruben Israel's group. He harasses quiet, peaceful Christians who attempt to discuss the Gospel with Muslims. The shocking thing is that Roger actually considers himself to be a Christian. He's from strange group that believes they can impress Muslims by attacking other Christians. Supposedly, after years of seeing people like Roger harass Christians (so the theory goes), Muslims will be attracted to Roger's unspoken Gospel message and will embrace Christianity. This absurd mentality is becoming increasingly popular in Dearborn, where the only Christians who are truly welcome are the ones willing to throw other Christians under the bus.
Second, despite the fact that Roger (a) threatened us, (b) lied to police, (c) filed a false police report, and (d) lied under oath in court, the Arab Chamber of Commerce had him back to continue harassing Christians this year. If Christians are really welcome at the festival, and if the Arab Chamber of Commerce really respects the Constitution, why would they invite a known liar and troublemaker to stalk Christians at the festival? I'm guessing this will come up in court.
Third, the woman in the photo is holding a copy of the court ruling declaring that Christians are free to distribute materials on the public sidewalks around the festival. Apparently, Roger and the other volunteers thought that some Christians might not be aware of the Thomas More Law Center's legal victory, and that these Christians could therefore be bullied and intimidated. Not so. Christians came armed with documentation and insisted on their Constitutional right to distribute pamphlets, DVDs, Bibles, etc. In a desperate attempt to shut these Christians down, the festival volunteers yet again lied to police and said they were harassing people. Fortunately, Wayne County Police didn't buy it. Kudos to Wayne County Police for showing more respect for the Constitution than Dearborn Police have shown, and to the Thomas More Law Center for spending hundreds of hours, pro bono, defending the rights of Christians in Dearborn.
Pay close attention to Rep. King calling out the media for their blatant misrepresentation. The media are reporting that someone in the community came forward with information about the plot, making it sound as if a peaceful Muslim, dedicated to his peaceful religion, decided to thwart the evil plans of two men who had hijacked his religion. In reality, an ex-con paid informant came forward with information about the plot because that's how he gets his paycheck.
I haven't posted much of my recent video footage from Dearborn yet, though I will certainly be posting some videos in the next few days. Nor have I posted some of the important videos filmed by others at the Arab Festival (but I'll be posting many of those as well).
However, I did want to draw attention to an especially refreshing video made by a Muslim woman after the festival. In the video, she calls on her fellow Muslims not to respond angrily or violently to the protected free speech of anti-Islam protestors. I say her comments are "refreshing" because so many Muslims and non-Muslims suffer from what we might call "Always Someone Else's Fault Syndrome" (ASEFS).
When security guards physically attacked us after Nabeel asked a question at a booth in 2009, Muslims generally (though not always) blamed us. Many non-Muslims blamed us as well. In 2010, when police arrested us for having a peaceful discussion, Muslims generally (though not always) blamed us. Many non-Muslims blamed us as well. When Dearborn Police and Mayor O'Reilly were exposed for outright deception, Muslims generally ignored it. Most non-Muslims ignored it as well. Several weeks ago, when Muslims (and some non-Muslims) stormed the police barrier for a shot at Terry Jones, many Muslims and non-Muslims blamed Jones. At the 2011 Arab Festival, when certain Muslims reacted violently to Ruben Israel's group, virtually everyone blamed Ruben Israel (and, believe it or not, they blamed us as well).
It seems, then, that Muslims are never responsible for their actions. If a Muslim throws a bottle, or a punch, it must be someone else's fault--namely, the person who offended the Muslim. Even many media representatives (just check out the blatantly biased work of Niraj Warikoo of the Detroit Free Press) suffer from ASEFS.
Those who have contracted ASEFS, however, are the real Islamophobes. They don't expect Muslims to follow the same rules as everyone else, because they don't believe Muslims are capable of responding rationally. Many critics of Islam, however, are so vocal in criticizing the actions of certain Muslims specifically because we hold Muslims to the same standards as everyone else. That is, we hold Muslims accountable because we believe they are responsible for their actions. Who are the racists here?
That's why it's good to see someone calling on Muslims to behave civilly, even when Islam is being criticized. Kudos to our Mulima friend Gina.
A few hours before Dearborn's Arab Festival began last week, Pastor Terry Jones was preparing to give a speech at City Hall. Police were there in full force to protect Pastor Jones. The police presence might easily give the impression that Dearborn respects the U.S. Constitution. But alas, appearances can be deceiving.
Dearborn Police were protecting Terry Jones for one simple reason: more than a dozen cameras, including many news cameras, were pointing at Terry Jones. Dearborn Police had no concern for protecting First Amendment rights. They were there to protect the reputation of Dearborn.
How do I know? Well, just as Pastor Jones was preparing for his speech, a few peaceful Christian evangelists were preparing to distribute DVDs, pamphlets, and copies of the Gospel to Muslims near the largest mosque in North America. Without a dozen cameras recording, Dearborn Police showed far less concern for the U.S. Constitution.
If you remember, this is the same police department that stopped Christians from peacefully distributing copies of the Gospel outside the Arab Festival last year. (The court later ruled that Dearborn Police had violated our Constitutional rights.)
It's also the same department that arrested four Christians for . . . um . . . er . . . attempting to cause a riot by answering questions.
Sam Shamoun tried posting all of this in parts, but some of them were too long and didn't go through. So here is Sam's response to 1MoreMuslim.
1MoreMuslim brought up the fact of the Christian God appearing as a man and likened that to gods appearing as stones, and therefore classifying our beliefs as idolatry.
However, if he is going to be consistent then he will have to condemn Muhammad for claiming that his god appeared as a man to him. Muslim scholar Dr. Wesley Williams mentions a narration deemed to be completely reliable or sahih by authorities such as al-Bukhari where Allah appears as a man:
According to a great number of reports deemed sound (sahih) by the hadith scholars, God came to Muhammad in a vision and Muhammad saw His form. One of the most popular of these narratives is reported on the authority of the Companion of the Prophet, Mu‘adh b. Jabal:
[Mu‘adh] narrates: One morning, the Messenger of God took a long time to come join us for the dawn prayer, until the moment where we were on the point of seeing the sun come up. The Prophet then came out hurriedly. They did the second call to prayer, and the Messenger of God did the prayer, but his prayer was short. When he had pronounced the final salutation, he shouted to us: “Remain in rows as you are!” Then he turned towards us and said: “I am going to tell you what made me lat this morning. I got up last night [to pray]. I did the ablution, I prayed what destiny wished that I pray; then while I was praying, sleepiness took me, and I fell asleep. And there, in front of me, was my Lord, under the most beautiful form (fi ahsani surati). He said [to me]: ‘Oh Muhammad!’–‘[Yes] Lord, here I am!’ He said [to me]: ‘Over what does the Exalted Council dispute?’–‘I do not know, Lord,’ I responded. He posed [to me] again two times the same question. Then I saw Him putting His palm between my shoulder blades, to the point that I felt the coolness of His fingertips (amamilihi) between my nipples, and from that moment everything became evident and known to me,” etc.75
75 Ibn Hanbal, Musnad1, 5:243; Al-Tirmidhi, Jami‘ al-Sahih, apud al-Mubarakpuri, Tuhfa, 9:106ff, #3288; Al-Suyuti, Tafsir al-Durr al-manthur, 7:203. (Williams, God in Islamic Tradition: Transcendent Anthropomorphism, 4.2. The Prophet’s Vision of God: http://www.truthofgodinstitute.com/documents/Truth_of_God_IV-encrypt.pdf)
Williams then lists all of Muhammad’s companions who passed on this tradition and the scholars who accepted it:
This report and its variants is narrated on the authority of 12 Companions: Mu‘adh b. Jabal, Jabir b. Samura,76 Abu Hurayra,77 Anas b. Malik,78 Abu Umama,79 Abu ‘Ubayda b. al-Jarrah,80 ‘Abd al-Rahman b. ‘A’is,81 Thawban, mawla rasuli llah,82 ‘Abd Allah b. ‘Umar,83 Abu Rafi’,84 ‘Abd al-rahman b. Sabit,85 and ‘Abd Allah b. ‘Abbas.86 Hadith scholars Ibn Hanbal, Al-Tirmidhi, Abi Ya‘la al-Mawsili (d. 919), ‘Abd Allah b. ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Darimi (d. 869), ‘Uthman al-Darimi (d. 895),87 Ibn Abi Asim (d. 900), al-Tabarani (d. 971), Al-Lalika’i (d. 1027), Nur al-Din al-Haythami (d. 1405), Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani (d. 1449), and al-Suyuti (d. 1505) all reported the hadith. Khaldun Ahdab declared, “THE HADITH IS SAHIH. It was reported by a group of Companions, among them: Mu‘adh b. Jabal, Ibn ‘Abbas, ‘Abd al-Rahman b. ‘A’is, Ibn Umar, Abu Hurayra, and Anas, may God be pleased with them.”88 Ibn Mandah, in his Al-Masdar al-Sabiq said also: “This hadith is reported from ten (sic) Companions of the Prophet; and the imams of the countries, from the people of the east to the west, relayed it from them.” Al-Tirmidhi judged it hasan sahih and said: “I asked Muhammad b. Isma‘il (al-Bukhari) about this hadith and he said: HADHA SAHIH (‘This is sound’).”90 Ibn Hanbal judged it sahih91 and Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah Hakim al-Nisaburi (933-1014) declared the isnad of Ibn ‘A’is sahih in his al-Mustadrak.92 Al-’Awzai93 and Mukhul94 transmitted the report. Ma ‘mar, ‘Abd al-Razzaq, Ayyub al-Sikhtiyani (d. 748), Mu‘awiyah b. Salih (d. 775),95 in short, the muhaddithun or hadith scholars generally accepted the hadith as sound.
Here are all the references mentioned by Williams that cite this hadith of Allah appearing as a man:
76 Al-Suyuti, Tafsir al-Durr al-manthur, 7:203, sura Sad.
77 Al-Lalika’i, Sharh usul 2:520; al-Suyuti, Tafsir al-Durr al-manthur, 7:203.
78 Al-Suyuti, Tafsir al-Durr al-manthur, 7:204.
79 Al-Suyuti, Tafsir al-Durr al-manthur, 7:204; Nur al-Din al-Haythami, Kitab majma‘ al-bahrayn fi zawa’id al-mu‘jamayn (Riyad: Maktabat al-Rushd, 1992), 370; Ibn Abi ‘Asim, Al-Sunna, 1:326, #475.
80 Khatib al-Baghdadi, Ta’rikh Baghdad, 14 vols. (Cairo, 1931), 8:151; Al-Suyuti, Tafsir al-Durr al-manthur, 7:205.
81 Ibn Hanbal, Musnad2, 27:171, #16621; ‘Abd Allah b. ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Darimi, Sunan al-Darimi, 2 vols. (Cairo: Dar al-Hadith, 2000), 1:660f; Al-Lalika’i, Sharh usul 2:514; Al-Bayhaqi, Al-Asma’ wa al-Sifat, 2:63; Ibn Abi ‘Asim, al-Ahad wa al-mathani (Riyad, 1991), 5:48; al-Haythami, Kitab majma‘, 366.
82 Ibn Abi ‘Asim, Al-Sunna, 1:328, #479; Al-Suyuti, Tafsir al-Durr al-manthur, 7:205; al-Haythami, Kitab majma‘, 367.
83 Al-Haythami, Kitab majma‘, 369, #11743.
84 Al-Tabarani, Al-Mu‘jam al-kabir (Baghdad: al-Dar al- ‘Arabiyah lil-Tiba‘ah, 1978) (hereafter Al-Mu‘jam1), 1:296, #938.
85 Ibn Abi Shaybah, al-Kitab al-musannaf fi al-ahadith wa-al-athar (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiya, 1989), 7:424.
86 Ibn Hanbal, Musnad1, 3:437, #3483; Al-Tirmidhi, Jami‘ al-Sahih, apud al-Mubarakpuri, Tuhfa, 9:101ff, #3286; Abu Ya‘la al-Mawsili, Musnad Abi Ya‘la al-Mawsili, ed. Husayn Salim Asad (Damascus: Dar al-Ma’mun lil-Turath), 4:475, #281.
87 Al-Darimi, Naqd, 2:733ff.
88 Khaldun Ahdab, Zawa’id Tarikh Baghdad ‘ala al-kutub al-sittah (Damascus: Dar al-Qalam, 1996), 6:253.
89 Apud Al-Darimi, Naqd, 2:734.
90 Al-Tirmidhi, Jami‘ al-Sahih, apud al-Mubarakpuri, Tuhfa, 9:106ff, #3288.
91 ‘Abd Allah b. ‘Abi, Al-Kamil fi du‘afa’ al-rijal, 7 vols. (Beirut: Dar al-Fikr, 1984) 6:2344.
92 See Al-Bayhaqi, Al-Asma’ wa al-Sifat, 2:74.
93 Al-Bayhaqi, Al-Asma’ wa al-Sifat, 2:73ff.
94 Al-Baghawi, Tafsir, 4:69; Ibn Abi ‘Asim, Al-Sunna, 1:326.
95 Ibn Abi ‘Asim, Al-Sunna, 1:328, #479; Al-Suyuti, Tafsir al-Durr al-manthur, 7:205. (Ibid.; bold and capital emphasis ours)
And since 1More referred to stones he needs to condemn his own prophet for committing blatant idolatry seeing that Muhammad would kiss and smother a black stone, something which the God of Abraham condemns:
It is Sunnah to perform certain acts in tawaf as given below:
Facing the Black Stone at the start of the tawaf while uttering a takbir (Allahu-Akbar), and a tahlil (La ilaha illahlah), and raising one's hands as they are raised in prayers, and if possible touching it with both hands and kissing it quietly, or placing one's cheek on it. Otherwise, one may touch it with one's hand and kiss the hand, or touch it with something, and then kiss it, or if even that is not possible, one may just point to it with a stick, etc. as is mentioned in some of the ahadith given below.
Ibn 'Umar said: “Allah's Messenger faced the Black Stone, touched it, AND THEN PLACED HIS LIPS ON IT and wept for a long time.” 'Umar also wept for a long time. The Prophet said: 'O 'Umar, this is the place where one should shed tears.” (Reported by Al-Hakim, who considers it a sound hadith with a sound chain of authorities)
It is reported by Ibn 'Abbas that 'Umar BENT DOWN TOWARDS THE BLACK STONE and said: "By Allah! I know that you are A MERE STONE, and if I had not seen my beloved Prophet kissing you and touching you I would have never done so." The Qur'an says: "You have indeed in the Messenger of Allah a beautiful pattern (of conduct)."' (Qur'an 33.32) This was reported by Ahmad and others in slightly different words.
Nafi' said, “I have seen Ibn 'Umar touching the Black Stone with his hand, and then kissing his hand and saying: 'Ever since I saw the Prophet doing this, I have never failed to do that.''' (Reported by Bukhari and Muslim)
Sowayd bin Ghaflah said: "I have seen 'Umar kissing the Black Stone and touching it." He further said: "I know that the Prophet was especially very particular about it.'' (Muslim)
Ibn 'Umar reported that Allah's Messenger used to come to Ka'bah, touch the Black Stone and then say: Bismillahi wallahu akbar (In the name of Allah, Allah is the Greatest.)" (Ahmad)
Muslim has reported on the authority of Abu Tufail that he said: "I have seen the Prophet making tawaf around the Ka'bah and touching it with a stick and then kissing the stick."
Bukhari, Muslim and Abu Daw'ud reported that 'Umar approached the Black Stone and kissed it. Then he said: "I know that you are A MERE STONE that can neither harm nor do any good. If I had not seen the Prophet kissing you, I would have never kissed you."
Al-Khatabi said: "This shows that abiding by the Sunnah of the Prophet is binding, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER OR NOT WE UNDERSTAND ITS REASON OR THE WISDOM BEHIND IT."
Such information devolves obligation on all those whom it reaches, even if they may not fully comprehend its significance. It is known, however, that kissing the Black Stone signifies respect for it, recognition of our obligation toward it, and using it as a means of seeking Allah's blessings. Indeed Allah has preferred some stones over others, as He preferred some countries and cities, days and nights, and months over others. The underlying spirit of all this is unquestioning submission to Allah.
In some ahadith which say that "the Black Stone is Allah's right hand on earth," we do find, however, a plausible rationale and justification for this statement. In other words whosoever touches the Black Stone he pledges allegiance to Allah, as it were, by giving his hand into the hand of Allah, just as some followers do pledge their fealty to their kings and masters, by kissing and shaking hands with them.
Al-Muhallib said: “The hadith of 'Umar refutes the assertions of those who say that ‘The Black Stone is Allah's right hand on earth wherewith He shakes the hands of His slaves.’” God forbid that we should ascribe any physical organs to Allah [sic]. The commandment to kiss the Black Stone is meant to test and to demonstrate palpably as to who obeys and submits. It may be compared with the command to Iblis to bow to Adam.
We have no definite evidence, however, to believe that any of the stones used in building the Ka'bah originally (by Ibrahim and Isma'il), is still in existence today excepting the Black Stone. (Fiqh-Us-Sunnah, Volume 5, Number 74b – ALIM CD-ROM Version)
Muhammad's worship of the black stone is simply a carryover of the paganism of his people who were steeped in stone worship:
Narrated Abu Raja Al-Utaridi:
We used to worship stones, and when we found a better stone than the first one, we would throw the first one and take the latter, but if we could not get a stone then we would collect some earth (i.e. soil) and then bring a sheep and milk that sheep over it, and perform the Tawaf around it. When the month of Rajab came, we used (to stop the military actions), calling this month the iron remover, for we used to remove and throw away the iron parts of every spear and arrow in the month of Rajab. Abu Raja' added: When the Prophet sent with (Allah's) Message, I was a boy working as a shepherd of my family camels. When we heard the news about the appearance of the Prophet, we ran to the fire, i.e. to Musailima al-Kadhdhab. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 59, Number 661: http://www.usc.edu/schools/college/crcc/engagement/resources/texts/muslim/hadith/bukhari/059.sbt.html#005.059.661)
Now if 1MoreMuslim has a problem with God becoming and appearing as a man, and likens that to golden calf worship, then surely he must condemn Muhammad for thinking that his lord appeared to him as a man. He must further condemn his prophet for smothering a black stone. Even Muhammad's own followers couldn't understand the logic behind kissing an inanimate stone that could neither hurt nor benefit anyone.
However, it gets worse for 1Moremuslim. Muhammad also believed that his god appeared in and as fire:
When Moses said to his people 'I observe a fire, and will bring you news of it, or I will bring you a flaming brand, that haply you shall warm yourselves.' So, when he came to it, he was called: 'Blessed is HE WHO IS IN THE FIRE, and he who is about it. Glory be to God, the Lord of all Being! Moses, behold, it is I, God, the All-mighty, the All-wise. S. 27:7-9
Since 1MoreMuslim's god appeared in and as fire the logical thing for him to do is to start worshiping fire. After all, his prophet did kiss and smooch a black stone which some Muslims took as representing Allah's right hand on earth. Therefore, why not worship fire seeing that it was able to actually contain Allah?
1More also brings up the dead of issue of the Holy Spirit not knowing the day or hour, which only exposes his ignorance, if not his outright distortion, of the Holy Bible. He thinks that the Holy Bible is like the Quran, an incoherent piece of babble.
In the first place, 1more erroneously assumes that the phrase "no one" in Matt. 24:36 and Mark 13:32 is inclusive, that it necessarily includes every single entity with the exception of God the Father. However, if he had simply taken the time to actually read the passage he would see that such is not the case at all.
The fact that Jesus goes on to mention that neither the angels nor the Son know clearly indicates that Christ wasn’t referring to every single entity but to a more restricted group. After all, if the phrase "no one knows" meant everyone then there was no need for Christ to mention the angels and himself since they would have naturally been included already. Thus, Christ’s statement regarding angels and the Son not knowing demonstrates that Jesus was referring to a specific class of individuals, namely human beings, when he said that no one knows. In other words, Jesus was saying that no human being knows the day he would come to bring judgment upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem for rejecting him, neither the angels, not even himself. This explains why the King James Version rendered the Greek in the following manner:
"But of that day and that hour knoweth NO MAN, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father." Mark 13:32
The Holy Bible clearly teaches that the Holy Spirit knows everything that God knows and fully comprehends the very mind of God!
"God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For what person knows a man's thoughts except the spirit of the man which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God EXCEPT THE SPIRIT OF GOD. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might understand the gifts bestowed on us by God." 1 Corinthians 2:10-12
The Holy Scriptures explicitly state that God’s thoughts, his ways, his knowledge are infinite and beyond comprehension:
"O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?’ ‘Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?’ For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory for ever. Amen." Romans 11:33-36
"O LORD, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it." Psalm 139:1-6 ESV
Therefore, in order for the Holy Spirit to know the depths of God he must be omniscient and therefore God!
Hopefully, this will put his desperate tirade against the Holy Spirit to rest. Perhaps now 1moremuslim will be able to focus on answering the objections of Anthony, instead of bringing up all these red herrings which is nothing more than his desperate attempt of avoiding the challenges to his false beliefs.
Now, instead of condemning Muhammad for idolatry, watch and see 1More go out of his way to defend the idolatrous actions of his prophet.
"Inconsistency, thy name is 1moremuslim, a.k.a. 1moreblackstonekisser!"
Donations and pledges over the past couple of weeks totally covered the printing and shipping of 30,000 pamphlets on the Deity of Christ, the reliability of the Gospel, and the truth about Muhammad. We had to get expedited printing on some of them, so costs were a little higher than expected, but we got them. (NOTE: I have PDF files of the pamphlets. If anyone would like to print your own copies for distribution, feel free to email me.) I'm putting up another ChipIn for anyone who wants to contribute to other outreach costs.
This year's Arabfest promises to be interesting. Pastor Terry Jones will be at Arabfest; he and his message are sure to attract a lot of attention. Let's pray God will be glorified, and that Acts 17 will be able to successfully minister through this weekend.
This announcement has been in the works for a couple months now. To give some background, while David and I were ministering together at NYU a few weeks ago, we came to a realization. On account of Dearborn's actions and injustices, much of what Acts 17 is now focused on is combatting the loss of free speech in our nation and the ignorance about Sharia's impact on the West.
David and I both agree that these are extremely important matters that need to be addressed, but we also agree that it doesn't require both of us focusing our efforts on this issue. Our ability to share the Gospel, the primary purpose for the creation of Acts 17, was waning amidst all the attention we were both giving to free speech and Sharia issues. For this reason, we have decided that we need to branch into a new ministry which will be removed from the political discussions while Acts 17 continues on its current trajectory. In this manner, between the two of us, we will be able to focus on our entire mission, not letting one aspect dominate.
Starting with Arabfest 2011 (that's tomorrow!) David will take over sole leadership of Acts 17. I have created a new ministry called Creed 2:6 Ministries. In accordance with the aims of the new ministry, I will not be at Arabfest this year.
I would like to reiterate that David and I both see this as the best strategic course of action for our ministry. There is no division between us, and Creed 2:6 is affiliated with Acts 17. I will continue to blog on AnsweringMuslims.com on occasion, and David and I will continue to minister together as opportunities arise.
Your support has been very important to us over these years, and I would appreciate your support of Creed 2:6 ministries as it gets off the ground. Please visit the website, Creed26.com, and follow our ministry via YouTube, Facebook, Blogger, and Twitter. I look forward to seeing some of you on these sites in the near future! Below are some videos to get you started :-)
Creed 2:6 Mission Statement
Islam 101 -- An Introduction
Investigating the Question "Is Jesus God?" -- An Introduction
