Category Archives: Muslim and Non-Muslim Dialogue

Pamela Geller + Robert Spencer Banned from UK

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بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ ,

Exciting news from London today, when it was announced that the two Islamophobic speakers were prohibited from entering the UK, thus barring their appearance at a provocative EDL sanctioned rally at the site of the Woolwich incident. According to a government spokesperson, their presence in the UK was, “not conducive to the public good“.  The BBC (UK) News had this to report:

“Keith Vaz, chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, who had called for the bloggers to be banned from the UK, said: “I welcome the home secretary’s ban on Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer from entering the country. This is the right decision. The UK should never become a stage for inflammatory speakers who promote hate.”

“Anti-fascism campaigners Hope Not Hate had campaigned for the pair to not be allowed into the UK. A researcher with the organisation, Matthew Collins, sa;id it was “delighted” with the decision. “These two are among some of the most extreme anti-Muslim activists in the world. They’ve nothing to contribute to life in this country. “They’re not here to contribute to good community relations. They only wanted to come here and help the EDL stir up more trouble. Britain doesn’t need more hate even just for a few days.”

The exclusion decision from the Home Office cited remarks by both Geller and Spencer which demonstrated their views which may, “foster hatred” and possibly cause “inter-community violence” in the UK.

wa Allaahu ‘Alam.

Quick Tip for Talking with Missionaries

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بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ ,

Despite having been in this arena for a few years, I’m always finding new ways to interact with anti-Islamic polemicists. While attending a conference yesterday, I came across some invaluable advice in a book I’ve enjoyed reading for sometime (“How to Read a Book”, by Mortimer J. Adler). Many Ulama have recommended this book and I’m quite happy they did, it’s been very informative and extremely enlightening, it’s worth significantly more than you’d ever pay for it.

When we dialogue with missionaries, or conservative groups (EDL, BNP etc), sometimes even atheists, we find them claiming things of Islam that we don’t necessarily believe. Case in point, “Muslims worship a moon God“. As a Muslim, I’ve never been told to worship the moon, nor has Allaah ever been described as the moon, nor was the moon taught to me as being a deity. In fact, the Qur’aan directly speaks against anyone worshipping the sun or the moon:

“And the night, and the day, and the sun, and the moon are among His signs; do not prostrate for the sun or the moon, but prostrate for Allah Who has created them, if you are His bondmen.” – Qur’aan 41:37.

So, what should we do when we’re faced with someone who is claiming that Muslims believe X, when in reality we believe in….not X (let X be any arbitrary argument about Islamic belief – moon God, Injil is Bible etc)? It’s simple, you as the Muslim must declare: This is now what Islam teaches and as a Muslim, this is not what I believe. From this, we can take Mortimer’s advice, he says:

You yourself may remember an occasion where someone said to a speaker, in one breath or at most two, “I don’t know what you mean, but I think you’re wrong.” There is actually no point in answering critics of this sort. The only polite thing to do is to ask them to state your position for you, the position they claim to be challenging. If they cannot do it satisfactorily, if they cannot repeat what you have said in their own words, you know that they do not understand, and you are entirely justified in ignoring their criticisms. They are irrelevant, as all criticism must be that is not based on understanding. – How to Read a Book, Mortimer J. Adler, Page 97.

In sum:

  1. Opponent makes claim.
  2. If this is not what we as Muslims believe, declare this to your opponent, clarify what we actually do believe.
  3. He will say you’re wrong (he will deny your declaration).
  4. Ask him to explain to you what you said you believed.
  5. If he can’t or refuses to, then his criticism is unfounded, as what he is attacking, has no basis in our deen.

It’s simple, but pure genius. How can you expect to carry on an intelligent and worthwhile discussion with someone who claims to understand your beliefs, but cannot accurately express them to you? Such a person is pretending to have knowledge that they do not have and you should inform them of their lack of knowledge and decorum.

wa Allaahu ‘Alam.

 

Chat with a JW

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بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ ,

A Jehovah’s Witness, well two actually were at my door a few minutes ago. An older gentleman named David and a younger female – who looked eerily familiar, but at the time I couldn’t put my finger on who she was. Our discussion was brief, perhaps less than 20 minutes and the gentleman was very cordial throughout, the girl with him (young woman I should say) was very quiet and listened attentively.

We spoke about the Biblical canon and its transformation into scripture, I mostly spoke as he asked questions – not in response to me, but because he didn’t know these things or had ‘forgotten’ them. Every scripture I spoke about, I made mention to cite them, every point I made, I ensured it was based on some Biblical principle. Both the JW’s and myself seemed to enjoy the conversation.

It was about 10 minutes into the conversation that the girl with the man, was my neighbour! I hadn’t seen her in a while, so this was an interesting turn of events. The conversation continued, he attempted to talk to me about the name of God, but I pulled out the ‘we lost the name of God argument’ from 2 Cor. 12 and that seemed to be the final blow. He took my name and number and as a result we’ve got a date @ 5PM on Wednesday!

I’m looking forward to it….

wa Allaahu ‘Alam.

Immanuel: Prophecy of a Divine Jesus the Christ?

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Isaiah 7:13-16 is one of Christian Trinitarian’s most favoured verses, they use it as an evidence of a Prophecy of Jesus’ coming and that the child named (Immanuel) in the verse is “Divine.” Is the name “Immanuel” really a Prophecy of Jesus and is the child Divine? We shall find out as read along, God willing.

Here is the verse:

Isaiah 7:13-16 (NIV) 13 Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. 15 He will be eating curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, 16 for before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.

From the above verse we can see:

  • Isaiah is frustrated and says he will give a “SIGN” to Ahaz.
  • We see the child will be born from a “Virgin” (Trinitarian translation).
  • The child that is to be born will be named “Immanuel.”
  • The child will learn to reject evil…. “boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right.”

I will deal with  Isaiah 7:13-16 in four sections as I have written above.

Read more

Umar Lee Apostates from Christianity

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بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ ,

Umar Lee caused quite a stir when he became Christian not too long ago. His video was posted by David Wood and Robert Spencer, even Pamela Geller! Today he’s posted a new video – he’s apostated from Christianity and is now Muslim! Here’s the video, but most of us are still left wondering if David, Spencer or Pamela will post his new video too, or will they even comment on it?

wa Allaahu ‘Alam.

Bible Burning Egyptian Preacher Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison

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بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ ,

Ahmed Abdullah, or ‘Abu Islam’ who burned Bibles during the ‘Innocence of Muslims’ protests, has been sentenced to 11 years in prison and his son, has been sentenced to 8 years in prison on charges of insulting religion and burning the Bible. Ahram (Arab) News reports:

An Egyptian misdemeanors court has issued an 11 year prison sentence to Islamist preacher Ahmed Abdullah (AKA Abu Islam) on charges of insulting religion and burning the Bible. Abu Islam, who is the head of two Islamic satellite TV channels – the Umma and Mariya – has also been fined LE3000, but the verdict will be suspended pending appeal.

The court also sentenced Islam, Abu-Islam’s son, to eight years in prison and fined him LE 2000 for taking part in burning the Bible with his father. This sentence is also suspended pending appeal. During an 11 September 2012 demonstration in front the US embassy in Cairo protesting the anti-Islam film “Innocence of Muslims,” the Muslim cleric publicly burned copies of the Bible. Before leaving the demonstration, he told the crowd that he would later send his grandson to urinate on the Bible.

Last week, Amnesty International expressed concern over the increasing number of charges for blasphemy and insulting religion in Egypt. Amnesty stated that the majority of those targeted by such accusations in Egypt are Coptic Christians. In February 2013, the prosecutor general ordered Abu Islam’s arrest for allegedly insulting Christianity.

Wonder how Pamella Geller, Robert Spencer or David Wood would describe an ‘Islamist Egypt’ protecting Christianity? For those who don’t know, this guy also justified sexually assaulting female protesters, see this article by Sh. Musa Furber.

wa Allaahu ‘Alam.

Under the Radar: Caucasian Male Tries to Blow Up Bridge in Ohio

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بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ ,

Well this is a little awkward. No mainstream media reported this…..no cries of terrorism. Nicely hidden away on the FBI’s website:

Cleveland Man Found Guilty of Trying to Use Explosives to Destroy a Bridge in Northeast Ohio
U.S. Attorney’s Office
June 14, 2013

Northern District of Ohio
(216) 622-3600
CLEVELAND—A Cleveland man was found guilty of trying to use explosives to destroy a bridge in Northeast Ohio, announced Steven M. Dettelbach, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, and Stephen D. Anthony, Special Agent in Charge of the Cleveland Division of the FBI.

Joshua Stafford, 24, was found guilty of conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, attempted use of weapons of mass destruction, and malicious use of an explosive device to destroy property used in interstate commerce following a three-day trial before U.S. District Judge David Dowd. Stafford is scheduled to be sentenced on September 11 at noon.

Stafford is the last of five men to be found guilty for their roles in a conspiracy to destroy the Route 82 Brecksville-Northfield High Level Bridge. Cars travel over the bridge, which crosses from Brecksville, Ohio to Sagamore Hills, Ohio over the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

  • Douglas L. Wright, of Indianapolis, was sentenced to 11 ½ years in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release.
  • Brandon L. Baxter, of Lakewood, Ohio, was sentenced to nine years and nine months in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release.
  • Connor C. Stevens, of Berea, Ohio, was sentenced to eight years and one month in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release.
  • Anthony M. Hayne, 35, of Cleveland, was sentenced to six years in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release.

Those four men pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, attempted use of weapons of mass destruction, and malicious use of an explosive device to destroy property used in interstate commerce.

The initial plot involved the use of smoke grenades to distract law enforcement in order for the co-conspirators to topple financial institution signs atop high rise buildings in downtown Cleveland, according to the complaint.

The plot later developed to the utilization of explosive materials. The defendants conspired to obtain C-4 explosives contained in two improvised explosive devices to be placed and remotely detonated, according to the complaint.

The defendants discussed various bridges and physical targets in and around the Cleveland, Ohio metropolitan area over the course of several months. The final plan resulted in the Route 82 Brecksville-Northfield High Level Bridge being the designated target.

Make of this what you will……
wa Allaahu ‘Alam.

Image of an Invisible God?

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بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ ,

I’ve been told by missionaries that Christ is the image of the unseen, invisible God. Rationally speaking, the image of an invisible God…..should be invisible, no? Is it perhaps wrong of me to assume that the image of something unseen is…..unseen? I think the problem stems from a misappropriated verse in Genesis 1:

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” – Genesis 1:26.

We maintain that the first rule of exegesis is to interpret scripture with scripture. When we read this verse, we must ask a very important question, what is its context? The context of this chapter is to enlighten us as to God’s dominion over all creation – His power over the earth, the heavens and its inhabitants. In verse 26 He mentions creating mankind in His image. Any sane minded person upon reading this will eventually ask, what does ‘creating mankind in His image‘ mean? Well, the meaning is given in the very same verse, YHWH answers this by saying, ‘so that they may rule…‘. Therefore, according to the immediate context of the verse and the overarching plot of the chapter, in His likeness is referring to mimicking God’s authority to rule, to have dominion, albeit on two very different scales.

Most interestingly, the place of a God who has a viewable image is something actively argued against in the New Testament. We’ll now read from one of Paul’s epistles, written decades before the Johannine Gospel:

“20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.” – Romans 1:20-23.

Paul duly informs us that foolish men with blackened hearts, exchanged the glory of an immortal God for images that looked like mortal human beings. Does that sound familiar? Modern Christians believe Christ is the image, the incarnation of an unseen, immortal God. The irony is simply astounding. Let’s continue to read from the New Testament:

“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill.” – Acts 17:29.

Statues of Christ? Carvings of Christ made from wood? Paintings? These are all images of an alleged divine being, the unseen divine being, made by human design and skill. En toto, we see that the New Testament argues against the incarnation of God, we see that it is absurd and foolish (according to Paul), that we should accept men who claim an immortal unseen God looks like a mortal human being.

wa Allaahu ‘Alam.

On the Murder of the 14 Year Old Boy for Blasphemy in Syria by Rebel Fighters

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بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ ,

Shaykh Muhammad al Yaqoubi (damaat barakatahum), a leading Syrian scholar, diplomat and vocal opponent to Bashar, had this to say:

By H. Eminence Shaykh Muhammad Al-Yaqoubi

A group of Muslim fighters in Aleppo executed yesterday a fourteen-year-old boy in after accusing him of blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad PBUH.

We denounce this inhuman unIslamic crime; and we demand that the murderers be captured and brought to justice. They are but a gang of criminals who use religion to cover their thirst for power.

What these criminals just committed is one of the most cruel crimes ever perpetrated by the name of Islam. They murdered an innocent life and executed a child who happened to be a good Muslim from a righteous family who observes Islam; and we confirm that what the child said is not balsphemy against the Prophet of Islam in any form.

In response to the crime, we have issued a detailed fatwa on the impossibility of the implementation of Islamic penalties in today’s Syria. We explained with valid proofs all the errors and fallacies in this crime which was wrongly done in the name of Islamic Shari’a.

On this painful occasion, we call upon all foreign fighters to leave Syria and go back to their homelands. We know our country better and we confirm that we do not need fighters and we thank everyone who sincerely want to help our people. Yet, we announce that what our people need most is food and medicine and what the Free Syrian Army needs most is ammunition.

Last but not least, we offer our sincere condolences to the family of the boy, praying that Allah grant them patience and forbearance and that their child precede them to the Heavens. We pray that Allah bestow His Infinite Mercy to the martyrs of our country and that He grant our people victory and relieve them from their agony.

wa Allaahu ‘Alam.

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