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 The ruins of a mosque in Joplin, Missouri, after a fire last month that Muslims leaders suspect was an arson.
September 5th, 2012
01:19 PM ET
Rising anti-Islamic sentiment in America troubles MuslimsBy Moni Basu, CNN On the program, called "The Threat in Our Backyard," is a lecture on Islam in public schools and a short film on Sharia finance. It's a program organized by people who feel the American way of life is threatened by Islam - in particular, Sharia, or Islamic law. Sharia would bring ruin to America, says Greg Johnson, vice president of the 9/12 Project Tennessee, a sponsor of the event that advocates for shifting government back to the intent of the Constitution's authors. He says he has nothing against Muslims, but he takes issue with the tenets of Islam. Sharia, he believes, would mean that practicing homosexuals would be put to death, women would not be educated and would be married off to men chosen by their fathers, and non-Muslims would become kafirs - nonbelievers - relegated to second-class citizenship. My Faith: After my mosque was torched "And I don't want that coming to America," Johnson says. He's not alone in his fears. A tide of anti-Islam sentiment has been swelling across America in recent months, strong enough to prompt one imam to wish for the days immediately after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks when President George W. Bush declared that Muslims were not our enemies; that the war on terror was against a select few who acted upon their hate for America. "In the 11 years since, we have retreated," says Abdullah Antepli, the Muslim chaplain at Duke University who likes to call himself the Blue Devil Imam. Muslims make up less than 1% of the U.S. population. Yet, say Muslim advocates, they are a community besieged. Hate crimes against Muslims spiked 50% in 2010, the last year for which FBI statistics are available. That was in a year marked by Muslim-bashing speech over the Islamic center near ground zero in Manhattan and Florida Pastor Terry Jones' threats to burn Qurans. Why some American Muslims wear the hijab Antepli likens the current climate to McCarthyism. Left unchecked, he says, anti-Muslim fervor, like racism and anti-Semitism, has the potential to evolve into something dangerous. This year's holy month of Ramadan, which ended August 19, was marred by a spate of violence at U.S. Islamic centers that included a fire, a homemade bomb and pig parts. The incidents were unprecedented in scale and scope, says the Council on American-Islamic Relations. At least seven mosques and one cemetery were attacked in the United States during Ramadan, according to the council and other groups that track such incidents. Particularly visible on the anti-Muslim radar has been the state of Tennessee, where a mosque opened during Ramadan after two years of controversy. The new Islamic center in Murfreesboro opened a few weeks ago after delays caused by legal wrangling, community protests and vandalism. Also in Tennessee, incumbent congresswoman Diane Black found herself publicly opposing Sharia after her opponent Lou Ann Zelenik made it a campaign issue. Follow the CNN Belief Blog on Twitter State senatorial candidate Woody Degan's website also mentions Sharia: "VOTE CONSERVATIVE! VOTE Anti-Sharia, VOTE Against Internet Taxes, Vote FOR Gun Carry Rights! VOTE for your PERSONAL RIGHTS!" And Gov. Bill Haslam recently came under fire for hiring lawyer Samar Ali, a Muslim woman from Tennessee, to work in the international division of the state's economic development department. Ali's critics called her Sharia-compliant and a website called Bill H(Islam) attacked the governor for pursuing "a policy that promotes the interest of Islamist (sic) and their radical ideology." The website links to another that discusses, among other things, Islamic infiltration of public schools. "I cannot stress enough the seriousness of their push to spread their religion to all non-Muslims throughout our country," says website author Cathy Hinners, another speaker at next Tuesday's 9/11 event in Franklin. Why do Muslims pray five times daily? "Why? Why are Muslims so adamant that we accept their religion? The answer is simple. The answer is in black and white. The answer is in the Muslim brotherhoods "Strategic Goal for North America." It's called a global caliphate. One religion, one government, one law... called Sharia." In November 2010, more than 70% of voters in Oklahoma approved a ballot initiative to amend the state's constitution that banned courts from looking at "legal precepts of other nations or cultures. Specifically, the courts shall not consider international law or Sharia law." The amendment died after a federal court ruled it discriminatory. "That was very explicitly anti-Islamic," says Glenn Hendrix, an Atlanta lawyer who specializes in international law. "It specifically referenced Sharia." This year, 33 anti-Sharia or international law bills were introduced in 20 states, making it a key issue. Six states - Louisiana, South Dakota, Kansas, Arizona, Louisiana and Tennessee - adopted such laws prior to 2012. Two Tennessee lawmakers attempted to pass a bill this year that would have made it a felony to practice Sharia, but it failed. The Council on American-Islamic Relations says the anti-Sharia bills are based on draft legislation promoted by David Yerushalmi, an anti-Islamic lawyer from New York. Yerushalmi founded the Society of Americans for National Existence, an organization devoted to promoting his theory that Islam is inherently seditious and Sharia is a "criminal conspiracy to overthrow the U.S. government," according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups. "Ideally," says the center, "he would outlaw Islam and deport its adherents altogether." Hendrix says anti-Sharia legislation is not necessary since U.S. courts ultimately are beholden to U.S. law. But it sends a strong message to the Muslim community. CNN’s Belief Blog: The faith angles behind the biggest stories The American Bar Association, which opposes federal or state laws that impose blanket prohibitions on foreign laws, says such legislative initiatives stigmatize an entire religious community and "are inconsistent with some of the core principles and ideals of American jurisprudence." Valarie Kaur, a legal advocate and hate crimes specialist, says proponents of anti-Sharia bills are battling an imaginary threat. "There is no push to install Sharia law in the U.S.," she says. "Anti-Sharia bills target the religious principles of Muslim Americans and fuel anti-Muslim rhetoric and bias. As a Sikh American whose community has too often become the target of hate, I believe it's time to stand against all forms of racism and religious bigotry." An attack at a Wisconsin Sikh temple last month killed six people. Many believe the shooter mistook Sikhs for Muslims. A Sikh gas station attendant in Arizona was the first victim of reprisal after the 9/11 attacks. Kaur blames tough economic times and an amplification of hateful speech for incidents like the temple shooting and the momentum behind the anti-Sharia campaign. For Muslims, Sharia - which means "path to the watering hole" in Arabic - is the divine law revealed centuries ago in the Quran that governs all aspects of life. More often than not, it's the most sensational parts of Sharia - like cutting off a thief's hand - that garner the most publicity. U.S. courts bump up against it in cases of divorces, inheritance, child custody, enforcement of money judgments and commercial disputes or tort actions. A trial court in New Jersey, for instance, ruled that a husband, who was Muslim, lacked the criminal intent to commit sexual assault on his wife because Sharia permits a man to have sex with his wife whenever he wants. That's the kind of ruling that fuels anti-Sharia activists. Nashville health-care investor Andrew Miller says there's no room for democracy within Islamic ideology. All you have to do is look to any Islamic state, he says. "If you wanted to pray to a large rock and that was your God, I could care less," he says. "But the minute you want to put a gun to my head and say you will pray to this large rock and your family will or you will pay the price, that's when I see a bully. I see an overbearing ideology that wants to force and coerce people. Miller describes himself as a tolerant person but not when it comes to people dictating how others will live. "That's antithetical to the freedoms that we value, the liberty we value," he says. The message that Islam is evil has been repeated so many times - sometimes directly, sometimes in a more subtle fashion - that it has sunk in as reality in the hearts and minds of many Americans, says Antepli, the Duke chaplain. Part of it is fear of the unknown, he says. "I, too, would have a monstrous image of Islam if I did not know any better." But another part of it is orchestrated, he says, referring to "well-organized and polished" anti-Islam websites that have sprouted in recent years. Marry that with ignorance and the end result is lethal, Antepli says. The Center for American Progress, a liberal research and advocacy organization, published a report last year that attributed the rise of Islamophobia to a "small, tightly-networked group of misinformation experts." The report called "Fear, Inc." lists seven foundations that gave $42.6 million to think tanks to promote anti-Islamic thought. It describes "deeply intertwined individuals and organizations" that "manufacture and exaggerate threats of 'creeping Sharia,' Islamic domination of the West, and purported obligatory calls to violence against all non-Muslims by the Quran." The issue of Sharia, say some Muslims, has become a political hot potato in an election year. GOP candidates Newt Gingrich and Michele Bachmann mentioned Sharia in their campaign speeches. This year's Republican Party platform makes mention of foreign laws: "Subjecting American citizens to foreign laws is inimical to the spirit of the Constitution. It is one reason we oppose U.S. participation in the International Criminal Court. There must be no use of foreign law by U.S. courts in interpreting our Constitution and laws. Nor should foreign sources of law be used in State courts' adjudication of criminal or civil matters." That's the message Miller hopes people will take away from next week's 9/11 meeting; that the tenets of Islam go against the constitution of the United States. It's diametrically opposed to what people like Antepli and Kaur will be saying as America remembers the horror of terrorism. Hateful sentiment, they say, is not the answer. soundoff (2,383 Responses)« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 Next »
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks when President George W. Bush declared that Muslims were not our enemies; that the war on terror was against a select few who acted upon their hate for America.
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And the war on Na zi Germany was a war on just a few too right? Not all Germans were Na zi's either were they!? Look where that thinking got us in WWII! We only lost 6 MILLION PEOPLE FOR IGNORING THAT THREAT! Why do we study history if we dont learn anything from it!?
I'm really sorry to hear that the Muslims are "concerned" - I think they should be and possibly re-evaluate their religions position how to treat "infidels". I'm mean really??? Why should any of us here in the USA have any anti-Islamic feeling just because Muslims via the Quran are told to kill all infidels. With this belief "True Islam permits neither elections nor democracy" one really has to wonder about Muslims reasons for living in the USA
As is too often the case verses from a holy book are interpreted in different ways because they were written at a time when the context was different. Many scholars have talked about the notion of killing the infidels and have concluded that the Quran does not say that. "It is clear, therefore, that this verse is one of self-defense. The Muslims here are commanded to "slay the pagans" who are hostile towards them. It is not a carte blanche to "kill all infidels". This verse is specific to a specific time, and it is not understood by the overwhelming majority of Muslims to be a general call for murder against all those who are not Muslim." —Hesham A. Hassaballa, Does Islam Call For The Murder of 'Infidels'?
We all know how the Bible or the Torah can be and is misinterpreted by the fanatics who want to use religous justification to support their biases and hatred. You should not fall into that category and genralize a whole group of people based on your misunderstanding of what the Quran actually says. You should research it better before commenting. If I assumed all Christians wanted to dictate my life based on the fanatics who read the Bible literally and say I am a nonbeliever so I should be punished, I would hate all Christians. However, I am smart enough and educated enough to know that is a small segment of the faith. Most Christians I have met are very good people, as is the case with most Muslims and Jews I have met.
The Christian version of this exact same god demands the exact same thing. It seems you are upset the the Muslim nutters have the balls to obey your god, while you nutters just thumb your nose at him.
Right, and the Koran also tells them to deceive the unbelievers until your strong enough to "DEFEAT THEM"! Gee, so we just follow political correctness right over the cliff!? Is that what TOLERANCE IS!? CIVILIZATION SUICIDE? and ignoring common sense?
Are we suppose to ignore our normal sense of fear and read about the ongoing world wide persecution and daily slaughter of Christians and non Muslims and the burning of their church's and EMBRACE those RESPONSIBLE FOR IT in the name of tolerance? Where is "THEIR" tolerance? Can non Muslims go to Mecca and visit? Can we build churches in Saudi Arabia? The fact is. They get the idea to do all these atrocities FROM THE SCHOLARS AND IMAMS OF THE KORAN!
What happens if we all do what the brainless liberals want us to do against all common sense and better judgement and in 10 or 20 years when they have 20% of the population they attack us from withing in every city in the nation? What then? Gee... We made a mistake!? Well its too late then! WE AR IN A CIVIL WAR AT THAT POINT! I sure hope we win.... THANKS LIBERALS! I sure dont want to roll the dice, I can see what ISLAM is about with my own two eyes by reading up on it. ITS A DISASTER!
We would have to be out of our minds to accept a cult that has never lived in peace with any other people in history of mankind! Look at the middle east, I'M 50 years old and the chaos there has never changed! DO WE WANT IT HERE NOW!?
HE11 NO!
Well Mandoman; Below are just a few of the versus in the KORAN you say dont mean to harm infidels. Do you honestly think humans are that S TUPID!? Go hump somebody else's leg. I learned how read. And by the way, if you know the KORAN then you should know that the Koran, unlike other religions is said to be written by Mohammed but every word came right out of Allah's mouth to Mohammed per the Koran. And it clearly says the Koran is not up for "INTERPRETATION" as it is the words of Allah. So 'THE TRUTH IS BELOW" Per the words that came right out of Allahs MOUTH!
Quran (2:191-193) – "And slay them wherever ye find them, and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution [of Muslims] is worse than slaughter [of non-believers]... but if they desist, then lo! Allah is forgiving and merciful. And fight them until persecution is no more, and religion is for Allah." The historical context of this passage is not defensive warfare, since Muhammad and his Muslims had just relocated to Medina and were not under attack by their Meccan adversaries. In fact, the verses urge offensive warfare, in that Muslims are to drive Meccans out of their own city (which they later did). The use of the word "persecution" by some Muslim translators is thus disingenuous (the actual Muslim words for persecution – "idtihad" – and oppression – a variation of "z-l-m" – do not appear in the verse). The actual Arabic comes from "fitna" which can mean disbelief, or the disorder that results from unbelief or temptation. Taken as a whole, the context makes clear that violence is being authorized until "religion is for Allah" – ie. unbelievers desist in their unbelief.
Quran (2:244) – "Then fight in the cause of Allah, and know that Allah Heareth and knoweth all things."
Quran (2:216) – "Fighting is prescribed for you, and ye dislike it. But it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knoweth, and ye know not." Not only does this verse establish that violence can be virtuous, but it also contradicts the myth that fighting is intended only in self-defense, since the audience was obviously not under attack at the time. From the Hadith, we know that this verse was narrated at a time that Muhammad was actually trying to motivate his people into raiding merchant caravans for loot.
Quran (3:56) – "As to those who reject faith, I will punish them with terrible agony in this world and in the Hereafter, nor will they have anyone to help."
Quran (3:151) – "Soon shall We cast terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers, for that they joined companions with Allah, for which He had sent no authority". This speaks directly of polytheists, yet it also includes Christians, since they believe in the Trinity (ie. what Muhammad incorrectly believed to be 'joining companions to Allah').
The quotes from the quran comment were meant for THETRUTH2121, not Mandoman.
Sorry
I am more concerned about Christian fanaticism in this country than I am about Islamic fanaticism. There are more Muslims who in this country who believe in moderate Islam and the American way of life than there are those who would want Sharia law. However, the number of people who want to impose strict Christian ideology on the rest of American society is growing. However, I would rather die than have that belief system imposed on me, so I will fight that vigorously.
Guess I missed something...haven't heard of any Christians wanting you to beat your wife and behead your children or destroy a whole nation of Jewish people just because they hate the idea of them. Just thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, etc.... Guess you and I are from different planets or something!
@Atheist Hunter. Well based on your username I assume you may fall into that Christian fanatical camp. If you believe that Christians and Jews have not committed violence or murder in the name of their religion throughout history then you must be living under a rock. Maybe you need to spend more time studying history.
@Atheist Hunter. I believe the Bible has a verse that says:
"If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers; Namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you ... Thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him: But thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. And thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die."
Does that mean Christians should kill nonbelievers? No of course not, and most Christians know that. However, have their been Christians who have read this literally and killed non-believers? Yes there has been.
What in the he11 are you talking about? Your scared of Christians? You afraid they going to have cake sale by your house? This is a typical brainless, brainwashed liberal folks!
TheTruth2121
@Atheist Hunter. Well based on your username I assume you may fall into that Christian fanatical camp. If you believe that Christians and Jews have not committed violence or murder in the name of their religion throughout history then you must be living under a rock
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Nobody gives a rats ash what ANYBODY did 1500 years ago! And by the way the Crusades was IN DEFENSE of attacking MUSLIMS! (GO FIGURE!) We are concerned about the daily ongoing genocide of innocent men women and children in the NAME OF ISLAM that's going on EVERY SINGLE DAY "NOW"
TheTruth2121
@Atheist Hunter. I believe the Bible has a verse that says:
"If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul,
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Thats the old testament. No longer practiced for the past 15+ CENTURIES! We dont care about ancient history buddy, only about all the genocide you religion of peace is doing in the name of your blood thirsty GOD! Your wasting your time trying to justify modern day GENOCIDE by comparing Muslims to Christians, WE AR POLAR OPPOSITES! We believe in Love thy neighbor and you Muslims believe in behead thy neighbor if he he is not one of you!
Religion has no place in a civilized society.
I am Canadian and I 100000000000 % TOTALLY AGREE with Mr Johnson . They immigrate to countries like locusts and try and destroy them t! They expect US to adapt to their religious values and beliefs and use the freedoms that many have died for against us. We have experienced it here in Canada , the French have , the English have and the USA are to name a few countries .I have never been a racist as I am an immigrant myself but this is a horse of a different color (no pun intended .) When we came here WE ADAPTED TO THIS WAY OF LIFE NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND . IF they don't like us then GET THE FK OUT and STAY OUT ~!
Well said Veet. If we don't get them out, Canada and the U.S. will end up in a civil war with them one day. THEIR GOD DEMANDS IT!
Rising? I'm pretty sure after 9/11 they've become the equivalent of how Germans viewed Jews.
If you check the statistics with the NCIC, you'd see that Jews are the victims of hate-crimes far more often than Muslims. 67% versus 12% in 2010.
The funniest thing about this is that I bet you most of these people going to this commemoration will vote for Romney/Ryan. The exact people trying to infuse Christian values into everyday life of Americans. But that's okay because it's Christianity not Islam.
Islam – A Religion
Based on Terrorism
To understand Islam, you have to accept certain facts about this religion. The impact of Islam on the daily life of Muslims is far greater than that found in the Western Culture since the Middle Ages. Muslims advance a definition that Islam is a shinning beacon against the darkness of repression, segregation, intolerance, and racism.
Nothing could be further from the truth!
Islam has no fundamental concept of Inalienable Rights as mentioned in the Declaration of Independence. Islam does not permit the individual to enjoy the freedoms of action and association characteristic of the Democracy that so many Western cultures currently enjoy today. Islam is a religion in name only because of a reference to "Allah" as their Deity. A well known fact is that Islam is a totalitarian ideology that rejects Democracy, personal freedom, and every other religion. The ideals of anti-Semitism and anti-Western Culture run rampant throughout Islam. The Laws of Man are meaningless and have absolutely no relevance in Muslim culture because they are without any direct reference to the Koran or Shariah Law and therefore they have no place in Muslim life. Islamic law is completely incompatible with Freedom, Democracy, or any other government where the people have an actual voice in government or the will of the people matters.
"True Islam permits neither elections nor democracy."
- Sufi Mohammed, Muslim Cleric
I concur with your statement, you definitely enlighten my understanding of Islam.
Right ON frank! Since WHEN do Christians STONE you to Death for ...say...Adultry,Blaspheme, etc.? why do CHRIST ians desire seperation of church and STATE.? Do YOU hear the Prayer CALL @ 6,noon & 6..?? Do Christians demand their WIFES to be TOTALLY subserviant to the Husband? my wife walks BESIDE me NOT Behind ME,,, i can go on and on to the uninformed who I QUOTE: .....HATE to hear of the Sin ,they so LOVE to Act out.....unquote, no ,,,WE PRAY for forgiveness for all INCLUDING ourselves, for the Heart of Christ to GROW into Love and Compassion, even for the UNBELEIVER. The Holy Bible IS the TRUTH its HISTORICAL record and PROPHECIES ..PROVE IT! or TRY to PROVE it Wrong!! .....you M U S T BE Born Again...from the... INSIDE out (spirit) ,,,,, or else... it will be of no FAITH to ...why- O- U. Rev. 20 v 15
Thank god I live in a "blue state". Some religious folks are good and some are bad, it depends on the individual.
What really confuses me is the fact that muslims seem to have a problem with the way Americans live and our lifestyles,yet,they continue to emigrate here and complain about how we treat them.These folks really dont try to assimilate into our society but instead are trying to re-establish the same things that happen in the countries they flee,really leaves us with a big question mark as to why are they really here in America.
"If you wanted to pray to a large rock and that was your God, I could care less," he says. "But the minute you want to put a gun to my head and say you will pray to this large rock and your family will or you will pay the price, that's when I see a bully. I see an overbearing ideology that wants to force and coerce people."
This is just hate mongering. The Quran explicitely states that there is no compulsion in religiion. It also mentions that it is muslims duty to invite people into Islam, BUT, it is upto Allah who accepts Islam.
American is based on the right of the individual to make choices- about religion, politics, spending, and much more.
Islam says that man has no right to make choices that are against the will of Allah. Making choices that Allah does not approve of is punishable under Sharia, up to and including excution by beheading, stoning, and a variety of other methods.
You decide- are these incompatible?
And before the cries of "hate speech" are used to censor this point, ask "Is it true?" Demonstrate that it's factually incorrect, and I'll gladly retract the comment- with great relief.
And if you don't accept, then you are to be killed, or subjugated.
"The Quran explicitely states that there is no compulsion in religiion. It also mentions that it is muslims duty to invite people into Islam, BUT, it is upto Allah who accepts Islam."
Um, could you pass that lil tidbit along to Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani and his Iranian jailers?
No compulsion in ISLAM?
The history of Islamic conquest shows that there has been, from Spain to the East Indies in space, and from the seventh century until now in time, a great deal of "compulsion in religion" by Muslim rulers on the non-Muslims they conquered. And there is to this day, with intolerable pressures put on the most helpless, such as the Mandeans in Iraq, or to a lesser extent, the Copts in Egypt, the Christians in Lebanon and in the "West Bank," and the Chaldeans and Assyrians of Iraq.
Of course in Islam there is "compulsion in Islam." It's all over the place, and not only in the Middle East. When Christian schoolgirls are decapitated in Indonesia, and thousands of churches burned, or Buddhist villagers decapitated all over southern Thailand, or Hindus beaten to death in Bangladesh, or attacked in Pakistan, or driven out by the hundreds of thousands from Kashmir, when if they converted to Islam they would be left alone, surely over time that has its effect. Not everyone can heroically withstand such persecution and threat of murder and actual murder.
government educated local white boys causing mayhem, absolutely conservative minded little twits.
"If you wanted to pray to a large rock and that was your God, I could care less," he says. "But the minute you want to put a gun to my head and say you will pray to this large rock and your family will or you will pay the price, that's when I see a bully. I see an overbearing ideology that wants to force and coerce people."
Funny... that's what I've been saying for years about Christianity. Although in my quote, I refer to a toaster oven instead of a rock. Toaster oven worship sounds funnier.
People need to get a clue, the major religions in this world "all" come from the Middle East and they are all about being the one true religion. This means they need to kill off non-believers. They have been killing each other for over a thousand years and will continue to do so. Evolve people!
Greg, your comment about "all religions" is erroneous and based on a lack of knowledge. There aren't any Christians out there killing off or attacking anyone over our faith. The followers Judaism aren't out there killing or threatening anyone either in the name of their religion. Even the religions of the East like Hinduism and Buddhism aren't causing trouble. The ONLY religion in the world that is causing trouble is Islam and its followers. Ask yourself this one question. If you were to go out in your yard and as a statement of your freedom from religion you were to burn a pile of books which contained Torahs, Bibles, Korans, and materials from every other religion you could think of, and you posted this video on u-tube, who would you need to fear? The simple truth is that Christians and Jews and such would be offended but do nothing. Islamist would hunt you down and kill you and likely your whole family. That is the difference between religions.
@DJones
Really now!
Let's do a numbers game, shall we!
Islam is 600 something years younger than Christianity; remember what the Christians were doing around the 1400s?
I understand I can't make an argument that they'd be justified in forcing their beliefs on anyone, but just saying Christianity has never done such a thing (in recent or far past) is called "rewriting history"!
none of the religions apart from islam came from the middle east with their scriptures stating clearly "violence as the only method to spread the number of followers"...
"Smith" you are only half right, most religions do allow for and actually call for violence, when it comes to getting what your god tells you is yours.
DJones, you better get your history right. To say Christians and Jews are not killing in the name of their religion is wrong. You can believe what you want, but it might help to try to base your beliefs on some level of fact and not total fantasy
The Koran talks about killing infidels. All non-muslims are infidels.
Exactly... lets use the nukes and send them all to Allah. He can sort out the extremists from the moderates... they all look the same to me.
Quran does not talk about killing all infidel (i.e. a non-believer) who tries to kill muslims. You should not be deceitful and mention the context of those verses as well.
This is an absurd idea, We need to spend our efforts on closing and protecting our boarders from Latin invaders. We have spanish people invading daily and a Obama rallying to gain their votes. The US will always have their own laws right or wrong.
We are Muslims believe in the first god who started everything Allah who is in the Quran, Bible and Torah ! We respect the Christ and his mother better than many people also we peace with who peace with us as the god said " if they wing to peace with you, wing to it" Also we don't except the unfair !
There is no hope for humanity. Religion proves that.
then stop the killing of CHristians, stop the burning down of churches. Stop attacking Israel and if its not you then stop those who in your opinion abuse Islam!!!!
heikeboecken, stop burning mosques as well, you know, like the one in Joplin...
Some people need to take off their tinfoil hats and take a deep breath, m'kay.
Take the lead, girlie!
Show me moderate Islam outside of the USA
"VOTE CONSERVATIVE! VOTE Anti-Sharia, VOTE Against Internet Taxes, Vote FOR Gun Carry Rights! VOTE for your PERSONAL RIGHTS!"
Just go to any muslim countries instead of getting your information for the media.
I am in Turkey right now and I see nothing but peaceful Muslims, living side by side with Christians and Jews. What's your point Jarhead.
Just where and how many christians and jews are in Turkey. Turkey is regressing and becoming islamist. They intentionally have gotten rid of almost all of the christians and jews. There are manyt good Turks that do not want to be islamist but the govment is making them that way. Get a clue.
@stevekasian
Nice post, Wasp... if you're looking for some feel-good ignorance to brighten up your day.
Unfortunately for America, you're fundamentally wrong. Islam is a wicked religion, based on oppression and hate from the standpoint of a non-muslim in muslim society, and based on love and brotherhood from the standpoint of a good muslim. The good in Islam, save for the whole 'eye for an eye' thing and the like, is all for muslims! It is not for anyone else in muslim society. That's the whole problem with islam! It's not inclusive to non-muslims in any way. Sure, it is for purposes of establishing a foothold in a foreign society, but the long-term picture is not all about unity, peace, love and respect. In fact, it couldn't be further from that. It's about making anyone who is a non-muslim pay a socio-economic price for their infidelity. That is, provided that they abide by islamic law and are allowed to live.
The fact that you don't know this is damning evidence of the fact that you don't know anything whatsoever about islam. All you know about it is essentially worthless little tidbits of information you catch from the random CARE spokesperson as their words whiz past you in the midst of a 24 hour news cycle on CNN or FOX or MSNBC or whatever it is you carelessly soak your brain in at the end of every day.
Wake up, dude... get out of that box you've been living in all your life and take a look around."
That is the thing steve, i am awake; i'm aware of the attrocities carried out by followers of all religions. you obviously didn't read my whole post because you just did what i was talking about, just as the nazis made jews their boogieman you inturn are making islam and it's followers YOUR boogieman. what do you think would happen if ALL of america took your point of view? concentration camps? deportation of natural born americans of islamic faith? where would you draw the line at attacking your boogieman?
me personally i was over in the sandbox from 2004-2005, not all those people are evil. truly most are very nice, it's just the choosen few making things harder on the rest of those that follow that faith.
best saying i've heard before " when humans don't understand something they fear it, when humans fear something they hate it and when humans hate something they destroy it."
i don't fear religion, i fear ignorance.
it's like anything else. there's always bad people in any given group. yet i don't discriminate christians because of the kkk. but there's the kkk, jews have extremists, so does islam. it'd be nice if people learned about a culture before judging it so harshly. and out of curiosity, i have read the Quaran. it says nothing about killing americans.
Sorry about your time in the sandbox. If the USA had done the right thing there would be craters the size of New Jersey over there, and no American lives would be lost. You see, as a christian myself (he's the boss, don't get me started) I believe all religions should be nuked into oblivion. This is a war... expect a whole lot of collateral damage.
Exactly
Islam – A Religion
Based on Terrorism
To understand Islam, you have to accept certain facts about this religion. The impact of Islam on the daily life of Muslims is far greater than that found in the Western Culture since the Middle Ages. Muslims advance a definition that Islam is a shinning beacon against the darkness of repression, segregation, intolerance, and racism.
Nothing could be further from the truth!
Islam has no fundamental concept of Inalienable Rights as mentioned in the Declaration of Independence. Islam does not permit the individual to enjoy the freedoms of action and association characteristic of the Democracy that so many Western cultures currently enjoy today. Islam is a religion in name only because of a reference to "Allah" as their Deity. A well known fact is that Islam is a totalitarian ideology that rejects Democracy, personal freedom, and every other religion. The ideals of anti-Semitism and anti-Western Culture run rampant throughout Islam. The Laws of Man are meaningless and have absolutely no relevance in Muslim culture because they are without any direct reference to the Koran or Shariah Law and therefore they have no place in Muslim life. Islamic law is completely incompatible with Freedom, Democracy, or any other government where the people have an actual voice in government or the will of the people matters.
"True Islam permits neither elections nor democracy."
- Sufi Mohammed, Muslim Cleric