I started in another thread, but the title of it caught my eye, so I'll go on "reporting" some REAL religion of peace news, just in our country: [u]Musl..."/>

REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

...and more truly 'religion of peace' news

POSTED BY: NIKI2
UPDATED: Saturday, October 2, 2010 16:38
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Monday, September 13, 2010 9:09 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


I started in another thread, but the title of it caught my eye, so I'll go on "reporting" some REAL religion of peace news, just in our country:

Muslims celebrate holy month with charity, service projects

Muslims across the country are marking Ramadan, the holiest month of the Islamic year, with charity and outreach programs.

The Council for American-Islamic Relations, the Washington-based advocacy and civil rights group, is urging Muslims to invite their non-Muslim neighbors to join them at an iftar— the evening meal when Muslims break their dawn-to-sunset fast during the 30-day holiday, which began Monday evening.

Many Muslims make charitable gifts during the month of Ramadan, and service projects are also popular. This year, hundreds of Muslims around the nation will serve the hungry and homeless at Day of Dignity events in 18 U.S. cities. The events are coordinated by Islamic Relief USA, based in Buena Park, Calif.

In Seattle, organizer Aziz Junejo says organizers expect to serve meals and distribute supplies such as ponchos, blankets, socks and hygiene kits to 1,000 people at a downtown day-labor center. The event is underwritten by personal donations and 20 area mosques.

"We want to show people respect, not just give them handouts. We take time to talk with them and hear their stories," Junejo says.


Muslim, Christian, Jewish leaders seek peace between US and Iran

A coalition of Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders is calling for American and Iranian authorities to open negotiations and stop planning for war.The statement, "A Pax on Both Our Houses" says the war in Iraq demonstrates how war wastes lives and resources, and violates human rights. "Pax" is Latin for "peace."


Islamic Relief Coordinates Nationwide Effort to Serve the Homeless in Ramadan‏

For the sixth consecutive year, Muslims across the United States will be taking to the streets to help serve the homeless while fasting in the month of Ramadan. The annual “Humanitarian Day” event for the homeless and needy, coordinated nationwide by Islamic Relief for the third year, is expanding to 19 cities this year and will serve an estimated 25,000 needy people in the weekend of Sept. 29-30.

Thousands of volunteers will be busy providing essentials to the homeless, such as a warm meal, a gift package including hygiene and emergency kits, bath towels, clothing, blankets, ponchos, or toys for children. In addition, beneficiaries will also be provided with free health screenings.

“My first experience of Humanitarian Day was something I will never forget; something I will probably carry for the rest of my life,” noted a first-time volunteer.

The Boston Herald reported, “‘You don't see much out there to try to help people who are in need,' a homeless veteran said…It was a declaration of appreciation for the ‘Humanitarian Day for the Homeless' event at the center, sponsored by Islamic Relief.”


Muslim Patrol quiets crime in Shaw

On a sidewalk in Shaw, D.C., a dozen Muslim men wearing red T-shirts gather an hour before sundown.Half line up quietly behind an imam. Facing southeast toward Mecca, they bow their heads and read aloud verses from the Koran. The other half spread themselves out and look up and down the street. After a few minutes, they switch places.The men have come not just to pray but to assume control over a crime-prone block.They are part of a Muslim neighborhood watch that lately has focused its efforts on Seventh Street NW between P and Q streets, site of the long-troubled Kelsey Gardens apartment complex. Just a few weeks ago, the location was beset by drug dealers, armed assaults and random shootings.The group is composed of Muslims who practice a more orthodox form of Islam than such groups as the Nation of Islam, says founder Leroy Thorpe.


Chicago Muslims donate 21,000 lbs meat to city's needy

For the third consecutive year, Chicago-area Muslims have made one of the Food Depository’s single largest annual meat donations. More than 21,000 pounds of Halal beef was donated in January and made available to all of the Food Depository’s pantries, soup kitchens and shelters throughout Cook County. The Muslim community annually has come together for “Sacrifice for Our Neighbors” during the holiday of Eid al-Adha. Meat is among the Food Depository’s most sought-after food items because it is perishable and higher-priced.

Muslims spread holiday spirit in Hyde Park

There's a saying in the Islamic religion: "A person does not have true faith if they sleep comfortably on a full stomach while his neighbor suffers from hunger."

It embodies the spirit of charity and giving that will see almost 300 turkeys delivered to Emmett Louis Till Math and Science Academy in Hyde Park today.

A line of parents is expected to snake around the elementary school gymnasium to pick up one of the turkeys being donated by the American Muslims for Activism and Learning, a Chicago area community group.


Muslim taxi driver returns $350,000 in diamonds

Haider Sediqi found the brown leather bag as he cleaned the back seat of his taxicab between fares at Los Angeles International Airport. He tossed it up front, didn't give it much thought.

It was his friend, Shafi, who pulled open the zipper and looked inside. "You know what, man," Shafi said, eyes wide. "You've got a million in here."

Sediqi said he never considered swiping even one of the gems, although he admits he could have used the money. He worked until 3 a.m. the day he found the diamonds, and went home with a few hundred dollars in his pockets.

His colleagues in the cab stands joked that he must be crazy. His wife assured him he did the right thing -- and he knows she loves diamonds.


Muslim teen honored for saving blind man's life

Osman Hersi dismissed his own fears to save the life of a blind man who had fallen to the tracks at the Sheppard subway station and lay unconscious.

And yesterday the 17-year-old student was honoured by the TTC for his bravery.

Surrounded by family and friends, Hersi told TTC commissioners what happened at 8:25 a.m. on June 8 while on his way to school.

"When he fell in, I thought to myself, `Get this guy out as quick and as safe as possible,'" Hersi said. "I knew the third rail had electricity, so I tried to avoid that. When I jumped in, I lifted up the guy, who was unconscious. I jumped up myself. And a minute or so later, the train came."


Muslim leader to honor 9/11 heroes

Indianapolis firefighter and Muslim leader Michael Saahir on Sunday will honor the memory of the policemen and firefighters who died while trying to help people in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, by leading an interfaith prayer service and a work project to improve the lives of senior citizens in Indianapolis.

The participants in the fourth annual "Respond to the Call" event will then paint, clean and do yard work at designated senior citizens' homes in Haughville, a Near-Westside neighborhood. Volunteers will include participants from Nur-Allah, the Christamore House, the Islamic Society of North America and different congregations of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).


Muslim Comedy Show Helps Katrina Victims

In a continuing Muslim show of solidarity, a US Muslim comedian group has allocated their performance revenues to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina, a local US daily reported Tuesday, September 6.

The Muslim Comedy Tour performed their famous show “Allah Made Me Funny” at Richardson’s Charles W. Eismann Center for Performing Arts in Texas and did not hesitate to donate the proceeds to Katrina victims, Connecticut’s Daily Campus newspaper reported.


Texas Muslims to Feed Hurricane Evacuees on 9/11

On Sunday, September 11, some 1200 Muslim
volunteers will feed Hurricane Katrina evacuees in four shifts at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas. National and local representatives of the Muslim Hurricane Relief Task Force (MHRTF) will also
hold a noon news conference at the convention center to outline the American Muslim community's ongoing relief efforts.


Muslims Give $1 Million for Katrina Relief

On Thursday, the Muslim American Society, and its Freedom Foundation, and Islamic Relief, were joined on Capitol Hill by Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) and interfaith leaders for a press conference to express their views and support for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

A check for $1 million from Islamic Relief was presented by MAS Freedom Foundation Executive Director Mahdi Bray and Islamic Relief President Ahmed El-Bendary on the terrace of the Cannon House Office Building next to the U.S. Capitol to aid 30,000 victims of Hurricane Katrina currently housed in the Houston Astrodome.


Muslims Strike At Spouse Abuse: Phila. program will list and shun offenders

The veil shrouding spouse abuse in Muslim families is being torn away by local mosque leaders - putting them at the forefront of efforts by American Muslims to stem domestic violence.

The clergy council known as the Majlis Ash'Shura of Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley has adopted a tough policy of public shunning of Muslims who abuse their spouses or abandon their families.

Under the initiative, adopted last month, offenders will go on a list circulated among area Muslims. They will be banned from future marriages in communities that adhere to the policy. Fellow Muslims will be discouraged from patronizing any businesses they own.

Domestic violence appears no more prevalent in Muslim communities than elsewhere, but Islamic advocacy groups and others have tried to push the problem into the open.


Muslim cab driver returns $21,000 forgotten by passenger in taxi

Mohammad Asadujjaman's mother may not have schooled him in the quickest routes through the mean streets of the Big Apple or the best ways to negotiate with its famously plain-speaking inhabitants.

But she does appear to have imbued the 28-year-old New York taxi driver with an even greater gift: incorruptible honesty.

On finding that an Italian tourist had left a handbag containing more than $21,000 (£13,000) in cash - not to mention jewellery worth thousands more - on his backseat on Christmas Eve, the Bangladesh-born cabbie knew exactly what to do.

He rummaged through the bag until he found an address in Long Island. Then he rang a friend with a car and embarked on a 50-mile trip in the hope of handing over his find to someone who knew his fare, 72-year-old Felicia Lettieri from Pompeii. When his knocks at the house belonging to Lettieri's sister, Francesca, went unanswered, Asadujjaman left his mobile number and a note reading: "Don't worry, Felicia … I'll keep it safe."

A little while later the phone rang and he headed back to the Long Island address to return the bag and keep his word.

The cabbie himself shrugged off the incident, saying he had been taught never to take advantage of people. "My mother is my inspiration," he said. "She always said, be honest and work hard."

Despite conceding that such a large amount of money would have allowed him to focus on his studies, Asadujjaman insisted he was not tempted to keep it: "My heart said this is not good."

He also declined the reward the Lettieri family offered him, saying that as an observant Muslim he could not accept it.

"I'm needy, but I'm not greedy," he said. "It's better to be honest."


Muslim Malaysian court defends right of Christians to use the word "Allah"

The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) commends the landmark ruling by a Malaysian Court on December 31, 2009, that affirms the religious freedom of Malaysian Christians. The ruling asserts that Christians have the right to use the word “Allah” to translate “God” into Bahasa Melayu, the Malaysian language. It strikes down a government ban that was placed in 2007 on the use of the term in Christian literature.

The opponents of the use of the word Allah in reference to God have argued that the term “God” is usually translated by Malaysians who follow faiths other than Islam as “Tuhan” in Bahasa Melayu, not “Allah.” They insist that “Allah” should only be used to refer to God in Islam. This argument is contrary to both Islamic understanding and practice.

The Qur’an is quite explicit that Muslims worship the same God recognized by Christians. The Qur’an commands Muslims to declare that the God they worship and the one worshiped by the followers of revealed books, including Christians, is one: “… and say: We believe in that which has been revealed to us and revealed to you, and our God and your God is One, and to Him do we submit.” (Qur’an 29:46)

With regards to actual and historical practices, Christian Arabs have been using the word “Allah” to refer to God in their religious sources since the inception of Islam, and have never been challenged by private Muslims or Muslim governments on this ground. Islamic law is clear that followers of the Christian faith have the right to practice their religion according to their own religious teachings.

Malaysia has long been a good example of Islamic tolerance and we call on the Malaysian government to maintain the tradition of tolerance and uphold the religious freedom of Christians and to let the court ruling stand. We also urge Muslim NGOs to respect Islamic teachings and long-held Islamic traditions, and to withdraw their opposition to the use of the word “Allah” by their Christian compatriots.


Muslim Americans strive to help earthquake-ravaged Haiti

As governments and communities worldwide mobilize to help earthquake-stricken Haiti, Muslims in the United States are doing their part by raising funds and partnering with organizations — both religious and secular — to aid earthquake victims.

This spirit of cooperation in Haiti’s greatest time of need is highlighted by Islamic Relief USA’s ongoing interfaith aid partnership with the Mormon Church.

“We are partnering with the Mormon Church on shipments of aid including hygiene kits and temporary shelters,” Naeem Muhammad of Islamic Relief USA told America.gov of relief slated for Haiti. “We do a lot of partnerships with them, such as in Indonesia with the tsunami and in Pakistan with the earthquake.”

Impoverished Haiti is familiar territory for the Zakat Foundation of America. Zakat Foundation Executive Director Khalil Demir told America.gov his organization has partnered with California-based What If? Foundation to support a meal program for Port-au-Prince’s children. What If? Foundation’s chairwoman of the board, Margaret Trost, told America.gov she is grateful for the Zakat Foundation’s support.

“The Zakat Foundation has made it possible to feed these children in large part because of their grant to us last year,” Trost said. Now, both organizations are working together to send earthquake relief to Haiti.

The Zakat Foundation aims to send two chartered cargo planes laden with supplies to Haiti. Muhammad of Islamic Relief USA said he hopes his organization will have an assessment team on the ground within days.

Fundraising for Haitian earthquake relief efforts is of utmost importance to these and other Muslim-American organizations. Islamic Relief USA launched a worldwide appeal for $1 million in aid and the Zakat Foundation pledged $50,000 in immediate assistance.

“There has been a huge response from people to our request for aid. It is the same here as it would be in Muslim countries — we have been receiving donations nonstop,” said the Zakat Foundation’s Demir.

Muslim Americans at the local level are donating earthquake aid to Haiti through ISNA and other large Muslim-American organizations. In Chicago’s 400,000-strong Muslim community, fundraising efforts are under way to help Haitian earthquake victims, according to Kiran Ansari, interim executive director of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago.

“We have set up a fund at the council where we will send funds to organizations like the Zakat Foundation and Islamic Relief USA,” Ansari told America.gov. “We have sent out a request to all the khatibs in area mosques to make the situation in Haiti part of their Friday sermon.”

Ansari and other Muslim-American community leaders have made it clear that relief efforts in Haiti need as much support as possible.

“This does not have to be a Muslim-centric cause; [Chicago’s Muslims] can open their wallets to all of their neighbors,” Ansari said.


And on and on and on. How many of us would live up to some of the acts here; how many of us have contributed to so many causes; how many of us do things just because they're right, not for any gain or to look good in the "eyes of god"?

For some, all this means nothing; for others, I hope this opens some eyes.

All this and more, again, can be found in the archives at just one site: http://muslimpositive.blogspot.com/ There are many more sites. I repeat; these things don't get coverage, because it's not the picture of Muslims our country wants to see. See it; read it; learn, please.

Oh, and while we're at it, internationally:

Saudia Arabia donates $500 million to UN World Food Program

After making huge profits from the soaring oil prices that have helped drive up the cost of food, Saudi Arabia announced yesterday it was making what the United Nations is calling an "unprecedented" gift of $500 million to the World Food Program.

But the Saudi pledge far outstrips the $109 million Canada has given to WFP so far this year, and more than meets the target of the program's April appeal following price increases of as much as 50 per cent for wheat, rice and other staples.

"This contribution completes the World Food Program's appeal target of $755 million to respond to the rise in fuel and food costs," UN spokeswoman Marie Okabe said.


Hippie Operative Nikovich Nikita Nicovna Talibani,
Contracted Agent of Veritas Oilspillus, code name “Nike”,
signing off




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Monday, September 13, 2010 9:26 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


What people don't realize, in misinterpreting and misreding the Qu'ran, or for that matter misrepresenting it (as happened recently in an article posted here), is that Islam is so ingrained and so much a part of their lives, that the BILLIONS of regular Muslims act in ways which reflect their faith and which others of lesser faith don't automatically react. You see:
Quote:
Fasting and charity are two of the five pillars of Islam.

"One of the rationales for (fasting) is, you feel the hunger and think, 'What about those people who have nothing to eat?"' said Abdullahi Ahmed, president of the Islamic Society of Portland.
It's not something we understand, this praying five times a day. And certainly, just like Christians, there are those who pray while they're actually thinking "I've got to remember to put bread on the shopping list", etc. How many of other faiths do this in church, too?

But their faith being so strong, the MAJORITY of them don't think twice about helping others, donating to charity, doing PERSONAL things which are part of the religion so huge in their lives. All we focus on is "Islam says they must conquer the world", "they stone women", etc., etc., when in fact these are vastly in the minority, and the majority by far live lives just like ours...with the addition that they follow the GOOD points of their religion without thinking about it.

I ask again; how many of us can live up to these ideals, or even think about them?

I in no way deny terrorism, extremists, or the sympathy many Muslims in other countries feel for negative things done to Americans. To an extent, those who sympathize have reason, but that's for another discussion. The fact is that there are more Muslims around the globe doing GOOD works than there are the minority of extremists and recruited terrorists who do bad things.


Hippie Operative Nikovich Nikita Nicovna Talibani,
Contracted Agent of Veritas Oilspillus, code name “Nike”,
signing off



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Tuesday, September 14, 2010 2:48 AM

KANEMAN

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Tuesday, September 14, 2010 2:51 AM

KANEMAN


How about this...Mad about a possible Quran burning, however the article talks of them burning churches....Hmmm


http://www.voanews.com/english/news/Indonesian-Muslims-Protest-Plans-t
o-Burn-Koran-on-September-11-102250384.html


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Tuesday, September 14, 2010 2:53 AM

KANEMAN

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Tuesday, September 14, 2010 2:58 AM

KANEMAN

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Tuesday, September 14, 2010 3:05 AM

DMAANLILEILTT


We get it, you hate Islam.

"I really am ruggedly handsome, aren't I?"

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Tuesday, September 14, 2010 3:05 AM

KANEMAN


Like this?..Hmmmm In Gaza


"Father Manuel Musallem, head of Gaza's Latin church, told the AP that Muslims have ransacked, burned and looted a school and convent that are part of the Gaza Strip's small Romany Catholic community. He told the AP that crosses were broken, damage was done to a statue of Jesus, and at the Rosary Sister School and nearby convent, prayer books were burned."

"Gunmen used the roof of the school during the fighting, and the convent was "desecrated," Mussalem told the AP."


"Father Musalam additionally told The Jerusalem Post that the Muslim gunmen used rocket-propeled grenades (RPGs) to blow through the doors of the church and school, before burning Bibles and destroying every cross they could get their hands on."



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Tuesday, September 14, 2010 3:08 AM

DMAANLILEILTT


Maybe you've noticed by now that we don't hate groups based on idividual actions.

"I really am ruggedly handsome, aren't I?"

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Tuesday, September 14, 2010 3:11 AM

DMAANLILEILTT


MOTHER OF GOD! Are you capable of getting all the shit you wanna say together before responding?

"I really am ruggedly handsome, aren't I?"

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Tuesday, September 14, 2010 4:29 AM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!


Quote:
Originally posted by dmaanlileiltt:
Maybe you've noticed by now that we don't hate groups based on idividual actions.

"I really am ruggedly handsome, aren't I?"


Nor do most, but when individual actions are repeated 100's and 1000's of times... it tends to lose its kook fringe flavor.

Also, drug cartels have been known to provide poor communities with all sorts of benefits that otherwise they'd not have, such as libraries, clinics, playgrounds and such...does that make what they do o.k. ?

I'm just sayin'.




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Tuesday, September 14, 2010 8:33 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


Quote:
Maybe you've noticed by now that we don't hate groups based on individual actions.
That’s the point.

As to individual actions being in the “100s and 1,000s”, from a combination of http://www.danielpipes.org/460/death-to-america and http://www.danielpipes.org/comments/13059 , I count 90 terrorist attacks by Muslims (or suspected Muslims) against American citizens since 1979. I can’t find a listing for ALL terrorist attacks, including international ones, but the concept of “thousands” is erroneous. I’m sure if they want, someone can find a more complete listing, but I reject the idea that it’s been thousands. Which is in no way to say there haven’t been many and that they are abhorrent.

A full list of terrorist attacks by ALL groups from 1800 forward can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_terrorist_incidents . If you count groups like the IRA, KKK, Red Brigade individual nutcases and others, it’s a pretty extensive list. This is in no way to say that the most recent acts of terrorism have been by and large committed by Muslim extremists. Just historical information; terrorism has been around for a very long time; long before it was called “terrorism”.

According to FBI files, which can be accessed through fbi.gov, only 6 percent of terrorists are Muslim. The remaining percentage of terrorist attacks on U.S. territory includes: Latinos at 42 percent, extreme Left Wing groups at 24 percent, Jewish extremists at 7 percent, Communists at 5 percent, and other terrorist organizations at 16 percent.

Five acts of terrorism by Muslims were linked or listed. Okay:
Quote:
Worldwide Muslim Condemnation of Terrorism

Prominent Muslim scholars, organizations and movements, representing the vast majority of Muslims worldwide, have repeatedly condemned terrorism, and have spoken out for peace and justice. Following is a very brief list of such open condemnation of terrorism, including statements issued in the wake of the heinous attacks on September 11.

The American Muslim Political Co-ordination Committee (AMPCC), which is a group of major American Muslim organizations, including ICNA (our parent organization), issued a statement on September 11, 2001 condemning the terrorist attacks. The AMPCC statement read in part:

"American Muslims utterly condemn what are vicious and cowardly acts of terrorism against innocent civilians. We join with all Americans in calling for the swift apprehension and punishment of the perpetrators. No political cause could ever be assisted by such immoral acts."

Prominent scholars worldwide have condemned terrorism as a heresy against Islam. The Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar University, the oldest seat of Islamic learning, Sheikh Muhammed Sayyed Tantawi, has repeatedly condemned terrorism. He said in the name of Islamic law, he rejected and condemned the aggression against innocent civilian people, regardless of whatever side, sect or country the aggression came from. Prominent scholars of Saudi Arabia, Shaykh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah bin Baz and Shaykh Uthaimeen, also condemned the terrorist attacks. Every other major scholar of Islam, has come out against the indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians.

Statements of Prominent Islamic Scholars

“Hijacking planes, terrorizing innocent people and shedding blood constitute a form of injustice that can not be tolerated by Islam, which views them as gross crimes and sinful acts"
- Shaykh Abdul Aziz al-Ashaikh (Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia and Chairman of the Senior Ulama, on September 15th, 2001)

“The terrorists acts, from the perspective of Islamic law, constitute the crime of hirabah (waging war against society)"
Sept. 27, 2001 fatwa, signed by:
- Shaykh Yusuf al-Qaradawi (Grand Islamic Scholar and Chairman of the Sunna and Sira Countil, Qatar)
- Judge Tariq al-Bishri, First Deputy President of the Council d'etat, Egypt
- Dr. Muhammad s. al-Awa, Professor of Islamic Law and Shari'a, Egypt
- Dr. Haytham al-Khayyat, Islamic scholar, Syria
- Fahmi Houaydi, Islamic scholar, Syria
- Shaykh Taha Jabir al-Alwani, Chairman, North America High Council

“Neither the law of Islam nor its ethical system justify such a crime."
- Zaki Badawi, Principal of the Muslim College in London. Cited in Arab News, Sept. 28, 2001.

"It is wrong to kill innocent people. It is also wrong to praise those who kill innocent people."
- Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai, Pakistan. Cited in NY Times, Sept. 28, 2001.

*Ingrid Mattson, a professor of Islamic studies and Muslim-Christian relations at Hartford Seminary in Hartford, said there was no basis in Islamic law or sacred text for Mr. bin Laden's remarks. "The basic theological distortion is that any means are permitted to achieve the end of protesting against perceived oppression."
- Dr. Ingrid Mattson, (President of the Islamic Society of North America)
Conclusion

Muslims stand united in their condemnation of terrorist attacks and any attempt to link their faith to heinous acts that question the humanity of the perpetrators. The vast majority of Muslims worldwide find in Islam, a faith that preaches devotion and good character, not one that calls for hatred towards fellow humans.
http://www.whyislam.org/Jihad/JihadFAQs/WhyarentMuslimsCondemning/tabi
d/117/Default.aspx
Quote:
American Muslims Denouncing Terrorism
Every few months another story hits the news: Terrorist plot uncovered, Muslims implicated. Since the tragedy of 9/11, Muslims have remained under intense scrutiny, and more than a few Americans have called the religion "evil." People still wonder: Why aren't Muslims saying--or doing--enough to condemn terrorism and violence? Is Islam really a religion of violence?

The truth is, American Muslims are constantly condemning terrorism and religious extremism, unambiguously and in the strongest possible ways. But, many Muslims complain, their words and actions are not being heard. So Beliefnet sought out some of the country's most prominent Muslims, who battle these misconceptions everyday:

Professor Akbar Ahmed, Islam Scholar
http://www.beliefnet.com/~/media/189D49EE5FAB40DFBE977901215957F4.ashx
?w=220&h=165

Last year, renowned Islam scholar Ahmed took two American college students on a journey through the Muslim world, seeking to understand what the Islamic world thought of the West. This seminal "Islam in the Age of Globalization" tour explored the resentment Muslims abroad feel toward the West and how those frustrations could be overcome through honesty, friendship, and dialogue. Ahmed is also the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies and a professor of international relations at American University.

"At the core of Islamic action is the notion of adl (justice). The name of God--and the core of the universe--is adl. When you don't have adl, you have imbalance, chaos and anarchy..."

Asra Q. Nomani, Muslim Feminist
http://www.beliefnet.com/~/media/1BD6070E55C94A9BB82D10F0B0358F67.ashx
?w=220&h=165

Nomani has been both hailed and denounced for her work as a feminist Muslim activist. In 2003, she challenged the leaders of her local mosque in Morgantown, W.V. to allow women to enter by the front door and pray alongside men. That protest led to her fight for women-led prayers and gender equality in mosques across the country. Though Nomani remains a controversial figure among American Muslims, her commitment to gender parity and support for a fair representation of Islam continues to attract attention.

"I get clarity about what Islam can be through the fact that one of Allah's 99 names is Al-Wadud, or ... 'The Loving One.' While it is easy to demonize Islam based on the actions of extremists, in reality our faith is founded on progressive principles ... "

Salam Al-Marayati, Political and Civic Leader
http://www.beliefnet.com/~/media/2C7CB3DBE4EE4FBAAD2979EDAA1A5AB2.ashx
?w=220&h=165

Al-Marayati is the man Muslims turn to for guidance in political and civic activism. As the executive director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, an organization dedicated to changing public opinion and policy, Al-Marayati has encouraged Muslims to get involved in anti-terrorism efforts like the National Grassroots Campaign to Fight Terrorism, which guides imams and mosque leaders to cooperate with law enforcement in exposing individuals with extremist ideas within the Muslim community.

"Non-Muslims should know that Islam is based on three things: The belief in One God, service to humanity, and the teachings of mercy, compassion, and justice. Islam has no room for terrorism, and Islam obligates us to counter terrorism. ... "

Daisy Khan, Activist
http://www.beliefnet.com/~/media/D7552F142C424743BA7D9852A3A8B202.ashx
?w=220&h=165

Khan, the founder of the American Society for Muslim Advancement, is a driving force behind youth and women's movements in American Islam. She organized the Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow (which advises youth to reconcile varying ideologies within Islam) and the Women's Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equity (WISE), a 2006 project that gathered 100 of the world's most influential Muslim women last year to develop a Shura (Muslim law) council to advance gender equality.

"Islam shares the ethical foundations of Christianity and Judaism: To love God and our fellow human being, commit to social justice, diversity, and pluralism, and struggle for moral uprightness. ... "

Imam Zaid Shakir, Religious Leader
http://www.beliefnet.com/~/media/03EE8B1F71544812B2D76C2117640A93.ashx
?w=220&h=165

This West-Coast imam and lecturer at the Zaytuna Institute in California is one of the country's most influential Muslim leaders and scholars. Shakir came of age during America's civil rights struggles and has spearheaded community anti-drug efforts as well as race-relations and anti-poverty initiatives. A popular college lecturer, Shakir commands attention with his Islamic knowledge and experience as a convert in this country. He is the author of "Scattered Pictures: Reflections of American Muslims."

"The Qur'an urges us to protect the sanctity of human life. Killing innocent humans, the essence of terrorism, is equated with murdering all of humanity. This is powerful incentive to fight against terrorism..."



Hippie Operative Nikovich Nikita Nicovna Talibani,
Contracted Agent of Veritas Oilspillus, code name “Nike”,
signing off



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Tuesday, September 14, 2010 1:15 PM

KWICKO

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." -- William Casey, Reagan's presidential campaign manager & CIA Director (from first staff meeting in 1981)


Quote:
Also, drug cartels have been known to provide poor communities with all sorts of benefits that otherwise they'd not have, such as libraries, clinics, playgrounds and such...does that make what they do o.k. ?



No, it just puts them light-years ahead of other criminal organizations like the GOP. ;)

AURaptor's Greatest Hits:

Friday, May 28, 2010 - 20:32 To AnthonyT:
Go fuck yourself.
On this matter, make no mistake. I want you to go fuck yourself long and hard, as well as anyone who agrees with you. I got no use for you.

Friday, May 28, 2010 - 18:26 To President Obama:
Mr. President, you're a god damn, mother fucking liar.
Fuck you, you cock sucking community activist piece of shit.
... go fuck yourself, Mr. President.

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Tuesday, September 14, 2010 2:32 PM

MAL4PREZ


And I guess this is actually the thread that I mean by your good works, Niki. Thank you! This is what we need - a chance to see Muslims as human beings and fellow, valuable Americans. I think a backlash to all the hate has begun, and thank goodness.

Did you see the story about a skateboarder who swiped a fuel-soaked Koran out of the hands of a hate monger about to light it? And the skate boarder said, before he ran away....

"Dude, you have no Koran!"

I'm not making this up.

http://www.zimbio.com/Jacob+Isom/articles/JPmbDhIxjFr/Jacob+Isom+Dude+
No+Quran

-----------------------------------------------
hmm-burble-blah, blah-blah-blah, take a left

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Tuesday, September 14, 2010 3:30 PM

DICKCHENEY


Quote:
Originally posted by kaneman:
Like this?

http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2010/09




Listen you lying shit eater! Noone believes your line of shit!



Go Fuck Yourself!

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Wednesday, September 29, 2010 3:27 PM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


For Trader...this was one of the threads to which I referred. There were numerous others, going into terrorist statistics and many other things. You can see how decently it was received and what "impact" it had (as in none).

It's an argument that will never cease; anyone who does not jump emthusiastically on the "All Muslims Are Terrorist" bandwagon is reviled. That will not change.


Hippie Operative Nikovich Nikita Nicovna Talibani,
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signing off



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Wednesday, September 29, 2010 4:51 PM

THEHAPPYTRADER


Hmm... I hope I didn't come off the wrong way in my post. If it's any consolation, it does have an impact on me. I don't believe all Muslims are evil and it is nice to see examples of that. I'm still wary of them on account of Islamic extremist being (relatively) common nowadays. Doesn't mean I would hate or not trust a guy I just met 'cause he was Muslim or anything though. I guess I should say groups of Muslims would make me more uneasy, but groups of Christians would as well (though admittedly, not in the same way).

I'm a devout Christian but I am not much a fan of any organized religion. I prefer sharing religion in small groups. More personal and honest I think that way.


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Thursday, September 30, 2010 3:58 AM

KANEMAN


Quote:
Originally posted by TheHappyTrader:
Hmm... I hope I didn't come off the wrong way in my post. If it's any consolation, it does have an impact on me. I don't believe all Muslims are evil and it is nice to see examples of that. I'm still wary of them on account of Islamic extremist being (relatively) common nowadays. Doesn't mean I would hate or not trust a guy I just met 'cause he was Muslim or anything though. I guess I should say groups of Muslims would make me more uneasy, but groups of Christians would as well (though admittedly, not in the same way).

I'm a devout Christian but I am not much a fan of any organized religion. I prefer sharing religion in small groups. More personal and honest I think that way.




You didn't come off wrong at all. Just a rational honest genius....Kinda happytraderish.

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Thursday, September 30, 2010 1:46 PM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


Nah...the only reasons I brought this back up was to show you that efforts to offer some of the positive things done every day by Muslims has no effect whatsoever. Glad you got something out of it, tho'.


Hippie Operative Nikovich Nikita Nicovna Talibani,
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Thursday, September 30, 2010 4:35 PM

GEEZER

Keep the Shiny side up


The thing is - most Muslims, and Christians, and Buddists, and Jews, and Hindus, and whatever, are nice people who'd go out of their way to help others or at least follow "live and let live".

Even athiests and agnostics such as I mostly fit that description of "help others and live and let live".

That being said, currently, if you (the worldwide you. Not related to any particular country) were to be killed by someone in the name of their religion, the killers would most likely be Muslim.

Maybe there are just points in the development of every religion where the more fanatical adherents decide that killing unbelievers is the way to go. Christians had that problem in the 1000-1500 C.E. period, what with the Crusades, the Inquisition, etc. Seems that some Muslims are doing the same now.

I also realize that a lot of the "religious" violence, from the Crusades to the IRA to Al Queda, is really caused by folks who have other motives than religion.

"Keep the Shiny side up"

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Friday, October 1, 2010 12:43 PM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


I don't disagree with any point. The argument that kept coming up, and which I was encouaged to refute with the stuff I posted, was that "All Muslims are terrorists", the hate and fear of Islam that is running rampant in our country today. Since all the good things don't make the news, it was an attempt to show them here. Nothing more.


Hippie Operative Nikovich Nikita Nicovna Talibani,
Contracted Agent of Veritas Oilspillus, code name “Nike”,
signing off



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Friday, October 1, 2010 1:19 PM

KWICKO

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." -- William Casey, Reagan's presidential campaign manager & CIA Director (from first staff meeting in 1981)


Quote:
Originally posted by Geezer:


That being said, currently, if you (the worldwide you. Not related to any particular country) were to be killed by someone in the name of their religion, the killers would most likely be Muslim.



And if you're in the U.S.A., the killers would most likely be Christian.

The modern definition of "socialist" is anyone who's winning an argument against a tea-bagger.

AURaptor's Greatest Hits:

Friday, September 24, 2010
I hate Obama's America. You're damn right about that.


Friday, May 28, 2010 - 18:26 To President Obama:
Mr. President, you're a god damn, mother fucking liar.
Fuck you, you cock sucking community activist piece of shit.
... go fuck yourself, Mr. President.

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Friday, October 1, 2010 4:51 PM

GEEZER

Keep the Shiny side up


Quote:
Originally posted by Kwicko:
And if you're in the U.S.A., the killers would most likely be Christian.


Don't think so, Mike, since I specified both "currently" and "in the name of their religion". If you have any cites that show more murders recently caused in the U.S. by Christians in the name of Christianity than, say, the first bombing of the WTC and 9/11, I'd like to see them.

"Keep the Shiny side up"

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Friday, October 1, 2010 6:23 PM

DMAANLILEILTT


When someone kills "for their religion" it's almost always politically motivated. Religion is just the excuse.

"I really am ruggedly handsome, aren't I?"

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Saturday, October 2, 2010 2:15 AM

USBROWNCOAT


Quote:
Originally posted by Niki2:
I don't disagree with any point. The argument that kept coming up, and which I was encouaged to refute with the stuff I posted, was that "All Muslims are terrorists", the hate and fear of Islam that is running rampant in our country today. Since all the good things don't make the news, it was an attempt to show them here. Nothing more.


Hippie Operative Nikovich Nikita Nicovna Talibani,
Contracted Agent of Veritas Oilspillus, code name “Nike”,
signing off





I'm looking around I can't find anyone saying "All Muslims are terrorists". Could you post a link to the thread. I'd like to know who said that for future reference.

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Saturday, October 2, 2010 2:30 AM

USBROWNCOAT


Quote:
Originally posted by Geezer:
Quote:
Originally posted by Kwicko:
And if you're in the U.S.A., the killers would most likely be Christian.


Don't think so, Mike, since I specified both "currently" and "in the name of their religion". If you have any cites that show more murders recently caused in the U.S. by Christians in the name of Christianity than, say, the first bombing of the WTC and 9/11, I'd like to see them.

"Keep the Shiny side up"


Yeah, that is a stupid statement or he can't read. You could add up all the murders in the US in a year, say ALL of the killers were Christians, assume they did All of the killings "in the name of Jesus", and the numbers would be similar too one day at the WTC. I don't have the stats of ALL the murders in the US, but I'll assume it's 3,000 to 5,000.

Infact, when was the last time we had an "in the name of Jesus" mass murder in the US? I know of a couple abortion Dr. killings that would fit the bill. Timothy Mcveigh has been disproven as a Christian(despite initial media speculation).

I only ask, because if I were to kill someone they may piont out I was a Christian. You know, My mother baptized me when I was an infant, and probablly not report I hadn't gone to church or prayed in the last 30+ years.

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Saturday, October 2, 2010 12:12 PM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


As far as "currently", we've already gone over the fact that only 6% of violent acts in America are committed by Muslims...Hispanics are way ahead at 24%.

As far as "in the name of their religion", it's apples and oranges. We are a Democracy (sort of), Islam is a theocracy. Despite the fact that our Christian Right would have it BE a theocracy, it isn't. Ergo "in the name of" whatever you want, politics, religion, nationality, racism, there are far more crimes in America committed by other than Muslims. The 9/11 violence was the act of a few people.

And yes, "All Muslims are terrorists" in essence IS the concept that's been argued, that you can't trust Muslims, Islam is a religion of violence and everyone who worships Allah is bent on conquering the whole world, even American Muslims "know what the 'Ground Zero Mosque' means", etc., etc. It is not stated in specific terms, but so close as to be the same, and it is the message we have been trying to show is not valid.


Hippie Operative Nikovich Nikita Nicovna Talibani,
Contracted Agent of Veritas Oilspillus, code name “Nike”,
signing off



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Saturday, October 2, 2010 12:14 PM

KWICKO

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." -- William Casey, Reagan's presidential campaign manager & CIA Director (from first staff meeting in 1981)


Quote:
Originally posted by USBrowncoat:
Quote:
Originally posted by Geezer:
Quote:
Originally posted by Kwicko:
And if you're in the U.S.A., the killers would most likely be Christian.


Don't think so, Mike, since I specified both "currently" and "in the name of their religion". If you have any cites that show more murders recently caused in the U.S. by Christians in the name of Christianity than, say, the first bombing of the WTC and 9/11, I'd like to see them.

"Keep the Shiny side up"


Yeah, that is a stupid statement or he can't read. You could add up all the murders in the US in a year, say ALL of the killers were Christians, assume they did All of the killings "in the name of Jesus", and the numbers would be similar too one day at the WTC. I don't have the stats of ALL the murders in the US, but I'll assume it's 3,000 to 5,000.


Then that's a stupid assumption on your part.

http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/uscrime.htm


More like around 16,000 per year in the good ol' USA.

Now, you've just stipulated that you'll give me ALL of the murders in the U.S. as ALL being done by Christians "in the name of Jesus". So, given that it's been 9 years since 9/11, and an average of around 16,000 murders per year, I get to put 144,000 murders in the U.S. on Christian-based religious motives, right? Heck, if fewer than 1 in 10 of them were ACTUALLY done by Christians for religious reasons, that still nets me fourteen grand of dead folk.

1 in 10 is actually doing Christians a favor, since latest results show that 76% of Americans self-identify as "Christian" in polling and census data.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_the_United_States#Religio
ns_of_American_adults



By the way, McVeigh was indeed a Christian. Catholic, to be precise.

And heck, someone *might* just identify you as a Muslim, too - even if you drink booze, smoke cigarettes, attend a "radical" Christian church and hadn't been to a mosque in 30+ years... ;)


The modern definition of "socialist" is anyone who's winning an argument against a tea-bagger.

AURaptor's Greatest Hits:

Friday, September 24, 2010
I hate Obama's America. You're damn right about that.


Friday, May 28, 2010 - 18:26 To President Obama:
Mr. President, you're a god damn, mother fucking liar.
Fuck you, you cock sucking community activist piece of shit.
... go fuck yourself, Mr. President.

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Saturday, October 2, 2010 4:03 PM

GEEZER

Keep the Shiny side up


Quote:
Originally posted by Niki2:
As far as "currently", we've already gone over the fact that only 6% of violent acts in America are committed by Muslims...Hispanics are way ahead at 24%.

As far as "in the name of their religion", it's apples and oranges. We are a Democracy (sort of), Islam is a theocracy.


But you started this thread arguing that Muslims actually are "The Religion of Peace" based on the good acts they perform as part of their belief in Islam. If some Muslims also commit bad acts as part of their belief in Islam, or claim to do so, shouldn't that also be acknowledged?

I'm certainly not saying all Muslims, or a majority of Muslims, or even more than an tiny minority of Muslims commit bad acts due to their belief, or for other reasons under color of being for their beliefs. However, I'm pretty sure that currently there are more Muslims than any other faith committing acts of violence worldwide that they claim, either as true believers or as an excuse for political or economic action, that they're doing in the name of their religion.

I've also noted that I think Christianity has gone through this phase in the 1000-1500 C.E. period. It may be that a millenium or so into a more active faith's life, the urge to convert or kill the unbeliever comes up.



"Keep the Shiny side up"

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Saturday, October 2, 2010 4:38 PM

KWICKO

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." -- William Casey, Reagan's presidential campaign manager & CIA Director (from first staff meeting in 1981)


Quote:
Originally posted by USBrowncoat:

I'm looking around I can't find anyone saying "All Muslims are terrorists". Could you post a link to the thread. I'd like to know who said that for future reference.



Y'know, I'm looking around, too, and I can't find any liberals saying they hate America. Odd that we always get accused of it by the worthless dildoes on the right, huh?

In fact, the ONLY person I've seen around here who says they hate America is your pal Rappy. He came right out and said that he hates his country for electing a black man President.

'Course, he also said that it really bugs him that Obama's black, too...

The modern definition of "socialist" is anyone who's winning an argument against a tea-bagger.

AURaptor's Greatest Hits:

Friday, September 24, 2010
I hate Obama's America. You're damn right about that.


Friday, May 28, 2010 - 18:26 To President Obama:
Mr. President, you're a god damn, mother fucking liar.
Fuck you, you cock sucking community activist piece of shit.
... go fuck yourself, Mr. President.

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