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Islam - an introduction Dear Muslim Salaam and welcome to you, if you have come to this page via a search engine. However, you should know that this page is by Christians and aimed at Christians and does not presume to lecture you about your faith. The object is to introduce Christians to the concepts of Islam which are held by some, but not all Muslims. Please accept our apologies if any of the following does not apply to you. From responses to this page it is clear that there are issues which we could profitably discuss, so the new page, "Dear Muslim" is an attempt to meet that need.
There has recently been considerable interest in Islam. Prince Charles wishes to be the King of a multi-faith Britain and visits mosques and Islamic study centres. Various television programmes are screened, giving a positive picture of Islam. Various Inter-Faith forums are being set up.
The World Trade Centre attack, carried out by Islamic terrorists led by Osama bin Laden has caused more concern about the realities of Islam, as ordinary citizens are now starting to experience the fear so familiar to the Israelis. Sadly, there were attacks, abuse and even murders of ordinary Muslims in the USA and other western nations. Our leaders rightly plead that such attacks should not happen in civilized countries but they also make some ill informed pronouncements. The purpose of this page is to seek the truth. (See Footnote 1)
So what is the reality of Islam, and militant Islam?
What do the Qur'an (Koran), the Hadith and the Sunna say ? (see footnote 2)
What does it mean for us ?
What does it mean for the Muslim living in your street?
Please note . . . . Islam is not monolithic - there are different denominations and beliefs.
The name "Islam" means "Peace" (George Bush and Tony Blair)
The word "Islam" means Submission, and "Muslim" means one who submits.
This submission is no mere word; it is central to Islam, personally for the believer, in the family (to the patriarch) and for a wife (to an extent which western women can not comprehend). "Submission" is also a world- wide component of Islam. This is associated with "Jihad" (so called Holy War). The world is divided into only two categories in Islam "the house of peace", those nations in submission to Allah and Islam, and "the house of war", those nations not under Islam. The duty of every Muslim is to work towards the whole world coming into "the house of peace". This may be accomplished by winning over converts, but failing that, by force of arms.
The "Five Pillars of Islam".
Visitors to a mosque will be told of the five pillars of Islam, "Belief, Prayer, Almsgiving, Fasting and Pilgrimage", but there are actually six.
Jihad is the sixth pillar; Jihad meaning "holy war" or struggle. It may be that many Muslims in the West see the struggle as spiritual and are horrified by acts of terrorism, but that may be why they chose to live in the West. Many Muslims in western countries came to escape from the excesses of fundamentalist nations. However, Jihad and Submission are deep in Islam and both may be demanded of them when the time is right. A Pastor in the USA got into terrible trouble for pointing out the violence implicit in Islam, but look for yourself at the writings and the history of its Prophet, an you will find a story of violence and cruelty.
The wife of Britain's Prime Minister told an interfaith gathering that the use of the term "Jihad" is an example of insidious prejudice and that the word means "struggle". "Jihad" does indeed mean struggle, but taken in its context in the Koran and in the preaching of Muslim clerics (video clips with translations available on www.memri.org) it clearly means an armed struggle against non-Muslims and especially the Jews.
In 2002, thirty wars were raging in the world, of which twenty eight were Islamic. Three hundred suicide bombings had been carried out by Islamic militants in fourteen countries. (it is not just a Palestinian phenomenon)
In these Islamic Jihad wars there is no permissible outcome other than victory - Peace agreements are tolerated under the concept of "hudna". Hudna is the principle that it is all right to make a truce with an enemy who is too strong, in order to build up strength to attack again once the odds are favourable. Mohammed used a hudna against Medina. Land once held by Islam and then lost, may never be allowed to remain in the hands of infidels. The Oslo Peace Accord, the "road map" and other peace processes should be viewed in the light of hudna.
Islam is a faith of culture and beauty
The BBC recently broadcast a beautifully produced series, "Islam, Empire of Faith" which was screened during a week featuring various programmes about Islam and Muslims. It is indisputable that Islam has left much architecture and art of great beauty and the producers had many beautiful images of worship and life. However, the lushness of the production revealed its blatant advocacy of Islam instead of a serious study its the history, achievements beliefs and practices. Not one critical word was said, and unpleasant facts of history were completely ignored. The use of the word "Empire" is accurate, however. Islam is much more than just a personal religion; it is a complete system of government and legal system (Sharia). The Islamic Empire rose in place of the Roman Empire.
Islam, we were assured, was a benign conqueror and always built on the civilizations it took over, allowing existing religions to continue. Certainly the architectural heritage from these times is magnificent but this overlooks the religious persecution practiced even to this day in Muslim dominated lands. Did the producers assume viewers could not remember abuses such as those suffered by western women who married Muslims and later regretted it? (see below)
Deception (The Arabic word is Taqiya - "Guarding oneself")
The Muslim is allowed to practice deception in three areas - In military matters, in matters concerning his wife, and in matters concerning his faith. The West is willingly having the third form of deception practiced upon it in very concerted but subtle ways.
Islam, Christianity and Judaism are the three great monotheistic religions, and all worship the same god
This is an matter of argument and the use of words.
Arabic has just one word for the supreme God, "Allah", and thus in any translation of Judeo-Christian writing the name of God will be translated as Allah.
The sacred books of Islam include the Torah, the Psalms, the Gospels as well as the Qur'an, which they believe was the word of Allah revealed to Mohammed through the archangel Gabriel.
The Ka'aba in Mecca, to which Muslims pray five times a day, is believed to have been erected by Abraham and Ishmael after Abraham had been about to sacrifice Ishmael at God's command but was prevented at the last minute and sacrificed a ram instead. (Note that Ishmael replaces Isaac in the account known to Jews and Christians) The Ka'aba is a huge square edifice in Mecca, which held the 360 tribal gods of Arabia (one for each day of the lunar year) until Mohammed and his followers smashed all but Allah, (originally al-Ilahi, the Moon God - the reason for the crescent on the top of mosques)
How can Allah be the same god as YHVH, the God of Israel, worshipped by Jews and Christians, if he demands his followers destroy first the Saturday people (Jews) and then the Sunday people (Christians)? (this doctrine is not for western consumption of course, but is chanted, in Arabic, with great fervour after Friday prayers.) (The Qur'an actually calls for the pagans to be slaughtered first and "the people of the book" to be slaughtered at judgment day if they fail to convert to Islam.)
The Qur'an repeatedly affirms that Allah has no son, and this is inscribed around the inside of the Dome of The Rock in Jerusalem - How can this be the same god as the Father of Jesus / Yeshua the Messiah?
See Muslims and Jesus for further, surprising, discussion of Islam's teachings.
Jerusalem is not mentioned once in the Qur'an, although it is mentioned 657 times in the Jewish Tanakh (Old Testament) and 154 times in the New Testament. Jordan controlled Temple Mount from 1948-1967 and during that time no Arab state made Jerusalem its capital and no Arab leader went to pray there. The Temple Mount only became "the third holiest site in Islam" after that time.
The Qur'an, in Sura 17:1 says, "Glory be to Him who made his servant (Mohammed) go by night from the Sacred Mosque to the farthest Mosque." The sacred mosque is in Mecca, but calling Jerusalem the farthest mosque is strange, since there was no mosque in Jerusalem (nor any Islamic presence) in the time of Mohammed or until sixty years after his death. It is not clear whether the night journey should be taken to be a vision or a literal journey, but was the occasion when Mohammed became the "last prophet". There are many verses from the Q'ran in the Dome of the Rock, but none referring to Mohammed's visit.
The Qur'an says that Israel is the home of the Jews, but Islam as practiced today is committed to driving out or destroying the Jews.
Mohammed's followers originally faced towards Jerusalem to pray, out of reverence to the God of their ancestor Abraham. When the Jews in Medina refused to accept Mohamed as a prophet he put them all to the sword and decreed that his followers should pray facing the Kaaba in Mecca. In Jerusalem, Muslims may be seen praying with their backs to the Dome of the Rock.
The Qur'an says that Israel belongs to the Jews /Israel . . . .
Moses said unto his people (the Israelites): "Remember the good deeds that Allah has done for you, who appointed and gave you prophets and rulers, something he has not given to any other nation in the world; and now, my people (the Israelites), enter the Holy Land which Allah has destined for you. Do not turn back because otherwise you might be doomed and come to ruin." Surah 5:20-21
Then we let the people (Israel), who were despised, inherit the Eastern and western parts of the land which we had blessed. And the fair word of the Lord was fulfilled for the children of Israel because of their endurance. Surah 7:137
Then we said to the children of Israel: "Dwell in the land, and when the promise of the hereafter will be fulfilled, we shall bring you as a crowd gathered out of various nations." Surah 17:104
. . . . . but not many Muslims can or do quote these verses!
Islam is a tolerant faith, which respects other faiths. Islam in the USA and UK is peaceful, if not tolerant. It has to be while it is a minority faith. Watch the news (even our biased media) for a while and note what happens in lands where Islam is the state or even majority faith. Muslims converting to Christianity are murdered by their families. Saudi Arabia regularly beheads people publicly for offences we would hardly consider capital. Young women are kidnapped or become victims of "honour killings" by their families for departing from marriage traditions. In just one week in August 2002, in Pakistan, Islamic groups attacked the Muree Christian School and shot dead six people, and bombed a Christian Hospital causing more deaths.
The riots around the world in early 2006, over cartoons depicting Mohammed, were an orchestrated campaign against the western world. The cartoons appeared in September but the riots suddenly erupted in February. (Hardly spontaneous) On 18th February, fifty Christians were murdered and thirty churches were burned down in Nigeria. In moderate United Kingdom there was an ugly demonstration outside an embassy in London, with placards calling for massacres and beheadings. This was particularly significant in the United Kingdom, where a religious hatred bill had recently been (miraculously) amended to prevent its being used by Muslims to silence other faiths. The demonstrations succeeded in intimidating the government and the police, while "moderate" protests sought to persuade the government to amend the law to prohibit depictions of Mohammed. The United Kingdom's Muslim population joined the world wide Muslim community to push for Muslim religious practice and taboos to be imposed on non Muslims.
The Barnabas fund ( www.barnabasfund.org ) monitors the suffering of Christians in Muslim lands and seeks to alert Christians in order that they may support their suffering brethren in prayer. It is said that a Christian, somewhere, dies for his (or her) faith every three minutes. (Barnabas Fund believes this figure may be slightly high)
Feature articles and letters to the editor have abounded in the broadsheet newspapers of Britain, arguing about the real nature of Islam. One letter quoted Surah 18:29 of the Qur'an in support of the claimed tolerance of Islam, "Proclaim this is the truth from your Lord; whoever will believe, let them believe, and whoever will let them disbelieve." Subsequently another letter pointed out that Surah 18:29 continues, "Verily, we have prepared for the disbelievers a Fire whose walls will be surrounding them. And if they ask for help (relief, water etc) they will be granted water like boiling oil that will scald their faces. Terrible the drink and an evil resting place." Selective use of parts of Qur'an verses hardly constitutes a frank inter-faith dialogue!
The Qur,an also says,
"Those that make war against Allah and his apostles and spread disorders in the land shall be put to death or crucified or have their hands and feet cut off on alternate sides, or be banished from the country" Qur'an 5:33
"It is not for any prophet to have prisoners until he has made wide slaughter in the land" Qur'an 8:68
"Prophet, make war on the unbelievers and hypocrites and deal sternly with them. Hell shall be their home, evil their fate" Qur'an 66:9
Mohammed was succeeded by Omar, who produced a charter laying down the conditions under which Jews had to live. The same charter applied to Christians, and it was applied down through the centuries. The non-Muslims had the status of Dhimmi. They were :- 1) forbidden to touch the Qur'an, 2) required to wear distinctive clothing and 3) a yellow badge, 4) not allowed to practice their religion in public, 5) not allowed to own a horse, 6) to bury their dead without public grieving, 7) to pay special taxes, 8) not allowed to defend themselves against a Moslem, or, 9) to testify against a Moslem, 10) forbidden to build new synagogues, 11) not allowed to have houses or tombs higher than those of Moslems, 12) to have their graves level with the ground so that anyone could walk over them.
When Jordan, illegally, occupied Jerusalem from 1948-1967, all Jewish residents were expelled and barred from the Western Wall. The Jewish Quarter was destroyed, including 58 synagogues. Around three quarters of the tombstones on the Mount of Olives Jewish cemetery were dismantled and used as army latrines. This was done under King Hussein, the most moderate of Arab rulers. Joseph's Tomb was desecrated by the Palestinians. (See www.shechem.org/kyos/engkyos.html for pictures )
In their drive to dominate Sudan, Muslims have killed two million Christians, many by their version of crucifixion. (The offender has his hands nailed to a tree above his head. A man comes up with two swords, cries "Allah Akbah" and cuts the victim in half)
See Footnote 3 concerning Islamic tolerance in western nations.
Muslims living in the West are not militants like those in Muslim lands.
Muslims respect the religious freedom of the West.
This may well be true; they may have fled the extremist lands. However, as reported in the Daily Telegraph on October 13th, "Terrorist recruitment and fundraising by Islamic militants, centred on a London mosque were ignored for years by British security services. . . Several suspects arrested in the global swoop on al-Queda network have connections with the Finsbury Park mosque." The informant said that the mosque is respectable at the times of prayer, when ordinary worshippers are present but is used for preaching hatred and instructing in terror the rest of the time. Britain refused to extradite the imam to countries where he is wanted on charges of forming terrorist groups. When the trial of Imam Abu Hamza was concluded and sub-judice evidence was made public, it was found that the Finsbury Park mosque had contained many inappropriate items of terrorist paraphanalia. Apparently the UK government believes we can tolerate the preaching of hatred in mosques, as our tolerance will be respected and the presence of Muslims will protect us from attacks.
A survey of 1170 Muslims randomly sampled in various cities in Britain in late 2001 produced the following statistics (published on teletext news)
40% felt Osama bin Laden had cause to wage war on the USA.
11% thought there was justification for the September 11th attack on USA.
40% thought UK Muslims fighting for the Taliban are right.
96% thought the alliance bombing of the Taliban in Afghanistan should stop.
September 11th is commemorated by a Muslim group in England.
Christian evangelists preaching on the streets of East London were arrested by the Police at the insistence of the Muslims living in the area, who claimed to be offended.
Islam must be taught in Britain's schools, along with other religions, but it may not be taught critically as all other religions are.
The BBC has a list of questions about Islam which must not be discussed. (censorship) The restrictions on Christian satellite channels are even worse, driving them from the UK.
A Christian speaker on his own Christian satellite TV programme is often taken "off the air" by "technical difficulties" whenever he addresses unpleasant issues about Islam.
See Footnote 3
The position of Women in Islam
Under Islamic Law, a Muslim woman is worth half as much as a Muslim man. (A Christian or Jewish man is also worth half a Muslim man, and a Christian or Jewish woman is worth half as much as the Christian or Jewish man. Pagans are worth half as much as Christians or Jews.) This means that a Christian woman raped by a Muslim man would need four Muslim men to testify on her behalf !
From time to time, western women fall for rich, charming, intelligent men from Muslim backgrounds. There are too many testimonies of problems that follow to explore here. However it should be mentioned that once back home with his family, the man is most likely to change from a western attitude to a hard line Muslim attitude. The Qur'an instructs husbands as follows, "Men have authority over women because Allah has made the one superior to the other, and because they spend their wealth to maintain them. Good women are obedient. They guard their unseen parts because Allah (God) has guarded them. As for those from whom you fear disobedience, admonish them and send them to beds apart and beat them." Qur'an chapter IV verse 34. Wife beating is dutifully carried out. Women have no rights or protection under sharia law.
(A Muslim friend tells me that this wife beating should be carried out using a miswak, a stick the size of a toothbrush)
The Bible calls on wives to submit to their husbands, but the husband is commanded to love his wife as Christ loved the Church. We know how costly that was.
African people and Islam
Many African Americans feel an affinity for Islam, especially among the prison population. The 2001 Durban conference sought to punish white nations for the sins of the past concerning slavery. What never comes out was the role of Islam in setting up the slave trade and its present day involvement in slave trading as part of its ethnic cleansing of Christian and Animist black Africans from Sudan.
Islamic Eschatology (end times prophecy)
Muhammad foretold the advent of one of his descendants, Al Mahdi (the guided one), who will materialize when the Muslim believers are severely oppressed in every corner of the world. He will fight the oppressors, unite the Muslims, bring peace and justice to the world and rule over the Arabs.
According to The Qur’an and Hadith, Mahdi will be from among the family of the Prophet and will appear in one night just before the Day of Judgment. He will escape from Madina to Mekkah where people will pledge allegiance to him, especially the Iraqi people, and he will fight in battles. He will rule over the Arabs for seven years and spread justice and equity on earth and eradicate tyranny and oppression. He will lead a prayer in Mekkah in which Jesus play a supporting role.
Hazrat Isa bin Maryam (Jesus) is the Promised Messiah, and his advent will be a sign for the closeness of the Day of Judgment (Quran, 43:61). Jesus will descend among Muslims, near the White Eastern Minaret of Damascus and he will pray behind Imam Mahdi. Jesus will fight with, chase, and kills Dajjal (the Anti-Christ) at the gate of Ludd, and then rule justly according to the Laws of Islam (not the Gospel). The People of the Book (Jews and Christians) will accept Jesus as a Messenger of Allah and will embrace Islam (Quran 4:159). The Cross (Christianity) and Jizyah tax (on non-Muslims) will be abolished. Jesus will defeat Gog and Magog. Everyone will be well off and hatred, jealousy, and grudges will disappear. Messiah will perform Hajj, get married, have children, and die after living on earth for 40 years and be buried in a grave next to Mohammed. Afterwards, all believers will die before the advent of the Day of Judgment.
What should our attitude be towards Muslims? It would be all too easy to become xenophobic and hateful towards them. Do not forget that the people who suffer most in Islamic states are the ordinary Muslims. With so much of the world's oil in Islamic lands the people should be enormously prosperous, but most actually live in Dark Ages poverty.
David Pawson has been given a message for Britain's church today. Our Lord has put his finger on the reasons why Islam is overtaking us and why Britain is heading towards becoming a Muslim country. This challenging teaching is available on six audio cassettes, entitled
The Spiritual Vacuum
Islam's attractions
Sounding the Alarm
Reality
Relationship
Righteousness
Listening to these talks it seems that we Christians are sleeping while Islam is wide awake. There are various reasons why Islam appeals, but one is that it comes over better than the faith we are living out in our lands. In these talks, David Pawson explains both the challenges and the essential truths of our faith with great clarity and goes on to explain the significance of the "Three Rs". If we can humble ourselves before God and live in His fullness then Muslims will see in us what they lack - in a way they are not able to at present.
Persecution is coming, but why should that surprise us. Jesus promised it and we know how it really wakes up the church.
Many will urge tolerance and acceptance of the faith of Muslims living in our community. The word "Islamophobia" is used to imply that anyone who speaks against Islam is a kind of racist, and hater of Muslims. This is missing the point ! We must love and accept the Muslim as a fellow human being and sinner for whom Christ died, but we are not to deny the death of Jesus by accepting the validity of another faith. If Islam can save its followers from condemnation, Jesus died for nothing and was deluded when he said, "I am the way the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father except by me." If Jesus was right, the Muslim needs Jesus and we will be withholding salvation if we deny the uniqueness of our gospel in order to be "inclusive" and politically correct.
Pray for the world's Muslims, and the Muslims in our own nations, that the Holy Spirit will move mightily among them. Remember, they are very precious to our heavenly Father. Remember also that He was very gracious towards us in that Christ died for us while we were yet sinners, will he not be the same towards them?
Jesus said that one could not go and rob a strong man unless he had first been bound. If we want to see precious souls plundered from the grasp of Allah we must be earnest in prayer that he is bound. Our God is able to do miraculous things if we will believe and pray. See Christine Darg's book, "The Jesus Visions" for a taste. Contact www.exploits.tv or www.jesusvisions.org for details. Although the battle is getting fierce, we must remember whose God is greater; more Muslims have been saved in the last fourteen years than were in the previous fourteen hundred!
With acknowledgment to Richard Booker's "The Battle for Truth" , which explores "the myth of Palestine", "The myth of Al-Quds", "The myth of Arab refugees", "The myth of Moslem tolerance", "The myth of Yasser Arafat". See Internet for a contact to obtain a copy.
It is possible to obtain a very reasonably priced English translation of the Koran from www.amazon.com .
Victor Mordecai is in a position to understand what is really involved in Fundamental Islam. Visit his website at www.vicmord.com , for an introduction, or to purchase his books and videos.
Home page Beginners guide Israel in Today's World
Footnote 1
Important warning
Wildolive, through this page, is not seeking to incite Islamophobia or racial/religious hatred, but urging Christians to be aware of the reality behind Islam. We should not panic or engage in worldly political action like opposing the building of mosques or seeking legal protection for our religious freedom at the expense of theirs (a dangerous two edged sword).
We have a saviour who has won the victory and we must trust in Him. A billion souls are captives of Islam and need our saviour - they need our prayers.
Footnote 2
The Hadith is the collected sayings of Mohammed and accounts of some of his deeds. (The word Hadith is both singular and plural)
Sunna are the teachings common in Islam, from whatever origin.
Footnote 3
Note that Islam in western nations is growing very aggressive in propagating its "victimized minority" role. It is strange to see an intolerant religion using all available forms of pressure to stifle other faiths by calling on western values of tolerance. The introduction of religious hatred legislation would play straight into the hands of those who seek to stifle all other faiths. Street evangelists are already being arrested for preaching Jesus, when some Muslims claim to be offended.
CAN YOU AS A MODERATE MUSLIM AGREE THAT RADICAL MUSLIMS ARE TARNISHING THE ISLAM OF PEACE TO ISLAM OF HATE ....
AND IM ONLY AFTER YOUR VIEWS /W/SALAAMS
Posts: 4597 | Registered: Jun 2006
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what a long topic i read the first and the last paragraph, so what's ur point briefly?
-------------------- Always remembering that we are nothing without His Merciful hand over us. Posts: 284 | From: gods heaven | Registered: Aug 2006
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not sure actually do you think that islam is becoming a nation of haters ..and only wanting to colonise ,you think by having radical muslims its taking the best stem out of islam ,,ok feed me back thanx .
Posts: 4597 | Registered: Jun 2006
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am sick and tired of commenting on religious books, they are a done deal and i chose mine so be it
-------------------- Always remembering that we are nothing without His Merciful hand over us. Posts: 284 | From: gods heaven | Registered: Aug 2006
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