Petition of Peace

I would like to encourage everyone to sign this petition!! And to pass it on to friends and family. Blog about it, email it, surely we can get a lot of signatures on it.  You can find the person’s who wrote the petition here, and the petition itself here. 

I won’t go as far as saying that the pledge is my religion, however surely peace is what any religion should stand for.  In the Christian Bible, Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” Matthew 5:9 

In my endeavor during the last year, I have seen plenty of people who do not believe in peace, or even that a certain religion calls for peace.  Some have even gone as far to say that certain religions, or all religions should be banned altogether.  But I have also met people that do and are peacemakers, and that share that belief, from every Abrahamic religion and non-religion.  Do you think that, that’s what Jesus was talking about??  I have always been taught that God is love, I believe that.  Too bad we all can’t. 

To Christians;  As we head into this holiday season, may we all remember what Jesus was sent to earth for, and to learn to be more Christ like. 

My main question in regards to the petition is, does that mean food as well??  Because, I am a great steak lover lol. 

http://towelianism.wordpress.com/2007/10/15/sign-this-petition-principles-of-peace/   

Gog and Magog and The Differing Views Amongst Muslims

Before we get to far into Islam’s Gog and Magog, I wanted to put this up. The following posts are from 2 Muslim websites, the links are below. To my Muslim readers, there will be some posts where I will ask you to comment on whether the information is widely accepted and how much is or is not. In addition, some of what I am putting up, may seem offensive to Muslims and non-Muslims alike, it is not meant to be. I am merely putting up what each text/site/person believes, so take it for that.

I found this post to be interesting and refreshing, as I hear so much against the Jews in particular.

Don’t Blame The Jews

Another disturbing trend that is heavily propagated by extremists and accepted by many naive Arabs and Muslims is the blaming of all Muslim problems on the Jews. There are numerous examples for this but most recently news broadcasts out of Iraq quoted Iraqi victims of violence who blamed the bombings on Jews or a Jewish conspiracy.Many Arabs and Muslims still blame the 9-11 attacks on a Jewish conspiracy that was allegedly perpetrated to demonize Arabs and Muslims in the eyes of the world.

One of the most recent and tragic examples of unjustified hate towards Jews was the brutal murder of Daniel Pearl. Daniel Pearl was a journalist murdered by Islamic extremists in Pakistan who had never met a Jew, and the only knowledge they had about Jews was the tireless propaganda from Muslim extremists throughout the world blaming Jews for all of the world’s problems. The extremists targeted and murdered Daniel Pearl because he was a Jew.

Our research indicates that one of the modern origins of this trend is the mutual demonization by Israelis and Arabs of each other to gain global support for each other’s causes. This pattern includes the Arab media’s ceaseless reference to the falsified document, the Protocols of Zion. The Coalition strongly urges Muslims and Arabs to refrain from demonizing Jews and stop blaming Jews for all of the world’s problems. The Coalition also urges Israelis to stop demonizing Arabs and Muslims who peacefully advocate for the rights of Palestinians. http://pressthat.wordpress.com/2007/10/02/dont-blame-the-jews/

.((this is my comment on the above, in case it isn’t ‘outdented’)) I showed in my post ‘Israel, Prophecy, and The End Times’, that some Muslims have no problem with Israel. I wanted to show this post before putting up the next one, to remind you that not every Muslim is against Israel or the Jews, and the same can be said about Christians. Not every Christian is for Israel or Jews, (in this I believe Christians are wrong and not following the Word).

Here is some interesting stuff but it is considered unorthodox and infamous amongst Muslim scholars for its number 19 theory. Still, it shows the differing views of different Muslims. And I can’t say that everything he has to say is wrong in the main Islamic belief, because I have seen some of his views on other websites, which we will be getting too.

Who Are Gog And Magog

The Quran refers to Gog & Magog twice in Quran, in 18:94 & 21:96. It is a great blessing upon us that we have some additional information about Gog & Magog through Dr. Rashad Khalifa, God’s Messenger of the Covenant. Below are the relevant verses for this topic taken from Dr. Khalifa’s English translation of Quran.

[18:93] When he reached the valley between two palisades, he found people whose language was barely understandable.
[18:94] They said, “O Zul-Qarnain, Gog and Magog are corruptors of the earth. Can we pay you to create a barrier between us and them?”
[18:95] He said, “My Lord has given me great bounties. If you cooperate with me, I will build a dam between you and them.
[18:96] “Bring to me masses of iron.” Once he filled the gap between the two palisades, he said, “Blow.” Once it was red hot, he said, “Help me pour tar on top of it.”
[18:97] Thus, they could not climb it, nor could they bore holes in it.
[18:98] He said, “This is mercy from my Lord. When the prophecy of my Lord comes to pass, He will cause the dam to crumble. The prophecy of my Lord is truth.”
[18:99] At that time, we will let them invade with one another, then the horn will be blown, and we will summon them all together.

Footnote for 18:94-98: One of my duties as God’s Messenger of the Covenant is to state that Gog and Magog, the final sign before the end of the world, will reappear in 2270 AD (1700 AH), just 10 years before the end. Note that Gog and Magog occur in Suras 18 and 21, precisely 17 verses before the end of each sura, representing 17 lunar centuries (see 72:27 and Appendix 25).

[21:95] It is forbidden for any community we had annihilated to return.
[21:96] Not until Gog and Magog reappear, will they then return – they will come from every direction.
[21:97] That is when the inevitable prophecy will come to pass, and the disbelievers will stare in horror: “Woe to us; we have been oblivious. Indeed, we have been wicked.”

Footnote for 21:96: By the year 2270 AD, thanks to God’s mathematical miracle in the Quran (Appendix 1), America will be the heart of Islam, and billions around the globe will have believed in the Quran (9:33, 41:53, 48:28, 61:9). Gog and Magog (allegorical names of villainous communities), will be the only bastions of heathenism, and they will attack the submitters. That is when the world will end (15:87, 18:94, Appendix 25). Gog and Magog are mentioned in 18:94 & 21:96, 17 verses before the end of each sura; this may indicate the time of their appearance.

. One of the things I have noticed is that this person believes that anyone using the Hadiths and Sunnah’s are wrong and that the Quran spoke against it. He uses scripture that I thought was suppose to refer to non-Muslims. At least that is the way it was told to me, but it was told to me by Islamists so who knows. Some of his explanations on why he only uses the Quran seem to make sense. I also know that there are many different sects in Islam, and many different views as you will see. Suffice to say, he is not alone in his interpretations, there are others who use only the Quran. We will get into his number theory in the future.

This guy sees that all religion should be allowed to be freely worshiped, others obviously do not. And one in particular feels that everyone who isn’t Muslim is possibly Gog and Magog, we will be getting to his stuff.

The person who wrote this also said; “USA as a society and as a nation practices God’s laws as laid out in the Quran, more so, than any other nation in the world. He follows that comment with those great words from the pledge, One Nation, Under God, Indivisible, With Liberty And Justice For All. So you see, as I have said over and over, not all Muslims think alike. Anyway, moving on to the next concept of Gog Magog. Too bad more don’t think like these 2.

One more thing, I want to set the record straight on a couple of things. #1 Christians are NOT polytheist which is the standard theme in Islam. #2 I really want Muslims to understand one simple fact, just because the west is considered Christian, does not mean that all Westerners are Christian. In Muslim nations the majority of people are Muslim, their nation revolves around the religion for the most part. Most people attend mosque, most people pray 5 times a day, most people follow the pillars. So, because of that, most Muslims who live in Muslim nations seem to think that Christian nations do the same thing in regards to Christianity…THEY DON’T. There are a number of Christians for sure, but not all are devout or follow the same beliefs as the other. Please keep this in mind before you lump all Westerners in the same basket!! And the same goes for Westerners.

http://www.submission.org/suras/app25.html
http://www.submission.org/miracle/
http://www.submission.org/islam/usa.html

They Said What???

I have posted and will again post using the words of radical Islamist/Jihadist. But since I have had so much feedback from people who haven’t seen/heard any/enough of response from Muslims in general over Bin Laden and terrorism, I am going to post a list of quotes from Muslim scholars in regards to this subject. Hopefully you will see something you haven’t seen before.

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Grand Sheikh Mohammed Sayed Tantawi of the Al-Azhar mosque of Cairo – which is seen as the highest authority in Sunni Islam – said groups which carried out suicide bombings were the enemies of Islam. “I do not subscribe to the idea of a clash among civilizations. People of different beliefs should co-operate and not get into senseless conflicts and animosity.” “Extremism is the enemy of Islam. Whereas, jihad is allowed in Islam to defend one’s land, to help the oppressed. The difference between jihad in Islam and extremism is like the earth and the sky.”Sheikh Tantawi said Muslim suicide attacks, including those against Israelis, were wrong and not be justified.

His comments echoed those by Malaysian Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohammed who said, at the opening of the conference on Thursday, that salvation could not be achieved through the killing of innocent people.“I would rather live in America under Ashcroft and Bush at their worst, than in any “Islamic state” established by ignorant, intolerant, and murderous punks like you and Mullah Omar at their best.” A thought provoking, controversial, pre-war article by Muqtedar Khan, Ph.D. 

Prominent Muslim scholar Dr. Youssef Al-Qaradawi has condemned Al-Qaeda for their fuel tanker suicide bombing of a centuries-old Jewish synagogue on the Tunisian island of Djerba in April 2002.

On June 23 in a statement broadcast on the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera television channel, Sulaiman Abu Gaith, a spokesman for the Al-Qaeda network, claimed responsibility for the explosion that killed 14 German tourists. Five local Jews also perished.

Dr. Al Qaradawi said that in Islam it is not permissible to attack places of worship such as churches and synagogues or attack men of religion, even in a state of war. “Civilians, such as the German tourists, should not be killed, or kept as hostages. Jews, not in conflict with Muslims, must not be killed either. Anyone who commits these crimes is punishable by Islamic Sharia and have committed the sin of killing a soul which God has prohibited to kill and of spreading corruption on earth.”

When asked whether the killing of Jewish women, children and men is permissible, Islamic scholar Muhammad Al-Hanuti said that no one may be persecuted or tortured because of their religion. “The only one who could be killed is the murderer or the one who commits a crime punishable by the law. In war, when people are fighting for a certain cause, Muslims are not allowed to kill the elderly, women or children. The only legitimate target is the one who is involved in combat against Muslims.”

Dr. Al-Qaradawi said that the conflict with the Jews is over land and not about their Judaism, because they are people of the Book (i.e. they believe in a revealed religion). “We are allowed to eat their food and marry their women. Accordingly, social intercourse, including inter-marriage, is permitted with the People of the Book. The Jews lived under Muslims’ protection for many centuries.

Over the attacks on 9/11, Al-Qaradawi said, killing hundreds of helpless civilians who have nothing to do with the decision making process and are striving hard to earn their daily bread, such as the victims of [9/11], is a heinous crime in Islam. The Prophet, pbuh, is reported to have stated that a woman was qualified to enter Hell because of the cat she locked up to death. If such is the ruling applied in protecting animals, no doubt, aggression against human beings, a fortiori, deserves greater protection, for human beings are honored by Allah Almighty and are His vicegerents on earth.” “Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you. Remember that you will indeed meet your Lord, and that He will indeed reckon your deeds” From the last sermon of Mohammed

“It is time that we Muslims acknowledge that the freedoms we enjoy in the US are more desirable to us than superficial solidarity with the Muslim World. If you disagree, then prove it by packing your bags and going to whichever Muslim country you identify with.” Dr. M.A. Muqtedar Khan

Ed Bradley: Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t it the responsibility…Does not Islam, does not Allah require that Muslims police their own religion and rid themselves of extremists?

Hamza Yusuf: Yes, absolutely. It’s an obligation for Muslims to root them out. And I think it is a jihad now for the Muslims in the Muslim country to rid themselves of this element. (CBS’s 60 Minutes Sept. 30, 2001)

“Who has the greatest duty to stop violence committed by Muslims against innocent non-Muslims in the name of Islam?? The answer, obviously, is Muslims.” Ingrid Mattson, Vice President, Islamic Society of North America

“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 9/15/01

“The terrorists acts, from the perspective of Islamic law, constitute the crime of hirabah (waging war against society).”
September 27, 2001 – Fatwa, signed by:
Shaykh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, Grand Islamic Scholar and Chairman of the Sunna and Sira Council, 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, 9/28/01.

“It is wrong to kill innocent people. It is also wrong to praise those who kill innocent people.” Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai, Pakistan. Cited in the NY Times, 9/28/01.

“What these people stand for is completely against all the principles that Arab Muslims believe in.” King Abdullah II, of Jordan; cited in the Middle East Times, 9/28/01. (The above statements by high ranking international Muslim scholars and leaders appeared in an advertisement placed by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, in the New York Times, 10/17/01)

“I’m a Muslim, I’ve been a Muslim for 20 years. I want the world to know the truth about Islam. I wouldn’t be here to represent Islam if it were the way the terrorists make it look…Islam is for peace.” Former World Heavyweight boxing champion, Muhammad Ali, at the telethon benefit concert, 9/21/01

“Those terrorists must be reading a completely different Quran than the rest of us. This isn’t about Islam. It’s about terrorism.” US Marine Corps Captain Aisha Bakkar-Poe.

“Terrorists claiming to act in the name of Islam is like a knife through my heart – that people would practice Islam, but do deeds like what they’ve done. It’s not true faith. Some people twist religion to the way they think.” US Army Captain Arneshuia Balial, a convert to Islam since 1987.

The country’s top cleric told 2 million hajj pilgrims Wednesday that some of Islam’s own sons had been “lured by the devil” to conduct violent attacks on the kingdom and charged that non-Muslims were conspiring against people of the faith. Sheik Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah al Sheik, speaking at a mosque near Mt. Arafat, lamented the violence waged by Muslim militants against Saudi Arabia.

“The greatest affliction to strike the nation of Islam came from some of its own sons, who were lured by the devil,” the cleric said. “They have called the nation infidel, they have shed protected blood and they have spread vice on Earth, with explosions and destruction and killing of innocents.”

He pointedly asked of Muslim youth: “How would you meet God? With innocent blood you shed or helped shed?”

A leading Saudi cleric issued a plea today for Muslims not to heed calls to wage terror attacks in the name of Islam. Sheikh Abdulrahman al-Sudeis, the state-appointed preacher at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, told pilgrims in a sermon marking the feast of Eid al-Adha that scholars must preach moderation to confront militants, who were using “misguided and void” interpretations to justify violence. His sermon, dedicated to the 2.5 million Muslims performing the hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, echoed comments made yesterday by Sheikh Abdul-Aziz al Sheik. The kingdom’s grand mufti said the greatest test to the nation of Islam came from its sons who were “lured by the devil” to carry out acts of violence.

Sheikh al-Sudeis said militancy was not a valid interpretation of Islam. “Because Muslims have strayed from moderation, we are now suffering from this dangerous phenomenon of branding people infidels and inciting Muslims to rise against their leaders to cause instability,” he said.

“The reason for this is a delinquent and void interpretation of Islam based on ignorance … faith does not mean killing Muslims or non-Muslims who live among us, it does not mean shedding blood, terrorising or sending body parts flying.”

The preacher warned that extremism would ruin the Muslim nation: “This phenomenon has expanded so much that scholars must confront it with concrete proof from Islam to protect our youth from its stench and putridity.”

A a quick browse of Muslims Condemn Terrorist Attacks will show, every major Muslim group in every English-speaking country (since I don’t speak other languages, my collection is limited in this regard) has issued statements condemning terrorism. All the major scholars and schools of thought in Islam have issued statements condemning terrorism. Political and community leaders from across the Muslim world have issued statements condemning terrorism. Many ordinary Muslims have written articles condemning terrorism or posted condemnations to their websites. What more do the critics want? A sworn affadavit from each of 1.2 billion Muslims?

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There is so much stuff out there in this same vein, that it is hard for me to put it all in one post.  Or even decide which ones I want to use and how much of it.  I don’t want to bore you with positive things.  Some of it comes out of the most surprising places when you consider their past.  

I am going to post some website links at the bottom of this post.  Some are source links but within them are all kinds of information.  You can see a mutitude of Muslims who have condemned terrorism, Bin Laden, and all his practices.  You can find info on those pesky verses in the Quran that seem to say to kill everyone.  You can get some insight from Muslim scholars as to why the terrorists are wrong in their interpetation of the Quran.  If you have doubt in your mind, please check it out.  Seriously, 1.something billion Muslims are not out to kill you, if they were, you would already be dead. 

Muslims become just as frustrated when they feel people are wanting day to day demonstrations of apology, protests, and begging of forgiveness for a crime that they didn’t commit.  How many times must I say, just because the crime was commited by a Muslim, does not mean that all Muslims are criminals.  

http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/muslim_voices_against_extremism_and_terrorism_part_i_fatwas/0012209

http://www.theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php

http://www.muhajabah.com/otherscondemn.php

http://freemuslims.org/

http://www.islamfortoday.com/terrorism.htm

http://www.rayhawk.com/classics/matusa/home.html

http://www.islamdenouncesterrorism.com/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3059365.stm

This is a link to a friend where he has a poll of Muslims in various countries.  It shows that the majority of Muslims disagree with the tactics of al Qaeda.

http://towelianism.wordpress.com/2007/05/29/islam-muslims-the-world-a-brief-paradigmatic-analysis/