Yes, on the surface, Apple seems to be a very Progressive, socially concerned company. The only down side? Apple appears to be the computer of choice for increasing numbers of right wing reactionary hatemongers. Next time you are hanging out in an Apple store, feeling smug, hip and ultra-Progressive, remember that some of your fellow Apple users include Glenn Beck, Tammy Bruce and... *gasp* Rush Limbaugh!

Hmmm... maybe a jihad against Apple isn't such a bad idea after all! (Well, it would kinda suck for me but hey, all for the Common Good, right?)

Red Square wrote: The moral of the story is: protect Israel, because after it's gone, who will you blame for your own problems?

Why, the bougeios RepubliKKKans of course.


O'Brien

WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

I fully understand the frustration from Apple and the nation. There are repulsive humans out there who epitomize hypocrisy in Islam. With that said, this is nevertheless a totally bad way to blow off frustration. All the best to you!

[html]

Faraz wrote: 1) @ Premier Betty: Dear where did you get to know this part of the Quran. I have read it over and over but have failed to get the Great insight that you have *Claps* . For your kind information, Quran never says anything about oppression, infact it orders us to respect other peoples beliefs and I must agree that most Muslims today are not following Quran to the word nowadays. The only exception to this rule is when a Non-Muslim intends to harm Muslims FOR NO REASON.

@ t3h sexist pig. NOT WOMAN!!! ME MAN!!! ME SMITE YOU WITH IRON CLAWS!!!!!

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Obviously it doesn't say those same words in the Koran, but you'd have to be an idiot not to notice the wording and the constant references to forcing people into their laws. Unless you're reading the "White Liberal Guide to the Koran and Islam Because You Just Realized that there are People out there Who aren't Like You and now You just Want to Study Them Because 9-11 Alerted you to their Presence".[/html]

@ t3h sexist pig. NOT WOMAN!!! ME MAN!!! ME SMITE YOU WITH IRON CLAWS!!!!!

I was just trying to "see things differently". LOL.
I apologise for the mistake.
My dear friend, I would say only one thing about your "forciing into submission" claims. Muslims ruled pretty much the whole world at one point in time, had they FORCED people, who knows you might have had a muslim name as well.
Secondly, you have got to start believing that there are black sheeps in every society. and muslims, as humans, are not any different. And dont U tell me that there arent any in Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism Or Communism.
How muslims act or behave has nothing to do with what Islam teaches. Islam means peace, and muslims are supposed to submit their will to Allah. And mind you, we believe that EVERYONE has the same right to live as muslims unlike most other people. If you do not understand the Quran, let me tell you that Quran condemns to even abuse anyone and killing is very farfetched indeed.
I would try to explain more. C I belong to a country called Pakistan. Yea yea i know you would instantly think of suicide bombings and all. But you see the ground realities are quite different then what most of you see courtesy the media.

Who decides, and how does one decide that Muslims have been harmed--or even that harm has been "intended"?

I have seen families destroyed, brutally murdered, not by Muslims or jews or christians. I cannot blame any religion for that. I have Afghani friends too and you cannot imagine how one day kids are playing in the barren lands and suddenly a screaming missile hits from an unknown chopper wiping the innocent faces of this planet. Just imagine what if one member of the family is left behind to rue the deaths of his parents, his siblings. What does he do ? Where does he go ? What religion does he follow? He knows nothing. At that point, people are extremely vulnerable. Any one, and mark my words, anyone can brain wash them. They have only revenge on their minds. I am not saying that they are right. But c'mon people, just imagine yourself in their place. God forbid, if your families get destroyed in front of your eyes, are you people going to enjoy life?
I wish i could give you media proof but I cannot. I see the ground realities with my own eyes and do not believe what other people tell me. We could get rid of all this hatred if everyone could do the same.

I still would request you Premier Betty to give me the exact wordings of where teh Quran mentions this. As I understand it, you have no idea of Arabic language and you cannot quage what a certain sentence means or what the context is.

You on the other hand may or may not admit to them; however you make excuses, and justifications for them. And then when anyone points out some problems they see in the world of Islam. You are upset and blame the critic, not the source of the problem.

No, never gave justification for them. NEVER! I never think they are right, I thought I made that pretty clear earlier. THEY ARE WRONG!!. But my point is do not blame Islam for being wrong, blame the muslims. Thats fine with me. I agree that people are developing crude sense of everything, they are twisting Islam according to their own desires. Friends, that does not mean Islam is wrong or the Quran is wrong. I am whole heartedly with all of you when you condemn behaviour such as Commissarka Pinkie did. But please stop abusing the beliefs of the majority of peace loving muslim people that have got nothing to do with these acts. Please!

And the rumors that Denmark was among the first countries to join the "Coalition of the Willing" in endorsing and implementing United States, UN, and EU-initiated counter-terrorism measures have been greatly exaggerated.

all i got to say is

BAD BOYS BAD BOYS

WHATCH U GONNA DO WHEN THEY COME FOR U

Uh, Red? Cancel the new No-Islamowacko Strip. Hussies n' Thingies is The Exterminator!

Hussies, this is for you:

You go, gurl! Kick 'em in the--oh wait, never mind. I now see all three pairs dangling from your LEFT hand!

I love it when you guys write all this shit about Islam, shows that Islam is actually getting to you. any ways dumb ones... im glad u havent accepted Islam cuz u deserve the torment in the hereafter... u Infidels!!! BURN IN THE HELL FIRE FOREVER!!! thats what you deserve!!!!

Comrade Hussies n' Thingies,

Thank you for your kind words, but no.... Pinkie's Beet is a thing of value and only she can rightly bestow it. Sister Commissarka Pinkie is wise, particularly in the way of root vegetables, and no one among us can wield a shovel as she can... She is an artist with that shovel, and can turn an entire field without dulling it or once hitting a wayward stone. Nor have I ever seen her accidentally cut into a potato while digging it up. It might be said to be almost a spiritual calling were spirituality not anathema to the Cube (except as it relates to The Obamessiah and The Church of Latter Day Climatology - a.k.a. The Goremans)... In the middle ages, she would either have been hailed as a champion tuber dowser or burned as a witch for her shoveling talents. So, you must not minimize your contributions...

You would not have had The Beet bestowed upon you were you not worthy (though, of course, the bestowing of The Beet does not constitute having won anything as this would implicitly denote competition, and so The Beet must be understood to be a reflection of the positive effects that The Peoples Cube has had on you, and we rejoice communally).

And so, Congratulations to us all!

Sister Massively Opiated, at NPR we use the Kulak Monster House. The Kulak Monster House is sort of like those hotels for other pests. Like roaches and rats and other class enemies. But the Sovnarkom-issued Kulak Monster House looks like rich Kulak farm house. Little, like doll house almost. Stocked with what looks and smells like cute little overstuffed bags of grain, beets, potatoes and rich dark coffee beans. The greedy Kulak Monster sneaks in but it never comes back out. Lasts for a week. Then you take it to Post Office. It's all set up to post to the RNC in Washington D.C. Let them bury their own.

Dennis T Mccullough
Host of NPR's Big Rock Candy Mountain NewsForum

evict/impeach

[html]I want to see people who stay in one room at the back of the hotel and shinny up into the second story.

Pinkie, I also quite like the idea of putting up a picture of Miss Piggy, and would do so but for the fact that I let Bruno put up a picture of her--she's his hero. Heroine. Self-absorbed, mean and cruel, and unlike the MTE hasn't ridden him around the swimming pool with stolen cowboy spurs. But when the MTE came to the Rancho she saw the picture of Piggy. She was incensed. Because she hadn't gotten a royalty for what she supposed was a picture of her.

Do the Comrades know that our Many Titted Empress is an absolute sucker for pork? I don't know if it's some sort of cannibalistic <i>presque vue</i> or if she just likes it. But it will play hell with getting on good terms with Iran's president Ahbeenafuckingjerk when it's time to figure out which red state gets nuked to make sure that 2000 doesn't happen again.[/html]

My lord, Margaret, where has the world gone with Ahbeenafuckingjerk and Our Many Titted Empress aren't doing each others' pedicures? Well, her hooves. His trotters. Our Many Titted Empress in all of her splendiferous glory is dedicated to the complete and total control of everything on earth, even unto the orbits of the electrons round the nucleus. As is Ahneenafuckingjerk.

Oh. I get it. An irresistible force and an immovable object. How fortunate for her to have found a use for her ginormous ass.

{i write in shorthand, its easier.}

SMO, i like the way u sound soo brite..and with so much conviction..
in arabic, root letters of a word, id what u use to define words.. islam, root letters being salama yaslimu.. which means peace.. and Islam, yes, duz mean to submit ie: to our creator...
but these are mere technichalities, and clearly, u havent researchd enuf bowt islam...
and pinkie, uve got the rong end of the stick..no1s talking bowt submission to any creation.. like ive said, islam means, submission to our creator...
wouldnt the creator of sumthin know whats best for his creation..
BUT, cumin bak to my point, if Islam was soo terrible, why are people acceptin it in such vast numbers?
thats wat im gettin at..
you'd expect that in america, after 9/11 was blamed on muslims, americans would run away from islam.. but on the contrary, americans are acceptin islam faster than ever, being the fastest GROWING religion in USA, and he rest of he world.
even scientists, after reading the quran, and cumin acros stuff therein, that was only discovered in the 20th cenury, thereafter accept islam..(read up the stuff in quran bowt embryology, and astrology) but if u dont hav an open mind, then the results will be likewise..
i mean, by way of example: no metter how much water u pour over a sealed bottle, it will remain empty


and to theo: u pulling quranic text owta its context.. for ur info, muslims are only allowed to engage in war as self defense.. conditions being that they arent allowed to kill woman, children, and disabled people,, not even permitted to destroy plants unnecessarily.. thats from the islamic ruling poin of view..

i dont mean to be boastful or nethn.. dats the stats

To my Massively Interested Sister (and everyone else), I hope my reply addresses your curiosities.
(I tried my best to make sure my grammar is acceptable)
I'm truly sorry if I offended you with the closed bottle example. I was just saying in general, that 1 cannot explain a point to a person, if they aren't willing to listen.

The word ISLAM has a two-fold meaning: peace, and submission to God. This submission requires a fully conscious and willing effort to submit to the one Almighty God. One must consciously and conscientiously give oneself to the service of Allah. This means to act on what Allah enjoins all of us to do (in the Qur'an) and what His beloved Prophet, Muhammad (pbuh) encouraged us to do in his Sunnah (his lifestyle and sayings personifying the Qur'an).

Once we humble ourselves, rid ourselves of our egoism and submit totally to Allah, and to Him exclusively, in faith and in action, we will surely feel peace in our hearts. Establishing peace in our hearts will bring about peace in our external conduct as well.


Misconception: Muslims are violent, terrorists, and extremists!

This is the biggest misconception in Islam, no doubt resulting from the constant stereotyping and bashing the media gives Islam. When a gunman attacks a mosque in the name of Judaism, or a Catholic IRA guerrilla sets off a bomb in an urban area, or Serbian Orthodox militiamen rape and kill innocent Muslim civilians, these acts are not used to stereotype and bash an entire faith. Never are these acts attributed to the religious teachings of the perpetrators. Yet how many times have we heard the words 'Islamist or Muslim fundamentalist' linked with violence.

Politics in so-called “Muslim countries" may or may not have any Islamic basis. Often dictators and politicians will use the name of Islam for their own purposes. One should remember to go to the source of Islam and separate what the true religion of Islam says from what is portrayed in the media. Islam literally means 'submission to God' and is derived from a root word meaning 'peace'.

Islam may seem exotic or even extreme in the modern world. Perhaps this is because religion doesn't dominate everyday life in the West, whereas Islam is considered a 'way of life' for Muslims and they make no division between secular and sacred in their lives. Like Christianity, Islam permits fighting in self-defense, in defense of religion, or on the part of those who have been expelled forcibly from their homes. It lays down strict rules of combat which include prohibitions against harming civilians and against destroying crops, trees and livestock.

No where does Islam or the Qur'an enjoin the killing of innocents. The Qur'an says: "Fight in the cause of God against those who fight you, but do not transgress limits. God does not love transgressors." (Qur'an Chapter 2: Verse 190) And also, "If they seek peace, then seek you peace. And trust in God for He is the One that heareth and knoweth all things." (Qur'an, Chapter 8: Verse 61). War, therefore, is a last resort, and is subject to the rigorous conditions laid down by the sacred law. The term 'jihad' literally means 'struggle'. Muslims believe that there are two kinds of jihad. The other 'jihad' is the inner struggle of the soul which everyone wages against egotistic desires for the sake of attaining inner peace.

Misconception: Islam oppresses women.

The image of the typical Muslim woman wearing the veil and forced to stay home and forbidden to drive is all too common in most peoples' thoughts. Although some Muslim countries may have laws that oppress women, this should not be seen as coming from Islam. Many of these countries do not rule by any true Shari'ah(Islamic law), and instead introduce their own cultural standpoints on the issue of gender equity.

Islam gives men and women different roles, and equity between the two is laid down in the Qur'an and the example of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Islam sees a woman, whether single or married, as an individual in her own right, with the right to own and dispose of her property and earnings. A marriage gift is given by the groom to the bride for her own personal use, and she can keep her own family name rather than taking her husband's. Both men and women are expected to dress in a way which is modest and dignified. The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) said: "The most perfect in faith amongst believers is he who is best in manner and kindest to his wife."

Violence of any kind towards women and forcing them against their will for anything is not allowed. A Muslim marriage is a simple, legal agreement in which either partner is free to include conditions. Marriage customs thus vary widely from country to country. Divorce is not common, although it is acceptable as a last resort. According to Islamic teachings, a Muslim girl cannot be forced to marry against her will.

Misconception: Muslims worship a different God

Allah is simply the Arabic word for God. Allah for Muslims is the greatest and most inclusive of the Names of God, it is an Arabic word of rich meaning, denoting the one and only God and ascribing no partners to Him. It is exactly the same word which the Jews, in Hebrew, use for God (eloh), the word which Jesus Christ used in Aramaic when he prayed to God. God has an identical name in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam; Allah is the same God worshiped by Muslims, Christians and Jews. Muslims believe that Allah's sovereignty is to be acknowledged in worship and in the pledge to obey His teaching and commandments, conveyed through His messengers and prophets who were sent at various times and in many places throughout history.

Misconception: Islam was spread by the sword and is intolerant of other faiths

Many social studies textbooks for students show the image of an Arab horseman carrying a sword in one hand and the Qur'an in the other, conquering and forcibly converting. This, though, is not a correct portrayal of history. Islam has always given respect and freedom of religion to all faiths. The Qur'an says: "God forbids you not, with regards to those who fight you not for [your] faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them; for God loveth those who are just." (Qur'an, Chapter 60: Verse Freedom of religion is laid down in the Qur'an itself: "There is no compulsion (or coercion) in the religion (Islam). The right direction is distinctly clear from error". (Qur'an, Chapter 2: Verse 256)

Christian missionary, T.W. Arnold had this opinion on his study of the question of the spread of Islam: "Of any organized attempt to force the acceptance of Islam on the non-Muslim population, or of any systematic persecution intended to stamp out the Christian religion, we hear nothing. Had the caliphs chosen to adopt either course of action, they might have swept away Christianity as easily as Ferdinand and Isabella drove Islam out of Spain, or Louis XIV made Protestantism."

It is a function of Islamic law to protect the privileged status of minorities, and this is why non-Muslim places of worship have flourished all over the Islamic world. History provides many examples of Muslim tolerance towards other faiths: when the caliph Omar entered Jerusalem in the year 634AD, Islam granted freedom of worship to all religious communities in the city. Proclaiming to the inhabitants that their lives, and property were safe, and that their places of worship would never be taken from them, he asked the Christian patriarch Sophronius to accompany him on a visit to all the holy places.

Islamic law also permits non-Muslim minorities to set up their own courts, which implement family laws drawn up by the minorities themselves. The life and property of all citizens in an Islamic state are considered sacred whether the person is Muslim or not.

Racism is not a part of Islam, the Qur'an speaks only of human equality and how all peoples are equal in the sight of God. "O mankind! We created you from a single soul, male and female, and made you into nations and tribes, so that you may come to know one another. Truly, the most honored of you in God's sight is the greatest of you in piety. God is All-Knowing, All- Aware." (Qur'an, Chapter 49: Verse 13)

Misconceptions: All Muslims are Arabs

The Muslim population of the world is around 1.4 billion. 1 out of 4 people in the world is a Muslim. Muslims come from a vast range of races, nationalities and cultures from around the globe -from the Philippines to Nigeria- they are united by their common Islamic faith. Only about 18% of Muslims live in the Arab world. The largest Muslim community is in Indonesia. Most Muslims live east of Pakistan. 30 percent of Muslims live in the Indian subcontinent, 20 percent in Sub-Saharan Africa, 17 percent in Southeast Asia, 18 percent in the Arab world and 10 percent in the Soviet Union and China. Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan make up 10 percent of the non-Arab Middle East. Although there are Muslim minorities in almost every area, including Latin America and Australia, they are most numerous in Russia and its newly independent states, India and central Africa. There are about 8 million Muslims in the United States

Misconception: The Nation of Islam is a Muslim group

Islam and the so-called “Nation of Islam" are two different religions. Muslims consider this group to be just one of many cults using the name of Islam for their own gain.

Islam and the Nation of Islam differ in many fundamental ways. All Muslims must believe that there is only one God worthy of worship and that Muhammad PBUH was the last messenger of God, but Nation of Islam teaches something totally different. Also, Nation of Islam followers believe in racism and that the 'black man' was the original man and therefore superior, while in Islam there is no racism and everyone is considered equal in the sight of God, the only difference being in one's piety. There are many other theological examples that show the Nation's teachings have little to do with true Islam.

Any serious student of Islam has a duty to investigate and find the true Islam. The only two authentic sources which bind every Muslim are The Quran and Authentic hadith(sayings of the prophet). Any teachings under the label of "Islam" which contradict or are at variance with the direct understanding of fundamental beliefs and practices of Islam form the Quran and authentic hadith should be rejected and such a religion should be considered a Pseudo-Islamic Cult. In America there are many pseudo-Islamic cults, Nation of Islam being one of them. An honest attitude on the part of such cults should be not to call themselves Muslims and their religion Islam. Such an example of honesty is Bahaism which is an off-shoot of Islam but Bahais do not call themselves Muslims nor their religion, Islam. In fact Bahaism is not Islam just as Nation of Islam is not Islam.

Misconception: All Muslim men marry four wives

The religion of Islam was revealed for all societies and all times and so it accommodates widely differing social requirements. Circumstances may warrant the taking of another wife, but the right is granted, according to the Qur'an only on condition that the husband is scrupulously fair. No woman can be forced into this kind of marriage if they do not wish it.

Polygamy is neither mandatory, nor encouraged, but merely permitted. Images of "sheikhs with harems" are not consistent with Islam, as a man is only allowed at most four wives only if he can fulfill the stringent conditions of treating each fairly and providing each with separate housing etc. Permission to practice polygamy is not associated with mere satisfaction of passion. It is rather associated with compassion toward widows and orphans. It was the Qur'an that limited and put conditions on the practice of polygamy among the Arabs, who had as many as ten or more wives and considered them "property". It is both honest and accurate to say that it is Islam which regulated this practice, limited it, made it more humane and instituted equal rights and status for all wives. What the Qur'anic decrees amount to, taken together is discouragement of polygamy unless necessity for it exists. It is also evident that the general trend in Islam is monogamy and not polygamy. It is a very small percentage of Muslims that practice polygamy over the world. However, permission to practice limited polygamy is only consistent with Islam's realistic view of the nature of man and woman and of various social needs, problems and cultural variations. It also is the frank and straightforward approach of Islam in dealing with practical problems. Rather than requiring hypocritical and superficial compliance, Islam delves deeper into the problems of individuals and societies, and provides for legitimate and clean solutions which are far more beneficial than would be the case if they were ignored. There is no doubt that the second wife legally married and treated kindly is better off than a mistress without any legal rights or expermanence.

Misconceptions: Muslims are a barbaric, backwards people

Among the reasons for the rapid and peaceful spread of Islam was the simplicity of its doctrine -Islam calls for faith in only one God worthy of worship. It also repeatedly instructs man to use his powers of intelligence and observation. Within a few years of the spread of Islam, great civilizations and universities were flourishing, for according to the Prophet (pbuh), 'seeking knowledge is an obligation for every Muslim man and woman'.

The synthesis of Eastern and Western ideas and of new thought with old, brought about great advances in medicine, mathematics, physics, astronomy, geography, architecture, art, literature and history. Many crucial systems such as algebra, the Arabic numerals, and also the concept of the zero (vital to the advancement of mathematics), were transmitted to medieval Europe from Islam. Sophisticated instruments were developed which were to make possible the European voyages of discovery, including the astrolabe, the quadrant and good navigational maps.

Misconceptions: Muhammad was the founder of Islam and Muslims worship him

Muslims only worshio the one true God and believe that Muhammad (peace be upon him) was the last messenger sent by God to the world. Muhammad PBUH was a most noble man and beloved prophet, yet Muslims certainly donot worship him, or any other created being.

Muhammad PBUH was born in Mecca in the year 570. Since his father died before his birth and his mother shortly afterwards, he was raised by his uncle from the respected tribe of Quraysh. As he grew up, he became known for his truthfulness, generosity and sincerity, so that he was sought after for his ability to arbitrate in disputes. The historians describe him as calm and meditative. Muhammad PBUHwas of a deeply religious nature, and had long detested the decadence of his society.

It became his habit to meditate from time to time in the Cave of Hira near Mecca. At the age of 40, while engaged in a meditative retreat, Muhammad PBUH received his first revelation from God, through the Angel Gabriel. This revelation, which continued for 23 years, is known as the Qur'an. As soon as he began to recite the words he heard from Gabriel and to preach the truth which God had revealed to him, he and his small group of followers suffered bitter persecution, which grew so fierce that in the year 622 God gave them the command to emigrate.

This event, the Hijra 'migration', in which they left Mecca for the city of Medina, marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar. After several years, the Prophet and his followers were able to return to Mecca, where they forgave their enemies and established Islam definitively. Before the Prophet PBUHdied at the age of 63, the greater part of Arabia was Muslim, and within a century of his death Islam had spread to Spain in the West and as far East as China.

While Muhammad PBUH was chosen to deliver the message, he is not considered the "founder" of Islam, since Muslims consider Islam to be the same divine guidance sent to all prophets before. Muslims believe all the prophets from Adam, Noah, Moses, Jesus etc. were all sent with the same divine guidance for their peoples. Since all prophets came from the same God, they all brought the same basic message -calling their people to the worship of one God. Every prophet was sent to his own people, but Muhammad PBUH was sent to all of mankind. Muhammad PBUH is the last and final messenger sent to deliver the message of Islam. Muslims love and honor him, but they do not worship him. In the Qur'an, it says: "O Prophet, verily We have sent you as a witness and a bearer of glad tidings and a warner and as one who invites unto God by His leave and as an illuminating lamp." (Qur'an, Chapter 33: Verses 45-6)

Misconception: Muslims don't believe in Jesus or any other prophets

Muslims respect and love Jesus, upon him be peace, and await his Second Coming. They consider him a great messenger from God to mankind. A Muslim never refers to him simply as 'Jesus', but always adds the phrase 'upon him be peace' (abbreviated as (u) here). The Qur'an confirms his virgin birth (a chapter of the Quran is entitled 'Mary'), and Mary is considered amongst the best and most noble women. The Qur'an describes the Annunciation as follows: "Behold!" the Angel said, "God has chosen you, and purified you, and chosen you above the women of all nations. O Mary, God gives you good news of a word from Him whose name shall be the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, honored in this world and the Hereafter, and one of those brought near to God. He shall speak to the people from his cradle and in maturity, and shall be of the righteous." She said: "O my Lord! How shall I have a son when no man has touched me?" He said: "Even so; God creates what He will. When He decrees a thing, He says to it, "Be!" and it is" (Qur'an, Chapter 3: Verses 42-47)

Jesus (uhbp) was born miraculously through the same power which had brought Adam (u) into being without a father: "Truly, the likeness of Jesus with God is as the likeness of Adam. He created him of dust, and then said to him, 'Be!' and he was." (Qur'an, Chapter 3: Verses 59) During his prophetic mission Jesus (uhbp) performed many miracles. The Quran tells us that he said: "I have come to you with a sign from your Lord: I make for you out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, and breathe into it and it becomes a bird by God's leave. And I heal the blind, and the lepers, and I raise the dead by God's leave." (Qur'an, Chapter 3: Verses 49) Neither Muhammad (pbuh) not Jesus (uhbp) came to change the basic doctrine of the belief in One God brought by earlier prophets, but instead to confirm and renew it.

In the Qur'an Jesus (uhbp) is reported as saying that he came: "To attest the law which was before me. And to make lawful to you part of what was forbidden you; I have come to you with a sign from your Lord, so fear God and obey Me. (Qur'an, Chapter 3: Verses 50) The Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) said: "Whoever believes there is no god but God, alone without partner, that Muhammad(pbuh) is His messenger, that Jesus is the servant and messenger of God, His word breathed into Mary and a spirit emanating from Him, and that Paradise and Hell are true, shall be received by God into Heaven. "(Hadith related by Bukhari)

Zak, Its great that you are able to copy and paste the words of Huma Ahmad, we progressive liberals are masters at copying and pasting and I salute your efforts. However, do you have any intelligent thoughts that are truly your own?

[html]Mona, you demonstrate, again, the insularity of Islam. Sister very eloquently suggested that <i>you</i> pull your head out of your ass. I am on the other hand a bit more direct. And I was in a this post before editing it for being too direct.

Zak, to your cut-and-paste job, addressing things which were not addressed before.

I know all I need to know about Islam. I have read about the fire in the girls' school in Saudi Arabia, and the religious police threw the girls back into the fire, to be burned, because they were not dressed. I know that in Afghanistan a doctor could not attend to a patient giving birth or with gynecological problems, but had to call instructions through a keyhole. A lot of women died. A woman gets raped, and her sister is gang-raped in revenge. In no way can you say that Islam is not the most brutally anti-women religion left on earth.

I am gay, and you want a wall to fall on me. Pretty hard on your relatives and friends, and don't say you don't have gays. Every culture does. But in America we live. Topeka, KS has the odious Fred Phelps, and Kansas has no use for gays, but they stand entirely behind our right to exist, against Fred Phelps. I wouldn't set up a bar there (or anywhere), but I would feel safe in Kansas from the threat of dying. Not so in Egypt, where gays are routinely imprisoned. Or in Saudi Arabia, where gays are executed.

I have done reading, and am doing reading. I read over and over about good Muslims who talk about the perfect freedom in Allah--this is not freedom as a lot of people would understand it. It's a fundamentalist freedom, shared by some fundamentalist Christians, by the fundamentalist left (all that talking about freedom as the concentration camps are being set up), and it's even the talk about freedom in SM relationships.

It's the freedom of refusing to think, to make a judgment, to trust to something else to make your judgments for you.

I know that Muslims think that the Koran has everything that you need to know; I knew a man in my background who thought that the Bible did too. But he didn't mind open-heart surgery.

Fundamentalism believes that there was a perfect time--the time of the Prophet, of Jesus, or in the case of Rousseau, before civilization, when things were perfect and every generation gets worse. And so the present world must be torn down. To make room for the perfect state. This was the genesis of Pakistan, which is a remittance economy, existing on the money that people send back home. It is a failed state, as are all fundamentalist states. The Soviet Union was a failed state.

Five hundred years ago, or actually 516 years ago, in Spain, Isabella turned loose Torquemada who drove out the only tolerant people in the area: the Muslim Moors. But since that time the Muslims have started murdering people for not being Muslim--don't even go there--whereas the Christians have in general stopped. The religious left is still trying.

All of this is for the perfect world. Which will be brought about by the Inquisition, the Soviet death camps, or 9/11. All done by people who run from making their own decisions, who have placed the responsibility for their lives in something which promises to end their uncertainty.

Every single one of these people has done away with the first essential responsibility of being a human being: making personal judgments.

Since the reformation the Christians have quit killing people, in general. The Jews had their own Reformation. The Japanese have managed to make use of the Western enlightenment to leapfrog a lot of their fundamentalist ways.

We're still waiting for Islam.

And by the way, "fucking over the world"? Let's see. Fighting Hitler, Stalin, and <i>going home</i>. Building schools and infrastructures in countries which we invaded to purge them of evil governments, and <i>then going home</i>. This is fucking people over?

I am asking you to do what is impossible: to step outside the structure of your religion and look at the here and now. What exists here? What exists now? If you spend your life waiting for something which you cannot prove, aren't you living second-hand? Do you actually exist?

If we were as evil as you say we were, you'd be very polite because we'd kill you if you weren't. Killing civilized people is the act of a sniveling coward who cannot face up to the failure of his religion to provide the western accomplishments which he wants, doesn't mind using, but cannot invent, or repair.[/html]

[html]Thank you, Elliott; I am never fool enough to resent the good wishes of others. In your view that good people do not burn in hell I think that you agree with JPII.

Frankly when I was a kid what I feared more than anything else was eternity. I feared heaven as much as hell. I loathed church; it was mind-numbingly boring; the Church of Christ in the 60s was tedious when it was scaring children to tears. There was <i>nothing</i> beyond burning in hell and they talked about the love of God. Yeah.

I was about six and the song leader, Charlie Smith, said that heaven would be an eternity of praising God, which was what we were doing in church. The four hours a week (20 twice a year with meetings) were the bane of my existence. I could think of nothing worse.

But then the preacher said that Jesus would come when were least expecting it. I thought that we could set up a relay of people looking above and saying, "Jesus, I'm waiting for you now..." and when one got tired another would start up. This would keep Jesus from coming. It's like Jesse Jackson fasting--which he does until he gets hungry and someone else, who's just eaten, fasts.

I don't know if it's good or bad for a child of six to be that sophistical.[/html]

Commissar_Elliott wrote:If they stopped reacting to us, we'd probably have to devote that section to some kind of hippie type religion.

I'm beginning to think that the church of Global Warming is the religion du jour. They certainly seem to want to shove it down our throats the same way new converts to any religion always act.

Commissar_Elliott wrote:If they stopped reacting to us, we'd probably have to devote that section to some kind of hippie type religion.

Like Progressivism? Like, totally groovy, Flower Child Elliott!

What I have always wanted to know when it comes to mullahs is: How many whiskers can grow on the chin of a pinhead?

[html]

Commissar Theocritus wrote:He's first among equals. Primate of the church. The Pope, the Archbishop. He's the one who doesn't have to turn off his limousine when he gives a speech. About not having internal-combustion engins.

Oh! My DVR has "Manbearpig" from <i>Southpark</i>. If you've not seen it, I do recommend it. Very good. Dear Al doesn't come out of it well.

Commissar Theocritus,

He is what Charles Manson aspired to be, but failed. At least, that's how it appears in my eyes. Or that Whacko from Waco, Charles Koresh, or Jim Jones, or yes, our Dear Leader.[/html]

Commissar Theocritus wrote:It's hard to have a sense of humor when the world is laughing at you.

Or whipping you.

[html]Pieck, I too agree that a fundamentalist Christian may indeed be a very fine fellow, and is very unlikely to kill you. And these days, probably not even look at you funny. I feel sorry for Christians on the whole because they are the pariahs in today's Zeitgeist. (Because they <i>won't</i> fight back, I think because libtards are cowards who only pick on people who won't. That's why they Monica the Muzzies.)

Still, the Bible is very sanguinary; the Old Testament God is mean and nasty; the one of the New Testament is better. But still there are things that give one cause to wonder.

The <a href="https://skepticsannotatedbible.com/crue ... >Skeptic's Bible</a> did some fairly deep digging. I think that they're reaching in some of this, but nonetheless if you read literally what went on, it's not a Shirley Temple movie.

Did you comrades hear that the Goracle said that fighting climate change is like fighting the Nazis? That's loopy even by Gore standards.[/html]

I think I may have done it right this time, but if not we can just delete the whole post.

Have you heard Moaning Murderous Mike Malloy the Moonbat on XM America Left? People call him who agree 95% with his utter bullshit and when they stray a single word from the approved line, he starts a robotic, hectoring delivery of his catechism.

He's religious, but he believes in a religion which has been disproved every single time it's been tried. Sowell said that socialism has failed so miserably every time that it's been tried that only an intellectual could believe it. Cicero said that no idea was so silly that a philosopher hadn't said it.

And we have the secular but religious left, who have to destroy those who don't believe exactly the same as they do.

Just like the Shiite-heads.

UPDATE:

Saudi Arabians are angry at a McDonald's toy which they say mocks their prophet Muhammad

Nothing is changing in the Arab world. They are still on the lookout for an issue to be outraged at - much like our very own Commissarka Pinkie. Perhaps, patriarchal Arab men have a resentment towards women and gays precisely because they see them as competition in life's Drama Queen Contest.

According to a report appearing today (5/27/12) on the Arabic news website, Kermalkom.com, the McDonald's fast food restaurant "abused the Prophet Muhammad by placing his name at the base of a toy that is being distributed as part of the Happy Meal, a toy which steps on the name 'Muhammad.'"

The toy consists of a blue superhero figurine (apparently a Power Ranger Samurai; click here for pictures). It stands on one leg, and, when the lever is pressed, it pounds on the base with the other leg. According to the Saudis, the designs that appear all around the base, where the figurine stomps its foot, is really the name "Muhammad" written several times in circles.

The toy had been distributed a few days before Saudi children and their parents began to take note of the name. Soon thereafter, Saudi Muslims launched several campaigns against McDonald's in "response to the savage attacks on the noble Prophet," under banners like "Help your Prophet!" and "Together in support of the Prophet."

Saudis, "demanding the strongest possible punishment for the restaurant" and insisting that "they will not be silent until this is realized," further complained how such an obvious insult could pass the supervision of the management at McDonalds.

In response, "Saudi McDonald's" has withdrawn the toy from all its restaurants, "in order to safeguard against any accusations or misunderstandings."

Oh dear. Things are getting dicey. I was, er, excessive in my celebrations recently, and got the munchies. Our MTE had cleaned out the fridge so all that was left was a moldy potato. And boy did it disagree with me.

I spent some quality time communing with the porcelain god, and when I rose, the spray pattern looked for all the world like a holy word in Mecca.

Now the dilemma. Nothing would make me insult our Muslim friends, even if they were really our friends. But which is worse? Flushing crap or leaving it having spelt a name?

Entirely by accident of course. Unless the potato was grown by a JEW.

Another glorious addition to the collection:

'Tomatoes are Christian,' Egyptian Salafi group warns

According to Now Lebanon blog, A Salafist group called the Popular Egyptian Islamic Association has sent out a warning on Facebook urging its followers not to eat tomatoes because the vegetable (or fruit) is a Christian food.

The group posted a photo on its page of a tomato - which appears to reveal the shape of a cross after being cut in half – along with the message:

"Eating tomatoes is forbidden because they are Christian. [The tomato] praises the cross instead of Allah and says that Allah is three (a reference to the Trinity). [God help us]. I implore you to spread this photo because there is a sister from Palestine who saw the prophet of Allah [Mohammad] in a vision and he was crying, warning his nation against eating them [tomatoes]. If you don't spread this [message], know that it is the devil who stopped you."

A Turkish online newspaper that posted this news also has quite telling readers' comments at the bottom.