Immorality in America

An Islamic view
Dr. Iyad Sultan

Immorality in America An Islamic view

By Iyad Sultan Introduction Before you read Quranic Remarks A Prophet in prison A Prophet in the land of gays Fahishah Biblical Remarks Adultery and punishment Homosexuality Rated R Victims Children: Abortion, Rape, Molestation, Single parent family, AIDS Women: Rape, cheap stuff Where is America? Marriage Schools Media and Pornography Church Presidents Homosexuality and same sex marriage Alcohol and drugs What is the solution? General plan The way of believers Prevention is the best cure: Save your eyes Save your marriage
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No to confession, Yes to repentance Polygamy Punishment Eve in trouble Where is the example?

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Islam in a nutshell Who is Allah? Who is Muhammad PBUH? What is Islam? The trouble with Islam Islam and terrorism Appendix Chapter 12 of the holy Quran (Surat Joseph)

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I seek refuge with Allah(God) from Satan the rejected In the name of Allah(God) most gracious most merciful Peace be upon those who follow the truth Introduction
and so we set out and came to something like a kiln narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, there came from it sounds and voices. He said, We looked inside, and there were naked men and women and there would rise up fire from beneath them and when it reached them, they screamed, and I said, Who are these (people) O Gabriel?, He said, These are the fornicators. Prophet Muhammad PBUH describing adulterers punishment in hellfire.

I still remember that moment. It was few minutes before sunset; I had different feelings; I was hungry, thirsty and weak, but I was very proud. My mother told me: You cant do it; you are nine years old; why dont you fast few hours instead? I can do it; I will fast like you fast, I replied. It was a dream for me. Can I fast the whole day? Can I be a grown-up Muslim? I will do it; and I did it. Those dates I had after sunset were the most delicious thing I ever tasted. That cup of water was the tastiest drink I ever had. That day, I learned a great lesson; only patient people get full reward and true gratification. American men and women need to realize these facts. There are things that can give you temporary enjoyment but cannot make you really happy. Pleasure is a deceiving feeling. Contentment is a deeper sensation that can be achieved only through divine guidance. Take sex as an example. God created this instinct to maintain our existence. We need it to live and persist. While adultery can give a transient sensory excitement, the true delight comes for patient people, for those who wait until the sun sets, for those who follow the orders of God and have their lives contained within the bond of marriage. Adultery is the worst enemy of civilizations. When people get busy with their own pleasures, civilizations fall. America faces degeneration of values that are essential for its perseverance. America explores new dimensions not seen by anyone before. America needs guidance, a light that shows people where to put their feet God is calling us for a straight and purposeful life, but people tend to ignore this call. They prefer to take the wrong path, the path of temporary pleasure despite continual pain and misery. America is changing in front of your eyes: Single parent families, out of wedlock babies, abortion, homosexuality and same sex marriages. For American youth, boundaries that separate right and wrong are lost. The role model does not exist. Pleasure is the only value that new generations have in their minds. I love America and almost all Muslims living in America do. America for us is a dream. As a Palestinian who never enjoyed having a home, America became my home. However, America
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is not the place that can be a home for my children. We have to start looking for another place, as this most beautiful dream is becoming a nightmare. Today, America views Islam as an enemy. I do not believe that America learned enough about Islam to make its final judgment. While some people believe that Clash of Civilizations is inevitable, the true conflict between todays Muslims and America is a clash of ignorance, as Edward Said said once before. Islam never told Muslims to hate others and kill infidels, but to fight for freedom and values. Islam has a lot to offer to this world which is polluted by immorality. I will put Americas problem with adultery under the Islamic microscope. I will critically analyze the situation. Christians, Jews and Muslims will receive their dues of criticism. Everyone will share the responsibility. Can my words help? Can I tell America: You are fighting God and you are going to lose? Is America going to listen? Who is going to hear my words? Who is going to listen to my call? I do not know, but I will say it. At least I will do my part. The Quran teaches us that a group of Jews was committing sins. Those who tried to stop them were attacked and criticized. Some people asked them Why do you insult yourselves by talking to those people. The holy Quran documented their response to this criticism: [And when a community among them said: "Why do you preach to a people whom Allah is about to destroy or to punish with a severe torment?" (The preachers) said: "In order to be free from guilt before your Lord (Allah), and perhaps they may fear Allah."] 7:164 Some may ask; why dont you save your advice to the Muslim world? Why dont you direct your book to the terrorists who killed our civilians? My answer is simple; I do not believe that the war on terrorism conflicts with the war on evil. Actually, terrorism and adultery are two faces of the same coin. The western immorality feeds terrorism as it shows the conservative Muslim world a very dark face of freedom. What the Iraqi prisoners had to go through at the hands of American soldiers, proves my point. The term it is not your business is alien to Islam. A Muslim should look and fight evil wherever it exists. This spirit of courage made Muslims a unique nation in history. Muslims should give up any inferiority complex and carry their values to the world. When the last Muslim woman drops the veil of her head, Satan will celebrate his best day. For that reason, we will attack Satan wherever he goes and fulfill the divine order to our nation to enjoy what is right and forbid what is wrong, exactly as it is described in the holy Quran: [Ye are the best of peoples, evolved for mankind, enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong, and believing in Allah.]3:110 Iyad Sultan

Before you read The word Allah means the God. When Allah speaks in the Quran about himself, he uses single I or plural We forms. If you still have difficulty understanding that, go directly to the chapter: who is Allah? When a prophet is mentioned, Muslims follow his name by PBUH (Peace be upon him), so you will find PBUH all through this book following names of prophets. You can start reading this book anywhere you like. This book discusses comparative religion in a new way. Only read it if you are welling to listen to other opinion. The Quranic references are taken from two translations: the Holy Quran for Yusuf Ali and Nobel Quran for Muhammad Khan. All References from the holy Quran are in bold. The biblical references are taken from KJV and NIV bibles.

Quranic Remarks

A prophet in prison
We do relate unto thee the most beautiful of stories Quran 12:3

Joseph was sold for a cheap price. The noblest man became a slave in Egypt. He is a prophet, son of a prophet, son of a prophet, son of a prophet peace be upon them all. His brothers betrayed him. They threw him into a well, simply because he was dearer to his father than them. Nobody knew him or anyone of his family. The lost kid grew, and became a young handsome man. He is a perfect target for a rich woman who is looking for pleasure. He is her last chance of Joy. Joseph should be an easy target; lets be ready for the great moment. Nice dress, attractive perfume and closed doors were the plan. What is his chance to refuse? Why should he refuse? Isnt that what every man wants? Lets make it a perfect night for this little young, most handsome angel. Joseph a soft voice called, Come on. Wow!!! What is left? Let the party start. At the end, nobody will know. Even if they knew, Joseph is under protection. The Quran described precisely the seen in Chapter 12 [Surat Yoosuf]. Listen: [But she in whose house he was, sought to seduce him from his (true) self: she fastened the doors, and said: "Now come, thou (dear one)!" He said: "(Allah) forbid! truly (thy husband) is my lord! he made my sojourn agreeable! truly to no good come those who do wrong!" And (with passion) did she desire him, and he would have desired her, but that he saw the evidence of his Lord: thus (did We order) that We might turn away from him (all) evil and shameful deeds: for he was one of Our servants, sincere and purified. ] 12:23-24 Lets study this carefully now. Joseph was a single young man with no future. A beautiful woman with power and influence is calling him I am ready for you. Why not? Is there any American man who is going to refuse? I doubt it. But wait! What about AlAzeez, the man who raised Joseph in his house? What if he knew? He will be disturbed; Joseph will be punished. This generous man treated him like a son. I will never betray him, Joseph said. Can this woman remember her vow to her husband? AlAzeez treated slaves nicely; with no doubt, he was a man who treated his wife nicely. Remember that before you cheat. Put your husband or wifes picture in front of you before you commit this crime. Remember the good time you had together before you decide to betray him or her. Remember your pledge, before you put your foot in the dirt. None of this stopped her from proceeding. Come here! It is an order. What did Joseph do? Lets go back to the holy Quran:
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[So they both raced each other to the door, and she tore his shirt from the back: they both found her lord near the door. She said: "What is the (fitting) punishment for one who formed an evil design against thy wife, but prison or a grievous chastisement?" He said: "It was she that sought to seduce me - from my (true) self." And one of her household saw (this) and bore witness, (thus):- "If it be that his shirt is rent from the front, then is her tale true, and he is a liar! "But if it be that his shirt is torn from the back, then is she the liar, and he is telling the truth!" So when he saw his shirt,- that it was torn at the back,- (her husband) said: "Behold! It is a snare of you women! truly, mighty is your snare! "O Joseph, pass this over! (O wife), ask forgiveness for thy sin, for truly thou hast been at fault!" ]12:25-29 What a response! The betrayed husband talks softly to Joseph saying, Pass this over! Then he turns to his wife saying: Ask forgiveness for your sins. Thats it! No punishment! No seriousness! What a typical American man. Divorce is difficult. Lets get some therapy and go on. Lets solve the problem and be forgiving. Let me tell you; when your spouse cheats, dont try to fix the relationship any more. It is over! Anyways, the last wall is broken. Why should Joseph refuse? AlAzeez knows and yet he had no reaction. It is OK with him. So why dont you come and have fun. Avoid the punishment. Other women in the city started talking. Whats wrong with the wife of AlAzeez? Was she really rejected by a slave? Women turn into devils when they talk about these issues. Can you imagine? A noble woman offers herself to a negligible man and be rejected. How insulting is that! They will eat her flesh and she will be the joke for everyone in the city. Now, lets go to a new plot. High-class women in the city were invited to see Joseph. Allah says in the Quran: [Ladies said in the City: "The wife of the (great) 'Aziz is seeking to seduce her slave from his (true) self: Truly hath he inspired her with violent love: we see she is evidently going astray." When she heard of their malicious talk, she sent for them and prepared a banquet for them: she gave each of them a knife: and she said (to Joseph), "Come out before them." When they saw him, they did extol him, and (in their amazement) cut their hands: they said, "(Allah) preserve us! no mortal is this! this is none other than a noble angel!" She said: "There before you is the man about whom ye did blame me! I did seek to seduce him from his (true) self but he did firmly save himself guiltless!....and now, if he doth
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not my bidding, he shall certainly be cast into prison, and (what is more) be of the company of the vilest!" ]12:30-32 It was a bad day for Joseph. Every man and woman in Egypt is waiting for the great event. I can see Joseph walking in the street while men mocked him. What is wrong with him? No one feels it. Everyone is OK with it. Joseph, go ahead. Save yourself the punishment. Have fun. Prove that you are a real man. What was Josephs point of view? Did he realize his fate if he refuses this evil invitation? God says in the Quran [33. He said: "O my Lord! the prison is more to my liking than that to which they invite me: Unless Thou turn away their snare from me, I should (in my youthful folly) feel inclined towards them and join the ranks of the ignorant." ]12:33 And it was, Joseph went to prison for years. It was not a five star prison with a private bathroom, a small library and a cable TV. It was not a place where you get nutritional meals with vitamins. It was not a place where prisoners were treated like human beings. Nobody really cared about the psychological stress that prisoners had, even those facing death and crucifixion. Human rights activists did not visit this prison. It was Hell on Earth. If you want to have a closer look on ancient Egyptian prisons, just listen to stories of torture that Iraqis faced in Saddam Husseins torture chambers. Pain, starvation, illnesses and ignorance in the absence of light and air for years was Josephs prison. Yet he preferred this option. Is adultery that bad? Is it? Can you see Josephs point? Can you understand his vision? Can you do it yourself? Was he right? Was he wrong? What do you think? Stop reading now and think. What would you do if you were in his place? I included chapter 12 [Joseph] in appendix 1. You need to read this chapter. When Muslims face difficulties, they read this chapter for relief. The message of the story is straightforward: Never fail God and God will never fail you. Adultery is one of the worst sins that a man can commit. There is no excuse for anyone. If Joseph resisted, anyone can resist. Prophet Muhammad PBUH said: [There is no greater sin after the sin of associating partners with Allah, than a man placing his semen in a womb that is unlawful for him to place](Ahmad)

A prophet in the land of gays

[Morning is their time appointed: Is not the morning nigh?] Quran 11:81

I lived in Brooklyn for four years. It was a good chance to meet many orthodox Jews and have interesting discussions with them. With no doubt, Jews are closer to Muslims than Christians when it comes to theology. We both believe that God is one. We dont believe in trinity as Christians do. To my surprise, Christians appear in the holy Quran closer to Muslims than Jews. Read this: [and nearest among them in love to the believers wilt thou find those who say, "We are Christians": because amongst these are men devoted to learning and men who have renounced the world, and they are not arrogant. ]5:82 One of my discussions with Jews was about homosexuality. I agreed with my Jewish friend that homosexuality was a major sin. To confirm our agreement, I mentioned the story of Lot. At last, we had something we can agree on with Jews. Well, Lot wasnt the best example, My Jewish friend said. Why? Didnt God save him from the bad city where homosexuality was practiced? I asked. My friends answer was pretty shocking;But then, he slept with his daughters!.Really! I said, But that is not in the Quran. He responded, It is in the Torah; Lot got drunk and slept with his two daughters. I have to admit; I had little knowledge about the Bible by then. Who was Lot and what was his story in the Quran and the Bible? Lot (PBUH) was a great man. He believed in Abrahams message and left his city to preach the message to others. He ended in the worst place that he could ever find: Sodom and Gomorra. People in those cities practiced all kinds of sins. They invented new sins that nobody thought about before. One of those nasty inventions was homosexuality. They had no shame. We prefer men, They used to say. We all commit sins. The problem starts when you become arrogant. When you go out and say proudly I am a gay, you are in deep trouble. Prophet Muhammad PBUH said Everyone in my nation is doing well except those who expose their sins. People in Sodom and Gomorra lost that shame sentiment. They had a disease that needed to be cured. It is not your business, they told Lot many times. Sodom and Gomorra invented homosexuality. They were the first people in history to practice it (I am sure many gay anthropologists in America do not agree, but I insist that what I said is just correct). Lets look around and see how many sins are invented in America everyday. In 1988, a movie explored the hidden sexual life of Jesus Christ, the Last Temptation of Christ, which left American protestors paralyzed in the face of atheist filmmakers. In 2001, an artist made a picture of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ PBUH from elephant dung! That was shown in the Brooklyn museum of Art. Nobody was able to stop it because it was simply a piece of art and
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it was Nobodies business! Six months later, Jesus himself was drawn as a naked woman and was demonstrated in the same great museum. The city of New York could not stop its support to that ugly museum and the taxpayers continued supporting these Pieces of art. Let America know that it is bringing Gods anger and for sure, no one can stand in face of God. If this happened in any poor Muslim country, people will be very angry and will stop this ridiculous art and close that great museum. Here in America, where more people go to church than any other country on face of Earth, Jesus had no respect. Anyway, Lot warned those people: [We also (sent) Lot: He said to his people: "Do ye commit lewdness such as no people in creation (ever) committed before you? "For ye practice your lusts on men in preference to women : ye are indeed a people transgressing beyond bounds." And his people gave no answer but this: they said, "Drive them out of your city: these are indeed men who want to be clean and pure!" ]7:80 In Sodom and Gomorra, purity was a crime. Nobody could say: Homosexuality is a crime. Isnt that America? President Bush was asked once about same sex marriage. His answer was: I am mindful that we're all sinners and I caution those who may try to take a speck out of the neighbor's eye when they got a log in their own," the president said. "I think it is important for our society to respect each individual, to welcome those with good hearts. " I did not like this answer. What is the exact meaning of Good hearts! I can commit the worst sin, but nobody can tell me I have a bad heart because nobody can see my heart. God sent the angels for a special mission. They visited Lot in his house. They wanted to hear his testimony. Lets go to the Quran: [When Our messengers came to Lot, he was grieved on their account and felt himself powerless (to protect) them. He said: "This is a distressful day." And his people came rushing towards him, and they had been long in the habit of practicing abominations. He said: "O my people! Here are my daughters: they are purer for you (if ye marry)! Now fear Allah, and cover me not with shame about my guests! Is there not among you a single right-minded man?" They said: "Well dost thou know we have no need of thy daughters: indeed thou knowest quite well what we want!" He said: "Would that I had power to suppress you or that I could betake myself to some powerful support."
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(The Messengers) said: "O Lot! We are Messengers from thy Lord! By no means shall they reach thee! Now travel with thy family while yet a part of the night remains, and let not any of you look back: but thy wife (will remain behind): To her will happen what happens to the people. Morning is their time appointed: Is not the morning nigh?" When Our Decree issued, We turned (the cities) upside down, and rained down on them brimstones hard as baked clay, spread, layer on layer,Marked as from thy Lord: Nor are they ever far from those who do wrong!] 11:78-83 Oh America! Are you listening? Believe it; God is very severe in punishment. Whats wrong with you? How did homosexuality come to this peaceful place? Arent you enjoying all the blessings from God? Why dont you turn back to Him and say it loudly: NO TO ADULTERY AND HOMOSEXUALITY. Now the trick comes; our Jewish friends modified the story of this non-Jewish prophet. What happened to Lot next in the bible? [And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.] GENESIS 19:33-35-KJV. Lot and his two daughters ran away from Gods punishment. They lost Lots wife as she turned her face towards the ruined city. The man, who spent his life preaching, just saw the worst chastisement coming to those who disobeyed God. Was it a good time to get drunk? His daughters are coming with a bright idea Lets sleep with our father. When you read the biblical version of this beautiful story, you miss the point. You become distracted by this sickening seen: wine, sex and an old man sleeping with his daughters. Why did God save Lots family from that horrible place? Do you think he saved them to commit worse sins? Isnt incest worse than homosexuality? Didnt God know what they were going to do?

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Al Fahishah
When an adulterer commits illegal sexual intercourse, then he is not a believer at the time he is doing it Prophet Muhammad PBUH (Bukhari)

In Arabic, the word Fahishah literally means anything that transgresses its limits. In the holy Quran, it means the sin of adultery, as it is one of the worst sins one may commit. In Islam, adultery is both a sin and a crime. It is a sin because those adulterers transgress the limits indicated by the law of God. And it is a crime because of its destructive effects as it destroys all values in the society. Honor and trust are lost when adultery spreads in any society. God says in the Quran: [And come not near to the unlawful sexual intercourse. Verily, it is a Fahishah and an evil way (that leads one to Hell unless Allah forgives him).]17:32 This verse tells us that one should not commit adultery; neither he (nor she) should come even near to it; meaning that your ear, your eye or your heart take you into that direction. Dont you know that your eye, your ear and your heart may commit adultery? No acts of sex outside marriage are allowed. Premarital or extramarital sex has no place in any healthy society. Homosexuality is a major sin and a crime that deserves full punishment. God says in the Quran: [We also (sent) Lot: He said to his people: "Do ye commit lewdness such as no people in creation (ever) committed before you?]7:80 Probably the worst kind of Fahishah is to spread adultery in the society. Those who work in porn business fit under this category. God says in the Quran: [Verily, those who like that Fahishah (illegal sexual intercourse) should be propagated among those who believe, they will have a painful torment in this world and in the Hereafter. And Allah knows and you know not.] 24:19

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The Bible Adultery and punishment

You shall not commit adultery. Exodus 20:14

The bible views adultery as a major sin and a punishable crime. Read these verses from Leviticus 20 " 'If a man commits adultery with another man's wife-with the wife of his neighbor-both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death. 11 " 'If a man sleeps with his father's wife, he has dishonored his father. Both the man and the woman must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads. 12 " 'If a man sleeps with his daughter-in-law, both of them must be put to death. What they have done is a perversion; their blood will be on their own heads. The biblical position is far from being obscured, No adultery in Gods law. Jesus (PBUH) came to fulfill the law. However, the story in John 8 is hard to understand. An adulteress is brought to him. Instead of punishing her and her partner (which was never identified!), he wrote the following sentence If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." Where is the fulfillment of the law? Before you make your judgment, go to the previous passage which reveals the intention of those who brought this woman to him: [They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.] John 8:6 It was a trap. They were trying to get rid of him. In the Roman Empire, adultery was not a punishable crime. If Jesus stoned that woman, he could be persecuted in John 8 and John will have no way to finish his 13 books to come. Jesus response is smart and political. He is not approving this act. He is saying: before you implement the law and stone this woman, correct the corruption you have in your temples. Jews never understood Jesus message of spiritual revolution. Christians today need to understand this message. Before you solve your problems, before you get rid of terrorism, before you send 30,000 missionaries to convert Muslims, which is not going to work, go to your church and correct the corruption. The Christian world is confused about adultery. Most Christians today believe that adultery refers only to the sexual infidelity of married people. Most Christians do not believe that adultery is a punishable crime. In Spain and Italy, where Catholicism is the dominant faith, adultery is still punishable. However, in America, this issue is not even worth talking about. The Church, which should be the front line warrior against adultery, is very busy with its own sexual and financial problems. Where is the fulfillment of the law? Or do you believe in some parts of the bible and deny others? God says in the Quran: [Then is it only a part of the Book that ye believe in, and do ye reject the rest? but what is the reward for those among you who behave like this but disgrace in this life?- and on the
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Day of Judgment they shall be consigned to the most grievous penalty. For Allah is not unmindful of what ye do.]2:85

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Homosexuality
Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable. Leviticus 18:20

[Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet.] Romans 1:25-27 -KJV This previous quotation form the bible condemns homosexuality and promises the deviants a severe torment. What is worse than AIDS on earth? However, Father Daniel Helminiak wrote a book What the Bible Really Says About homosexuality. This book provides a contemporary reinterpretation of the biblical verses. Helminiak believes that the Bible supplies no real basis for the condemnation of homosexuality. How does he solve the mystery of Sodom, the doomed city of homosexuals? He argues that the sin of Sodom was inhospitality: In a desert country, where Sodom lay, to stay outside exposed to the cold of the night could be fatal. So a cardinal rule of Lot's society was to offer hospitality to travelers. The same rule is a traditional part of Semitic and Arabic cultures. This rule was so strict that no one might harm even an enemy who had been offered shelter for the night. So doing what was right, following God's law as he understood it, Lot refused to expose his guests to the abuse of the men of Sodom. To do so would have violated the law of sacred hospitality. From now on, you can read the whole book. Little misinterpretation here, little mistranslation there and you make a bestseller book. He takes the five texts commonly used by the church to attack homosexuality, namely: Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13, Romans 1:27, I Corinthians 6:9, and I Timothy 1:10, and rips them apart. He argues that death penalty is not necessarily an indication of condemnation as we commonly misunderstand. I am not going to discuss this foolishness in details but you can go to http://www.reformed.org/social/ to read a more detailed response.
What makes Helminiaks book noteworthy is the fact that it is coming from a priest. It is using the same language used by many people to deceive Christians: original Greek scripture, poorly translated text, ancient resources and the Judo-Romanic culture and its influence on the bible. Arent these the same old goodies that Christians are forced to nod their heads for without questioning? Helminiaks argument may sound convincing for todays Christians, who insist that the biblical text is not to be taken literally. It is one extra step in corrupting Gods word and deceiving the already deceived public.
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Those who corrupt Gods words by misinterpretation and mistranslation to earn cheap worldly profits are to face severe torment for their deeds. All money they make by selling these despicable ideas are nothing but pieces of hellfire they bring to themselves:

[Those who conceal Allahs revelations in the Book, and purchase for them a miserable profit,- they swallow into themselves naught but Fire; Allah will not address them on the Day of Resurrection. Nor purify them: Grievous will be their penalty. They are the ones who buy Error in place of Guidance and Torment in place of Forgiveness. Ah! what boldness (They show) for the Fire! (Their doom is) because Allah sent down the Book in truth but those who seek causes of dispute in the Book are in a schism Far (from the purpose). ] Holy Quran 2:174-176

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I had planted you like a choice vine of sound and reliable stock. How then did you turn against me into a corrupt, wild vine? Jeremiah 2:21

Rated R

Mel Gibson, the director and co-producer of the passion of the Christ was asked once, Why did your movie get an R rating? He answered calmly, You know, the bible is an R rated book. It is an honest, but a very sad reality. God is perfect and his words are appropriate. However, some scribes were neither perfect nor appropriate. [How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us? Lo, certainly in VAIN made he it; the PEN OF THE SCRIBE IS IN VAIN.] Jeremiah 8:8 Those scribes are the real losers and their punishment is coming. God says in the holy Quran: [Then woe to those who write the Book with their own hands and then say, "This is from Allah," to purchase with it a little price! Woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for that they earn thereby.] 2:79 Those dishonest scribes loaded todays bible with tons of porn material. For a long time, Satan used this way to inject his filth in the early conservative Judo-Christian culture. Rape and incest are the most horrible sins. Under no moral system, they are accepted. However, the bible has a collection that deserves the R rating (or the X rating to be more honest). Here is a sampler: "While Jacob (Israel) was living in the land, Reuben (his firstborn, his eldest son) had SEXUAL INTERCOURSE with Bilhah, his father's concubine. Genesis 35:22. "When Judah saw her (Tamar, his daughter-in-law), he thought she was a prostitute, because she had covered her face. "He went over to her at the side of the road and said, "ALL RIGHT, HOW MUCH DO YOU CHARGE?" , "She said, what will you give me?" (To have sex with me) 'He answered, I WILL SEND YOU A YOUNG GOAT FROM MY FLOCK "She said, "All right, if you will give me something to keep as a pledge until you send the ,goat. ' . . He gave them (the pledges) to her. Then had INTERCOURSE, and she became pregnant GENESIS 38: 15-18, " . . he (Amnon, one of the sons of David, the man after God's own heart) took hold of her (Thamar, his sister, not to be confused with Tamar above,, and said unto her, Come lie with me (have sex with me), my sister. "And she answered him, Nay, my brother do not force me . . . "But he would not listen to her, and since he was stronger than she was, he overpowered her and RAPED her (his sister). " 2 Samuel 13:5-14

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So they set up a tent for Absalom (another son of King David) on the palace roof, and in the sight of everyone, Absalom went in and had INTERCOURSE with his father's concubines " 2 SAMUELS 16:22 If you want to hear the stories about naked prophets in the bible go to GENESIS 9-21, 1 SAMUEL 19:24, 2 SAMUEL 6:20, ISAIAH 20:3-4 and tell me what you think. I conclude this sad chapter by a comment made by Ahmad Deedat, a well-known Muslim scholar of the bible: [You can well guess where "Penthouse" and "Playboy" got their inspiration from. Wherefrom if not from the Book of Books? ].

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Victims
Children: Single parent family, Abortion, AIDS and Molestation
Prophet Muhammad PBUH said: [My nation will remain well as long as there is not a prevalence of children born out of wedlock, and if there is such a prevalence they will be on the point of receiving Allahs punishment.] (Ahmad).

When I was a medical student in Amman-Jordan, a woman came to the emergency room in labor. Like many women in that part of the world, she received no prenatal care before. Everyone in the hospital was whispering about something. There was something unusual about her. I tried to understand. What is the story? Well, a nurse said. She is not married! A single mother created a state of discomfort and fear in one of the largest hospitals in the city. What is she going to do? How is her family going to react? What is going to happen to her poor baby? Why did she do that to herself? O God, have mercy on us. I came to US to proceed with my medical training. I ended up in Brooklyn, NY. As a training pediatrician coming from a foreign country, I had a little chance to choose where to make my training. Brooklyn is a strange mixture of Jews, African Americans and immigrants from all over the world. I started my training in the newborn nursery where healthy babies are kept with their mothers. I had to take history from mothers. I had to ask them private questions that I needed to complete my evaluations. It was a shocking experience for me. To start with, nobody was married. Unlike my previous experience, women coming in labor were of all ages; many were adolescents, but believe it or not, almost all of them were single mothers. I once asked a mom about the health state of her babys father. She gave an amazing answer, I dont know who my babys father is! What a surprise! David T. Ellwood and Christopher Jencks of Harvard University wrote an excellent paper under the topic The Spread of Single-Parent Families in the United States since 1960. The paper is available online for full review at www.ksg.harvard.edu/inequality/Seminar/Papers/ElwdJnck.pdf. The paper, as the title says, discusses the major factors that influence the wide spread of singleparent families in US. Some facts are new to me. For example, they said :By the 1990s roughly one baby in three was born to an unmarried couple. What I saw in Brooklyn was just a tip of an iceberg. The problem is really nationwide. It is not a problem anymore, it became a cultural norm. More and more people practice premarital sex. They said In the early 1960s roughly half of all twenty-five year old women had had sexual intercourse before they married. By the late 1980s five out of six had done so. Why not? Americans dont see premarital sex a crime any
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more. The article says The proportion of Americans who view these issues in moral terms has clearly declined over the past generation. The writers give an explanation for this mess. They wrote If premarital sex is morally wrong, it is wrong even for those who contracept effectively, do not spread AIDS, and eventually marry. Simply, you cannot criticize mothers for having babies without marriage if everyone else is doing it. If you fail and get pregnant, we should see you in the same eye we see that poor woman who got HIV after an unprotected sexual encounter. In other words, America sees pregnancy as an STD (sexual transmitted disease). Thats it. A human life is as valuable as a dirty virus! The authors gave an extra explanation for this problem: The pill and legalized abortion gave couples, and particularly women, far more control over the timing of births and thus allowed other factors (including economic incentives) to play more of role. Legalized abortion came to be equivalent to the pill as a contraceptive method. How many babies are flushed everyday in America? 4000 babies everyday. The churches all over America are paralyzed in the face of this crime. I believe the church is involved in this crime. When was the last time you heard a preacher talking about fornication as a crime? Did you hear a preacher ever telling you that you teenage girl should not date boys and stay out of her home at night. Did you see any serious effort to correct the miserable situation in schools, colleges or even the church itself? Is anybody reaching the roots of the problem or you just hear them addressing the symptom and ignoring the disease itself. Let me tell you what abortion is. Pagan Arabs used to kill their baby girls alive to get rid of the shame. Islam, which is claimed to be an anti women religion, stood in the face of those killers and attacked them. The holy Quran told us that on the Day of Judgment, that little baby girl will stand up and God will ask her What was your crime? Why did they kill you? Do you think she will have an answer? How do you think God see us destroying his most beautiful creation, the human baby? If we dont address the problem from the roots, our cries are no more than air moving in our throats. Is the church listening? I hope so. Lets have a look on the Day of Judgment. The holy Quran says in chapter 81 [Al Takweer]: [When the sun (with its spacious light) is folded up; When the stars fall, losing their luster; When the mountains vanish (like a mirage); When the she-camels, ten months with young, are left untended; When the wild beasts are herded together (in the human habitations); When the oceans boil over with a swell; When the souls are sorted out, (being joined, like with like); When the female (infant), buried alive, is questioned - For what crime she was killed; When the scrolls are laid open; When the world on High is unveiled; When the Blazing Fire is kindled to fierce heat; And when the Garden is brought near;(Then) shall each soul know what it has put forward. ]81:1-14 Do we kill babies only by abortion? What about having a baby with AIDS? Did you ever see a child dying with AIDS? I did. What was her crime? It was a blood transfusion given to her
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from a deviant person. Did you ever hear a child with AIDS making this wish I wish to die? I did. What was her crime? It was a careless mother, an unknown father and a silent church. Global statistics show us that 5 million infants were born in the world with the virus since the beginning of the pandemic. What can we offer those children? Who is talking in their voice? Children born out of wedlock (which simply means adultery) are those who will have difficulty at school, will use drugs, will be raised in dangerous neighborhoods, will not go to college and will end up in correction facilities. Look at the growing numbers of children in foster care: In 1987; 280,000 - In 1992; 417,000 - In 1998; 520,000. Arent these numbers sad enough to reconsider what we are doing? Rape is another topic that needs to be addressed. Statistics tell us that 7% of girls in grades five to eight and 12% of girls in grades nine through twelve had been sexually abused. [Commonwealth Fund Survey of the Health of Adolescent Girls, 1998.]. 44% of Rape victims are under the age of 18. 93% of those raped children knew the attacker. A third of those children were attacked by a relative. In other words, and in the face of these disturbing numbers, I can tell you with confidence; it is not safe to leave your kids home with a relative. You may think it is safer to keep your kids in the church for divine protection. That is wrong, and you know why.

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Women as victims
Prophet Muhammad PBUH said [there never appears immorality in a nation except there spreads among them plague and diseases that where not known in past generations] (Ibn Majah, Al-Hakim, Ath-Thahabi).

Are women enjoying this? Are they having fun? The crime of adultery is committed by the victim herself. Women simply dont know what they got themselves in. They are forced to be pleasure machines in this wild sex-obsessed culture called modern world. Can a girl go to school without showing her sexuality? Can she identify herself as a pure person with no intention to commit the sin of fornication? Can a girl be conservative in this open culture? Is this society going to tolerate such a person? I really doubt it. Where should I start? Do you know that one out of every six American women have been a victim of an attempted or completed rape? What a shame! While most victims are white, some minorities have a higher incidence. Native American women enjoy a rate of 34.1%. That means one out of three! What a nice gift Christopher Columbus brought to Native Americans (syphilis is another gift he brought). If they were still worshipping stones the rate would be lower than this. Am I the only one ashamed here? Some women are raped during their childhood. Some are raped by their relatives, brothers and fathers. Some are raped in the church. Women are the true victims when it comes to the filthy fruits of the crime of adultery. The rising number of single mother families is alarming. What is it like to have a baby when you are below the age of 18? Did you really have a chance to make a choice to have a baby? Or did the society push you to prove your sexuality? When my wife delivered our first baby, we both got very busy. It is really hard to raise kids. All couples with children understand how hard it is. What about a woman who has to do it alone? What about a 16-year-old girl who has to do it alone? What is her life like and what is her future going to be? I am really sad for you. Look at yourself; you didnt finish high school yet and you are already a single mother. The society keeps watching and criticizing: Why didnt you use protection? Why didnt you abort your baby? It is the same people who made it look easy for you. It is the same TV that kept filling your brain with dirt until you thought that premarital sex is OK. Where are they now? Where is their support? You have to do it by yourself. What is your chance to have a good job or to go to college? What is your chance to get married? Where is the man who gave you this lifelong responsibility? Why isnt the society attacking him and getting him back to do take his share? Why did they throw you behind the fire line and ran away? I have no answer for you. I am telling you, your society used you for fun and then you were thrown away.
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God doesnt accept that. Arabs used to force their maids to have sex with men to make revenues. God responded in the holy Quran: [And force not your maids to prostitution, if they desire chastity, in order that you may make a gain in the (perishable) goods of this worldly life. But if anyone compels them (to prostitution), then after such compulsion, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful (to those women, i.e. He will forgive them because they have been forced to do this evil action unwillingly).]24:33 What about AIDS? I invite you to a quick trip to Africa. United Nations called AIDS in that continent "an earthquake in slow motion". AIDS is the number one killer in Africa, the home of at least 70 percent of the world's 40 million HIV-infected people. 15 million children lost their parents to AIDS and many of them have to face the illness themselves without their parents. What is the problem and what is the solution? I will take quotes from a website that dealt with this in details, Martin Roth Christian Commentary at http://www.martinrothonline.com/MRCC11.htm Quotation starts here[[Using the Operation World Christian handbook, I have taken rates of religious adherence for each African country and placed them next to the adult HIV/AIDS rates from the Barcelona Report. What a depressing exercise. Here are the 10 most Christian countries in Africa (according to Operation World) and their adult HIV/AIDS infection rate: Congo (Dem. Rep.) Equatorial Guinea Angola Congo Burundi Uganda Zambia Rwanda Swaziland Malawi Christians (%) 95.3 95.1 94.1 913 90.1 88.7 85.0 80.8 82.7 80.0 HIV/AIDS rate (%) 4.9 3.4 5.5 7.2 8.3 5.0 21.5 8.9 33.4 15.0

But where the figures get really depressing (for an evangelical Christian) is when you realize that in general the HIV/AIDS rate is highest in those countries where Protestants and other nonCatholic Christians predominate. Here are the 20 most non-Catholic Christian countries in Africa and their adult HIV/AIDS infection rate: (I included only half of the actual list)
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Swaziland South Africa Ethiopia Namibia Botswana Zimbabwe Malawi Kenya Ghana Central Af. Rep. Zambia

Non-Catholic Christians (%) 78.0 65.2 64.4 64.0 63.2 63.0 57.0 56.0 53.2 51.7 51.6

HIV/AIDS rate (%) 33.4 20.1 6.4 22.5 38.8 33. 15.0 15.0 3.0 12.9 21.5

If you are not already sufficiently depressed, look at a table for the 10 most Muslim countries in Africa: Somalia Morocco Algeria Libya Senegal Gambia Mali Egypt Sierra Leone Sudan Muslims(%) 100.0 99.9 96.7 96.5 92.1 88.8 87.0 86.5 70.0 65.0 HIV/AIDS rate (%) 1.0 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.5 1.6 1.7 0.1 7.0 2.6

In church we are told that one of the reasons we should support Christian missionary activity in Africa is to stop the spread of Islam. In the words of Operation World: African Christians as well as mission agencies need to make Muslims a priority for demonstrations of the love of Christ and culturally sensitive approaches must be developed for planting churches among them. Yet as AIDS rips at the heart of the continent - devastating families, gutting townships, wrecking national economies, creating millions of orphans - it looks to be Islamic culture that has solutions of a sort.

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Nicholas Kristof wrote a nasty article in the New York Times on Tuesday, blaming conservative Christian pastors particularly, for contributing to hate speech about Islam in the US. (He even managed to find two such pastors, one of them quite well-known.) But he also wrote this: Islam already has 1.3 billion adherents and is spreading rapidly, particularly in Africa, partly because it also has admirable qualities that anyone who has lived in the Muslim world observes: a profound egalitarianism and a lack of hierarchy that confer dignity and self-respect among believers; greater hospitality than in other societies; an institutionalized system of charity, zakat, to provide for the poor. Many West Africans, for example, see Christianity as corrupt and hierarchical and flock to Islam, which they view as democratic and inclusive. On no young woman would I wish genital mutilation, minimal education, a life behind a veil and a husband with several wives. But what if the alternative were a husband who contracts HIV/AIDS from frequent visits to cheap prostitutes, giving his wife a painful death at age 30 and leaving behind six young children?]] Quotation ends here This is written by an evangelical Christian, not a traditional Muslim. A little response needs to be made to the last paragraph. Genital mutilation is a problem limited to certain Muslim countries and is disappearing. The full explanation of this practice and its origin in Islamic cultures is beyond the focus of this book, but is more of a cultural than an Islamic practice. The benefits of Male genital mutilation (circumcision) were recently discovered. Dont judge things before you have full understanding. A life behind veil is a life of purity. It is a life that takes guidance from Gods revelations in the Bible and Quran. It is the life that the Virgin Mary had. Most Muslim men in the world have one wife. Those who have more than one wife are lawful to their wives and to themselves. How many wives did Abraham have? Jacob? David? Salomonpeace be upon all of them? Do you know? President Bush mentioned an alternative solution in State of the Union speech delivered in January 2003. He said: AIDS can be prevented. Anti-retroviral drugs can extend life for many years. And the cost of those drugs has dropped from $12,000 a year to under $300 a year -- which places a tremendous possibility within our grasp. Ladies and gentlemen, seldom has history offered a greater opportunity to do so much for so many. President Bush got a nice applause from the members of congress. I didnt like what he said. Do you really understand the problem? Do you know what Africa is like? Do you think if you have AIDS in Africa, you will find a doctor to see your face? Is $300 an affordable money for people there? What about that child with AIDS who lost her parents and has to face death without a mothers hand on her head? What is your money going to do for a 6 year old with one wish, to
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die? What are you talking about and why the applause? Islamic solution is more practical. Stop adultery and punish the adulterer and the adulteress, seriously but justly. Africa does not need antiretroviral medications; it needs antiretroviral values. What is true in Africa is true in China, India, Russia, Europe, Australia, Saudi Arabia and United States. Stop adultery and repent to God Just on the side, as I write these lines, Michael Jackson is meeting with lawmakers to discuss lending his celebrity to the fight against AIDS in Africa. He is trying to polish his image in the face of new charges of child molestation. Well Mr. Jackson, SHUT UP.

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Where is America Marriage

O woman, your heaven and hell is your husband Prophet Muhammad PBUH

Half of the marriages in America end up with divorce. Most of these divorces are the result of infidelity and adultery. Infidelity statistics are so catastrophic. Two great resources are AffairProof Your Marriage: Understanding, Preventing and Surviving An Affair for Lana Staheli and The Monogamy Myth for Peggy Vaughan. The problem of infidelity in America is beyond description. 60% of married men and 40% of married women will have an extramarital affair. I thought these numbers were very interesting because 60+40 = 100%. This calculation is not correct because pure men usually marry pure women. Some more shocking statistics, approximately 15% of women and 25% of men have more than four affairs during their married lives! If Satan is not happy with these numbers, I will be surprised! If someone claims that marriage is a joke, married people have very little to defend themselves. Here is a story: At 5:30 AM Saturday January, 3rd 2004, Britney Spears took a childhood friend, Jason Allen Alexander to a Las Vegas wedding chapel and got married. By midday Monday, the pop star marriage was over for a wedded bliss of 55 hours. Spears became the joke of America. Everyone was offended by her stupid act. How can she take marriage so lightly? My question: What about the 60+% marriages where couples cheat? Isnt that a joke? Are those people taking marriage seriously? During my research for this book, I came across a book about infidelity called [ Surviving Infidelity: Making Decisions, Recovering from the Pain] by Rona Subotnik and Gloria Harris. It is a nice book for those who discovered the infidelity of their spouses. I repeat discovered, as most betrayed spouses have no idea what happened when their loved ones flied last time in that business trip. The book starts by listing the degrees of infidelity. The authors, being experts in group therapy for betrayed men and women listed four stages of infidelity with more intense emotional investment as you move left to right: Serial, flings, romantic love and long-term romantic affairs. For each type, the authors will storm you with tons of stories: Jim, Ted, Joyce, Susan and others tell their stories. The book makes the betrayed reader feel much better. It is not only you. It can happen to anyone. Dont blame yourself. Lets try to resolve things and fix our marriage. The book makes you numbed to the numbness and insensitive to the insensitivity. American authors have no limits. If you want to know How to Have an Affair and Never Get Caught! or if you want to know 180 Telltale Signs Mates Are Cheating and How to Catch Them, just ask for those two books in the nearby bookstore. Let me tell all betrayed spouses under the sun, it is your fault. It happened in front of your eyes, but you did not care. You saw it on TV. You saw it in your neighbors house. You saw it
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in the magazine you read on your couch. You always smiled and said: it is not in my home. Now, it is in your home. What are you going to do about it? Get another promise from the same person you trusted before and then he sold you for pennies. Prophet Muhammad PBUH had snapshots on hell fire in his dreams. He once saw men setting on a table with most delicious food on. Then they stood up, went to a table with garbage on it, and started eating. He asked, Who are those? Those are the ones who leave their wives and go to other women, the answer was. It is true. Cheating men or women are garbage eaters. Do you see yourself enjoying that garbage meal? Why do you even have it in your mind? Kill the thoughts. Dont even let your brain think about it. Prevention is always the best cure. We will come to that in a whole chapter what is the solution? Here are two quick advices from Prophet Muhammad PBUH. First, watch those who enter your home. Do not let anyone go in and out. Prophet Muhammad PBUH said: Keep yourselves away from strange women. One companion asked, "O Messenger of Allah, tell me, can the husband's brother mix freely with his sister-in-law." The Prophet PBUH replied: "The husbands brother is like death for a woman.". Take the advice. Learn to be conservative even with your close friends and in-laws. Be careful because the devil is waiting for these opportunities. You dont believe me. Go and watch one episode of the long-run drama series, the Bold and the Beautiful , and see the mess American families enjoy. See in laws sleeping with one another like animals. You may say: it is just a drama. I say: No it is not. It is reality! The second advice, he PBUH said, It is prohibited for a woman who believes in God and the last day to travel without a mahram (adult male relative like her husband, brother, father or son). No traveling alone, period. It is not because you dont trust her. It is because it is prohibited. When your husband travels with his female coworker, you have the right to refuse. Either she travels with her man or you go with him. The Islamic approach is a preventive approach. If you wait until the disaster of infidelity comes to your home, it is going to be too late. Start acting now. I conclude this chapter with a verse from holy Quran. God says: [Women impure are for men impure, and men impure are for women impure and women of purity are for men of purity, and men of purity are for women of purity: these are not affected by what people say: for them there is forgiveness, and a provision honourable.]24:26

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Schools
[Say: "Are those who know equal to those who know not?" It is only men of understanding who will remember ] holy Quran 39:9

Once upon a time, I worked in a high school clinic. On my first day there, I saw a nice chart under the title 100 benefits of abstinence. It teaches teen students the 100 reasons to wait. I will give you a sampler to taste: No pregnancy, no STDs, No HIV, better education, better life, better relationship, better future, etc Not bad! However, just on the other wall, same school, a nice colored chart: The proper use of condoms! A question to all people responsible for this mess called high schools: Whom are you fooling? Who was the smart person who gathered boys and girls in the same class? What happens when you put gas with fire? Is there something wrong with the students themselves or with the whole system? Hard working parents send their daughters to school in the morning to come home pregnant in the evening. What a nice gift! Once, a woman visiting our mosque asked me, Why do you have single sex schools all over the Muslim world? My answer was a question, Give me one benefit of having boys and girls together in the same class. She had no answer. You put high school girls and boys together in the same class and then wonder: Which is better: abstinence or condoms! That is hypocrisy. Schools now are full of sex, drugs, violence and weapons. One major step on the right path is to get boys and girls separated in schools. Dont let others experiment with your children. Send them to a single sex school. Do it before it is too late. Nowadays, the problem is taking a new dimension. Homosexuals are using schools and universities as a platform to propagate their sickness. Read this chilling CBN (Christian broadcasting network) article by Paul Strand: Homosexual activists put together a long-term plan some 16 years ago to convert America -not to any particular religion -- but to a warm embrace of homosexuality. This plan includes an agenda to make America Gay friendly. American Public shall be brain washed by all possible means. Schools rose generations in this sick environment thinking that homosexuality (or bisexuality) is a normal behavior. Ladies and gentlemen, it is war! It is war against values and religion. It is a war against God. Believe me, God is extremely powerful and we are going to lose. The only hope for us is to surrender, not to homosexuals, not to this filthy education system but to God.

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When we raise our children, it is our responsibility to keep them pure and to protect them. If our son or daughter goes to his or her wedding bed virgin, we are successful. Otherwise, we didnt do it right and we are responsible in front of God. A group of nurses for health education at Blount County, Tennessee was alarmed by the extremely high rates of STDs and pregnancy in their teens. They put a nice website at www.ywwf.org I am Quoting from their website [[Virginity: True virginity involves sexual purity of the body and mind. If you save yourself sexually for your wedding bed, you will give your husband or wife something no one else in the world can have and something that shows the love you have for your spouse is unique and special. Your gift in marriage of yourself sets the high standard for behavior you expect for yourself and your spouse throughout marriage. If you and your spouse are virgins at marriage, there are no memories to compete with, no guilt, no remorse, and nothing to confess. Popular culture would have you believe that there is something wrong with you if you remain a virgin that you are frigid, or weird, or a prude. People who make mistakes in life tend to want other people to make the same mistakes so that they wont feel alone. (Misery loves company.) If movie stars, musicians, and athletes are sexually promiscuous and have messed up their lives with a string of sexual conquests, they try to validate their own mistaken, twisted lives by convincing themselves and others that everyone is doing it. ]] Quotation ends here.

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Pornography
[Many are the Jinns (daemons) and men we have made for Hell: They have hearts wherewith they understand not, eyes wherewith they see not, and ears wherewith they hear not. They are like cattle,- nay more misguided: for they are heedless (of warning).]7:179

When Janet Jackson did what she did during the 2004 Super Bowl football championship, America was offended. The pop star pretended to be ashamed, but everyone in America knew she did not feel the slightest guilt. On the other hand, parents and grandparents lost sleep. How could this happen? America waited so long before it felt the threat. Where were the concerned Americans when Victoria secret aired its ads? Where were they when all this pile of talk shows was shown on their TVs? Where were they when movies loaded with porn reached their homes day and night? For decades, pornography moved to the American homes under their eyes. By the 1960s, sexual freedom had a take off. A new era of selling women started, not under slavery, but under deceiving words like fashion and freedom. I wonder, what is the definition of a conservative dress in America today? Why is it OK to walk 99% naked on the beach and not on the street? As an uncivilized Muslim, I deserve some education. So please, teach me. Prophet Muhammad PBUH said, If you have no shame, do whatever you want. It is that feeling of shame and guilt that makes us human beings. When we lose that feeling, we are not human beings any more. Sure enough, Satan used this wave of freedom smartly. People who were left free to do whatever makes them happy started the pornographic business, one of the fastest growing businesses in America. Under the eyes of hundreds of millions of Christians in America, this country became a major source of porn media; magazines, movies, books, talk shows, etc. You name it! Why is pornography that bad? You may not want to hear a Muslims point of view. Well, lets hear the opinions of an American expert. Pornography fuels deviant behavior, said Russ Goebel, an experienced parole/probation officer. It feeds the impulses of sex offenders, and it objectifies women. Theres no relationship, no love. It doesnt just end at looking, he said. It never just ends at looking. -from DAWN
THOMPSON article in the Messenger April19 2004: Pornography harmful

Today, in the cyberspace era, we face a new mammoth that will change the lives of us and all coming generations, called pornography on the internet. Pornographic web pages grew 18-folds during the past six years, with over 1.3 million sites serving up about 260 million pages of erotic
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content, according to a study released in September by the Seattle, Washington-based Webfiltering company N2H2. The annual revenues of this business are in the $1billion range and growing! In 2003, there were 260 million porn pages in 1.3 million porn sites over the internet. The numbers are growing and it is expected that in 5 years the business revenues will reach $6 billion. Do these numbers include porn chatting rooms or porn e-mails flying all over the world? What about the so called rape fantasy or children porn chatting rooms? Did you ever hear about virtual sex websites? I can keep going on. Do you want to hear about a priest in jail because of children porn charges? What about an ex-judge who is in jail for the similar charges? Should we talk about another old weapon porn business is using today called TV. Did you watch the Bachelor? What do you think? Isnt that porn? What about sex in the city? American publishers are very generous. Just go to any bookstore and pick your favorite book to cure yourself and your spouse from this sickness. Read Stone old in a warm bed: One couples battle with pornography written by Kathryn Wilson and her husband. You may feel good to know that others share your problem. They claim to have the cure. Why dont you go and try. When you fail, come back. Ask God for help. Read the Quran. Listen to the holy revelation: [Verily, We created man of the best stature (mould), Then We reduced him to the lowest of the low, Save those who believe and do righteous deeds, then they shall have a reward without end (Paradise).] 95:4-6

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The church
[Say: "O People of the Book (Jews and Christians! ye have no ground to stand upon unless ye stand fast by the Law, the Gospel, and all the revelation that has come to you from your Lord."] Holy Quran5:68

In this ocean of sins, the church is sinking. I am not writing this to fight the church, but to help; God knows best. Adultery has its sharp teeth deep in the flesh of America, while the church is no more than a bystander. Whom should we blame for this mess if not the church? Who is claiming to carry the message of God to America? Who has power, money, churches, TV stations and presidents in the white house? The story of the church is so long. Lets see where it started. History tells us that the church came to existence to gather Christians who believed the divinity of Jesus, which Muslims of course deny. (Read The De Vinci code, pages 232 and 233 ). The infidels, those who disagreed, were followed and persecuted. The Ebionites, a group of Jewish believers in Jesus who did not consider him divine, were among the first victims. Later on, the church had to take care of a falling empire and the popes had to govern from the church. The crusades were another attempt to clear the world of the new infidels, now called Muslims, who occupied the holy land. Tens of thousands were slaughtered in Jerusalem under the name of God. Those were not the only victims. The church hand reached everyone in the Empire. Slaves and women were the usual targets. It is no wonder that liberty and freedom had to be built on the ruins of the church. In Europe, the church was mercilessly murdered. Darwinism became the religion and Freudian sexual fallacies became the law. Europe lost its connection with God. Many Europeans do not consider themselves Christians any more, and hardly believe in a supreme power that led to their existence. The church in America inherited all of this. In the war against adultery, the church does not have the proper weaponry to fight. The misuse of the ideas of salvation, love and forgiveness made the church promoting the sin. A good Christian is a person who is born again. How can you be born again if you never sinned? A good Christian has to be a sinner who repents. Go to any church in America and ask: how many people here used to be sinners, addicts on alcohol or drugs, adulterers, homosexuals, rapists, etc.? At least half of the congregation will raise their hands. They were born again. Ladies and gentlemen, the true faith is the faith that prevents you from becoming an alcoholic. If you become an alcoholic you may be born again; also you may not and will die drinking! The church in America has to face army of enemies. People who want to have revenge are attacking. Women who felt the oppression of two thousand years are shaking the walls of the church. Read Beyond God the Father: Toward a Philosophy of Women's Liberation for Mary Daly. The first chapter of this book is after the death of God the father and you can tell the rest. Or read Women in the Maze: Questions & Answers on Biblical Equality by Ruth Tucker.
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The biggest challenge is to get rid of God the male and to replace him with a female figure. Our dirt on Earth now is not enough; we want God to be involved. I ask God for forgiveness and mercy. His blessings are coming down day and night, and then American philosophers look up and say, Are you a man or a woman? The church used 9/11 in the best possible way. This sad event brought churches together, not for loving each other but for hating Muslims. Otherwise, churches have been cursing each other for the last 2000 years and will keep doing so. Instead of looking in its very own problems and solving them, time has come for the church to turn to the Muslim world to convert it. Is the western culture an example Muslims should follow? The truth is that liberation of women in the west was similar to freeing the slaves in America; black people went free, but racism never disappeared. That is the worst example that Muslims can follow. Muslims need to follow the divine guidance to free men and women and get them back to the light of God. Many churches are very busy raising funds. You need to pay to get your prayer answered. You need to pay to get your confession through. It is OK to sin if you repent generously. God say in the holy Quran about those fund raisers (the $ priests): [O you who believe! Verily, there are many of the (Jewish) rabbis and the (Christian) monks who devour the wealth of mankind in falsehood, and hinder (them) from the Way of Allah (i.e. Islam) ] 9:34 In the last few decades, the church didnt just watch this sexual mess as a bystander, but it managed to pitch in. Go to this site and read the latest news about sex offenses in the church: http://www.priority2.org/church1.htm . The truth of the matter as you find it on this site is that rape can happen in any church. The Catholic Church was attacked badly for child molestation. Tens of cases came to the surface. Some were covered by church officials for over thirty years, like those involving Rev. Paul Shanley, who was simply moved from parish to parish instead of defrocking him or removing him from ministry. Father James Porter victimized 200 children between 1960 and 1972 while an active parish priest. Other stories are even more agonizing. Today, 3,000 priests face allegations of child abuse. Other churches have their own secret problems. At least, 1.7 percent of Baptist priests abused minors. The actual numbers are hard to know for different reasons. (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/700762/posts) God talks about those priests in the Quran: [Then, We sent after them, Our Messengers, and We sent 'Iesa (Jesus) son of Maryam (Mary), and gave him the Injeel (Gospel). And We ordained in the hearts of those who followed him, compassion and mercy. But the Monasticism which they invented for themselves, We did not prescribe for them, but (they sought it) only to please Allah therewith, but that they did not observe it with the right observance. So We gave those
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among them who believed, their (due) reward, but many of them are Fasiqun (rebellious, disobedient to Allah).] 57:27 A.W. Richard Sipe, an ordained Roman Catholic priest wrote a whole book about this subject: Sex, Priests, and Power: Anatomy of a Crisis . Sipe gets very close to the problem in more than one place in his book. Why do the Catholic bishops have such a denial to the problem? Undoubtedly part of the problem is that some bishops themselves are abusers , he said. What people see is just a tip of an ice burg. Sine wrote in his book The scandal of priestly sexual abuse of minors, although real and significant in itself, is primarily a symptom of an essentially flawed celibate/sexual system of ecclesiastical power. Analysis of the function and structure of the celibate/sexual system demonstrate that it is based on a false understanding of the nature of human sexuality and primary Christian experience. However, if you ask Sipe for a solution, this all what you will get: Eventually, the church must submit its consideration of sexuality to the realities of evolutionary, molecular and anthropological biology (that is, scientific perception), along with historical, sociological, and poetic speculation (that is mystical perception). While the lay man expects the church to be his safe hide and the window through which God reveals his knowledge and wisdom, Sipe admits that the church has to go to explore the theories of Darwin and Freud to get him the truth. I am not satisfied, and I do not believe any person looking for faith is satisfied with this either. Thirty percent of U.S. priests are believed to be involved in deviant sexual behaviors including homosexuality, sexual identity problems or florid pedophilia. What do you think about these numbers? There is another side of the story. Those priests with this unhealthy sexual orientation are not only going to make sex with children in their churches, but are more likely to give them an extra gift: AIDS. Health statistics by The Kansas City Star showed that priests are dying of AIDS at a rate at least four times that of the general U.S. population, according to estimates from medical experts and priests. At the end of this chapter, I hope that I offended everybody. I deeply apologize to any church or domination in America if I did not offend them. I really mean it. It may happen in any church. I believe that priests raping children in the church are committing the worst sin that was ever committed. And yes, the media exaggerated the problem, but even one priest involved in such a horrible act is too many. What should the church do? The church needs to repent to God. God will help us to get rid of all our problems, including terrorism and adultery. It should be a sincere repentance where the church opens its ears to the call of truth. The church should no more remain silent. The church should look for Gods acceptance and not for political victories or financial revenues.

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Presidents
As you are, you rulers will be Prophet Muhammad PBUH

I did not have sex with this woman, Miss. Lewinsky, Mr. Clinton said. His definition of sexual act was Biblical; one that could result in reproduction! He is the same person who admitted that he smoked marijuana but he did not inhale. Clearly, we have a language problem here. Mr. Presidents definitions of sex and marijuana smoking are unique. The first lady supported her husband in these dark days. The democrats propagated a theory that the scandal was a rightwing conspiracy to bring the president down. This theory is so disgusting. Did the rightwing push Mr. Clinton to have an affair with an employee in his office? I do not think that was a fair analysis of the problem. Also, I do not believe that the rightwing had a good heart when it spent $25 million over three years of Ken Starrs investigation to chase the Clintons from one scandal to the other. It was not a war for values; it was a war for power. Although the senate duly tried the President, his peaceful return to the white house puts all American values under question. What is right and what is wrong in America? How can we tell any man not to get in an intimate relationship with his female employees? How can we ask any man to be a role model if the president himself was a married womanizer? I am not planning to change this books title to sex scandals in America, but how can I write a book about adultery in America if the US presidents do not get a full chapter? Why dont we go for a sampler? Where should we start? At the beginning was the first president, Washington, who had the washerwoman Kate affair. President Jefferson was believed to have had an affair with a 14-year-old slave, Sally Hemming, and with other married women. Andrew Jackson had married bigamously (which is OK with me). President Buchanan was believed to be homosexual as well as President Carfield. President Cleveland admitted that he fathered an illegitimate child. President Hardings wife caught him in the coat closet in the Oval Office with young woman (History repeats itself). He also had an illegitimate daughter. President Roosevelt had questionable affairs while his wife, Eleanor, was believed to be a lesbian. President Eisenhowers affair with his army driver, Kay Summersby, was well known. JFK was well covered by the media because of the war. However his affair with Angie Dickinson, an actress, and Ingrid Arvad, a Danish beauty queen with Nazi ties, were well known. President Johnson was believed to have had an affair with a female reporter from the Washington star. The Kennedy-Monroe affair came back to the light when Robert, JFKs brother ran for presidency. Following his murder, his affair with Marilyn bubbled on the surface. President Nixon had been filmed by British intelligence making love with a Chinese woman in Hong Kong. In 1988 presidency campaign, the presidential candidate Gary Hart was caught with a jeans model and had to abandon his campaign. For some presidents who did not commit actual adultery, they were involved in virtual adultery. President Carter told playboy magazine during his election 1976 campaign: I have
37

looked on a lot of women with lust. Ive committed adultery in my heart many times . He was going to lose the elections for this interview and later he apologized. If I should ever decide in the future to discuss my deep Christian beliefs and condemnation and sinfulness, I'll use another forum besides Playboy. My Muslim question: Who told Mr. Carter that playboy was a nice forum for confession to start with? Dear Americans, repent to God. Fear nothing other than God. He says in the Quran: [When We decide to destroy a population, We (first) send a definite order to those among them who are given the good things of this life and yet transgress; so that the word is proved true against them: then (it is) We destroy them utterly. How many generations have We destroyed after Noah? and enough is thy Lord to note and see the sins of His servants. If any do wish for the transitory things (of this life), We readily grant them - such things as We will, to such person as We will: in the end have We provided Hell for them: they will burn therein, disgraced and rejected.]17:16-18

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Homosexuality and same sex marriage.

"When a man mounts another man, the throne of God shakes(of anger)." Prophet Muhammad PBUH.

Homosexuality is the subject that made me start writing this book. At this point, I am really drained and tired. I dont feel there is anything left for me to write. Is there really anything I can add to the story of Lot in the land of gays? Is there anything I can say to attack the church and those who corrupted the bible with their hands? Is there any more ways to express my anger with a society that used the most attractive words love and forgiveness to disobey God the most merciful? There are things you cannot even talk about in America. Homosexuality is becoming one of them. If you want to stand and say No, you are left alone. The homosexual men and women are loaded with artillery of scientific data and misinterpreted pieces of the bible. Their army has congressmen, priests, mayors, community leaders, judges, newspaper editors and even presidents. Two to four percent of Americans are believed to be homosexual. Add to that another 6% of so called predominantly homosexual persons and you get a dreadful 10 percent sold to you as the real percentage. What happened in America? How did homosexuals get such an influence on this land? How did the church allow this to happen? These are critical questions that Americans need to ask. The problem starts very early. A boy is born in a typical American family. Parents lost their roles as a father and a mother. For all practical purposes, men and women are the same in America. A little boy starts looking around for a man model. He doesnt see it in his father. He doesnt see it in anybody around. Parents are watching closely. If a little boy picks a doll to play with it, it is a disaster to happen. It is called gender nonconformity and carries a 75% risk for future sexual deviation like being homosexual, bisexual or transgender. (Read A Parent's Guide to Preventing Homosexuality by Joseph Nicolosi). This theory is called the weak father theory and is supported by experts in this field. This little child growing in America will find himself soon in a school where sexuality is life. A confused teen will be soon noticed and labeled by his school mates as not straight or something is wrong with him or her. The idea that homosexuality is normal will be pushed to his throat in school, in the church, on TV and in many cases by his family. This poor person has no option really but to join the national network of gays and lesbians. The misled society will accept this deviant behavior. The misled society will convince this victim that he is doomed forever. You have no hope to go to the other side. If you try, you will be lost. You were born gay and you will die gay.
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All this is happening under the eye of the church. You have to hate the sin, not the sinner, they say. I agree; but are you telling me to like Satan? There is no sin without a sinner. The sin of homosexuality is so destructive that one cannot deal with it using the vague concepts of love and compassion. If someone has tuberculosis, the society will isolate him to protect others. Homosexuality is worse than tuberculosis. Wasnt HIV the gift gays brought to their loving society? Soon after it started, they were the first ones who used the epidemic to get more sympathy from others. They committed a crime and they got more and more love. The gay scientists managed to obscure the truth and misguide the public through their cheap research. The most ridiculous studies looked at brain size of gay versus straight men. They found that some brain parts were smaller in gay men and more similar to the female brain. However, most of those gays were AIDS patients and there was no wonder their brains were indeed smaller. American public are stormed with more and more experimental data using animal models and genetic hallucinations. Any piece of useless research will find its way to the starving media before it finds its way to a scientific review. For more data on this subject, there is no better place on the web than www.NARTH.com (National association for research and therapy for homosexuality). We have to admit that gays and lesbians are winning. They are making smart movements, while people with faith are still questioning: how can we get rid of Islam? Your home is on fire. That should be your priority. You will find nobody standing with you other than a punch of Muslims. You need Islam to fight against homosexuality. Our methods are tested. Our experience is good. Our goals are clear: Please God and prevent his punishment. The careless approach people showed towards the problem led homosexuals to use the secular channels in this country to legalize their marriage. What is marriage? Why shouldnt gays and lesbians live together without really being married? Why are they taking the issue so serious? The answer is simple; marriage is Gods establishment. When they have their marriage certificates, their acts will be approved by God. It is one extra step in the long way of deceiving the public and making advances in the empty field. They are striking deep behind the red lines, and the church is still watching. What am I saying? The church is blessing this marriage. The churches are racing in expressing their love to the growing homosexual Christian community. Same sex marriages are taking place in many churches under the name of God. What a shame! In the war against homosexuality, all people with faith in their hearts have to stand together, shoulder to shoulder. It is life or death. It is either us or them. You are either with us or against us. In this war we need no blood shed, no land to be occupied. We need one thing, to avoid Gods punishment.

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Some may use the same old terms: love, compassion and forgiveness to attack us. The true love is to remove the sin and cure the sinner, not to accept the sin and praise the sinner. The Quran responds: [The good deed and the evil deed cannot be equal. Repel (the evil) with one which is better (i.e. Allah ordered the faithful believers to be patient at the time of anger, and to excuse those who treat them badly): then verily he, between whom and you there was enmity, (will become) as though he was a close friend.] 3:31 Some may claim that we have little knowledge. Sexual orientation starts before the age of 3, they say. It is not an option but a gift. The Quran responds: [And among His Signs is this, that He created for you wives from among yourselves, that you may find repose in them, and He has put between you affection and mercy. Verily, in that are indeed signs for a people who reflect. ] 30:21. When God created Adam and Eve, he put affection and mercy between them. It is in their creation. This is the creator talking. Do you know more than God? Some may say: Gays are friendly and productive, They are outstanding leaders in the Church community. The Quran responds: [And when you look at them, their bodies please you; and when they speak, you listen to their words. They are as blocks of wood propped up. They think that every cry is against them. They are the enemies, so beware of them. May Allah curse them! How are they denying (or deviating from) the Right Path.]63:4 We will not lose for those deviants. We will fight to expose them. Then we will recite the Quran loudly: [Truth has come and falsehood has vanished. Surely! falsehood is ever bound to vanish.]17:81 God is with us. God will help us. Quran says: [O you who believe! if you help (in the cause of) Allah, He will help you, and make your foothold firm.]47:7 Lets say it loudly: NO TO HOMOSEXUALITY, YES TO THE FAMILY.

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Alcohol and Drugs

[They ask thee concerning wine and gambling. Say: "In them is great sin, and some profit, for men; but the sin is greater than the profit."] holy Quran 2:219

One out of eight adults in this country suffers from alcohol dependency or drug abuse. We are talking about 40 million people who wake up this morning with one thing in mind: What to drink, smoke or inhale? Prophet Muhammad PBUH said, Alcohol is the mother of all sins. Shortly after the Quran ordered them to stop drinking, early Muslims poured wine in the streets. Muslims stopped drinking and will never drink again (if God wills). With confidence, I tell people, I have a zero alcohol level in my blood. I never had a drink, nor my father, grandfather, or any of my known ancestors. Thanks to Islam. It took long centuries for America to realize that Islam was right. Prohibition was a unique experience in America. Decades of debate ended by Congressmen passing prohibition law in 1920. No alcoholic beverage in America was the law. On the happy eve of prohibition, some towns burned their jails. They thought all problems were to be solved. The temperance movement led America in the right direction. They believed that drinking alcohol was a sin and insisted that Jesus PBUH drank grape juice, not wine. Did America have the same success that Islam had? The answer is no. The congress was under pressure. An illegal business started in the dark. Gangsters made money and crime rates went up. People had to drink contaminated alcohol. Thousands got blinded. Others died. The Congress had to face a church that teaches, " Use a little wine for thy stomach's sake" (1 Timothy 5:23). The battle against alcohol was lost 13 years later. In 1933, prohibition law was repealed by the twenty-fifth amendment. What the illiterate Muhammad (PBUH) did in ancient Arabia, America could not do in the civilized world. That is one of the miracles of God, but where are those who think and understand? If the Congress did not yield to that unjustified pressure, todays America would have been much better. What is the difference between drugs and alcohol? Isnt little pot good for thy stomach? How can we convince the American youth that wine is good but ecstasy is bad? Is the congress going to yield to gangsters again and legalize drugs?

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Alcohol is still a major destroyer of todays society. All measures taken to protect children from alcohol-related fatalities are failing. In 2003; 17,401 deaths were caused by crashes involving alcohol. For more information go to www.MADD.org (mothers against drunk driving). Alcohol leads to cases of sexual violence, including sexual harassment, sexual assault, and rape. In reported cases of acquaintance rape, approximately 75% of the men and 55% of the women involved had been drinking or using other drugs just before the assault. Of course, certain researchers provided a wealth of studies to prove that alcohol is not that bad. Women and men were given tonic water but falsely believed they had alcoholic beverages. Sexual arousal and aggressiveness were the same as those who received actual beverages. So alcohol is not responsible for violence. Hurray! What about the statistics that clearly link alcohol with violence? What do the researchers say about that? A friend once asked me, Why is it forbidden in Islam to have a small beverage that doesnt make you drunk? In Islam, if a bottle makes you drunk, then even a little sip of it is forbidden, I said. Why isnt it OK to have little morphine in your home pharmacy? What is the definition of being drunk? What is a half drunk? What is a 10% drunk? Is it OK to be 1% drunk? What makes some one drunk does not affect someone else. So where to draw the line. America needs to re-implement the law of prohibition. America should believe that fighting drugs equals fighting alcohol. Are you waiting for your son to be killed in an accident or for your daughter to be raped to believe me? Lets say it loud YES TO PROHIBITION, NO TO ALCOHOL, NO TO DRUGS.

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What is the solution? General plan

Help one another in righteousness and piety, but help not one another in sin and rancor: fear Allah: for Allah is strict in punishment. (holy Quran 5:2)

Nobody will change the American way of life, a common expression you hear in America these days. But, what if God is not satisfied with America? The first step for treatment is a correct diagnosis. How can we cure America if we keep our eyes closed and insist that nothing is wrong with America? Time has come to realize that there is a major problem. America is going astray. The American dream to modernize the world and spread democracy is challenged by the questionable American values. What needs to be done in America needs to be done in the rest of the world. America needs a moral revolution that takes its guidance from the divine revelation of God. The process is long and painful, but there is no other option. If we want to protect ourselves, our families and our communities, we need to move forward. God says in the Quran [By (the Token of) time (through the Ages). Verily Man is in loss. Except such as have Faith and do righteous deeds and (join together) in the mutual teaching of Truth and of Patience and Constancy.]103:1-3 This chapter is called Al-Asr (the time). It is one of the shortest chapters in the Quran. It solves all problems of humanity. A general principle is stated:Man is in loss. An exception follows Except such as. Who are those exceptional people? Lets study carefully the features of these people: 1- They have faith. 2- They do righteous deeds. 3- They join together in the mutual teaching of Truth. 4- They join together in patience and constancy. I was told many times by my Christian friends that Islam is a religion of work, while Christianity is a religion of faith. It is exactly like a lazy man who looks to his hard working friend and say: I dont need to work hard like him because Im smart and he is dump. Faith is
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in your heart. Only God knows about our faith. Dont overestimate yourself. Islam is not a religion of work only. Read this short chapter again. It is a religion of faith, work, collaboration and patience. We need to have faith in our hearts. We need to please God. He knew already that we were going to go astray and provided the guidance. Did we look for his guidance? Did we follow his orders? We have to move. We cannot just close the door and say it is not in my home. It is coming. It is close. Weve seen it growing. Lets move before it is too late. Individual movements are useless. Individuals make mistakes. Our ability to make changes as individuals is limited. Those who have faith in their hearts need to get together. We need to share ideas, to express ourselves, to correct our mistakes and to have mercy on each other. In the straight path of righteousness, pain is to be expected. Patience is very important. Patience will keep us alive. When a baby is born to a single mother, when a man cheats, when a teen choose to become homosexual or when a fetus is aborted, it simply is not an individuals fault. I learned in medicine, if a patient receives a wrong dose or a wrong medication, it is not an individuals fault. It is the doctor who ordered the medicine, the nurse who picked the order, the pharmacist who dispensed the dose. It is a system failure. For that reason, there is no individual to blame when we see these disasters happen. Everybody is involved. It is a system failure. Why are we waiting for our families to fall one after the other? You are next. Wait and see. Changes have to be made in school, in the church, in the street, in the government, on the TV, on the internet and everywhere. If we admit our problem and agree to go on the right path, we may be able to save ourselves and our most beautiful dream, America. Dear America, repent to God. Fight adultery and all other sins. You are very strong, but God is stronger. [If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned] Jeremiah 18:7-8 [Why was there not a single township (among those We warned), which believed,- so its faith should have profited it,- except the people of Jonah? When they believed, We removed
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from them the penalty of ignominy in the life of the present, and permitted them to enjoy (their life) for a while.] Holy Quran 10:98

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The way of believers

[Those who invoke not, with Allah, any other god, nor slay such life as Allah has made sacred except for just cause, nor commit fornication; - and any that does this (not only) meets punishment.] holy Quran 25:68

Men and women with faith and purity do not commit the sin of adultery. They protect themselves by controlling their sensations and clearing their minds so the devil would have no access to their souls. It all starts during childhood. A child should be raised in a family with his parents around. Parents should be an example. Children should see the best of their parents. In the absence of a role model, American children follow celebrities, dancers and singers. When children go to school, a single sex school should be chosen. Collaboration between school and home to raise the kids in a healthy, sex and drug free environment should take place. Teens are not to date different sex friends under your eyes. These relations turn sexual in almost all cases. It is your job to make sure that your son or daughter leaves your home virgin and ready to face the society, understanding the dangers he or she is going to face. A man and a woman should seek marriage as soon as possible. Delaying marriage has no value other than opening the door for unhealthy practices. We have to admit that we are human beings and we have needs. The age of marriage can only be lowered if the society understands the needs of the young men and women and help them in establishing their new families. Expensive weddings, diamond rings and social fantasies add to the problem and make it impossible for young couples to get married. Prophet Muhammad PBUH said: [The most blessed marriage is the one with the least expenses.] Marriage is a holy establishment, spouses should be aware of the Satanic traps and protect themselves. Everyone trusts his loved one, but that is not an excuse to be careless. One should try to keep the relationship healthy and inspiring. One should not leave ones spouse a victim of his or her weaknesses. Prophet Muhammad left us with tons of advice and directions that outline the only straight path in the darkness of ignorance we see today. A whole Islamic approach will be illustrated in a separate section of this book: what is the solution? This approach includes methods to prevent and cure the problem. It deals with the reality of being human beings and not the imaginary effects of faith. You have to work hard and ask God for guidance. Guidance is a gift from the Lord that you need to pray for. He says in the Quran: [Verily! You guide not whom you like, but Allah guides whom He wills. And He knows best those who are the guided.] 28:56

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Prevention is the best cure: Save your eyes

[Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze] holy Quran 24:30

Prevention is the best cure. Isnt it? Why should we wait until the devil comes into our lives and destroys our families? We should be proactive. We should protect ourselves and our families. By understanding our weakness we can immunize ourselves so we never do the most ugly sin, adultery. Listen to what Prophet Muhammad PBUH said on this subject: "Allah has written for the son of Adam his inevitable share of adultery whether he is aware of it or not: The adultery of the eye is the looking (at something which is sinful to look at), and the adultery of the tongue is to utter (what it is unlawful to utter), and the inner self wishes and longs for (adultery) and (then) the private parts turn that into reality (actual adultery) or refrain from submitting to the temptation." A pastor named John Sandford wrote a book called Why some Christians commit adultery. I hope he called his book Why many Christians commit adultery, but the book has interesting facts that I like to share with the reader. Remember, he is talking about religious Christians. Christians remain woefully naive about themselves as sexual beings, unaware of the forces in human nature which can bring them down, and consequently ignorant of the ways the power of darkness can manipulate situations and sexual drives to plunge them in trouble. Sandford then makes a distinction between Spiritual adultery, which is unintentional and not necessarily sexual in origin, and Emotional adultery. Notice again how he brings the same issues Prophet Muhammad brought fourteen centuries ago: Unfortunately, most of us have never heard of spiritual adultery ... I believe that the first and greatest cause of sexual adultery, among well-meaning Christians is spiritual adultery. Emotional adultery, through sometimes unintentional, is often consciously used by adulterous people to seduce other into relationships. They use emotion-laden glances and looks, body language, touches and suggestive words. How to protect ourselves from spiritual and emotional adultery? This is the question. Remember, this is teamwork. No one can change the society by himself. One may protect himself and his family, but to change the society, everyone should collaborate. Controlling ones sensations is important. The devil comes through these receptors to stimulate inner instincts. The first step is to control your eyes. If a beautiful woman (or man if you are a woman) passes in front of you, close your eyes. Yes, close your eyes. It is through this route that the devil will enter your heart. If you see a woman not dressing conservatively, even on TV screen, take your eyes off her. This image is very dangerous when it goes to your mind.
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It leaves a print that the devil knows how to use against you. Prophet Muhammad said: The look [of the eyesight] is a poisonous arrow of Satan(Ahmad). I am not saying that any look is forbidden. But you should know that God is watching your heart. He knows exactly why you are looking and what is on your mind. He says in the Quran: [(Allah) knows of (the tricks) that deceive with the eyes, and all that the hearts conceal.]40:19 Read this biblical reference and see the similarity: [I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl. For what is man's lot from God above, his heritage from the Almighty on high? Is it not ruin for the wicked, disaster for those who do wrong? Does he not see my ways and count my every step?] Job 31:1-4 Prophet Muhammed said: [Whoever lowers his gaze by not looking at the charms of a [stranger] woman,
Allah would substitute him for this with a faith, which he would feel its sweetness in his heart](Tabarani).

The same applies when you hear a woman (or a man) with a soft voice. Be careful. Close your ears. Yes close your ears. Since we cannot close our ears, we can do two things. First, remind yourself of God who is watching your heart. Second, try to finish the conversation with the other person as soon as possible. The same applies to your nose. One of the easiest entrances of the devil is the smell of a perfume. The smell sensation carried by the olfactory nerve travels the shortest distance of any other nerve before it feeds to the most primitive parts of the brain. Pheromones transmit a stimulus to your brain without you even feeling it. If you smell an attractive perfume, close your nose; that is to try to stop yourself from smelling. You may breathe from your mouth until the smell goes away. All of this you have to do, if you want to keep yourself protected from the devil. How many people thought they were strong but then failed. My friend, we are all week human beings, for God says in the holy Quran: [Allah wishes to lighten (the burden) for you; and man was created weak] 4:76 I have to clarify one more point. American culture is a touchy culture; Men and women hug, touch and kiss each other freely. When I meet a new coworker, I have to identify myself immediately as a Muslim. I am friendly, yes, but still I am a no touch person. Some people dont take it easily. I dont care. Prophet Muhammad PBUH said: [It is better for one of you to be pricked in the head with an iron pick than to touch a woman whom it is unlawful to touch](Altabarani) Now read what the Bible says and see how that is very similar to the teachings of Islam: [You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.'
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But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.] Matthew 5:27-30 I wish president Carter have had read these lines before he made his famous interview with playboy magazine. I have looked on a lot of women with lust. Ive committed adultery in my heart many times, President Carter said! The plan to protect yourself does not stop there. You have to keep your heart busy by remembering the Lord, for that is enough to send the devil away. God says in the holy Quran: [Establish regular Prayer: for Prayer restrains from shameful and unjust deeds; and remembrance of Allah is the greatest (thing in life) without doubt. And Allah knows the (deeds) that ye do.]29:45 , and also He says: [If anyone withdraws himself from remembrance of (Allah) Most Gracious, We appoint for him an evil one (a devil), to be an intimate companion to him.] holy Quran 43:36 One practical way to control your desires is to control what you eat. Single Muslim men and women are encouraged to fast on regular bases. Islamic fasting is to abstain from food and drink from dawn time to sunset. While fasting is obligatory in Ramadan, Singles are encouraged to fast extra days. It was shown by experience that fasting is very effective to control sexual desire. If your stomach is empty, you can hardly think about anything else. Prophet Muhammad PBUH said: [O young men, those among you who can support a wife should marry, for it restrains eyes (from casting evil glances) and preserves one from immorality; but he who cannot afford it should observe fast, for it is a means of controlling the sexual desire.] (Muslim) There is no better way other than marriage which protects a person from the sin of adultery. After that chastity is to be practiced. God says in the holy Quran: [And let those who find not the financial means for marriage keep themselves chaste, until Allah enriches them of His Bounty. ]...24:33 However, how can singles keep themselves chaste in this sex-obsessed society? Dont you agree it is teamwork? Men and women should behave themselves. Children are to be raised on new values. A woman should dress conservatively and talk formally with men (see chapter: Eve in trouble). The same applies for men. The prophet PBUH said: [The woman who applies perfume and passes by men is an adulteress.] (TIRMIZI).
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A very important point is to avoid being in the wrong place. How many people underestimated this problem and ended in misery. Dont trust yourself to be in a closed room with a person of the opposite sex. Dont say: she is my friends wife, nothing is going to happen. That is fatal, for Prophet Muhammad PBUH said: [Whenever a strange man and woman meet in seclusion, the devil definitely is the third one joining them.] (TIRMIZI) i.e. the devil arouses their passions and incites them to commit evil. Prophet Muhammad PBUH taught all the secrets of life to human beings. He laid the straight path for us, but where are those who listen? I have to admit, he is the best teacher. Listen to this advice and learn from his wisdom: [When a woman fascinates any one of you and she captivates his heart, he should go to his wife and have an intercourse with her, for it would repel what he feels.](Muslim) How many houses can be saved by this little advice? Oh American men, are you listening? Women need to understand this great teaching. When a man invites his wife to bed, she should respond (unless there is a valid reason to refuse). This was also mentioned by Prophet Muhammad PBUH "When a husband calls his wife at night to have relations with her and she refuses without a valid reason, she is cursed throughout the night by the angels." (BUKHARI) I can find no better conclusion for this chapter than these verses from the holy Quran: [Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty: that will make for greater purity for them: And Allah is well acquainted with all that they do. And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husband's fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their women, or the slaves whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex; and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments. And O ye Believers! turn ye all together towards Allah, that ye may attain Bliss.] 24:30-31

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Save your marriage

[The fragrance of heaven will be forbidden for a woman who asks her husband for divorce without any valid reason.] Prophet Muhammad PBUH (TIRMIZI)

Make it clear, Marriage is the best protection. To twist this divine establishment, western societies invented something called cohabitation. Men and women live together before marriage, sometimes without even planning to get married. It is a practice accepted today by most, if not all, western cultures. The Muslim world is badly criticized for arranged marriages where families match their wedding sons and daughters through a complex process that does not give any chance for cohabitation or even for romance before marriage. These arranged marriages are the most successful marriages on earth. In Sweden, where most couples cohabit, divorce rates are extremely high. (the marriage problem, J. Wilson). Marriage is a great challenge. You have to live with your spouse 24/7. All your tiny problems will come to the surface. You can hide no more. Few months after marriage, and you are fully exposed. Years of Romance or cohabitation are not enough. Marriage is the real test and divorce is the worst outcome. Children of divorced parents have higher rates of school dropouts and teenage pregnancy. They are at higher risk for drug and crime related problems. Couples who remarry after divorce are at high risk to re-divorce. So you agree that divorce is really really bad. But where is the problem coming from? Whos fault is it, men or women? I say it is neither men nor women. It is a system failure. The western family has no leader. A working woman who is looking for full control is not going to give up for her husbands pressure. However, a boat without a captain is going to sink. Too many cooks (actually two cooks) can spoil any marriage. A mandatory step to fix the problem is to give some authority to the man. By nature, women are more able to tolerate mens authority. I really mean it, give men some authority and let them lead the house. Let the man feel the responsibility and the privilege of being the master in his home. By then, you will see the divorce rates going down. The holy Quran summarized the solution of all marital problems in one verse. The holy Quran: [Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allah has given the one more (strength) than the other, and because they support them from their means. Therefore the righteous women are devoutly obedient, and guard in (the husband's) absence what Allah would have them guard. As to those women on whose part ye fear disloyalty and illconduct, admonish them (first), (Next), refuse to share their beds, (And last) beat them (lightly); but if they return to obedience, seek not against them Means (of annoyance): For Allah is Most High, great (above you all).]4:34
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While some people with sick mentality use this verse to show how Islam humiliated women (by giving husbands the right to beat them(lightly)), I consider this verse one of the most miraculous verses in the Quran, as it summarizes all marital problems and how to solve them in few lines. First, men have some level of authority: They are protectors and maintainers. A man has to offer his wife all what she needs without forcing her to work for income. This authority is given to men because firstly, God gave them power and secondly, because they fulfill their duties by spending from their money to support their wives. A man who fails to fulfill these conditions does not deserve this authority. A Muslim woman is obedient to her husband in his presence and guardian to what she keeps for him in his absence. That is to take care of his house, his children, his money and herself when he leaves for business, sickness or death. However, God knew that some women and men are not going to adhere to these great teachings. A major problem is when a woman tries to break this authority. Although, this may be forgivable in most circumstances, it may truly be destructive to some families. Let's look at the statistics in America. Despite their marriage vows to endure better or worse, women are more likely to react to marital unhappiness by leaving. Wives precipitate two-thirds to three-quarters of all divorces and separations. They are more likely to express discontent; the female raises 80% of all household arguments. Women are also more likely to criticize their spouses. (Women are better at relationships, right?- Dr. Scott Haltzman) The methods needed to prevent divorce are provided in this miraculous verse: first: admonish them. Some couples never talk. Problems will never be solved if you dont tell your spouse what is wrong and what you expect him or her to do. Second: refuse to share their bed. There is no worse humiliation than this: to refuse to share the bed with your spouse. Sharing the bed is a privilege that is given to those who deserve it. When the family is in danger, serious interventions need to take place to reestablish order. Separation in the bed is a very critical point. Separation in bed cuts the argument between spouses and gives them a chance to have a ceasefire period to rethink their problem. However, if this fails, divorce is to follow. The Quran gives one more solution that precedes divorce. The solution is to beat your wife (and this is strictly for the man). What??? Yes, to beat your wife, lightly. Muslim scholars suggested that beating is by tapping your finger on her hand to remind her: God gave me authority and you deny it. Remember that divorce is going to leave poor children for an obscure fate. If little beating on the hand is going to work, let it be. Lets save this falling family from destruction. Do you listen? Do you understand? Domestic violence is not a Muslim invention but a western one. Muslim men dont return home drunk to kill their wives and stepsons. That is a western invention. A Muslim woman with a bruise on her body can go to a judge and get divorce without even hiring a lawyer. Prophet Muhammad prohibited painful or humiliating
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beating. He PBUH did not beat anybody in his life, be it a woman, a child, a slave or another man. Islam did not order that a woman should chop off her hands for saving her husband's lifeDeuteronomy 25: 11-12., but gave the directions how to solve marital problems and avoid divorce. The usual reaction to the word beating is fear and dissatisfaction. How does Islam give the strong man rights to beat his weak wife? As I said, it is not real beating; it is tapping on the hand. This is not the norm but the exception. The vast majority of Muslim men dont beat their wives. Beating is not to humiliate women but to save families. America doesnt like to hear that because of its own horrible experience with domestic violence. Men beating women and women beating men is a stigma of Americas culture. The National Institute of Justice and the Center for Disease Control estimates that 1.5 million women and 835,000 men are the victims of domestic violence each year. (http://www.menweb.org) If separation happens and divorce is imminent, the holy Quran does not give up. One extra revolutionary step that can prevent this dreadful end is mentioned in the following verse: [If you fear a breach between them twain (the man and his wife), appoint (two) arbitrators, one from his family and the other from hers; if they both wish for peace, Allah will cause their reconciliation. Indeed Allah is Ever All Knower, Well Acquainted with all things.] holy Quran 4:35 I really have nothing to add to this verse. God knows we need divorce because of our weaknesses, but he really hates it. ["I hate divorce," says the LORD God of Israel ,] Mal 2:16 Prophet Muhammad PBUH said: Allah did not make anything lawful more abominable to Him than divorce. (Abu Dawud)

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No to confession, Yes to repentance

[And whether you keep your talk secret or disclose it, verily, He is the All-Knower of what is in the breasts (of men).] holy Quran 67:13

God spoke to me, He said, (My son, tell this man I love him). Those were the words of Jimmy Swaggart to Ahmad Deedat during their famous debate Is bible Gods word held in 1986. Deedat, a well known Muslim scholar, was honored to hear God talking to him through one of his sons. I was 14 years old when I listened to this great debate. Swaggart, Americas leading TV evangelist, with $150M annual budget had his show aired to more than 100 nations worldwide. He is a man of God. If God doesnt call Swaggart (My Son), nobody else deserves that. And who is this man, Deedat? He is an old Indian Muslim, an immigrant to South Africa. Deedats humble face and strange accent are great disadvantages in the face of (Gods son). However, Deedat gave a very good speech and raised important points. The crowd was so busy giving Swaggart a continuous applause that (Gods son) deserved, so they didnt really listen to Deedat. Less than 2 years later, Swaggart was in deep trouble. He was photographed with a prostitute. She insisted that they never had sex. He was a regular customer who enjoyed watching her undress. In front of a congregation of 7000 shocked believers, Jimmy confessed. He told his wife Frances I have sinned against you and I beg your forgiveness. Is it really that he sinned against his wife? What about the 100 nations watching your show? What about God? What are you going to do for those? For years, people used to come to Mr. Swaggart to confess. That day, he turned to those very same people to confess for his sins. Ladies and gentlemen, traditional confession is not the way God wants us to repent. Do you think God needs a righteous man like Swaggart to hear your confession? We all do mistakes and we all need to repent. I am not going to discuss the origin of confession and how it got to the church. I will just clarify the two main problems of confession from an Islamic point of view. First, one should control his tongue, so he does not expose himself. The first step to sin is to talk about your private thoughts. Prophet Muhammad PBUH said: "Allah has forgiven my followers the evil thoughts that occur to their minds, as long as such thoughts are not put into action or uttered. One should not talk to other people about his sexual relations with his wife. This opens the door of adultery on many levels. Listen to the advice of Prophet Muhammad:

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[The most wicked among the people in the eye of Allah on the Day of Judgment is the man who goes to his wife and she comes to him, and then he divulges her secret. (that is to talk about what happened in bed to others)] (Muslim) Second, in Islam, nobody can stand between you and God. When you confess, you confess to God. Prophets in the bible always confessed directly to Him [I will confess my transgressions to the LORD] Psalm 32:5. Why should you confess to Swaggart (Gods son) who will carry your confession to Jesus (Gods begotten Son) who will transfer your complaint to God who will send you the Holy Spirit? Why do you need all these connections? Some of those connections are simply not secure. Nowadays, a new fashion is spreading; its called online confession. Go and try, its free. God teaches us in the Quran that when you sin, you go directly to Him: [Say: "O my Servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah. for Allah forgives all sins: for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. ]39:53 And he says [When My servants ask thee concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them): I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calleth on Me: Let them also, with a will, Listen to My call, and believe in Me: That they may walk in the right way. ]2:186

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Polygamy
[..but if ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one(wife)] holy Quran 4:3

Islam is criticized badly for its rules regarding polygamy. Most Americans know that a Muslim can marry up to four wives. The same people who have no idea about Islamic history, culture, sources and morals know that a Muslim man can marry 4 wives; while a Muslim woman can marry only one man. Whatever a Muslim says, it is not going to work. Most Muslims are monogamous. Polygamy is not particularly encouraged. Polygamy has strict regulations that make it almost impossible to practice under the laws of Islam. It is simply not going to work. The western mind is not going to accept it. For that reason, I think, the best way to discuss this issue is to turn the table around. I ask my Jewish and Christian friends: Why dont you practice polygamy? It is against our religion, they answer. Is it? Most of the Old Testament Prophets are polygamous. According to the Old Testament, Abraham "the friend of God" had more than one wife. Jacob had two wives and two concubines, David had one hundred wives, and Solomon is even said to have had 700 wives and 300 concubines. I once asked my orthodox Jewish friend: Isnt polygamy allowed is Judaism? He said: It was originally allowed for Jews, but then we changed that. I asked: Who are you to change Gods law? He had no answer. My friend admitted, it wasnt before the 11 th century that polygamy was prohibited for Jews by Jewish rabies (not by God almighty). What about the New Testament? Didnt Jesus come to fulfill the law? Jesus, PBUH, didnt marry a woman in his life. At least that is what the bible says. This means that nothing in his life can teach us that monogamy or polygamy is good or bad. There is nothing in the New Testament that explicitly inhibits polygamy. The argument has other elements that I leave to the reader to go and explore. Im convinced myself that nothing in Jesus Christianity is against polygamy. Here are two historical examples (reference Polygamy In Islamic Law by Jamal Badawi): In 1531 the Anabaptists openly preached at Munster that he who wants to be a true Christian must have several wives. And the Mormons, as the entire world knows, regard polygamy as a divine institution."

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In 1650, soon after the Peace of Westphalia, when the population had been greatly reduced by the Thirty Years War, the Frankish Kreistag at Nuremberg passed resolution that thenceforth every man should be allowed to marry two women. Certain sects of Christians have even advocated polygamy with much fervor. Lets travel back to the future. As I indicated in my depressing chapter marriage, 60% of married American men are cheaters (more than half). With confidence I say: monogamy in America is a myth. Why do men cheat then? There are ten billion reasons that we have no time to discuss. One of the problems is that men feel marriage as a jail and would love to have a day out. If polygamy is allowed, men will see the window open. Eventually, the option is theirs. Most men will choose to be monogamous. This proves again that controlled freedom has a great advantage. If America accepts this Islamic invitation for a moral revolution, legalizing polygamy will be a major milestone. There is no way to eliminate the problem of adultery if we keep our eyes closed to the truth: Polygamy is a must. God, who created beautiful women, also created ugly women. There are women who have difficulty finding a good man to share their lives with. Polygamy increases their chances for marriage. With polygamy, they have more options and better chances. Marriage is essential for a healthy life. Nobody can live without marriage. In America, if all women get married, 3% of American females will be left with no man to marry (ref 2000 UN world statistics). Those 3% are to choose between these American options: life long abstinence, prostitution, homosexuality or suicide. God who created the 97% of women cares about those 3% too. I challenge all sociologists: What do we have in hand for them other than polygamy as a solution if they choose to have a pure life? Nothing! Can you imagine what happens after wars? Men die in large numbers and leave thousands of women widowed. Isnt that what happened in Europe and left tons of women without marriage? After World War II, 7 million women were left in Germany without men to marry. That opened the doors for sexual immorality and caused corruption. In the Muslim world, polygamy is practiced in two ways. Some Muslims marry more than one wife for fun. They hardly tell their first wives about these new marriages. When they are exposed, a disaster happens. The first wife asks for a divorce. Any Muslim judge hearing this story will grant the wife an easy divorce. However, in most cases, some agreement will be achieved that will reconcile this marriage. Most second marriages are not as successful as first marriages and end up in divorce anyway. You can imagine the personality of a woman who accepts to marry a man in the dark. These are the same men who cheat in America. Marriage in this way is against Islamic teachings and is very destructive. But hey, if the alternative is a man dating prostitutes and bringing AIDS to his family, I see this option better.

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The other way that polygamy is practiced follows the teachings of the Islam. An Egyptian Muslim scholar described his experience. Here are some selected experts from his lecture during his wedding (to his second wife): I always felt the pain of widowed and divorced women. I always encouraged people to take care of those women. A woman without a husband taking care of her and her children faces lots of difficulties. I see no way to take care of them better than offering to marry them, under the rules of Islam. Allah said in the Quran: [If you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly with the orphans, marry women of your choice, two, or three, or four; but if you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then (marry) only one" ](Quran 4:3) In our mosque, people took my advice seriously and started looking for women who need support. Those women were poor, divorced and widowed, had little education, no jobs, and in many cases they had to take care of many children. Seventeen came to me and told me that they were going to marry such women. Their wives instructed them: There is no way that we give you the permission to do that unless the Imam (Muslim scholar) starts by himself. When I learned that, I felt the pressure. Seventeen women are waiting for a better chance in life and Im stopping them because of my selfishness. I have a very successful marriage and never had any problem with my wife, but so were my followers. I spent nights thinking. I started praying to God, asking him for the right answer. It took me six months to feel it in my heart. God wants me to go ahead. I should be an example, exactly like prophet Muhammad PBUH was an example. I went to my wife and told her the story. I though she will be angry and sad. She calmly responded: give me some time to ask God for the right answer, exactly what I did before. Instead of six months, she came to me next week and said: I believe Allah wants us to go ahead and do it for his sake. She started looking for a wife for me. The only condition was a wife who follows the teachings of Islam. She found the woman, introduced me to her and her family and made sure the marriage arrangements are taking place. Because of that, seventeen women got married. I had to go through this hard route, exactly like our prophet, peace be upon him, had to go through it. I ask Allah to make us good examples for others. Amen. At the end, someone may ask: What about women? Shouldnt they practice polygamy themselves and have more than one husband? Well, just find one woman with purity in her heart who accepts to make her womb a soil for more than one seed; that is the seed of the man she accepts to be the father of her children.

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Punishment
[The woman and the man guilty of adultery or fornication,- flog each of them with a hundred stripes: Let not compassion move you in their case, in a matter prescribed by Allah, if ye believe in Allah and the Last Day: and let a party of the Believers witness their punishment.] holy Quran 24:2

My Nigerian Christian friend was clearly against sharia (Islamic laws). 12 of Nigerias 36 states practice sharia now. Stoning adulterers is harsh and inhumane. Many people were stoned when others claimed they practiced adultery, he added. To get rid of someone in Nigeria, just get 4 witnesses and go to court, they will stone him or her for free. I said :If 4 people want to get rid of someone, it is easier to kill him by hand. Going to court, filing a claim then finding a sex partner to complete the story. That takes time man. My answer was not very smart, but I managed to get myself out. It took me a while to know the truth. Since the time Sharia was implemented in some Nigerian states, not even a single man or woman was stoned. My Nigerian Christian friend was lying. Nigerian states that implemented sharia stopped the AIDS epidemic. However, nobody mentions that. One of my colleagues traveled to Nigeria to help children with AIDS. What can an American do in Africa other than teaching men how to use condoms, which are not available to start with, and to distribute free samples of antiretroviral meds? Anyway, my colleague told me that in those states that implemented sharia, AIDS rates were in the sub 1%, while neighboring states had up to 50% rates among women in reproductive age. I believe, for poor Africa, there is no solution other than sharia. What about America? The word sharia should never be mentioned here. Shhhhhh, dont even whisper it. Remember, you are a Muslim (terroruslim..). OK, OK what about the bible? What does it say? Leviticus 20 10 " 'If a man commits adultery with another man's wife-with the wife of his neighbor-both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death. 11 " 'If a man sleeps with his father's wife, he has dishonored his father. Both the man and the woman must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads. 12 " 'If a man sleeps with his daughter-in-law, both of them must be put to death. What they have done is a perversion; their blood will be on their own heads. 13 " 'If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads. 14 " 'If a man marries both a woman and her mother, it is wicked. Both he and they must be burned in the fire, so that no wickedness will be among you.
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15

" 'If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he must be put to death, and you must kill the animal. 16 " 'If a woman approaches an animal to have sexual relations with it, kill both the woman and the animal. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads. 17 " 'If a man marries his sister, the daughter of either his father or his mother, and they have sexual relations, it is a disgrace. They must be cut off before the eyes of their people. He has dishonored his sister and will be held responsible. Jesus came to fulfill the law. I already explained this in a previous chapter (Biblical remarks: adultery and punishment). John 8:7 is not a good evidence to refute my claim. Listen to this: "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment. But I tell you anyone who says, `You fool! will be in danger of the fire of hell." Matthew 5:21-22 The word judgment in todays Christian dictionary means forgiveness. Is this really what Jesus said? The New Testament is based on love they say. What about the Old Testament? Is it based on hatred? Did God really hate the Jews? I am confused here. How can you punish someone while you love him? Before you make up your mind, lets hear a story about Prophet Muhammad PBUH. It was reported that a Muslim woman came to the Messenger of Allah PBUH. She was pregnant as a result of fornication. She said, "O Messenger of Allah, I have broken a hadd (committed adultery), so carry out the punishment on me (she is asking to be stoned). The Prophet of Allah summoned her guardian and said, "Treat her well. When she gives birth, bring her back to me." He did that and the Prophet of Allah commanded that her garment be tied tightly about her and then he commanded that she be stoned. Then he prayed over her. Umar (One of his companions) said to him, "Do you pray over her, Messenger of Allah, when she committed fornication? He said, "She repented with such a repentance that if it were to be divided out among seventy of the people of Madina (the city where he used to live), it would be enough for all of them. Can you think of anything better than her offering herself to Allah (by accepting Gods fair punishment), the Mighty and Majestic?" [Muslim] Which story is fulfilling the law? A prophet who refuses to stone a woman because if he does that he will lose his life, a prophet who stones a woman then pray for her or both of them? Ladies and gentlemen, a judge can send a criminal to prison for life or put a murderer for death penalty while he still loves him. Justice and punishment are not equal to hatred. True reading of the Bible and the Quran will show us clearly that Gods orders are very similar and they all come from a merciful God. When a Muslim country implements Gods laws, a hurricane starts blowing fire. Missionaries in the clothes of human rights activists start complaining and never stop. What about babies who lose their vision for gonorrhea. Who is talking in their voice?
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Is it really the fault of Muslims that they take Gods orders literally while others take them lightly? God says in the Quran: "O people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians)! Do you criticize us for no other reason than that we believe in Allah, and in (the revelation) which has been sent down to us and in that which has been sent down before (us), and that most of you are Faasiqoon [rebellious and disobedient (to Allah)]?"]5:59 For Jews and Christians, the bible is not for everyday use. They use it when they want to prove that God promised the land of Canaan for Jews. But for everything else, the bible is on the shelf. For American Christians, adultery is a moral crime that should not be punishable. Erwin Chemerinsky, a professor of constitutional law at the University of Southern California told the L.A. Times that "theres a widespread sentiment that adultery is immoral, but that it is not the appropriate focus of the law." Who decides what appropriate or inappropriate focus of law is? Isnt that God? For Israeli Jews the picture is darker. The offense of adultery -- we see it in Israel just in the Bible. There is no offense like that, not in the military and not in any other place," an Israeli prosecutor told CNN. Unlike the US army, Israeli army does not recognize adultery as an offense. They get really surprised when an American lady leaves the army for sexual harassment. Whats wrong with the Americans? They wonder. Christians and Jews need to respect the bible and practice its rules. Otherwise, they will keep going astray. God says in the Quran: [Say: "O People of the Book! ye have no ground to stand upon unless ye stand fast by the Law, the Gospel, and all the revelation that has come to you from your Lord."]5:68 As human beings, we need to understand how serious our crimes are. A bank robber gets more punishment than the one who crosses the red light. Punishment should be equal to the crime. How big is the crime of a man who kills an innocent person? What if he murders his own family? That is adultery. The punishment of a married man committing the sin of adultery should be more than any other punishment. Otherwise, American men will keep cheating. If you have in your mind that Adultery is punished by stoning, you will never think about it. The Islamic law makes it very hard to stone anybody. Four witnesses have to see the act of intercourse to make a case. If three only testify, they will be punished themselves. In the history of Islam, very few people were stoned. For an unmarried man or woman, the punishment is not stoning. It is a hundred stripes. Your body enjoyed the sin and now your body suffers because of that. Isnt that consistent with the teachings of the Bible?
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[Say:

[Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.]1Cornithians 6:18 Humiliation of the adulterers has great effects on others. If we whip a handful of people, we can raise a new generation of honest human beings. I think it is worth the price. Dont you think so? Punishing adulterers is nothing compared to the punishment we all receive when adultery spreads. Prophet Muhammad said If there is a prevalence of fornication and usury in a nation, they have legitimised for themselves the punishment (of Allah). [And fear tumult or oppression, which affecteth not in particular (only) those of you who do wrong: and know that Allah is strict in punishment.] Holy Quran 8:25 Warning: application of sharia/biblical laws is not the business of individuals. It is a governmental job. Nobody should force them on his own.

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Eve in trouble Difficulties that women face in the west and in the Muslim world
[The best of you are those who are the best to their wives] Prophet Muhammad PBUH

This historic march is sending an unmistakable message: womens rights and womens lives are non-negotiable, one of sparkers in the 2004 March for women lives screamed. 1,150,000 women are said to march that day in Washington-DC. One speaker after the other, the message was the same. They marched for womens reproductive choices. They want to make sure women are not losing their right for abortion. The government does not belong in our bedrooms, one of the speakers said! The government is responsible to pay for your abortion or for your labor if you decide to keep your baby. The government has to pay your WIC to feed you and your baby. The government has to cover your childs health and to pay for his education and then find him or her a job. Then, you say: The government doesnt belong in our bedrooms. I wonder, why American people arent grateful for what they have? You have a wonderful system, an outstanding government, an advanced health system and a democratic nation. Add to all of this; hundreds of millions of complainers, and you get America. You need to thank God for his blessings. You need to show sincerely that you are grateful for his generosity. God can change his blessings to curses. Ponder upon nations before you and think. God says in the Quran: [Have they not traveled through the earth and seen what was the end of those who were before them?] 12:10 and he says: [Verily, your Lord is full of Grace for mankind, yet most of them do not give thanks.] 27:73 Shame on 1,150,000 American women who marched that day in Washington DC. Why did they humiliate themselves? Are they happy for 4000 souls killed everyday in America? Why did twenty two clergy lead the "Interfaith Worship Service" before the March? Why is America doing this? Why are you declaring war against God? The dream of gender equality in the west is a myth. I believe, Muslims women are in a much better shape than American women. The American woman is used as a slave without paying any attention to her feminist nature. The society is very demanding. Im not talking about the sexual abuse that the society practices by forcing girls to show their sexuality and practice adultery when they are just 12 years old. Im talking about a society that looks at a nonworking mother as a big zero. Taking care of a family is a big job. It is one of the hardest jobs that one can imagine. The solution in America, lets split the work and leave the kids to day care. Then we wonder why there is such a high rate of divorce and kids using drugs. Women are forced to work. Men are deprived of their natural role as heads of their families. The family structure is
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lost. The price of all of this is nothing. Womens salaries are in average $10,000 less then mens salaries. Most of what woman makes is spent in day care and expensive schools. Add to that the interest you pay for your mortgage and loans. At the end, women left their home, spent less time with their families and had to double their work for nothing. Isnt this slavery? Here you are my lady, sixty years old, 2 divorces and 3 sons in 3 different states. Everyone calls in the weekend, but is that enough? Is that what you need? The society used you and when you needed to be paid back, this is what you get. A Muslim woman of your age is highly respected. No Muslim can disrespect his or her mother. A man came to the Prophet PBUH asking him about a good deed, the doing of which will make him to enter paradise Do you have a mother? the Prophet PBUH asked. Yes, The man answered. Thus, the Prophet PBUH said: Commit yourself to serving her for paradise lies under her feet and is entered by the one who shows respect to his mother (At-Tabaraani). I hardly know any Muslim who disrespects his parents. Muslim deviated from the teachings of Islam in many ways, but when it comes to ones parents, full respect is the rule in the Muslim family. That is to treat your parents as you were their slave. You have no power to refuse their orders or to ignore their needs. A 60 year old Muslim woman usually has all her sons and daughters around her trying to pay back for all the hard work she did before. However, the Muslim woman faces so many difficulties these days. The west looks with an eye of disgust to the conditions of Muslim women. This bad image, as I will show in a separate chapter (The trouble with Islam) has three main causes: Inability of the west to understand the teachings of Islam, deviation if Muslims from the teachings of Islam and the biased media. When it comes to Islam, women receive detailed and practical orders. The Muslim woman is ordered to dress conservatively and talk formally in the presence of men (other than her husband and relatives). These divine orders are to protect women from evil people. I prefer my daughter to cover her head and dress conservatively rather than being molested. The holy Quran says: [O Prophet! Tell thy wives and daughters, and the believing women, that they should cast their outer garments over their persons (when abroad): that is most convenient, that they should be known (as free respectable women) and not molested. And Allah is OftForgiving, Most Merciful.] 33:59 [be not soft in speech, lest he in whose heart is a disease (of hypocrisy, or evil desire for adultery, etc.) should be moved with desire, but speak in an honorable manner.]33:32 Interestingly, in Islam, Eve is not responsible for bringing us to this planet. The bible clearly blames our mother Eve for the sin (read Genesis 3). In the contrary, the holy Quran blames both Adam and Eve for the sin. Moreover, the Quran tells us that Adam and Eve repented to God and he accepted their repentance. That fits his mercy and forgiveness. For sure, Allah is oft forgiving, oft merciful. Read the holy Quran:
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[In the result, they both ate of the tree, and so their nakedness appeared to them: they began to sew together, for their covering, leaves from the Garden: thus did Adam disobey his Lord, and allow himself to be seduced. But his Lord chose him (for His Grace): He turned to him, and gave him Guidance. ]20:121-122 Also in Islam, Muslim womans income is for her. Any share she gives to her husband or her family is charity. That means, when a woman choose to work, she is taking another job, besides being a wife and a mother. In that case, her earnings are not to be shared with anyone. Can you see any American man viewing his wife income in this way? In Islam, there is no myth called gender equality. God who created man and woman knows what fits best to their nature. A Muslim woman should respect her husband and be loyal to her family. A Muslim man should respect his wife and be loyal to his family. The family comes first. When we build a strong family, with discussion and understanding, the Muslim woman can start moving in the right path. Clearly, the Muslim woman should show obedience to her husband. Prophet Muhammad said (addressing women): Showing obedience to your husbands and fulfilling your duties towards them equal struggling against evil in Allaahs cause. Surely, only a few women do this and observe such tasks (Al-Bazzaar). However, this obedience is a privilege that the man can lose if he is not fulfilling his duties. It is the dream of every woman to live with an honest respectful man. Any woman can give such a man her love and obedience. This is the happy Muslim family. The duties of the Muslim man are summarized in this prophetic saying: ,"The one most perfect in his faith is he whose conduct is best and the best amongst you is he who behaves best towards his wife." He PBUH was an example of this humbleness and great character. His wife, Aisha, described him in his house: [Allah's Messenger PBUH used to patch his sandals, sew his garment and conduct himself at home as anyone of you does in his house. He was a human being, searching his garment for lice, milking his sheep, and doing his own chores.] (mishkat) While Americans cry for Muslim women, the bible is in full agreement with the Islamic teachings: A woman has to cover her head [But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven. ] 1 Corinthians 11:5/NIV In the bible, there are women covering their face exactly like women in Afghanistan. [When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; because she had covered her face.] Genesis 38:15/NIV The bible considers the woman inferior to men naturally, which is against the Islamic teachings:
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Genesis 3 [Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.] genesis 3:16/NIV [Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.] 1 Corinthians 11:9/NIV The image we see in todays Muslim world is not a bright one, simply because Muslims deviated from the divine teachings of Quran. In the Muslim world, women are not treated justly. For example, in Jordan, honor killing is a major problem. It is a favorite subject in the media. When a man suspects infidelity of his wife, he simply kills her. The law in Jordan gives an easy sentence for such a man. The numbers are high enough to fill a 1 hour TV report (if you add commercials). In my opinion, the problem can be solved only by Islam. Muslims should know that it is not their job to implement the Islamic law as individuals. In Islam, there is no place for doubt in these issues. To prove infidelity, one has to bring four eye witnesses. This condition is never fulfilled in these cases. A man who kills his wife is a murderer who should be punished. In America, of the 5328 women murdered in 1990, FBI data indicate that about half or more of them were murdered by a husband or boyfriend. Most likely, the problem of honor killing exists here to a certain extent, but obscured because nobody talks about honor in America. The media commonly attacks Prophet Muhammad and claims he was anti-women. That is absolutely forged. During his life, peace be upon him, women used to come to him seeking help when they were oppressed. God listened to a woman complaining to the prophet and answered her question in the Quran: [Indeed Allah has heard the statement of her that disputes with you (O Muhammad ) concerning her husband , and complains to Allah. And Allah hears the argument between you both. Verily, Allah is All-Hearer, All-Seer. ]58:1 Women did not leave their homes even to the mosque. The Prophet gave them the permission to leave their homes and to pray in the congregation. Women were forced for marriage without taking their consent; the Prophet was always on their side. This happened when Europe considered women a property owned by their husbands. Listen to this story: A woman came to the Prophet PBUH saying: Allahs Messenger! My father wants to marry me to his nephew so as to elevate his status for he is inferior to me (I may marry a better man). The Prophet PBUH gave her the option to decide whether to marry him or not. Then, she said: I approved my fathers opinion (so she really agreed to marry that man) but I just wanted to make it known to women that fathers have no authority over their consent (Ahamad & Abu Daawood). The image of the Muslim woman is painted terrifying by American media. A jailed person behind the veil who lives under continuous oppression is the Muslim woman on the American
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TV. Surprisingly, tens of books were published in America under the same title Behind the veil. This image contradicts the teachings of Islam. What happens in some Muslim societies is a mixing between Islamic teachings and cultural traditions. As expected, the media exaggerates all this million folds to please its audience. If you are interested in this subject, I refer you to Gender Equality in Islam by Jamal Badawi, which is available online http://www.soundvision.com/Info/gender/

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Where is the example?

[And verily, you (O Muhammad) are on an exalted standard of character.] Holy Quran 68:4

America faces a major problem. Numbers dont lie. The Islamic solution is sound, perfect and practical. However, if you look in todays reality, you will see millions of Muslims who simply dont make a good example. Instead of arguing for the purpose of argument, lets admit that Muslims are in bad shape. Women in the Muslim world face serious problems. Homosexuality and AIDS are moving to the Muslim world. Lack of freedom and poor productivity are other stigmas that are very easy to notice. So where is the example America needs to follow? In reality, the example still exists in the Muslim world. There are millions of sincere Muslims who live according to the divine teachings of Islam. They are the example you need to follow. Those Muslims do not commit adultery, are loyal to their families, are respectful to their spouses and are trying to work hard to improve the Muslim world. So many Muslim scholars here are an example to follow. If you visit a nearby mosque, you will find people who never committed the sin of adultery in their lives. They can provide you with the strength you need to live in todays society. The perfect example did exist in the lives of the prophets. However, prophets lives are not available for us to have a real look at. Take for example, Jesus PBUH, believed to be a prophet of God by almost 3 billion people on Earth (Christians and Muslims), but yet our knowledge about his life is very limited. If you combine what he really said by his tongue in different parts of the New Testament, you will get a handful of pages! Thats it. Moreover, Jesus PBUH never married in his life and we cannot learn anything from his life that addresses marital issues. Our knowledge about Moses, Jacob and Abraham is also very limited. When it comes to Prophet Muhammad, the story is different. The Quran talks in length about his message. Muslim scholars transmitted hundreds of thousands of his sayings and deeds (called sunnah). There is no person in history who was better documented than prophet Muhammad PBUH. From the life of Muhammad PBUH, we learn what a man should do when he enters his home, that is to brush his teeth. We know what a man should do before he leaves his home, that is to kiss his wife. We know from the life of Muhammad what to do when problems arise in the family. We know how to treat friends and enemies. We even learn from him how to go to the bathroom. We learned from Muhammad that no one should touch his private parts or clean
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himself with his right hand. Right hand is for drinking, eating and touching the holy book, while the left hand is for dirty stuff. Can you imagine the hygienic lesson we learn in this. We learn from Muhammad PBUH, that it is OK to kiss and hug your wife when she has her periods, but not to have intercourse until her period ends. If it was to the bible, no man should touch his wife when she has her periods and a week after. We learn from Muhammad PBUH that the time of menses is tough and women need support not rejection during this period. We know that when spouses want to get kids they should mention the name of the lord when they have intercourse, that is to keep the devil away from their offspring. We know that legitimate sex is a way to worship God and not a sin to be ashamed of. We learn from Muhammad PBUH that when a man sleeps with his wife for pleasure not for reproduction, he is not committing a sin. We know that God wants us to have pleasure with things he created for us and made them permissible. We know that one should be nice to his wife, treat her kindly and share her duties. We learn from him that women are not slaves nor are they inferior to men. We learn from his life that your love to your spouse does not end by his or her death. Khadijah, his first wife, was a perfect woman. After her death, he kept mentioning her name and visiting her relatives. He was so happy to hear the voice of her sister, which sounded like her voice. We learn from Muhammad PBUH that bad people may try to give you misleading information. That is the story of efk, when some men claimed that Aisha, his wife-may Allah be pleased with her, committed the sin of adultery. He showed us clearly what to do in this situation and how to verify the information and deal with this crisis. If it wasnt to the guidance we find in his life, we would be experimenting in our lives and surely we will be going astray. In conclusion, Prophet Muhammad PBUH was the perfect example. God says in the holy Quran: [Indeed in the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad) you have a good example to follow for him who hopes in (the Meeting with) Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah much.]33:21 There is no compulsion in religion. Eventually, it is your choice. God says in the holy Quran: [There is no compulsion in religion. Verily, the Right (Path of) Guidance has become distinct from the wrong path.]2:256 But, I have to tell you that Islam is the only way for life. Those who choose a wrong path hurt nobody but themselves. God says in the holy Quran: [And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers.]3:85 Those who truly love the Lord are given the chance to show their true love. God says: [Say (O Muhammad to mankind): "If you (really) love Allah then follow me, Allah will love you and forgive you of your sins. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."]3:31
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Who is Allah?
[There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer.] Holy Quran42:11

In Arabic, Allah literally means the one God. It is pretty easy to understand how different languages give the same thing different names. Is it that unusual to hear Muslims call God a different name, like "Allah", while you call him God or Lord? Some people have no minds; in the last decade, a growing phenomenon was seen on the internet and in published literature. Allah is said to be the moon god that Arabs worshiped, and Kaaba (The Muslim holiest place on Earth) is his temple. The evidence for this theory is the crescent that appears on the top of many mosques allover the world plus a fabricated picture of this "moon god". This idea is very dangerous. If you believe that Muslims are worshiping an idol, then there is no basis even to talk to them. They are pagan idolaters like Hindus and Buddhists. Although Islam is a monotheistic religion, the Muslims' only God is simply another idol that Muhammad chose (or in some versions of the story, he made it up). To invalidate this foolish theory, one has to take the story from different angles. The crescent is not a symbol of Islam, but that of the Ottoman Empire. Ottomans are tribes which moved to Turkey from east and middle Asia. They converted to Islam and built a huge Muslim Empire that ruled the whole Muslim world for centuries. When they took Islam as a religion they started using the lunar calendar, the calendar that was used by Muslims, Jews and early Christians. Even today, the flag of turkey has a crescent on it. There was no crescent on any mosque built before the Ottoman era. Prophet Abraham built the Kaaba for people to worship God. While pagan Arabs admitted this fact and even kept the stone where he used to stand to build the Kaaba (Abraham's station), they brought idols to the Kaaba and worshiped them to get closer to Abraham's Lord, Allah, God of gods. Prophet Muhammad PBUH came with the monotheistic message of Islam. Arabs defended these idols and refused to give up the religion of their fathers and grandfathers. They offered to Muhammad a deal, that is to worship their gods for one year, and they worship Allah alone for one year. A chapter of the Quran came with the response from God responded in Quran to this evil invitation: [Say : O ye that reject Faith! I worship not that which ye worship, Nor will ye worship that which I worship. And I will not worship that which ye have been wont to worship, Nor will ye worship that which I worship. To you be your Way, and to me mine. ]109:1-6 Later on, the Quran started calling Allah by other names. One of those holy names was AlRahman (the Gracious). Arabs wondered: "is this a new God?" The Quran responded again:
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[Say: "Call upon Allah, or call upon Rahman: by whatever name ye call upon Him, (it is well): for to Him belong the Most Beautiful Names. ]17:110 It is not a new god but another name for the same God. Allah has ninety nine names in Islam; all of them are holy and speak about different attributes of the same creator, almighty Allah. As an example, read these verses of the Quran: [Allah is He, than Whom there is no other god; Who knows (all things) both secret and open; He, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. Allah is He, than Whom there is no other god; the Sovereign, the Holy One, the Source of Peace (and Perfection), the Guardian of Faith, the Preserver of Safety, the Exalted in Might, the Irresistible, the Supreme: Glory to Allah! (High is He) above the partners they attribute to Him. He is Allah, the Creator, the Evolver, the Bestower of Forms (or Colours). To Him belong the Most Beautiful Names: whatever is in the heavens and on earth, doth declare His Praises and Glory; and He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.]59:22-24 When Prophet Muhammad PBUH came back to Mecca, he entered the city peacefully with an army of 10,000 men, exactly as the bible described him "pre-eminent above ten thousand." Solomon 5:10. He did not burn a single home; he did not harm a single person; he just went to the Kaaba and destroyed all the gods Arabs had there. He kept nothing in the Kaaba. Where is this picture of the moon god coming from? I don't know. Did anyone of the pagan Arabs have a digital camera by then? There is evidence that the word Allah existed before the birth of Muhammad PBUH for thousands of years. It is probably the oldest name man used to call God. Most likely, Adam PBUH used the word Allah to call the Lord. On the other hand, the word "GOD", was born with the English language, less than ten centuries ago. Can we say that all English speaking nations are pagans because they use the word "God"? What about Chinese monotheists? How should they call God? Prophet Muhammad's father name was Abdullah (The slave of Allah). This name was common among Arab pagans and Jews. Abdullah bin Salam was one of the first Jews to convert to Islam in Medina. When Arabs call Allah in prayer they say: Ya Allah or Allahoma. Aren't these words familiar to you? Alleluia and Elohim are the words used to call Allah in the Bible. In Hebrew, the suffix im means many. So Elohim literally means many Allah(s). This is a known way to express dignity and respect to almighty Allah by calling him plural. This phenomenon is known in Hebrew, Arabic, English and other languages. In Quran, the same pattern is seen many times. For example, God says in the holy Quran: [ We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and We will assuredly guard it (from corruption). ]15:9.
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In the English translation of the Bible, you read, "Let us make man in our image-Genesis 1:26-KJV. The word Allah is used in all Arabic translations of the bible. It was used in some English translations of the bible like the original "Scofield Reference Bible"-reference: what is His name? by Deedat. In the NT, Jesus PBUH is believed to cry before his death "ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI? Eloi is the exact Arabic word "Elahi" which comes from the same root as Allah. I have no doubt that the word "Allah" is the oldest known name man called God with. For those who choose to ignore this fact and transgress, Muslims have nothing to offer. Allah says in the holy Quran: [If any, after this, invent a lie and attribute it to Allah, they are indeed unjust wrongdoers.] 3:94 For Muslims, Allah is perfect. He has no partners. We worship him and him alone. Our faith is summarized in the holy Quran: [Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him.]112:1-4

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Who is Muhammad?
[Alas for mankind! There never came a Messenger to them but they used to mock at him.] Holy Quran 36:30

He PBUH was born to Arab parents from the tribe of Quraish, in Mecca. This tribe descended from Ismael (Ishmael). Allah ordered Ibrahim (Abraham) to take his first-born son, Ismael and his mother, Hajar, to the valley of Baca in todays Saudi Arabia. Later on, Ibrahim was ordered to sacrifice him (Ishmael), but Allah saved him (Ishmael). Is-haqs (Ishaq) offspring carried the message through Yacoob (Jacob), Yoosuf (Joseph), Mosaa (Moses), Yahyaa(John), Iesa (Jesus) and other prophets peace be upon all of them. On the other hand, Ishmael who helped his father to build Allahs altar in Baca (Kaaba) was promised to have a great nation, but none of his offspring received the message until Muhammad, the seal of prophets, received Islam. Here are some biblical references to this story. 1- Ismael (Ishmael) was to be sacrificed, not Ishaq: [And he (God Almighty) said, take now thy son, THINE ONLY SON . . ., whom thou lovest, and et thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering . . ." Genesis 22:2. Since Ishmael was born first, he is the one who can be the only son. So really, Ismael not Ishaq was to be sacrificed. 2- Ishmael will be a father of a great nation. There is no other fulfillment of this prophecy other than Prophet Muhammad. [And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation.] Genesis 17:20 3-The valley of Baca, where Muslims pilgrims go every year is mentioned in the bible. Notice that Baca is the name of Mecca in the Holy Quran; it is the real ancient name of the holy city: [Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools.] Psalm 84:5-6 4-The nation of Jews will be replaced by a nation that obeys Gods orders. [Therefore said I (Jesus)\ unto you (Jews), The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.] MATTHEW 21:43 5-[the burden upon Arabia] ISAIAH 21:13. "Burden" = responsibility. God has imposed upon the Muslims, the duty to deliver His Message to humanity. 6-Muhammad PBUH was mentioned by name in Solomon 16:5 [His mouth is most sweet; yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.] = ?? ??????, ???????????, ????????, ???????????; ??? ?????? ????? ?????, ??????? ????????????
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? =m ??=h ? =d ? =e ? =final m _ ?? ? ? ?? ? = Mhmdem, remember em means pleural in Hebrew which indicates respect e.g. Elohem (one god with full respect), so Mhmdem is Mhmd with full respect. When Muhammad PBUH was born, Arabs were worshipping hundreds of gods they had in Mecca. They believed that these gods would get them closer to the God of gods (Allah, Abrahams Lord). His mother died when he was 6 year old, so he was a true orphan. Muhammad PBUH never worshiped Idols, drank Alcohol, committed adultery or lied. He worked as a shepherd (as many other prophets did) and then as a trader (which is a job that shows one's honesty). People in Mecca called him the Honest because of his outstanding character. He married Khadijah when he was 25 year old. She was a beautiful and rich woman who chose him because of his honesty. Muhammad started searching for the truth but could not find it in the polytheistic religion of Quraish. He started worshipping Allah following what he had of the teachings of Ibrahim. Being an illiterate man, he had no real access to useful resources that might guide him in this path. At the age of 40, Gabriel appeared to him, the first revelation of Quran was given to him: [In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. Proclaim! (or Read!) In the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created, Created man, out of a mere clot [small structure (the embryo)] Proclaim! and thy Lord is Most Bountiful, He Who taught (the use of) the Pen, Taught man that which he knew not. Nay, but man doth transgress all bounds, In that he looketh upon himself as self-sufficient. Verily, to thy Lord is the return (of all). ]96:1-8 Muhammad then started teaching people to worship Allah, to be nice and honest and not to oppress women, children and slaves. His close friends and family members believed immediately in this new message, knowing he doesnt lie. Many slaves and poor people believed in Islam, being attracted to its revolutionary social system and to the true monotheistic faith. Harassed and persecuted for following the truth, Mohammed PBUH and his followers suffered at the hands of the unbelievers so they started looking for a safe place. The Christian king of Abyssinia, Al Najashee, gave early Muslims a safe haven. Later, Arab tribes in Medina heard about Islam. Being informed about the coming of a prophet by their Jewish neighbors, they listened to Muhammad PBUH and then believed him. Arab tribes had many wars with the prophet and Muslims. They were trying to eliminate Islam and keep their pagan religion and oppressing social system. Finally, victory was for Islam and
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Mecca fell in hands of the prophet peacefully. He forgave all his enemies and soon his followers started thriving. He died at the age of 63. Here is a story that needs to be read about Prophet Muhammad. This story happened in 628 A.D. Abu Sufyan was a relative of Prophet Muhammad who for most of his life was an enemy of the Prophet but converted to Islam the last 2 years of the life of Muhammad PBUH. Arabs honored truthfulness, so when he was asked about Muhammad PBUH, he did not lie. Heraclius is the well-known Roman Emperor, described in Encyclopedia Britannica as: No doubt, he was an inspiring military leader who fired his army with religious fervors and whose personal intrepidity, imaginative tactics, and constant concern for his men evoked their love and loyalty. But he was also a cautious and calculating strategist who did not hesitate to employ religion to serve his military ends. This story is a testimony from the enemy of Muhammad, since Abu Sufyan was an enemy of the Prophet PBUH. It is narrated in Al-Bukhari so it carries the highest level of authenticity for historians and Muslim scholars: Abdulah ibn Abbas narrated: Abu Sufyan bin Harb informed me that Heraclius had sent a messenger to him while he had been accompanying a caravan from Quraish. They were merchants doing business in Sham (Syria, Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan), at the time when Allah's Apostle had truce with Abu Sufyan and Quraish infidels. So Abu Sufyan and his companions went to Heraclius at Ilya (Jerusalem). Heraclius called them in the court and he had all the senior Roman dignitaries around him. He called for his translator who, translating Heracliuss question said to them, "Who amongst you is closely related to that man who claims to be a Prophet?" Abu Sufyan replied, "I am the nearest relative to him (amongst the group)." Heraclius said, "Bring him (Abu Sufyan) close to me and make his companions stand behind him." Abu Sufyan added, heraclius told his translator to tell my companions that he wanted to put some questions to me regarding that man (The Prophet) and that if I told a lie they (my companions) should contradict me." Abu Sufyan added, "By Allah! Had I not been afraid of my companions labeling me a liar, I would not have spoken the truth about the Prophet. The first question he asked me about him was: What is his family status amongst you?' I replied, 'He belongs to a good (noble) family amongst us.' Heraclius further asked, 'Has anybody amongst you ever claimed the same (i.e. to be a Prophet) before him?' I replied, 'No.' He said, 'Was anybody amongst his ancestors a king?' I replied, 'No.' Heraclius asked, 'Do the nobles or the poor follow him?' I replied, 'It is the poor who follow him.'
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He said, 'Are his followers increasing or decreasing (day by day)?' I replied, 'They are increasing.' He then asked, 'Does anybody amongst those who embrace his religion become displeased and renounce the religion afterwards?' I replied, 'No.' Heraclius said, 'Have you ever accused him of telling lies before his claim (to be a Prophet)?' I replied, 'No. ' Heraclius said, 'Does he break his promises?' I replied, 'No. We are at truce with him but we do not know what he will do in it.' I could not find opportunity to say anything against him except that. Heraclius asked, 'Have you ever had a war with him?' I replied, 'Yes.' Then he said, 'What was the outcome of the battles?' I replied, 'Sometimes he was victorious and sometimes we.' Heraclius said, 'What does he order you to do?' I said, 'He tells us to worship Allah and Allah alone and not to worship anything along with -Him, and to renounce all that our ancestors had said. He orders us to pray, to speak the truth, to be chaste and to keep good relations with our Kith and kin.' Heraclius asked the translator to convey to me the following: I asked you about his family and your reply was that he belonged to a very noble family. In fact, all the Apostles come from noble families amongst their respective peoples. I questioned you whether anybody else amongst you claimed such a thing, your reply was in the negative. If the answer had been in the affirmative, I would have thought that this man was following the previous man's statement. Then I asked you whether anyone of his ancestors was a king. Your reply was in the negative, and if it had been in the affirmative, I would have thought that this man wanted to take back his ancestral kingdom. I further asked whether he was ever accused of telling lies before he said what he said, and your reply was in the negative. So I wondered how a person who does not tell a lie about others could ever tell a lie about Allah. I then asked you whether the rich people followed him or the poor. You replied that it was the poor who followed him. And in fact all the Apostles have been followed by this very class of people. Then I asked you whether his followers were increasing or decreasing. You replied that they were increasing, and in fact, this is the way of true faith, till it is complete in all respects. I further asked you whether there was anybody, who, after embracing his religion, became displeased and discarded his religion. Your reply was in the negative, and in fact this is (the sign of) true faith, when its delight enters the hearts and mixes with them completely. I asked you whether he had ever betrayed. You replied in the negative and likewise the Apostles never betray. Then I asked you what he ordered you to do. You replied that he ordered you to worship Allah and Allah alone and not to worship any thing along with Him and forbade you to worship idols and
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ordered you to pray, to speak the truth and to be chaste. If what you have said is true, he will very soon occupy this place underneath my feet and I knew it (from the scriptures) that he was going to appear but I did not know that he would be from you, and if I could reach him definitely, I would go immediately to meet him and if I were with him, I would certainly wash his feet.' Heraclius then asked for the letter addressed by Allah's Apostle which was delivered by Dihya to the Governor of Busra (not Basra), who forwarded it to Heraclius to read. The contents of the letter were as follows: "In the name of Allah the Beneficent, the Merciful (This letter is) from Muhammad the slave of Allah and His Apostle to Heraclius the ruler of Byzantine. Peace be upon him, who follows the right path. Furthermore, I invite you to Islam, and if you become a Muslim you will be safe, and Allah will double your reward, and if you reject this invitation of Islam, you will be committing a sin by misguiding your Arisiyin (peasants). (And I recite to you Allah's Statement:) 'O people of the scripture! Come to a word common to you and us that we worship none but Allah and that we associate nothing in worship with Him, and that none of us shall take others as Lords beside Allah. Then, if they turn away, say: Bear witness that we are Muslims (those who have surrendered to Allah).' (3:64). Abu Sufyan then added, "When Heraclius had finished his speech and had read the letter, there was a great hue and cry in the Royal Court. So we were turned out of the court. I told my companions that the question of Ibn-Abi-Kabsha (the Prophet Muhammad) has become so prominent that even the King of Bani Al-Asfar (Byzantine) is afraid of him. Then I started to become sure that he (the Prophet) would be the conqueror in the near future till I embraced Islam (i.e. Allah guided me to it)."

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What is Islam?
[And whomsoever Allah wills to guide, He opens his breast to Islam] holy Quran6:125

Islam is a unique word. It comes from the root salama which means to submit. Islam means the submission of your will to the orders of Allah; that is to live according to Allahs orders. This is summarized in one verse of the holy Quran: [Say: "Truly, my prayer and my service of sacrifice, my life and my death, are (all) for Allah, the Cherisher of the Worlds]6:162 All other religions take their names from persons, Christianity from Jesus Christ, Judaism from Judah, Buddhism from Buda, etc. Islam takes its name from obedience to Allah. It is a monotheistic religion where only one God is worshipped, Allah who is unique in all his names and attributes. There is nothing similar to him. The holy Quran says: [There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer.] 42:11 Allah sent prophets to guide us to the straight path. Each era had different challenges. The message of prophets was always the same: Islam; that is to worship none but Allah. They suffered because of this message, but Allah supported them and gave them victory. Allah says in the Quran: [We will, without doubt, help our apostles and those who believe, (both) in this world's life and on the Day when the Witnesses will stand forth,- ]40:51 The five pillars of Islam are: 1. Shahada (faith): To believe there is one God (Allah), and that Muhammad is his messenger. 2. Salat (prayer): To pray five times every day. 3. Seyam (Fasting): To fast the month of Ramadan, every day from dawn to sunset. 4. Zakah (obligatory charity): To pay 2.5% of your savings to the poor and needy. 5. Hajj (pilgrimage): To visit Mecca for Pilgrimage once in lifetime, for those who can afford the journey.

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The trouble with Islam

[Those in sin used to laugh at those who believed, And whenever they passed by them, used to wink at each other (in mockery); ] Holy Quran83:29-30

The image of Islam in the west is so bad. In the last few years, two wars with the Muslim world and many terrorist attacks on America did make the picture worse. To study the problem in depth, one has to consider three factors that shaped Islam in America: Islam, Muslims and the media. Islam is difficult to understand in the west. Muslims deviated from Islam and do not represent their religion. The media is looking for a reasonable enemy of the strongest nation on Earth. Islam and Muslims are the best candidates. Islam is a perfect religion. It is a pure revelation from God, who created heaven and Earth. The one who made the hardware is the best one to make the software. God knows exactly what we need and provides that to us. The Quran is a perfect book that has no errors in it. God says: [Falsehood cannot come to it from before it or behind it: (it is) sent down by the All-Wise, Worthy of all praise (Allah).] 41:42 Quran has no contradictions in it. God says: [Do they not then consider the Qur'an carefully? Had it been from other than Allah, they would surely have found therein much contradictions.]4:82 Quran is authentic and preserved in its original text and format. God says: [We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and We will assuredly guard it (from corruption). ]15:9. However, Islam is difficult to understand in todays western culture. There is nothing wrong with Islam itself. The problem is with the recipient. The west is unable to understand its own religion. Todays Christian world is busy with spirituality, not religion itself. Who wants to hear about the Mosaic Law? Todays Christians are fascinated with the dramatic stories of people who were born again. They favor a preacher who miraculously heals sick people rather than one who expose their corruption. In this weird environment, Buddhism becomes more acceptable than Islam. Its mysterious meditations are closer to the western spirituality than the teachings of the holy Quran. Many Christians move to Buddhism either by embracing it as a religion or by acquiring its traditions and adding them to their new evolving religion. Similarly, Sufism, which deviates from the genuine teachings of Quran, is the only form of Islam that the west accepts today. Ibn Rumi, the well-known sufist poet, is praised in the west for his spirituality. The bible warned from this form of faith: [As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead] James 2:26
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Christians in the past never gave Muslims a chance to utter something in their defense. Actually, early Christians had difficulty understanding Jesus Christ PBUH himself when he was preaching. A man once came to him and said Good master . His first response was Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God-Matthews 19:17. For the last twenty centuries, Christians did not understand what Jesus said. It is straightforward. It is clear. Yet, they have difficulty understanding. Jesus is saying it: There is only one master, that is, GOD. Anybody listening? This is the cornerstone of Islam: There is no deity to be worshipped except one, that is, God. Jesus knew that Christians would have difficulty understanding prophet Muhammad. He spoke to his disciples about the spirit of truth, Mohammad, "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of Truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself: but whatsoever he shall hear, that he shall speak: and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you" (John 16:12-14). Do you see a child in 2nd grade trying to solve a problem of physics? How can the materialistic western mind understand Islamic values which are far more advanced? Todays Christianity is a mixture of revised Judaism as preached by Jesus Christ and his disciples and a wealth of pagan values, traditions and practices provided by the Romans (The Davinci code chapter15). In todays Christianity, Abraham and Jacob will be jailed for polygamy. Sodom and Gomorra will be examples of freedom while Lot will be called an extremist. In todays Christianity, Jesus will be put on electrical chair rather than a cross (not that he was ever crucified). He will be entitled an anti-Semite for calling the Israelites wicked people. Israeli army is the only army under the sun where adultery is not considered an offense. Do you think Jesus will call Israel Gods kingdom or the devils kingdom? Todays Christian world needs to study the just principles of Islam. The church today lives in a dream and refuses to be awakened. One example is the myth of Divorce, which is still considered a sin by many churches. The church needs to hear the Islamic opinion on this most important subject and hopefully learn the truth. Those who remarry after divorce are considered adulterers in many churches. Islam solved the problem and allowed divorce with divine restrictions and regulations. Divorce is a necessity that is considered the worst permissible act in Islam. There are very nice people who just cannot live together, but will establish wonderful families after remarriage. Depriving those people of the right for divorce and remarriage is a crime. The church will not lose anything if it opens the door for those who want to go in this path. Divorcing couples know it is not fun. It is not fair to push people to live together under Gods name when this relationship brings them pain and agony. Traditionally, divorce rates are incredibly low in the Muslim world. However, the numbers are growing these days, thanks to the western influence on the Muslim family

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The second part of the western problem with Islam is Muslims themselves. Muslims are not only the problem of the western world, but for the whole world. Every starving child who dies in Africa, every baby who is born because of adultery, every husband or wife learning the infidelity of his or her spouse, every man who spent his life worshipping a stone should blame Muslims. Muslims will be responsible for all of this on the Day of Judgment. The Muslim world is watching this world sinking in the hell sin. Instead of helping, Muslims are distracted by their own little self-made problems. Muslims are falling between two extremes, an ignorant party and a radical party. For the ignorant ones, there is no real intention to practice Islam or to learn it. Those people like to have it easy. They are more westernized than the west itself. It is a matter of time before they enjoy the same problems the western world is facing today. Prophet Muhammad expected that. He PBUH said: [You will follow the ways of those nations who were before you, span by span and cubit by cubit (i.e., inch by inch) so much so that even if they entered a hole of a lizard, you would follow them." We said, "O Allah's Apostle! (Do you mean) the Jews and the Christians?" He said, "Whom else?"] (Al-Bukhari) For the radical ones, they believe that they are Gods hand to judge people. Every deviation is a major sin. Every sin is an infidelity. Every infidelity is to be cut off. There is no place for wisdom. There is no place for good advice. There is no love. Gods mercy by sending Muhammad PBUH is not even mentioned by them. God tells Prophet Muhammad PBUH in the Quran: [We sent thee not, but as a Mercy for all creatures.]21:107 Between this and that, the whole world is suffering. Where are the Muslims in todays world? They are no more than worthless millions, exactly as prophet Muhammad expected. He PBUH said: ["The nations will soon gather up and call upon each other to gather up against you just as the diners call upon each other to the dining plate." Someone asked: 'Is it because of our little numbers at that time?' The Messenger of Allah PBUH said: "Certainly not, in fact, you would be numerous, but you would be like the foam of the ocean (worthless). And certainly Allah would remove the fear of you from the hearts of your opponents, and He would certainly cast weakness into your hearts." Someone asked: 'What is this weakness?' He PBUH replied: "Love for the worldly life and hatred for death."] This is a result of their deviation from the teachings of Holy Quran to be just: [Thus, have We made of you an Ummat(nation) justly balanced, that ye might be witnesses over the nations, and the Messenger a witness over yourselves;]2:143 Where are the Muslims in America today? Are they trying to get America out of mud or they simply dont care? Are they doing what needs to be done to show people Gods miracles in the Quran? Are they the good example people can follow?
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Muslims today are very similar to Jews on the days of Jesus. They are waiting for someone to bring their victory and to establish Gods kingdom in the holy land and allover the world. Bin Laden used this very smartly. He convinced the depressed and oppressed Muslims that he is the savior. The Muslim world is not looking for a man like Jesus or Muhammad-peace be upon both of them, a man who brings a spiritual victory before he leads his followers to actual victory and dominance. Muslims in America are not an exception. Six million Muslims arent easy to miss, but where are they? Only few hundred thousands truly fit the definition of Islam. Most of those were not born as Muslims. Millions of immigrants from the Middle East and Asia are simply not there. There influence on the political, religious and ethical life in America is negligible except a few exceptions. In this darkness, I see the light. An international Islamic revolution is taking place. In the Muslim world and in the west, young men and women are turning back for a true understanding of the great teachings of Quran. This revolution is taking its lessons from the great life of Prophet Muhammad PBUH. Those Muslims are attacked all over the world. War on terrorism doesnt discriminate the good from the bad. But dont worry about them; this new generation of Muslims is strong and patient. They will keep going on their way. They are moving to save you from slavery of the devil. Wait and pray. They are marching all over the world. I can see them. I can hear them. Their hearts are beating with Gods name. Their hands are white. Their souls are pure. They will get rid of terrorism. They will get rid of radicalism. They will get rid of Darwinism. And in America, they will get rid of adultery, drugs, infidelity and homosexuality. Now to the third factor responsible for the bad image of Islam in America, the media. Irshad Manji, a self declared Muslim Refusenik! wrote a book called The trouble with Islam. Her book sold very well and ranked as a best seller in more than one western country. Manji had a difficult childhood. She was raised in an abusive family as she declared in the first chapter of her book. She was exposed to two opposing cultures as a child, a Baptist church where she was treated very nicely, and a Muslim mosque which she was forced to attend. Her rough childhood was reflected on her disturbed personality. She is a lesbian who writes about religion. She is an atheist who writes about God. She is an illiterate who writes about knowledge. When she writes, Islam is on very thin ice with me, she is telling you, I am not a Muslim. Have you ever heard a man preaching Christianity and saying, Christianity is on very thin ice with me? Why should Manjis book be a best seller? If the west is eager to learn about Islam, is Irshads fantasy a good source? If it was a lesbian Buddhist writing about her trouble with Buddhism, do you think we will get a best seller? The war against Islam preceded 9/11. Patrick J. Buchanan wrote in early 1990s, "To some Americans searching for a new enemy against whom to test our mettle and power, after
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the death of Communism, Islam is the preferred antagonist. But to declare Islam an enemy of the United States is to declare a Second World War that is unlikely to end in the same resounding victory as the first. Samuel Huntington, the inventor of "The clash of Civilizations" thesis, wrote "The underlying problem for the West is not Islamic fundamentalism. It is Islam, a different civilization whose people are convinced of the superiority of their culture...-source Islam
and Jihad: Prejudice Versus Reality by A.G. Noorani.

America believes in diversity and tolerance with one exception: Arabs and Muslims. Arabs are less than 12 percent of Muslims on Earth, but for the media, Arabs and Muslims have the same image. This image is a result of more than 900 movies that Hollywood brain washed the nations of Earth with. The list includes most of the movies you ever watched. The names are different, but the image is the same dirty Arab, dirty Muslim. The list starts by Porky pig and does not end by Back to the Future or Siege. Jack Shaheen studied this subject in his excellent book Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People. He wrote in his book: There is no better tool for education than repetition. For the last century, Hollywood gave the image of the dirty Muslim in a movie after movie. What is an Arab?" Shaheen asked. In countless films, Hollywood alleges the answer: Arabs are brute murderers, sleazy rapists, religious fanatics, oil-rich dimwits, and abusers of women CNN, FOX, NBC and other news channels are also drooling for revenues. The political drama needs some actors. In todays world, all actors are bad. Muslims fit as the evil ones or as the antichrists who fulfilled the dream. Hurray, we found the perfect enemy. You can call it Terrorism, Islamic extremism, Islam or more conveniently the enemy. Irshad Manji, Salman Rushdie and others are perfect second line actors. An American Journalist hiding behind a veil in Afghanistan, a woman covering her face in Saudi Arabia and a picture of Saddam Hussein or Arafat and you get an Oscar winning movie. The subtitles are Jihaad, Wahabi movement and women in the Muslim world. The happy end is obscure. For politicians it is called democracy; for some churches, it is called the Armageddon, when all infidels (Muslims) will be killed. The stars of this religious drama, believe it or not, are American politicians. Hear U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft saying on TV: "Islam is a religion in which God requires you to send your son to die for him. Christianity is a faith in which God sends his son to die for you. This low carb diet is called Islamburger in America. Islam today is considered a wicked an evil religion. Beliefnet, an interfaith Web site, published a poll among evangelical Christians recently. The majority of those surveyed believed that "Islam is a religion of violence," and "it is very important to convert Muslims. Thanks to some Muslims like Bin Laden and Al-Zarkawee, the damage is irreversible. Why does the media praise any Muslim who curses his religion intentionally or unintentionally? There are thousands of Muslim scholars in America and around the world who are simply ignored. Where should we start? Christians who are Muslim scholars today: Yusuf Estes, the founder of Islamtomorrow.com, Siraj Wahhaj, a black Christian preacher who is
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preaching Islam now or Yahiya Emerick, an outstanding author who has many valuable published books. Do you know Hamza Yusuf, a wonderful scholar who speaks English and Arabic fluently? He converted to Islam at the age of 18 before starting a long journey of spreading the light of Islam in and out of America. Do you know Cat Stevens (now Yusuf Islam), a pop singer, who left a life of ignorance to preach Islam? Should we talk about Yousof Khattab, a former Rabbi from Brooklyn who challenged the Israeli government for years to change his religion to Islam? Go and chat with him on his website: JewstoIslam.com. Did you ever hear about Mohammad Asad, a Polish-Austrian Jew born to an orthodox rabbi in Hungary whose spiritual journey led him eventually to leave Judaism and embrace Islam? Did you hear about Amro Khalid, a young charismatic Egyptian man who converted Millions of Muslims back to Islam and took them to the light of the truth? Do you know about those? May be they are not good enough. May be they are. Unfortunately, this horrible image is bidirectional. The Muslim world truly believes that the west is the devil. Historically, the relationship between Islam and Europe was very bad. The Crusaders murdered tens of thousands of Muslims (70,000 souls in 3 days). Neither Muslims nor Europeans forgot what happened. When General Allenby arrived in Jerusalem in 1917, he announced that the Crusades had been completed, and when the French arrived in Damascus and cries: 'Nous Revenous, Saladin!' President Bush declared new crusades after September 11, but soon changed his mind, being reminded of the brutality of crusaders and the sensitivity of the Muslim world to this word. Orientalists and missionaries came with invading colonialists who practiced oppression and systemic torture in the Muslim world. Muslims still suffer the consequences of the European imperialism. It is going to take centuries for the Muslim world to heal its wounds and start moving in the direction of construction. Meanwhile, the West will keep looking with an eye of mockery and criticism to the Muslim world. Listen to the prime minister of Italy, Berlusconi, talking weeks after 9/11, "We must be aware of the superiority of our civilization, a system that has guaranteed well-being, respect for human rights and - in contrast with Islamic countries - respect for religious and political rights, a system that has as its values understandings of diversity and tolerance. Apparently, Mr. Prime minister forgot that Christians and Jews lived in the Muslim world before his grandparents heard the words diversity and tolerance and when his fellow Europeans were slaughtering Muslims and Jews in Spain and Jerusalem.

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Terrorism
[And when it is said to them: "Make not mischief on the earth," they say: "We are only peacemakers."] Holy Quran 2:11

I received the following email from a person who is trying to learn the facts about terrorism.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I am someone who is trying to find a religion I can belong to. As for now I am assessing both Christianity and Islam. But my greatest question which puts me off about Islam is the issue of terrorism and suicide bombings. Why is that all suicide bombers belong to the Muslim faith and I am yet to hear of a Christian suicide bomber. Why is that 99% of all terrorists are Muslims? Why is that the world today is a dangerous place to live because of September the 11 th? Why is that there seems to be some kind of abject and disgusting hatred towards America from the Muslims? Why is that in Christianity Jesus tells all Christians to love all those who persecute you and not to correct a wrong with another wrong but In Islam it seems as if someone kills your brother that person has to be murdered also? If you do a murderous act like a suicide bombing do you expect God or Allah to accept suicide murderers into his kingdom? After all, the bible tells all Christians that the only person who has the right to take away one's life is God because he is the creator. Please help as I am in desperate need to join a religion. Despite all the research that I have done which puts Christianity first in favor of Islam I do believe Islam is still a good religion especially if we take away extremists who propagate murder under the disguise of a religion. A friend of mine who belongs to the Muslim faith told me that Osama Bin Laden is a hero in the Moslem world (even though people do not want to come out openly and say that) in the sense that the guy sacrificed his untold wealth in order to fight the cause for Islam. But blasting all American embassies all over the world and preaching the gospel of hate towards infidels, instead of loving and praying for them worth the sacrifice that he did. These are some of the questions keeping me at bay in as far as joining Islam is concerned. I wouldnt want myself to be associated with the Bin Laden at all. Please help --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------86

And this was my response:

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I seek refuge with Allah from Satan the rejected, In the name of Allah most Gracious most Merciful, Peace be with those who follow the truth, Dear, Thanks a lot for your question about terrorism. September 11th sad events made Muslims lawyers; we have to defend ourselves for a shameful crime that we did not commit. People who misunderstood our religion did the worst possible crime: They did harm in the name of God. Muslims are double victims of terrorism. Al Qaeda killed thousands of Muslims on one hand. On the other hand, Muslims are followed, tortured and persecuted all over the world, in many cases without the slightest evidence. Anyway, having a snapshot on todays world while we ignore the history of humanity isnt doing any good to us. Lets travel through history. Adams two sons Abel and Cain had a conflict that was basically centered about God: Who does God like more? Abel ended up killing Cain and the first murder in history happened. God mentioned this story in the Quran: [And (O Muhammad) recite to them (the Jews) the story of the two sons of Adam {Haabil (Abel) and Qaabil (Cain)} in truth; when each offered a sacrifice (to Allah), it was accepted from the one but not from the other. The latter said to the former: "I will surely kill you." The former said: "Verily, Allah accepts only from those who are Al-Muttaqoon (the pious)." "If you do stretch your hand against me to kill me, I shall never stretch my hand against you to kill you, for I fear Allah; the Lord of the 'Alameen (mankind, jinns, and all that exists)." "Verily, I intend to let you draw my sin on yourself as well as yours, then you will be one of the dwellers of the Fire, and that is the recompense of the Zaalimoon (polytheists and wrong doers)." So the Nafs (self) of the other (latter one) encouraged him and made fair seeming to him the murder of his brother; he murdered him and became one of the losers. Then Allah sent a crow who scratched the ground to show him to hide the dead body of his brother. He (the murderer) said: "Woe to me! Am I not even able to be as this crow and to hide the dead body of my brother?" Then he became one of those who regretted.
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Because of that We ordained for the Children of Israel that if anyone killed a person not in retaliation of murder, or (and) to spread mischief in the land - it would be as if he killed all mankind, and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all mankind. And indeed, there came to them Our Messengers with clear proofs, evidences, and signs, even then after that many of them continued to exceed the limits (e.g. by doing oppression unjustly and exceeding beyond the limits set by Allah by committing the major sins) in the land!.]5:27-32 After that, history was full of people killing each other in the name of God. One may conclude erroneously that faith caused destruction. That is incorrect. Without Gods inspiration, there would be more damage and destruction on face of Earth. Allah said in the Quran: [For had it not been that Allah checks one set of people by means of another, monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques, wherein the Name of Allah is mentioned much would surely have been pulled down. Verily, Allah will help those who help His (Cause). Truly, Allah is All-Strong, All-Mighty.]22:40

Can you imagine if God didnt send Lot to Sodom and Gomorra, what wicked generations would have been living in the Middle East today? Can you imagine if Moses didnt take the Jews out of Egypt what kind of problems would occur even in todays world? Can you imagine if Jesus didnt come with peace in the holy land, how could the tension between the Romans and Jews end? What about Muhammad? How did his message fit this description? Arabia in the days of Prophet Muhammad had some serious problems. Oppression of women and slaves, polytheism in the house of God and wars were the major manifestations. Baby girls were burried alive because of the shame the family felt (if they were taken during war). This barbaric behavior was called waad meaning hiding girls under Earth. Those babies cried, screamed and asked for help. God will punish those who did this shameful act to those girls. On the day of judgment, Allah will ask each one of those girls: What was your crime, why did they kill you? They will have no answer. Slaves in Arabia suffered the worst kind of humiliation. Gods house in Mecca which was built by Abraham for all mankind to worship God and only God turned into a temple housing more than 300 idols. People built their own gods and worshiped them instead of worshipping the creator of heavens and Earth. Wars erupted for the most stupid reasons. Take for example a war that lasted for forty years after a horse owned by a noble man lost a race. Arabia was the most evil place on Earth. Todays world is similar to
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ancient Arabia. Baby girls and boys are flushed legally. 4000 babies are aborted in America every day. Slavery is called racism today and exists all over the world. Wars erupt for the most stupid reason. Anyway, Muhammad came with the message of Islam. He called for patience and tolerance. One day, a group of his companions came to him complaining about the pain they were facing. They were tortured and abused for not following the evil religion of Arabia. The prophet got angry with them. Listen to his response Khabbab bin Al-Aratt (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: We complained to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) regarding the persecution inflicted upon us by the disbelievers while he was lying in the shade of the Ka`bah, having made a pillow of his cloak. We submitted: "Why do you not supplicate for our prevalence (over the opponents)?''. He (PBUH) replied, "Among those people before you, a man would be seized and held in a pit dug for him in the ground and he would be sawed into two halves from his head, and his flesh torn away from his bones with an iron comb; but, in spite of this, he would not wean away from his Faith. By Allah, Allah will bring this matter to its consummation until a rider will travel from San`a' to Hadramout fearing none except Allah, and except the wolf for his sheep, but you are in too much of a hurry". [Al-Bukhari]. The prophet and his companions had to leave their homeland and run away from the oppression of those people. They were deprived of their freedom. They were not free even to choose their religion, which is the true religion. Finally, war started. Muslims had to defend themselves. God gave them victory after victory. Muhammad Peace be upon him- gave the most beautiful example of forgiveness. After entering Mecca, where people mocked at him, tortured his companions and killed his relatives, he asked people there What do you think I am going to do with you?, they said You are a generous brother (man) and your father was a generous brother (generous in Arabic also means forgiving), He said You are all free. Exactly as Allah said in the Quran: [The good deed and the evil deed cannot be equal. Repel (the evil) with one which is better (i.e. Allah ordered the faithful believers to be patient at the time of anger, and to excuse those who treat them badly): then verily he, between whom and you there was enmity, (will become) as though he was a close friend] 41:43 Muslim army started moving in all directions, spreading freedom and peace among the divine teachings of Islam. People in Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Egypt welcomed Islam. It was the only hope for them to be freed from the oppression of the Roman and the Persian Empires. The prophet always forgave his enemies, and thus did Muslims. Islam was and still is the fastest growing religion because of this spirit of forgiveness and because of its logical and true theological ideas.
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Muslim merchants carried Islam to the Far East. Hundreds of Millions embrassed Islam after dealing with those honest peaceful merchants. The term Jihad in Islam needs special attention, especially when you hear it used in the media right and left. Jihad means to struggle against evil. When your parents treat you badly, you have to be patient and treat them nicely even if they dont share your faith. You have to be like a bird with his wings on the ground, extremely humble and tolerant. That is the meaning of Jihad. However, if oppression is practiced, the Muslim has to respond. They say in Christianity, if someone slaps you on your right cheek turn the left. I have to see one example of this to agree. It goes beyond logic and reasoning. If some one slaps a Muslim on his right cheek, he has three options: to slap him on the right, or the left or to forgive him. If he forgives him, God will raise his level. If someone steels your car, you go and ask him to return it, but he refuses. You go to the judge and ask him to get your car back, but he says,No, you have to forgive him. What do you think now? Is this logic? Is this justice? Is this faith? The Christian world had its biggest clash with the Muslim world during the crusades. The pope looked for any reason to start the war. When you look for troubles, you find them. The European armies united under his leadership and demonstrated true forgiveness in the holy land. In few months, tens of thousands were killed in Jerusalem. What a perfect example of peace and forgiveness! The last century witnessed the first and second World Wars. Millions of civilians were killed, both Jews and non-Jews. Where was the church? Isnt that terrorism? Isnt the church responsible for these lives? Where were the principles of peace and forgiveness? In 1948, the state of Israel was established. Terrorism was practiced to force Arabs to leave their land. My grandmother was a widow who had to leave her home with four young orphans. Whole villages were destroyed. Men, women and children were slaughtered like animals. Mosques were burned. Hotels were bombed. Where were the people of peace and forgiveness? In the Arab world, autocratic governments were established and supported by Europe and US. These governments, Saddam Hussein included, practiced the worst kinds of terrorism against their people. Where were the people of peace and forgiveness? New generations of Muslims were raised in these new dark ages. They see the beautiful picture of Islam in the Quran and in history books. In reality, everyone is fighting against God. They start working underground. No connection to any leadership. No true knowledge or understanding. Those young people were lost and Bin Laden knew how to take the opportunity to implement his sick ideology. I heard once that a Christian child saw Bin Ladens picture with his humble face and long beard, he then shouted, Daddy, Is this Jesus? The Muslim world did
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the same mistake. There is no excuse for Muslims to think that Ben Laden is Muhammad, but years of oppression, poverty and lack of true Islamic knowledge have left Muslims truly vulnerable. If we sincerely want to eliminate terrorism, we have to educate those people about Islam. The war on terrorism should include war on causes of terrorism. The whole world hates Islam. The Crusades and the blind support to Israel are obvious examples. Muslims are not given the chance to run the war on terrorism right. They are rushed to surrender. They are forced to hate themselves. Missionaries today are spreading all over the Muslim world. Most of those missionaries have no idea about Islam other than that it is an evil religion of terrorism. Terrorism is evil and should be eliminated. But, is terrorism really the worst threat to our existence? What about the loss of morals? What about oppression? What about homosexuality? What about AIDS? What about drug dealers? What about pollution? What about nuclear weapons? The truth is shocking. Corruption is everywhere, but nobody wants to see it. Allah says in the Quran: [Evil (sins and disobedience of Allah, etc.) has appeared on land and sea because of what the hands of men have earned (by oppression and evil deeds, etc.), that Allah may make them taste a part of that which they have done, in order that they may return (by repenting to Allah, and begging His Pardon).]30:41 Can we (Muslims and non-Muslims) look into ourselves and correct the corruption we have in our lives? Can we live according to Gods instructions? Can we? Islam is not an attractive religion: We dont sing or dance in our mosques, we dont drink wine or eat bread in Muhammads birthday (Actually, we do not celebrate Muhammads birthday). We do one thing: We worship God the way he wants us to worship him. We worship Allah with sure knowledge. Allah says in the Quran: [Say (O Muhammad - peace be upon him): "This is my way; I invite unto Allah with sure knowledge, I and whosoever follows me with sure knowledge. And Glorified and Exalted be Allah (above all that they associate as partners with Him). And I am not of the Mushrikoon (polytheists, pagans, idolaters and disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah; those who worship others along with Allah or set up rivals or partners to Allah)."]12:108

Iyad

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Appendix

Holy Quran, Chapter 12 [Surah Joseph]

Yusuf Ali translation
I seek refuge with Allah from Satan the rejected In the name of Allah, the most Gracious, the most Merciful
Book. 2. We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur'an, in order that ye may learn wisdom. 3. We do relate unto thee the most beautiful of stories, in that We reveal to thee this (portion of the) Qur'an: before this, thou too was among those who knew it not. 4. Behold! Joseph said to his father: "O my father! I did see eleven stars and the sun and the moon: I saw them prostrate themselves to me!" 5. Said (the father): "My (dear) little son! relate not thy vision to thy brothers, lest they concoct a plot against thee: for Satan is to man an avowed enemy! 6. "Thus will thy Lord choose thee and teach thee the interpretation of stories (and events) and perfect His favor to thee and to the posterity of Jacob - even as He perfected it to thy fathers Abraham and Isaac aforetime! for Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom." 7. Verily in Joseph and his brethren are signs (or symbols) for seekers (after Truth). 8. They said: "Truly Joseph and his brother are loved more by our father than we: But we are a goodly body! really our father is obviously wandering (in his mind)! 9. "Slay ye Joseph or cast him out to some (unknown) land, that so the favor of your father may be given to you alone: (there will be time enough) for you to be righteous after that!" 10. Said one of them: "Slay not Joseph, but if ye must do something, throw him down to the bottom of the well: he will be picked up by some caravan of travelers." 11. They said: "O our father! why dost thou not trust us with Joseph,- seeing we are indeed his sincere wellwishers? 12. "Send him with us tomorrow to enjoy himself and play, and we shall take every care of him." 13. (Jacob) said: "Really it saddens me that ye should take him away: I fear lest the wolf should devour him while ye attend not to him." 14. They said: "If the wolf were to devour him while we are (so large) a party, then should we indeed (first) have perished ourselves!" 15. So they did take him away, and they all agreed to throw him down to the bottom of the well: and We put into his heart (this Message): 'Of a surety thou shalt (one day) tell them the truth of this their affair while they know (thee) not' 16. Then they came to their father in the early part of the night, weeping. 17. They said: "O our father! We went racing with one another, and left Joseph with our things; and the wolf devoured him.... But thou wilt never believe us even though we tell the truth."
1. A.L.R. These are the symbols (or Verses) of the perspicuous

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18. They stained his shirt with false blood. He said: "Nay, but your minds have made up a tale (that may pass) with you, (for me) patience is most fitting: Against that which ye assert, it is Allah (alone) Whose help can be sought".. 19. Then there came a caravan of travelers: they sent their water-carrier (for water), and he let down his bucket (into the well)...He said: "Ah there! Good news! Here is a (fine) young man!" So they concealed him as a treasure! But Allah knoweth well all that they do! 20. The (Brethren) sold him for a miserable price, for a few dirhams counted out: in such low estimation did they hold him! 21. The man in Egypt who bought him, said to his wife: "Make his stay (among us) honorable: may be he will bring us much good, or we shall adopt him as a son." Thus did We establish Joseph in the land, that We might teach him the interpretation of stories (and events). And Allah hath full power and control over His affairs; but most among mankind know it not. 22. When Joseph attained His full manhood, We gave him power and knowledge: thus do We reward those who do right. 23. But she in whose house he was, sought to seduce him from his (true) self: she fastened the doors, and said: "Now come, thou (dear one)!" He said: "(Allah) forbid! truly (thy husband) is my lord! he made my sojourn agreeable! truly to no good come those who do wrong!" 24. And (with passion) did she desire him, and he would have desired her, but that he saw the evidence of his Lord: thus (did We order) that We might turn away from him (all) evil and shameful deeds: for he was one of Our servants, sincere and purified. 25. So they both raced each other to the door, and she tore his shirt from the back: they both found her lord near the door. She said: "What is the (fitting) punishment for one who formed an evil design against thy wife, but prison or a grievous chastisement?" 26. He said: "It was she that sought to seduce me - from my (true) self." And one of her household saw (this) and bore witness, (thus):- "If it be that his shirt is rent from the front, then is her tale true, and he is a liar! 27. "But if it be that his shirt is torn from the back, then is she the liar, and he is telling the truth!" 28. So when he saw his shirt,- that it was torn at the back,- (her husband) said: "Behold! It is a snare of you women! truly, mighty is your snare! 29. "O Joseph, pass this over! (O wife), ask forgiveness for thy sin, for truly thou hast been at fault!" 30. Ladies said in the City: "The wife of the (great) 'Aziz is seeking to seduce her slave from his (true) self: Truly hath he inspired her with violent love: we see she is evidently going astray." 31. When she heard of their malicious talk, she sent for them and prepared a banquet for them: she gave each of them a knife: and she said (to Joseph), "Come out before them." When they saw him, they did extol him, and (in their amazement) cut their hands: they said, "(Allah) preserve us! no mortal is this! this is none other than a noble angel!" 32. She said: "There before you is the man about whom ye did blame me! I did seek to seduce him from his (true) self but he did firmly save himself guiltless!....and now, if he doth not my bidding, he shall certainly be cast into prison, and (what is more) be of the company of the vilest!" 33. He said: "O my Lord! the prison is more to my liking than that to which they invite me: Unless Thou turn away their snare from me, I should (in my youthful folly) feel inclined towards them and join the ranks of the ignorant."

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34. So his Lord hearkened to him (in his prayer), and turned away from him their snare: Verily He heareth and knoweth (all things). 35. Then it occurred to the men, after they had seen the signs, (that it was best) to imprison him for a time. 36. Now with him there came into the prison two young men. Said one of them: "I see myself (in a dream) pressing wine." said the other: "I see myself (in a dream) carrying bread on my head, and birds are eating, thereof." "Tell us" (they said) "The truth and meaning thereof: for we see thou art one that doth good (to all)." 37. He said: "Before any food comes (in due course) to feed either of you, I will surely reveal to you the truth and meaning of this ere it befall you: that is part of the (duty) which my Lord hath taught me. I have (I assure you) abandoned the ways of a people that believe not in Allah and that (even) deny the Hereafter. 38. "And I follow the ways of my fathers,- Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and never could we attribute any partners whatever to Allah. that (comes) of the grace of Allah to us and to mankind: yet most men are not grateful. 39. "O my two companions of the prison! (I ask you): are many lords differing among themselves better, or the One Allah, Supreme and Irresistible? 40. "If not Him, ye worship nothing but names which ye have named,- ye and your fathers,- for which Allah hath sent down no authority: the command is for none but Allah. He hath commanded that ye worship none but Him: that is the right religion, but most men understand not... 41. "O my two companions of the prison! As to one of you, he will pour out the wine for his lord to drink: as for the other, he will hang from the cross, and the birds will eat from off his head. (so) hath been decreed that matter whereof ye twain do enquire"... 42. And of the two, to that one whom he consider about to be saved, he said: "Mention me to thy lord." But Satan made him forget to mention him to his lord: and (Joseph) lingered in prison a few (more) years. 43. The king (of Egypt) said: "I do see (in a vision) seven fat kine, whom seven lean ones devour, and seven green ears of corn, and seven (others) withered. O ye chiefs! Expound to me my vision if it be that ye can interpret visions." 44. They said: "A confused medley of dreams: and we are not skilled in the interpretation of dreams." 45. But the man who had been released, one of the two (who had been in prison) and who now bethought him after (so long) a space of time, said: "I will tell you the truth of its interpretation: send ye me (therefore)." 46. "O Joseph!" (he said) "O man of truth! Expound to us (the dream) of seven fat kine whom seven lean ones devour, and of seven green ears of corn and (seven) others withered: that I may return to the people, and that they may understand." 47. (Joseph) said: "For seven years shall ye diligently sow as is your wont: and the harvests that ye reap, ye shall leave them in the ear,- except a little, of which ye shall eat. 48. "Then will come after that (period) seven dreadful (years), which will devour what ye shall have laid by in advance for them,- (all) except a little which ye shall have (specially) guarded. 49. "Then will come after that (period) a year in which the people will have abundant water, and in which they will press (wine and oil)." 50. So the king said: "Bring ye him unto me." But when the messenger came to him, (Joseph) said: "Go thou back to thy lord, and ask him, 'What is the state of mind of the ladies who cut their hands'? For my Lord is certainly well aware of their snare." 51. (The king) said (to the ladies): "What was your affair when ye did seek to seduce Joseph from his (true) self?" The ladies said: "(Allah) preserve us! no evil know we against him!" Said the 'Aziz's wife: "Now is the
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truth manifest (to all): it was I who sought to seduce him from his (true) self: He is indeed of those who are (ever) true (and virtuous). 52. "This (say I), in order that He may know that I have never been false to him in his absence, and that Allah will never guide the snare of the false ones. 53. "Nor do I absolve my own self (of blame): the (human) soul is certainly prone to evil, unless my Lord do bestow His Mercy: but surely my Lord is Oft- forgiving, Most Merciful." 54. So the king said: "Bring him unto me; I will take him specially to serve about my own person." Therefore when he had spoken to him, he said: "Be assured this day, thou art, before our own presence, with rank firmly established, and fidelity fully proved! 55. (Joseph) said: "Set me over the store-houses of the land: I will indeed guard them, as one that knows (their importance)." 56. Thus did We give established power to Joseph in the land, to take possession therein as, when, or where he pleased. We bestow of our Mercy on whom We please, and We suffer not, to be lost, the reward of those who do good. 57. But verily the reward of the Hereafter is the best, for those who believe, and are constant in righteousness. 58. Then came Joseph's brethren: they entered his presence, and he knew them, but they knew him not. 59. And when he had furnished them forth with provisions (suitable) for them, he said: "Bring unto me a brother ye have, of the same father as yourselves, (but a different mother): see ye not that I pay out full measure, and that I do provide the best hospitality? 60. "Now if ye bring him not to me, ye shall have no measure (of corn) from me, nor shall ye (even) come near me." 61. They said: "We shall certainly seek to get our wish about him from his father: Indeed we shall do it." 62. And (Joseph) told his servants to put their stock-in-trade (with which they had bartered) into their saddlebags, so they should know it only when they returned to their people, in order that they might come back. 63. Now when they returned to their father, they said: "O our father! No more measure of grain shall we get (unless we take our brother): So send our brother with us, that we may get our measure; and we will indeed take every care of him." 64. He said: "Shall I trust you with him with any result other than when I trusted you with his brother aforetime? But Allah is the best to take care (of him), and He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy!" 65. Then when they opened their baggage, they found their stock-in-trade had been returned to them. They said: "O our father! What (more) can we desire? this our stock-in-trade has been returned to us: so we shall get (more) food for our family; We shall take care of our brother; and add (at the same time) a full camel's load (of grain to our provisions). This is but a small quantity. 66. (Jacob) said: "Never will I send him with you until ye swear a solemn oath to me, in Allah.s name, that ye will be sure to bring him back to me unless ye are yourselves hemmed in (and made powerless). And when they had sworn their solemn oath, he said: "Over all that we say, be Allah the witness and guardian!" 67. Further he said: "O my sons! enter not all by one gate: enter ye by different gates. Not that I can profit you aught against Allah (with my advice): None can command except Allah. On Him do I put my trust: and let all that trust put their trust on Him." 68. And when they entered in the manner their father had enjoined, it did not profit them in the least against (the plan of) Allah. It was but a necessity of Jacob's soul, which he discharged. For he was, by our instruction, full of knowledge (and experience): but most men know not.
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69. Now when they came into Joseph's presence, he received his (full) brother to stay with him. He said (to him): "Behold! I am thy (own) brother; so grieve not at aught of their doings." 70. At length when he had furnished them forth with provisions (suitable) for them, he put the drinking cup into his brother's saddle-bag. Then shouted out a crier: "O ye (in) the caravan! behold! ye are thieves, without doubt!" 71. They said, turning towards them: "What is it that ye miss?" 72. They said: "We miss the great beaker of the king; for him who produces it, is (the reward of) a camel load; I will be bound by it." 73. (The brothers) said: "By Allah. well ye know that we came not to make mischief in the land, and we are no thieves!" 74. (The Egyptians) said: "What then shall be the penalty of this, if ye are (proved) to have lied?" 75. They said: "The penalty should be that he in whose saddle-bag it is found, should be held (as bondman) to atone for the (crime). Thus it is we punish the wrong- doers!" 76. So he began (the search) with their baggage, before (he came to) the baggage of his brother: at length he brought it out of his brother's baggage. Thus did We plan for Joseph. He could not take his brother by the law of the king except that Allah willed it (so). We raise to degrees (of wisdom) whom We please: but over all endued with knowledge is one, the All-Knowing. 77. They said: "If he steals, there was a brother of his who did steal before (him)." But these things did Joseph keep locked in his heart, revealing not the secrets to them. He (simply) said (to himself): "Ye are the worse situated; and Allah knoweth best the truth of what ye assert!" 78. They said: "O exalted one! Behold! he has a father, aged and venerable, (who will grieve for him); so take one of us in his place; for we see that thou art (gracious) in doing good." 79. He said: "(Allah) forbid that we take other than him with whom we found our property: indeed (if we did so), we should be acting wrongfully. 80. Now when they saw no hope of his (yielding), they held a conference in private. The leader among them said: "Know ye not that your father did take an oath from you in Allahs name, and how, before this, ye did fail in your duty with Joseph? Therefore will I not leave this land until my father permits me, or Allah commands me; and He is the best to command. 81. "Turn ye back to your father, and say, 'O our father! behold! thy son committed theft! we bear witness only to what we know, and we could not well guard against the unseen! 82. "'Ask at the town where we have been and the caravan in which we returned, and (you will find) we are indeed telling the truth.'" 83. Jacob said: "Nay, but ye have yourselves contrived a story (good enough) for you. So patience is most fitting (for me). Maybe Allah will bring them (back) all to me (in the end). For He is indeed full of knowledge and wisdom." 84. And he turned away from them, and said: "How great is my grief for Joseph!" And his eyes became white with sorrow, and he fell into silent melancholy. 85. They said: "By Allah. (never) wilt thou cease to remember Joseph until thou reach the last extremity of illness, or until thou die!" 86. He said: "I only complain of my distraction and anguish to Allah, and I know from Allah that which ye know not...
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87. "O my sons! go ye and enquire about Joseph and his brother, and never give up hope of Allahs Soothing Mercy: truly no one despairs of Allahs Soothing Mercy, except those who have no faith." 88. Then, when they came (back) into (Joseph's) presence they said: "O exalted one! distress has seized us and our family: we have (now) brought but scanty capital: so pay us full measure, (we pray thee), and treat it as charity to us: for Allah doth reward the charitable." 89. He said: "Know ye how ye dealt with Joseph and his brother, not knowing (what ye were doing)?" 90. They said: "Art thou indeed Joseph?" He said, "I am Joseph, and this is my brother: Allah has indeed been gracious to us (all): behold, he that is righteous and patient,- never will Allah suffer the reward to be lost, of those who do right." 91. They said: "By Allah. indeed has Allah preferred thee above us, and we certainly have been guilty of sin!" 92. He said: "This day let no reproach be (cast) on you: Allah will forgive you, and He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy! 93. "Go with this my shirt, and cast it over the face of my father: he will come to see (clearly). Then come ye (here) to me together with all your family." 94. When the caravan left (Egypt), their father said: "I do indeed scent the presence of Joseph: Nay, think me not a dotard." 95. They said: "By Allah. truly thou art in thine old wandering mind." 96. Then when the bearer of the good news came, He cast (the shirt) over his face, and he forthwith regained clear sight. He said: "Did I not say to you, 'I know from Allah that which ye know not?'" 97. They said: "O our father! ask for us forgiveness for our sins, for we were truly at fault." 98. He said: "Soon will I ask my Lord for forgiveness for you: for he is indeed Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." 99. Then when they entered the presence of Joseph, he provided a home for his parents with himself, and said: "Enter ye Egypt (all) in safety if it please Allah." 100. And he raised his parents high on the throne (of dignity), and they fell down in prostration, (all) before him. He said: "O my father! this is the fulfillment of my vision of old! Allah hath made it come true! He was indeed good to me when He took me out of prison and brought you (all here) out of the desert, (even) after Satan had sown enmity between me and my brothers. Verily my Lord understandeth best the mysteries of all that He planneth to do, for verily He is full of knowledge and wisdom. 101. "O my Lord! Thou hast indeed bestowed on me some power, and taught me something of the interpretation of dreams and events,- O Thou Creator of the heavens and the earth! Thou art my Protector in this world and in the Hereafter. Take Thou my soul (at death) as one submitting to Thy will (as a Muslim), and unite me with the righteous." 102. Such is one of the stories of what happened unseen, which We reveal by inspiration unto thee; nor wast thou (present) with them then when they concerted their plans together in the process of weaving their plots. 103. Yet no faith will the greater part of mankind have, however ardently thou dost desire it. 104. And no reward dost thou ask of them for this: it is no less than a message for all creatures. 105. And how many Signs in the heavens and the earth do they pass by? Yet they turn (their faces) away from them! 106. And most of them believe not in Allah without associating (other as partners) with Him! 107. Do they then feel secure from the coming against them of the covering veil of the wrath of Allah,- or of the coming against them of the (final) Hour all of a sudden while they perceive not?
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108. Say thou: "This is my way: I do invite unto Allah,- on evidence clear as the seeing with one's eyes,- I and whoever follows me. Glory to Allah. and never will I join gods with Allah." 109. Nor did We send before thee (as apostles) any but men, whom we did inspire,- (men) living in human habitations. Do they not travel through the earth, and see what was the end of those before them? But the home of the hereafter is best, for those who do right. Will ye not then understand? 110. (Respite will be granted) until, when the apostles give up hope (of their people) and (come to) think that they were treated as liars, there reaches them Our help, and those whom We will are delivered into safety. But never will be warded off our punishment from those who are in sin. 111. There is, in their stories, instruction for men endued with understanding. It is not a tale invented, but a confirmation of what went before it,- a detailed exposition of all things, and a guide and a mercy to any such as believe.

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