Some thing to ponder about

What you call terrorist Colin may be heroes for many people (Muslims or not).

This is all relative.

Akm, West of Tehran? I actually would love to go to Iran. I heard some travellers go there, even women alone. I hope to do that one day inshAllah.

Do you think it is OK to pray as a Sunni in their mosques? I mean will that be a problem to them? The question is for akm.

I'm also sorry Salman for criticising your posting of a tribute to Al Zarqawi, when all you really meant was to post a tribute to Al Capone, that much misunderstood early 1900 century American social reformer and liquor salesman. It's so easy to copy and paste the wrong article when you are tired after a long day studying FIFA Football World Cup statistics.

I asked this question from a scholar long time ago.

Luckily I still have this in my e-mail

I hope this answers your question "muslima"

Question:
Is it Okay to do Jummah in a Shia masjid which is close to where I work?

Answer:
As-Salamu `alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
We commend your keenness on getting your self well-acquainted with Islam and its teachings, and we implore Allah Almighty to help us serve His cause and render our work for His Sake.

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, �Islam is built upon five pillars: testifying that there is no true god except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, performing Prayer, paying the Zakah, making the pilgrimage to the Sacred House (Hajj), and fasting the month of Ramadan.� (Reported by Al-Bukhari)

First of all, we�d like to draw your attention to the fact that Shi`ah are generally considered to be Muslims. All Muslims should be alert against the schemes and plots planned by the enemies of Islam. They are the ones that want us to disagree and fight each other. We should not give them this chance.

Professor Muhammad Ahmad Siraj, a professor of Islamic Studies at the American University, states:

Sunnis and Shi`ites are Muslims who pray to the same God. Both believe in the same Qur'an, have faith in the same message of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and you are recommended to pray with the Iranian Muslims in their mosques sticking to your Sunni understanding of Islam as it is high time for the Muslim Ummah to appreciate all the segments of this Ummah and to have common understanding and appreciation of the Islamic faith.

The Qur'an calls us to unite and cooperate and avoid causes of dissent. Allah Almighty says: " And hold fast, all of you together, to the cable of Allah, and do not separate. And remember Allah's favor unto you: how ye were enemies and He made friendship between your hearts so that ye became as brothers by His grace; and (how) ye were upon the brink of an abyss of fire, and He did save you from it. Thus Allah maketh clear His revelations unto you, that haply ye may be guided.� (Al `Imran: 103)

It does not mean that you are required to relax your understanding of the principles of Islam for the sake of unity of others but to live with them and appreciate what they have. Let's try to cooperate on our common interpretations and excuse each other in case of difference.�

If you are still in need of more information, don't hesitate to contact us. Do keep in touch. May Allah guide us all to the straight path!
Wassalam and Allah Almighty knows best.

Muslima wrote: Colin, I think I am definitely on the same wavelength as Salman's. MashAllah, I love his ideas.

Ahhhh, that's nice.