Research on disinformation re: Qur�an

Hi Steve,

Hope this helps. May Allah guide you in your quest to seek the right path.

What Islam Really Says about Killing the Innocent

Taken from Introduction to The Book of Jihad and Expedition, by Abdul Hamid Siddiqui. Read the entire text.

 

Even in a declared war, certain rules must be followed:

The Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him) has given clear instructions about the behaviour of the Muslim army. He observed:

"Set out for Jihad in the name of Allah and for the sake of Allah. Do not lay hands on the old verging on death, on women, children and babes. Do not steal anything from the booty and collect together all that falls to your lot in the battlefield and do good, for Allah loves the virtuous and the pious."

So great is the respect for humanly feelings in Islam that even the wanton destruction of enemy's crops or property is strictly forbidden. The righteous Caliphs followed closely the teachings of Allah and those of His Apostle in letter and spirit the celebrated address which the first Caliph Abu Bakr (Allah be pleased with him) gave to his army while sending her on the expedition to the Syrian borders is permeated with the noble spirit with which the war in Islam is permitted. He said:

"Stop, O people, that I may give you ten rules for your guidance in the battlefield. Do not commit treachery or deviate from the right path. You must not mutilate dead bodies. Neither kill a child, nor a woman. nor an aged man. Bring no harm to the trees, nor burn them with fire, especially those which are fruitful. Slay not any of the enemy's flock. save for your food. You are likely to pass by people who have devoted their lives to monastic services; leave them alone"

It is said that once at the time of conquest, a singing girl was brought to al-Muhajir b. Abu Umayya who had been publicly singing satirical poems about Hadrat Abu Bakr. Muhajir got her hand amputated. When the Caliph heard this news, he was shocked and wrote a letter to Muhajir in the following words:

"I have learnt that you laid hands on a woman who had hurled abuses on me, and, therefore, got her hand amputated. God has not sought vengeance even in the case of polytheism, which is a great crime. He has not permitted mutilation even with regard to manifest infidelity. Try to be considerate and sympathetic in your attitude towards others in future. Never mutilate, because it is a grave offence. God purified Islam and the Muslims from rashness and excessive wrath. You are well aware of the fact that those enemies fell into the hands of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) who had been recklessly abusing him; who had turned him out of his home; and who fought against him, but he never permitted their mutilation."

Another letter written by hadrat 'Umar the Second Caliph, which is addressed to Sa'd b. Abu Waqqas, speaks eloquently of the noble spirit with which the Muslims have bear exhorted to take up arms:

"Always search your minds and hearts and stress upon your men the need of perfect integrity and sincerity in the cause of Allah. There should be no material end before them in laying down their lives. but they abould deem it a means whereby they can please their Lord and entitle them. selves to His favour: such a spirit of selflessness should be inculcated in the minds of those who unfortunately lack it. Be firm in the thick of the battle as Allah helps man according to the perseverance that he shows in the cause of His faith and he would be rewarded in accordance with the spirit of sacrifice which he displays for the sake of the Lord. Be careful that those who have been entrusted to your care receive no harm at your hands and are never deprived of any of their legitimate rights."

 

A Special Note:

PROHIBITION OF KILLING WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN WAR

Book 019, Number 4319 Sahih Muslim:

It is narrated on the authority of 'Abdullah that a woman was found killed in one of the battles fought by the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him). He disapproved of the killing of women and children.

Book 019, Number 4320:

It is narrated by Ibn 'Umar that a woman was found killed in one of these battles; so the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) forbade the killing of women and children.

http://www.muhajabah.com/reallysays.htm

steve - i looked through the "14 characteristics of fascism" you posted (it was very good) and i noticed just how closely the article resembled every muslim country in the world, and how it would be a perfect description of the ideal sharia state  ----- no i suggest you educate yourself as to the facts of islam (i mean stick the boot into the west as much as you like, but please dont go thinking that any measure of islam will in any way improve things)

Edited by fredifreeloader

peacemaker - you have not in any way defined what "corruption in the earth" is.  you have said that the punishment for murder and corruption in the earth may only be decided by a competent court.  i take it this would be an islamic court.  in other words it will be islam that decides if a thing is corrupt or not.  since you are presumably a muslim, surely you could enlighten us as to what the phrase means

fredifreeloader wrote: steve - i looked through the "14 characteristics of fascism" you posted (it was very good) and i noticed just how closely the article resembled every muslim country in the world, and how it would be a perfect description of the ideal sharia state  ----- no i suggest you educate yourself as to the facts of islam (i mean stick the boot into the west as much as you like, but please dont go thinking that any measure of islam will in any way improve things)

Fredi,

Yes, Fredi, that is why I am here: to educate myself as to the facts of Islam�as well as to the propaganda about Islam. Now, if we can manage to make a distinction between FACT and PROPAGANDA, I think we'll all be a lot better off. (That's why I started my blog, American Liar.)

From your comments here (forgive me if I misinterpet you), I get the feeling that you may be having a bit of trouble distinguishing between the two. First, the 14 Characteristics of Fascism may be an accurate description of any totalitarian state that has that set of characteristic socio-political markers, irregardless of what the predominant religion may be (or the absence of an official religion, which can be substituted by official political orthodoxy / doctrine).

You also seem to have trouble recognizing that it is not Islam itself that embodies the doctrines of Fascism; rather the truth is that it is a perversion of Islam that may incorporate some of the characteristics of Fascism�a perversion that is advanced by religious fundamentalists who have adopted an extremist ideology. I get  the feeling that you are not really listening to the Muslims here in this forum, because if you were, you would be demonstrating an understanding that they are not expressing adherence to a doctrine of Fascism or totalitarianism as you seem to be suggesting. Rather, they are expressing quite the opposite point of view.

I think that we should all be careful to distinguish between fact and propaganda any time we are discussing religion and politics, or the nexus between the two. Any religion can become perverted by extremists, and the long chain of human history supplies ample proof of that. Study history and you will realize that it was a gross perversion of Christianity that led to the long bloody campaign of the Crusades, and the Europeans' invasion of the Middle East that had far more to do (then as now) with expansion of Empire and aggregation of wealth than it did with "saving souls." The altruistic religious pretexts of the Crusades were merely a hypocritical cover for darker aims.

Similarly, the long reign of terror that was the Inquisition relied upon similar "moral" pretexts for its atrocities. And that lasted for something like 650 years! The European invasion of the New World was also marked by naked aggression under the pretext of "saving souls," in the process exterminating millions of Native Americans in mass genocide under the banner of a "holy war." (Read the writings of the Spanish priest Bartolome De Las Casas for a rare  and very revealing contemporary account.)

Other religions and doctrines of the state have been used as tools for conquest, exploitation and greed over the millenia. So let's not point fingers at the religion of Islam as the villian here. It is, rather,  misguided and radicalized people that use religion in a perverted manner to further their aims�rarely is it the true essence of the religion itself that is to blame.

Referencing your statement, the 14 characteristics of fascism can be found not just in "every Muslim country in the world," as you suggest (I doubt that's entirely accurate, BTW), but they have also been represented in just about every single Third World country over the last 100-plus years where the United States had what it considered to be strategic economic (profit-centered) interests, where gross inequities in distribution of wealth have existed, and where, consequently, indigenous resistance to this fascist organization of the state's economy, social institutions, military, police, educational systems, etc. have arisen. The United States has a long, bloody and generally unrecognized (in our own country) track record of supporting these fascist states, in the interests of propping up corrupt regimes that will guarantee the maintenance of the U.S.'s exploitation of those nations' natural and human (labor) resources.

If you dig deep enough, you will find recorded documentation of the deliberate policies of the United States in maintaining what I call the "Global Plantation." Consider this quote:

"We have about 60% of the world's wealth but only 6.3% of its population. In this situation we cannot fail to be the object of envy and resentment. Our real task in the coming period is to devise a pattern of relationships which will permit us to maintain this position of disparity. We need not deceive ourselves that we can afford today the luxury of altruism and world benefaction. We should cease to talk about such vague and unreal objectives as human rights, the raising of living standards and democratisation. The day is not far off when we are going to have to deal in straight power concepts. The less we are then hampered by idealistic slogans, the better."

George Kennan, former Head of the U.S. State Department Policy Planning Staff

And this quote from a US military officer with long experience in our campaigns of Empire-maintenance:

"I believe that if we had and would keep our dirty, bloody, dollar soaked fingers out of the business of these [Third World] nations so full of depressed, exploited people, they will arrive at a solution of their own. And if unfortunately their revolution must be of the violent type because the 'haves' refuse to share with the 'have-nots' by any peaceful method, at least what they get will be their own, and not the American style, which they don't want and above all don't want crammed down their throats by Americans."

General David Sharp, former U.S. Marine Corps Commandant, 1966

Finally, I think there is one prominent distinction that should be made regarding those (unnamed) Islamist states that you refer to as having characteristics of fascism, and this relates to MOTIVE:

I think the primary motivator for the "Neo Fascists" of the modern age is clearly economic, profit-centered worldwide domination�in a word, Empire. (From a moral standpoint, the cardinal sin of GREED.) I do not believe that it can be said that any Islamist state is bent on global economic Empire, as is the case currently with the United States. And I believe that this makes our current regime of misleaders a very dangerous bunch indeed.

In private, I'm sure that members of our current imperialist elites discuss their agenda in open, frank detail. Publicly, the truth occasionally leaks out. Consider this quote, from David Susskind's article in the New York Times from last year:

The aide [an unnamed top advisor to President Bush] said that guys like me were �in what we call the reality-based community,� which he defined as people who �believe that solutions emerge from your judicious study of discernible reality.� I nodded and murmured something about enlightenment principles and empiricism. He cut me off. �That�s not the way the world really works anymore,� he continued. �We�re an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you�re studying that reality�judiciously, as you will�we�ll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that�s how things will sort out. We�re history�s actors . . . and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.�

And so, Fredi, I in turn suggest that you educate yourself as to the real facts of Islam, and learn how to distinguish them from the  propaganda that's been generated about Islam. It's all too easy to see the world in simplistic and propagandistic terms, especially for those of us here in the United States where we have had such a heavy filter imposed upon us by our corporate media systems, our educational institutions, and yes, even our religious institutions.

It is investigation of the truth based on rationality, objectivity, reason, and yes, spiritual insight that allows us to attain some measure of enlightenment in this world. Our planet and its inhabitants will be a lot better off, I think, if we pursue this path, rather than walking down the road with the blinders of prejudice, propaganda and narrow thinking obscuring our vision.

And yes, I will continue to "stick the boot into the west" (my own country) as you say, and with particular passion�for these reasons:

Luke 6:42

"Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam  that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye."


"I love America more than any other country in the world and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually."

James Baldwin


peace / shalom / salaam

steve




Edited by americanliar