DEFINITIVE FACTS
Islam is the religion articulated by the Qur’an, a text considered by its adherents to be the verbatim word of God and by the Prophet of Islam Muhammad's teachings and normative example. Islam literally means "submission to God. The words Muslim, the word for an adherent of Islam, and Islam are grammatical derivatives of the Arabic verb meaning "surrender, submit"
Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable and that the purpose of life is to worship God. They regard their religion as the completed and universal version of a primordial, monotheistic faith revealed at many times and places before, including, notably, to the prophets Abraham, Moses and Jesus.
Islamic tradition holds that previous messages and revelations have been changed and distorted over time. Religious practices include the Five Pillars of Islam, which are five obligatory acts of worship. Islamic law touches on virtually every aspect of life and society, encompassing everything from banking and warfare to welfare and the environment.
SUNNI and SHI'A
The majority of Muslims belong to one of two denominations, the Sunni and the Shi'a.
- 13% of Muslims live in Indonesia
- 25% in South Asia, 20% in the Middle East
- 2% in Central Asia
- 4% in the remaining South East Asian countries
- 15% in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- The remainder in China and Russia, Caribbean. Converts and immigrant communities are found in almost every part of the world.
- With about 1.57 billion Muslims comprising about 23% of the world's population, Islam is the second-largest religion in the world and arguably the fastest-growing religion in the world.
ENTER THE EXTREMISTS
The problem today is the increasing "Islamophobia" or "tagging'. Grouping people by those who cannot differentiate between a peace loving Muslim, the 2nd largest religious population in the world and the extremist fundamentalist order like the Taliban.
We are not a theocracy in the Western world, we separate the church and the state. Sometimes not enough and it causes great pain. Yet we share the same tendencies to go to extremes in our beliefs. Christianity is not innocent either. Modern day Catholics and Protestants in their battle in Ireland.
Basically, no different, and the product produced was bloodshed. Both sides believing in Christ and thinking their Christ was better than the other guys Christ. So they kill each other to prove a point.
The Taliban sees law, the Shari'ah, as Gods will and not subjective to interpretation. Your believing peace loving Muslim, takes a literal interpretation of the Qur'an and the extremist is an absolution of that law. No different with the Sunni and the Shi'a. And the results are the same. The warped aspect of the belief leads to what is normal today. Suicide bombers, death, murder, and maiming.
It is almost impossible to explain the motivation of the extremist. For if one is a believer of Islam, he is not capable of these things. The extremist shows little understanding of the meaning of the spirit Islam brings.
Hate is not taught in the Qur'an. Only obedience. And the extremist viewpoint is fear based. The best way to describe this is primal law without any kind of individual protection. Literal slaves to a religion. It’s like the Taliban who are carefully planning their New Years Celebration for the year 427.
There are those who believe some Christian Fundamentalist groups are as strict in their teachings. You see the law stops them from what is really possible. Abuse, carnal relations, pedophilia, and even the administration of proper medical aid seem to have no bearing on the color of the cassock. Nuts are nuts no matter what the belief.
WOMEN TREATED LIKE LIVESTOCK
Afghan women are mere property forced to obey under the Taliban, and one cannot begin to reflect the depth of female deprivations and sufferings. Taliban treat women worse than they treat animals. While the Taliban declare the keeping of caged birds and animals illegal, they imprison their women within the four walls of their own houses. Women have no importance in Taliban eyes unless they are occupied producing children, satisfying male sexual needs or attending to the drudgery of daily housework.
TALIBAN BUS DRIVERS:
When I sourced this, I thought I had heard it all. The Taliban religious army today ordered bus drivers to hide female passengers behind curtains, the latest edict in the group's campaign to impose its strict interpretation of Islamic law on this central Asian country.
The Taliban also warned bus drivers against fraternizing with female passengers, telling jokes or displaying posters. Men and women must travel in separate buses in Kabul.
Half of the estimated 200 buses in the capital reserved for each sex. Women are barred from driving. And some drivers have been playing music, an offense that is punishable by a public beating. Other drivers have had long hair and or wore "shiny clothes.
Religious police today patrolled the bus depots in the city to ensure the latest edicts were being enforced.
STONING ON HOLD
TEHRAN - The Ayatollahs judiciary has announced temporary suspension of the sentence of stoning for Mohammadi Ashtiani, a mother of two for adultery and she has denied the charge. But an official said it might still be carried out later.
She was convicted in 2006 of having an illicit relationship and was sentenced to receive 99 lashes as punishment. Later the Ayatollah stepped up the conviction of "adultery while being married" and sentenced to death by stoning.
Sounds pagan, having twenty people with stones, even relatives, throwing stones at you. The stones not big enough to kill, not small either, and you are defenseless, thrown at you while you are tied to a stake. Pagan worship, pagan religion, and a law that violates the rights of individuals. Simply barbaric.
08-13-2010, she was interrogated again, probably being whipped on the back and feet (anyone who has Neopathy knows the bottom of the foot is a pain center - Reflexology) so now she admits to being part of a a murder conspiracy. She will either die from the beatings or admit to anything if the beatings keep up.
BUT WERE WE ANY BETTER?
Before you do the "how holy are thou routine", were we any better? The Inquisition certainly set a few records for dismemberment, boiling, stretching exercises, whippings and other barbaric methods to make true all believers. Being tied to a stake is about as pagan as you can get, and was common during the witch burnings we had in the 17th century in the American colonies.
These were particularly popular as sport in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Haven. The myth of the witch in the US and in Europe was strongly associated with devil-worship. The Salem witch trials took place in Massachusetts in 1692–3, culminating in the executions of 19 people.
Tens of thousands of people were executed for witchcraft in Europe and the American colonies. Although it is not possible to ascertain the exact number, modern scholars estimate around 40–50,000.
Common methods of execution for convicted witches were hanging, drowning and burning. Burning was often favored, particularly in Europe, as it was considered a more painful way to die. Prosecutors in the American colonies generally preferred hanging in cases of witchcraft, but burnings were acceptable.