Dear Mr. Patel

I think you are a sincere human being who is well intended. I also believe that you will taken seriously when you abandon your affiliation with the treasonous wahhabi agenda. I understand that you attend their conventions. As an American Muslim, you need to decide if you stand with the Constitution of the US who openly welcomes your dedication to the ethics of the Koran or if you promote Islamic law and the eventual destruction of the US. This is a time for some deep thought.

Sincerely Mrs. Houghton

Thank you, Mr. Patel, for your good words about Ken Smith. May he rest in peace, and may your work be blessed.

Mt. Airy, MD

Thank you, Mr. Patel, for your good words on Ken Smith. May he rest in peace, and may your work be blessed.

Mt. Airy, MD

Thank you, Mr. Patel, for your good words on Ken Smith. May he rest in peace, and may your work be blessed.

Mt. Airy, MD

If it were not for the anonymity of these threads, folks like Zeenat and his ilk could easily kill me, an atheist, with the best of conscience: He just can claim he followed his holy Quran.

But then, there is no difference between the islamic and the Christian nonsense: They mirror each other with a few poetic alterations. The Christian zealots Canyon Shearer has sent me to hell before (he pretends to spread Christian "love", lol!).

Why not simply liberate us from all this historical mass superstition? It has incredible power on human minds, alas, and a majority of Americans, a similar feat, believes in astrology.

No real difference: It is the uncertainty of our lives, the limits of human knowledge, even understanding of the great natural contexts. Therefore we resort to the intellectual reduction of all problems by inventing gods, who are more palatable, more primitive, in short, more like ourselves (look at the very human Greek gods, or, worse, at the god-sponsored pedophilia of Mohamed) for our poor minds. Religion has never explained anything. A creed based on nothing real cannot produce anything resembling truth.

I feel like we are all shouting while someone is delivering a eulogy.

Does any of this apply to the column? Just asking.

Fundamentalism is the problem, in any of its many forms. It is pretty destructive social phenomenon; even Communism and Naziism were fundamentlist in nature. People seem to be pre-disposed to it under certain social and economic conditions, which I do not completely understand.

But I do not see what all this has to do with the article.

Zeenat,

Do you have any non-muslim friends?
If you do are you not worried about giving proof against yourself to Allah? Where does your allah allow you to have non-muslim friends?

While the Kafirs in Kafir lands promote live and let live ideology under which the muslims live, below is a ruling of the Egyptian Supreme Court (last week!!) for a muslim man wanting to convert to Christianity:
**************************
http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=11398&size=A
Cairo (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Egypt’s Court of Administrative Justice has turned down a request by Mohammad Ahmad Higazi, a Christian convert from Islam, to have his new religion written on his identity card. The Court ruled that the 25-year-old had not followed the proper legal procedures and had strayed from the nation’s traditions. “Monotheistic religions were sent by God in chronological order . . . As a result, it is unusual to go from the latest religion to the one that preceded it,” the court said. “The person who has such an attitude is straying from the right path and threatening the principles, values and precepts of Islam and of Egyptian traditions,” the ruling read.

Mohammad Ahmad Higazi converted to Islam some years ago (some reports say nine ago; others six years; Islamic sources say just a few months). He married a woman, Zeinab, who also converted to Christianity taking the name Christina. Six months ago he applied to have his conversion registered but was rejected by local authorities which forced him to turn to the central government.

In Egypt identity cards must indicate the bearer’s religion. For decades liberal Egyptians have tried to end this practice since it is used to discriminate against non Muslims.

It must be noted that whenever a Christian converts to Islam registration of the change is done forthwith.
**************************

Eboo, what do you think of the right of muslims to convert to another religion? Have you written to the Egyptian Supreme Court Judges telling them that they do not know their Islam at all?

Arif writes:

"Consider the racial, linguistic, class, caste, nationalistic, religious and sectarian identities that have given rise to ethnocentrism. "
In today’s modern world the only ethnocentric religion is Islam, inshallah within a few years the whole world will know how devious and evil this religion really is. Muslims will be laughed at and scorned despite the politically correct police."

This person with zero credibility forgets (many commentators have pointed out the examples before) the 400 year old sectarian war in Northern Ireland, the genocide of Muslims in Srebrtenica, the bombings of abortion clinics by the Army of God fanatics in America, the recent tribal warfare of Christians in Kenya, the caste-ridden conflicts in India, the burning of Christian churches by the Hindus on the Christmas day in Orissa (India).

These rally bankrupt individuals have no shame and, of cours, zero credibility.

Zeenat says if Eboo wants Inter-faith Dialog .. well let us have one.

What does Allah of the Quran tell muslims like Zeenat, Mischka, Eboo, and Mullah Victoria about trying to be friends with the non-muslims?

003.028
YUSUFALI: Let not the believers Take for friends or helpers Unbelievers rather than believers: if any do that, in nothing will there be help from Allah: except by way of precaution, that ye may Guard yourselves from them. But Allah cautions you (To remember) Himself; for the final goal is to Allah.

3:118
SHAKIR: O you who believe! do not take for intimate friends from among others than your own people; they do not fall short of inflicting loss upon you; they love what distresses you; vehement hatred has already appeared from out of their mouths, and what their breasts conceal is greater still; indeed, We have made the communications clear to you, if you will understand.

004.089
YUSUFALI: They but wish that ye should reject Faith, as they do, and thus be on the same footing (as they): But take not friends from their ranks until they flee in the way of Allah (From what is forbidden). But if they turn renegades, seize them and slay them wherever ye find them; and (in any case) take no friends or helpers from their ranks;-

004.139
YUSUFALI: Yea, to those who take for friends unbelievers rather than believers: is it honour they seek among them? Nay,- all honour is with Allah.

004.140
YUSUFALI: Already has He sent you Word in the Book, that when ye hear the signs of Allah held in defiance and ridicule, ye are not to sit with them unless they turn to a different theme: if ye did, ye would be like them. For Allah will collect the hypocrites and those who defy faith - all in Hell:-

004.144
YUSUFALI: O ye who believe! Take not for friends unbelievers rather than believers: Do ye wish to offer Allah an open proof against yourselves?

005.051
YUSUFALI: O ye who believe! take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends and protectors: They are but friends and protectors to each other. And he amongst you that turns to them (for friendship) is of them. Verily Allah guideth not a people unjust.

Clearly Allah is telling them not to befriend the kafir for that will be offering open proof against themselves (Quran 4:144).

Is there anyplace that Allah tells the muslims to be "friendly" and have respect for the non-muslims? Muhammad banished all non-muslims from Arabia. Muhammad said that Allah had commanded to kill non-muslims till Islam was supreme over all the lands. Muslims to this day will not allow non-muslims into cities of millions of inhabitants ot Mecca and Medinah because non-muslims are filthy.

Allah tells the Muslims who the Believers are:

009.071
YUSUFALI: The Believers, men and women, are protectors one of another: they enjoin what is just, and forbid what is evil: they observe regular prayers, practise regular charity, and obey Allah and His Messenger. On them will Allah pour His mercy: for Allah is Exalted in power, Wise.

It is the Believers that tell (enjoin) the non-muslims What is just, what is evil forbidden to them, and what it is to be practiced.

Please, show the kafirs that your Allah has any interest at all in the muslims even tryng to befriend the Muslims other than trying to "revert" them (doing du'a) .... Just one single verse from the Quran from the thousands of verses will do. We can then take a look at that verse and see the parameters that Allah lays down for inter-faith dialog. How about it?

Mischka tried the verse 4:94 ( because Juan Cole lied about it in his writing ) and it turned out that it was simply Allah telling the muslims to be careful that when they kill the non-muslims that they do not accidently kill a muslim who is hiding amongst the non-muslims.

Let us have an honest inter-faith dialog, please.

Zeenat writes: "I never believed A. Kafir, Ibrahim Mahfouz, Arif and CCNL and did check out some references. It was interesting to read A. Kafir's claim that 57 Muslim countries impose jiziya tax on non-Muslims.When it was documented that no Muslim country imposes jiziya, they kept on shifting their argument and called even import duty (which many non-Muslim countries have) jiziya."

Care to show who documented that NO muslim country imposes jiziya? I showed that Iran, Pakitan and Saudis do impose jiziya. Zeenat why the need to obfuscate? Why don't you answer the questions that Mischka could not answer?

Interfaith Dialog?
1.Tell the Kafirs what kind of inter-faith Dialog did Muhammad have and tell the Muslims to conduct with the non-muslims?
2.Why were all the non-muslims were banished from Arabia?
3. Why are no muslims allowed in entire cities of Mecca and Medinah, cities that house millions?
4. Why are the laws of muslim countries still patterned after the Pact of Omar?

Please let us have an honest interfaith dialog, shall we?

"I agree with you that A. Kafir, Ibrahim Mahfouz, CCNL,and Arif have an agenda and are not reliable commentators here."

I wonder what that agenda is. It's pleasing to know that we can express our opinions about Islam freely. It must be very annoying and for muslims to see opposing ideas. The challenge that still needs to be met is to answer the critics. Kafir often says; these questions will not going away. Humans invented crucifixion and torture, why does Mohammed’s Allah promote it?

"Consider the racial, linguistic, class, caste, nationalistic, religious and sectarian identities that have given rise to ethnocentrism. "
In today’s modern world the only ethnocentric religion is Islam, inshallah within a few years the whole world will know how devious and evil this religion really is. Muslims will be laughed at and scorned despite the politically correct police.

"They have zero credibility."

Alhumdullah! More and more people are beginning to know Islam and how shallow Mohammed’s character really was. Thanks to people like us! Mahshallah!

Why is it that in the western world only Islam is seeking "dialog" with other faiths? There are sizeable Hindu, Bhudist, Jweish, Kafir populations in the West, why does Islam need to be understood?

No wonder Muslims don't like the Bible/Christians/Jews; Here is what it says about Muslims...
He shall be a wild ass of a man, with his hand against everyone, and everyone’s hand against him; and he shall live at odds with all his kin...

Happy Friday (Jummah)!!!

WHAT NEXT?

Baghdad Market Blasts Kill 53; Bombs Carried by Women with Down's Syndrome:

-- At least 53 people were killed in Baghdad, the worst bloodshed in the Iraqi capital in six months, when devices carried by women exploded at two markets.

Both women had Down's syndrome and the bombs that were strapped to them were detonated by remote control, the Associated Press said, citing the Iraqi military. The U.S. blamed al-Qaeda for the attack. U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker said the use of the disabled women shows al-Qaeda has ``found a different, deadly way'' to try to jeopardize Iraq's security, AP reported.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aSp2bNLW8T5w&refer=home

The "comments" software seems to be out of order.

Zeenat:
You tell Mischka that Ibrahim Mahfouz along with few others have an agenda and have no credibility. I speak only for myself . I cite a reference for many of the things I claim, and those others cite many more references than me and I never found any adulteration in any of their quotes that I had checked out. If you have some discrepancies in my or their quotes then post them.

It is very ironic that someone of your mindset and your cult would talk about credibility and integrity. You and your like would not recognize integrity even if it stares you in the face. I shall describe below examples about the lack of integrity from the file of your Prophet(PBUH).

1.The Prophet had grudgingly allowed his male followers to marry up to four if they satisfy the condition of “treating their wives equally”, yet he married eleven (11) women, one, Aisha, was only six years old at the time of her betrothal. According to the Quran (33:50) marriage to more than four women is a privilege that Allah accorded only to the “Messenger of Allah”, meaning himself, and to no one else. When his son in law, Ali, expressed a wish to add just another one co-wife to Fatima, the Prophet’s daughter, the Prophet threatened Ali with bodily harm.

2. He tried to situate himself within the roaster of Jewish prophets by adopting many of Judaism’s dogmas, practices and rituals, such as strict monotheism, abstention from eating pork and praying while facing toward Jerusalem. When he realized, after one and a half years, that the Jews of Arabia would not fall for his claim to “prophethood” he changed the orientation of prostration from Jerusalem, which was then called Aelia Capitolina, to Mecca (Bukhari, vol. 6, book 65, no 4492).

3. He criticized poets and poetry. He did this with a poem and further had a private poet by the name of Hassan ibn Thabet, a sort of a poet laureate, whose job was to praise him and his deeds in peace and war. The Quran is written in a lyrical form similar to Shakespeare plays. Muslims at the behest of the Prophet believe that no human can come up with a language as eloquent as that of the Quran and so considers that book as miraculous partly for its language but also for “containing all the knowledge of the world”. A well-known Daiyia (Muslim missionary) had recently claimed on Abu Dhabi Satellite channel that the Quran has a description of Einstein’s Relativity theory.

4. The Prophet claimed that he was illiterate (Quran 7:157) yet Muslims claim he had exhorted the believers to “seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave”. If so why didn’t he learn to read and write? Is it not that what is good for the goose is also good for the gander? Or how did he memorize word for word those very long chapters that he claimed Gabriel had dictated him in one sitting? Or how could he have managed administering his first wife’s far-flung business in and outside Arabia without a rudimentary knowledge of records keeping? Is it not more likely that his claim was intended simply to head off the suspicion that he was the one who authored the Quran?

5.He had built his whole movement on the concept of one God, Allah, who was not born nor had children (Quran 119:1-4), then turned around and stated that sometimes “the three daughters of Allah; Allat, Uzza and Manat, could intercede to believers with Allah” (Hadith relayed by ibn Ishaq 165-166).

6. He preached sustenance (Quran 104:1-9) yet he accumulated a vast personal wealth that included vast stretches of date groves the Muslims had expropriated mostly from the Jews of Khaibar and Yathrib.

7.He prohibited his followers from destroying enemy trees then violated his own decree by torching the palm trees of the Banu Nadir Jewish tribe. After some members of that tribe pointed to him the incongruence between his decree and his actions he later claimed he had received a revelation in which Allah endorsed the action (Quran 59:5).

8. He praised Christians and Jews a few times (Quran 2:26, 5:69, 5:82, 22:17 and 29:46), then turned around and condemned them a number of times (Quran 3:110 5:14, 5:31, 5:51, 5:64, and 9:30-35).

9. He broke his covenant with his adversaries on many occasions. He, for example, broke a truce with the Quraish tribe that was to last for ten years the instant he felt strong enough to defeat them and capture Mecca (Hadith relayed by ibn Ishaq).

10. He agreed to have one of his young followers, Mohammed ibn Maslama, lie to the poet Ka’ab ibn Ashraf in order that the young man get close enough to murder the poet. That is because the poet wrote few unflattering verses about some Muslim women that upset the Prophet (Hadith relayed by Tabari). This is not the only time the Prophet chooses expediency over absolute morality.

11.The Prophet publicly and with much fanfare adopted a Syrian slave boy, named Zayd. Later he forced Zayd to divorce his beautiful young wife, Zainab bint Jahsh, so that he could marry his daughter-in law, since Allah, according to him, sanctioned the union (Quran 33:37). Zainab, to her credit, balked at being a part of this scandal and relented only after hearing the “divine revelation”. To reconcile this horrendous act with previous admonitions that he loudly voiced against the marriage of men to their fathers’ or sons’ wives, he denied his relation to Zayd. He accomplished that, in his opinion, by changing his reference to the young man from “Zayd the son of Mohammed” to “Zayd the son of Haritha”. He later backed that up with a revelation (Quran 33: 5) which in effect ruled that adopted sons are, for all purposes, not considered as sons. This is why the institution of adoption never gained a foothold in Islamic countries.

12.He promised his favorite wife, Aisha, to abstain from sleeping with his Egyptian concubine, Maria. Shortly afterwards, Hafsa, another one of his eleven wives, caught him in bed with Maria during the night allotted to Hafsa. Incensed by what she considered was an insult added to injury she informed Aisha, despite his fervent pleadings. This resulted, as would be expected, in an ugly confrontation. The next morning Mohammed showed the betrayed and sulking Aisha* and Hafsa* a letter from Allah “exonerating the Prophet”, sanctioning him to sleep with “whoever he desires” and threatening his insubordinate wives to be replaced by “young black-eyed virgin nymphs” from Paradise. Allah dictated this message, he claimed, to Archangel Gabriel who delivered it to the Messenger of Allah overnight (Quran 66:1-5). Who is Aisha or Hafsa to argue against Allah’s will? In short he came out of this predicament “smelling like roses”. No doubt this story had since turned many a man green with envy.

Mischka:

I agree with you that A. Kafir, Ibrahim Mahfouz, CCNL,and Arif have an agenda and are not reliable commentators here. How can any one oppose interfaith understanding and dialog? On the question of identity, this was an interesting reading on a blog:

From paleolithic (OLd Stone Age) times human populations have grown, migrated to differing environments and in the process have given birth to more than 3,000 different languages, cultures, and innumerable religions--resulting in the creation of competing identities.

Consider the racial, linguistic, class, caste, nationalistic, religious and sectarian identities that have given rise to ethnocentrism. This has perpetuated deep rooted prejudices resulting in deplorable atrocities.

In India, the upper castes (Brahmins, Rajputs and Kshatriyas) that nag 240 million Dalits as untouchables and consider them to be polluted even if they come across their shadow.

Two years ago thousands of Dalits (the untouchables) suffered protests and disrespect from Brahmins and other upper castes when the government implemented the quotas in government jobs and university admissions aimed at improving Dalit representation in the Indian social profile.

I never believed A. Kafir, Ibrahim Mahfouz, Arif and CCNL and did check out some references. It was interesting to read A. Kafir's claim that 57 Muslim countries impose jiziya tax on non-Muslims.When it was documented that no Muslim country imposes jiziya, they kept on shifting their argument and called even import duty (which many non-Muslim countries have) jiziya.

They have zero credibility.

Sure, we already know countries like India and USA are diverse but Eboo use your position to spread tolerance and diversity in countries that follow your religion.

Tell 50 plus Islamic nations to be more diverse and tolerant including the land of your prophet-Saudi Arabia. You mentioned your in-laws visit there with pride but said nothing about Arabia's inolerant and violent culture.

For the Love of Allah,

EBOO, if you are interested in facilitating interfaith communication and if you want to honour a righteous man who freely gave you his time--

PLEASE ANSWER A KAFIR'S QUESTIONS.

Eboo,

Thank you for your thoughtful remebrance of Ken Smith. He was a good friend and colleague and especially concerned about interfaith dialogue. We will be poorer without him, but he set a wonderful example of a man who reached out, connected folk and had a great ability to listen.

Mischka:
At the following link

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/eboo_patel/2008/01/murder_on_the_subcontinent/all_comments.html

you wrote (January 28, 2008 5:45 pm) :
"
NOTE TO ALL READERS - PLEASE MAKE SURE TO LOOK UP ALL REFERENCES KAFIR MAKES ON THESE BLOGS.
HE LIES ABOUT EVERYTHING HE POSTS AND NOT A SINGLE THING HE SAYS HAS AN IOTA OF TRUTH IN IT.
***DO NOT TAKE HIS WORD AS PROOF - PLEASE LOOK IT UP AND MAKE SURE TO UNDERSTAND THE TRANSLATION AS WELL***
Kafir's problem - he is a bigot who needs a reality check.
"
And then a bit later you wrote:

"This fight is not even a fair one because Im holding the Qur'an and you dont even have the truth to back you up. You feel so threatened by Islam that you resort to lying to help yourself??? What a disgusting pig!

You doctor verses and pretend to be honest - I used to feel sorry for you but now I feel that if someone can be SO purely evil - then they deserve to stay that way. Why should a person like Kafir be helped? He is not sick - he is EVIL.
"

I have posted the links to all the references and you can look them up as well as anyone else. I have answered you, and it would be nice if you tried to answer the questions there instead of yeling and calling me a bigot. Maybe you can even
get Eboo to help you answer the questions I have asked. Please.

Hey Eboo,

What a great piece. It seems in a way Ken Smith was one of those people that made everything work, tied it all together, and that you had to pay attention to even notice the pattern. There aren't a lot of people that humble, and their stories are always really interesting to hear. This seems the germ of many stories to come.

Brother Patel -

That was very well written.

The people who quietly give to those around them never get the recognition they deserve.

i've always been a little amazed at the little bits of people that i admired or learned from in life.... we all have the oprotunity each day to either give a little something or to take a little somthing......i think this actual doing of somthing and interacting the process of knowing what it feels like to be the one helped and the helper and that in the blink of an eye the roles can and often do change in the real world....its like an investment into the soul and well being of another so that in our time of need there will always be someone there... if people did not share we wood soon diminish as humans... but there are those who actually enjoy the process emensly and we a are all enriched by them.. eye think butt ey am just an artist naught a theologion

i personally think the most powerful, useful and sincere remeberance of someone... is to borrow that thing that you yourself admire so much and make sure to lovingly cultivate it and nurture it ... so it is often displayed within the day to day walk and example which is part of seed we sew to make things better or worse.. our choice... that we all either take or share... with all we encounter....somthing tells he would approve... but i'm just an artist not a theologian eye myselfhave the peice of many many very decent people in me