A Muslim responds to ?five questions?: Assumptions about Muslims are off the mark

Hussam Ayloush - a director for a group called 'Council on American-Islamic Relations' (CAIR) gives his answers

The Charleston Gazette

November 20, 2005

All Koran writings - are in Green Font

In a recent commentary, radio talk show host Dennis Prager posed five questions ?that law-abiding Muslims need to answer for Islam?s sake, as well as for the SaveCsake of worried non-Muslims.?

Faulty premise aside, here are answers to Prager?s questions:

Q: Why are you so quiet [about terrorism carried out in the name of Islam]?

CAIR speaks....

A: One might argue that Muslims could do more to get their anti-terror message out. But to say Muslims have been quiet about their unequivocal condemnation of terrorism is a gross misrepresentation of the facts and reeks of Islamophobia.

It was, after all, a coalition of American Muslim groups that issued what was perhaps the first condemnation of the 9/11 attacks. The Council on American-Islamic Relations also published a full-page advertisement condemning the attacks.

Muslims have consistently condemned suicide bombings in the Middle East, attacks on the London transportation system, the bombing of hotels in Jordan, and many similar outrages.

Muslim scholars recently issued a fatwa, or Islamic religious ruling, condemning terrorism and religious extremism. (See: www.cair.com) Muslim groups in Texas and Arizona held anti-terror rallies. In Jordan, huge demonstrations were held against the recent terror attacks. {Doesn't count - when it's muslims killing muslims] Muslims in Lebanon demonstrated against the terrorist assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Harriri.

From the mouth of 'allah'...

004.092 Never should a believer kill a believer {This is why it doesn't count when demonstrations are carried out by muslims against other muslims

Outrage can be expressed in many ways. Public demonstrations are merely one of many different methods available to oppose terrorism.

SEE} Muslim Nations - No Show for Meeting on Terrorism

Q: Why are none of the Palestinian terrorists Christian?

CAIR speaks....

A: Robert Pape in his book, ?Dying to Win ? The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism,? shows that between 1982 and 1986, 71 percent of the Lebanese suicide attackers were Christians and 21 percent Communists/Socialists. Pape states, ?Of the 384 attackers for whom we have data, 166 or 43 percent were religious, while 218 or 57 percent were secular. Suicide terrorism is not overwhelmingly a religious phenomenon.? It is a response to occupation.

Inquiring minds might also consider the suicide bombings carried out by non-Muslim groups such as the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka, the religious orientation of the abortion clinic bomber or the depredations of Serbian forces during the Bosnian conflict.

SEE} Albanian Muslims Chasing Serbs out their villages

Where are the New testament Scriptures to prove those who carry out violence are actual Christians? Just because some one says they're a Christian - doesn't make them one:

1Th 5:15 See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.

Mar 12:30 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

Mar 12:31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

There goes CAIR's accusation against Christianity - which was used for no other purpose - but to dodge the question concerning Islamic violence

Question 2 - STILL remains unanswered

Q: Why is only one of the 47 Muslim-majority countries a free country?

CAIR speaks....

A: Muslim majority countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, and Turkey among many others having held free elections and being governed by popularly elected governments will dispute the charge that they are not ?free.?

Moreover, only in the past 50 years, have more than half of the Muslim-majority nations been freed from their European colonizers. Despite winning this freedom, most continued to be client states of their former colonizers who, through the imposition of dictatorial regimes, maintained control, some even to this day.

Opposition to such lack of freedom is generally Islamically oriented. Lack of freedom in Muslim nations is in spite of Islam, not because of it.

002.216 Fighting is prescribed for you, and ye dislike it. But it is possible that ye dislike a thing [war] which is good for you and that ye love a thing [peace] which is bad for you?

009.039 Unless ye go forth, He will punish you with a grievous penalty, and put others in your place.  through the earth  004.101

005.051 O ye who believe! take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends

005.033 THE PUNISHMENT of those who '''wage war''' against Allah and His Messenger IS: execution, or crucifixion, or the cutting off of hands and feet.

009.029 Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, even if they are of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.

"in spite of Islam, not because of it" ????  Every tree is known by his own fruit Luk 6:44

Question 3 - STILL remains unanswered

Q: Why are so many atrocities committed and threatened by Muslims in the name of Islam?

CAIR speaks....

A: All major faiths have people who commit, or have committed atrocities in the name of their religion. But no faith should be held responsible for the crimes of a few individuals. It seems Prager believes that any act by Muslims should be blamed on Islam. Just as we do not blame the Crusades or the Israeli atrocities on the faiths of Christianity and Judaism, {go back up to his answer in Question 2] we ask others to offer the same respect for our faith.

Again quoting Pape, ?The world?s leading practitioners of suicide terrorism are the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka ? a secular, Marxist-Leninist group drawn from Hindu families.?

"All major faiths have people who commit, or have committed atrocities in the name of their religion"

Islam has the writings to back up atrocities in the name of Islam. Muslim 'terrorists' ARE carrying out the commands of their own god.

Christianity's Prophet, Jesus - does No such thing  {try and prove otherwise - using the New Testament.

And if The Prophet of Christianity can not be made to 'speak' for condoning violence between humans - then Hussam Ayloush, without any doubt - has been caught in a huge lie.

The new Testament is available online - for ALL to see - and for ALL to prove

Question 4 - STILL remains unanswered

Q: Why do countries governed by religious Muslims persecute other religions?

CAIR speaks....

A: While there are areas of the Muslim world in which religious freedom is not granted to all citizens, it is unfair to claim that this phenomenon is a problem unique to Islam. Blaming persecution of minorities on Islam is akin to blaming slavery and segregation on Christianity. {Dodging the Question - Again - by resorting to another Religion's reputation] Choosing the Taliban as an example of religious intolerance in Islam is disingenuous, because the Taliban?s religious perspective has been rejected by mainstream Muslim scholars and Muslims worldwide. How about Saudi Arabia?

Every religious group has a responsibility to challenge hate by their fringe groups. It is unproductive to single out Muslims while remaining silent about the extremists of other faiths who vilify the faith of Islam without similar repudiation from Prager and others.

Then put the New Testament and the Koran upon the Table - once and for all - and let the books speak for themselves.  {{{ Is CAIR able to do this?... being self-appointed representatives of a 'Council'  - in explaining what 'relations' should be between Islam and America?

Let them begin with these two:

009.030 The Jews call 'Uzair a son of Allah, and the Christians call Christ the son of Allah. That is a saying from their mouth; in this they but imitate what '''the unbelievers'''  of old used to say. Allah's curse be on them: how they are deluded away from the Truth!

005.051 O ye who believe! take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends and protectors {authorities]: 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.

Dealing with the impact of war, poverty, racism, and injustice is our collective duty. To achieve solutions to these real problems we need voices that accentuate our common humanity, not use opportunistic smears of an entire faith to further their parochial agenda.

Hypocrisy is anything whatever may deceive the cleverest and most penetrating man, but the least wide-awake of children recognizes it, and is revolted by it, however ingeniously it may be disguised.

CAIR speaks:

I would offer a challenge to Mr. Prager: Are you willing to enter into a real dialogue, not an exercise in one-upmanship, with mainstream Muslims? If so, the Council on American-Islamic Relations stands ready to facilitate that dialogue, just as I did when I appeared recently on your program.

We await your response.

What is more likely to breed Poverty? Peace? or War?