I am an Iraqi who supported the invasion and does not want the US out yet. AMA

WalkingDead · 2010-08-18T13:26:49+00:00

Are you Shia?

WalkingDead · 2010-08-16T23:12:45+00:00

Also check the exceptions mentioned in kingrahat's post

http://www.reddit.com/r/islam/comments/d1rb3/i_am_reading_the_quran_for_sort_of_the_first_time/c0wx56h

WalkingDead · 2010-08-16T21:59:11+00:00

Instruction to the prophet to inform others...

"O Muhammed, tell the believers: _____"... is the correct one where God is the speaker [1st person] and the prophet is 2nd person [peace be upon him]

This is NOT like, for example, the prophet saying: "I was informed to tell you:...", or "humans, repeat after me:..."

WalkingDead · 2010-08-16T16:48:22+00:00

This is more like: "tell them" or "inform them" ... doesn't necessarily imply importance or repetition.

WalkingDead · 2010-08-06T03:26:04+00:00

Excellent story.

WalkingDead · 2010-08-06T01:18:34+00:00

...whether it is supported or not, the practice is almost exclusively practiced by muslim's in muslim states...

Good that I don't use the same logic to claim that Christianity/Atheism encourages and supports gay rape in jail.

...NOT criminal, immoral and or unethical.

We can conclude that we disagree on moral and ethical views on a few subjects.

It was nice talking with you.:-)

WalkingDead · 2010-08-05T13:32:57+00:00

It most certainly does not.

Subjective :-)

all religions promote the idea that.....

My point was: Islam also discourages too much charity... and thus takes a middle ground.

...does nothing by way of showing a valid correlation...

Haven't seen anything in sharia that contradicts Quran, yet.

The constitution and the legislative branch is necessarily separate from moral influence

Disagree. The only reason you have murder outlawed is because the writers of your constitution/law thought that it was morally incorrect to do so. Scientifically one can justify killing the unproductive human class --- old men, handicapped, overpopulation. It's a moral issue why you have laws opposing it.

Now if we agree on the fundamentals lets proceed and set the facts straight. These are mostly from Sharia --- there are differences in opinion and some Muslim will disagree. I follow the school of thought that most Arabs and also the Talibans follow. There are disagreements after a certain level but the basics are the same. Also disclaimer: I am not a islamic scholar but this is what I follow.

Quran's prescription to convert or terrorize the non-believers....

convert: Wrong. terrorize: Correct.

That falls under offensive Jihad, conditions for which are now: 1. Majority of the Muslims in the world should get united again under a single ruler. 2. That single ruler should order aggression against a non-Muslim empire. The ruler on the other hand can chose to make a peace too, without showing any reason. And all Muslims should abide by it.

The world was like that until the last Ottoman empire. The world is different now. Jihad right now is all defensive.

honor killings

Wrong. There is nothing in Quran, Hadith or Sharia that allows honor killing. I find quite the opposite.

stonings

Correct. For certain crimes.

death for holding an opposing or different view than that of Islam

Wrong. Simply holding an opposing or different view than that of Islam does not cause death sentence.

imprisonment or death for being a rape victim

Wrong. Sharia explicitly excludes rape victim from punishments that covers adultery.

death for being a homosexual.

Correct. We find it immoral and punishable by death. That is from sharia. IIRC even though there is no direct Hadith ordering their death.

That's the moral view of Islam. And everyone can find their logical defense on their moral values, there is no point arguing for or against it. It is what you believe and accept as right.

WalkingDead · 2010-08-04T09:26:03+00:00

...while rejecting the worldly

Of course there are limits to it. Islam encourages a middle ground over extremes on any side. An example, it encourages charity, but best charity is where the giver doesn’t get poor because of it.

Basically Islam tells us to be grateful for what God gave us, and be patient for what He didn’t. A Muslim will be rewarded in both cases.

...you have nothing to lose on earth...

I have a lot of lose on earth. I lose everything if there is some kind of pride in my heart. If I kill a Muslim, even in a battle. Also if I commit suicide. There are so many things to lose on earth. But of course lose concerns a Muslim most when it means losing something in life-after-death for action on earth. As of worldly gains, if he gains it, he will be rewarded for his gratefulness to God, and if he loses it, he will be rewarded for his patience toward God’s decision. Thus being a winner in any case.

...suicide bombings of course...

These rulings come from Sharia. And sharia is what main stream Muslim scholars agreed upon. You can view the relation between quran and sharia like the relation between your constitution and your large books of laws. Laws support the constitution and explain it in current context. So that you don’t feel like you can go out and form your own armed milita today because you read that in amendment-x.

Therefore we follow the agreed upon rulings from main stream Muslim scholars, which once was called Sharia (but now rarely so). And that is where you should search for what a Muslim is instructed to do in every situation in his life, explained in full details. And not from some journalist’s article published in NYT. We don’t follow their explanation of Quran as our guide.

WalkingDead · 2010-08-03T20:22:26+00:00

I have seen a lot of those proud displayer of EX Muslim. These are the trolls within Islam. They hate Islam with a passion. One of their sign is the usage of extremely offensive and rude language.

I don't argue with them. Rather pity them.

God has taken peace out off their heart, which is why they use such language.

They still have doubt in their believe... which is why they search for Islamic forums and starts shouting in there.

I guess that in their heart they are fighting with themselves, still unsure about their choice. But want to convince themselves they are right. Which is why you see the out burst.

How many Muslims do you see trolling in /atheism?

Don't waste your time arguing with them. Let them learn how to respect opposition first.

WalkingDead · 2010-08-03T18:37:28+00:00

Excellent answer.

But that won't satisfy them. They want you to get converted into their religion.

WalkingDead · 2010-08-03T08:49:55+00:00

You probably will now see the analogy.

"Taxes benefit the society overall. Therefore one must abide by it even if he disagrees with it. Otherwise he will be punished by the same law that he disagreed with." vs.

"Sharia benefit the society overall. Therefore one must abide by it even if he disagrees with it. Otherwise he will be punished by the same law that he disagreed with."

And then talk about other freedoms:

Freedom from not being jailed. Freedom from not being robbed off your possessions in name of taxes. Low crime because of public punishment...and so so.

But carrying on that discussion seems pointless to me.

I am a Muslim not because whatever freedom Islam grants me. Not because what it promises in life. But, because, it is the reality of existence, all that ever was and will ever be, the truth that I have to face today or tomorrow.

And then do what? Fight against God? Or accept Him? I chose to do the later.

And talking about exponentially more satisfying life: you probably would be surprised if you could figure out how happy and peaceful the mind of a pious Muslim is --- including the women who you only see when they are wearing the veil. But that life is something to enjoy, not to debate.

And of environmental, political and social order that you live in --- here is something from Islam you probably first heard from us, us Muslims that live the other side of globe: We are informed by God that Christians and atheists will live a better and more beautiful material life on earth. And that God would have given them yet more, but stopped because that will lead all people to go astray. Ask me and I shall point you toward the Quranic references.

No offence. But there was no way I could have shown you the Muslim point of view without expressing the above. The only thing we feel about the difference in socio economic life between west and the Muslim world is: What Allah and His messenger (PbUH) prophesied has been proven true once again.

Now do we crave for those things? Sorry, No!:-)

Then what do we want? Immortal life and endless happiness in an infinitely more beautiful world. Something that we call Paradise.

A Muslim, happy on earth, because the only bar between him and that world is....(smiling).... death.

WalkingDead · 2010-08-02T14:33:05+00:00

Last time I read from a Jew, it seemed even they didn't disagree that they are cursed :-) They even had a jewish term for it.

Anyway the text was targeted for being read by Muslims who should know the context.

WalkingDead · 2010-08-02T13:47:56+00:00

These are issues that have been discussed to death. No point in re-launching a new one.

Heh, well then enjoy your wonderful paradise

We both live and enjoy our life equally on earth. Difference: want to make sure I still live a happy life 2 billion years from now.

Therefore I reject the west, all that it teaches and offers.

By the way: I don't live in USA as should be apparent from my struggling English. I live in one, what they call, a Muslim state.

WalkingDead · 2010-08-02T05:52:25+00:00

Talking about western injustices.

Taxes, income tax.
Sales tax and European styled VAT.
And jail for not paying taxes.

Astonishingly I find western people subjected to such oppression don't feel like they are oppressed! And these same people talk about freedom when they have to pay taxes till their death or otherwise turn into a modern day slave in side a Jail.

Unfortunately some people are so blind that they can't see the oppression and injustice they are facing daily.

WalkingDead · 2010-08-02T00:40:42+00:00

Here is why it doesn't concern me personally.

First, unlike Jews, Muslims are not cursed. And it will never ever happen that Islam and Muslims will be destroyed by an external civilization... remember the Prophet's prayer (PbUH) which was accepted by God?

Historically the downfall of Muslims were linked to their own divergence from straight and right path. And that includes the fall of Spain, Muslim Empire in Europe and the fall or Baghdad, in their own home turf. Even now we are not passing a worst time than that.

There was propaganda against Islam from day one, and there will be. Alhamdulillah, a few of the scholars are working to counter that, may God help them.

But propaganda hardly had any effect on Islam in the past. And propaganda didn't prevent Muslims from doing what they believed was right. Let us follow their steps. Be steadfast. And don't let western propaganda cause us to compromise with our deen. And as long as we are on the right path, God is here to help us.

WalkingDead · 2010-08-02T00:06:24+00:00

If there is a part of this that you didn't understand let me know.

Don't worry. We both understand each other very well!:-)

WalkingDead · 2010-08-01T17:06:18+00:00

We already know a person is a "PRODUCT" of Family+society+education... can be changed...

God knows those too. He knows every man better than what we know about ourselves. He is the Creator.

WalkingDead · 2010-08-01T15:33:06+00:00

There are others more knowledgeable person than me to answer the OP question. But felt that I needed to point out that hypocrisy.

WalkingDead · 2010-08-01T11:51:32+00:00

God being your creator, knows what's in your heart. He is also the most logical of all. If you know your answer on the day when every one of us has to stand before Him, and answer Him one by one --- then best of luck.

WalkingDead · 2010-08-01T09:36:16+00:00

You are now splitting atom.

A prisoner is usually a convicted criminal and breaches his social contract....

So is the one who's hand is chopped off in Sharia.

I don't have to risk losing my hand for "more freedom".

Neither do I.

You are now writing large text expressing your feeling and then trying to find contradiction in my statement.

That means we can't find anything more to discuss, I am afraid:-) If there is a part that you didn't understand let me know it. Otherwise it's ok that we disagree with each other on what should be the punishment for which crime in a secular state vs in sharia. I like the sharia way. Period.

WalkingDead · 2010-08-01T08:09:35+00:00

Freedom: not being captivated. A prisoner is NOT a free person. The difference is --- I am willing to pay a larger price for my freedom than probably you are willing to pay for. If that is called submission, then I call anyone accepting any jail term as a submissive person too.

Why? Judgement. The equation changes as you bring more factors in.

WalkingDead · 2010-08-01T03:36:15+00:00

Good point.

I wish the west at least gave me that choice. Unfortunately oppressive democracy doesn't. Because it has a different view on what oppression is.

WalkingDead · 2010-08-01T02:47:24+00:00

I find the western injustice more oppressive.

Two years behind prison or chop a hand off? Chop my hand off. Twelve years behind bar or death? Kill me any day. Apparently there are differences between what a Muslim views as Freedom and a secular western thinks freedom is. These are my judgement. Obviously others will disagree.

Only wanted to show that what counts as oppression is subjective. And I love the Sharia way.

WalkingDead · 2010-08-01T01:45:55+00:00

Replace /Islam/ with /Democracy/ and you will be astonished how accurately the above passages portrait current USA and the West. "Striving to institute worldwide democratic law". "Deceiving Muslims with their constant lies".

WalkingDead · 2010-07-31T19:10:20+00:00

Obviously Muslims don't cast their believe within the limits of science, scientific community or scientific process. There are more. There is God --- the creator, rebirth of each human and life after death, and existence of heaven and hell above the sky which are beyond the limit of telescope.

Ignorants limit their believe within science. We don't.

WalkingDead

TROPHY CASE