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In Defense of the West

When I first began this site, it was with the intention of arguing politics, evolution, and Christian apologetics, topics I found myself add...

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Slaves for Allah

Hugh Fitzgerald on the effects of Islam in Africa, from Jihad Watch:
Islam has had its effect on Africa, all right. In the north, the thriving agriculture, and flourishing civilization of migrants and Phoenician traders and Jews and christianized Berbers, the Other Shore of Mediterranean civilization, from where among others Tertullian and Augustine of Hippo came, was destroyed by the Arab Muslim invaders, with the consequences for North Africa that we can all see. It was only in the period of French rule in Algeria, from 1830 to 1962, that agriculture was revived (including that of the vineyards), that the desertification that Arab non-methods of cultivation brought everywhere they conquered was reversed, and where universities, museums, and other outward and visible signs of civilization were established and maintained. For that moment, Algeria again possessed something like civilization -- and now it has relapsed, as of course it could have been predicted that it would, into a scarcely endurable and violent place, where the only hope is to get, as those chanting crowds repeated when they came out to "greet" a visiting Jacques Chirac a year or two ago: "Visa, Visa!"

What about black Africa? If you wish to see the traditional Arab Muslim treatment of black Africans, look at the 2 million dead over the past 20 years of scarcely uninterrupted warfare and genocide in the southern Sudan. If you wish to see the traditional Arab Muslim treatment of black African Muslims, prompted by the Arab supremacist ideology that Islam carries within it, and that does not admit of non-Arabs being as "fully Muslim" as the Arabs, look at Darfur, through the lenses even of Nicholas Kristof.

If you seek other examples, look at the unceasing pressure of Muslims in northern Nigeria on the Christians of southern Nigeria. Read again the Ahiara Declaration of Col. Ojukwu, in 1969, the leader of the Biafran Nation. Advanced Christians, chiefly but not entirely Ibo, sought independence as a way of protecting themselves from the "Jihad" (Col. Ojukwu's carefully-chosen word) being waged against them.

If you seek other evidence for what Islam, what Arabs, have meant for black Africa, do take a moment to read Willis on the Arab slavers of Africa, and the Arab slave trade that began earlier, and ended later (where it ended at all) in black Africa. Do read Jan Hogedoorn's article "The Hideous Trade" about the Arab slave trade, which was far more ruthless and genocidal in its effects -- for the Arabs liked particularly to seize young boys, who were castrated on the spot, and if they survived the initial primitive surgery, were forced to endure a long trip overland through the bush to arrive either by land or by dhow in one of the Muslim slave entrepots, Cairo or Jeddah or Muscat, Damascus or Baghdad or Constantinople or Algiers, or even distant Smyrna. Hogedoorn offers a complicated economic analysis of why the castration was done on the spot, which caused so many, on their subsequent forced march, to die. He estimates that only 10% of those castrated survived the trip in coffle or caravan to be sold in the Arab and Muslim slave-markets.

And while we are at it, let us remind ourselves that slavery was never really abolished, except in theory, in many Arab states. Tens of thousands of blacks still are enslaved in the Sudan, in Mali, in Mauritania -- and their masters are exclusively Muslim and Arab. Though slavery was officially abolished in Saudi Arabia, out of a desire to placate those pesky Infidels (before OPEC gave the Saudis the power to ignore them) in 1962, it continues still. This can be deduced from certain advertisements in the Saudi press (a kind of Saudi version of the Yankee Swap; a “young girl" will be traded for a "late-model American used car." What would a Yard Sale of cast-off slave girls look like?).

There never was a Muslim William Wilberforce. Slavery is in the Qur'an, and Muslim clerics in Saudi Arabia have expressly reasserted that slavery is right and just. They argue that it cannot be ended because it is part of the practice of Muhammad and His Companions, whose sayings, acts, and attitudes give Muslim believers the Sunna -- not merely a secondary source of Islamic doctrine, but one for many at least as important as the Qur'an.

Oh, one could go on all day about what Islam has done to Africa. But don't ask me. Ask a black, non-Muslim African -- one who has some direct experience, possibly by living in an Arab country, of what Islam is all about and what it has done to black Africa. You might find someone who remembers the slave-trade conducted from Zanzibar and Pemba, now part of Tanzania, where the Arab Muslims are again displaying their wonted master-race attitudes.

The Sudan was scarcely 10% Arab in 1900. Now it is at least 50%. How do you think this happened? Did the Dinka, did the Nuer, cease to have children? How did this demographic change take place? In West Africa, aside from the Sokoto Jihad, what caused Islam to expand at the expense of Christians? What caused a frightened Nigerian female journalist to suddenly leave her country a year or two ago, when during the Miss World brouhaha (Muslim protests, which caused the event to be moved) she mentioned Muhammad's appreciation for pulchritude, and received for her admittedly silly sally death threats in return?

Why did it take the French to finally end the slave trade in North Africa? And why was it -- see J. B. Kelly, Britain and the Persian Gulf, 1795-1880 -- that only the British, using naval power (and staying carefully away from the interior of Arabia) managed to suppress the slave trade in East Africa, because not a single Muslim Arab had the slightest moral qualms about it -- nor does today? If it was good enough for Muhammad, if it is in the Qur'an, well then who is to object to slavery?

There is much more one could write....

But it is for freedom Christ has set us free.

Saturday, January 7, 2006

When freedom really isn't

A reader from Egypt has been kind enough to continue our discussion. Here are some of my thoughts on his comments.
"You may be right about Christians position(about building churches)in Egypt,and I'm sorry that I said YES that I replied with my knowledge and I knew the reality later,but they go to churches freely...."
So, Christians in Egypt suffering injustice and discrimination is okay?
"...what about television it's usually as Muslims in Egypt are more than Christians…..and do you in America(Freedom country)that is considered the best country in religion freedom have an equal position between all religions?!!!"
The point about Egyptian television programming is that taxpayer-funded television programming should be more balanced, since Christians pay their taxes also.

In the United States, you'll find more pro-Islamic and anti-Christian propaganda than you will find pro-Christian programming on the taxpayer-funded network PBS:
  • A program showing Muslims in the United States advocating terrorism against it is suppressed;
  • A show on Islam claiming that even when Turks kidnapped, enslaved, and forced the conversions of Christian boys it was good for the Christians;
  • Whenever a broadcast discusses Christ or Christians it is almost always critical (if not hostile).
Everyone in the United States is free to finance their own privately-funded broadcast.
The first is( I've read):Your Media do all its best to show Islam with the terrorist picture,and if the accident was right; Media will show that Muslims were behind it and Muslims aren't men they are monsters walking on four,Muslims have no hearts,they are mad,all their aim in life is to kill and drink blood…..and all things you are saying in the west…
Are you able to produce any evidence of the American mainstream media producing such material? If anything, the MSM bends over backwards to avoid the public making the connection between Islam and terrorism carried out by Muslims.
The second is:(under Shariah):huh…I hope that we were in Egypt under Shariah,correct your information; law in Egypt is taken from France….and another fact that I think that you won't believe..government fight against Al-Ikhwan Al-Muslimon(a big group that understand Islam in the right way)so don't convince me that police will be besides Islam in forcing non-muslims to be muslims...
Perhaps you misread what I wrote. I did not state that Egypt is under Shariah. I wrote, "it appears that Egypt is not yet fully under Shariah."

Does French law discriminate against non-Christians?

I am aware that the Egyptian government is officially against some of the more devout Muslim groups. That has no bearing whatsoever on whether or not non-Muslims have the same rights as Muslims do.
...however forcing is from imagination…and when I ask myself:Why any body force another one to follow his religion?it will be useless…and what will you say when you know that QUR'AN told Muslims that:"THERE IS NO COMPULSION IN ISLAM"….
Allah's apostle said, "Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him" (Bukhari Volume 9, Book 84, Number 57).

Allah said, "...kill the unbelievers wherever you find them," and, "Fight...the People of the Book until they feel themselves subdued and pay the jizya" (Qur'an 9).

Obviously, there is no compulsion in religion.
And under Shariah in right Islamic state people from all religions will be free,safe in their life and religious rituals...
Like Saudi Arabia and Iran? Be honest!

You're leaving out what 1400 years of Dhimma make painfully clear: non-Muslims are "free" and "safe" under the rule of Islam (as long as you don't mind oppression, humiliation, and discrimination).
And what America gave us:Abo Gharib and Guantanamo. and what about Christianity:wasn't it punishing people for nothing in Middle ages?!!and the Church was very despotism?!!
If I understand you correctly, you're saying, "Well, we Muslims don't do those things you're saying, but if we did, you Christians are just as bad!" That is intellectually dishonest.

What occurred in Abu Gharib and what goes on in Gitmo (prisoners there are provided Qur'ans and halal meals!) are hardly comparable to the atrocities committed in the cause of Allah; it is immoral to try to equate the two.

Nevertheless, when you find Christians doing evil, a comparison of that behavior to the life and words of Christ will quickly show such actions to be in violation of His commands.

When you find Muslims fighting against, subduing and humiliating, and killing non-Muslims, a comparison of that behavior to the Qur'an and the life and words of Mohammed quickly shows such actions to be obedient to Allah's commands.
You said that god sent Jesus to forgive all Christians for their sins,Right?
No, I did not. God the Father sent His Son to forgive all people their sins, whether or not they are Christians.
So you can do all what you want not afraid from being punished and when any body ask you; you'll say I'm forgived,Right?!!
Not at all! When a person trusts in Christ, they will not willfully and gladly sin without fear. Instead, one who has saving faith in Jesus will strive to do the good God wants and stop doing the evil He hates.
Finally: I want to make a contract with you: you give me the verse or hadith(verse by verse)...
Obviously, since you're reading this you have access to everything I've written regarding Islam's holy texts. I've cited numerous passages from Qur'an, Hadith, and Sira. You have not yet refuted them, and you cannot, since they are from Allah.

But, since you asked, I'll give you four:

"...fight and slay the unbelievers wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war); but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practise regular charity, then open the way for them: for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful" (Qur'an 9:5).

"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" (Qur'an 9:29).

"Some Zanadiqa (atheists) were brought to 'Ali and he burnt them. The news of this event, reached Ibn 'Abbas who said, 'If I had been in his place, I would not have burnt them, as Allah's Apostle forbade it, saying, 'Do not punish anybody with Allah's punishment (fire).' I would have killed them according to the statement of Allah's Apostle, 'Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him" (Bukhari Volume 9, Book 84, Number 57).

“My mother came to me while I was being swung on a swing between two branches and got me down. My nurse took over and wiped my face with some water and started leading me. When I was at the door she stopped so I could catch my breath. I was brought in while Muhammad was sitting on a bed in our house. My mother made me sit on his lap. The other men and women got up and left. The Prophet consummated his marriage with me in my house when I was nine years old” (Tabari IX:131).
Mohamed continued:
...to show that there is no contradiction in QUR'AN...
Which explains the doctrine of Abrogation.
...if you want to know real face of Islam....
To know the real face of Islam I go to its god and its prophet.

Qur'an, Hadith, Sira (and 1400 years of putting them into practice at the expense of the Infidel) show me all I need to know.
...you don't take the time to understand my messages;so please take enough time to understand my messages to benefit and for the sake of the discussion to be useful not just every side try to say what he wants to say without understanding what the other side wants to say.
How have I misunderstood your comments? You have not yet refuted nor rejected the clear commands of Allah and his apostle to fight against, subdue and humiliate, and kill non-Muslims.

Instead, you've denied the obvious reality for Christians in Egypt, excused their oppression and suffering, and tried to equate the systematic, "divinely-inspired" implementation of jihadist doctrine with the (principled) treatment of terrorists captured trying to kill Americans.

Friday, January 6, 2006

Islam's prophet Of Doom

Having just recently found this, I've had a chance to read through only portions of the compilation Prophet of Doom (its chapters are available for download in .pdf format) and a few pages of the website itself.

[Notes: The quotations from Islam's sacred texts appear to be accurate. Some of these texts can be found here at ACM. One caveat: Some of the commentary on Christianity (especially End Times) is problematic.]

Following is the beginning of the author's introduction to his work. I would respectfully ask those who disagree with his conclusions to demonstrate from Qur'an, Hadith, and Sira that the author's citations of Islam's own"sacred" texts are in error.

Winn:
Islam's Terrorist Dogma In Muhammad's Own Words
Islam rises and falls on Muhammad. He is the religion's sole prophet, Islam’s solitary example, Allah’s lone conduit. Without Muhammad, Allah, the Qur’an, and Islam would be unknown. Yet the picture the Islamic scriptures paint of this man is not flattering...According to the Qur’an and Hadith, Muhammad was a thief, rapist, and terrorist....
Allah agrees:
Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, 'I have been sent with the shortest expressions bearing the widest meanings, and I have been made victorious with terror (cast in the hearts of the enemy), and while I was sleeping, the keys of the treasures of the world were brought to me and put in my hand...' (Bukhari Volume 4, Book 52, Number 220).
“My mother came to me while I was being swung on a swing between two branches and got me down. My nurse took over and wiped my face with some water and started leading me. When I was at the door she stopped so I could catch my breath. I was brought in while Muhammad was sitting on a bed in our house. My mother made me sit on his lap. The other men and women got up and left. The Prophet consummated his marriage with me in my house when I was nine years old” (Tabari IX:131).
Winn continues:
Muhammad, Allah, Mecca, and the formation of Islam are completely unknown to secular history. All we know of them is derived from the Qur’an and Hadith. The earliest and most important collection of Hadith is called the Sira, or Biography. Compiled by Ibn Ishaq, the Sira provides the only written account of this man, his god, place and religion within two centuries of his death. There is no other valid source from which Muhammad can be seen, or Islam can be interpreted, differently.To write Prophet of Doom, I analyzed the Sira, the Ta’rikh, or History of al-Tabari, and the topical Hadith collections of Bukhari and Muslim. Using Islam’s most holy books I was able to reorder the Qur’an chronologically and set it into the context of Muhammad’s life....The depiction of the prophet by the most revered Muslim sources reveals behavior that is immoral, criminal, and violent.
Allah concurs:
"...fight and slay the unbelievers wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war); but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practise regular charity, then open the way for them: for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful" (Qur’an 9:5).

"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" (Qur'an 9:29).
Again, Winn:
The five oldest and most trusted Islamic sources don't portray Muhammad as a great and godly man. They confirm that he was a thief, liar, assassin, mass murderer, terrorist, warmonger, and an unrestrained sexual pervert engaged in pedophilia, incest, and rape. He authorized deception, assassinations, torture, slavery, and genocide....According to the Hadith and the Qur'an, Muhammad and his henchmen plundered their way to power and prosperity. And by putting the Qur'an in chronological order and correlating it with the context of Muhammad's life, we find that Allah mirrored his prophet's character. Muhammad's god condoned immoral and criminal behavior. Allah boasts about being a terrorist. He claims to have deceived men, to have stolen their property, to have enslaved women and children, to having committed acts of murder, genocide, and sadistic tortures.
Allah corroborates:
"Remember thy Lord inspired the angels (with the message): 'I am with you: give firmness to the Believers: I will instill terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers: smite ye above their necks and smite all their finger-tips off them'" (Qur'an 8:12).

“Allah’s Apostle told Aisha [his six-year-old bride and nine-year-old sexual "partner"], ‘You were shown to me twice in my dreams. I beheld a man or angel carrying you in a silken cloth. He said to me, “She is yours, so uncover her.” And behold, it was you. I would then say to myself, “If this is from Allah, then it must happen”’” (Bukhari Volume 9, Book 87, Number 139-40).

“Muhammad said, ‘A single endeavor of fighting in Allah’s Cause is better than the world and whatever is in it’” (Bukhari Volume 4, Book 52, Number 50).

“Allah’s Apostle said, ‘I have been made victorious with terror. The treasures of the world were brought to me and put in my hand’” (Bukhari Volume 4, Book 52, Number 220).

“The Prophet said, ‘If a Muslim discards his religion, kill him’” (Bukhari Volume 4, Book 52, Number 260).

“I heard the Prophet saying, ‘Islam cannot change’” (Bukhari Volume 9, Book 88, Number 174)!

“The Prophet said, ‘If I take an oath and later find something else better than that, then I do what is better and expiate my oath'" (Bukhari Volume 7, Book 67, Number 427).
Do you deny these revelations are from Allah? Are you calling him a liar?

Allah will not be pleased.

More mercy and tolerance in Egypt

Two more examples of Islam's "freedom" in another land conquered by Islam. From Neferteeti:
Coptic Girls Forced to Convert to Islam

Heidi Hakim Mankerious Salib was a student in Year 12 at Road El Farag Secondary School for Girls. Heidi was planning to come to Australia in 2005, live with her brother, and begin tertiary study.

However, her plans never came to fruition. On April 6 last year, when Heidi was just 17, Mustafa Ahmed Mohamed — a man belonging to a local Muslim extremist group led by Sheikh Osama El Batta — threatened Heidi with violence if she refused to meet him later in the day. He told her to bring her bank book and valuables with her.

"...scissors were used to try and cut out the Christian cross tattooed onto her wrist."
Heidi did as she was told. Over the next 27 hours, Heidi was drugged, raped, forced to wear the Islamic veil, and scissors were used to try and cut out the Christian cross that was tattooed onto her wrist.

When Heidi did not return from her schooling on that day, the Salib family became very anxious and reported her disappearance to the police. They named Mustafa as a suspect – he had been watching Heidi from his balcony across the road from their house. The police brought Mustafa in for questioning, but then they refused to fill in a missing persons report for the family, since Mustafa presented Heidi’s valuables and claimed she was running away from her family. He also said Heidi was staying over at his friend’s house that night. No charges were laid against him.

On April 7, Heidi was taken to a police station where she was made to sign a paper that she had converted to Islam. She was told by Sheikh Osama that they would use this document after she turned 18 on February 14, 2005.

At 1:00pm that afternoon, the police told the Salib family that they had found Heidi. But the Salibs were prevented from seeing her and were told to come back later. When Heidi’s father and her priest were finally able to see her, Heidi seemed drugged and delirious—clearly she had been terrorised.

Heidi, her father and the priest were taken to a magistrate of the National Security Office, who questioned her about her relationship with Mustafa. Heidi said he was her husband. (However, any marriage Heidi took part in would be in contravention of Egyptian law, which forbids a man to marry a woman under the age of 18, without the consent of her parents.) The party returned to the police station, to find the local Egyptian Assembly member for the Road El Farag Electorate, Abd-El Rahman Rady, speaking with authorities in support of Mustafa and Sheikh Osama.

Following this incident, the Salibs’ car was rammed by a car full of men – Mustafa among them – and the Salibs were forced to flee for their lives. They took refuge in a monastery for several days, and later took Heidi to Alexandria for treatment for the effects of the drugs and the trauma she had endured. Then, on June 2, 2004, Heidi went missing while in Alexandria. The family believe she was kidnapped by the same men.

To date, the family have repeatedly contacted the authorities in Egypt – including the President, the Egyptian National Council for Human Rights, and Egyptian consular representatives in Australia, with little response. Police continue to describe her as a "runaway".

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Neveen Maher Albert Morcos, 19, was a student at a tourism college in Alexandria. She was a devout Coptic Christian who regularly attended St Demiana Church, El Wardian. When she told her parents she was considering becoming a nun, they urged her to take time over the decision, and go to see her confession father - who at the time was in the neighbouring city of Damanhour.

"When a second session was called, Neveen didn’t turn up."
Neveen made an appointment to see him on February 14, 2005. Though she left the morning, she didn’t return. Her confession father confirmed she never arrived for the appointment. The Morcos family filed a missing persons report with the local police station and State Security Office. Over the next week, the family repeatedly contacted the authorities, but police had nothing to report. Finally, on the eighth day, police informed the Morcos family that Neveen had decided to convert to Islam.

Two priests were summoned by the authorities to hold a “religious guidance session” with Neveen. (Egyptian law mandates these sessions for people wanting to convert from Christianity to Islam.) When the priests interviewed Neveen, she appeared to be under intense pressure, was slow to answer simple questions, repeated the same statements over and over, and became very anxious when they mentioned her family. When a second session was called, Neveen didn’t turn up.

A number of breaches of the law implicate the authorities in the mistreatment of this young woman—the religious guidance sessions were held in the National Security Headquarters (instead of a neutral location), Neveen’s identification papers were manufactured by SSS officials at the last minute, and the Morcos family was prevented from attending any proceedings. Since March 3, the Morcos family has received no information from the Egyptian police or State Security Service. Protests and letters to President Mubarak, the Interior Minister, the General Prosecutor, and the Governor of Alexandria, have received no response. Neveen’s whereabouts is still unknown.
How long will America pour billions of its citizens' dollars into nations that at their god's command hate us? How long will the West remain silent while Christians around the world (and especially in the birthplace of Christianity) suffer humiliation, rape, and murder at the hands of Islam? How long with the "whistleblowers," feminists, and "humanitarians" remain silent while millions suffer?

Thursday, January 5, 2006

Egyptian government openly discriminates against Christians

If things are all mercy and tolerance in Egypt as some claim, why are Copts demanding equality?

Copts (Christians of Egypt) are not asking for special treatment to compensate for centuries of discrimination and persecution. They are only asking for equality. They don't want anything more, and they will not settle for anything less. It is hard to believe that, at the turn of the 21st century, equality to Copts remains a luxury they still dream of. This at a time when the rest of the civilized world considers equality a birth right to be taken for granted.

1- Copts want the antiquated 19th Century Hamayouni decree be abolished. It is inconceivable to require that the president of Egypt must approve permits to build a church or even to repair a toilet in a church. Mosques in Egypt are being built with no restrictions.

2- Copts want equal air time on the government controlled TV and Radio stations to broadcast there belief to their people. The 15 million Copts living in Egypt pay for the TV and Radio from their tax money and they should have time allocated for broadcasting.

3- Copts want to have the church's trust lands returned. The income generated by these lands was used to provide for needy Copts. The lands were seized by the Ministry of Islamic affairs, even though the courts had ordered that the lands must be returned to their legitimate owners; the Copts.

4-Copts want an end to forced conversion of Christian girls, who are kidnapped and raped by Muslim extremists. There are reports of police
protection given to the abductors.

5- Copts want all Egyptian citizens to have the freedom of belief, including the freedom to change one's religion. Christians are welcomed to convert to Islam, so Muslims should be free to convert to Christianity, if they so chose. Those converts are usually subjected to imprisonment and torture.

6- Copts want religious affiliation be removed from national ID cards, job applications, etc., ...so Christians could not be identified and discriminated
against.

7- Copts want educational curriculums to be revised to guarantee that they do not contain any denigrating references to Christians and Christianity, but to encourage students to accept and respect each other. Mandatory courses in human rights in all public schools is strongly recommended.

8- Copts want the Government controlled media to refrain from conducting a campaign of hate against Christians, labeling them as infidels, thus creating a climate of intolerance, in which attacks against the Copts can be easily propagated. The media should also allow Coptic programs to be aired.

9- Copts want an end to discrimination in job appointments and promotions. Very few Christians are appointed to key jobs such as ministers, or other government officials. At the present time there are no Christian governors, mayors, chief of police, president of City council or college deans in Egypt.

10-Copts want an end to discrimination in government controlled school admission against Christian students. Very few Christians are admitted to the police academy, military schools. Very few Christians are appointed to teaching assistance positions in all medical colleges, pharmaceutical colleges, engineering colleges and all top education colleges.

11-Copts want the Egyptian government to be serious about apprehending those who murder Copts, and to punish them to the fullest extent of the law, and to adequately compensate the victims of these crimes. No killers of Copts have been sentenced to the same punishment as that of a killer of Muslims. Even the terrorist Haridi, who murdered thirteen Christians including small children, in Sanabu in 1992, did not get the usual punishment for murder for his horrifying crimes.

12-Copts want immediate orders be issued to rebuild Kafr Demian village, which was burned down by Muslim extremists in 1996, this must be done at the expense of the State.

13-Copts want certain mechanism to be established to create an adequate representation for them in the Egyptian parliament. One suggestion is to have certain areas be closed to Coptic candidates only. Political exclusion of Copts must stop. The governing national party failed to include any Copts in their list of candidates to the parliament.

14-Copts want the center for handicapped children, which was destroyed by the army in December 1996, be rebuilt at the expense of the government, and as soon as possible.

15-Copts want to be treated with honor and dignity inside Police Departments and in the Sermons of Muslim Sheiks in Mosques...etc. There is no justification for humiliating somebody just because he is different in religion.

16-Copts want to see an end to the religious discrimination that prevails at all levels of the Egyptian educational system, especially in hiring of teachers and professors, and unfair grading practices aimed at Christian students.

17-Copts want their history, language, and culture be taught in schools and colleges in Egypt where their sons and daughters attend.

18-Copts want to feel that Mr. Mubarak is a president for both Muslims and Copts. They want him to care for them and address their concerns. They want him to meet with their religious leadership, and perhaps pay visits to their churches, something other presidents used to do, but he has never done. This , no doubt, will break down walls of mistrust, and build bridges of tolerance and harmony between Muslims and Christians.

19-Copts want to be allowed to enroll in all schools, which are publicly funded, such as Al-Azhar University, police and military academies, without any restrictions. At present time there is a 5% maximum place on Coptic enrollment to police and military academies, and this percentage is not even met by actual enrollment.

These are just a few examples of the discriminatory practices imposed on Copts. They represent a starting point, and taking care of them will show good faith. The most important thing is that there must be a will to correct the wrongs being done to the Copts. When the will is there, everything else will fall in place. Then, Muslims and Christians will live together, in harmony, as brothers and sisters on the land of our beloved Egypt. This is our hope, and this is our prayer.

Judging a religion

The behavior of some of a religion's adherents alone is not enough to judge that religion. One must consider the religion's sacred texts, its founder's words and conduct, and the doctrines derived from them.

Are the injustices noted below (and previously) consistent with, or contrary to, the will of Allah as expressed in his Qur'an and his apostle? In light of Qur'an 9 ("...kill the unbelievers wherever you find them," and, "Fight...against the People of the Book until they feel themselves subdued and pay the jizya"), the answer is obvious.

Two news items items demonstrating the mercy and tolerance of Islam in Egypt.
Christians fear death if deported back to Egypt
Wednesday 4 January 2006
Coptic Christians fear death if deported back to Egypt, by Simon Cheung

Spokesman says state sanctions persecution by the Muslim majority

Twenty Egyptian Coptic Christians who have been refused refugee status in Canada risk serious harm and possible death if they return to Egypt, a spokesman for the group says.

"They will be tortured. They will be beaten. There is a big possibility that they will be killed," Reverend Majel El Shafie said.

The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada has rejected the Coptics’ claims that they fear persecution from the Muslim majority if they are returned to Egypt.

Rev. El Shafie said it is illegal in Egypt to convert from Islam to another religion and it is also unlawful to repair or build synagogues or churches.

He said he was one of the Coptics who disappeared in an Egyptian jail.

Robin Seligman, an immigration lawyer working for the refused claimants, said: "It appears that there’s no rhyme nor reason as to who’s getting accepted and who’s getting refused. In terms of the integrity of the system, I think it’s important to ensure that there’s no inherent bias."
and
Sudanese community in the U.S. condemns police brutality of refugees in Egypt
Monday, January 2, 2006
Survivors Say More Than 50 Killed, By Michael Ireland, Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

TRENTON, NEW JERSEY (ANS) -- Members of the South Sudanese Community in the U.S. are outraged by the murder of their fellow country men in Cairo by the Egyptian security forces.

Reports from surviving refugees in Cairo say that, contrary to most news reports, the number killed has risen to over 50 and this number may continue to rise as more bodies are discovered, according to Sabit Alley, an Associate Representative of the SPLA/M (Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement) in America and a leader of the South Sudanese Community in the U.S.

In an e-mail obtained by ANS, Alley says: "The South Sudanese Community in the U.S. condemns, in the strongest terms, the brutal use of force by the Egyptian security forces, which has resulted in the killing of innocent Sudanese in the Egyptian capital. We also condemn the actions of the UNHCR for collaborating with the Egyptian police and for its continued failure to protect these refugees."

Alley reports the problem began early Friday morning, Dec. 30, when Egyptian police attacked the refugees who had been peacefully camping on the UNHCR compound for the last three months.

"Many of them had suffered discrimination in Egypt for several years and had made numerous complaints about their plight in Egypt to the UNHCR, but were ignored. Their complaints listed the abuses meted on them by the Egyptian authorities and the general public, the denial of basic services such as health, education, employment and, above all, the official recognition as refugees," Alley says.

He explained the refugees first decided to camp outside of the UNHCR's offices in Cairo last September, because of the UNHCR's continued refusal to listen and address their grievances. The objective of their camp was to draw attention to their suffering and to plead with the U.N. to relocate them to a third country for refuge, but the UNHCR refused to do anything.

Alley continues: "According to reports from refugees, who were eyewitnesses to the violence and managed to escape, the officers not only sprayed hot water on the refugees, but beat them with batons and fired gun shots at them. As a result, the police killed a number of refugees and injured many others. A large number of those who were not killed, were bundled up into waiting buses and driven off to undisclosed locations in the Egyptian desert."

"We are receiving numerous reports that the Egyptian security forces are now searching for and rounding up South Sudanese refugees in the city to be taken to these undisclosed locations," said Alley.

Knowing the brutality of the Egyptian security forces in the past, the Sudanese Community in the U.S. is concerned that their kinsmen in Egypt are being tortured in locations where journalists and human rights groups are denied access.

He adds: "We are also concerned that the Egyptian government, in concert with the UNHCR, may forcefully deport refugees to Sudan, where they had escaped religious, racial and political victimization and persecution, and where these highly oppressive conditions still exist despite Sudan's peace agreement to end its north-south civil war."

In a statement released to ANS, Alley says the South Sudanese Community of the U.S. requests that the U.S. government and the international community intervene in this crisis and:

**Appoint an independent international body to investigate the circumstances surrounding the wanton and barbaric murder of innocent South Sudanese refugees in Cairo;

**Compel the Egyptian government to release all of the refugees who have been taken into detention or to some secret locations outside of Cairo;

**Demand that the Egyptian government and the UNHCR immediately cease their plans to forcefully deport these refugees against their will to the Sudan;

**Ask international non-governmental organizations to provide emergency medical and relief services to the wounded and affected refugees;

**Request that the UNHCR immediately relocate these refugees to a friendly third country where their safety can be guaranteed.

An internet search for the SPLA/M revealed a Wikpedia entry which describes the organization as follows:

"The Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement (SPLA/M) is a rebel group that was formed in 1983 by John Garang de Mabior, Salva Kiir Mayardit, William Nyuon Bany and Kerubino Kuanyin Bol. It has since fought against the governments of Gaafar Nimeiry, Sadiq al-Mahdi and President Omar Hasan Ahmad al-Bashir in what is now called the Second Sudanese Civil War. Its was led by John Garang, a Dinka, until his death on 30 July 2005. The SPLA has as its political wing the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (Al-Harakat Al-Shaabia Le Tahreer Al-Sudan), nowadays a political party.

"The SPLA is largely southern-based, non-Arabic and non-Muslim, in contrast to the predominantly Muslim and Arab north. Its declared aims is to establish a secular and democratic Sudan. While the war in southern Sudan has been largely described in religious and ethnic terms, it is also a struggle for control of the oil resources located in the south.

"In the early 1990s the SPLA divided into three factions: the SPLA Torit faction led by John Garang that has been the most active militarily; Carabino Kuany Bol's SPLA Bahr-al-Ghazal faction; and the South Sudan Independence Movement led by Riek Machar. These internal divisions have hampered negotiations with the government. The South Sudan Independence Movement/Army and several smaller factions signed a separate peace agreement with Khartoum in April 1997 and formed the United Democratic Salvation Front (UDSF)."

Mercy and tolerance in Egypt

I recently asked several questions of a reader regarding whether or not non-Muslims have equality of rights under the Religion of Mercy in Egypt:
-Egypt is good for non-Muslims, right?

-They can build their religious buildings as freely as any Muslim can build a mosque, right?

-They can practice their faith in public without restriction just as any Muslim can practice, right?

-They are able to share their religious faith as freely as any Muslim can speak of Allah, right?
My questions reflect the centuries-old reality for infidels living under the rule of Islam. Dhimma is the Allah-mandated humiliation and oppression of those non-Muslims who prefer life under Islam over conversion or death. It has been practiced with varying degrees of severity over the last one and one-half millennia.

Mohamed responded:
...the answer is YES...
This response does not fit the facts of events in Egypt. Consider the following (taken from here):
The Supreme Guide Of the Muslim Brotherhood...dedicated to the adoption of the Shari’a law in Egypt...are known to commit acts of violence against Christians. The leader of this group, Mustafa Mashhour, was quoted in the April 3, 1997 issue of Al-Ahram as saying that Copts would not be allowed to serve in the military under Sharia law which is a standard principle of Islamic law.

Al-Gamaa Islamiya (Islamic Group) ...one of Egypt's largest fundamentalist groups...dedicated to turning Egypt into an Islamic state...seek to bring this about by destabilizing the government through attacks on Christians....

Jihad (Holy War/Holy Struggle) [is a]nother...of Egypt's larger fundamentalist groups...dedicated to turning Egypt into an Islamic state. They seek to bring this about by destabilizing the government through attacks on Christians....

Islam was declared the state religion in 1980.

An official decree of the Ottoman Empire still in force is a 1856 law requiring non-Muslims to obtain a presidential decree to repair, remodel, or build a place of worship.

A 1934 Minister of Interior Decree added ten conditions to the issuing of this decree. They include not allowing a church to be built within 100 meters of a mosque, requiring the permission of any utility official when the construction is near that utility, and requiring that none of the Muslim neighbors object to the buildings construction...obtaining permission often takes years. During this delay, it is not uncommon for a mosque to be built near the site, causing the requested construction to be in violation of the above listed condition. This law was recently changed so those governors could issue a decree for repairs. Many see this as a further hindrance as lower officials are more easily influenced by extremist elements.

All Egyptian citizens are required to have listed on their identity card whether they are Christian or Muslim. This card must be presented whenever a person applies for employment. There are cases of people who are trying to change their listed religion from Muslim to Christian being arrested for falsifying documents. Persons arrested on these charges have been interrogated and physically abused in an attempt to obtain information on other converts and their activities.

The government-owned television stations broadcast only 2 hours of Christian programming a year on Easter. Most of the tax-supported programming is pro-Islamic, if not anti-Christian.

While proselytizing is not illegal, some Muslim converts to Christianity have been charged with a provision of the Penal code that prohibits the use of religion to "ignite heavenly strife, degrade any of the heavenly religions or harm national unity or social peace."

Children with Muslim names are enrolled in Islamic classes regardless of their parent's wishes. This presents a problem because parents are hesitant to give their children traditionally Coptic names as it increases the risk they will be discriminated against. As a result, Coptic parents try to give their children a name that is used by both religious communities.

The portion of history when the Coptic Christians were the majority (the first six centuries AD) is not taught in Egyptian public schools.

12/4/03 Egypt Barnabas Fund. Yesterday, 3 December, police decided to release the last of the 22 converts and their supporters who were arrested between 21 and 24 October in Alexandria. Up until then it seemed that police were determined to make an example of Christian convert from Islam, Mariam Girgis Makar. They even employed the services of a scholar from the Al-Azhar Islamic University in Cairo to help them bring charges concerning crimes against Islam. Mariam, who was seriously abused whilst in custody, was bailed for 1000 Egyptian pounds (£94 / $162)...A Christian who converts to Islam in Egypt can receive new ID papers with a new Muslim name within 24 hours. However there is no reciprocal arrangement for a Muslim who converts to Christianity. There are a myriad of factors making it virtually impossible for converts to follow their faith freely and safely whilst they retain an official Muslim name. Thus many converts feel compelled to apply for official papers using an assumed Christian name.

Converts...living in Egypt have recently issued a declaration calling upon the government to make three changes. Firstly they would like Muslims to be able to change their names to Christian ones, to make conversion from Islam less dangerous. Secondly they would like just treatment for Christians who once converted to Islam, but then chose toreconvert to Christianity....

12/02/03 Egypt (Barnabas Fund) The Christian husband of a Muslim convert to Christianity has been apprehended trying to leave Egypt. He was then held in the custody of a notoriously cruel and vindictive security official. On Friday 28 November Egyptian Christian Bolis Rezek-Allah was arrested trying to leave the country. This was a desperate attempt to escape the mounting persecution he is suffering at the hands of the Egyptian authorities because of his marriage to Enas Badawi, a Christian converted from a Muslim background...He was put in the custody of Hussein Gohar, a security officer who is notoriously vindictive towards converts from Islam and those close to them. Gohar has threatened Rezek-Allah that he will find his wife Enas (who is still being sought by police) even if she has gone abroad, and that once he has done so he will kill Enas in front of her husband. Rezek-Allah was released but police say they will continue to block him from leaving the country despite the fact that he has obtained the correct documentation to leave for Canada. Bolis Rezek-Allah was originally singled out by police persecution in the summer of 2003, when he was arrested on the charge of marrying a Muslim. In accordance with shari’a (Islamic law), it is illegal in Egypt for a Christian man to marry a Muslim woman. Enas Badawi had actually converted from Islam to Christianity before the marriage, but since the Egyptian authorities do not recognise conversions to Christianity, she was still a Muslim in the eyes of the law. Rezek-Allah was initially held in prison for three months, during which time he was also accused of helping Muslims convert to Christianity....

12/02/03 Egypt (Compass) -- Two Egyptian Coptic Christians jailed by Saudi authorities have been released 17 days after their arrest for establishing an expatriate house church....

11/29/03 Egypt (Compass) -- Five weeks after her arrest tipped off a major crackdown against Egyptian converts to Christianity, Miriam Girguis Makar was sent back to El-Kanater Women’s Prison outside Cairo for another 15 days. Makar, 30, was arrested on October 20 at her home in Alexandria in front of her two teenage daughters. Her husband was also detained, beaten and interrogated, but he was released on November 1. Makar has been accused of falsifying Christian identity papers for herself and other former Muslims. When brought before the state prosecutor on November 20, she was remanded back to jail until December 5. At least 22 other Christians, some converts from Islam and others of Coptic descent, were detained and interrogated in the harsh sweep following Makar’s arrest. One convert died while in police custody, and the others face legal prosecution. Under Egyptian law, Muslims are not allowed to change their religious identities to any other faith, although Christians are free to convert officially to Islam.

11/28/03 Egypt (Barnabas & Assist) Police in Cairo released on bail four more of the 22 Alexandrian Christians who were arrested late October after they abandoned the Muslim religion and accepted Jesus Christ....the police "are seeking advice about bringing charges concerning crimes against Islam which they could prosecute her for...Earlier human rights reports suggested the Christians had been subjected to torture and intimidation...The pressure on Christians in Egypt comes at a time when Muslim violence is spreading throughout the middle east, human rights groups say..."In Egypt, the birthplace of modern Islamism, the groups that assassinated President Sadat...have always regarded the indigenous Christian community, the Copts, as enemies of Islam because of their demands for equal treatment..[..]" The call for equal treatment is "seen as a rejection of what Islamists consider to be their God-ordained subordinate status in the Islamic order. This subordinate dhimmi status is characterized by humiliation and subjugation, and includes limitations on public expression of Christianity,"...It also includes a total ban on Christian mission amongst Muslims. Indigenous Christians are also accused of anti-Muslim alliances with what Islamic militants call "the imperialist West", including the United States.

11/28/03 Egypt (ICC) -- In Egypt, it has recently become fashionable for Copts (a persecuted/minority orthodox Christian sect) to put the Christian fish symbol on bumper stickers for their cars. Muslims have responded by creating shark bumper stickers. The stickers are sold in Christian book stores. The Muslim stickers are sold in Muslim bookstores and often have the phrase "no god but allah" printed within the shark.

Egypt, October 29 (Compass) -- In a harsh crackdown over the past 10 days, Egypt’s state security police have arrested and tortured a Christian couple from Muslim background, along with 11 other Egyptian citizens accused of forging Christian identity papers for former Muslims. At least 10 more Christians have since been detained and subjected to torture in the sweep, said to be headed by two security police officers known for illegal and cruel tactics against Christian converts.

Egypt, October 27 (Compass) -- An Egyptian Coptic Christian teenager kidnapped a month ago by Muslims who claim she’s converted to Islam is being refused direct access to her Christian family. According to Nagy Edwar Nagy, his sister disappeared on September 27, the day after she had celebrated her 19th birthday at their family home. Ingy Nagy Edwar, is reportedly being held against her will by a Muslim couple in the Haram district of Giza governate, adjacent to Cairo. State security police officials temporarily detained her father and other male relatives a few days after her disappearance, showing them an alleged declaration of conversion to Islam signed by the girl....Ingy’s family believes the girl is being given drugs which affect her moods...“She told me by phone she wants to commit suicide,” Nagy told Compass last week. “She is going through a hard, hard time.”

Cairo, Egypt (ANS & Banabas Fund) ...Some 22 Christians, including many secret converts from Islam to Christianity, have been arrested by Egyptian police and are "being beaten, interrogated and tortured," a major Christian rights group said Friday, Oct. 24. The...abuses began when 2 Christians were taken from Alexandria to police stations in the capital Cairo as part of a fresh "dramatic" anti-Christian crackdown that began Tuesday, Oct. 21. Thursday Oct. 23 that number rose to 22 as other "converts and Christians who have tried to assist them were rounded up and arrested in dramatic sweeps by police," the Barnabus Fund added in a statement...to ASSIST News Service (ANS). "Local Christians fear the arrests will continue and many other converts from Islam, who have been living quietly as Christians may now be arrested in the next few days," said the Barnab[a]s Fund....Officially the 22 arrested Christians being charged "with falsifying ID papers," apparently because they changed their Muslim names into Christian names, the Barnabus Fund reported. "Whilst Egypt has no law against apostasy from Islam, in practice converts are actively punished by the police in this 90% Muslim country. (They) often face imprisonment, beatings and torture on various pretexts in order to try to force them to return to Islam." A Christian who converts to Islam in Egypt can receive ID papers with a new adopted Muslim name within 24 hours, but "it is impossible for a Muslim who converts to Christianity to change their name to a Christian one at all," said the Barnabus Fund. "Thus they will always be regarded as Muslims in the eyes of the law."

...The initial arrest of the first Christians, Yusuf and Mariam, came about as a result of information obtained by police through the torture and interrogation of a Christian who revealed that the married couple were converts from Islam, the organization said. They allegedly were involved in leading other Muslims to convert to Christianity. "An investigation was opened by police in the Al-Muski quarter of Cairo and the couple was eventually arrested in Alexandria, "beaten, abused, tortured and taken by police to a station in Al Muski," in the capital. Cairo Christians have reportedly brought food for the couple but the police has so far reportedly refused to allow this to be given to them. Local Christians have managed to obtain the services of a team of Christian and Muslim lawyers to defend the accused.

...Human rights workers say that many converts have faced imprisonment, beatings and torture. Some are said to have died in prison, while others have fled Egypt, Africa's second largest country with over 66 million people. "Converts have sometimes been arrested under the country’s emergency legislation which allows for the holding of suspects without charge or trial for indefinite periods....

(11/12/2003) (Egyptian) ...On Friday, November 7, 2003, numerous Christian individuals and their properties were attacked following a disagreement with their Muslim neighbors over plans for a church. The ensuing conflict led to the injury and hospitalization of numerous Copts (Egyptian Christians) and the destruction and burning of several Coptic homes. The disagreement appears to have developed over plans to convert a small Christian library into a church...a large Muslim crowd converged and commenced destruction of Coptic property. The library itself was attacked and its foundation compromised. As the violence increased, four Coptic homes were burned, eight other homes burglarized, Coptic cropland uprooted, and seven Coptic businesses attacked and looted. In the ensuing violence, Coptic men and women were violently assaulted, resulting in the injury of eleven Christians, a number of whom were subsequently hospitalized. Christians reportedly called police officials fifteen minutes following the commencement of the assault. Police officials, only a 30-minute trip away, arrived several hours later, after much destruction had been wreaked upon the Christian community. While some reports have issued statements regarding the arrest of a few individuals, the matter has characteristically received little attention from local and national authorities. Police intervention in matters relating to the Copts has been repeatedly inadequate, often failing to contain the violence targeted towards the community. Commenting on the situation, Michael Meunier, President of the U.S. Copts Association, remarked “This incident typifies the discriminatory sentiment prevalent among factions of the Egyptian populace and the characteristically inadequate intervention of the country’s police officials in matters threatening Copts and their property.”

May 2003 - A 17-year-old Christian girl was returned to her family after an Egyptian official intervened in her case. In April, Niveen Malak Kamel was kidnapped by a Muslim neighbor in Klosna village in the Samlout district of El Minia. At first police refused to help, prompting Niveen's sister to go on a hunger strike. However, after the Under Secretary of State for the Interior's intervention, Niveen was reunited with her family. (CSW/ANS)

April 5, 2003 - The Christian-run Patmos Center, a center for physically and mentally handicapped children, was again targeted by Egyptian troops who came in armored vehicles with tear gas and a bulldozer....Workers parked cars in front of the vehicles and laid down in their path to prevent destruction to the center. Patmos Center leaders believe they are being targeted in retaliation for the US war in Iraq. (ANS/Barnabas Fund)

February 2003 - A female Christian convert and her husband were arrested at the airport as they tried to leave the country. Naglaa Hassan Ibrahim became a Christian in 1996 and later married Malak Gawargios, a Christian. According to authorities they are being imprisoned because of a forged passport and ID card. Naglaa's passport identifies her a Christian while the ID could not be changed and still lists her as a Muslim. Under Egyptian law Christian men may not marry Muslim women. Thus, Naglaa is being pressured to return to Islam and raise her two children as Muslims. (Barnabas Fund/ANS)

February 27, 2003 - The re-trial of 96 suspects charged with murder and other atrocities stemming from rioting in El-Kosheh in January 2000 mirrored an earlier verdict in which all but four people were acquitted. One of those found guilty had his sentence increased from 10 to 15 years for killing a Muslim (the only one who died in the clashes). Three others were found guilty of setting a truck on fire. Capturing the sentiments of the entire Christian community, Coptic Bishop Wissa stated: "If those accused are really innocent, where are the real killers? The 21 Christians who were so brutally murdered in January 2000 did not kill themselves." (ANS/CSW)

October 2002 - Coptic Christians reported that they continued to have problems receiving permission to build or repair churches. Some have been waiting since the late 1970s for such permission to be granted. (American Coptic Association)

May 7, 2002 - Hisham Samir Abdel Latif Ibrahim, a Muslim background believer, was arrested in Cairo for falsifying his identity documents and "reviling Islam." He reportedly changed his religious affiliation from Muslim to Christian by obtaining a new birth certificate under a Christian name. Ibrahim was interrogated for 52 days by the State Security Investigation. (Compass)

April 8, 2002 - Islamic fundamentalists kidnapped a 14-year-old Coptic Christian girl because her family was sheltering a Muslim convert. She was later rescued but continued to be threatened until the family was forced to send her abroad. Other members of the family have been interrogated by the police and have been frequently harassed by threatening phone calls. The family plans to flee the country when possible. (Compass)

February 19, 2002 - A Christian center 30 kilometers east of Cairo was partially razed by the Egyptian army and several people were beaten, including a teacher whose arm was broken. The Patmos Centre, which serves mentally and handicapped children and orphans, is a legally registered organization that has been functioning for the last 14 years. The Center was also attacked in 1996, 1997 and 2001. (Barnabas Fund)

February 11, 2002 - Father Luka Ibrahim Sargious was arrested on the charge of firing a hunting rifle during the incident at Bani Wellmes on February 10, 2002....However, none of the Muslim attackers were arrested. (US Copts Association)

February 10, 2002 - A newly built church was attacked by armed Muslims who were angered by the ringing of the church bells. The Church of the Virgin Mary in Bani Wellmes, El-Minia, as well as the 35 homes, were burned during the incident. Several people were also injured as fighting broke out between the Muslim attackers and Christians trying to defend the church. (US Copts Association)

December 16, 2001 - The mayor of Al-Ubor City ordered a newly built church to be destroyed by the police force. The mayor claimed the church had been illegally constructed even though the church had official permission to build. No investigation of the mayor was ever carried out. (US Copts Association)

May 21, 2001 – Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim, a champion of the rights of Coptic Christians, was sentenced to 7 years in prison. Dr. Ibrahim, a 61-year-old Muslim, was charged with "tarnishing Egypt’s image, accepting foreign money without government approval and embezzling funds." The charges are all related to a video produced by the Ibn Khaldoun Center in Cairo. The video investigated last October’s parliamentary elections. However, Dr. Ibrahim believes his sentencing was a result of his work on behalf of Coptic Christians.

April 2001 – After 5 years a Christian widow continues to battle for custody of her children. The children of Fayza Abd El-Shaheed Tawfiq are considered Muslims because their father had converted to Islam for a period between 1990 and 1995. In 1995 Emad Ayad Bishay returned to the Christian faith and died shortly thereafter. However, because his official identity card listed him as Muslim, his children are also considered Muslims and as such, under law, should be put in the custody of Muslim guardians.

February 6, 2001 – 57 Muslims and 32 Christians stood trial on charges ranging from murder to looting during the violence in El-Kosheh in early January of last year. Twenty-one Christians and one Muslim were killed in El-Kosheh after a dispute between Muslims and Christians escalated. Of thirty-eight Muslims being tried for murder, only four of them received a sentence. The harshest sentence, 10 years imprisonment, was handed down to Mayez Amin Abdel Rahim for "accidental" homicide and possessing an illegal weapon. Three other Muslims were sentenced to less than 3 years each for setting a tractor-trailer on fire. The judge justified the lack of convictions by saying there was not sufficient evidence and it was unclear which suspects had committed which crimes. Instead he laid the responsibility for the violence on three Coptic priests, Fr. Gabriel, Fr. Bessada and Fr. Isaac, for failing to break up the original quarrel. Coptic Christians are outraged by the court’s decision and say this verdict paves the way for more violence against Copts.

July 26, 2000 – Coptic Christian Fakhri Ayyad Mus’ad was shot to death when local Muslims discovered he was building a church in a nearby field. Three other men were also injured.

June 7, 2000 – State Security Intelligence officers arrested Christian Aziz Tawfik Rezkalah on the charge of preaching the gospel to a Muslim. This was Mr. Rezkalah’s fourth arrest in four years. During each arrest Mr. Rezkalah was stripped naked and taken to interrogation where he was beaten and tortured with electric shock. Mr. Rezkalah is the head of a Coptic Orthodox organization which teaches Coptic Christians about their faith.

April 13, 2000 – About 400 Coptic Christians in Ezbet el Akbat broke into their church, which had been closed by authorities since 1989. The group refused to leave despite police demands and the pleas of their local bishop. The Christians did not leave the church until the next day when they were assured permission to build a new church in the village. Since the closure of their church they had been forced to conduct all religious ceremonies in the street.

March 2000 – The family of a Coptic Christian pharmacist who converted to Islam have questioned the legality of Dr. Hanna Kamal Hanna Morgan’s religious conversion, saying that he was mentally ill and thus was not competent to make such a decision. When a Coptic priest tried to persuade Morgan not to leave the church, he reportedly said "I can’t come back to Christianity or they will burn my pharmacy and me." Since Mr. Morgan is now officially Muslim according to government records, his two daughters are also considered Muslim and thus could be taken from their Christian mother. This is the third case of suspicious religious conversion in El-Fayoum.

February 28, 2000 – Egyptian security forces from the State Security Intelligence (SSI) raided a church service at the St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church in Al Tor, southern Sinai. The worshippers were forced outside and the doors were welded shut. The security forces also damaged the marble Sacrament table and stole the Holy Altar vessels. Several Christians sent telegraphs to the President, complaining about the incident. They later found out that none of their telegraphs had been sent as the post office officials were forbidden from doing so by the SSI.

January 2-4, 2000 – Around 19 Christians were left dead by the worst sectarian violence to hit Egypt in two decades. The violence resulted from a financial dispute between a Muslim and a Christian shopkeeper in El-Kosheh. The Muslim and his brothers later attacked the Christian’s shop and incited a mob which looted and burned Christian homes, stores, and factories. At least 44 people were injured in addition to those who were killed during the 3 days of violence. Twenty-one people were arrested and charged with looting and arson.

December 13, 1999 – A group of Muslims attacked construction workers who were building a fence at the First Evangelical Church in Assuit. The workers were forced to leave and were threatened with death if they resumed their work.

December 10, 1999 – In the village of Awlad in Sohaag, Upper Egypt, a group of Muslim men attacked the Church of Mare-Guirgess. The armed men fired randomly at the building, which was being renovated. The attack caused parts of the building to collapse and damaged a crane used in construction.

May 9, 1999 - After an investigation by the Egyptian government of the "El-Koshuha Incident," charges of brutality and torture against the four police officers were dropped and the case was officially closed. This was despite the large volume of evidence to the contrary that is said to exist. In addition, each of the four officers were given cash rewards of 1000 Egyptian pounds for their cooperation in the case.

October 11, 1998 - Because of their reporting of the "El-Kosheh Incident"to human rights NGO’s, Bishop Wessa of Baliand and two Coptic priests have been arrested and accused of spreading matters damaging to nation unity and social peace (Article 86 penal code), using religion to incite strife and damaging to nation unity and social peace (Article 98 penal code), attempting to influence the outcome of a court case and investigation (Article 171, 187 penal code), delivering an insult or criticism while carrying out their duties as priests (Article 201 penal code), and presenting false information in an investigation (Article 145 penal code).

August 14, 1998 - Two young Christian men were killed in the village of El-Kosheh, Dar Assalam and Governate of Soha, Egypt. The local Coptic Bishop reported that the consensus of the village was that the killers were three Muslim men who were known to police. The police made no effort to apprehend this individuals but rather rounded up nearly 1,200 Christians, including men, women, and children, during the course of the following week. During their detainment, it is reported that these people suffered verbal abuse and physical abuse that included electrical shock, whippings, beatings, and being hung from their feet for extended periods of time. It is believed much of this activity was aimed at obtaining false confessions to the murders. It was been reported that 11 year-old Romani Boctor was suspended from a spinning ceiling fan for several hours in an attempt to get his father to confess to the murders. It is also reported that a fourteen-month-old baby was beaten in front of her mother to get the mother to confess. A 14 year-old girl was sexually assaulted in an attempt to make her lose her virginity. This was so the police could claim that her father and fiance killed the two men for having a sexual encounter with the girl. All the detained individuals were released within a week. No suspects in the crime have been arrested.

The Egyptian government continues to refuse to intervene on the behalf of parents whose daughters are abducted and forced to convert to Islam and then married to Muslim men. By doing so, the police fail to uphold two Egyptian laws. One prevents the conversion of any individual under the age of 16. The other prohibits the marriage of a young woman between the ages of 16 and 21 without the approval and presence of her guardians. Police rarely take action to enforce these laws in the case of abductions of Christians.

A common act in rural Egypt is for Muslims to extort money from Christian businesses. This practiced is often justified by the Koranic injunction to charge Christians Jizya, a tax levied on non-Muslims. Extremist groups often use this practice to fund their operations.

It is reported that conversions from Christianity to Islam are often coerced. Poor Christians are often offered financial incentives to convert. There have been a series of reports of Christian girls being abducted and forced to convert to Islam. The International Coptic Federation claims it has documented 218 cases of abduction but it is very difficult to determine the degree of coercion used. In some cases, the girl desires to marry a Muslim boy and is willing to convert to do so. The conversion is performed by the girl saying a one-sentence confession. Seduction, rape, bribery, threats, and violence can also be factors in these cases. The government does little to protect its citizens from such abuses.
On the subject of Muslims kidnapping, raping, and "converting" Christians in Egypt, Mohamed wrote:
and what about the last question(They don't have to worry about their daughters being kidnapped and told by the police that they don't have to worry, since now, "...she's in the hands of Islam," right?)

I doubted from I heared about disappearing some christians young women that Muslims were behind it as "There is no compulsion in Islam"as you know,and I watched alot of programs talking about it and in one of them a Christian thinker was saying that he was near some of these events and they weren't kidnapping...
and finally I became sure when I read an article in a famous newspaper talking with Marian and Kristin(the two sisters who disappeared)and they narrated that they loved two Muslims and escaped with them to marry them and finally they became Muslims after marriage and after reading some books about Islam...
Muslims who kidnap, rape, and convert non-Muslim women would never lie, would they? Victims are never, ever coerced or shamed into compliance, are they?

In light of the small sampling above, it is obvious that whether or not in one particular case the women (allegedly) wanted to "disappear," marry, and convert, the practice is widespread and well-documented.

For what reason would anyone try to excuse this fact?

Monday, January 2, 2006

Subtle sympathy supporting the submission of the West

In "Blogs, threats force Muslim meeting to relocate," S.I. Rosenbaum writes in a tone most enlightened, most tolerant, and most effective in calming (or suppressing) the natural suspicion of those aware of current events and the inconsistency between what Islam says in front of gullible Western media and what it actually believes and does.

(Suspicion, it turns out, that is woefully inadequate in light of the revealed will of Allah for non-Muslims, as recorded in Qur'an, Hadith, and Sira).

Why is not the article entitled, "Muslims refuse to acknowledge and repudiate Allah's commands for warfare against all non-Muslims until Islam reigns supreme"? Why are the adherents of an ideology that has tortured, maimed, raped, and killed non-Muslims around the world for the last fourteen hundred years at the command of their god made out to be the (alleged) victims?
TEMPLE TERRACE - Chantal Carnes didn't recognize herself.

A friend had e-mailed her a blogger's article. It described Carnes as a supporter of terrorists, a fan of suicide bombing.

Her friend thought the article was a joke.

"No, dude," Carnes said. "This is really serious."

Carnes, a Chicago resident who converted to Islam 11 years ago, was scheduled to speak at a spiritual retreat for Tampa Muslims this weekend.

But after bloggers alleged that the event was a thinly veiled terrorist indoctrination, anonymous callers bombarded the Muslim American Society of Tampa with death threats and curses.

No innocent American should be threatened. Neither should Americans be forced to submit to an ideology that requires their submission and humiliation or death. (And no Muslim-terrorist sympathizers have ever lied to promote their goals against the West, right?)

...So when Carnes finally faced a small audience of adults in a block building in Temple Terrace on Saturday, there was an urgency to her words.

"Since everything that's happened, this is the right time for me to talk about who we are," Carnes told the group. "There are a lot of people out there who want to define who we are for us."

"...everything that's happened"? Is that a euphemism for the oppression, rape, and murder committed in the name of Allah around the world?

It's a mystery how all those schoolchildren murders and hostage beheadings just happen!

Regardless, who better to define Muslims than Allah and his apostle? It is they who command the fighting against, subduing and humiliating, and killing of non-Muslims.

The question must be asked, is Ms. Carnes honestly misinformed about the nature of her god and its scriptures, or is she intentionally trying to deceive a good-natured and uninformed West?
On Dec. 27, blogger Joe Kaufman began writing about an event he called "a jihad retreat for children."

Over the course of the week, he wrote that Carnes was "well known in the radical Islamist American community."

He wrote that the retreat's other speaker, Mazen Mokhtar of New Jersey, was linked to al-Qaida.

Is she? Is he? Rosenbaum does nothing to refute this claim, other than take at face value a legalistic, Clintonesque parsing non-denial.

On Dec. 29, Kaufman appeared on Fox News' Your World with Neil Cavuto to talk about the retreat. On the air, he said that Mokhtar "should be behind bars, and in shackles."

In fact, federal agents searched Mokhtar's New Jersey home in 2004 after another man was arrested in London for running a Web site that helped fund terrorist groups.

An identical site was found registered under Mokhtar's name. But he was never arrested.

This week, Mokhtar said that he sold server space to host other people's Web sites. He never knew about the content of that particular site, he said.

"It is not now nor has it ever been my position that a Muslim should ever partake in an attack on an innocent person," he said on Friday.

First, not being arrested doesn't mean he doesn't support Islam's conquering the West.

Second, traditional Qur'anic Islam does not define "innocent" the way most Westerners would. Anyone who impedes the will of Allah cannot be considered without guilt. As one practioner of the Religion of Peace stated, "Every Israeli (even a civilian) is a soldier."

Third, a terrorist supporter/sympathizer would never lie about their activities or goals, would they?
He said the theme of his lectures at the retreat would be the story of Joseph, which the Koran has in common with the Bible.

"You can read Joseph in many ways, but the primary message is that God's power is everything and patience and perseverance pay off," he said.

"Joseph went through so many trials, but he continues to stand up for what he believes in."

Do the jihadists believe that "God's power is everything"? Of course. Do the "holy warriors" believe that "patience and perseverence pay off"? Undoubtedly, they do. Do the mujahideen continue "to stand up for" that in which they believe. Yes.

The appeal to Joseph makes this incident look increasingly like an effort to manipulate the non-Muslim public, since on top of playing upon Americans' natural sympathy for those innocently suffering, by referring to Joseph Christians and Jews will be made automatically less wary of Islam.

(I wonder, did the little symposium mention anything at all about Allah's hatred of Jews and his commands to fight against them--and Christians? Is Rosenbaum aware of this?)
In Chicago, Carnes worried.

What if her father saw what Kaufman wrote? Her own family had been upset when she converted to Islam. What would they think now?

"I go skiing, I play soccer, I listen to Nickelback," she said. "That's me, the big ol' "radical."'

What about other American converts and children of immigrants who turn to terrorism (and other forms of violence) in the name of Allah?

Many Muslims are decent people. Many are moderate. Islam itself (as revealed by its sacred texts and its prophet's example), is not moderate.

Nothing like this had ever happened to her before, she said.

But for the Muslim American Society of Tampa, this had happened before.

An earlier paintball outing for Muslim youths was painted as terrorist training by conservative bloggers, said Rania el-Sioufi, whose husband Mohamed Moharram is the society's president.

Because in Virginia, Muslim terrorists-to-be were training for war against non-Muslims in this same way, perhaps?

Bloggers interpreted a lecture about the afterlife as preparation for suicide bombing, she said.

Because it often is.

Islam's Paradise (dozens of beautiful, perpetually-virginal females and boys like pearls, wine, milk, honey, water, fruit) has always been the great reward for those who die fighting in the "cause of Allah."

"If you go to one of these Web sites, you'll be surprised how much they're watching what Muslims are doing, and how much they're twisting it," she said.

Ms. Carnes may be innocent. If so, she has no idea how much Allah's religion has been twisted (or hidden) for her consumption.

Moharram said he tried to argue with each caller. He tried to explain that the purpose of the retreat was to teach the "true Islam" - the moderate, mainstream Islam.
Can one have Islam without the Qur'an? No. Can one have Islam without Mohammed? Of course not. Who has the authority to define "true" Islam? Allah and his apostle, or well-meaning "moderates" in the West (many of whom are likely jihadists in moderates' clothing).

"We're trying to help," he told them. "Let us do this."

Americans might be more easily convinced if the (allegedly) vast majority of moderate Muslims (but not in "Palestine," where sixty-five percent of its people support attacks against the United States) clearly, unequivocally, and forever refute and reject the doctrine of Jihad and Dhimma as defined and propagated in the Qur'an and Sunnah.

Dar al-Harb (the Land of War, i.e., all lands where Islam has yet to reign supreme) holds its breath.

By noon about 20 people had shown up. Inside the hall, they sat quietly listening to a Koran recitation.

Many were college students. They were black, white and Arab. Some had grown up in Islam; others had converted. The men sat on one side and the women on the other.

I wonder if the verses of mercy and tolerance (like Qur'an 9:5, 9:29, or 8:39) were heard that day.

When the recitation ended, Carnes took the floor to speak.

"We're going through a lot of challenges," she said. "Islam is still considered a foreign religion."

Finally, some good news.

She pointed out that the structural design of the Sears Tower, in Chicago, was the work of a Muslim engineer.

So was the recent re-design of the World Trade Center in New York.

"Islam is a part of American society," she said. "We're a part of everything that is going on here."

But traditional, Qur'anic Islam's goal is to reign supreme over all lands and peoples. If it is successful, there will be no longer any American society. There will be only Islam.

She told the audience that as Muslims, they had to reach out to the greater American society around them.

Then, she said, people would know who Muslims were. They wouldn't hate them. They wouldn't fear them.

It is because Americans see Islam's effects around the world that they are suspicious.

And as more and more Americans understand that Allah commands his people to fight against, subdue and humiliate, and kill non-Muslims, they will rightly fear Islam and do something to combat its hateful ideology.

Last is my letter sent to the author.

Hello,

Perhaps the following will shed some light on why Americans are growingly concerned about Islam. These quotations are from texts considered authoritative by Muslims (Qur'an, Hadith, and Sira). These texts are a click away for the professional journalist.
Command to war against non-Muslims everywhere:
"...fight and slay the unbelievers wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war); but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practise regular charity, then open the way for them: for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful" (Qur’an 9:5).

"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" (Qur'an 9:29).
[The term “People of the Book” refers to Jews and Christians. This then is a clear command to fight all non-Muslims, including Jews and Christians, into submission.]
"Say to the Unbelievers, if (now) they desist (from Unbelief), their past would be forgiven them; but if they persist, the punishment of those before them is already (a matter of warning for them). And fight them on until there is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah altogether and everywhere; but if they cease, verily Allah doth see all that they do" (Qur'an 8:38-8:39).

"O Prophet! rouse the Believers to the fight. If there are twenty amongst you, patient and persevering, they will vanquish two hundred: if a hundred, they will vanquish a thousand of the Unbelievers: for these are a people without understanding" (Qur’an 8:65).

"O ye who believe! fight the unbelievers who gird you about, and let them find firmness in you: and know that Allah is with those who fear Him" (Qur'an 9:123).

"Fighting is prescribed for you, and ye dislike it. But it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knoweth, and ye know not" (Qur'an 2:216).
Here the "divine" command for beheading:
"Remember thy Lord inspired the angels (with the message): 'I am with you: give firmness to the Believers: I will instill terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers: smite ye above their necks and smite all their finger-tips off them'" (Qur'an 8:12).

"Therefore, when ye meet the Unbelievers (in fight), smite at their necks; At length, when ye have thoroughly subdued them, bind a bond firmly (on them): thereafter (is the time for) either generosity or ransom: Until the war lays down its burdens. Thus (are ye commanded): but if it had been Allah's Will, He could certainly have exacted retribution from them (Himself); but (He lets you fight) in order to test you, some with others. But those who are slain in the Way of Allah,- He will never let their deeds be lost" (Qur'an 47:4).
Why suicide bombing is so popular:
"They ought to fight in the way of God who have sold the life of this world for the life of the Hereafter; and whoever fights in the way of God and is killed or becomes victorious, to him shall We (God) give a great reward..." (Qur'an 4:74).
Terrorism is a tool Allah uses to make Islam victorious:
"Allah's Apostle said, 'I have been sent with the shortest expressions bearing the widest meanings, and I have been made victorious with terror (cast in the hearts of the enemy), and while I was sleeping, the keys of the treasures of the world were brought to me and put in my hand.' Abu Huraira added: Allah's Apostle has left the world and now you, people, are bringing out those treasures (i.e. the Prophet did not benefit by them)" (Bukhari Volume 4, Book 52, Number 220).
Mohammed on children:
The Prophet married Aisha in Mecca three years before the Hijrah, after the death of Khadija. At the time she was six” (Tabari VII:7).

“My mother came to me while I was being swung on a swing between two branches and got me down. My nurse took over and wiped my face with some water and started leading me. When I was at the door she stopped so I could catch my breath. I was brought in while Muhammad was sitting on a bed in our house. My mother made me sit on his lap. The other men and women got up and left. The Prophet consummated his marriage with me in my house when I was nine years old” (Tabari IX:131).

“The Prophet said, ‘A virgin should not be married till she is asked for her consent.’ ‘O Apostle! How will the virgin express her consent?’ He said, ‘By remaining silent’” (Bukhari Volume 9, Book 86, Number 98).
Allah "ordained" that Mohammed should have sex with a child, even "inspiring" him by it:
“Allah’s Apostle told Aisha, ‘You were shown to me twice in my dreams. I beheld a man or angel carrying you in a silken cloth. He said to me, “She is yours, so uncover her.” And behold, it was you. I would then say to myself, “If this is from Allah, then it must happen”’” (Bukhari Volume 9, Book 87, Number 139-40).

“There are special features in me [Aisha] that have not been in any woman...the Messenger married me...my marriage was consummated when I was nine; he married me when I was a virgin, no other man having shared me with him; inspiration came to him when he and I were in a single blanket...’” (Tabari VII:7).

“The people used to send presents to the Prophet on the day of Aisha’s turn. Aisha said, ‘His other wives gathered in the apartment of Um Salama and said, “Um, the people send presents on the day of Aisha’s turn and we too, love the good presents just as much as she does. You should tell Allah’s Apostle to order the people to send their presents to him regardless of whose turn it may be.” Um repeated that to the Prophet...After the third time, the Prophet said, “Um, don’t trouble me by harming Aisha, for by Allah, the Divine Inspiration [Qur’an surahs] never came to me while I was under the blanket of any woman among you except her”’” (Bukhari Volume 5, Book 57, Number 119).
Mohammed even used an angel to influence his child-wife:
“The Prophet said, ‘Aisha, this is Gabriel. He sends his greetings and salutations.’ Aisha said, ‘Salutations and greetings to him, and Allah’s Blessings.’ Addressing the Prophet she said, ‘You see what I don’t see'” (Bukhari Volume 4, Book 54, Number 440).
Why should non-Muslims be concerned with what Mohammed said and did? Because his words and actions as found in Qur'an, Hadith, and Sira are the expressed will of Allah:
“Allah’s Apostle said, ‘Whoever obeys me, obeys Allah, and whoever disobeys me, disobeys Allah, and whoever obeys the ruler I appoint, obeys me, and whoever disobeys him, disobeys me’” (Bukhari Volume 9, Book 89, Number 251).
That everyday citizens find it necessary to publicize this information while the professionals, who claim it is their duty to inform the public, remain silent is strange.
S.I. Rosenbaum now has an opportunity to light a candle, or to continue obfuscating the true nature of Islam as defined by Allah and his apostle.
ANNO DOMINI 2003-2026

the Amillennialist Contra Mundum