A few years ago I did a cable television interview on the youth bulge in majority-Muslim countries. It's a huge group, I told the anchor, and they have the potential to make a really positive contribution to the world.
The images played on the screen during my interview were of young people doing training exercises at a terrorist camp -- images in total contradiction to my message. I was livid. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then everything I was saying was totally drowned out. When I brought it up with one of the staff he just shrugged and said it was likely just the B-roll most readily available.
That's when it hit me. This isn't just a problem with the type of B-roll cable television has handy, this is a problem with the B-roll most readily available in our minds. The images that come up in too many people's heads when they hear the terms "Muslim" or "Muslim youth" or "the Muslim world" is of suicide bombers or planes flying into the World Trade Center.
Eighteen days in Egypt changed all that. The movement didn't just overthrow a dictator, it gave the world a whole new psychological movie of the contributions of Muslim citizens to their nation. Protesters braving tear gas and police truncheons chanting 'peacefully, peacefully' as they marched through the streets into Tahrir Square. People holding up Quran's next to crosses, chanting "Muslim, Christian we are all Egyptian."
Makeshift medical clinics where doctors and nurses volunteered their time to bandage protesters wounded by thugs many said were sent by Mubarak's regime. The interview with the young Google executive Wael Ghonim, just coming out of a week and a half where he was blindfolded and held in solitary confinement, saying that he was not done yet, that he was willing to die for his country (who was not reminded of Patrick Henry's "Give me liberty or give me death" when they saw that?)
I used to ask students when I lectured at colleges to tell me something that they admire about Islam or Muslims. I stopped doing it. The silence would last so long, it embarrassed both them and me.
There are very real consequences when entire populations are represented in the public imagination by their worst elements. Without a doubt, one of the reasons for the vociferous opposition to mosques in communities across America is some people think the suicide bomber from the evening news is coming to Friday prayers next to their grocery store. When they hear "Muslim" they think "Osama bin Laden."
Well, no more.
9/11 is no longer the date that defines Islam for the world. January 25 gets that honor now.
(This piece was originally posted on the Washington Post Faith Divide.)
Follow Eboo Patel on Twitter: www.twitter.com/EbooPatel
Review & Outlook: Egypt's Revolution - WSJ.com
Egypt Revolution 2011: A Complete Guide To The Unrest
William Astore: An Egyptian Revolution? It's Still Too Soon to Say
Egypt Revolution: The Purity Protests - Newsweek
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I wish this were true. But the jury is still out, and there is lots of evidence on the other side:
(1) 2 million Egyptians in Tahrir Square chant "To Jerusalem we are heading, Martyrs in the millions." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=du5emnvGgvg&feature=player_embedded
(2) Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi At Al-Tahrir Square: Pray For Conquest Of Al-Aqsa
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/34665.htm
(3) Top Muslim Brotherhood leader underlines Islamic nature of Egypt rev
http://www.irna.ir/ENNewsShow.aspx?NID=30256213
(4) During Lara Logan's attack, there were screams of "Jew" and "Israeli":
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1358944/Lara-Logan-attack-Stripped-punched-whipped-flag-poles.html#ixzz1Ed3BAekD
Given the Islamist leanings of the population, where the vast majority want Sharia Law and a theocratic dictatorship and stoning and so on, I do not have high hopes.
You're a Christian moderate and Bill is a fundamentalist. He is being brutally honest about Christianity. In Islam we say it is mandatory you accept Muhammad as a Prophet. In Christianity, you say it is mandatory you accept that Jesus Christ is God incarnate. (btw Messiah does NOT mean God!) Yet Jesus was a Jew and he prayed to the God of the Jewish people, even in your Bible. You have many contradictions in Christianity. The main one I want to point out here is “faith versus works.” Faith is something in the heart, but once again, in your Bible, it says “faith without works is dead. To confess your faith, the basic requirement to enter into Christianity IS A WORK. You become Christian (entering heaven according to your dogma) by an act, a deed. Speaking, confessing you worship Jesus, is a deed, a work that you say causes a person to enter heaven. The reality is, it is only my deeds that you deem insufficient for God. It is false that your faith does not require deeds. So no, "the works of man" do not die for Christians because Christianity orders the “work” of confessing Jesus as the God of Abraham as well as other acts, like attending church. Faith in the real world means it turns into action and those actions bring you closer to God and save you from hell. It says so in your bible.
peace and blessings be upon the messenger of Allah
A degree of courage and tenacity that is incredibly admirable no matter who is behind it.
GOD is not the one who is confused. Humanity, though, is very confused.
GOD has said that there is only one way that a person will come to know who HE is, and that way is through the revealed knowledge of Jesus Christ. Who was, GOD incarnate, and is, GOD among us, in the salvation of wicked and lost people, seperated from GOD because of sinful self-seeking natures.
Islam, as are all other religious ideals, is nothing more than the observation of humanism, which is man believing that he/she can approach creations GOD, who is holy, sovereign and judge of all, on their own merrits, and on thier own terms. FOOLS, are all of you!
GOD commands repentance. Believe in the LORD Jesus Christ, and you shall live. Believe not, and you shall be damned.
Incidentally, you condemn yourself by calling those not yet blessed with the vision and knowledge God has beleesed you with, 'fools' ! All wisdom comes from God, you should know that, and not pretend you are somehow superior because God gave you the belief you have, and the small amount of wisdom that He gave you. You could have been just as blind as those you ridicule, so stop lauding it over the other person, who may one day be superior to you in Heaven.
Jesus is just a human, and he is a messenger of God, just like Muhammad
The Bible says:
Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man…”
Hosea 11:9 “...For I am God, and not man...”
Jesus is called a man many times in the Bible:
John 8:40 “…a man who has told you the truth…”
Acts 2:22 “Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know.”
Acts 17:31 “He will judge the world in righteousness through a man whom He has appointed”
That Islam has continued and thrived when we all know that the works of man die, suggests God has His Pupose in that fact. I do not condemn or fear people who pray 5 times each day. I do however Fear God, as every person should. That God does these things in ways that confound the 'wisdom of this world' which is foolishness, should surprise no God Fearing person. There is only One God, the Holy Trinity.
Not really. Frankly, it's too soon to tell what the ultimate outcome of that upheaval will be. Certainly, it has the potential to change a lot, not only the opinions of the West, but within the Muslim world, too. This could be a game-changer if:
Moderate Muslim voices no longer are marginalized or silenced, but form the core of leadership.
They move to a rule of law that is not Sharia-based.
Religious minorities and women are given equal rights with Muslim men.
If the world sees changes like these in the coming month and years, then yes, their perceptions of Islam will change also. I hope this happens, but until then, we only can wait and see.
This is what it may look like in Egypt. This what has happen in Iraq.
Between 800,000 and 1.2 million Christians lived in Iraq before the US-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein in 2003, but that figure now is estimated by religious leaders at 400,000.
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Iraqi_Christians_speed_exodus_to_Kurdistan_report_999.html
This is demockasee at work.
Sadly you will no doubt most of your responses are from the ignorant and the bigots.
Guess who was previous in line to Muhammad, as per Islam? Yes it was Jesus! Abraham, Moses and even John the baptist were considered prophets of God.
Yes it is true that Qur'an does declare Mary, mother of Jesus, to be the holiest women who ever lived. And believes in the virgin birth of Jesus as an article of faith, but considers it no more a miracle than the creation of Adam without a mother or a father.
And Islam also believes in the second coming of Jesus (it does not believe that he was killed the first time, rather God picked him up to safety when the Romans closed in on him). And it does consider Jesus to be among God's greatest prophets.
The stone that was rejected has become the Corner Stone.
The very nature of Jesus is so special, that God compares the uniqueness of His creation to that of the first man and prophet, Adam.
“Indeed, the example of Jesus to God is like that of Adam. He created him from dust; then He said to him, ‘Be,’ and he was.” (Quran 3:59)
The Quran confirms that Jesus was raised up by God, and the Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, reassured us that Jesus will be sent down to earth once again before the Day of Judgment.
The question is, are the Egyptians demanding the creation of an Islamic state, like the one established by Muhammad? Or the creation of a secular state, like the one established by Thomas Jefferson? If the former, then nobody has to change his mind after all. And if the latter, then it is Islam that is changing, and for the better.
Islam, on the other hand, started with both war and politics. Muhammad was a warrior and a politician who used violence to squelch his "enemies" (meaning rival religions and rival empire-builders). There is no pre-political, pre-violent 'golden age' of Islam to get back to.
That does not mean Islam is incapable of transformation into something progressive and good. But it does mean that it will be a very difficult process involving a fundamental and radical change of vision and a leap into uncharted territory.
Separating religion and politics, as you call for, is exactly that kind of radical change of vision. Can they handle it? We shall all see. I hope so.
Philosophically and theologically, which is "nearer" to Christianity, Judaism or Islam??
Whereas Islam considers virgin Mary to be the "holiest" women who ever lived, and Jesus to be a prophet of God on par with their own prophet, Muhammad.
Do the math!
This keeps repeating over and over but we are told not to worry.
"I will believe Muslims are not a threat when I see them give
Equal rights by law to Christians and other none Muslims who
live in Muslim majority countries. Muslims want rights in
America and everywhere they live but are not willing to give
the same rights to non Muslims. Coptic Christians who are
natives in Egypt have been second class citizens and not
allowed to build churches and need permission that takes over
ten years if they are lucky, Muslims are allowed to open
Mosques without any government permission, I don't think people
in the west know much about Islam at all or the history of
Muslim crusades from the inception of Islam, but many elites
know about the so called Christian crusades, so they think,
when that was in response to Muslims invasion and occupation of
the Christian holy city of Jerusalem. from the beginning of
Islam it was the Muslims who went on a holy war against none
Muslims that many westerns seem not to know, or pretend not to
know, its hard to believe anyone who prides themselves of being
intelligent would not know that Muslims were the real
crusaders. Spain India- Iran. Egypt Syria Iraq
Those are just a few countries invaded by Muslims from the
begining of Islam."
www.persecution.com
Read this:
"While this seems to be a fairly harmless request, it is likely to be followed by
further requests for change until full shari’a has been adopted in Senegal. In
March 2000 a French diplomat posted in Dakar commented “Whereas the official
Islam under the control of the brotherhoods has always been loyal to the state,
a more aggressive Islam generously funded by Libyan and Saudi groups can be seen
growing up alongside, which refuses to respect Senegalese secularity… in ten or
fifteen years Senegal will become the first Islamic Republic in Black Africa”.
In the same year, during his inauguration speech, President Abdoulaye Wade
vowed to make Senegal 100% Muslim within three years.
"Christians in Senegal worry that they may be witnessing the first indications of
the creeping growth of shari’a, whose gradual expansion in countries like
Pakistan and Nigeria has brought much suffering for religious minorities whose
rights and freedoms have been reduced."
http://www.domini.org/openbook/senegal20030819.htm
Islam can not be secular; moving towards theocracy is a question of shifting gears; from first to fourth gear.
The quote "interfaith utopia" s from professor Bernard Lewis