A Punch in the Nose

[HagiaSophia]

"In a Friday sermon aired on Iranian television, an Islamic cleric threatened the United States before a crowd at Tehran University that responded with shouts of “Death to America.”

“If you [Americans] behave with disrespect – even just a little bit – [the Iranian people] will punch you in the mouth so hard that all your devouring teeth will fall off,” Ayatollah Mohammad Ememi-Kashani in said last Friday on Iran’s Channel 1.

Excerpts of the sermon can by viewed at the Middle East Media Institute’s special website of television clips.

The crowd responded to the ayatollah’s threat with chants such as “Allah Akbar” [Allah is great] and “Death to America,” “Death to England” and “Death to Israel.”

At another point in the sermon, Ememi-Kashani mocked the ability of Americans to pose a threat.

“One young Iranian is worth all you [Americans],” he said. “He smiles at your weapons. Is he afraid? We hope that by the virtue of Muhammad and his household, God will give some brains to the arrogant, the enemies, and to the Zionists.”

The crowd responded: “Amen…”

worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=42708

 

[Lisa4Catholics]

Well that is not good:nope: Not good at all:crying: I guess they hate England too:nope: we need to pray for a change of heart for them.Hate is never a good thing,unless it is hatred of sin.God Bless

 

[gilliam]

We have been the great Satan to Iran’s Mullas ever since the Shaw. This should not be news to anyone.

 

[Lisa4Catholics]

gilliam:

We have been the great Satan to Iran’s Mullas ever since the Shaw. This should not be news to anyone.

Gilliam, to be honest I get more news from you and Hagia Sophia than CNN or MSNBC like this:nope: You would think by the MSM that with the exception of terrorist the rest of world was happy clappy with us(with the exception of the war of course).God Bless

 

[gilliam]

Lisa4Catholics:

Gilliam, to be honest I get more news from you and Hagia Sophia than CNN or MSNBC like this You would think by the MSM that with the exception of terrorist the rest of world was happy clappy with us(with the exception of the war of course).God Bless

But I bet you know a lot more about that Michael Jackson trial than I do.

 

[JKirkLVNV]

If it wasn’t for HagiaSophia, I’d only know what the headlines say. I’m so busy (teaching all day, then 3 hours in the evening). She’s like the person who briefs the president, with everything condensed. Thanks, Hagia!

 

[Matt25]

csmonitor.com/2005/0204/p01s04-wome.html

SANAA, YEMEN - When Judge Hamoud al-Hitar announced that he and four other Islamic scholars would challenge Yemen’s Al Qaeda prisoners to a theological contest, Western antiterrorism experts warned that this high-stakes gamble would end in disaster. Nervous as he faced five captured, yet defiant, Al Qaeda members in a Sanaa prison, Judge Hitar was inclined to agree. But banishing his doubts, the youthful cleric threw down the gauntlet, in the hope of bringing peace to his troubled homeland.

 "If you can convince us that your ideas are justified by the Koran, then we will join you in your struggle," Hitar told the militants. "But if we succeed in convincing you of our ideas, then you must agree to renounce violence."

 The prisoners eagerly agreed.

 Now, two years later, not only have those prisoners been released, but a relative peace reigns in Yemen. And the same Western experts who doubted this experiment are courting Hitar, eager to hear how his "theological dialogues" with captured Islamic militants have helped pacify this wild and mountainous country, previously seen by the US as a failed state, like Iraq and Afghanistan.

Seated amid stacks of Korans and religious texts, Hitar explains that his system is simple. He invites militants to use the Koran to justify attacks on innocent civilians and when they cannot, he shows them numerous passages commanding Muslims not to attack civilians, to respect other religions, and fight only in self-defense.

 For example, he quotes: "Whoever kills a soul, unless for a soul, or for corruption done in the land - it is as if he had slain all mankind entirely. And, whoever saves one, it is as if he had saved mankind entirely." He uses the passage to bolster his argument against bombing Western targets in Yemen - attacks he says defy the Koran. And, he says, the Koran says under no circumstances should women and children be killed.

      Hitar's belief that hardened militants trained by Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan could change their stripes was initially dismissed by US diplomats in Sanaa as dangerously naive, but the methods of the scholarly cleric have little in common with the other methods of fighting extremism. Instead of lecturing or threatening the battle-hardened militants, he listens to them.

 "An important part of the dialogue is mutual respect," says Hitar. "Along with acknowledging freedom of expression, intellect and opinion, you must listen and show interest in what the other party is saying."

 Only after winning the militants' trust does Hitar gradually begin to correct their beliefs. He says that most militants are ordinary people who have been led astray. Just as they were taught Al Qaeda's doctrines, he says, so too can they be taught more- moderate ideas. "If you study terrorism in the world, you will see that it has an intellectual theory behind it," says Hitar. "And any kind of intellectual idea can be defeated by intellect."

 The program's success surprised even Hitar. For years Yemen was synonymous with violent Islamic extremism. The ancestral homeland of Mr. bin Laden, it provided two-thirds of recruits for his Afghan camps, and was notorious for kidnappings of foreigners and the bombing of the American warship USS Cole in 2000 that killed 17 sailors. Resisting US pressure, Yemen declined to meet violence with violence.

Some freed militants were so transformed that they led the army to hidden weapons caches and offered the Yemeni security services advice on tackling Islamic militancy

 

[HagiaSophia]

JKirkLVNV:

If it wasn’t for HagiaSophia, I’d only know what the headlines say. I’m so busy (teaching all day, then 3 hours in the evening). She’s like the person who briefs the president, with everything condensed. Thanks, Hagia!

 

[HagiaSophia]

Lisa4Catholics:

Gilliam, to be honest I get more news from you and Hagia Sophia than CNN or MSNBC like this:nope: You would think by the MSM that with the exception of terrorist the rest of world was happy clappy with us(with the exception of the war of course).God Bless

 

[StJeanneDArc]

csmonitor.com/2005/0204/p01s04-wome.html

SANAA, YEMEN - When Judge Hamoud al-Hitar announced that he and four other Islamic scholars would challenge Yemen’s Al Qaeda prisoners to a theological contest, Western antiterrorism experts warned that this high-stakes gamble would end in disaster. Nervous as he faced five captured, yet defiant, Al Qaeda members in a Sanaa prison, Judge Hitar was inclined to agree. But banishing his doubts, the youthful cleric threw down the gauntlet, in the hope of bringing peace to his troubled homeland.

Well, that’s great news Matt! Hopefully this is one more step along the road to allowing free religious expression in Muslim lands. Since you know so much about Islam, perhaps you could find out if free expression of religion and evangelization by other faiths are allowed by the Koran.

 

[Lisa4Catholics]

gilliam:

But I bet you know a lot more about that Michael Jackson trial than I do.

Michael Jackson is scary to look at now, I try to avoid the news on him I just pray for him even if he didn’t do it,he has some serious issues.He used to be a handsome man,it would not be charitable of me to say what the effects of his surgeries have done God Bless

 

[Matt25]

StJeanneDArc:

Well, that’s great news Matt! Hopefully this is one more step along the road to allowing free religious expression in Muslim lands. Since you know so much about Islam, perhaps you could find out if free expression of religion and evangelization by other faiths are allowed by the Koran.

Until the advent of the internet my main source of info on the Qur’an was Jacques Jomier OP catholic-convert.com/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=81

The Bible and the Qur’an by Jacques Jomier
Introduction written by Stephen K. Ray

Available at local book stores or call Ignatius Press at: 1-800-651-1531

In the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, worldwide interest in Islam has reached an unprecedented peak. Thousands convert to Islam each year in the US alone, and sales of the Qur’an are very high.

What do Christians need to know about the Qur’an? Fr. Jacques Jomier, O.P., has written a scholarly yet readable work that details the profound differences between Christian scripture and the Islamic sacred texts, differences that are too often glossed over by the mainstream media. Topics addressed include: Islamic teaching on Jesus and Mary; the universal mission of the Muslim; Jews, Christians and Islamic law. This book is a necessity for those who wish to understand the highly charged religious elements of the current conflict in the Middle East.

“Jomier carefully presents what the Qur’an teaches about the Hebrew and Christian bible. He contrasts the essential Muslim teachings with the Jewish and Christian understandings of themselves. Jomier is both sympathetic and critical. This is an excellent text in which to understand just what Islam means when it talks of Jewish or Christian sources in the light of its own traditions.”

**—James Schall, S.J., **Georgetown University

Jacques Jomier, O.P., served for many years as a missionary in the Middle East, gaining a unique inside view of the Muslim world. He was among the first to provide commentary on modern translations of the Qur’an, contributing greatly to the study of Islam.

Perhaps you could try reading it yourself

 

[Matt25]

StJeanneDArc:

Since you know so much about Islam, perhaps you could find out if free expression of religion and evangelization by other faiths are allowed by the Koran.

In his book The Great Themes of the Qur’an Jacques Jomier OP draws attention to Surah 109 verse 6 “To you your religion, and to me my religion.” he goes on to say ~"from the time of the Hijra the Muslims increasingly stick together…they are commanded not to associate unreservedly with non-Muslims. The limits of association are ill defined.

"However this does not mean that social relations, even close ones cannot be established between Muslims and non-Muslims

" [60.8] Allah does not forbid you to be kind and to act justly to those who have neither made war on your Religion nor expelled you from your homes. Allah loves the just.

[60.9] But Allah only forbids you to be guided by those who have fought against you in your religion’s cause and expelled you from your homes or have supported others in your expulsion. Whosoever takes them as guides are harmdoers.

"The Qur’an recalls several times that the Muslims have been morally compelled to flee from Mecca because of persecution…the community did not allow itself to be victimised. It reacted as soon as it could to assert its rights. And the Qur’an says that to put pressure on a Muslim to make him lose his faith is much more serious than to kill him…

"In Mecca the Qur’an calls for them to dispute with the People of the Book (that is above all the Jews and the Christians) in the better way. Certain verses also recommend that as a general rule they choose the better means of persuasion

"Not equal are the good deed and the evil deed. Repel evil with what is better and behold he between whom and thee was enmity shall be as if he were a warm friend (Surah 41:34)

"The word better which recurs several times is explained by Jalalains commentary in the following way: repel evil by means of what is better, ‘like anger with patience, ignorance with forebearance, offence with forgiveness’.

 

[HagiaSophia]

Matt25:

"The word better which recurs several times is explained by Jalalains commentary in the following way: repel evil by means of what is better, ‘like anger with patience, ignorance with forebearance, offence with forgiveness’.

Well if you get to Mosul in the near future, or drop in at Damascus, you be sure and have a copy with you. I think some people living there haven’t read this particular book. Send a copy to the Spanish trainmaster’s union.