Suslique

That's some funny shit right there. So everyone is going to hell, but the Christians. Even the Jews, who are, by scripture, the chosen ones. But In Islam, everyone not of Islam is going to hell, at least for a while, so between the two of them, we're all going to hell. If that's the case, I'd choose Islam, as there is at least a chance that you might get out. i just want to say that i don't want to personally compare Islam to any other religion, philosophy, life style or eating habit. to each their own. i'm just trying to clear up some misconceptions and answer questions about islam that is in my ability and knowledge. 'Can a man still be brave if he's afraid?' 'That is the only time a man can be brave.' George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

Sometimes u r serious sometimes u are mocking and sarcastic, its hard to see when u want me to answer and when u r just having fun, you know?:) 'Can a man still be brave if he's afraid?' 'That is the only time a man can be brave.' George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

The concept of Hell and Heaven is not and earthy one, it is said in Quran that it is something incomparable to your life on Earth, so "burning" will not be in worldly sense of it, but it is an attempt to describe the punishment that will avait those who deserve it. You see the Hell is for those who never regretted what they did, who enjoyed sinning and harming other people. Take rapists, they are promised eternal punishment and why shouldn't they? Take Isis for that matter, they harm physically and they ruin the image of islam for so many people why shouldn't they be punished in Hell if they never regret and stop doing what they are doing? What about mass murders? They all get prison time here on Earth why would u think they should enjoy eternal serenity in afterlife? Islam makes it perfectly clear that this life is a test, its created for evaluation of ur intentions and actions for afterlife. There's is no wife beating in surah 4, even hitting with 2 fingers are considered prohibited. That ayah is about married women who basically act like prostitutes, engaging in prohibited in Islam, sexual relationships outside marriage. Even then it is said to be patient, to talk, to give her time etc. She has a right for divorce remember that. Why would anyone cheat and have affairs and not ask for divorce if they are obviously not happy with their husband is beyond my understanding. Hit her gently can be referred to pushing with 1 finger out of desperation, since the situation described in the ayah is not the most pleasant one for a husband. Hitting with 1 finger might also mean that they can't lose their patience and beat them, since beating with 1 finger is practically impossible/its harmless. You see just because some topics are too messed up doesn't mean they shouldn't be explained and discussed. I can imagine that there was a case like this one that is why the ayah was revealed. 'Can a man still be brave if he's afraid?' 'That is the only time a man can be brave.' George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

"We" is the God speaking from himself. Not because there are multiple amounts but because in Arabic both single and plural forms are used. Plural "we" used as a sign of importance, respect and high status. 'Can a man still be brave if he's afraid?' 'That is the only time a man can be brave.' George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

"I am not ironman" Whispering: "They made me wear it" 'Can a man still be brave if he's afraid?' 'That is the only time a man can be brave.' George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

You know if religious person becomes aggressive, all kinds of negative and bitter and doesn't mind his business and just arrogantly judges others that only means one thing, they are doing it wrong. In Islam we have only one chance to do right thing, and this life is way too short and is full of distractions. We are praying 5 times a day to protect ourselves from getting addicted to this world, to material stuff. You see everyone seem to focus on what Islam says about disbelievers what it says about apostasy, this that. There is no problem with disbelievers as long as they are not declaring war, or occupying our land etc when they do that it is a war and a war has its strict rules in Islam. Other than that even pagan tribes lived in the caliphate and were protected by their agreements with Muslims. As long as everyone sticks to their agreements there is no problem. There is no such a thing as forced conversions, it's all nonsense that has no basis is Islam. Actions are judged only by their intentions by God, so how can anyone be forced to pray, let say, if the intention just cannot be correct one for a prayer if one is forced to do it. Nonsense. Apostasy was considered the same way a treason is now for modern governments and as far as I know one can get a life sentence for that in certain western countries. Islamic scholars do have debates about this moment as well but it is only valid in Islamic states for muslims anyways so it's not a subject of discussion for you or any other non Muslim living in non-muslim country. And proving apostasy is a very difficult thing to do btw Not many people are interested to know about good stuff in Islam, are they?:) 'Can a man still be brave if he's afraid?' 'That is the only time a man can be brave.' George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

+ ecological catastrophe. 'Can a man still be brave if he's afraid?' 'That is the only time a man can be brave.' George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

At what point are you saying nope? The point that the non believers should be burned over and over again by the faithful? What r u talking about??? Its a description of Hell. And Hell is...umm Hell. What do you expect will be there? Counselling courses? 'Can a man still be brave if he's afraid?' 'That is the only time a man can be brave.' George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

Anyhow I believe this all comes down to how a person chooses to interpret, due to their inclinations, their environment, experiences and their nature -- just like anything else. Some take it word for word, literally (ISIS), others interpret in a good way because they are simply good people (sheikh Bawa). Judging from the fact that you are having a dialogue with non-believers, I get the idea you lean more in the direction of sheikh Bawa.

Nope Islam is not a hippie new age religion, nobody us stating this. I sure didn't. 'Can a man still be brave if he's afraid?' 'That is the only time a man can be brave.' George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

wa aleykuma salaam don't take one ayah out of the whole surah. thats what mass media does, leave it to them:) first 60 ayahs of the surah are dedicated to hypocrites, and there is a description of punishments in hereafter for hypocrites and then later you can find a description of rewards for those who are steadfast on their way. here i have found notes of a tafseer lecture that is on a bayyinah.tv (its a paid website, that has lots of islamic courses, .com is a free website and they upload podcasts when they are ready, there's no an-nisa there yet unfortunately, but here is shortened transcript). don't read one ayah, read the whole surah and you'll get the full picture of what it is talking about http://ia701200.us.archive.org/8/items/Linguisticmiracle.comTafsirNotes-Bayyinah.tvnoumanAliKhan/4-Surah-al-nisa-the_women-linguisticmiracle.pdf ( here is the main website for the rest of suras and other info, they take most of the stuff from Bayyinah.com > http://www.linguisticmiracle.com/tafsir ) when it comes to sufis, there are 70+ sects in Islam. i can't say that i know everything about everyone, to be honest i have neither time nor enthusiasm to make research on all of them. sufis are muslims (and are considered to be so by majority of scholars, no matter what the difference of opinions are), whoever thinks otherwise may want to get down from their high horses :) edited to make links clickable p.s. translation is always heavily chopped off from the original, unfortunately so tafseer is essential. i think translation by Yusuf Ali is a bit better or not, now that I'm reading it... i don't usually read in English so its hard for me to be objective :/ sorry. bayyinah's translation and tafseer are the best ones so far. 'Can a man still be brave if he's afraid?' 'That is the only time a man can be brave.' George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

i read Torah, because i studied it in Hasidic lyceum where i was two years of high school. i never read a new Testament simply because i have no problems with Christianity. i didn't "study" Torah in dept because i don't have any questions or problems regarding Judaism either. so my approach is, if you have some questions that are worrying you about Islam, you need to study Islam, not listen to muslims here or anywhere else. people are just people. of course downloading books and podcasts and listening/reading them with open mind is a MUCH more difficult task. its not for everyone 'Can a man still be brave if he's afraid?' 'That is the only time a man can be brave.' George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

It's a start, but they were not angry at ISIS for killing the pilot, they were angry at the manor for which he was killed. Your not supposed to burn them to death, just cut off their heads. http://rt.com/news/229383-kasasbeh-reaction-isis-crucify/ While they condemn the method, they condone the ideology. Until the most revered imams in the sunni mosques in Saudi Arabia start condemning the ideology, we are going to get more of the same. This is why it's important that we point the finger at them and start pressuring them to come out of the dark ages. Obama's message of "this is not Islam" gives them an excuse not to address it. I'm sorry but you have no idea what you are talking about. They didnt condemn the killing but the way he was killed??? Seriously?? People were outraged right when isis appeared and started killing PEOPLE who lived side by side for centuries. Pilot wasn't the first Muslim they killed. Its just people stopped believing that they are some kind of radical Muslims when they killed yet another Muslim. Burned him. We don't have any Vatican that takes decisions for all Muslims, there is no such a thing as "biggest" Sunni shaykhs either. We don't take shaykhs or muftis or whoever as representatives of God on Earth, no. And yes, majority of Muslims are fed up with Isis as much as everyone else. Majority of scholars condemn them and their actions regarding everyone they have killed. And yes, those scholars who speak out about Isis on regular basis get endless amount of verbal abuse and death threats from Isis fan boys on regular basis. There are others who condemn Isis but are sick of the fact that for some reason we should feel responsible of the fact that Isis exists so they don't talk about them anymore. I as a Muslim am not responsible of Isis as much as a your regular Christian is not responsible of those who bomb abortion clinics. 'Can a man still be brave if he's afraid?' 'That is the only time a man can be brave.' George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

i watched this debate a while ago, the fundamental mistake of the approach of the debate is "who represents Islam=that Islam is". there are all sort of people on Earth, you can't make up your mind about religion based on people. its the same as making up your opinion about parents based on their children. they go on and on discussing people, cultures, traditions, people then people again. if you want to know what Islam is, then you have to take a responsibility on yourself and do a proper research. to understand whether Islam is religion of peace of not you need to understand the Islam itself, not the people. reading Quran in translation is not even nearly enough, you need to know the meaning of the context, the history behind each verse, to whom those verses were addressed etc. so my advise is to first, read historical book (Martin Lings - Muhammad) and read Quran with tafseer that explains various aspects of arabic language + historical background of every surah. the best tafseer in English is made by Bayyinah university, you won't find anything more detailed. its in a podcast form and can be downloaded from their website (start from 1 verse of any surah). 'Can a man still be brave if he's afraid?' 'That is the only time a man can be brave.' George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

what does saudi drifting has to do with isis? 'Can a man still be brave if he's afraid?' 'That is the only time a man can be brave.' George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

I was thinking NASCAR. are you referring to the video? can't click it, working. whats on it? 'Can a man still be brave if he's afraid?' 'That is the only time a man can be brave.' George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

1. who funds them? a) those who are interested and benefiting from the destabilisation in that region; b) those who make money out of physical war with isis 2. is there a need for war? i don't believe so, they can be easily shut down economically. cut the funding=no isis. who wants the war=those who will get richer out of it. 'Can a man still be brave if he's afraid?' 'That is the only time a man can be brave.' George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

i spilled my tea laughing. good one 'Can a man still be brave if he's afraid?' 'That is the only time a man can be brave.' George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

thank you Wendy for your perspective 'Can a man still be brave if he's afraid?' 'That is the only time a man can be brave.' George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

Hmm. Do you honestly believe these women are forced to stay at home on account of the French laws? Or do you think it is their (or their family's) reactions to those laws? If the latter, then whose problem is this really? In France, the law says you can't wear a niqab. In SA, you are not allowed to drive if you are a woman. Which country do you prefer to live in? Are you really sure that France is no different from SA? Of course it is a democracy -- it just has some laws that are particular to its culture. One law deems the niqab incompatible with its tradition and values. That's for the sovereign state of France to decide, full stop. Just like Switzerland decided in 2010 that minarets are incompatible with its traditions. And just like Saudi Arabia decided miniskirts in public are incompatible with its values. This goes back to my point earlier. Being that France is 90% non-Muslim, discrimination is far less likely if a woman *at minimum* shows her face. In other words, be like us, be part of our society, we want you to assimilate and have a chance just like everyone else. Win/win. Hiding behind cloth and showing only your eyes neither gives people in such a society a favorable impression, nor does it give you a fair chance in making a prosperous life in such a society. Or is it that you expect that 90% non-Muslim population to change their negative perception of the niqab? If so, I don't think that's realistic. Yes, I agree that is pretty cool :-) you know i can't speak from niqabi women's perspective because i don't wear one, and i can't speak for muslims living in France since i don't live there either. and i just hate assuming things because its counterproductive :) me? i don't want to live neither in SA nor in France. since i want to drive and i wear hijab (which also banned in certain places in France). but i sure am planning to pay my visit to Makkah some day and taking silly touristy photo in front of a Eiffel tower is a must you know :) and don't get me started on french cheese... thank you for a pleasant conversation, btw. it's nice to talk to someone who holds different views yet is open minded enough to respect the opponent. 'Can a man still be brave if he's afraid?' 'That is the only time a man can be brave.' George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

I expressed how I respect your practice, especially if it's done out of faith in God. I then provided some scripture about how every man/woman should be fully persuaded in his/her own mind as to whether they choose to practice a certain custom or not. ...but then you also claim that you do it because of men. You said that it gives you a sense of empowerment and frees you from the ogles of man. IMO, that is not freedom. A more extreme example would be to say that I'm free from the dangers of the world because I keep myself locked up safe in my house as a hermit....or that I'm free from sexual immorality because I chose to become a eunuch. But whatever...rather then addressing anything that I said, you just dismiss it because of my gender....that's called bulverism - "you're only saying that because you're a man!" ...then Bill comes in and spins his typical racist/sexist twist on it - and then you offered to bring me a sandwich. It's like throwing peas at a wall. So you don't want a sandwich? That's OK 'Can a man still be brave if he's afraid?' 'That is the only time a man can be brave.' George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

The fact that a niqab is simply incompatible with western societal standards and I simply do not believe that a woman "wants" to wear a niqab, she is forced to do so by her surrounding culture and she is not free to leave that culture, that's why the government steps in to try and ensure her freedom from a oppressive culture and family environment. The government wants woman to integrate into the society they chose to live in which is again impossible by hiding your face. Precisely in the way that woman have fought to wear non modest clothes without the fear of oppression, being fondeld or raped. I'm sorry, you cannot integrate into western society by wearing a niqab, just as you can't integrate into Saudi Arabian culture while wearing a bikini. A hijab is something else, from a western standpoint it is still a sign of oppression by a male dominated society and it is very visible sign of divisiveness. Please show me the exact Sure where God stated you must wear a Hijab. I'm not talking about some Hadith or another mufti interpretation that says wearing a Hijab is a sign of modesty. If it's modesty you want, you need to wear a full niqab. Yeah, you're really a strong woman for hiding your hair from men in one the most tolerant societies on earth. Yes I am judging you through eyes of my own culture, and I believe I have every right to do so. You see, wearing a niqab or a hijab is in the eyes of my culture not a woman's choice but something forced upon them by their culture. A culture which often has a death penalty of leaving it. Why are you ignoring that argument? It's not directly about the Hijab but what it represents. It's completely fine for a woman to wear modest clothes, as long she does this on her own volition. The culture that brought about the hijab and the niqab are completely male dominated and woman are oppressed in these cultures like no other, they are killed by their own family for trying to leave... The hijab and esp. the niqab are inherent signs of this oppressive male dominated culture, you wearing them and saying you do this proudly simply states that you believe in stone age gender roles. now you see i do enjoy our conversation with masterblaster72 because he asked valid questions that are interesting to him and i try my best by answering them. but what you are writing is not a conversation, its just a bunch of baseless accusations and assumptions that you made by ignoring my previous replies and you somehow expect me to put myself in a defensive position and quote and answer all of that. i don't feel like doing that, sorry. Stumpy cheers :) 'Can a man still be brave if he's afraid?' 'That is the only time a man can be brave.' George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

It is absolutely not the same. SA forces woman to wear certain cloths in public. France only says certain clothes cannot be worn because they are detrimental to what we consider a free society. The problem is these woman are not free to decide to wear certain clothes, they are pressured into it by their culture and they not free to leave that culture. The price for wanting to leave is often ones life. There are plenty of examples of honor killings of woman who decided to live a more western oriented lifestyle, but keep telling yourself they all do it out of free will... Hell, 2 days ago a girl was shot in the head for singing in casting show. Wearing a hijab or a niqab diametrically opposes everything woman have reached for gender equality in the last 100 years and makes integration into western society impossible. You yourself say you don't want men to give unwarranted attention, are you such a weak woman that you have to hide from men because they ogle you sometimes? The step to not being allowed to leave your own house without the company of a male family member is not far from that type of thinking.... 1. In my first post I said that it is ultimately pointless in throwing links and facts to each other showing all the dirty laundry of any country. Each country has their own fair share of sceletons. I don't care neither about SA or France for that matter. But the attitude of forcing women to wear or take off certain clothes is the same. In France its €200 euro fine, in SA its something else. Who cares? The fact is that they both discriminate women's rights to wear whatever they want. [Quote]Wearing a hijab or a niqab diametrically opposes everything woman have reached for gender equality in the last 100 years and makes integration into western society impossible. Precisely how?:) that's ur personal thoughts that don't reflect a reality I wear hijab and I feel great in European society. Integration doesn't mean losing all ur identity, religion, etc. You can integrate into society no matter what clothes you wear. I studied and I'm working and enjoying my life with a hijab on. Imagine that:) I wear hijab because I believe in God's words. And yes I enjoy the fact that no one is ogling me. Id wear it even if it wasnt so because of the reason stated above. Weak? I think I'm pretty strong for doing what I'm doing. Yet again you are a man who is judging my own personal choice of a clothes. You see its an never ending story. How many men on this topic wrote "women should decide themselves what to wear and its no mans business"? Apparently it is very difficult for a man to accept the fact that some women CHOOSE to wear modest clothes. Edited because I'm sleep deprived and spaced out today, spelling, grammar etc 'Can a man still be brave if he's afraid?' 'That is the only time a man can be brave.' George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

I got the Swiss version of that, it's called a Wife. She also cleans and does the laundry, and does a great job raising the kids I so wanted to write that right when the topic was started but resisted, I'm laughing out loud :D 'Can a man still be brave if he's afraid?' 'That is the only time a man can be brave.' George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

It was very interesting listening to you describe a different culture but now you've completely gone off the deep end. SA and France are not even in slightest comparable. SA has executed 88 people since the beginning of the year for crimes ranging from apostasy to being gay to being a rape victim. Just tell me the last time France stoned a woman that was raped or whipped man within inch of his life for writing a blog. Naah, but France is the same as Saudi Arabia because they want woman to integrate into the culture they chose to live in.... I hope you will someday come live the real world.... Either you havent read all my responses on this topic or i wasnt clear enough. I was referring to an issue of women's clothes. This is what we were discussing. The approach of SA and France is absolutely identical. Precisely its I live in the world where men who sit in the government think they still can force women into clothing and even feeling certain way. Which to me is a stone age thinking no matter who that particular man is, Khomeini or Sarcozy. Leave women alone and let them decide for themselves. 'Can a man still be brave if he's afraid?' 'That is the only time a man can be brave.' George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones