From: “Aisha Sultana” <aishas2@juno.com>
To: <hraic@hraic.org>
Subject: Site
Date: Sunday, July 14, 2002 7:28 AM
Staff,
I have
visited your site at hraic.org. I am
not sure what exactly are you trying to focus you goals. From reading your articles it seems to me
that you do not have any idea what the religion of Islam is. The word “Islam” is an Arabic word and it
means ‘Peace’. Peace is the hallmark of our religion. It is one of the three
major Abrahamic religions-Judiasim, Christianity & Islam. The basic doctrines of these religions have
been the same. Judiasim and Christianity has been taloired and bent by many of
their own followers who wanted to frame the religion in their own ways. Islam is the only religion that has stood
the test of time and will always will.
It is the only religion that has upgraded the human status, gave women
the right to own property, education, divorce 1400 years ago. When you talk about human rights you can’t
be talking without taking the Islamic perspective.
The
religion of Islam believes in the EQUALITY of all mankind. There is no forceful
conversion, no slaugthering , or battering of any kind. The last prophet of Islam, Prophet Muhammad
(May Peace and Blessings of God be upon him) came to redeem humanity from the
clutches of slavery and to transform the individual and community life. He stood up single handed to change the
entire world to make it a peaceful place. He is a prophet for people of all
religions, castes, color, and orientation.
He is the only Savior of Humanity.
I think before you publish any more coments on this great man, I strongly urge your staff to educate
themselves in the religion of Islam and the greatest achievements of the
Prophet.
In one
of your articles, I came across Islam being equalled to terrorism. It is not the case. Terrorism have always
been there since the history of human existence. You can always look up in the
history about instances of genocide and inhumane killings. Hitler was a terrorist, so was Milsoveic in
the Serbian armed forces. Certain groups in India are also terrorist in killing
thousands of innocent lives, American teenagers are terrorist for the crimes
and murders they commit. If you into the Palestinian issues, the Israels are
terrorist too. You can’t be labelling a religion just because some of it
followers have disgressed and taken upon a path out of desparation. The palestianins have been killed in their
own land for decades and being engulfed by poverty they have no means of
acquiring any ammunition to fight against opressors. If they take up the task of suicide bombing then it shows the
desparation of the people for the sake of independence. This is not the right way to do it but when
is burdened by one misery over another they would take on a certain route to
get rid of it.
I don’t
want to extend my email to beyond what you can read. My point is that you can’t
be just getting up and speaking or defaming a religion when you have no idea
what its doctrines and principles
contain it.
thanks
aisha
Hello Aisha,
No wonder you love Prophet Muhammad with the name of his favorite wife. I don't want to hurt your feelings but you seem to have learnt about Islam from children's books or other sanitized sources.
Islam means “surrender” in Arabic and if you think “peace is the hallmark” of Islam then you should study the history of Muhammad at Medina. How do you think Islam was spread if not by the sword? It was only in South East Asia that Muslim traders and Sufis brought Islam but Iran, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, North Africa, Spain, Turkey, India, Afghanistan, the Balkans …were all invaded.
The Abrahamic religions – Yes Muhammad was in contact with the Jews of Mecca and borrowed some of their prophets from the Jews but the stories are rather sketchy compared with the originals. Also he borrowed from Christians but of the heretical sects present in Arabia and Syria and that is why there are different accounts in the Qur’an and Bible. I am not a Jew but the verses of the Torah over 2000 years old found in the Dead Sea Scrolls are the same as what are in the Torah today. It is the Qur’an which may have been changed in the time of third Caliph Uthman, who called in and destroyed all the original copies of the Qur’an and published his own version.
The Arabs of Jahiliya have been maligned by the Muslims. You undoubtedly know that Muhammad’s first wife was a rich widow named Khadijah. This was before Islam and how come she was a rich widow if women were not allowed to own property and inherit before then? It is Qur’anic inheritance which is inequitable – a son receives twice as much as his sister, and a widow only receives one-eighth if there are children.
You mention divorce – it is the man who can have an easy divorce with a triple talaq.- just by saying I divorce you! A few Muslim states now have easier divorce for wives but that is no thanks to Islam.
“Muhammad came to redeem humanity from the clutches of slavery”. Well it is true that he freed Zayd and treated him like a son but the Qur’an and Hadith treat slavery as normal. Arab slave traders supplied the world for centuries and a Negro slave today costs $50 in Islamic Sudan. Saudi Arabia had slavery until recently and it was the United Nations that put an end to it, in 1967 if my memory is correct.
Terrorism! I think you should again study the early history of Islam. Re the Israelis: they are far too hardline in retaliating. They believe the same as you – an “eye for an eye”, etc. but at least they do not deliberately target women and children as do Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade.
Forcing people out of their lands! There used to be Jews and Christians living in Arabia but Muhammad and his successors forced them out. More recently the Turks killed millions of Armenians and Greeks in what had been their lands for thousands of years. That was genocide.
“Some of its followers have digressed” – We do not quote human rights abuses by Muslims unless they are religiously motivated. As you will agree not everybody is an angel but when the Qur’an and Hadith stipulate war and killing then we do call them “Islamic”. For example the Turks spared the lives of those Armenians who converted to Islam so the killings weren’t just ethnic but for your religion.
The Christians have done some terrible things in the name of Christianity but the Crusades and the Inquisition were a long time ago, and the Serbs have long memories of what was done to them by Muslim Albanians. The last heretic, Giordano Bruno, was burnt to death by the Christians in 1600. Blasphemers and apostates are still being killed in some Islamic countries today. Hundreds of Shia and Sunni are assassinated each year in Pakistan for Islamic reasons.
I could go on.
Bob Burns, Grad. Dip. Islamic Studies