A BALANCED UNDERSTANDING OF ISLAM;

A BALANCED UNDERSTANDING OF ISLAM;
A reply to those who promote understanding of Islam.
By Ahmed Simon
Surely, a better understanding of what others believe in and stand for, is a noble manifestation of a civilised society and should be encouraged, but hasn’t it got to be both ways (where Muslims try to understand non-Muslim religions as well). I refer to the call in a letter from the authorities of the Royal Oak Intermediate School, to the parents of their students, ‘

Click here to read the letter.

As you have read the letter, you will note that it basically calls for “promoting greater understanding and empathy (only) for the Muslim religion” by “fasting”.

To offer a balanced and factual understanding of Islam, here are the undeniable truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. We will first examine the religion of Islam in brevity, in relation to other religions, and then proceed to the subject of fasting.

Prophet Muhammad founded Islam. But unlike Prophets of all other religions who were inspired, directed and had dialogues with God himself, in the presence of numerous witnesses; but, the Quran in Surah 2:97 confirms that Angel Gabriel revealed the Quran to Prophet Muhammad “by Allah’s leave”. So it seems Allah’s monologues (revelations) was carried indirectly to Prophet Muhammad, without a single witness to these important monologues. These monologues received, are what is supposed to be in the Quran (Islam’s most Holy Tenet). But Prophet Muhammad was uneducated and completely illiterate (could not read or write), and with also a poor memory, unlike prophets of other religions, who were well educated. [The Question is, why didn’t Allah have a dialogue directly, (as with other prophets), instead of treating Prophet Muhammad as third rate, by going through a third party?]

The Hindu Vedas have more than 50,000 verses. The Buddhist Scriptures is more than 30,000 verses, the Taoists have more than 20,000 verses, the Bahai’s Scriptures, comprise 12,000 verses, against the Quran’s 6,241 verses (Quran is no match).

The Quran is one book, whereas the Bible comprises 66 books. The Quran has 433 pages (including List of Surah and General Index - in total), whereas the Bible is of 1,709 pages (not including pages on Foreword, Preface, List of Contents, 66 Book Covers, Map Index and Subject Index) (No match at all).

The verses in the Bible amount to a voluminous 31,173 (23,214 + 7,959) against the Quran's paltry 6,241 verses. The Quran has 114 Surah (chapters) against the Bible’s 1,189 chapters. The Bible is made up of an incredible 774,746 (593,493 + 181,253) words. (The Quran is no match at all).

In substance, the Quran states in Surah 22:52 that Allah removed Satan’s verses in the Quran. (One wonders, why was Satan’s verses in the Quran in the first place). Also in Surah 16:101 Allah confirms that he removed some of his verses and replaced them with other verses. (One wonders, why Allah had to change/improve/polish his own works), but our God, the Almighty, did not need to make improvements and corrections in his Bible, as he is the One True God, perfect the first time, and supreme. (Why couldn’t Allah get it right the first time?)

Allah confirms in Surah 2:106 – “Such of our revelations as We abrogate (cancel) or cause to be forgotten, We bring (in place) one better or the like thereof.” (Canceling verses in the Quran? Forgotten? Why did Allah make such mistakes?)

The word ‘Islam’ means to submit or surrender to Allah (Muslim's God). In surah 9:29, Muslims are commanded to kill Jews and Christians who do not submit or surrender to Allah. But the One true God Almighty only calls us to love everyone, unlike Allah. But in 9:5 Allah commands Muslims to slay (kill) all Idolaters. [But I suppose it is okay with Allah for Muslims to pray to a stone structure (Kaaba), and the black Stone embedded on its wall. (What hypocrisy?)]

Allah further says in the Quran to slay (kill) transgressors in Surah 2:191 “and religion is for Allah (only)”. The word ‘transgressors’ is as elastic as can be, and can mean anything. So how would anyone know the limits set to qualify as a transgressor (especially when there is no limits mentioned anywhere in the Quran)? How can a Muslim apply a judgment on a non-Muslim for transgression without even knowing what ‘transgression’ means (so it becomes a ‘free for all’, based on each individual perception, and authorised by the Quran/Allah)? When the school authorities call for ‘empathy’, they should first ask Muslims to empathise with the non-Muslims, who are at a loss with such ill defined, utterly unfair, all encompassing and wicked pronouncements of this Allah against them. What if the non-Muslims apply this same Surah on the Muslims? Isn’t ‘empathy’ a ‘two way street’? But we civilised non-Muslims, do not subscribe to a religion with such savage, inhuman, intolerant and evil hypothesis. (‘Allah’ is a Sanskrit word, specifically applied, from 2,500 B.C. to chant the Hindu Goddess Durga, spiritual spouse of Lord Siva).

Muslims used to face Mecca (Ka’aba) to pray initially. The Quran confirms, the direction to pray was changed from Mecca to Jerusalem (ignoring the Ka’aba). And hundreds of years later, another correction was made, to face Mecca again; all as per Surah 2:142 - 145. As God is everywhere, all non-Muslim religions are free to face in any direction to pray, and God would listen. Why try to focus on one spot on earth (Is Allah squatting there)? As the earth is round, the Muslims are actually producing a trajectory of focus, out to space. Technically, the American Muslims should look down towards their feet, through the earth, to come out on the other side of the Globe, towards Mecca. Unless you are within sight of the Kaaba, all Muslims are actually facing outer space to pray, and not Mecca. Didn’t Allah know the world is round, if he did create it? But it gets even better, when Allah confirms the earth is flat as in Surah 15:19, 78:6 & 88:20. In Surah 18:87 Allah specifically, states the sun sets into a muddy spring water on planet earth. (How the sun rises, daily, is another silly story as in Surah 18:91).

In Surah 4:7-14 Allah proclaims his Inheritance Law in painstaking detail; but the problem is, which ever way one computes, it doesn’t add up to 100% of the available inheritance (who goofed?). The Quran teaches in Surah 15:19, 21:31, 31:10, 78:7 & 88:19 that Allah threw down mountains, like pegs, to prevent the earth from shaking/wobbling. (Now, this will send Geologists & Volcanologists dumbfounded). In Surah 41:9-12, Allah confirms that he created the earth and the Heavens in two days, but in Surah 2:117 Allah confirms he created the Heavens and earth instantaneously. Allah goes further to confirm in Surah 7:54, 10:3, 11:7, & 25:59 that he took six days. But then again, Allah elaborates in Surah 41:9 to 12, to describe his creation of the Heavens and earth in 8 (2+4+2) days. (Now really, who is confused?).

A Muslim male inherits double that of a Muslim female, as stated in surah 4:11 and also a woman is only half a male witness. In surah 4:34 a Muslim husband is to whip (flog) his wife/wives to correct them, until she submits to him. There is no such gender discrimination and savagery in non-Muslim religions and every Christian is equal, in the ‘eyes of God’.

To spread Islam, Allah commands Muslims to kill unbelievers “in the name of Allah”, as in Surah 4:74. In the Bible, God tells us to love one another, and to show others by example.

In substance, the Quran has no Prophecy, no Miracles, no History, no Geography, no Chronology, no sequence, no Parables, no Biography of anyone, just a relatively small book of jumbled up verses of general do’s and don’t.

Islam is a complete miss-match with any other religion and in any standard, whichever way you look at it. These are undeniable facts.

(There are many more, contradictions, errors, stupidity, hatred, absurdity, violence, gender bias, savagery, intolerance, evil, in the Quran, that to associate it with God is blasphemy).

Now let’s go to the subject of fasting. Generally, all religions do practise fasting. The logic is to experience the suffering of the starving/poor; and also to share the sacrificed food/money with the starving/poor. But how does anyone fasting, ever understand a religion better, as claimed by the R.O. I. School authorities, really baffles me?

In Islam, over a 28 day period, fasting is practiced during daylight hours only (for about 12 hours), and the Muslims eat 3 to 5 very heavy meals, every 3 hours or so, over the hours of darkness, every night (when Allah can’t see?) to more than replace the missed food during the daylight hours. But by fasting during the day and over-eating (stuffing) in the night, the Muslims are actually spending more money and consuming more food than usual, in 24 hours; and no honest sacrifice is made, for the starving/poor. Later, they hypocritically come out with even more money/food pretending to share with the poor, what was never really sacrificed. Except for the first 2 days, conditioning your body to adapt to the consumption of food at night, instead of the day, (for example, night shift workers) defeats the very logical purpose of fasting and God knows no real sacrifice was made for the starving/poor, and the Muslims are cheating. This is another falsehood of Islam.

Haven’t the non-Muslims shown genuine empathy to the Muslims, by providing shelter and sustenance in their own numerous countries worldwide, when these Muslims came fleeing from persecution from their own Muslim comrades? In reply, to our kindness and generosity, the Muslims killed thousands of innocent non-Muslim men, women and children, in Bali, the Philippines, Jakarta, Xinjiang, Kashmir, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Sudan, Istanbul, Morocco, Algeria, Kenya, Chad, Niger, Chechnya, New York, Washington, (President Bush said in UK, “These are not dreams, but the reality”). Everyone knows the discrimination, abuse, sufferings, maiming, killings, etc inflicted on the non-Muslims by the Muslims, worldwide. No empathy was, and is shown by the Muslims for the non-Muslims. In fact, it has been shown on TV, the Muslims rejoice when non-Muslims are blown into unrecognisable bits and pieces.

In reality; we are already aware, of every Muslim terrorist group being led by a religious leader, well versed in the Quran. We are also aware of innocent-looking Muslims (around us) funded these terrorists for terror. You can’t take the Quran from a Muslim; but he will discard the Quran, on his own, if he becomes a non-Muslim. (I am an example of that).

Where did the Muslim ‘understanding’ go to (or do they have any conscience at all, through their Islamic nurturing), for the non-Muslims? Now, honestly, who needs ‘understanding and empathy’ against all this savagery, intolerance and evil?