| Archives Islam - News and Commentaries 2012 Feb 15 - In May 2008, Ian McEwan wrote in The Guardian that Ahmadinejad reportedly told his cabinet that he expected to receive the Mahdi in 2010. "His re-emergence will signify the beginning of the end days." The pressing question is: when does Ahmadinejad now expect to meet with the Mahdi? Iran pageJan 30 - To get an appreciation of Allah and His Messenger's attitude towards women, I invite you to click on the following links and gain additional insight into why, for Mohammad Shafia, his daughters, and the woman who loved them like a mother, had to die less he be denied Paradise. A Divine Bias, Who Gets What, God's Will, The Perfect Wife, The Lost Verses. Does the Sharia encourage honour killings? Farzana Hassan: Intolerance and the Religious Right 2011 Dec 28 - What will happen to the beaches of Egypt seems to be a concern of many visitors to Boreal, judging from the increase in interest in Going Swimming Fully Clothed. Dec 16 - Peace In Our Time Nov 5 - Northeast Nigeria targeted in wave of radical sect attacks, officials say. More than 100 dead ... The radical sect is of course Boko Haram which means literally “non-Islamic education is a sin”. The founder of Boko Haram, cleric Mohammed Yusuf, in a 2009 BBC interview admitted that he does not believed the earth is a sphere. The founder and deceased leader of Boko Haram is on solid flat theological ground when he states the earth is level. Read Alexander the Great and a Flat Earth, which relates what Allah and His Messenger had to say about the shape of our planet to understand why. An Islamic education as envisioned by radical groups like Boko Haram means teaching that the earth is flat. Oct 25 - The Ties That Bind Afghanistan would support Pakistan in war with U.S., Karzai says Globe and Mail, October 23, 2011 There are no stronger bonds than those that bind co-religionists. Not even family: 9:23 O believers, do not take your fathers and brothers as friends, if they prefer disbelief to belief. Those who take them as friends are the wrongdoers. 5:55 Your only friends are Allah, His Messenger and those who believe, performing the prayer and giving the alms, while they bow down. Oct 23 - Saudi Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, the likely successor to the ailing 87 year old King Abdullah died on Saturday, October 22. He was 80. The succession rules that ensure that old men are always in charge in the Saudi Kingdom (read Progress in Riyadh, Business as Usual in Rome) mean that, just like in the Catholic Church, change comes slowly, if at all. But at least in the Kingdom, signs are pointing to a gradual recognition of women’s rights. Meanwhile, the ruling gerontology at the Vatican remains stuck in the 12th century when the abuse of children began in earnest after the Church, which wanted the wealth that children and spouses of married priests inherited, decreed they had to remain celibate. Oct 22 - A fan, after reading the Battle of Badr, praised the inspired leadership of the Prophet (or should I say Allah). She referred specifically to verse 8:16 where Allah grants the Muslims the right to make their own decision during the battle as to where, and with whom they are going to stand and fight. Oct 19 - For why Allah challenged the Jews to wish for death if they were truthful, and why they did not take up the challenge, click here. Oct 13 - Homosexuality - Crime and Punishment They would have killed Bob and whipped her, the woman who loved women and the intimacy of igloos on cold Arctic nights. Oct 9 - Men and Perfumes and why you cannot be both a believer and a vegetarian. Controversial Islamic centre opens its doors near NYC’s ground zero Globe and Mail, Sep 22, 2011 Remembering Sept 11, 2001 Amr-ben-al Hadra’mi was the first person killed in the name of Allah. Almost fifteen hundred years after his murder and after millions, perhaps tens of million have died resisting a conquering religion which will not take no for an answer, we remember the almost 3,000 innocent men, women and children whose life was brutally extinguished ten years ago. The people who indiscriminately slaughter the innocent by the score believe they are following orders from their god to rid the world of unbelievers, to cleanse His Creation of those who would “debar people from Allah’s Way” [2:217]. The more reason for a dialogue on the Koran before millions more have to die! --------------------------------- The religions of the world are falling over each other to be friends with the religion that brought us 9/11. An Absurd and Dangerous Resolution is more proof that terrorism works It got you respect during the time of the Prophet (read Jews of Medina) and continues to impress. June 27 - Something for those who see no harm in establishing Sharia tribunals to deal with financial and family matters to consider (see also Lady Cox’s Gambit). June 25 - Clues to Prime Minister Harper's stand on global warming and Israel. The Koran and Freedom of Expression Is the Koran a sacrosanct publication deserving of a blanket exception to a human right to express a disagreement in as confrontational a manner as was done by a pastor at a small Florida church? Pain, Pleasure and Prejudice can help answer that question. Book Burners and Murderers “[We are] condemning book-burning while overlooking murder” wrote David Warren in response to General Petraeus and other’s one-sided condemnation of Terry Jones for burning a copy of the Koran. The General’s condemnation of the book burner and not the murderers is not unlike what the police did following the assault on television personality Johnny MacDonald in the sequel to The Fractured Nation Interviews. Yes, I will return to Remembering Uzza as soon as I figure out how many men, women and children must die for her boldness. I may have to consult a religious expert. 2010 Dec 30 - A happy, safe and prosperous New Year As we celebrate the end, and the beginning of the Julian year, a reminder that measuring the length of a year based on the time it takes the earth to complete a full orbit of its sun does not have the Koran's approval. When it comes to measuring the macro passage of time, Allah is somewhat old-fashion. If His calendar, with its 354 days year was good enough for Stone Age man, then it should be good enough for us. Dec 24 - Merry Christmas It's that time of year again, time for The Two Marys and exceptionally, the Koran's Jesus. Allah's antipathy towards those who say Jesus is the Son Of God, on display for all to see in the sample of verses in Jesus and Enemies Old and New, means that in increasingly large parts of the world, the celebration of His birth must be extremely circumspect so as to avoid a time of joy becoming a time of sorrow. Dec 14 - Where did Sweden's first suicide bomber become radicalized? In England, it would seem, and it may have something to do with the British school system (see November 24, 2010 entry). British prisons may also be contributing to a potential U.K. based suicide bomber explosion (pun intended). Why the country which defeated Hitler continues to manufacture facsimiles after "the London bombings" may be the result of a timid Chamberlain-like response aimed at appeasing those who would commit such a horrible merciless act of violence against ordinary people going about their business: I understand your caution about not taking anything for granted. As you explained, “With the new race and religious hate laws coming through” after the London bombings “it could be considered illegal if Pain, Pleasure and Prejudice is deemed an attack on a person’s religious belief.” Letter to a Publisher. Dec 7 - "In retaliation there is life for you..." Sohrab on the execution of Shahla Jahed Nov 24 - Kuffar (Arabic word for unbelievers, now mainly used as a derogatory term for Christians and Jews) “Allah has warned us in the Koran, do not befriend the kuffar, do not align yourself with the kuffar; the verses are so many and so numerous I can’t recite every one of them.” From an exhortation made to students from a British madrassa by Abu Yusuf Riyadh-ul-Haq, an Islamic scholar based in the United Kingdom, not to associate with Christians and Jews. (BBC documentary, British Schools, Islamic Rules) For many of the verses forbidding Muslims from associating with Jews and Christians, so many that even a scholar of Riyadh-ul-Haq's stature has difficulty keeping track, please read Can We Be Friends? and consider the need for a dialogue on the Koran. Nov 18 - "BRITISH SOLDIERS BURN IN HELL!" Another reason for a dialogue on the Koran. Sep 11 - PPP in the blogosphere Blogger 1: I recommend that all, especially… read Pain, Pleasure and Prejudice, A Complete Layman’s Guide to the Koran by Bernard Payeur. Blogger 2 to Blogger 1: Stop reading books about the Qur'an by racist and ignorant westerners. Blogger 1 to Blogger 2: All source material he used for his book was 100% approved by Al Azhar 'university'. The Imams there sent back full endorsements on the translations he used and other source material. The first chapter is pure explanation of the source material and methods used. In the West, we call this 'academic research'... Why do people who should know better still refer to Islam as a race? Then again, a character which I created did the same thing, but Maude had a point. Bernard P. Sep 8 - The Media and the Koran Did Terry Jones' threat to burn the Koran increased interest in our Layman's Guide? The short answer is no, and it may be because non-Muslims trust the Western and Islamic media’s somewhat misleading message that the Koran is all about love, understanding and getting along. Therefore, they see no point in becoming more familiar with Islam’s core religious text (a book that is difficult to read but easy to understand), when you have already been told what it contains. Aug 15 - The Mosque Near Ground Zero July 14 - Women in peril Western 'propaganda' won't stop woman's execution by stoning, Iranian official says Globe and Mail, July 12 An unassailable precedent for stoning females to death and how it was done in the Prophet's time. | May 30 - Friend or Foe For believers who have difficulty differentiating between friend and foe and deciding with whom they can be friends more visits to the local mosque may be in order. May 9 - It must be heaven It must be depressing for many Muslim men who aspire to more than a hedonistic lifestyle when they die to know that, in the end, the best that Allah’s afterlife has to offer is permanent erections and non-stop, assembly-line sex with perpetual virgins and sexually adept houris. For Muslim women it must be doubly disappointing since, for them, Paradise will be very much a reflection of the life of Saudi Arabian women in the here-and-now. In any event, believing women should be less concerned about what life will be like in heaven and more concerned about what life will be like in Hell for that is where most of them will be spending eternity according to the Prophet. April 9 - Dying to get into Paradise "Female suicide bombers kill dozens in suicide blasts on Moscow subway "Globe and Mail, March 29, 2010 "[Female] Suicide bomber kills 46 in Baghdad" Globe and Mail, Feb. 01, 2010 Paradise for females is not that much different from the daily existence of the vast majority of women of Saudi Arabia. I hope the girls and women who kill and die for a better life in heaven are not disappointed. March 22 - Reality check at the Globe and Mail! Headline in the Globe and Mail: Quebec's view on niqab creates fault line: English-speaking Canada assails province's opposition to headwear. Globe and Mail online poll: Do you support Quebec's movement to expel the niqab from much of civic life, which some in English Canada have called pure intolerance? Official results: Yes: 79.5% (12,410 votes) No: 20.5% (3,216 votes) March 21 - Two views on wife beatings What Plato had to say about beating your wife: “Need I waste time in speaking of the art of weaving, and the management of pancakes and preserves, in which womankind does really appear to be great, and in which for her to be beaten by a man is of all things the most absurd?” The Republic What Allah had to say: 4:34 Men are in charge of women, because Allah has made some of them excel the others, and because they spend some of their wealth. Hence righteous women are obedient, guarding the unseen which Allah has guarded. And those of them that you fear might rebel, admonish them and abandon them in their beds and beat them. Should they obey you, do not seek a way of harming them; for Allah is Sublime and Great! March 13 - Food for thought for the non-discriminating freedom-fighter Many English newspaper columnists have condemned the Québec government for expelling a female immigrant from Egypt who insisted on wearing the niqab during language class and who refused to participate in standard language exercises because three of the twenty students were male. Naomi Lakritz in the Calgary Herald wrote “What part of the word ‘freedom' does Quebec not understand?” In the interest of promoting better understanding of the other solitude, I invite Ms. Lakritz and other non-discriminating freedom-fighters to read Why Québec Will Survive. 2009 October 12 - A Prophet for Our Times??? A crusade for compassionis is how The Ottawa Citizen, described Karen Armstrong's visit to Ottawa to promote her book Muhammad - A Prophet for Our Times (HarperCollins, 2006) not forgetting to mention that the former nun is quite famous in some “Muslim-dominant countries (sic).” Anyone who has read Ms. Armstrong’s panegyric to the founder of Islam, understands why she is famous in some “Muslim-dominant countries (sic).” It is evident that the former Roman Catholic nun has found a new hero. In Islam – A Short History (Random House, 2002), she justifies Islam’s wars of expansion as defensive wars in spite of the Prophet’s ultimatum to the rulers of the kingdoms bordering the Arab peninsula to convert or else. The ultimatum he sent to the governor of Egypt has survived and is preserved under glass in the Holy Treasury of the old Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. In the same book, she writes that the Prophet was justified in ordering the beheading of the seven hundred men and boys of the Qurayzah Jewish tribe of Medina and the selling of the men’s wives and daughters into slavery during the war between Pagan Mecca and Muslim Medina because he did not trust the Jews to remain neutral. Conveniently forgetting to mention that he ordered this cold-blooded murder after the Meccans had lifted the siege of Medina and returned to Mecca never to threatened Medina again. Karen Armstrong’s undue deference towards Islam and the Prophet Muhammad and her one-sided accusation that "This [the West] is not a compassionate society” makes her an unlikely and biased crusader for compassion. September 20 - Men and Women in a Nutshell “Women are told: The future of society is in your hands, so listen to the men. The men hear: The future of society is in your hands, so make sure the women listen to you.” Brian Murphy. The Root of Wild Madder: Chasing the History, Mystery, and Lore of the Persian Carpet. (Simon & Shuster, 2005) The Root of Wild Madder, a gift from Sohrab, is so much more than a story about Persian carpets, Sohrab’s passion and livelihood. Murphy’s short detour into Afghanistan, for example, looking for the weavers who still use the root of the wild madder (scientific name Rubia) as a dyestuff for carpets is as much a story about carpets as it is about Afghan society. August 18 - Teaching the Koran in a Church "St. Paul's United Church in Perth is in an uproar after its two ministers were let go, including one who held seminars on Islam with her Muslim husband.” Ottawa, Citizen, August 15, 2009. No self-respecting imam would preach Christianity to Muslims and the same must be said of a Christian minister teaching Islam to Christians. A Christian minister facilitating the teaching of the Koran to a Christian Congregation is particularly inappropriate. While the Koran does borrow extensively from the Old Testament it is, in large part, a wholesale repudiation of the New Testament, the most noteworthy being its unremitting denunciation of Jesus as being the Son of God, and Jesus’ message about loving your enemy and turning the other cheek. February 21 - Dogmatic Distress Syndrome The Transport Committee's decision to allow quotes from God to be displayed on Ottawa city buses but not rebuttals from ordinary citizens questioning the divine origins of the quotations may just be Ottawa City Council's way of sparing ratepayers dogmatic distress. In the post-breakup Canada of The Fractured Nation Interviews, Dogmatic Distress Syndrome or DDS is a recognized psychological affliction which, if left untreated, can have unfortunate and long-lasting consequences. A Bad Case of Dogmatic Distress, a timely snippet of dialogue from Remembering Uzzah the sequel to The Interviews (remember, this is a work in progress). 2008 Nov 17 - Teenage Girls Doused With Acid November 17, 2008 - "Kandahar: Afghan girl, 18, blinded in acid attack -- A girl was blinded yesterday morning when six teenage girls were doused with acid on their way to school [by men on motorcycles]. In hospital, the girl shook with pain when medicine was dripped into her eyes in a vain attempt to save her sight..." Ottawa Citizen, November 13, 2008. Can we leave Afghanistan before men who would do such a thing have been defeated? Nonsense "Out with the crucifix. In with the hijab." Jeff Heinrich, of The Montreal Gazette commenting on the Bouchard-Taylor commission report on the accommodation of immigrants. "Out with the crucifix. In with the hijab." That is what you get when you mix Cartesian logic (Bouchard) and common sense (Taylor): nonsense. 2007 December 14 -Women as Flowers Some have called for the outspoken Egyptian Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni's head for suggesting that a women’s hair, like beautiful flowers, makes the world a more attractive place and should not be covered by what he calls "a symbol of backwardness." Dec 13 -Another Victim Of Unthinking Tolerance On Monday 16 year-old Aqsa Parvez became another victim of Canada’s unthinking tolerance of religious oppression of women. She was strangled to death by her father for refusing to wear a headscarf. Tarek Fatah of the Muslim Canadian Congress blames religious leaders and their feminists accomplice who see the hijab as empowering women. "I put the blame straight at the feet of people who have made young Muslim girls feel that they are sinners if they don't cover their heads," he said. "How many more Muslim girls have to die before the liberal intelligentsia wakes up and the feminists wake up and say the hijab is a symbol of oppression?" (Globe and Mail, December 12, 2007) Oct 31 - Happy Birthday Sohrab and Thanks Thanks for helping me understand the rhythm and rhyme of the Koran. Thanks for a believer's insight into Islam’s sacred text and the life and times of the Prophet as I was writing Pain, Pleasure and Prejudice. Thanks for Days of Pain and Madness and the message that you must never lose hope. But above of all, thanks for your friendship. Enjoy the pistachios. Bernard Sep 18 - The Quebec By-Elections and Hallow's Eve
According to Le Journal de Montréal, more than 30 people – all non-Muslims – showed up to vote in three Quebec by-elections on Monday wearing a disguise to protest Election Canada's decision that you did not have to show your face to vote. One was a wheel-chair-bound protester wearing a ski-mask; another, a woman in a wolf disguise. The man wearing the ski-mask was allowed to vote after a bit of a struggle (after the media showed up) without showing his face, the wolf-woman's protest was judged frivolous and she was not shown the same courtesy.
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