| An Absurd and Dangerous Resolution The second global post 9/11 Conference on World Religions (Sep 11-14) was organized by McGill University and the Université de Montreal. Prominent attendees included the Dalai Lama (Buddhism) Tariq Ramadan (Islam) theologian Gregory Baum (Christianity) and Steven Katz (Judaism). The Montréal conference, whose theme was Peace through Religion, ended with the formal adoption of the following three resolutions: 1. Resolved that a course in World’s Religions should be taught wherever the confessional study of religion is carried out – in a seminary, or Yeshiva, or Madrasah, or Hindu Matha or Buddhist monastery – provided that it has been approved by the apex body of that religion. 2. Resolved that violating the sanctity of the scripture of any religion, amounts to violating the sanctity of the scriptures of all religions. 3. Resolved that the religions of the world should come together to formulate a Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the World’s Religions, which would embody their vision of human flourishing, and which would supplement the U.N. Declaration. The second resolution is not only absurd but dangerous. Dangerous, not only because it is a challenge to freedom of speech and expression but because it does not differentiate between benign scriptures that promote peace and love and malignancies that promote violence and hatred; absurd because it forces a religion to come to the aid of its nemesis. Muslim extremists, and Tariq Ramadan in particular, must be pleased with what they have accomplished at the Conference in getting the world's religions to sign on to the second resolution, and the impetus it gives to their campaign to get the United Nations to declare the Koran and the Prophet beyond criticism. The Koran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad more than 600 years after the death of Jesus Christ. Unlike the Bible which gives no indication of the coming of Islam, although Muslims believe that Jesus did for Muhammad what John the Baptist did for Him*, God’s Messenger knew all about the religion of the Jews and that of the Christians. Believers are required to at least attempt to memorize the entire Koran. The Koran reveals that Jesus was sent by Allah with His Message; but that he made a complete mess of it. For example, that you turned the other cheek. 2:179 In retaliation there is life for you, O people of understanding, that you may be God-fearing. Allah, tiring of sending His Message via incompetent Prophets or poor communicators, decided to send His greatest Prophet, whom He could count on to get His Message right the first time, the Prophet Muhammad. Allah, in the Koran, makes no bones about what he thinks about Christian beliefs and Christians. Jesus is not the Son of God and he did not die on the cross. Christians who claim otherwise are liars and will burn in Hell for spreading such falsehoods. Believers should not associate with them less they become contaminated. 18:1 Praise be to Allah, Who revealed the Book to His servant and did not leave in it any crookedness. 18:4 And to warn those who say: “Allah has taken a son.” 18:5 They have no knowledge thereof, nor do their fathers. What a dreadful word that comes out of their mouth! They only utter a lie. ------ 19:88 And they say: “The Compassionate has taken Himself a son,” 19:89 You have indeed made a shocking assertion, ----- 4:157 And their (sic) saying: “We have killed the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary and the Messenger of Allah.” They neither killed nor crucified him; but it was made to appear so unto them. Indeed, those who differ about him are in doubt about it. Their knowledge does not go beyond conjecture, and they did not kill him for certain; 4:158 Rather Allah raised him unto Him. Allah is Mighty and Wise. ------ 5:51 O believers, do not take the Jews and the Christians as friends; some of them are friends of each other. Whoever of you takes them as friends is surely one of them. Allah indeed does not guide the wrongdoers. If we subscribe to the absurdity that “violating the sanctity of the scripture of any religion, amounts to violating the sanctity of the scriptures of all religions” then to simply deplore the Koran’s denunciation of Christian beliefs would have to be considered an attack on Christianity. This is ridiculous! The fact that Christians would accept such a resolution is a testament to their ignorance of Islam’s core religion text; an ignorance that will be their undoing. Shared Prophets is an attempt to shed some light on the fundamental differences between Christ’s Message and that of the Prophet Muhammad. But, so far, Christian bookstores contacted prefer keeping their readership in the dark. ---------- * 61:6 And when Jesus, son of Mary, said: “O Children of Israel, I am Allah’s Messenger to you, confirming what came before me of the Torah, and announcing the news of a Messenger who will come after me, whose name is Ahmad.” Then when he (Ahmad i.e. Mohammad) brought them the clear proofs, they said: “This is manifest sorcery.”
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