American Youths Find Islam

The True Message of Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ represents the common link between the two religions having the most followers on the earth today, Christianity and Islam. The following study of Jesus’ message and his person is based on this link. It is hoped that through this study, both Muslims and Christians will better understand the significance of Jesus and the importance of his message.

However, for us to accurately identify the true message of Jesus Christ, an objective point of view must be maintained throughout the course of our research. We should not allow our emotions to cloud our vision and thereby blind us from the truth. We must look at all of the issues rationally and separate the truth from falsehood—with the help of the Almighty.

When we look at the variety of false religions and deviant beliefs around the world and the zeal with which their followers uphold these beliefs, it becomes quite evident that these people are not able to find the truth because of their blind commitment to their beliefs. Their tenacious adherence is usually not based on an intellectual understanding of the teachings, but on powerful cultural and emotional influences. Because they were brought up in a particular family or society, they firmly cling to the beliefs of that society, believing that they are upholding the truth.

The only way that we may find the truth about anything is to approach it systematically and logically. First, we weigh the evidence and then we judge it by the intelligence which God has given us. In the material world, it is fundamentally intelligence that distinguishes humans from animals, which act purely on instinct. After determining what the objective truth is, we must then commit ourselves to it emotionally. Yes, there is a place for emotional commitment, but emotional commitment must come after a reasoned comprehension of the issues. Emotional commitment is essential, because it is evidence of a true understanding. When one fully and properly understands the reality of the issue, one is then mentally and spiritually prepared to vigorously uphold that reality.

-- Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips

Former Christian finds Quran fascinating

The Promise: Internet fraud and bogus ‘love-affair’

Alaf 21 Sdn. Bhd., an originally the Malay publisher powerhouse, continuing publish English fictions. The latest is The Promise. Looks like a cyber love-affair that involve a lot of money.

Are you familiar with the Internet fraud? You first receive an e-mail from an insider or alleged "official" representing a present or former foreign government or agency. The letter, while appearing transparently bogus and even ridiculous to most, is unfortunately growing in its effectiveness and reach. I always receive this kind of email at least twice a month. I just ignore them.

Based on the synopsis given by the publisher, The Promise is about this kind of fraud.

Synopsis
Adam ran into financial difficulties after his encounter with an Arab lady, Fatima on the internet. Fatima, at fi rst claimed that he could inherit a sum of USD13,000,000 from a dead Saudi Arabian businessman who had no heir. She made him believe that the deal was real.

Adam at the same time was being pressured into marriage by his parents. He thought Fatima could be the one after being dumped by his former girlfriend. Beyond his expectation, Fatima agreed to be his special on one condition; Adam must abide by her order.

Adam only discovered that Fatima actually had trapped and cheated him after a number of times transferring money overseas. He was the victim of an internet fraud and worst of all, Fatima did not really exist! So, who is Fatima?

Related: English novels from Alaf21
Personal Justice by Ramlee Awang Murshid
Jasmines the flower and Jasmine the lady

Unmasking Najib – Lim Kit Siang

No one in living memory has ever had to drag so much unnecessary baggage along with him as Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak is doing on assuming the highest political office in Malaysia. My heart naturally goes out to the unfortunate man who has had to fend off, without a break, a relentless barrage of poison-tipped arrows all aimed at his personal and public integrity.

I will not claim to know how he must feel because I would have absolutely no idea unless I was in his well-heeled shoes. And this would be most unlikely even in a million years. Under different and happier circumstances, he should be celebrating his moment of destiny, the attainment, albeit UMNO-style, of the greatest political prize of all. However, I doubt, in spite of his calm and controlled demeanour and composure that he is looking forward to the great day with even the same degree of enthusiasm that I manage to work up each morning for my breakfast.

Frankly I marvel at his ability to remain almost as unflappable (as the legendary Harold Macmillan, the British Tory prime minister of the "winds of change" fame) in such a difficult and dangerous situation.

The book is here.

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Discover Islam Download

The project of Discover Islam present "Discover Islam Web Book" to those who are seeking the truth.The most comprehensive Web Book about Islam.

The Web Book CD includes: The Holy Quran (eBook), Holy Quran Software, Recitation of Holy Quran With English Translation, Islamic audio, Islamic flash video, Islamic software, Islamic eBooks, Islamic Software, Islamic mp3, Quran recitation in mp3, Quranic Searching.

This is a very useful Web Book CD for anyone Muslims/non-Muslims who are searching for information on Islam or want to learn more about the Islam.

The web book is a convenient and easy way to gain knowledge about Islam. You can learn about Islam wherever you are - on the road, at home, in the office.

Click here to download

Najib says NO to Chin Peng, and book on Rashid Maidin

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak dismisses the possibility of the exiled former communist leader Chin Peng returning home after living in exile for almost five decades, reports Malaysiakini.

I don’t want to take side on this matter, but on personal basis, I pitied him. On the other hand, maybe that’s the price he must pay for his role during the British colonial era.

In line with this, here is one book that should be look at; The Memoirs of Rashid Maidin: From Armed Struggle to Peace.

Synopsis
“Since the 1930s, I was involved in the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) in the struggle against the British colonizers to free our homeland. Many have asked me why I chose to take this path and not another, they have also asked me about my experiences, my joys and pain and my memories. I’ve had all kinds of questions thrown at me. It is also true that I myself have wished to write down some episodes from my struggle within the CPM.

I endured the extreme bitterness of living under both the British and Japanese. I fought against the Japanese during their occupation (1941-45) with all my might, just as I did when the British returned to rule Malaya in 1945.

Between 1945-48, when I agitated peacefully against the British, I was one of the CPM’s public representatives, openly organizing the masses for independence. Soon after the declaration of the Emergency. I was caught and imprisoned in British detention camps until 1952. It was a good thing that I managed to escape and join the 10th Regiment (of the Malayan National Liberation Army) with my close friend, Abdullah C.D.

In December 1955, I participated in the Baling Talks with Chin Peng and Chen Tien. In 1989, I was one of the CPM’s representatives in the Phuket negotiations which resulted in the Haadyai Peace Accord of 2 December that same year.

I hope this memoir will give some idea of the struggle which I plunged myself into for decades.”

You can buy this book here.

Terminator Salvation series

An art form that doesn’t really get much attention these days is the feature film novelization. In this case, we have the novelization of this week’s big release: Terminator Salvation. The book takes the story featured in the McG-directed, Christian Bale-starring movie, and adds all kinds of new content and detail to it.

The story follows John Connor in the year 2018 as a soldier in the resistance who speaks out through the radio looking for more who are lost and who can help to fight the machines. As we all know, and as he quickly finds out, Connor has a lot more to do than just that when he’s made the leader of humankind’s effort to fight and survive.

The Terminator Salvation novelization is written by Alan Dean Foster, who has also written novelizations for Star Wars, Alien, and Transformers. As far as novelizations go, Foster is the cream of the crop and his long list of science fiction titles is most impressive. He manages to take a film that relies on it’s fast-paced, non-stop action sequences and turn it into a dramatic story — one in which you’d love to read even if it wasn’t based on a blockbuster popcorn flick. (Source: http://geeksofdoom.com)

Author: Alan Dean Foster
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Titan Books

I love science-fiction books and movies. I watch all terminator movies. And in my record I have five science-fiction on Star Wars series book. I already read three of them, two more to go! How about Malay language science-fiction? Read my review below. Cheers!

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Demi cinta, Tegar Patih berkelana mencari nilai kemanusiaan
Transgenesis, istimewa tetapi hilang seri dengan bahasa Melayu rendah
Sci-Fi and fantasy from Neal Stephenson
I like all Michael Crichton fictions

Hamas is not terrorist, Israel is the REAL TERRORIST!

Last week I was in Gaza. While I was there I met a group of 20 or so police officers who were undergoing a course in conflict management. They were eager to know whether foreigners felt safer since Hamas had taken over the Government? Indeed we did, we told them. Without doubt the past 18 months had seen a comparative calm on the streets of Gaza; no gunmen on the streets, no more kidnappings. They smiled with great pride and waved us goodbye.

Less than a week later all of these men were dead, killed by an Israeli rocket at a graduation ceremony. Were they “dangerous Hamas militant gunmen”? No, they were unarmed police officers, public servants killed not in a “militant training camp” but in the same police station in the middle of Gaza City that had been used by the British, the Israelis and Fatah during their periods of rule there.

This distinction is crucial because while the horrific scenes in Gaza and Israel play themselves out on our television screens, a war of words is being fought that is clouding our understanding of the realities on the ground.

Who or what is Hamas, the movement that Ehud Barak, the Israeli Defence Minister, would like to wipe out as though it were a virus? Why did it win the Palestinian elections and why does it allow rockets to be fired into Israel? The story of Hamas over the past three years reveals how the Israeli, US and UK governments’ misunderstanding of this Islamist movement has led us to the brutal and desperate situation that we are in now.
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The Bush-Blair response to the Hamas victory in 2006 is the key to today’s horror. Instead of accepting the democratically elected Government, they funded an attempt to remove it by force; training and arming groups of Fatah fighters to unseat Hamas militarily and impose a new, unelected government on the Palestinians. Further, 45 Hamas MPs are still being held in Israeli jails.

Read more here. Related: Hamas: A Beginner's Guide at Malaysiakini

Barack Obama, a good show, but no applause yet

Obama’s interview with Al Arabiya and his recent visit to Turkey highlighted the end of the polarising “Us vs Them” language and the beginning of dialogue and partnership.

“The United States is not and will never be at war with Islam,” promised Obama, despite a recent ABC/Washington Post poll showing that 48 percent of Americans hold an unfavourable opinion of Islam, the highest unfavourablity rating since 2001. Having shunned Muslim American voters like political kryptonite in his campaign, Obama now embraces them by stating: “Many other Americans have Muslims in their family, or have lived in a Muslim-majority country. I know, because I am one of them.”

Obama now invites American Muslims to become part of his “political family” with his recent appointments of several distinguished Muslims, such as Rashid Hussain, Dalia Mogahed and Eboo Patel, to influential positions in his administration.

FULL ARTICLE, HERE. (Pic: Books on Obama in Malay language)

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E-books: The end of paper?

Ask C.T. Liu about future growth engines for his company, LCD maker AU Optronics, and he whips out his Kindle e-book in lieu of an answer, reports Reuters from Taipei, Taiwan.

Strong reception for the Kindle, the brainchild of web retailer Amazon, is attracting a growing number of developers looking to tap interest in devices that let consumers read newspapers, magazines and books in a digital form that updates wirelessly and saves paper.

Sony Corp has joined the paperless wave with its own e-readers, partnering with Google to offer public domain books that are no longer protected by copyright.

Other believers in the dawn of a paperless age include Taiwan’s Netronix, which is making similar models with touch screens, and Dutch Polymer Vision, set to soon introduce a pocket e-reader with rollable displays.

Amazon.com Inc’s Kindles have proved a hit since their launch in 2007. Citigroup estimated the US online retailer sold a half-million Kindles in 2008, about one-third more than the number of iPods sold by Apple in its first year.

Some critics argue that e-books could become the victim of their own success if cellphone makers take notice and start to incorporate the newer LCD technology into their own models and include similar reading applications.

MORE HERE.

Meniti Maut and Mikhail – Watch out this two Malay novel

I believe these two books will bring new experience in Malay novel genre. Watch out folks!

Info on an Economic Hitman

Economic Hitman is “a highly paid professionals who cheat countries around the globe out of trillions of dollars. They funnel money from the World Bank, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and other foreign ‘aid’ organizations into the coffers of huge corporations and the pockets of a few wealthy families who control the planet’s natural resources.

Their tools include fraudulent financial reports, rigged elections, payoffs, extortion, sex, and murder. They play a game as old as empire, but one that has taken on new and terrifying dimensions during this time of globalization.” (Source: WantToKnow)

Who’s Badiuzzeman Said Nursi (1877-1960)?

Badiuzzam Said Nursi was born in 1877 in eastern Turkey and died in 1960 in Urfa (Turkey). During his long life, he saw the last days of the Ottoman Empire, its collapse after the First World War and the emergence of modern Turkish Republic.

He also witnessed the twenty-five years of Republican Peoples’ Party’s harsh and authoritarian rule and ten years of “Democratic” rule during which conditions became a little easier for Bediuzzam.

A remarkable child endowed with a prodigious memory, Bediuzzam completed a traditional madrasah education at the early age of fourteen and then studies physical sciences, mathematics and philosophy.

In the course of the second decade of his life, he became extremely convinced that the Turkish madrasah education was inadequate and his own interest in natural sciences led him to construct a new curriculum for the Islamic educational system. He prepared a blue print for the establishment of a university, Medrestu’z Zehra, (the Resplendent Madrasah) in the Eastern Provinces.

In 1917, he arrived in Istanbul and met Sultan Abdul Hamid. Subsequently, he received some funding for the construction of the university and its foundations were laid in 1913. But the beginning of World War I and the subsequent events made it impossible for this project to materialize.

The end of World War I and that of the Ottoman Empire culminated the first phase of Bediuzzam’s life, the period of the “Old Said”, as he would later call it. During the War, he had led the militia forces on the Caucasian Front against the invading Russians for which he was later awarded a War Medal. He was taken prisoner in March 1916 and was held in Russia for two years. In early 1918, he escaped from the prison and made his way back to Istanbul via Warsaw, Berlin and Vienna.

Read full article here. (By Muzaffar Iqbal)
Related: Database on Badiuzzaman Said Nursi

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My JIHAD, a true story

Synopsis

Aukai Collins grew up hard: abandoned, surviving in the streets and running with thugs. While serving time, he converted to Islam, and went to fight with the Muslims who were targeted for genocide in Chechnya and Bosnia.

This led him to Usama bin Laden's training camps in Afghanistan. As terrorist attacks on civilians around the world intensified, Aukai was asked to lead a mission that included hostage taking and the killing of civilians -- something he would not do.

Disillusioned by those who used Islam for their own ends or to attack innocents, Aukai offered his services to the FBI and CIA as a counter-terrorist operative, even getting close to one of the leaders of the September 11 attacks. Yet his greatest strength -- providing insight into the problems surrounding the U.S. government's fight against something it doesn't understand -- was ignored by inept members of the American intelligence community.

My Jihad is an insider's story about the greatest threat to world peace and stability in modern times, told by an unforgettable true-life warrior who has walked the walk, fought the fights, and lived to tell about it.

I read this book (My Jihad) about 3 years ago. This book takes a very good look into the true meaning of 'jihad'. It has awesome descriptions of frontline battles from the man that was there in the face of danger.

Any men (also women), especially American, should read this if they want to understand 'jihad' in its true state (something many Muslims and non-Muslims probably do not understand). The book is very entertaining and easy to read, but sometimes slows pace around many different characters and places.

First comment on Meniti Maut, a Malay novel that will rock the nation!

This comment is not mine, just copy from another blog. Read on!

After reading the novel, I can't help but smile. There was an eagerness to discuss the recently read novel with someone. Being the only one beside me in the family that has read the novel to the finish; I discussed with my mother on the novel.

Meniti Maut is finally completed from cover to cover. I received my autographed copy from my father a few days back, and finished reading it the day after. Quite an accomplishment I can say, with all other things that I have to do; I can still finish the adventure. The novel itself is a page turner. I was immersed in a world not quite different with my surrounding, and the realness of it might be one of the factors that I can't put down the novel.

Lucky I have to put it down, because I have classes to attend and food to eat.

I remembered last semester break, Abah was still struggling to finish that story. For Abah, the story was already perfect, but since the editors did not quite happy with how many pages that novel had, Abah still had to add something in. Along the way to UTP to pick up my little brother for the semester break, Abah told me the what the story is all about. True I had already known the flow, and the general idea on the story, (I also know the ending already at that time) but I can still enjoy the novel.

I do not want to make a review on Meniti Maut, since the novel is not yet out, (I might not make a review even after you already received your copy in the next KL International Book Fair, LOL) but I think it is enough to say a few sentences to describe how delicious it was.

I saw a scene where Jet Li is fighting with people inside a bar.
I saw a scene where James Bond was trudging through a crowd of tourists.
I saw a scene where a surveillance truck is parked near a bank just like the movie "The Inside Man"
I even saw a scene where Monkey D. Luffy pick up his strawhat and puts it back on his head!

However, given my limited imagination, I can state many Hollywood movies resemblances (plus one anime), but not of local movies. But the novel managed to bring local cultures to life. Also of local administration. If before we can see movies putting together their CIAs and FBIs to solve cases, the novel picture how the local administration handles critical situations we usually see in the movies (Hollywood again).

But, I was not satisfied at the ending. Because I knew it already before reading it!

~Its my pleasure not to reveal many things so that you can enjoy every page of the book!

And of course! Congratulations, Abah! For completing another marathon run! (Original entry at http://hilmannordin.blogspot.com)

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Hamas: A Beginner's Guide at Malaysiakini

The United States calls Hamas a terrorist organisation. Yet Hamas swept to victory in the 2006 Palestinian elections. Why did Hamas win? This one-stop guide to Hamas tells you everything you need to know.

The author, a leading Al-Jazeera journalist and Cambridge-based scholar, analyses Hamas's history and its agenda. This book covers all the key issues, including Hamas's attitudes to Israel and the PLO, religious beliefs, suicide bombings and its programme of grassroots social work within Palestine.

The reality of Hamas's victory means that the West will now have to engage with it more seriously if there is to be peace in the Middle East. This book provides the first essential step towards a better understanding of the challenges and surprises that the future may hod.

Khaled Hroub was born in a refugee camp in Bethlehem and is one of the foremost experts on Hamas. He is currently director of the Arab Media Project at Cambridge University and hosts a book review programme for Al-Jazeera TV. He is the author of Hamas: Political Thought and Practice and writes for major Arab newspapers and academic journals.

This book is published by The Other Press (2008) and priced at RM25.00. You can buy this book at Malaysiakini’s Kinibooks, here.

Related:
Inside Hamas: The Untold Story of the Militant Islamic Movement
Book review: Cycles of violence, US media and Palestine
Islam and the problem of Israel THE TERRORIST!
From Beirut to Jerusalem and Blind Spot
Who’s the “real” George Herbert Walker Bush?

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Book review: Cycles of violence, US media and Palestine

In a brilliant new book, Pens and Swords: How the American Mainstream Media Report the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Marda Dunsky analyzes the politics, culture and theory of coverage of the conflict in the United States.

Dunsky, a former Arab affairs reporter for The Jerusalem Post and editor at the national/foreign desk of The Chicago Tribune, examines a wide array of news reports from television and print media, focusing on the recent history of the conflict from the Camp David peace talks in the summer of 2000 to the April 2004 meeting between then US President George W. Bush and then Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

The time frame was chosen because it allows an opportunity to examine what could be a typical pattern in the conflict -- beginning with intensive negotiations between the parties, followed by an escalation of violence, and then initial efforts to renew diplomacy.

Pens and Swords argues that "mainstream reporting of the conflict itself rarely goes much beyond superficial details of failed diplomatic initiatives and intercommunal violence in the field -- leaving the American public without important contextual information about why the conflict remains so intractable."

Dunsky presents a detailed content analysis of media reports in order to demonstrate "how, time and again, the media bypass important contextual aspects of organic issues, such as the US role in the peace process, the Palestinian refugee question, and Israeli settlements."

The study is driven by the central conviction "that if Americans had a fuller contextual understanding of the key issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict via the mainstream media, they would be better equipped to challenge US Mideast policy."

Dunsky begins the analysis by examining the contradiction of the US often being portrayed as an "honest broker" in much of the reporting with the regular updates on shuttle diplomacy missions and negotiations aimed at crisis management, while in practical terms US foreign policy itself is overwhelmingly tilted toward Israel.

The US has provided more than 100 billion dollars in military and foreign aid to Israel since 1949 -- and significant diplomatic cover at the United Nations, vetoing 31 UN Security Council Resolutions critical of Israel between 1970 and 2006. However, Dunsky contends that the mainstream coverage does not account for the extent of the US bias nor does it examine how the US bias affects the trajectory of the conflict over time.

Read full article here.
Related: Islam and the problem of Israel THE TERRORIST!

Political tsunami still on course, says Lim Kit Siang – Ref Malaysiakini

The Kuala Terengganu by-election result showed that the political tsunami of the March general election last year was very much on course, said DAP Parliamentary leader, Lim Kit Siang.

"It confirms that the paradigm shift in Malaysian politics some ten months ago was no fluke but represented the in-depth political aspirations of Malaysians," said Lim who is also MP for Ipoh Timur in a statement, Sunday. (Source: Bernama)

Here I remember a book, titled “March 8, The Day Malaysia Woke Up”. The blurb reads:

March 8, 2008, Malaysians dealt a blow to the Barisan Nasional government that had held almost absolute power for 50 years by denying it the all-important two-thirds majority in Parliament and the control of five states. This book is about that historic day and the change that has come with it. It is also an expression of hope for a brighter future, with many Malaysians speaking their thoughts frankly and without fear. If you feel that March 8 was really something, this is the book to help you remember it for years to come.

Full article here, The Day Malaysia Woke Up

** You can buy the book at Malaysiakini’s Kinibooks. Click here.
Related story: TPM: Suara rakyat SUARA KERAMAT

Book newsletter highlights, January 2009 by Malaysiakini

The Politics of Hunger: When Policies and Markets Fail the Poor

"The Politics of Hunger: When Policies and Markets Fail the Poor", exposes the real issues and structural causes that initiated and aggravated the global food crisis and the continued hunger and malnutrition. The book provides an overview of the same policies: the speedy conclusion of the WTO Doha negotiations and support for corporate agriculture.

While these policies have benefited the corporations, the real losers are the small food producers i.e. the peasants, rural women, agricultural workers, indigenous people, pastoralists and the fisherfolk who continue suffer increasing hunger and poverty as well as loss of livelihoods and displacement.

Malaya's First Year at the United Nations: As Reflected in Dr Ismail's Reports Home to Tunku Abdul Rahman (Hardback edition)

Dr Ismail's writings and speeches, and his letters to the Tunku, covering a variety of foreign policy issues, are a valuable asset in understanding the unique role he played in the nation's history. He was without doubt the primary architect of Malayan (Malaysian) Foreign Policy. - Tengku Tan Sri Dato' Seri Ahmad Rithauddeen, Former Foreign Minister of Malaysia.

Not only was Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman Malaysia's first ambassador to the United States and permanent representative to the United Nations, he was also Foreign Affairs Minister in 1959-60. Later, as long-time Home Affairs Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and occasionally Acting Prime Minister, he played a decisive role in making neutrality the pillar of Malaysia's foreign policy.

This important collection of notes he wrote to the Tunku in 1958 and of his speeches made in 1957-58 at the UN are being published for the very first time. It gives us a window into his seminal thinking and makes us understand the contribution he made to Malaysian nation-building in the early years.

Tawfik Ismail and Ooi Kee Beng deserve kudos for compiling these into one volume and for providing elaborate footnoting that presents the reader with an intriguing picture of the Cold War year of 1958.

Click here: Malaysiakini’s Kinibooks book of the month.

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Islam and the problem of Israel THE TERRORIST!

The problem of Israel confronting the Muslim world today has neither precedent nor parallel in Islamic history. The Muslim world has tended to regard it as another instance of modern colonialism, or at best, a repetition of the Crusades.

The author shows how Israel is neither one of these; but that it is both and more. The book goes into the nature of Zionism, its history, what has kept it alive, Islam's verdict concerning Israel today, the question on whether a secular Palestinian state is an answer to the problem of Israel, and many other topics.

Author is Ismail Raji al-Faruqi, 130 pages and the price is RM19.00. Available at Islamic Book Trust.

Related book: Party of God: An Islamic Movement Perspective. You can buy this book at Islamic Book Trust or Malaysiakini’s Kinibooks.

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Christ in the Qur’an

What is Islam? Is Islam an ancient Arab warrior cult based on the worship of a pagan warrior god, whose headquarters lie in the rocks and stones of the Ka'ba in Mecca? Is Islam a meaningless set of strange and exotic rituals, including walking around a stone cube and throwing smaller stones on a bigger one? Is Islam a faith that calls for either conversion or conquest of all those who choose not to submit to its will?

What is Islam? Is Islam a set of dietary laws and rules of dress? Is Islam composed of archaic and restrictive guidelines that are out of touch with modern reality? Is Islam ornate houses of worship and beautifully fabricated Arabic calligraphy? Is it the printed pages of the Qur'an? Islam is none of these.

Islam is the path of return to the Creator, from whom we were separated by our sin and transgression against ourselves. It is the connection to the Divine that each soul yearns to possess and spends its entire life perusing, rightly or wrongly. It is the fuel with which the Divine spark within each one of us is lit and kindled into a raging fire, giving us comfort, warmth, and light. Islam is our guiding star by which we lead our caravan through the dark paths of the desert devoid of sunlight, and it is the cool shade from the cloud that follows us on our desert journey by day.

Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift (Bible: Matthew 5:21-24)

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart....Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; (Bible: Matthew 5:27-44).

True piety does not consist in turning your faces toward the east or the west - but truly pious is he who believes in God, and the Last Day, and the angels, and revelation, and the prophets; and spends his substance - however much he himself may cherish it - upon his near of kin, and the orphans, and the needy, and the wayfarer, and the beggars, and for the freeing of human beings from bondage; and is constant in prayer, and renders the purifying dues; and [truly pious are] they who keep their promises whenever they promise, and are patient in misfortune and hardship and in time of peril: it is they that have proved themselves true, and it is they, they who are conscious of God. (Qur’an: 2:177)

Full article here.

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*** You can buy related book, Dawn in Madinah; A Pilgrim's Passage by Muzaffar Iqbal and published by Islamic Book Trust at Malaysiakini’s Kinibooks.