When it comes to the Rev. Franklin Graham speaking at a prayer breakfast at the Pentagon, tolerance is suddenly forgotten. Graham, whose son is a Ranger serving his fourth tour of duty in Iraq to free the people and defend our right of free speech, has been un-invited to speak because of a comment he made regarding Islam that offended some Muslims.
True, he over-spoke in calling Islam evil. He later redefined his statement as referring to Muslim extremists. There are peace-loving Muslims and some of them suffer at the hands of extremist Muslims. Their counterparts in previous years when extremists went on a rage across Europe were the ones who courageously put an end to the violence and turned more to academic pursuits.
However, the extremists are finding their justification in their holy book the Koran. That justification includes killing 3,000 people on 9/11, suppressing women, filming as they cut off the heads of persons who oppose them, stuffing explosives in shoes and shorts in an attempt to kill unsuspecting non-combatants, murdering playwrights because of a production of which they disapprove, threatening comics because of an offensive portrayal, and proposing to drive Israel into the sea.
All that does sound evil.
Theo-political Muslin extremists find justification for such conduct in the Koran. Here are some examples.
* Jews and Christians who are called infidels are to be fought against until all "religion is for Allah" (2:193).
* "Let not believers (Muslims) take disbelievers as their friends ..." (3:28).
* "Don't believe anyone who is not a Muslim" (3:73).
* Non-Muslims are "evil livers" (3:110).
* "If the unbelievers do not offer you peace, kill them wherever you find them. Against them you are given a clear warrant" (4:91).
* "The disbelievers are an open enemy to you" (4:101).
* Allah gave Muhammad the one true religion and sent him to conquer all other religions (61:9).
The 109 "war verses" of the Koran give further encouragement to violence.
There are 164 Jihad verses in the Koran.
It may be such principles as these contained in the Koran that have led some to conclude that Muslim extremists are evil.
Back to being PC. As Christians, many are offended when the name of the one they call Lord is blasphemed or profaned.
Many Jews who revere the name Jehovah so much they won't spell it out and are offended every time someone says, "God da...." PC rules don't seem to apply to these two religions.
Jews and Christians are belittled and mocked in the media regularly. It is open season more so on Christians today, though Jews have suffered over the years. How about giving a little PC treatment to these groups?
Graham's organization, the Samaritan's Purse, has sent millions of dollars of goods to Muslim countries in relief efforts. Does that count? He has shown his compassion for them.
The Rev. Dr. Nelson Price is pastor emeritus of Roswell Street Baptist Church. Contact Price at nlprice@aol.com.
Follow us on Twitter!
Regarding verse 61:9,
"It is He who sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to manifest it over all religion{s}, although those who associate others with Allah dislike it."
God is saying that He sent Mohammad as a messenger to the whole world. Furthermore, God says that Islam is a "religion of truth," which will take precedence over all religions.
This statement bothers people who "associate others with Allah." ie. believe in trinity or consider anything more important than the worship of the One true God.
If you are flexible and you are a seeker of Truth, then the answer is clear. God wants people to become Muslim. I recommend Ahmadiyyat, the true Islam. (www.mta.tv)
Jesus, as I mentioned elsewhere, was intended to preach only to the Lost Tribes of Israel. My husband belongs to one of those tribes, but now he is a Muslim, because Jesus visited Pakistan after his crucifixion and taught them to be less hard and more lenient. Later, they heard about the signs of another prophet--Muhammad (pbuh)--and they accepted him because all prophets face rejection. That is the sign of their truth.
Regarding verse 2:193, the Quran online says:
"Fight them until there is no [more] fitnah and [until] worship is [acknowledged to be] for Allah . But if they cease, then there is to be no aggression except against the oppressors."
The idea of fitnah means that if Muslims were not allowed to practice their religion, Muslims would be forced to fight for that right. However, as you can see, God is telling the Muslims that as soon as the oppression stops, the Muslims must stop their aggression. Consequently, the first aggression is not on the part of the Muslims. It is some party that is not Muslim. The Muslims are defending themselves.
Re: verse 4:91, The entire verse reads:
"You will find others who wish to obtain security from you and [to] obtain security from their people. Every time they are returned to [the influence of] disbelief, they fall back into it. So if they do not withdraw from you or offer you peace or restrain their hands, then seize them and kill them wherever you overtake them. And those - We have made for you against them a clear authorization."
Clearly this passage refers to a group of hypocrites. With hypocrites, one cannot believe what they say because they say one thing and do another. God is warning Mohammad, pbuh, that these hypocrites are dangerous and God, indicated by the authoritative "We" gives His permission to stop their aggression against Mohammad, pbuh, and his party.
If God gave permission to Mohammad, pbuh, we have no say in the matter. He is our Creator and we are His creation. We follow the laws He creates.
Americans also believe in the right to bear arms because it is that fundemental right to protect oneself from harm.
There may be 164 verses about jihad in the Quran, but the Jihad of the Sword is dead. The Promised Messiah, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, announced this over one hundred years ago. This is why the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is peaceful.
There are two types of jihad left however. The inner jihad is still necessary. In this jihad, the self struggles to remain pure and good, even though Evil pursues it.
The last jihad left for Muslims is the jihad of the pen. This jihad is required to explain what the Qur'an means and what Islam truly is--peaceful.
Many Christians quote the Qur'an out of context in order to show the world that Islam is a violent religion, which it is not. Whenever the prophet Mohammad could, he showed leniency.
My job as an Ahmadi Muslim includes explaining this jihad to any extremists, who misunderstand Islam, which would result in reformation which would benefit everyone.
Unfortunately the basic problem of the misunderstanding that the non-Muslims have with regards to Islam and its holy scripture, the Quran, lies in this very fact that the readers do not clearly understand the history and background. The Quran is a scripture which was revealed over a period of 23 years and many of the verses relate to the actual situations in Arabia. Perhaps you are unaware of Islamic history. Maybe you are unaware of the fact that Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his followers were severely persecuted by the Meccans. They patiently faced these persecutions without as much as even saying any word of taunt. The Muslims never reviled the gods of the pagan Arabs. God gave permission to the Muslims to leave their homes and belongings and migrate to a different place, 200 miles away where they found refuge. This they did 12 years after the Prophet got his first revelation. Even when they came to their new safe sanctuary, the Meccans were not happy. They were bound to obliterate these Muslims and thought they could get rid of this evil religion called "Islam" which only claimed that there is only One God worthy of worship.The Meccans pursued them and waged wars against them. But in the end the Muslims were the ones who were victorious. This victory came without a war or any kind of bloodshed. Muhammad and 10,000 of his followers took Mecca peacefully and cleansed the House of God, the Ka'aba of the false gods.
Dr. Price, I urge you to read about Islamic history from the Muslim scholars and not from those who make false claims about Islam.
Regarding verse 3:110. I do not know where you got your translation of the Qur'an from, stating that "Non-Muslims are "evil livers" (3:110).
The Quran online says: You are the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allah . If only the People of the Scripture had believed, it would have been better for them. Among them are believers, but most of them are defiantly disobedient." (3:110)
My experience bears this out. Among the Christians, there are some people who try to follow the teachings of Jesus.
Unfortunately, you are criticizing God, not Muslims. If God says "most of them are defiantly disobedient" He should know. He can read the hearts of men, which we cannot do. There are many people, as you well know, who drink too much alcohol. There are others, who prefer to gamble, even though it is not good for their families. And there are others, who think that pursuing money is the only worthwhile activity in life.
I would have thought that a minister would understand that many people are beguiled by things, rather than paying proper respect to their responsibilities to the spiritual world.
Re: verse 4:101, the full verse reads: "And when you travel throughout the land, there is no blame upon you for shortening the prayer, [especially] if you fear that those who disbelieve may disrupt [or attack] you. Indeed, the disbelievers are ever to you a clear enemy."
God is telling Mohammad that the Arabs of the time might attack. They were idol worshipers and they did not appreciate Mohammad's love of the One God. They used the Hana Kaba to house 365 idols. This was their tourist trade. They made money from all the visitors. They could not envisage any thing else, such as the Muslims coming for Hajj in such great numbers that it would make the Meccans even richer than their wildest dreams. No, they feared losing their trade.
It does not refer to Christians, but you are guilty of misinterpreting the Quran by selecting part of the passage without showing the whole passage. Would you call this being a friend of the Muslims?