A recent email exchange with a Pakistani
Since my article, Islam: The enemy of democracy and freedom appeared on FaithFreedom.org, I have been locked in an exchange with a Muslim from Pakistan. We'll call him Abdullah. He asks me why I am against Islam! I should like to share my last two emails to him with you. You can guess what is being discussed from the emails.
The exchange between us pulls no punches...
Dear Mr. Abdullah,
Thank you for your email, received this morning.
You accuse me of being biassed. Mr. Fayyaz, I can assure you that I am NOT. I can understand why you think I might be, because you have been raised in an Islamic country. Islam is your religion, and children in your country are raised to believe that Islam is the perfection of religion for man for all time. Islam is believed by Muslims to be 'ad din al kamal'. Well, that's an opinion; and it's your opinion, no doubt. We Christians, naturally, do not subscribe to this view. How could we? We would have to convert to Islam were we to believe that.
Can you assure me that you are not biassed? I have yet to meet a Muslim who isn't! After all is said and done, isn't this one of the reasons why Muslims believe in the jihad, or holy war, in a constant struggle to bring Islam to all parts of the non-Islamized world? To Dar ul Harb? To the lands of the 'Kuffar'?
You say that poverty, illiteracy and ignorance are the root causes of all the violence perpetrated by Muslims throughout the world. I disagree. And strongly! The jihad is the root cause of all the violence. You can hardly suggest that Osama bin Laden is poor, illiterate or ignorant, can you? On the contrary, he is an extremely rich man, and he is using his riches to wreak havoc everywhere in the world!
Moreover, it is Wahhabi ideology which is causing much of the trouble. Wahhabi ideology, as you know, is not only puritanical, but expansive in its aims, too. There are very many Wahhabis, especially in Saudi Arabia, who are neither poor, nor illiterate, nor ignorant.
You say that you are a Pakistani Muslim, and that you do not have anything against anybody of any religion. I am so glad to learn that. I also believe you. However, the same cannot be said for many of your countrymen. Look at how Christians are being persecuted in your country. Churches are often burned down, and Christians are killed in the name of Islam.
I do not absolve the West of all responsibility. As you rightly say, Westerners also have to shoulder some of the blame. But not for terrorism! If the West is to blame for anything, then it is to blame for allowing - out of ignorance of the nature of the faith - Islam to grow in the West. It has allowed the darkness of Islam to penetrate our more enlightened countries. This is indeed reprehensible.
You say that whatever is happening around the world is due to politics. I agree with you. But you do realize that it is the politics of Islam which has to shoulder the lion's share of the blame. And, as you know, Islam understands no separation of politics and religion; so, wherever there are Muslims, Islamic politics comes into play. This is the sad part.
With many thanks for your thoughts.
Kind regards,
Mark Alexander
A New Dark Age Is Dawning
Then there was this email this morning:
Dear Mr. Abdullah,
For your information, I have lived in the Middle East for MANY years. I KNOW what the REAL Islam is: It's harsh and brutal, fanatical and hypocritical, loveless and merciless! Witness the beheadings, the stonings to death, and the amputations.
You say the vast majority of Muslims have nothing against Christianity. Then why do they continue to call us infidels in such a derogatory way? That word is a disgusting word, since it has all kinds of overtones and connotations for Muslims. It means also that non-believers are unclean! It is an insult indeed!
Further, why do your moderate brothers and sisters not speak up against the atrocities such as the beheadings of 'infidels' committed in the name of your faith? Personally, I should be ashamed to call myself a Muslim right now! No right thinking, reasonable person could ever feel comfortable as a Muslim today with all these disgusting crimes being committed in its name!
Your people go out onto the streets to demonstrate against the cartoons because their 'feelings have been hurt'. So what? What about our feelings being hurt when you call us disgusting names? What about the feelings of the families being hurt when Muslims kill and maim innocent people in their bombings? Do you see Westerners out on the streets demonstrating? No! We have a more mature outlook! And why don't Muslims go out onto the streets to demonstrate against the beheadings and suicide bombings committed in the name of Islam?
Be sure of this: If Islam were ever to rule the world, the world would be plunged into DARKNESS! A pall has already come over the world because of your faith. Your faith is joyless and bloody and cruel!
If you wish to practise a faith, then may I suggest that you find another one? Perhaps you could find the love of Jesus. Accept Him as your Saviour and Redeemer. After all, Jesus brought only love into the world. He was no warrior, no politician, and no marauder. He came to save our souls. What did Muhammad come for?
If Muslims started living like reasonable people, then others would start treating them in a reasonable manner. Sadly, Islam doesn't allow for this. To Muslims, it is far more important to spread the word and Islamize the world.
One can only fear for the future peace and security of this world!
May you find the love of Jesus!
Sincerely,
Mark Alexander
Author: The Dawning of a New Dark Age
A New Dark Age Is Dawning
Book in Focus 1
Book in Focus 2
Book in Focus 3
7 comments:
This is all good, and for the good, but where are his email's, did I miss them somewhere?
Papa Ray
West Texas
USA
Papa Ray:
No, you haven't missed them anywhere. I have not posted them, because I do not have his permission to do so. I also doubt that he would give me that permission.
But I believe that you can get a good idea of the drift of his emails even from my replies.
I have also hidden the man's identity. It wouldn't be right for me to show his real name, as I am sure you well appreciate.
Thank you JudahQ! I simply couldn't let his comments pass by, because he was either not well-informed about his own religion, or else he was trying to pull the wool over my eyes.
Nasshah:
Welcome to this forum!
Let's start off with the nice things!
...I forgot to tell you that the way you wrote your email, is sincerely admirable.
It is very kind of you to say so; and I appreciate your praise highly. Thank you again!
I, too, would like to be complementary about your English. It is excellent! Indeed, it is a pleasure to read!
I, too, apologize in advance if anything I write is offensive to you, or to any other Muslims. That is not my aim, Not at all! However, this is a forum for getting at the truth. The truth can sometimes hurt. That is inevitable.
I hope you will read with an open heart and mind.
I always try to be open to new ideas, Nasshah. But you know, Islam is not new to me. I have lived in the Middle East for many years, and I have have studied Islam for at least twenty years now. And this both from a Western and Eastern perspective. There comes a point when the mind has to close a little; otherwise one couldn't hold any opinions about anything.
Every person is biased to their own belief.
Yes, Nasshah, I agree. But let's get one thing straight: If one is a Christian and finds Christianity superior, or vice-versa, that doesn't necessarily mean that one is being biassed. One could have opened one's mind to the other belief years before, and decided that one's own faith is better after all. That is NOT being biassed.
I have found that Muslims - and I mean no insult here - are unable even to contemplate the positive aspects of other religions. But this is understandable since apostasy is punishable by death, and the sanctions in the Ummah against conversion are great and strong.
Eyes are but mirrors to the world, and mirrors are highly superficial.
I disagree! And strongly, too! With one's eyes, one can see exactly what is happening in this world. As we say in English: Seeing is believing! One cannot disbelieve what one's own eyes perceive.
I love the Chinese proverb which states:
I hear, and I forget,
I read, and I understand,
I do, and I remember!
I have heard what Islam is all about from so, so many Muslims in the Middle East. I read about it from literature and the Qur'an. But then I lived there in Islamic countries, too; and I came to understand very, very well what Islam is all about!
Have you ever opened up the Quran and read it? Have you ever TRIED to understand a Muslim that practices more than just one aspect of Jihad?
Have I ever opened the Qur'an? Yes indeed! I have many Qur'ans of my own, and in several languages. I have at least three in Arabic (and much of it I can read and understand), I have at least two English versions, a German Qur'an, and a French Qur'an. How many more Qur'ans do I need for understanding, Nasshah?
As the for the Jihad, I understand that, too. Very well, I think. Perhaps better than some Muslims!
Not all Muslims are out to kill Non-Muslims, and those that are, are wrong and should be stopped.
I'm glad you said "not all" Muslims are out to killl non-Muslims. That clearly implies that many are. And many ARE out to kill them! That's a sad indictment on your religion Nasshah.
In our own world, we have to step lightly; otherwise those who are hot-headed will mistake us for infidels, when we are not.
Better for innocent non-Muslims to be killed, eh, than for moderate Muslims to be mistaken for infidels? Have you ever heard of the term, Silence gives consent?
If you take a close look right now, Muslims are practicing peace just as much as Christians are practicing love.
I don't think so! This statement is far from the truth!
...after all the attempts by the Western world to westernize Islam...
I am not aware of any attempts, either overt or covert, by Western governments to Westernize Islam. Surely, if Islam has been Westernized - and I don't see much evidence of this - then Muslims have Westernized it themselves. Any Westernization of Islam came to an abrupt end with the Iranian Revolution of 1989. The Ayatollah saw to that!
...you aren’t exactly helping us follow what’s best. Instead you are provoking us to deviate from religion.
If you have deviated from your religion, then you have only yourselves to blame! You can't push the onus of responsibility onto someone else for your own failings!
I applaud you on concluding that if Muslims acted better, they would be treated better. This is very true.
Al hamdu lillah we agree on something!
You are insulted by the word 'infidel', and you say that Muslims are persecuting many Christians today. Please take another, and this time, critical look at your religious history, which is much much longer than Islamic history. You will see that compared to the atrocities committed by Christians under the flag of the Cross and the hand of the Vatican, Church of England and other Christian kingdoms, anything Islam is doing now is nearly nothing. You speak of public beheadings. Richard the Lionheart, a Christian king, did the same to millions of innocent Muslim men simply because they were Muslim.
Nasshah, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE live in the here and now! One of the main problems Muslims have, it seems to me, is that they always hark back to the past. Move on, for goodness' sake! Move on! Richard the Lionheart is long since DEAD! These are different times.
I agree that many atrocities were committed in the name of Christianity in centuries past; but so were many atrocities committed by Muslims, too. But this is the twenty-first century. Must we always look back to what happened in history? Wouldn't it be better for us to start to learn to live together in this globalized world?
But this can only come about if Muslims give up - once and for all - any notions they have of Islamizing the world.
...you say that if Islam took over the world, the world would be plunged in darkness. You speak of enlightened countries. Please, are you referring to the West? All light dies in the West, it is the way God made it…this is where the sun sets.
This is an interesting twist on things indeed! But it is a fallacious one. The sun does indeed set in the West; but that is a physical fact. When we speak of enlightenment, we are talking not of physical light, but of the enlightenment as it pertains to thinking. Enlightenment as opposed to benightedness. These things have absolutely nothing to do with where the sun sets. This contortion must surely belong to one of the logical fallacies!
I am amused to learn that you wrote an entire article about Islam, and had it posted to an anti-Islamic website and yet you don’t even have the slightest comprehension as to what Islam really is.
Really? You're amused, huh? Don't be! If I really understood nothing about Islam, then I wouldn't be able to write about it as I do. Nor would I receive so, so many emails from around the world commending me on my insights. Sorry, Nasshah, good try; but isn't it true to say that it is precisely because I understand Islam that you were stirred into action to write this lengthy comment? Would you really have bothered otherwise? I very much doubt it!
And I’ll tell you a secret, I have looked at Islam critically, questioned it and compared it to everything, including every major sect of Christianity. I never felt anything came close to Islam, let alone rise above it.
Ditto! But I came to the opposite conclusion from you, though.
It is not the intention of Islam to dominate the world.
Go tell that to the marines!
And yes, as long as there are Muslims, there will be those who spread it, hopefully by word, and not sword.
Historically, Islam HAS BEEN SPREAD BY THE SWORD. This is precisely how it has been spread.
Instead of bashing us, and writing about how terrible Islam is, first, please do broaden your mind and learn to respect things.
I'm not out to bash Islam, Nasshah. I am out to tell the truth as I see it. By the way, I don't write about how terrible Islam is. I write that it is a threat to Western civilization. But not because it is so terrible, but because it is basically incompatible with it. Therein lies a big, huge difference!
Islam does not teach hate and warfare.
I think you are very wrong there! Please go and read your Qur'an again. I think you must have missed out the nasty bits!
Again sorry this was long, and thanks for you patience.
You're more than welcome, Nasshah. In any case, it's been a pleasure. Do stop by frequently to comment here. I would very much enjoy reading your input.
By the way, for you to know, I would like to say the following:
When I worked in the Middle East, I generally had a great rapport with the Muslims I worked with. I found them to be delightful in many respects, and charming, too. They were generally hospitable and generous and kind. So please do not think that I am against all Muslims. I am NOT. Most certainly not!
Nasshah:
Please forgive me! That Chinese proverb should have read:
I hear, and I forget,
I read, and I remember,
I do, and I understand!
JudahQ:
Indeed it does. It is very revealing.
Nasshah, Let me invite you to read Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. This is a brilliant and magnificent exposition of the nature of Christianity. I will be most interested in what you have to say after you have read it.
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