Showing posts with label Allah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Allah. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
THE WASHINGTON TIMES: The son of one of the founders of Hamas is turning his back not only on the organization that now controls Gaza, but the religion that so animates the followers of the group his father helped create.
Speaking on Wednesday night to the Endowment for Middle East Truth, a pro-Israel organization that focuses on radical Islam in education and media, Mosab Hassan Yousef said, "The god of Islam is the god of hate."
Mr. Yousef's father, Sheikh Hassan Yousef, is a leading imam within Hamas, a group that seeks to impose Islamic law throughout the territory it considers Palestine, land that also encompasses the modern state of Israel.
The younger Mr. Yousef came to the United States in 2007, but only sought publicity after the publication of his memoir, "The Son of Hamas," this year. Continue reading and comment >>> Eli Lake | Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Related article and videos here and here
HT: Weasel Zippers >>>
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: A row has erupted in the Middle East after officials banned a Facebook user in Abu Dhabi for breaking the law after they “insulted” Islam by claiming to be Allah.
All internet providers in the United Arab Emirates have been ordered to block the unnamed user behind the site, after he alleged his claims were supported by verses of the Koran.
His actions sparked a wave a protest, with many calling on users to boycott the social networking site unless the site was removed.
After dozens of complaints about the Arabic-language site, titled “God and Prophets”, the country’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) announced this week it would ban the user from holding an internet account.
But that decision was met with more protest from what some viewed as censorship of the internet.
The user claimed they were an atheist and believed in no God but him/herself, reports in the Middle East claimed.
They said that Muslim prophets would be able to connect with users through the site, which contained Koranic verses and also appeared to mock Islam, as well as answering their questions.
The site soon had more than 600,000 followers, with many critical of the site.
Mohammad Al Ganem, the authority’s General Manager, defended the authority’s decision to ban the site, saying it “insulted” Islam.
“TRA received numerous calls and complaints from internet users expressing their anger against unidentified people who created a site on Facebook that is offending to God, prophets, messengers, the Holy Koran and even to all God's books," he told Gulf News.
"The creator of this site which he named ‘God and Prophets' Site', attributes divinity to himself and spreads distorted writing pretending they are verses from the Koran.
“He also declared writing a new book falsifying himself as a god.”
He added: “He spreads talk that is insulting to the prophets and to their holy stature.
“This is considered to be a felony according to the federal law." >>> Andrew Hough | Friday, March 19, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
RADIO NETHERLANDS WORLWIDE: Ever felt like writing a letter to Allah? Well, now you can. From 21 March to 7 December, the deity will have his own PO Box in the Netherlands.
The PO Box is a project by artist Johan van der Dong, who was responsible for opening a hotline to God last year. God’s voicemail was very popular, over 25,000 people left Him a message.
The Dutchman intends to keep the letters unopened and says he will use them in his oil paintings. “What is in the letters is between the writer of the letter and Allah,” he told Dutch news agency ANP. >>> | Friday, March 19, 2010
Saturday, March 06, 2010
Related:
Son of Hamas Leader: Hamas Atrocities Led Me to Convert >>> | Friday, March 05, 2010
The Terrible Truth About Hamas >>> | Friday, March 05, 2010
’Son of Hama’ Who Spied for Israel >>> | Friday, March 05, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
ZEIT ONLINE: Dürfen Mädchen mitfahren zur Klassenfahrt? Im Islamkunde-Unterricht lernen muslimische Schüler nicht nur etwas über die fünf Säulen des Islam. Es geht um ihr Leben hier.
Andi und Ayshe heißen die Comic-Figuren, die den Neuntklässler an einer Bonner Hauptschule im Islamunterricht als Vorbilder und Freunde dienen. Ihnen machen "radikale Islamisten das Leben schwer", wie der nordrhein-westfälische Innenminister im Vorwort zum Comic-Heft ankündigt. Er sagt das natürlich stilecht in einer Sprechblase. Heute lesen die Schüler mit verteilten Rollen das Kapitel über Gewalt/Terrorismus/Dschihad. Und erleben dabei, wie ein düster blickender Hassprediger Ayshe und Andi mit geschenkten DVDs und CDs zur Gewalt verführen und den Koran zum Grundgesetz erklären will. >>> Von Hermann Horstkotte | Freitag, 19. Februar 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
FOREIGN AFFAIRS: Summary: The political trends behind Malaysia's recent "Allah" controversy could undermine the delicate sociocultural balance in one of the Muslim world's most developed nations.
Last December, the Malaysian High Court ruled that the Herald, a weekly Catholic magazine, was allowed to use the Arabic word "Allah" to refer to God in its Malay-language section. The decision overturned a government ban on non-Muslim use of the term and was met with protests in Kuala Lumpur's central mosque and decried online in numerous Malay Muslim chat rooms. In the days following the announcement, arsonists set fire to as many as eight churches around the country. Subsequently, several Muslim prayer halls were also attacked.
The arson attacks have caused a round of soul-searching among Malaysians, who are fond of celebrating their country's rich religious and racial diversity but who have seen its politics become increasingly sectarian in recent decades. Left unaddressed, these trends could undermine the delicate sociocultural balance in one of the Muslim world's most developed nations and deal a fatal blow to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's goal of national unity.
For many Muslims in the region, Christian use of the word "Allah" is relatively unproblematic. Jesus, who lived six centuries before Islam was founded, would most likely have used a similar Aramaic word, "Alah," in reference to God. In fact, the Arabic word "Allah" shares the same root as the Aramaic "Alah" as well as the Hebrew "Elohim." It is derived from two words, namely "Al," meaning "the" and "Elah" meaning God. In this sense, it can be argued that "Allah," "Elohim," and "Alah" or "Elah" are closely linked.
Today, the word "Allah" is used by Muslims and many Christians alike. When the Coptic Christians in Egypt celebrate their Christmas Mass, for example, their pope begins his sermon with the phrase "Bismillah" (in the name of God) and uses the word "Allah" throughout. In Southeast Asia, Catholics and Protestants use the term "Allah"; Indonesian Christians have sung prayers to Allah at every Easter and Christmas celebration since the arrival of Christianity on those islands a millennium ago.
The term is as important to Arab and Southeast Asian Christians as it is to Muslims because it stands for the notion of a singular, universal God. "Allah" literally means "the God," denoting a singular deity. This is particularly significant for Christians in Malaysia, who have been reluctant use the Malay "Tuhan," because the word does not have a monotheistic connotation. It even has a plural form, "Tuhan-tuhan," which is understood as "gods." >>> Joseph Chinyong Liow* | Wednesday, February 10, 2010
*JOSEPH CHINYONG LIOW is Associate Dean and Associate Professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He is author of Piety and Politics: Islamism in Contemporary Malaysia.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
*WIKIPEDIA: Lakemba Mosque (also known as Imam Ali ben Abi Taleb Mosque / Masjid Ali Bin Abi Taleb) >>>
Islamic Media Entertainment (Australia) >>>
Monday, February 08, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
LE FIGARO: Les actes de vandalisme contre les lieux de culte se multiplient et les relations entre musulmans et chrétiens s'enveniment.
Ils tendent leurs paumes vers un Christ auréolé de rose fluo et ils pleurent. De leurs prières, des mots s'échappent : «cocktail Molotov», «stupeur», «liberté religieuse menacée». La brume ne s'est pas encore dissipée sur les faubourgs de Kuala Lumpur, mais, dans l'église de l'Assomption, vandalisée il y a peu, les paroissiens sont venus nombreux pour évoquer la «querelle d'Allah».
La Malaisie est secouée par une vague de violences inédites contre ses églises. En quelques jours, onze lieux de culte ont été la cible d'attaques et de dégradations. Au départ de la polémique qui divise le pays : The Herald. Cet hebdomadaire catholique local revendique le droit d'user, pour désigner Dieu, du terme d'«Allah» dans son édition de langue malaise, destinée aux fidèles de l'île de Bornéo. À l'issue d'une longue bataille juridique, la Haute Cour de Kuala Lumpur a autorisé, le 30 décembre dernier, les non-musulmans à utiliser le nom «Allah» dans leurs écrits. Mais, face à la colère de groupes islamiques et aux pressions du gouvernement, qui a agité la menace de tensions interconfessionnelles, cette même cour a suspendu son autorisation le 6 janvier dans l'attente d'un jugement en appel. >>> Florence Compain, Envoyée spéciale du Figaro à Kuala Lumpur | Vendredi 29 Janvier 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: Severed pig head[s] have been left at two Malaysian mosques in a development that threatens to inflame communal tensions amidst a row over the use of the word "Allah" by Christians.
It was the most serious incident to hit Islamic places of worship following vandalism and other assaults at 11 churches, a Sikh temple, a mosque and two Muslim prayer halls across the Muslim-majority country in the past three weeks. Pigs are considered unclean by Muslims.
The attacks followed outrage among Muslims over a court verdict that allowed non-Muslims to use "Allah" as a translation for "God" in the Malay language. Many Malaysian Muslims believe the word should be exclusive to their religion, and that its use by others could confuse some Muslims and even lure them to convert.
Several men who went to a suburban mosque to perform morning prayers Wednesday were shocked to discover two bloodied wild boar heads wrapped in plastic bags in the mosque compound, said Zulkifli Mohamad, the top official at the Sri Sentosa Mosque on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's largest city.
Two similarly severed heads were also found at the Taman Dato Harun Mosque in a nearby district. Wild boar are common in Malaysia's forests.
Government leaders denounced the incidents and pledged to track down the culprits.
"We are dead serious about this," Hishammuddin told a news conference. "We will bring them to justice." >>> The Telegraph’s Foreign Staff | Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
The British taxpayer should withdraw all benefits paid to Mr Choudary. Then we’ll see how much Allah will pay him! The last time I checked, Allah didn’t deal in money or benefits! – © Mark
MAIL ONLINE: Hate preacher Anjem Choudary has claimed he is proud to receive £25,000 a year in benefits from the British taxpayer because the money 'belongs to Allah'.
The extremist cleric was speaking hours after Home Secretary Alan Johnson banned Choudary's Islam4UK group, making it a criminal offence to be a member.
British-born Choudary provoked outrage earlier this month when he announced that 500 members of his group were considering marching through the Wiltshire market town carrying empty coffins to mark Muslims 'mercilessly murdered' in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The 42-year-old cleric cancelled the protest on Sunday but yesterday showed no sign of curbing his fanatical rants, warning that the ban on his group would force young Muslims 'underground'.
Asked about receiving £25,000 in benefits, the trained lawyer said: 'I am not doing anything illegal. If we were living under the shariah there would be free food, clothing and shelter for all.
'Whether you are on benefits or not that does not mean you cannot propogate your ideas. I have always remained within the ambit of the law.
'The money belongs to Allah and if it is given you can take it. You don't lie and you don't cheat- that is what the prophet said.'
Choudary's bizarre defence of his benefits payments came just days after a group of Muslim extremists who screamed 'rapists' and 'murderers' at British soldiers escaped unpunished and claimed the state would pay their fines. My benefits belong to Allah: Hate preacher Choudary defends £25,000 a year payments from British taxpayers >>> Daily Mail Reporter | Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: The government's censorship has only compounded Malaysia's troubles.
Religious violence is rare in Malaysia, and so its people are rightly alarmed at the current spate of attacks on churches, which can conjure up memories of the 1969 race riots. The government has strongly condemned the attacks, but its policy of trying to coddle its Muslim population undermines its stated goal of an open Islam and stokes the very religious tension that it wants desperately to avoid.
The violence is the latest consequence of attempts to ban the use of the word "Allah" by Christians. In 1986, the Interior Security Ministry barred the word from non-Islamic publications on the grounds that it could confuse Muslims, but the ordinance was usually not enforced. However in December 2007, the Malaysian Chinese Muslim Association and the Islamic religious councils of seven states invoked it in a lawsuit against the Malay language weekly, the Catholic Herald. The government sided with the councils, saying that Christians' use of the term "could increase tension and create confusion among Muslims." Authorities also asked the Herald to put on its front page the word terhad, "restricted," meaning solely for distribution to Christians.
Christians and others responded that "Allah" has been used by Christians for centuries to refer to God, including in Malaysia. No other country has such a ban; even the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) says it opposes one. "Allah," the Arabic word for God, is used by Christians in Egypt and Syria, and, of course, neighboring Indonesia. On Dec. 31, 2009, the High Court ruled that Christians had a constitutional right to use "Allah." The government called for calm, but quickly said it would appeal and, on January 6, the judge suspended her ruling pending an appeals court decision. Subsequently, nine churches have been attacked, most of them firebombed. There have also been attacks on the Catholic Herald's legal team, whose offices were vandalized yesterday.
This is not the only federal government attempt to repress anything that could be perceived as deviating from the state-sanctioned version of Islam. In 2005, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi proposed that Malay-language bibles have "Not for Muslims" on the front. In 2003, the government banned publication of a Bible in Iban, an indigenous language, although the ban was later lifted. In March 2009, customs officials seized Christian books and other materials containing "Allah," and now some 15,000 volumes have been impounded. Since Indonesian Christian books in Bahasa contain the word "Allah" they cannot be imported. The government has also rebuffed calls for a state interfaith advisory council. >>> Paul Marshall* | Thursday, January 14, 2010
*Mr. Marshall is senior fellow at the Hudson Institute's Center for Religious Freedom in Washington.
Friday, January 08, 2010
THE GUARDIAN: Three churches in Kuala Lumpur attacked after court reverses ban on Christians using the word 'Allah' to mean 'God'
Three Malaysian churches were attacked with firebombs, causing extensive damage to one, as Muslims pledged today to prevent Christians from using the word "Allah", escalating religious tensions in the multiracial country.
Many Malay Muslims, who make up 60% of the population, are incensed by a recent high court decision to overturn a ban on Roman Catholics using Allah as a translation for God in the Malay-language edition of their main newspaper, the Herald.
The government had said that Allah, an Arabic word that predates Islam, was exclusive to the faith. It refused to make an exception, even though the Herald's Malay edition is read only by Christian indigenous tribes in the remote states of Sabah and Sarawak.
At Friday prayers at two main mosques in downtown Kuala Lumpur, young worshippers carried banners and vowed to defend Islam.
"We will not allow the word Allah to be inscribed in your churches," one shouted into a loudspeaker at the Kampung Bahru mosque. About 50 other people carried posters reading "Heresy arises from words wrongly used" and "Allah is only for us".
"Islam is above all. Every citizen must respect that," said Ahmad Johari, who attended prayers at the National Mosque. "I hope the court will understand the feeling of the majority Muslims of Malaysia. We can fight to the death over this issue." >>> Associated Press | Friday, January 08, 2010
LE FIGARO: Trois églises ont été détruites par des bombes vendredi, dans ce pays où la polémique enfle sur l'emploi du nom d'Allah pour désigner le dieu du christianisme.
Trois églises ont été la cible de bombes incendiaires vendredi en Malaisie, où le débat autour de l'utilisation du mot «Allah» par les non-musulmans fait rage, opposant la population malaise musulmane aux minorités d'origine chinoise et indienne, qui pratiquent notamment le christianisme.
L'affaire n'est pas récente, et puise ses racines en mai 2008, date à laquelle le haut conseil national de la fatwa avait ordonné que l'appelation «Allah» soit uniquement employée par les musulmans. Il avait en effet estimé qu'un tel usage de ce mot par des catholiques risquait de semer la confusion parmi les musulmans, présents à 60% dans le pays. >>> F.G. (lefigaro.fr) avec AFP | Jeudi 08 Janvier 2010
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Sunday, May 24, 2009
A Catholic church in Malaysia which prays to Allah has prompted a court case over who can use the word.
Muslim leaders say Islam should be the only faith to use it, saying its use in other faiths could lead to confusion and conversions.
Robin Brant reports from Kuala Lumpur.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
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