Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Media / Woods Channel 5 Goes to 'Islamville' for a New Low in TV Journalism
Posted by Jeff Woods on Tue, Feb 9, 2010 at 7:04 AM
We were met at the entrance by two men who agreed to allow us onto the property asking only that we not show any faces or conduct any interviews. There was not much to see. "It's kind of like going into any trailer park out in the country," says Sheriff Vinson.We hope Channel 5 managed to goose its ratings a little bit with this garbage. Otherwise, Beres succeeded only in inflaming anti-Muslim sentiments.
Comments (61)
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You are just jealous because they let Beres out of the building.
You wouldn't go to see for yourself since you have to leave Davidson county and they might have scary gunz~!
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Wow.. Is this real? If I had seen that report I'd have a hard time not thinking I was reading the onion
More specifically, the subtitle was "Is a Local Muslim Community Tied to TERRORISM?"
The bar was already pretty darn low for local TV journalism. But I suppose when Maury Davis is concerned about something, we all should be.
I could have understood all the hoopla if there had been something to the video. However, in last nights news presentation they spoke of an amish community and the break-ins they were experiencing and how they were needing protected and then bashing this muslim community. Also if they were a compound training terrorist, how is that different from the militia groups in Montana and such areas that have it out for the government. Are they not also terrorist? They should not be singled out for their beliefs, and we need to learn how treat everyone equally regardless of their nationality, religion, etc.
Just my opinion, I could be wrong...
I didn't see your post until now. This morning I did a little checking into "Act For America" and their local spokes-but, Vijay Kumar. Funny Beres never mentioned Kumar is the perpetual Republican candidate for Jim Cooper's seat.
These folks are anti-Muslim zealots. Way to mainstream the crazy.
All day yesterday the banner ad above the story on channel 5's site was for muslima.com, “the international Muslim matrimonial site.” Awkward! At least they seem to have fixed that.
(Don't think my last post made it through, but if this is a dupe, apologies.)
I checked into Act For America and local spokes-nut Vijay Kumar, who it seems is the perpetual Republican candidate for Jim Cooper's seat. Funny that wasn't mentioned in the piece. Act For America is run by a Zionist zealot named Brigitte Gabirel, whose books about Muslims have such lovley titles as "They Must Be Stopped" and "Because They Hate."
Seriosuly, since when has local media decided that the rantings of the crackpot fringe are newsworthy? I guess we can expect more of this, after all the national news media devoted 3 days of coverage to nutballs at the Tea Party.
Christian Coalition of America won't be happy until there's a fifty foot cross at every gate and driveway in America. I'd like to see the people at "Islamville" file a defamation lawsuit.
Susie-
It doesn't matter. What matters is that they blatantly lied. Journalists are supposed to objectively report the truth. While objectivity is difficult sometimes, the truth is much easier. Channel 5 has always been full of garbage, though. While I am surprised they stopped this low, I am only *slightly* surprised.
As soon as I saw the video of the trashed-out trailer homes in their compound, I knew these Muslims had assimilated themselves as red-blooded Tennesseans, and weren't some terrorists.
"Inside Islamville: Is a Local Muslim Community Tied to Terrorism?" may have yielded nothing, but personally, I look forward to Beres' hard-hitting followup piece: "Inside Islamville: What About Now?" and the next one: "Inside Islamville: What About Now? Terrorist Yet? Are We Sure? Let's Check Again"
Upon reflection, I have to wonder if this really is a new low for local TV news. I have two words for you: Andy Cordan.
You missed the point. The real target of this subtle expose was Maury Davis. Newschannel5 can't go after an advertiser like Davis head on. But they can show what a panicky hatemonger he is by spending two nights debunking one of his pet conspiracies.
Well played, Nick Beres.
I don't why we should expect any better from local TV. What about WTN and WLAC radio? There was a time when their owners would never have allowed Phil Valentine and Steve Gill and all the rest of those blowhards on the air. Is there no one at Channel 5 with enough sense to recognize religious bigotry when they see it? Where was Phil Williams? So if Channel 5 heard from some crackpot that, say, the Church of Christ was sacrificing humans out on Haywood Lane, would they run out there and check it out and do a big scary investigative series?
Everyone seems to be forgetting that February is sweeps month.
No, we're not. That's what makes this so disgusting. It seems there is no bottom to WTVF's low stoop for ratings.
Wondering when NIck Beres is going to cover the "Loose Change" DVD, or maybe one of the Coral Ridge Ministry's hysterical videos.
Please don't tell the folks at NewsChannel5 about all the wacko stuff on YouTube. Lord knows where they'll look for their next "expose."
This is appalling but nothing new. The TV and the print media have gone down the tubes, so to speak. Newspapers spin their headlines to raise doubts, fears and questions. "What is yah-dee-dah going to to to Obama's plans? "How is yah-dee-dah going impact the already bad eceonomy?"
About the third paragraph down you realize they're not saying this at all. TV does the same kind of thing - the impact is worse because it's visual.
I lost repect for 5 and CBS several years ago.
Maybe Nick is just setting the stage for his follow-up exclusive on inflamed rednecks attacking Islamville. Shameless.
Nick is usually above this kind of nonsense. It's what you'd expect of, maybe, Phil Williams. I've got to think that Beres wasn't responsible for the over-the-top promos and couldn't object too loudly to what his producers or corporate masters were demanding.
Gee soon it will be whats your community up to? They come and interview your community and see if your good Americans? Then what they send in the DEA to bust down the doors, shoot your dogs or you and lock everyone left alive in prison?
Oh wait the DEA does that now anyhow with just one bad tip, yep it could be your grandparents that get shot in the middle of the night when they decide to raid their home because some crackhead told them they were dealers to get off his charges!!
America, the land of the free, unless someone mistakenly points a finger at your home, or you have a different faith like these folks, then its cameras and choppers flying around, real nice! "hey, we came to see, are you terrorists"
I thought this story was a load of crap as well. Don't believe what you see on TV folks. All these stations/companies care about anymore are RATINGS!
Quit whining. The story was perfectly fine. In fact, it's promotion gathered a huge audience of people ready to believe the worst and revealed that their Muslim neighbors were just ordinary people. WTVF should be thanked.
What if someone said they were a Muslim and these types of things are going on ~ would you call them a crackpot?
I was horrified by this piece of crap on Channel 5. I've been writing nasty emails and tweeting about it ever since I saw it. They better cough up some money to pay for what they did to those poor people. But now, their safety is compromised. And notice how they don't have the courage to report what happened to the people as a result of their Hate Crime Enthusiastic piece? Karma is a bitch...I hope it bites Channel 5 in the ass.
I guess Middle TN doesn't understand that all are equal in the USA, still stuck in the McCarthy Hearings and Segregation. Just a pathetic and deplorable that this kind of thing lands on local news.
Wonderful to see how balanced you Americans are, & not prone to the weak-minded Hollywood Histrionics as encouraged by the swivel-eyed conspiracy theorists & existential HATE-mongers of the swamp. More than 99% of the world's people just want to live in peace & how they want - it is only the "Divide & Rule" power-seekers & the paranoid who stir up the primitive sectarianism. Peace & Love.
Contrary to Southern Beale's juvenille mudslinging, I find Vijay Kumar to be the among the most thoughtful, straightforward, intelligent, and eloquent political candidates I've ever encountered from either party. He is a devout Constitutionalist, which is why he is the anti-Sharia candidate, because Sharia law inarguably is diametrically opposed to the most fundamental principles of liberal democracy and to every one of our most cherished rights guaranteed by our Constitution. He watched his own native country, India, torn apart by Islamic aggression and domination, and was working in Iran during the Islamic Revolution in 1979 that put into place the militant theocracy we are dealing with today. He's seen jihad up-close and personal. Have you, Southern Beale? Do you know what dhimmitude is? Do you know what the jizya tax is? Do you advocate Islam's mandate that all non-Muslims are inferior and are to be dealt with by a separate set of standards under Sharia law? Or is your specialty just name-calling?
The hand wringing and overheated histronics over a news organization doing a news story is hilarious . This is a secular liberal democracy, it's not Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, or Iraq. Thank God. You can report or say whatever the hell you want.
Put on a berqa, quit eating pork chops, and turn the channel if you don't like it.
Sheesh.
Sorry Ned Didry, I am of Indian origins from Gujarat state- first hand & second hand experience. With regard to what is happening in India, firstly it is such a vast country & diverse land of over billion people that it is called a subcontinent i.e. if it were not joined to Asia, it would be rightly called a continent in its own right.
In fact India highlights the discrepancies in the "Muslims cannot live in democracies" facile agenda-driven narrative. Reductio ad absurdum. Try reading the US government reports which laud the 150mn odd Indian Muslim population as a positive example to emulate.
Even as an NRI with intimate links to India, to be honest, I can only speak with a reasonable degree of authority with respect to Gujarat. The Human Rights organisations whether Indian or Western all put the record straight as to who is culpable & who are the main victims of terror. Gujarat has long been a haven of Hindutva terrorists, like those that shot Gandhi. Many Indian PMs have been assassinated by terrorists, not one by a Muslim. Aryan Fascist Hindutvadis openly admire Nazi German militarism & Hitler in particular in Gujarati school text books. Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom-style fanatics, "first the Muslims & the Christians" has been seen by anti-minority pogroms. Luckily the centre still has a British "secular" multicultural tradition which respects diversity. Just because you may be concerned with fighting terrorists who happen to be from Muslim origins, open your eyes & do not forget the crazies of other ideologies/religions. God help us if the RSS ever get hold of India's nukes.
Latest Offerings from the Religion of Peace
"He who fights that Islam should be superior fights in Allah's cause"
Muhammad, prophet of Islam
2010.02.14 (Kufa, Iraq) - A female suicide bomber murders at least four Shia pilgrims headed to a religious ceremony.
2010.02.13 (Pune, India) - Five women are among nine innocents blasted to death by a Shahid suicide bomber at a bakery near a Jewish center.
2010.02.12 (Pattani, Thailand) - A 38-year-old man is murdered by Muslim gunmen.
2010.02.12 (Buhriz, Iraq) - A man and his son are blown to bits by Jihadi bombers.
2010.02.12 (Saada, Yemen) - Militant Shiites ambush and kill a government soldier.
2010.02.12 (Paktia, Afghanistan) - Three women are bound, gagged and executed by religious extremists.
Muhammad's Own Words
Fighting
Qur'an:9:88 "The Messenger and those who believe with him, strive hard and fight with their wealth and lives in Allah's Cause."
Qur'an:9:5 "Fight and kill the disbelievers wherever you find them, take them captive, harass them, lie in wait and ambush them using every stratagem of war."
Qur'an:9:112 "The Believers fight in Allah's Cause, they slay and are slain, kill and are killed."
Qur'an:9:29 "Fight those who do not believe until they all surrender, paying the protective tax in submission."
Ishaq:325 "Muslims, fight in Allah's Cause. Stand firm and you will prosper. Help the Prophet, obey him, give him your allegiance, and your religion will be victorious."
Qur'an:8:39 "Fight them until all opposition ends and all submit to Allah."
Qur'an:8:39 "So fight them until there is no more Fitnah (disbelief [non-Muslims]) and all submit to the religion of Allah alone (in the whole world)."
Ishaq:324 "He said, 'Fight them so that there is no more rebellion, and religion, all of it, is for Allah only. Allah must have no rivals.'"
Qur'an:9:14 "Fight them and Allah will punish them by your hands, lay them low, and cover them with shame. He will help you over them."
Ishaq:300 "I am fighting in Allah's service. This is piety and a good deed. In Allah's war I do not fear as others should. For this fighting is righteous, true, and good."
Ishaq:587 "Our onslaught will not be a weak faltering affair. We shall fight as long as we live. We will fight until you turn to Islam, humbly seeking refuge. We will fight not caring whom we meet. We will fight whether we destroy ancient holdings or newly gotten gains. We have mutilated every opponent. We have driven them violently before us at the command of Allah and Islam. We will fight until our religion is established. And we will plunder them, for they must suffer disgrace."
Qur'an:8:65 "O Prophet, urge the faithful to fight. If there are twenty among you with determination they will vanquish two hundred; if there are a hundred then they will slaughter a thousand unbelievers, for the infidels are a people devoid of understanding."
Ishaq:326 "Prophet exhort the believers to fight. If there are twenty good fighters they will defeat two hundred for they are a senseless people. They do not fight with good intentions nor for truth."
Bukhari:V4B52N63 "A man whose face was covered with an iron mask came to the Prophet and said, 'Allah's Apostle! Shall I fight or embrace Islam first?' The Prophet said, 'Embrace Islam first and then fight.' So he embraced Islam, and was martyred. Allah's Apostle said, 'A Little work, but a great reward.'"
Bukhari:V4B53N386 "Our Prophet, the Messenger of our Lord, ordered us to fight you till you worship Allah alone or pay us the Jizyah tribute tax in submission. Our Prophet has informed us that our Lord says: 'Whoever amongst us is killed as a martyr shall go to Paradise to lead such a luxurious life as he has never seen, and whoever survives shall become your master.'"
Muslim:C34B20N4668 "The Messenger said: 'Anybody who equips a warrior going to fight in the Way of Allah is like one who actually fights. And anybody who looks after his family in his absence is also like one who actually fights."
Qur'an:9:38 "Believers, what is the matter with you, that when you are asked to go forth and fight in Allah's Cause you cling to the earth? Do you prefer the life of this world to the Hereafter? Unless you go forth, He will afflict and punish you with a painful doom, and put others in your place."
Qur'an:9:123 "Fight the unbelievers around you, and let them find harshness in you."
Qur'an:8:72 "Those who accepted Islam and left their homes to fight in Allah's Cause with their possessions and persons, and those who gave (them) asylum, aid, and shelter, those who harbored them - these are allies of one another. You are not responsible for protecting those who embraced Islam but did not leave their homes [to fight] until they do so." [Another translation reads:] "You are only called to protect Muslims who fight."
Muslim:C9B1N31 "I have been commanded to fight against people till they testify to the fact that there is no god but Allah, and believe in me (that) I am the Messenger and in all that I have brought."
Bukhari:V9B84N59 "Whoever says this will save his property and life from me.'"
Qur'an:8:73 "The unbelieving infidels are allies. Unless you (Muslims) aid each other (fighting as one united block to make Allah's religion victorious), there will be confusion and mischief. Those who accepted Islam, left their homes to fight in Allah's Cause (al-Jihad), as well as those who give them asylum, shelter, and aid - these are (all) Believers: for them is pardon and bountiful provision (in Paradise)."
Tabari IX:69 "Arabs are the most noble people in lineage, the most prominent, and the best in deeds. We were the first to respond to the call of the Prophet. We are Allah's helpers and the viziers of His Messenger. We fight people until they believe in Allah. He who believes in Allah and His Messenger has protected his life and possessions from us. As for one who disbelieves, we will fight him forever in the Cause of Allah. Killing him is a small matter to us."
Qur'an:48:16 "Say (Muhammad) to the wandering desert Arabs who lagged behind: 'You shall be invited to fight against a people given to war with mighty prowess. You shall fight them until they surrender and submit. If you obey, Allah will grant you a reward, but if you turn back, as you did before, He will punish you with a grievous torture."
Qur'an:48:22 "If the unbelieving infidels fight against you, they will retreat. (Such has been) the practice (approved) of Allah in the past: no change will you find in the ways of Allah."
Qur'an:47:4 "When you clash with the unbelieving Infidels in battle (fighting Jihad in Allah's Cause), smite their necks until you overpower them, killing and wounding many of them. At length, when you have thoroughly subdued them, bind them firmly, making (them) captives. Thereafter either generosity or ransom (them based upon what benefits Islam) until the war lays down its burdens. Thus are you commanded by Allah to continue carrying out Jihad against the unbelieving infidels until they submit to Islam."
Qur'an:47:31 "And We shall try you until We know those among you who are the fighters."
Tabari VI:138 "Those present at the oath of Aqabah had sworn an allegiance to Muhammad. It was a pledge of war against all men. Allah had permitted fighting."
Tabari VI:139 "Allah had given his Messenger permission to fight by revealing the verse 'And fight them until persecution is no more, and religion is all for Allah.'"
Qur'an:9:19 "Do you make the giving of drink to pilgrims, or the maintenance of the Mosque, equal to those who fight in the Cause of Allah? They are not comparable in the sight of Allah. Those who believe, and left their homes, striving with might, fighting in Allah's Cause with their goods and their lives, have the highest rank in the sight of Allah."
Ishaq:550 "The Muslims met them with their swords. They cut through many arms and skulls. Only confused cries and groans could be heard over our battle roars and snarling."
Qur'an:5:94 "Believers, Allah will make a test for you in the form of a little game in which you reach out for your lances. Any who fails this test will have a grievous punishment."
Ishaq:578 "Crushing the heads of the infidels and splitting their skulls with sharp swords, we continually thrust and cut at the enemy. Blood gushed from their deep wounds as the battle wore them down. We conquered bearing the Prophet's fluttering war banner. Our cavalry was submerged in rising dust, and our spears quivered, but by us the Prophet gained victory."
Tabari IX:22 "The Prophet continued to besiege the town, fighting them bitterly."
Tabari IX:25 "By Allah, I did not come to fight for nothing. I wanted a victory over Ta'if so that I might obtain a slave girl from them and make her pregnant."
Tabari IX:82 "The Messenger sent Khalid with an army of 400 to Harith [a South Arabian tribe] and ordered him to invite them to Islam for three days before he fought them. If they were to respond and submit, he was to teach them the Book of Allah, the Sunnah of His Prophet, and the requirements of Islam. If they should decline, then he was to fight them."
Tabari IX:88 "Abdallah Azdi came to the Messenger, embraced Islam, and became a good Muslim. Allah's Apostle invested Azdi with the authority over those who had surrendered and ordered him to fight the infidels from the tribes of Yemen. Azdi left with an army by the Messenger's command. The Muslims besieged them for a month. Then they withdrew, setting a trap. When the Yemenites went in pursuit, Azdi was able to inflict a heavy loss on them."
Ishaq:530 "Get out of his way, you infidel unbelievers. Every good thing goes with the Apostle. Lord, I believe in his word. We will fight you about its interpretations as we have fought you about its revelation with strokes that will remove heads from shoulders and make enemies of friends."
Muslim:C9B1N29 "Command For Fighting Against People So Long As They Do Not Profess That There Is No Ilah (God) But Allah And Muhammad Is His Messenger: When the Messenger breathed his last and Bakr was appointed Caliph, many Arabs chose to become apostates [rejected Islam]. Abu Bakr said: 'I will definitely fight against anyone who stops paying the Zakat tax, for it is an obligation. I will fight against them even to secure the cord used for hobbling the feet of a camel which they used to pay if they withhold it now.' Allah had justified fighting against those who refused to pay Zakat."
Muslim:C9B1N33 "The Prophet said: 'I have been commanded to fight against people till they testify there is no god but Allah, that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and they establish prostration prayer, and pay Zakat. If they do it, their blood and property are protected.'"
Muslim:C10B1N176 "Muhammad (may peace be upon him) sent us in a raiding party. We raided Huraqat in the morning. I caught hold of a man and he said: 'There is no god but Allah,' but I attacked him with a spear anyway. It once occurred to me that I should ask the Apostle about this. The Messenger said: 'Did he profess "There is no god but Allah," and even then you killed him?' I said: 'He made a profession out of the fear of the weapon I was threatening him with.' The Prophet said: 'Did you tear out his heart in order to find out whether it had professed truly or not?'"
Muslim:C20B1N4597 "The Prophet said at the conquest of Mecca: 'There is no migration now, but only Jihad, fighting for the Cause of Islam. When you are asked to set out on a Jihad expedition, you should readily do so.'"
Muslim:C28B20N4628 "Allah has undertaken to provide for one who leaves his home to fight for His Cause and to affirm the truth of His word; Allah will either admit him to Paradise or will bring him back home with his reward and booty."
Muslim:C28B20N4629 "The Messenger said: 'One who is wounded in the Way of Allah - and Allah knows best who is wounded in His Way - will appear on the Day of Judgment with his wound still bleeding. The color (of its discharge) will be blood, (but) its smell will be musk.'"
Muslim:C34B20N4652-3 "The Merit Of Jihad And Of Keeping Vigilance Over The Enemy: A man came to the Holy Prophet and said: 'Who is the best of men?' He replied: 'A man who fights staking his life and spending his wealth in Allah's Cause.'"
Muslim:C42B20N4684 "A desert Arab came to the Prophet and said: 'Messenger, one man fights for the spoils of war; another fights that he may be remembered, and one fights that he may see his (high) position (achieved as a result of his valor in fighting). Which of these is fighting in the Cause of Allah?' The Messenger of Allah said: 'Who fights so that the word of Allah is exalted is fighting in the Way of Allah.'"
Muslim:C53B20N4717 "The Prophet said: 'This religion will continue to exist, and a group of people from the Muslims will continue to fight for its protection until the Hour is established.'"
Bukhari:V5B59N288 "I witnessed a scene that was dearer to me than anything I had ever seen. Aswad came to the Prophet while Muhammad was urging the Muslims to fight the pagans. He said, 'We shall fight on your right and on your left and in front of you and behind you.' I saw the face of the Prophet getting bright with happiness, for that saying delighted him."
Bukhari:V5B59N290 "The believers who did not join the Ghazwa [Islamic raid or invasion] and those who fought are not equal in reward."
Qur'an:2:193 "Fight them until there is no more Fitnah (disbelief) and religion is only for Allah. But if they cease/desist, let there be no hostility except against infidel disbelievers."
Qur'an:2:217 "They question you concerning fighting in the sacred month. Say: 'Fighting therein is a grave (matter); but to prevent access to Allah, to deny Him, to prevent access to the Sacred Mosque, to expel its members, and polytheism are worse than slaughter. Nor will they cease fighting you until they make you renegades from your religion. If any of you turn back and die in unbelief, your works will be lost and you will go to Hell. Surely those who believe and leave their homes to fight in Allah's Cause have the hope of Allah's mercy."
Qur'an:2:244 "Fight in Allah's Cause, and know that Allah hears and knows all."
Qur'an:2:246 "He said: 'Would you refrain from fighting if fighting were prescribed for you?' They said: 'How could we refuse to fight in Allah's Cause?'"
Ishaq:280 "The Apostle prepared for war in pursuance of Allah's command to fight his enemies and to fight the infidels who Allah commanded him to fight."
Qur'an:61:2 "O Muslims, why say one thing and do another? Grievously odious and hateful is it in the sight of Allah that you say that which you do not. Truly Allah loves those who fight in His Cause in a battle array, as if they were a solid cemented structure."
Bukhari:V4B52N61 "Allah's Apostle! We were absent from the first battle you fought against the pagans. If Allah gives us a chance to do battle, no doubt, He will see how bravely we fight."
Ishaq:398 "Ask them for their help. Thereby make the religion of Islam agreeable to them. And when you are resolved in the matter of religion concerning fighting your enemy you will have the advantage."
Qur'an:3:146 "How many prophets fought in Allah's Cause? With them (fought) myriads of godly men who were slain. They never lost heart if they met with disaster in Allah's Cause, nor did they weaken nor give in. Allah loves those who are firm and steadfast [warriors]."
Ishaq:393 "How many prophets has death in battle befallen and how many multitudes with him? They did not show weakness toward their enemies and were not humiliated when they suffered in the fight for Allah and their religion. That is steadfastness. Allah loves the steadfast."
Qur'an:3:153 "Behold! You ran off precipitately, climbing up the high hill without even casting a side glance at anyone, while the Messenger in your rear is calling you from your rear, urging you to fight. Allah gave you one distress after another by way of requital, to teach you not to grieve for the booty that had escaped you and for (the ill) that had befallen you."
Qur'an:3:154 "Say: 'Even if you had remained in your houses, those ordained to be slaughtered would have gone forth to the places where they were to slain."
Ishaq:440 "Helped by the Holy Spirit we smited Muhammad's foes. The Apostle sent a message to them with a sharp cutting sword."
Ishaq:470 "We attacked them fully armed, swords in hand, cutting through heads and skulls."
Qur'an:61:4 "Surely Allah loves those who fight in His Cause."
Qur'an:61:11 "Believers, shall I lead you to a bargain or trade that will save you from a painful torment? That you believe in Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad), and that you strive and fight in Allah's Cause with your property and your lives: That will be best for you!" Qur'an 61:12 "He will forgive you your sins, and admit you to Gardens under which rivers flow, and to beautiful mansions in Eden: that is indeed the Supreme Achievement. And another (favor) which you love: help from Allah for a speedy victory over your enemies."
Qur'an:8:5 "Your Lord ordered you out of your homes to fight for the true cause, even though some Muslims disliked it, and were averse (to fighting)."
Qur'an:24:53 "They swear their strongest oaths saying that if only you would command them. They would leave their homes (and go forth fighting in Allah's Cause). Say: 'Swear not; Obedience is (more) reasonable.'"
Qur'an:4:74 "Let those who fight in Allah's Cause sell this world's life for the hereafter. To him who fights in Allah's Cause, whether he is slain or victorious, We shall give him a reward."
Qur'an:4:75 "What reason have you that you should not fight in Allah's Cause?" [Another translation says:] "What is wrong with you that you do not fight for Allah?"
Qur'an:4:76 "Those who believe fight in the Cause of Allah."
Qur'an:4:77 "Have you not seen those to whom it was said: Withhold from fighting, perform the prayer and pay the zakat. But when orders for fighting were issued, a party of them feared men as they ought to have feared Allah. They say: 'Our Lord, why have You ordained fighting for us, why have You made war compulsory?'"
Qur'an:4:78 "Wherever you are, death will find you, even if you are in towers strong and high! So what is wrong with these people, that they fail to understand these simple words?"
Qur'an:4:84 "Then fight (Muhammad) in Allah's Cause. Incite the believers to fight with you."
Qur'an:4:94 "Believers, when you go abroad to fight wars in Allah's Cause, investigate carefully, and say not to anyone who greets you: 'You are not a believer!' Coveting the chance profits of this life (so that you may despoil him). With Allah are plenteous spoils and booty."
Qur'an:4:95 "Not equal are believers who sit home and receive no hurt and those who fight in Allah's Cause with their wealth and lives. Allah has granted a grade higher to those who fight with their possessions and bodies to those who sit home. Those who fight He has distinguished with a special reward."
Qur'an:4:100 "He who leaves his home in Allah's Cause finds abundant resources and many a refuge. Should he die as a refugee for Allah and His Messenger His reward becomes due and sure with Allah. When you travel through the earth there is no blame on you if you curtail your worship for fear unbelievers may attack you. In truth the disbelievers are your enemy."
Qur'an:4:102 "When you (Prophet) lead them in prayer, let some stand with you, taking their arms with them. When they finish their prostrations, let them take positions in the rear. And let others who have not yet prayed come - taking all precaution, and bearing arms. The Infidels wish, if you were negligent of your arms, to assault you in a rush. But there is no blame on you if you put away your arms because of the inconvenience of rain or because you are ill; but take precaution. For the Unbelieving Infidels Allah hath prepared a humiliating punishment."
Qur'an:4:104 "And do not relent in pursuing the enemy."
NRI Muslim from Gujarat sed: Just because you may be concerned with fighting terrorists who happen to be from Muslim origins, open your eyes & do not forget the crazies of other ideologies/religions.
The "crazies" of other ideologies/and religions haven't caused the deaths of close to 6 million people in the last few decades, as Muslim violence has. Other ideologies/religions don't have mandates like these:
"I have been ordered to fight with the people till they say, 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah.'" —Muhammad (Sahih Bukhari. Hadith Volume 4, Book 52, Number 196: Narrated Abu Huraira)
"I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve, so strike off their heads and cut off all their fingers, because they opposed God and His apostle and he who opposes God and His apostle (will find) God severe in punishment." —Muhammad (Ishaq, The Life of Muhammad)
"Soon shall We cast terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers." —Quran 3.151
"We shall put yokes on the necks of the Unbelievers." —Quran 34:33
"Fighting is prescribed for you, and ye dislike it. But it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing which is bad for you." —Quran 2:216
I asked the Prophet [Muhammad], "What is the best deed?" He replied, "To believe in Allah and to fight for His Cause." (Sahih Bukhari. Hadith Volume 3, Book 46, Number 694: Narrated Abu Dhar)
"When you are called (by the Muslim ruler) for fighting, go forth immediately." —Muhammad (Sahih Bukhari. Hadith Volume 4, Book 52, Number 79: Narrated Ibn 'Abbas)
"Our Prophet, the Messenger of our Lord, has ordered us to fight you till you worship Allah Alone or give Jizya (i.e. tribute)." (Sahih Bukhari. Hadith Volume 4, Book 53, Number 386: Narrated Jubair bin Haiya)
"Fight those who believe not in Allah...until they pay the Jizya [tax] with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued." —Quran 9:29
My eyes are wide open, thanks. You should try it some time.
Selective polemics is quite an easy game to play.
With regard to deaths from other religions/ideologies. Set an artificial cut-off point, say the 1900, call it the "the Modern Age".
Atheistic ideologies killed far more than any religion e.g. Communism & Fascism. We can pick out the elephant in the room i.e. nationalism (or should I say the euphemism for tribalism?).
How about Capitalism & the scramble for resources using Imperialism?
The use of selective quotes out of context is easy, just read the Old Testament, or even the New Testament or Talmudic commentaries. Matthew 10:34 - "I come not to bring peace, but to bring a sword" "Jesus in hell where His punishment is "boiling in hot semen." (Talmud, Gittin 57a; Exhibit 202)" Kol Nidre taken as any vow to a non-Jew can be ignored etc.
How about in wartime, "truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies- Winston Churchill." Machiavellian & Greco-Roman political dissembling for power?
Anyone heard about Social Darwinism, which forms much of the ideological justification for most Western derived violence?
Once again Rightwing "Clash" theorist "The West won the world not by the superiority of its ideas or values or religion but rather by its superiority in applying organized violence. Westerners often forget this fact, non-Westerners never do."
-- Samuel P. Huntington.
The magic 6 million figure, appealing to Pavlovian emotionalism eh? Where did that figure come from?
Eyes wide open you say? - recall the Christian verse Matthew 7:5 "You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye".
P.S. Jaundiced polemics are easy for all sides & my intention is for pure illustration & not for demonisation or causing hurt to any group.
Saudi Arabia, the birth place of Islam, contributed NOTHING to Civilization, except, Quran, Mohammad, Jihad, and Sodomy.
Islam destroyed Iran (Persian, Zorastrian),
Egypt (Coptic), Syria (Eastern Orthodox), Turkey (Greek), Afghanistan (Buddhist), Pakistan (Hindu) civilizations.
Now Islam wants to destroy Western Europe, and the United States from the within.
There are no Jews OR Amreicans in Bali, Thailand, Why did Muslim Radicals kill hundreds there?
Why the world is silent of the genocide Sudanese Animists, who are black, by Arab Muslim Imperalists?
There are more than 15,000 terrorists acts since September 11, 2001 by Islamic terrorists. Why is the Left silent about them?
On these blogs, the Progressives are defending those who are determined to destoy them......The Radical Islam. What an irony.
Wow Jessie Thompson sure is a piece of work. Found some of his other posts at the "Patriotic Resistance." Disgusting.
Ad hominem is the last refuge for the defeated. Thanks for you confession, Anonymous, that you got nothin' but a bag'o'snide.
Salam Alaikum = Peace Be Upon You.
Amazing how the simple-minded paranoid conspiracy-theory existentialists reduce 23% of humanity to an evil stereotype - get out more.
Did Islam contribute nothing to civilisation? http://www.muslimheritage.com/. Ever heard about Algebra,Rumi,Romances, universities & the Empiricist method etc? However, the same slur was used by racists e.g. against black Africans to justify imperialism.
"Sodomy" - a Saudi contribution, really?
"Islam" did not destroy those nations anymore than Christianity destroyed Europe or the Americas etc. As for "Hindu" civilisation - no such thing. "Hinduism" was a term invented by the British in the C18th. I seem to recall Churchill's saying about India i.e. “India is a geographical term. It is no more a united nation than the Equator.”
Islam no more wants to destroy Europe & the US than does any other religion. The Jews were accused of being a parasitic 5th column & eternal enemy of Western Civilisation too.
Without becoming an apologist for terrorists, try reading a bit more e.g. history & current affairs for a nuanced balanced view instead of simplistic conspiracy theories.
Bali had Western targets for terrorists. Militaristic expansionist Thailand was gifted a racially & religiously alien Malay nation by the British Empire, so resistance to occupation & assimilation is not that surprising is it? As for Sudan, more nuance debate http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGOpfH_5_pY&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Esalaam%2Eco%2Euk%2Fvideo%2F&feature=player_embedded . Plus can you really tell me that Sudanese Arabs are not black, try opening your eyes & looking?
As for terrorist acts, try reading the O.E.D. definition & applying that without fear or favour, & why is the Islamophobic bigots silent about them? Selective nonsense.
Progressives are not defending those wanting to destroy them. Progressives are progressive & can see the world from more than one side & are not fear-filled Regressives. Progressivesness requires empathy in order to treat all human beings as equals without ignorant prejudice, then picking on individual wrong-doers without labelling 23% of humanity as evil.
Muslim Claims of Accomplishment
By Peter BetBasoo
ChristiansOfIraq.com | Friday, January 04,
Dear Madame Fiorina:
It is with great interest that I read your speech delivered on September 26, 2001, titled "Technology, Business and Our way of Life: What's Next" [sic]. I was particularly interested in the story you told at the end of your speech, about the Arab/Muslim civilization. As an Assyrian, a non-Arab, Christian native of the Middle East, whose ancestors reach back to 5000 B.C., I wish to clarify some points you made in this little story, and to alert you to the dangers of unwittingly being drawn into the Arabist/Islamist ideology, which seeks to assimilate all cultures and religions into the Arab/Islamic fold.
I know you are a very busy woman, but please find ten minutes to read what follows, as it is a perspective that you will not likely get from anywhere else. I will answer some of the specific points you made in your speech, then conclude with a brief perspective on this Arabist/Islamist ideology.
Arabs and Muslims appeared on the world scene in 630 A.D., when the armies of Muhammad began their conquest of the Middle East. We should be very clear that this was a military conquest, not a missionary enterprise, and through the use of force, authorized by a declaration of a Jihad against infidels, Arabs/Muslims were able to forcibly convert and assimilate non-Arabs and non-Muslims into their fold. Very few indigenous communities of the Middle East survived this - primarily Assyrians, Jews, Armenians and Coptics (of Egypt).
Having conquered the Middle East, Arabs placed these communities under a Dhimmi (see the book DHIMMI, by Bat Ye'Or) system of governance, where the communities were allowed to rule themselves as religious minorities (Christians, Jews and Zoroastrian). These communities had to pay a tax (called a Jizzya in Arabic) that was, in effect, a penalty for being non-Muslim, and that was typically 80% in times of tolerance and up to 150% in times of oppression. This tax forced many of these communities to convert to Islam, as it was designed to do.
You state, "its architects designed buildings that defied gravity." I am not sure what you are referring to, but if you are referring to domes and arches, the fundamental architectural breakthrough of using a parabolic shape instead of a spherical shape for these structures was made by the Assyrians more than 1300 years earlier, as evidenced by their archaeological record.
You state,
"its mathematicians created the algebra and algorithms that would enable the building of computers, and the creation of encryption."
The fundamental basis of modern mathematics had been laid down not hundreds but thousands of years before by Assyrians and Babylonians, who already knew of the concept of zero, of the Pythagorean Theorem, and of many, many other developments expropriated by Arabs/Muslims (see HISTORY OF BABYLONIAN MATHEMATICS by Otto E. Neugebauer).
You state,
"its doctors examined the human body, and found new cures for disease."
The overwhelming majority of these doctors (99%) were Assyrians. In the fourth, fifth, and sixth centuries Assyrians began a systematic translation of the Greek body of knowledge into Assyrian. At first, they concentrated on the religious works but then quickly moved to science, philosophy and medicine. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Galen, and many others were translated into Assyrian, and from Assyrian into Arabic. It is these Arabic translations which the Moors brought with them into Spain, and which the Spaniards translated into Latin and spread throughout Europe, thus igniting the European Renaissance.
By the sixth century A.D., Assyrians had begun exporting back to Byzantia their own works on science, philosophy and medicine. In the field of medicine, the Bakhteesho Assyrian family produced nine generations of physicians, and founded the great medical school at Gundeshapur (Iran). Also in the area of medicine, (the Assyrian) Hunayn ibn-Ishaq's textbook on ophthalmology, written in 950 A.D., remained the authoritative source on the subject until 1800 A.D.
In the area of philosophy, the Assyrian philosopher Job of Edessa developed a physical theory of the universe, in the Assyrian language, that rivaled Aristotle's theory, and that sought to replace matter with forces (a theory that anticipated some ideas in quantum mechanics, such as the spontaneous creation and destruction of matter that occurs in the quantum vacuum).
One of the greatest Assyrian achievements of the fourth century was the founding of the first university in the world, the School of Nisibis, which had three departments, theology, philosophy and medicine, and which became a magnet and center of intellectual development in the Middle East. The statutes of the School of Nisibis, which have been preserved, later became the model upon which the first Italian university was based (see THE STATUTES OF THE SCHOOL OF NISIBIS by Arthur Voobus).
When Arabs and Islam swept through the Middle East in 630 A.D., they encountered 600 years of Assyrian Christian civilization, with a rich heritage, a highly developed culture, and advanced learning institutions. It is this civilization that became the foundation of the Arab civilization.
You state,
"Its astronomers looked into the heavens, named the stars, and paved the way for space travel and exploration."
This is a bit melodramatic. In fact, the astronomers you refer to were not Arabs but Chaldeans and Babylonians (of present day south-Iraq), who for millennia were known as astronomers and astrologers, and who were forcibly Arabized and Islamized - so rapidly that by 750 A.D. they had disappeared completely.
You state,
"its writers created thousands of stories. Stories of courage, romance and magic. Its poets wrote of love, when others before them were too steeped in fear to think of such things."
There is very little literature in the Arabic language that comes from this period you are referring to (the Koran is the only significant piece of literature), whereas the literary output of the Assyrians and Jews was vast. The third largest corpus of Christian writing, after Latin and Greek, is by the Assyrians in the Assyrian language (also called Syriac).
You state,
"when other nations were afraid of ideas, this civilization thrived on them, and kept them alive. When censors threatened to wipe out knowledge from past civilizations, this civilization kept the knowledge alive, and passed it on to others."
This is a very important issue you raise, and it goes to the heart of the matter of what Arab/Islamic civilization represents. I reviewed a book titled HOW GREEK SCIENCE PASSED TO THE ARABS, in which author De Lacy O'Leary lists the significant translators and interpreters of Greek science. Of the 22 scholars listed, 20 were Assyrians, one was Persian and one an Arab. I state at the end of my review:
"The salient conclusion which can be drawn from O'Leary's book is that Assyrians played a significant role in the shaping of the Islamic world via the Greek corpus of knowledge. If this is so, one must then ask the question, what happened to the Christian communities which made them lose this great intellectual enterprise they had established? One can ask this same question of the Arabs. Sadly, O'Leary's book does not answer this question, and we must look elsewhere for the answer."
I did not answer this question I posed in the review because it was not the place to answer it, but the answer is very clear, the Christian Assyrian community was drained of its population through forced conversion to Islam (by the Jizzya), and once the community had dwindled below a critical threshold, it ceased producing the scholars that were the intellectual driving force of the Islamic civilization, and that is when the so called "Golden Age of Islam" came to an end (about 850 A.D.).
Islam the religion itself was significantly molded by Assyrians and Jews (see NESTORIAN INFLUENCE ON ISLAM and HAGARISM: THE MAKING OF THE ISLAMIC WORLD).
Arab/Islamic civilization is not a progressive force, it is a regressive force; it does not give impetus, it retards. The great civilization you describe was not an Arab/Muslim accomplishment, it was an Assyrian accomplishment that Arabs expropriated and subsequently lost when they drained, through the forced conversion of Assyrians to Islam, the source of the intellectual vitality that propelled it. What other Arab/Muslim civilization has risen since? What other Arab/Muslim successes can we cite?
You state,
"and perhaps we can learn a lesson from his [Suleiman] example: It was leadership based on meritocracy, not inheritance. It was leadership that harnessed the full capabilities of a very diverse population that included Christianity, Islamic, and Jewish traditions."
In fact, the Ottomans were extremely oppressive to non-Muslims. For example, young Christian boys were forcefully taken from their families, usually at the age of 8-10, and inducted into the Janissaries, (yeniceri in Turkish) where they were Islamized and made to fight for the Ottoman state. What literary, artistic or scientific achievements of the Ottomans can we point to? We can, on the other hand, point to the genocide of 750,000 Assyrians, 1.5 million Armenians and 400,000 Greeks in World War One by the Kemalist "Young Turk" government. This is the true face of Islam.
Arabs/Muslims are engaged in an explicit campaign of destruction and expropriation of cultures and communities, identities and ideas. Wherever Arab/Muslim civilization encounters a non-Arab/Muslim one, it attempts to destroy it (as the Buddhist statues in Afghanistan were destroyed, as Persepolis was destroyed by the Ayotollah Khomeini).
This is a pattern that has been recurring since the advent of Islam, 1400 years ago, and is amply substantiated by the historical record. If the "foreign" culture cannot be destroyed, then it is expropriated, and revisionist historians claim that it is and was Arab, as is the case of most of the Arab "accomplishments" you cited in your speech. For example, Arab history texts in the Middle East teach that Assyrians were Arabs, a fact that no reputable scholar would assert, and that no living Assyrian would accept. Assyrians first settled Nineveh, one of the major Assyrian cities, in 5000 B.C., which is 5630 years before Arabs came into that area. Even the word 'Arab' is an Assyrian word, meaning "Westerner" (the first written reference to Arabs was by the Assyrian King Sennacherib, 800 B.C., in which he tells of conquering the "ma'rabayeh" - Westerners. See THE MIGHT THAT WAS ASSYRIA by H. W. F. Saggs).
Even in America this Arabization policy continues. On October 27th a coalition of seven Assyrian and Maronite organizations sent an official letter to the Arab American Institute asking it to stop identifying Assyrians and Maronites as Arabs, which it had been deliberately doing.
There are minorities and nations struggling for survival in the Arab/Muslim ocean of the Middle East and Africa (Assyrians, Armenians, Coptics, Jews, southern Sudanese, Ethiopians, Nigerians...), and we must be very sensitive not to unwittingly and inadvertently support Islamic fascism and Arab Imperialism, with their attempts to wipe out all other cultures, religions and civilizations. It is incumbent upon each one of us to do our homework and research when making statements and speeches about these sensitive matters.
I hope you found this information enlightening. You may contact me at keepa@ninevehsoft.com for further questions.
Thank you for your consideration
Peter BetBasoo is an Assyrian from Iraq and the co-founder and director of the Assyrian International News Agency (www.aina.org). He can be reached at peter@aina.org
Dear Mr. NRI from Gujarat,
First of all there is no such a thing as Islamic Civilization. Islamic Civilization is a contradiction in terms. You say 26% of humnaity is Islam. Yes, indeed. Islam has turned 25% of Humanity to Zombies. Non-Arab Muslims are victims of Arab Imperialism. It is time for Muslims of South Asia, East Asia, and Africa to revolt agaist this repulsive barbarian ideology called Islam. Arab Imperalists and their lackeys in South Asia and elsewhere will be accountable for 1,400 years of JIhad. Pray to Tom Tancredo because your Allah is fake. Time has come for Saudi Arabia to accountable for its Crimes against Humanity.
Time has come for Europeans and Americans (Chinese, Sub-Saharan Africans, and HIndus might as well) to gang up an Arab Imperalism. People are AWARE. You can not play poker forever. YOur bluffing is over.
Please do not greet me with Sallam Aleiuum or Whatever...I reject your greeting....Islam is here to destroy Western Civilization. Soon you will say there is no such a thing as Western Civilization (as you said of Hindu Civilization in your posting). Islam destroys civilizations as termites destroy the wood. Either we in the west understand it don't....it is our affair, our misery.
Salam Alaikum = Peace Be Upon You.
This greeting is a general one in the plural form to everyone, so don't worry it's not all about you.
I will reply to the points raised, but when reams of new data going off at new tangents without actually dealing with past points are involved, it becomes rather silly. What I do for the sake of brevity & sparing the average reader is just adding links instead of writing a whole book here.
Quality not quantity.
In essence my short answer to the points raised about Muslim peoples being accused of taking the credit for other peoples' achievements is based upon the Universal State theory as advanced by the world-renown Prof. AJP Toynbee in his 12 volume magnum opus. To take the credit away from Muslim civilisation is like pretending that Western civilisation stole the achievements of pagan Europe (Greeks & Romans etc). Are you suggesting that or are selectively applying a double standard for Muslims?
As for "Hindu" civilization, it is not I, but the British academics who teach the invention of the term "Hindu" a few centuries ago. Plus that too, if you read my post was to illustrate how selective reading & context can alter perception. I am quite surprised that with an apparently Western name you pick up the point with regard to "Hindus" - my treatment of Westerners especially our Jewish brothers was far more harsh. It appears that a ray of light has shone through & you have seen how selective & out of context reading is unfair. Now hopefully you can avoid confirmation bias & partisanship with respect to all people including narrow-mindedly demonising Muslims.
