The Way paved with good intentions?

From the Catholic Herald, Muslim scholars address Synod of Bishops.

"Ayatollah Mohaghegh Damad said the Koran’s view of Christian-Muslim relations is one of “friendship, respect and mutual understanding,” even though there have been “dark moments” in the relationship over the past 1,400 years."

"Earlier Mr al-Sammak had said the death penalty for apostasy from Islam to Christianity dated from a time “when changing religions meant joining the enemy – it was punished as an act of treason”. While some still think converts should be punished, he said the “golden rule” of Islam is that “there is no compulsion in religion, that’s what the Koran says”."

Others would question the words I have emphasised in italics above in that Muslims regard non-Muslims as second-group citizens if they do not accept Islam and Sharia. With no mention of abrogation, should taquiya be assumed? These are the real questions that must be addressed.

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Not a good start for the new Dean of Llandaff

Unfortunately for readers of my previous entry, the oddly titled 'Inevitably' post under The Women Bishops Debate link, mysteriously disappeared - see here. Fortunately I have a copy (below) so readers can make of it what they will. [Note - the post has reappeared as mysteriously as it disappeared so I have removed the reprint but will keep a copy - just in case!]

It is intriguing how posts come and go in the secular integrity. In this context the women's lib movement has a strong affinity with Islam where one awkward verse is abrogated by another so peace will reign when we all abide by the rules of the oppressor.

The soon to be Mr(s) Dean concluded her entry thus: The Second Estates Church Commissioner has given purposeful leadership which showed itself in the open debate in the House of Commons yesterday. We should listen to Parliament. They may yet help us salvage something from this and reform the governance of the church so that it is better fit for purpose. If I may paraphrase Mrs Thatcher: You listen to Parliament if you want to; this integrity is not for turning.Watch this space for my thoughts on the performance of the Second Estates Church Commissioner.

Lest it be thought we cannot agree on anything, I commend the Venerable Janet Henderson for remarks in an earlier p ost: "We all make mistakes and act from mixed motives that are sometimes a great deal less pure than we would like to admit. Most of us find it very difficult to walk a balanced line between justice and compassion, loyalty to tradition and response to new developments. The art of being church is to live repentantly and graciously with those with whom we disagree". Also: "The Holy Spirit is able to work through the church's honest debate and interaction, through its members' pain and frustration and to bring to resonance the voice of the voiceless. Listening requires full attention and the ability to put aside our own ideas while we listen". Having lost the vote that becomes: "The debate on Tuesday was no more than the logical conclusion to the fact that we have spent 20 years encouraging people not to change their position on this issue, not to listen to each other, and not to work together, but to feel safe in which ever set of beliefs they hold".

Do I detect an abrogation?

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The problem with belief

Iraqi soldiers putting the Cross back to where it belongs in Baghdeda and Karemlesh

after retaking the cities from ISIS.                                                Source: @AliAjeena

In my previous entry I included a video of an Imam who claims that saying 'Merry Christmas' is worse than murder. One cannot doubt his sincerity in believing that God could not have been born on Christmas Day. It is contrary to his faith. If he understood that God came down from heaven and was made man to share our misery he would be better informed but as a Muslim he regards Jesus as no more than one in a line of prophets.

For Christians Jesus is the Incarnate Word, the 'Son of God'. Hence the condemnation of saying 'Merry Christmas'. For Muslims Muhammad is the last in a line of prophets from Abraham. He is the model of the perfect man whose life should be emulated as far as possible. An unlikely example some 1400 years later for one who married a child bride of nine, had many wives, and who is said to have personally beheaded between 700 and 900opponents. Nevertheless he is the model for devout Muslims resulting in the barbarism witnessed today.

A recent BBCreport, 'An extremist in the family', illustrates the agony of a mother, a convert to Islam, whose son became a jihadist. She said "Islam's part of our daily life. We pray and fast but beyond that, not a huge amount". Her son Rasheed had somehow fallen for the idea of the caliphate, "if you don’t do this journey you are not a believer, not a good Muslim".

For Christians the mother is the good Muslim but for Islamists the real Muslim was her son. He was killed fighting for ISIS. This is the masalah with belief. Blind obedience serves only the manipulators. Catholicism, particularly in Ireland, has learnt the hard way. Anglicanism, the middle way, has lost its way while Islam remains resolute against any other way. So much so that renouncing Islam is punishable by death.

In anothervideo 'Wolves in Sheep's Clothing' the Imam who condemned people for saying Merry Christmas rails against the 'enemies of Islam'. He names Jews, Christians, Hindus and the secular, atheistic world at large who "disagree among themselves on everything except that Islam is a target and is to be removed from the world map". Finally he tells his audience that the real wolves in sheep's clothing are not Jews, Christians or Hindus but the Shia, a different Muslim sect.

Muslims believe that, unlike Moses and prophets who heard from God directly, Muhammad heard through an intermediary, Gabriel. In these revelations Allah changes his mind many times leaving followers with the problem of abrogation which results in taking the more recent (violent) verses in preference to earlier (peaceful) verses. Consequently the religion of peace in the Quran gives way tothe sword:  "The later verses, known as the “Sword Verses” (9:5 and 9:29), were considered by Muslim scholars to have cancelled the previous verses mandating kindness and persuasion. Expansionist jihad became the explicit norm."

By contrast with uncorroborated revelations received by Muhammad, Jesus Christ is the fulfilment of eight Old Testament prophesies. The probability of fulfilling all eight prophesies has been calculated as 1 x 1028 or 1 in 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.

Jesus Christ came into the world not to abolish the Law or the Prophets but to fulfil them. He made another prophecy which has been fulfilled: "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves." Thisprophecy could not be clearer but nevertheless, Muslims regard Muhammad as the last prophet without question. That is the problem.

For years Islam has been treated as above criticism, validated for its pre-'Sword' verses aboutkindness and persuasion. But there is a glimmer of hope. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has come out and said "It's time to stop saying Isil has ‘nothing to do with Islam’".

It is ironic that people who have largely lost their Christian faith judge Islam from a traditional Christian perspective accepting what they are told about peaceful Islam while ignoring the evidence to the contrary which has been exhibited all around the world for hundreds of years. 'Christian Daily' explodes the peace loving myth in an article "Muslim migrants display 'pure hatred' of Christians". An Arabic translator who has been living in Germany for more than 20 years explains that Muslim migrants secretly despise Christians and believe that the country should be Islamised.

Muslims need to know about Christianity. They should be encouraged to question their own faith instead of attacking others and question the imposition of penalties for renouncing Islam contrary to the Universal Declaration on Human Rights that "Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religiondanquot;.

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Blood on the carpet and blood on the streets

Journalists were having another field day in Downing Street yesterday when they realised that our new Prime Minister, Theresa May, was doing things her way. It was a repeat of the 'Night of the Long Knives' said Norman Smith, the BBC's Assistant Political Editor harking back to Macmillan's 1962 sacking of a third of his Cabinet.

'A brutal reshuffle' he bellowed at Mrs May as she entered No 10. As the sackings increased so did the rhetoric. The knives became meat cleavers but thankfully the only blood on the carpet was metaphorical.

Not so on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice as the day was drawing to a close. A heavy lorry had been driven deliberately into crowds of people who had gathered to celebrate Bastille Day. French prosecutors said they had launched a 'terrorism' investigation after the incident. Barack Obama, the US president, condemned "in the strongest terms" what he said "appears to be a horrific 'terrorist' attack", as did presidential hopeful, Hillary Clinton.

Prime Minister Theresa May said Britain stands "shoulder to shoulderdanquot; with France after the "horrifyingdanquot; 'terror' attack on the French Riviera that left at least 84 people dead.

This home grown 'terrorist', Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, may have had a hand gun, he may have had grenades, but whatever else he possessed, what he used so slay the innocent was a heavy lorry. No military training necessary. Just a HGV licence, the money to hire the vehicle and a belief in a religious ideology that regards all non-Muslims and Muslims of the 'wrong' sect as fair game. Taking his authority from the Quran he will have been taught to believe that only his namesake held the truth.

'Just Ask Islam' presents a confusing picture: In answer to the question, "Does Islam Say: Kill The Infidels?", the answer given is: "We know the Quran orders believers to fight in combat against those who are the oppressors, aggressors and terrorists and those who are assaulting and killing the innocent men, women and children. But it gives out clear orders - NOT TO Fight against those who are not fighting against you..." To believe that we have to ignore1400 years of conflict. A classic case ofabrogation.

Theresa May and Michael Gove fell out over the Birmingham schools 'Trojan Horse' row. As Home Secretary she banned two bloggers from entering the United Kingdom branding them as extremists because they have explained the threat posed to Western civilization:

A blinkered Keith Vaz, Chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, who had called for the bloggers to be banned from the UK said: "I welcome the home secretary's ban onRobert Spencer and Pamela Geller from entering the country. This is the right decision. The UK should never become a stage for inflammatory speakers who promote hate". See examples of the realityhere andhere where Islamic hate preachers were allowed free rein with devastating results.

It is difficult to escape the conclusion that in the eyes of politicians Islam is blameless and anyone who questions the ideology is regarded as an extremist. How many more home grown sleepers will wreak havoc before politicians realise that this dangerous religious ideology must be confronted. How many more atrocities before the myth of a religion of peace is questioned given the weight of evidence to the contrary?

Postscript [15.07.2016]

Please stop saying the Nice attacks have nothing to do with Islam - Maajid Nawaz, founder of the Quilliam Foundation, a counter-extremism think tank.

After yet another claim on BBC News this evening that "this has nothing to do with religion" from a survivor who appeared to know absolutely nothing about Islam other than what he has been told to believe, may I suggest that he and people holding similar views at least consider why the same thread runs through these attacks and ask themselves why Islam is the common denominator if it is supposed to be the religion of peace?

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"Soulless neutrality"

St Hilda's College, Oxford                                                                                                Source: web

From the Telegraph: St Hilda’s College in Oxford is set to become the first  undergraduate college in the University to cease having a dedicated Anglican chapel, transitioning instead to a multi-faith prayer room described by Elizabeth Oldfield as a victory for 'soulless neutrality'.

This decision even ruffled the feathers of Giles Fraser who wrote: "St Hilda’s College is the first college of the University of Oxford to have demolished its chapel. First of all they were going to replace it. But having knocked down the old one they have now decided they want a multi-faith space instead. The humanists are crowing that this represents a triumph for the forces of secularism – and they are, of course, perfectly correct."

But Fraser goes further: "This has nothing to do with an Anglican desire to maintain some sort of theological dominance within the University. If St Hilda’s decided it was going to have a mosque or a synagogue instead, I for one could entirely see the point and much prefer it. Such a space would have a particular religious character and be so better for that. Indeed, there are dozens of college chapels. So why not a bit of re-balancing? But of course they won't do that, too afraid of the Daily Mail, too afraid of being labeled as the college with the mosque."

Prior to 2007 St Hilda's was a Hall for Women Students. Women would have been able to worship on equal terms with men in the Anglican chapel unlike Muslim and Orthodox Jewish women who are segregated in worship.

Replacing the dedicated Anglican Chapel with a multi-faith prayer room is a politically correct, retrograde step signalling equal worth of beliefs contrary to the teaching of the Bible.

Ignorance of what Islam teaches is rife and is unlikely to improve without radical changes.

In July 2019 the Government appointed an "Independent expert" to tackle Islamophobia. The appointee, Imam Qari Asim, MBE, said at the time: "To tackle the alarming rise in anti-Muslim sentiment, it is imperative that Islamophobia is defined. I am deeply committed to working across Muslim communities and with relevant stakeholders to formulate a legally robust, comprehensive and workable definition of Islamophobia."

Talking at a workshop organised by The Centre for Muslim-Christian Studies the Imam "argued the case for Muslims to obey the law of the land most of the time. But he also made clear how he would like the law to accommodate Islamic ideas. For example, he would like to see polygamy legalised, and inheritance to favour male heirs in line with sharia principles. He also supports Islamic finance with its radical view that interest should be banned." He would also "support an explicit Islamic blasphemy law."

Qari Asim is facing calls to stand down after he was accused of questioning free speech. Replaced or not, a clear distinction needs to be made between Muslims and Islam. Having an opinion on the teaching of Islam is not anti-Muslim.

The 'soulless neutrality' of political and spiritual leaders also needs to be confronted.

The following is an extract from Christian Concern'sIs Islam a religion of peace? :

The teaching of the Qur’an

"Confusingly for the ordinary reader, the Qur’an is not in chronological order. The chapters (Surahs) come in order of length, from the longest to the shortest. According to classical Islamic teaching, however, earlier verses (in chronology of revelation rather than position in the Qur’an) are sometimes cancelled by later instructions in a manner somewhat similar to how Christians view the New Testament as cancelling some of the instructions of the Old Testament. This Islamic doctrine is called abrogation, and it is found in the Qur’an:

"We do not abrogate a verse or cause it to be forgotten except that We bring forth [one] better than it or similar to it. Do you not know that Allah is over all things competent? (Q 2:106)

"Or again:

"And when We substitute a verse in place of a verse – and Allah is most knowing of what He sends down – they say, “You, [O Muhammad], are but an inventor [of lies].” But most of them do not know. (Q 16:101)[10]

"This doctrine of abrogation enables apparent contradictions in the Qur’an to be resolved; later verses abrogate earlier ones. Furthermore, Muhammad did not advocate violence earlier in his career, but waited until he had amassed a following large enough to wage war. Earlier verses are thus more peaceful, while later verses are more violent.

"The most famous example of a peaceful verse is Q 2:256:

"There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion. The right course has become clear from the wrong. So whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah has grasped the most trustworthy handhold with no break in it. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing.

"However, this verse, and many others, is regarded as having been abrogated by the ‘verse of the sword’:[11]

"But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war); but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practise regular charity, then open the way for them: for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful. (Q 9:5)

"In fact, surah 9 is the last chapter to be revealed in the Qur’an and is seen as abrogating earlier instructions. Surah 9 is also the most violent chapter as the following verses demonstrate:

"Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued. (Q 9:29)

"Here ‘Jizya’ is the Islamic subjugation tax to be paid by Christians or Jews who have accepted the subjugated status of ‘dhimmi’.

"O Prophet, fight against the disbelievers and the hypocrites and be harsh upon them. And their refuge is Hell, and wretched is the destination. (Q 9:73)

"Allah hath purchased of the believers their persons and their goods; for theirs (in return) is the garden (of Paradise): they fight in His cause, and slay and are slain: a promise binding on Him in truth, through the Law, the Gospel, and the Qur’an: and who is more faithful to his covenant than Allah? (Q 9:111)

"O ye who believe! Fight the unbelievers who gird you about, and let them find firmness in you: and know that Allah is with those who fear Him. (Q 9:123)

"Note that these are open-ended commands without qualification. In total, there are well over a hundred verses advocating violence in the Qur’an.[12]"

Postscript

An extract from Christian Concern'sHow to tackle the Islamisation of prisons:

"The latest prison population statistics show that 16.1% of the prison population is Muslim, up from 12% in 2009. This compares with around 5.6% of the UK population who identify as Muslim. As of 2018 there were 61 full-time equivalent Muslim prison ‘chaplains’ (nearly 40% of all chaplains working in prisons), compared with 157 Christian prison chaplains. This makes the Prison Service one of the largest employers of Muslim religious professionals in the country. Yet former prison governor Ian Acheson, when reviewing Islamist extremism in prisons, found that virtually none of the prison imams he asked even knew about their Prevent duty."

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