Instruments of Love and Harmony

From Zenit.org comes Final Statement of Catholic-Muslim Forum "Called to Be Instruments of Love and Harmony"
For background information about the meetings, see this Reuters article of 11/06/08. Click this link for A Common Word between Us and You, which precipitated the recent meetings. [Note the Events section, a recent addition to the page]. A Common Word's home page includes a summary, the missive, media reports, blog posts and various responses from Christian & Jewish leaders. Click this link: Islamic Extortion Letter for my original dissection of the missive or this link: Go Burn With Muhammad, a blog devoted to dissecting the missive and reactions to it.

The statement includes an enumerated list of fifteen points which present a target rich environment In this installment, I'll take on the first point of agreement.[Links & emphasis added.]

1. For Christians the source and example of love of God and neighbour is the love of Christ for his Father, for humanity and for each person. "God is Love" (1 Jn 4, 16) and "God so loved the world that He gave his only Son so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (Jn 3,16). God's love is placed in the human heart through the Holy Spirit.

It is God who first loves us thereby enabling us to love Him in return. Love does not harm one's neighbour but rather seeks to do to the other what one would want done to oneself (Cf. 1 Cor 13, 4-7). Love is the foundation and sum of all the commandments (Cf. Gal 5, 14).

Love of neighbour cannot be separated from love of God, because it is an expression of our love for God. This is the new commandment, "Love one another as I have loved you." (Jn 15, 12) Grounded in Christ's sacrificial love, Christian love is forgiving and excludes no one; it therefore also includes one's enemies. It should be not just words but deeds (Cf. 1 Jn, 4, 18). This is the sign of its genuineness.

For Muslims, as set out in "A Common Word," love is a timeless transcendent power which guides and transforms human mutual regard.

This love, as indicated by the Holy and Beloved Prophet Muhammad, is prior to the human love for the One True God. A Hadith indicates that God's loving compassion for humanity is even greater than that of a mother for her child (Muslim, Bab al-Tawba: 21); it therefore exists before and independently of the human response to the One who is 'The Loving.' So immense is this love and compassion that God has intervened to guide and save humanity in a perfect way many times and in many places, by sending prophets and scriptures. The last of these books, the Qur'an, portrays a world of signs, a marvellous cosmos of Divine artistry, which calls forth our utter love and devotion, so that 'those who have faith, have most love of God' (2:165), and 'those that believe, and do good works, the Merciful shall engender love among them.' (19:96) In a Hadith we read that 'Not one of you has faith until he loves for his neighbour what he loves for himself' (Bukhari, Bab al-Iman: 13).

Jehovah is love, right? How about Allah? Is love among his 99 named attributes? Jannah.org has a list, with explanations. A search turns up one hit.

Al-Wadood

• The Loving, The One who loves His believing slaves and His believing slaves love Him. His love to His slaves is His Will to be merciful to them and praise them:Hence it's meaning is related to the attributes of the Will and Kalam (His attribute with which He orders and forbids and spoke to Muhammad and Musa -peace be upon them- . It is not a sound nor a language nor a letter.).

Who does the Qur'an describe Allah as loving?

• who do good deeds 2:110
• Al-Muhsinun (those who do good)
• 2:195
• 3:134
• 3:138
• 5:13
• 5:93
• the clean
• 2:222
• 9:108
• Al-Muttaqun (pious)
• 3:76
• 9:4
• 9:7
• As-Sabirin 3:146 (the patient)
• those who act justly. 5:42
• the equitable
• 49:9
• 60:8
• those who fight in rows 61:4
• who put their trust in him 3:159

A search for Allah loved had no hits in the Qur'an, one in Ibn Kathir's Tafsir. In How Those Who lived a Life of Luxury disbelieved in the Messengers and were misled by Their pursuit of Wealth and Children,[34:39] we learn that wealthy, prolific Kaffirun are being set up for eternal damnation. Allah has no plan of salvation for them.

(but those who were given the worldly wealth and luxuries among them) means, those who enjoyed a life of riches and luxury, and positions of leadership. Qatadah said, "They are their tyrants, chiefs and leaders in evil.'' (We believe not in the (Message) with which you have been sent.) means, `we do not believe in it and we will not follow it.' Allah tells us that those who enjoyed a life of luxury and who disbelieved the Messengers said: (And they say: "We are more in wealth and in children, and we are not going to be punished.'') meaning, they were proud of their great wealth and great numbers of children, and they believed that this was a sign that Allah loved them and cared for them, and that if He gave them this in this world, He would not punish them in the Hereafter. This was too far-fetched. Allah says: (Do they think that in wealth and children with which We enlarge them We hasten unto them with good things. Nay, but they perceive not.) (23:55-56) (So, let not their wealth nor their children amaze you; in reality Allah's plan is to punish them with these things in the life of this world, and that their souls shall depart while they are disbelievers.) (9:55)

Who are Al-Muhsinun, who do good (beloved of Allah)? What do they do?

• avoid usury 3:130
• fear Hell 3:131
• obey Allah & his Messenger 3:132
• march forth 3:133
• 3:134
• spend in Allah's cause
• charity
• repress anger
• pardon men
• ask forgiveness for sin 3:135

One of these terms arouses suspicion; lets take a closer look at it.

• 9:38. O you who believe! What is the matter with you, that when you are asked to march forth in the Cause of Allah (i.e. Jihad) you cling heavily to the earth? Are you pleased with the life of this world rather than the Hereafter? But little is the enjoyment of the life of this world as compared with the Hereafter.
• 9:41. March forth, whether you are light (being healthy, young and wealthy) or heavy (being ill, old and poor), strive hard with your wealth and your lives in the Cause of Allah. This is better for you, if you but knew.

Could this be related to those who fight in rows? Lets look a little deeper into Surah As-Saff and see.

• 61:9. He it is Who has sent His Messenger (Muhammad ) with guidance and the religion of truth (Islamic Monotheism) to make it victorious over all (other) religions even though the Mushrikun (polytheists, pagans, idolaters, and disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah and in His Messenger Muhammed ) hate (it).
  
  61:10. O You who believe! Shall I guide you to a commerce that will save you from a painful torment.
  
  61:11. That you believe in Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad ), and that you strive hard and fight in the Cause of Allah with your wealth and your lives, that will be better for you, if you but know!
  
  61:12. (If you do so) He will forgive you your sins, and admit you into Gardens under which rivers flow, and pleasant dwelling in Gardens of 'Adn ­ Eternity ['Adn (Edn) Paradise], that is indeed the great success.
  
  61:13. And also (He will give you) another (blessing) which you love, help from Allah (against your enemies) and a near victory. And give glad tidings (O Muhammad ) to the believers.
  
  
  

Who are the ­Muttaqun, loved by Allah?

• 2:177. It is not Al-Birr (piety, righteousness, and each and every act of obedience to Allah, etc.) that you turn your faces towards east and (or) west (in prayers); but Al-Birr is (the quality of) the one who believes in Allah, the Last Day, the Angels, the Book, the Prophets and gives his wealth, in spite of love for it, to the kinsfolk, to the orphans, and to Al-Masakin (the poor), and to the wayfarer, and to those who ask, and to set slaves free, performs As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), and gives the Zakat, and who fulfill their covenant when they make it, and who are As-Sabirin (the patient ones, etc.) in extreme poverty and ailment (disease) and at the time of fighting (during the battles). Such are the people of the truth and they are Al­Muttaqun (pious - see V.2:2).
• believes
• gives
• fulfill contracts
• patient
• in poverty
• in disease
• in fighting

Allah loves those who are patient in fighting, who march forth & fight in his cause with their wealth and their lives; who fight in ranks. Allah also loves those who obey him and his Messenger. Did Allah command them to fight?

• 9:29. Fight against those who (1) believe not in Allah, (2) nor in the Last Day, (3) nor forbid that which has been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger (4) and those who acknowledge not the religion of truth (i.e. Islam) among the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians), until they pay the Jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.

If Allah loves Jews, Christians, Sabeans, Samaritans & Zoroastrians, why does he command his slaves to make war on them until they are all subjugated and make annual extortion payments? Could it be that Allah does not love sinners, that he hates them or is, at best indifferent towards them?

• The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'Allah, the Blessed, the Exalted, created Adam. Then He stroked his back with His right hand, and progeny issued from it. He said, "I created these for the Garden and they will act with the behaviour of the people of the Garden." Then He stroked his back again and brought forth progeny from him. He said, "I created these for the Fire and they will act with the behaviour of the people of the Fire." 'A man said, 'Messenger of Allah! Then of what value are deeds?' The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, answered, 'When Allah creates a slave for the Garden, he makes him use the behaviour of the people of the Garden, so that he dies on one of the actions of the people of the Garden and by it He brings him into the Garden. When He creates a slave for the Fire, He makes him use the behaviour of the people of the Fire, so that he dies on one of the actions of the people of the Fire, and by it, He brings him into the Fire.' "[Malik's Muwatta Book 46, Number 46.1.2]

Now we learn that its a matter of predestination. One group created for Paradise, the other for the fire; each to behave with the conduct of those of their purpose. Could this perhaps be racially linked?

• Allah tells us that on the Day of Resurrection, some faces will be blackened and some will be whitened. The faces of those who followed splits and divisions will be blackened, and the faces of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jama`ah will be whitened. Allah says here: (And on the Day of Resurrection you will see those who lied against Allah) meaning, by their claims that He had partners or offspring. (their faces will be black.) means, because of their lies and fabrications. [The Consequences for Those Who tell Lies against Allah and for Those Who have Taqwa]
  
  

• Bukhari Volume 1, Book 2, Number 21:

  Narrated Abu Said Al-Khudri:

  The Prophet said, "When the people of Paradise will enter Paradise and the people of Hell will go to Hell, Allah will order those who have had faith equal to the weight of a grain of mustard seed to be taken out from Hell. So they will be taken out but (by then) they will be blackened (charred). Then they will be put in the river of Haya' (rain) or Hayat (life) (the Narrator is in doubt as to which is the right term), and they will revive like a grain that grows near the bank of a flood channel. Don't you see that it comes out yellow and twisted"

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Prejudice and Patriotism

Cross posted by Findalis from Monkey in the Middle


67 years ago today elements of the Japanese military attacked US forces at Pearl Harbor. While Americans should never forget that day of infamy, we should also be ashamed of what followed after.

When the US entered World War 2 there were about 112,000 people of Japanese decent living in Hawaii and the West Coast. Many of them entered the United States before the Immigration Act of 1924 which limited the number of immigrants from various nations with a quota system and excluded many immigrants from Asian and African nations. Yet the Japanese community flourished even with the discrimination and prejudice that was prevalent in the nation at the time.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor the US had a problem. Although we are a free nation, we felt that each member of this community was a Japanese spy. That the loyalty of the whole community was in question. Since Dec. 7th, gangs of thugs were roaming through the Japanese communities looting, raping, and killing those they saw as an enemy. And we had a solution for this problem. We would place the whole Japanese-American community into interment camps for their own protection.

While the Supreme Court in Hirabayashi v. U.S. YASUI U.S. wrote:

“because persons of Japanese ancestry have been faced with many restrictions while residing in the United States, they may have become more isolated from the rest of the population and more attached to Japan and Japanese institutions.

“The Executive Order permitted establishment of military areas for the purpose of protecting national defense resources from sabotage and espionage. The Act of Congress ratified the Executive Order. Both were an exercise of constitutional power to wage war. Once the Executive and Congress have the power, they also have the freedom to use their own judgment in determining what the threat is and how it can be resisted. A court should not decide whether the Executive and/or Congress did the right thing nor should a court substitute its own judgment for that of the Executive or Congress.

“Measures adopted by the Government may point out that a group of one nationality is more dangerous to the country’s safety than any other group. This is not entirely beyond the limits of the Constitution and should not be condemned just because racial differences are usually irrelevant."

Thus paving the way for all those of Japanese decent to be interred. Many went willingly, following the orders of their government into these camps. Camps that were underfunded, under equipped, and under staffed. Many would die from these conditions. But the spirit of America did not die with these people. Instead it flourished.

Funny how a people forced into horrible conditions by their own government could still hold great love for that nation that imprisoned them. They formed their own government (governing themselves with approval from the military commanders), they organized schools, medical clinics, scouting troops, civic organizations. They held drives for blood, for metal, for rubber, bought War Bonds and grew Victory Gardens.

And some served.

Starting in Hawaii and then propelling to the mainland, young men of Japanese decent (known as Nisei) enlisted in the US Army. Those who had a very clear understanding of Japan and the Japanese language were sent to Washington D.C. to work in Military Intelligence. The rest form the 442nd Infantry Regimental Combat Team. And what a history they have!

The 442, known affectionately as Buddhaheads,was a self-sufficient fighting force, and fought with uncommon distinction in Italy, southern France, and Germany. The unit became the most highly decorated military unit in the history of the United States Armed Forces, including 21 Medal of Honor recipients, earning the nickname “The Purple Heart Battalion.” Their motto: Go For Broke! showed the courage and determination of these men.

While other interred groups rallied against the US, with none of them enlisting in such numbers. The Nisei volunteered in great numbers. And died in great numbers too.

This Regiment has the distinction of being the most highly decorated unit ever in American history. It would be hard for any unit to match their distinctive record of:

• 8 Major Campaigns in Europe
• 7 Presidential Unit Citations
• 9,486 Purple Hearts
• 21 Congressional Medals of Honor
• 52 Distinguished Service Crosses
• 1 Distinguished Service Medal
• 560 Silver Stars, 28 with Oak Leaf Clusters in lieu of second
• 22 Legion of Merit Medals
• 4,000 Bronze Stars, 1,200 with Oak Leaf Clusters in lieu of second
• 15 Soldier's Medals
• 12 French Croix de Guerre with two Palms representing second awards
• 2 Italian Crosses for Military Merit
• 2 Italian Medals for Military Valor

The 442nd in training: building then attacking across a pontoon bridge at Camp Shelby

A 442nd RCT squad leader checks for German units in France in November 1944.

The 442nd Regimental Combat Team, hiking up a muddy French road in the Chambois Sector, France, in late 1944.

It was through the actions of these men that the Japanese-American community was released from interment in December of 1944.

What drove these men? It was an undying love for this nation. A love that interment, prejudice and hatred could not destroy. A love for the knowledge that in the United States, all are equal. Just sometimes it takes longer for the government to recognize that fact.

Go For Broke Memorial in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, California

On this Pearl Harbor Day I remember the men who died in Hawaii, but I will also remember the patriots who served even when their own nation despised, hated and feared them enough to put them in camps. The men of the 100th Infantry Battalion/442 Regimental Combat Team. Americans regardless of what their nation thought of them at the time!

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"Day of Infamy"

Attack at Pearl Harbor, 1941

The surprise was complete. The attacking planes came in two waves; the first hit its target at 7:53 AM, the second at 8:55. By 9:55 it was all over. By 1:00 PM the carriers that launched the planes from 274 miles off the coast of Oahu were heading back to Japan.

Behind them they left chaos, 2,403 dead, 188 destroyed planes and a crippled Pacific Fleet that included 8 damaged or destroyed battleships. In one stroke the Japanese action silenced the debate that had divided Americans ever since the German defeat of France left England alone in the fight against the Nazi terror.

Approximately three hours later, Japanese planes began a day-long attack on American facilities in the Philippines. ...

Marine Corporal E.C. Nightingale was aboard the Arizona that fateful Sunday morning:

"At approximately eight o'clock on the morning of December 7, 1941, I was leaving the breakfast table when the ship's siren for air defense sounded. Having no anti-aircraft battle station, I paid little attention to it. Suddenly I heard an explosion. I ran to the port door leading to the quarterdeck and saw a bomb strike a barge of some sort alongside the NEVADA, or in that vicinity. The marine color guard came in at this point saying we were being attacked. I could distinctly hear machine gun fire. I believe at this point our anti-aircraft battery opened up.

"We stood around awaiting orders of some kind. General Quarters sounded and I started for my battle station in secondary aft. As I passed through casement nine I noted the gun was manned and being trained out. The men seemed extremely calm and collected. I reached the boat deck and our anti-aircraft guns were in full action, firing very rapidly. I was about three quarters of the way to the first platform on the mast when it seemed as though a bomb struck our quarterdeck. I could hear shrapnel or fragments whistling past me. As

A captured Japanese photo shows Battleship Row under attack. Hickam Field burns in the distance

soon as I reached the first platform, I saw Second Lieutenant Simonson lying on his back with blood on his shirt front. I bent over him and taking him by the shoulders asked if there was anything I could do. He was dead, or so nearly so that speech was impossible. Seeing there was nothing I could do for the Lieutenant, I continued to my battle station.

"When I arrived in secondary aft I reported to Major Shapley that Mr. Simonson had been hit and there was nothing to be done for him. There was a lot of talking going on and I shouted for silence which came immediately. I had only been there a short time when a terrible explosion caused the ship to shake violently. I looked at the boat deck and everything seemed aflame forward of the mainmast. I reported to the Major that the ship was aflame, which was rather needless, and after looking about, the Major ordered us to leave.

"I was the last man to leave secondary aft because I looked around and there was no one left. I followed the Major down the port side of the tripod mast. The railings, as we ascended, were very hot and as we reached the boat deck I noted that it was torn up and burned. The bodies of the dead were thick, and badly burned men were heading for the quarterdeck, only to fall apparently dead or badly wounded. The Major and I went between No. 3 and No. 4 turret to the starboard side and found Lieutenant Commander Fuqua ordering the men over the side and assisting the wounded. He seemed exceptionally calm and the Major stopped and they talked for a moment. Charred bodies were everywhere.

"I made my way to the quay and started to remove my shoes when I suddenly found myself in the water. I think the concussion of a bomb threw me in. I started swimming for the pipe line which was about one hundred and fifty feet away. I was about half way when my strength gave out entirely. My clothes and shocked

The USS Shaw explodes

condition sapped my strength, and I was about to go under when Major Shapley started to swim by, and seeing my distress, grasped my shirt and told me to hang to his shoulders while he swam in.

"We were perhaps twenty-five feet from the pipe line when the Major's strength gave out and I saw he was floundering, so I loosened my grip on him and told him to make it alone. He stopped and grabbed me by the shirt and refused to let go. I would have drowned but for the Major. We finally reached the beach where a marine directed us to a bomb shelter, where I was given dry clothes and a place to rest." (source)

Did You Know? The bond between USS Arizona shipmates went beyond being comrades; there were 37 sets of brothers assigned to the USS Arizona on December 7, 1941.

37 Sets of Brothers Assigned to USS Arizona
December 7, 1941

Go - read their names: National Park Service

The names on the memorial wall tell a poignant tale of the price paid by their families....there were 37 sets of brothers assigned to the USS Arizona on the day it went down, including Delbert and John Anderson, one set of twins. The ship's crew included three sets of three brothers: Becker, Doherty and Murdock. One brother survived in each set. Twenty-three sets of brothers were lost that day.

There were a total of 77 brothers serving on the USS Arizona; 62 died as a result of the attack.

Thomas Augusta Free, from Texas, and his son William Thomas Free were the only father and son serving on the USS Arizona; they were killed in action as well. Kenneth and Russell Warriner were the only set of USS Arizona brothers who survived...

The plaque at the memorial is dedicated to the 1,177 men from the USS Arizona who gave their lives that day, most of whom are permanently entombed beneath the ocean waves.

"Dedicated to the eternal memory of our gallant shipmates in the USS Arizona, who gave their lives in action 7 December 1941. 'From today on the USS Arizona will again fly our country's flag just as proudly as she did on the morning of 7 December 1941. I am sure the Arizona's crew will know and appreciate what we are doing.' Admiral A.W. Radford, USN, 7 March 1950. May God make His face to shine upon them and grant them peace."

Salvaged from the floor of Pearl Harbor, the anchor of the battleship USS Arizona is displayed at the entrance of the USS Arizona Memorial Visitor Center operated by the National Park Service. The anchor was cast in Chester, Pennsylvania, and weighs 19,585 pounds. Photographer: Bill Dasher. Courtesy Impact.

The wake of a tour boat as it pulls away with visitors from the USS Arizona Memorial. Constructed in 1961, it was dedicated on Memorial Day, 1962. In 1980 it became a unit of the National Park Service. Photographer: David Thoresen. Courtesy Impact. (source for both here)

The ship's bell from the USS Arizona hangs in the tower of the University of Arizona Student Union building. The bell is tolled at the memorial services, held each year on the Sunday closest to December 7. This is one of two recovered. The other is at the memorial at Pearl Harbor. (source)

A history from the Navy here.

Rest in Peace

*cross-posted from Assolutas Tranquillita*

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Another Call to Feed Israel to the Alligators

A Google Alert brought this press release to my attention:

ELCA Presiding Bishop, Other Leaders Call for Priority on Middle East Peace

At the bottom of the press release, I found this link to the statement of the
the National Interreligious Leadership Initiative for Peace in the Middle
East:  http://www.episcopal-life.org/documents/NILINov08Statement.pdf .

The document is titled:

National Interreligious Leadership Initiative

for Peace in the Middle East

Sub titled:

A Window of Hope for the Peace of Jerusalem:

Jewish, Christian and Muslim Religious Leaders Call for Urgent U.S. Leadership

The subtitle informs us that the the leaders who wrote it have no knowledge of the nature of the conflict and abandoned rationality in favor of blind faith in an impossible goal. Jerusalem was conquered by the ancient Hebrews about three thousand years ago. Jews have maintained a presence there ever since. The Temple of Solomon was built there and rebuilt seventy years after the Babylonian Captivity.

The site of Solomon's Temple is sacred to Jews; their holiest site. Israel was taken over and occupied by Romans who destroyed the Temple after crushing a rebellion. Muhammad incorporated the site in a dramatic story woven around a dream: the Night Journey, in which he claimed to have departed to Paradise from the site of the Temple after flying there from Arabia on a burro. The story is detailed in Sahih Muslim Book 001, Number 0309 and referred to in the Qur'an 17:60 Lets have a brief look at the story.

I was brought al-Buraq Who is an animal white and long, larger than a donkey but smaller than a mule, who would place his hoof a distance equal to the range of version. I mounted it and came to the Temple (Bait Maqdis in Jerusalem), then tethered it to the ring used by the prophets. I entered the mosque and prayed two rak'ahs in it, and then came out and Gabriel brought me a vessel of wine and a vessel of milk.

There was no Temple in the 7^th century, only a Christian Church on the site of the Temple. That structure was not a Mosque, but the story is used as a claim of ownership of the city for Islam.

After Muhammad died, Caliph Umar "sent the Muslims to the great countries to fight the pagans.". The Roman Province of Syria was one of the places he sent the Muslims to. Why? To obtain the answer, we must view two sayings.

Bukhari Volume 4, Book 53, Number 392:

Narrated Abu Huraira:

While we were in the Mosque, the Prophet came out and said, "Let us go to the Jews" We went out till we reached Bait-ul-Midras. He said to them, "If you embrace Islam, you will be safe.You should know that the earth belongs to Allah and His Apostle, and I want to expel you from this land. So, if anyone amongst you owns some property, he is permitted to sell it, otherwise you should know that the Earth belongs to Allah and His Apostle."

We learned two things from that hadith.

• Submitting to Islam is the way to avoid being invaded by the Muslim army.
• The earth belongs to Muhammad.

Abu Dawud 14.2477
Narrated Ibn Hawalah:

The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: It will turn out that you will be armed troops, one is Syria, one in the Yemen and one in Iraq. Ibn Hawalah said: Choose for me, Apostle of Allah, if I reach that time. He replied: Go to Syria, for it is Allah's chosen land, to which his best servants will be gathered but if you are unwilling, go to your Yemen, and draw water from your tanks, for Allah has on my account taken special charge of Syria and its people.

• Three invasions:
• Syria
• Yemen
• Iraq
• Syria is preferred because:
• it is Allah's chosen land
• Allah has on my account taken special charge of Syria and its people.

Umar's conquest of Syria in 638 makes the Levant a permanent, inalienable waqf which must not be relinquished. This is explained in Article 11 of the Charter of Hamas.

Palestine is an Islamic Waqf throughout all generations and to the Day of Resurrection ... This is the status [of the land] in Islamic Shari'a, and it is similar to all lands conquered by Islam by force, and made thereby Waqf lands upon their conquest, for all generations of Muslims until the Day of Resurrection. This [norm] has prevailed since the commanders of the Muslim armies completed the conquest of Syria and Iraq, and they asked the Caliph of Muslims, 'Umar Ibn al-Khattab, for his view of the conquered land, whether it should be partitioned between the troops or left in the possession of its population, or otherwise. Following discussions and consultations between the Caliph of Islam, 'Umar Ibn al-Khattab, and the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, be peace and prayer upon him, they decided that the land should remain in the hands of its owners to benefit from it and from its wealth; but the control of the land and the land itself ought to be endowed as a Waqf [in perpetuity] for all generations of Muslims until the Day of Resurrection. The ownership of the land by its owners is only one of usufruct, and this Waqf will endure as long as Heaven and earth last.

• Because Umar conquered it, the Levant belongs to Muslims forever.

There is one little fly in the ointment. The Ottoman Empire fought on the wrong side of WW I and lost. Israel subsequently drove out the last of her conquerors reclaiming sovereignty over a tiny fragment of her ancient patrimony.

The Levant being waqf, the Muslims can not leave it in the hands of Kuffar. To do so violates Allah's law and proves his promises to be false. Israel, by recovering her land, proves Allah to be an impotent idol.

Evidently the religious leaders who met to solve this problem are unaware of Allah's promises.

• 13:41. See they not that We gradually reduce the land (of disbelievers, by giving it to the believers, in war victories) from its outlying borders. And Allah judges, there is none to put back His Judgement and He is Swift at reckoning.

Allah takes the land from Kuffar, giving it to Muslims through conquest, irreversibly.

• 40:51. Verily, We will indeed make victorious Our Messengers and those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah Islâmic Monotheism) in this world's life and on the Day when the witnesses will stand forth, (i.e. Day of Resurrection),

If you don't emerge victorious, it is because of insufficient faith & purity of practice; losers ain't Islamic enough.

• 8:66. Now Allah has lightened your (task), for He knows that there is weakness in you. So if there are of you a hundred steadfast persons, they shall overcome two hundred, and if there are a thousand of you, they shall overcome two thousand with the Leave of Allah. And Allah is with As-Sâbirin (the patient ones, etc.). .

Allah promises a 2:1 power ratio; the Muslims will defeat armies twice as numerous as theirs. Who had the numerical advantage in 1948, 1956, 1967 & 1973? And what happened? Israel is still there, proving Allah's promises vain. There is no way that Muslims can tolerate that insult.

There is something else the clerics ignore: Allah's commandments. The earth must be conquered so that only Allah is worshiped. Jews & Christians must be conquered, subjugated & extorted. These are clear, outcome oriented commands without geographic or chronological limits.

• 8:39. And fight them until there is no more Fitnah (disbelief and polytheism: i.e. worshipping others besides Allah) and the religion (worship) will all be for Allah Alone [in the whole of the world ]. But if they cease (worshipping others besides Allah), then certainly, Allah is All-Seer of what they do.
• 9:29. Fight against those who (1) believe not in Allah, (2) nor in the Last Day, (3) nor forbid that which has been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger (4) and those who acknowledge not the religion of truth (i.e. Islâm) among the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians), until they pay the Jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.

Those commands are obligatory, not optional.

• 2:216. Jihâd (holy fighting in Allah's Cause) is ordained for you (Muslims) though you dislike it, and it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. Allah knows but you do not know.

How long does this Jihad go on? Until Resurrection Day.

• Abu Dawud Book 14, Number 2526
  
  
  Narrated Anas ibn Malik:
  
  The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: Three things are the roots of faith: to refrain from (killing) a person who utters, "There is no god but Allah" and not to declare him unbeliever whatever sin he commits, and not to excommunicate him from Islam for his any action; and jihad will be performed continuously since the day Allah sent me as a prophet until the day the last member of my community will fight with the Dajjal (Antichrist). The tyranny of any tyrant and the justice of any just (ruler) will not invalidate it. One must have faith in Divine decree.

What will happen to Muslims if they beat their swords into plowshares? They will be cursed by Allah.

• Abu Dawud Book 23, Number 3455:

  Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar:

  I heard the Apostle of Allah, (peace_be_upon_him) say: When you enter into the inah transaction, hold the tails of oxen, are pleased with agriculture, and give up conducting jihad (struggle in the way of Allah). Allah will make disgrace prevail over you, and will not withdraw it until you return to your original religion.

From this hadith we learn two important facts.

• If Muslims abandon Jihad, Allah will curse them with disgrace.
• Allah will not withdraw the curse until Muslims return to their original religion, which is Jihad.

Click that last link and read the translator's footnote. What is the difinition of Jihad? What are the consequences of abandoning it? There is one more hadith you need to read and understand. It sets a prerequisite for Resurrection Day, when faithful believing Muslims hope to gain admission to Paradise with its rivers of wine and perpetual virgins.

• Muslim Book 041, Number 6985:
  Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: The last hour would not come unless the Muslims will fight against the Jews and the Muslims would kill them until the Jews would hide themselves behind a stone or a tree and a stone or a tree would say: Muslim, or the servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me; come and kill him; but the tree Gharqad would not say, for it is the tree of the Jews.

Muslims must hunt down and kill the last Jew before they can enter Paradise and receive the hard earned rewards of Jihad. Can you guess who will lead them in the final genocidal battle? No? The answer is inconceivable to any but a Muslim.

• Bukhari Volume 3, Book 43, Number 656:
  
  Narrated Abu Huraira:
  
  Allah's Apostle said, "The Hour will not be established until the son of Mary (i.e. Jesus) descends amongst you as a just ruler, he will break the cross, kill the pigs, and abolish the Jizya tax. Money will be in abundance so that nobody will accept it (as charitable gifts).
  

What will Jesus do?

• Break the cross: destroy Christianity; kill the remaining Christians.
• Kill the pigs: complete the genocide against the Jews.

Inconceivable you say? No, it aint! Ibn Kathir's Tafsir of 7:167.

• 7:167. And (remember) when your Lord declared that He would certainly keep on sending against them (i.e. the Jews), till the Day of Resurrection, those who would afflict them with a humiliating torment. Verily, your Lord is Quick in Retribution (for the disobedient, wicked) and certainly He is Oft­Forgiving, Most Merciful (for the obedient and those who beg Allah's Forgiveness).

Who might he continuously send to torment the Jews? Who might he send to finish the job? Ibn Kathir has the second answer; you already know the first.

• In the future, the Jews will support the Dajjal (False Messiah); and the Muslims, along with `Isa, son of Mary, will kill the Jews. This will occur just before the end of this world.

What so deludes any fool that he thinks Islam will tolerate Israel's continued existence? What so deludes any fool that he believes the Muslims want a state beside Israel when their demand is a state instead of Israel; "from the river to the sea"?

What Muslims will act in contradiction to Allah's commands to conquer? What Muslims will abandon Jihad, incurring Allah's curse and condemning themselves to eternal Hellfire?

No matter how much land the Jews cede to Islam, the Muslims must take it all. Allah will not allow Kuffar to retake and hold land once conquered by Muslims. Making concessions to Islam is feeding alligators in hope that they will eat you last.
These church leaders begin with this false claim.

Our faith traditions teach that every person is created by the one God and deserving of respect. This common religious heritage-which we trace to Abraham-finds expression in a common commitment to peace with justice for all God's children.

It ain't true, never was and never will be. Islam does not recognize the rights and dignity of Kuffar. Our blood and property are not sacred to Muslims until we become Muslim. This fact is made clear in Muhammad's confirmation of the commandments cited above.

• Sahih Bukhari Volume 1, Book 8, Number 387:
  Narrated Anas bin Malik:
  Allah's Apostle said, "I have been ordered to fight the people till they say: 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah.' And if they say so, pray like our prayers, face our Qibla and slaughter as we slaughter, then their blood and property will be sacred to us and we will not interfere with them except legally and their reckoning will be with Allah." ...
  

Majorities of both Israelis and Palestinians still support a two-state solution.

There is no solution that includes the existence of Islam. While there are Muslims within rocket range, Israel will not have peace. I showed you why that is impossible. Peace conflicts with Allah's commandments and Muhammad's Sunnah.

Christian and Muslim religious leaders both here and in the region reject the killing of innocents, support a just peace and believe sustained negotiations are the only path to peace.

False! Muslim religious leaders do not consider Jews to be innocent. They classify Jews as rebels against Allah, who must be killed. Allah commands them to make war on the Jews. I have shown you Muhammad's statement that they must hunt down and kill the last Jew. What part of that do these so called Christian religious leaders not understand?

The path to peace shuns violence and embraces dialogue. This path demands reciprocal steps that build confidence.

When you are attacked with genocidal intent as expressed in 1948 & 1967, the path to peace is victory: the complete extermination of the enemy who seeks to exterminate you. All else is delusion.

Islamic law requires total world conquest because Allah commands it; I showed you his commands. I showed you Muhammad's confirmation of those commands. I showed you his statement that Jihad would continue to the last day. I showed you his statement that the last Jew must be hunted down and killed before Muslims can enter Paradise. I showed you Allah's curse upon the Muslims if they abandon world conquest.

You have seen evidence which proves that the two state solution and 'peace process' are bogus. We are wasting time and treasure in pretending otherwise.

The attacks against Israel and the attacks against Western Civilization are two battlefronts in one war: Islam's world conquest. Wake up. Wise up. Rise up!

If you have any doubt of the evidence I have displayed to you, or its meaning, then turn to this blog post: ROPMA click each of the Tafsir links and read them carefully. What did Allah command Muslims to do? What did he promise them? What is the good news?

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What does Electing Obama Say to Muslims?

An Obama donor quoted as quoting Obama.

“imagine if on January 20, 2009 a guy named Barack Hussein Obama was sworn in on the US Capitol steps as the President of the United States, what that would say to the world, especially the Muslim world, about our nation.”

This was cited by NMJ, and earlier by Ben Stein at Politico.

Our national elections are intended to elect leaders, not send messages. We are not a tribe, nor do we send smoke signals. If the world infers a message from the outcome of the Nov. 4 '08 election, it will be this.

• The majority of the participating American electorate are ignorant, narcissist damned fools who can not discern the difference between ambiguous slogans pandering to their selfish desires and sound public policy.

The answer to the second half of the question is contained in the question itself; in the act of propounding it. Propounding that question to a group of fat cat political donors implies that electing Obama would send a positive message to Muslim aliens: that one of their own had been elected to the office of President, where he would enact policies favorable to their Jihad.

• Obama is a closet Muslim; a stealth candidate falsely claiming to be Christian in hopes that the Christian majority will vote for him. As a Muslim, he is one of the attackers, not a defender.
• We have elected one of the enemy to mislead us into defeat, destruction & dhimmitude.
• Reinforcing Muslim hopes of destroying America so as to ease the process of conquering the rest of the world is a good thing.
• As President, Obama will not mount an effective defense against Islamic conquest.
• As President, Obama will not mount any offense against Islamic conquest.

As a consequence of the concealment of Obama's arrogant boast before his fat cat donors, and its revelation subsequent to the election, when it can have no direct effect upon the election, it is necessary that reasonable members of the electorate; those who care about the preservation of liberty, rise up and demand that the Electoral College disqualify the Obama/Biden ticket as traitors and elect the McCain/Palin ticket in their stead.

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