*I WAS NOT AN EXTREMIST *

-A poem by a very good friend/guide of mine-

I was not an extremist
I was secular
believing wholeheartedly in values of equality ,liberality and justice
innocently walking down the path of life 
minding my own business
and helping everyone who wanted help
I was not an extremist

I was not for or against any religion
no matter how ridiculous it seemed
or how violent people told me one or another is
I was not an extremist

I believed in freedom of expression
I believed in equality
tolerating 9/11 ,ignored the cries of innocent
who burned on the grounds of religion
and are apparently forgotten in the smoke of gunpowder
emanating from the hands of muslims
which conducted such hideous crimes upon humanity
again and again and again
because I forgot those cries which were ignored
I tolerated the intolerant

I still believed Islam is not what terrorists do
I still believed Terrorists have no religion
and hollow sweet things like those
I neither supported muscular liberalism
nor I broke my friendship with muslims
I even ignored their lecherous eyes on little white girls
who were playing with dolls and having tea parties
and what a fool I was as I did not slash their throats
when they celebrated their eid by gangraping the little ones
throwing them into the endless abyss of whoredom
I stopped myself from doing so because
I still believed that justice will prevail
SEE..I was not an extremist at all !!

I paid my taxes in full
thinking that the governors will use the coins
on enforcing law against everything inhuman
little didst I know ..my coins will be melted
and will be forged into swords of muslims
which would slash the likes of myself
because of my innocence ...
I was not an extremist .

I forced my fingers into my ears
to stop the whimpering of young Pakistani Hindu girls
from reaching to my awareness and shake the ground of belief
beneath my crutches of pseudological equality

I closed my eyes when muslims tortured them in Egypt, UK,Sweden ,India
because I was following that Mahatma ,who himself was pervert
I did not speak a word against islam …partially out of fear of persecution by my own country
and partially because I believed in Mahatma’s irrefutability
as apparent from all these lines ..I was certainly a so called good guy
and I was surely not an extremist .

but one night …I was cringing in my sleep
feeling helpless ,confused
agony of all my cowardice
took me into the realm of truth
I saw hideous muslims laughing
sitting on the pile of heads
inside their safe sanctuary of the cemetery of humanity
called mosques
thighing infant daughters of humanity
Announcing Allahu-akbar
before gangraping the 6 year olds
I cried for help ..but nobody came
I just saw shadows of those who were killed
by the hands of islam …and they were ridiculing me
ignoring me …just as I did with them
Muslims splashed the blood of their victims upon me
and thus burned my crutches of hollow equality
I fell … I fell from my safe heavens of ignorance
into the darkness of revenge
By splashing the blood of innocents
on me
they created a Monster !!
and Monster is what they will get
and Monstrosity is what they deserve
I am no longer a secularist
I am no longer indifferent
I am no longer a believer
YES !!!! I AM NOW AN EXTREMIST !!!

Updates...2012

Hi everybody,

I know it's been so long since I last post and many things have happened and change in my life since then. But most importantly I want all to know I'm doing just fine. However, some things just don't change. The memories, the pain still is there within me. My scars left unheal.

For some reasons, I have begun talking to my mother again. We've met, gone out and I have even stepped back into her house (not staying of course!), knowing the risk. Yes, this may be a stupid thing to do! Though warned and scolded by my husband many times, I couldn't ignore her. She is after all my mother. The only mother I could ever get.

But yes, talking to her is indeed a price to pay. And I have to say it, it is tormenting to be talking to her but I'm taking it. However, my dad has no idea about this. It's a secret between my mom, aunts, grandma and me. My family (excluding my dad and those that have no idea I've ran off and marry) finally approved of my husband, knowing he is a good faithful man, still does not approve my choice of free will. They still do keep somehow talking me into going back to Islam, which I would politely refused. (Trust me, I have tried talking about the Quran faults to only hear whispers of nonsense from their mouth with no actual facts whatsoever.)

What hurts the most is when my mom still does not realize any of her mistakes. She adamantly stands her ground and keep asking me what when wrong and why I turn my back to them, even though the countless of times I have explained and talked to her about it. It comes to a point that I gave up talking because it feels like I'm talking to a brick wall. I hear my words, and all she hears are noise.

I still remember the painful events that has occur and I told her of the things I went through after our separation. I told her about 'my suicidal thoughts' during those awful moments of depression and that I had to see a consultant for that and guess what she did? She kinda laughed and asked me what was so hard for me to need a consultant. And her exact words were, 'If you have suicidal thoughts, it is Jin disturbing you.'

To this, I really really wanted to slam the phone down, but trying my level best not to show anger, I only ended up crying on the phone and asking her how could she be so heartless. Of course she twist the words back to me, calling me one for leaving her.

Still now, she somehow manage to find her way to hurt my feelings every time we talk or face each other and I take it like a punching bag. Of course I know, I don't deserve such a mother and I don't deserve to be a punching bag certainly not to her but I couldn't stop myself finding for my mother. She was every thing to me when I was growing up and despite all her shit, somewhere in her, there's love. A tiny fraction though compared to her love for her religion.

I've tried years trying to stop myself from contacting my mom, to hate her and to just forget of having a family. But I can't and all I did was ended crying my eyes out and feeling the deepening pain. These were my thoughts:

What would happened if she were to die and I didn't face her till the end?
Would I be able to take it? Or would I break down to another sets of depression?
Was it worth being free in life but not free inside?

More than anyone, I know myself. I will not be able to take it if my mom dies. I will bear the guilt, even if it's not my fault and I will kill myself slowly. When I'm in depression, I'll do the stupidest things, without thinking. Been there and I know I will never ever forgive myself. This is why I took such a big risk to step forward, even if it cost my life.

Their love for me is nothing

It’s been a while since I last wrote about what has happened to me. Things are fine with my fear almost gone. However I still have fear of my parents and the damn pad lock (the one my dad used to lock me up with).

I’ve seen my family members outside a few times. I’ve seen my grandma, two of my aunties and my cousin sister whom I’m keeping in touch with.

It’s funny how despite after a year and 7 months my parents are still telling me to behave in the way they want me to. They didn’t bother searching for me, perhaps for fear of the law. However it seemed that somehow they got to see my pictures in Facebook. My cousin sister had uploaded pictures of us taken together right before we went clubbing.

I was wearing a mini skirt with tight toga top in that picture. When my mother found out, she immediately questioned my cousin regarding the picture. She didn’t ask about me, my contact details or even of my health, but her main worry was the way I was.

She asked my cousin to take down the pictures of me from Facebook. She told my cousin to tell me that I should dress properly and live properly (where ‘properly’ means according to Muslim ways), and then she further said that if any other Indian Muslim out there saw us the way we were, they would have killed us.

My mother still has the cheek to threaten me and my cousin! And then she went around telling my grandmother about this.

I had purposely added a cousin of mine who is also within the Jemaah (congregation) as my parents were, in Facebook. I also had purposely uploaded pictures of me in sleeveless tops drinking directly from a wine bottle just to know their reaction.

This immediately went into headline news. My grandmother, whom I trust a little due to her incapability to understand or know about Islam fully and who was also the only adult I’m keeping in contact with, called me up to ask me about this.

And she still has the cheek to tell me that as a Muslim, one shouldn’t drink or dress up indecently. I told her right to her face that I am not a Muslim; neither do I wish to ever be one anymore in my life.

She asked me what will people think when they see me how I dress up. Who cares? Come on, If I grow up caring about others who doesn’t give a damn about me, then who’s going to live my life?

She still could talk about me returning to Islam, and that it’s in my blood and that I shouldn’t leave it. I was quite pissed at this point, yet I have to respect her and have to acknowledge the fact that her knowledge of Islam was very limited. She has no clue what the deeper level of Islam reflects and even if I explain, she would go into denial.

Trying my best to conceal my anger, I went on asking her, why is it that when a Hindu or Christian converts into Islam, you do not question them, but when a Muslim converts out of Islam, you do.

I guess I got her as she went into a blabbering mode of repeating questions which I ignored completely.

In everything that has happened, I understood clearly. None of my family members had any clue of what my parents had actually done to me. None had the idea of the trauma I had been through. Even when I told my grandma about the trauma I went through and still am in, she keep trying to tell me to forgive and forget, saying that my parents love me and that they wouldn’t do it to me again.

What she isn’t willing to see, which she was quite often repeating to me was that the fact that despite their love, what hurts them most, the reason they want me back was for one thing – to get back their honor that they had lost.  Perhaps it may not be to kill me, which I’ll never know but I am extremely aware of, but they have mentioned several times to my grandma and my aunties that they wished to marry me off to my husband in an Islamic way.

I rejected Islam way before my husband came into my life. I rejected Islam and hated Islam vehemently after they locked me up and more than anything, I’m already married in the eyes of the law. What is this rubbish talk of marrying me off to the same man that I’m already married to?

Are they mad? I can’t help but wonder. It is madness what they are saying, and it is madness if they expect me to pity them and go back to them.

Yes, I love them and yes, I so badly want to see my mother, talk to her, care for her, but I wouldn’t wish to risk my life for it, or risk my freedom. What saddens me is that till this moment, they are not realizing their fault and they blame it on me for leaving, for dishonoring.

Even my uncle, who had whacked me up and my husband on the 24th of December 2009, regretted his violent act, according to my grandmother, but my parents never once mentioned that they were sorry. All they asked was where they went wrong in nurturing me.

So my life right now, my freedom right now, my happiness right now meant nothing to them. They couldn’t bear the fact that I had dishonored their family and that I am living a life without their control, without any need of worrying.

To them, I’m living a shameless lifestyle like an animal and the fact that I don’t give a fuck irritates them. It took me some time to realize that their love for me is nothing. All they want is to restore their honor, however they could. The question is to either kill me or control me once again and I will not bring myself to put me back into such a position!

Did he really deserve to be jailed?

[Posted by blog co-author]

Jailed for religious insult: 'Wounded feelings' of Muslims
by Khushwant Singh on The Straits Times, Singapore.

IN THE first case of its kind, air-con repairman Andrew Kiong Kheng Kiat, 44, was jailed two weeks on Friday for wounding the religious feeling of a couple.

A district court heard that on the evening of Feb 2 last year, housewife Halinah Barudin, 38, found a card on the windscreen of her car. Written on it, were questions that cast aspersions on Prophet Muhammad.

Upset, she and her husband Mohamad Dahar Dollah, an air steward, approached the management of the condominium to view the footage of the closed-circuit television cameras in the basement car park.

It showed Kiong putting the card on the couple's car at about 5.30pm on that day.

Mr Mohamad Dahar, 40, then went to the police and Kiong was tracked down and questioned.

He admitted to printing 16 such cards and had placed eight on cars that he believed were owned by Muslims.

He was unable to specify the exact locations. He had thrown away the remaining eight cards after the authorities caught up with him.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Adrian Loo said that while previous offenders had been charged with promoting ill-will and hostility between the different races under the Sedition Act, the offence of wounding the religious feelings of another person was equally serious, as both offences carry the maximum punishment of a fine and a three-year jail term.

Kiong, who was expressionless during the hearing, looked resigned as he was led away in handcuffs.

This news which was released yesterday is not clear on the entirety. The questions on the card were never published anywhere online, nor printed on the news. There was no analytical debate on whether or not the questions were merely a genuine inquiry into the actions of the Prophet, whom Muslims consider the best role model. If it was a genuine inquiry, the government ought to consult the inquirer on how he arrived at the questions, and attempt to provide satisfactory answers (failing which, it will be obvious that the subject being inquired on has faults that makes it worthy of those questions). Only if the questions were really meant to insult (by secular standards, not by Muslim standards), then the insulter must be punished.

It must be noted that Muslims consider that one can be a Muslim only by emulating the Prophet and his every action, regardless of how wrong the action may be to the human conscience. Non-muslims studying Islam and and its tenets in detail would question some of the actions of Muhammad, especially those actions from his later life. However, with secular governments like Singapore attempting to protect religion from free inquiry by outlawing it as "sedition" or "hurting religious feelings," Non-muslims are discouraged from asking their questions and prevented from enjoying free exchange and conversation with Muslims. They are forced to veil a mask of anonymity when expressing their doubts and questions (which failed for Andrew). Even a simple question asked by a Non-muslim inquiring the morality, legality or relevance of an action of Prophet Muhammad will be labelled as "sedition" by Muslims.

News sources need to do more justice by publishing complete news and including all details. The questions on the card must have been published or at least provided online, so that readers can judge for themselves whether these questions were a genuine inquiry about Muhammad and Islam, or merely meant to insult. This would not only ensure that justice is served more justly (by prompting public outcry on a mistaken conviction), but also encourage more Non-muslims to study and understand Islam without a religious bias. In today's world, a majority of Non-muslims are under the wrong impressions about Islam. Either they believe that Islam is similar to Judaism and the more well-known Christianity, or they believe that Islam is evil, due to the recent terrorist events. The correct opinion needs to be formed by a Non-muslim only by studying Islam itself, and not by judging from recent developments, promotion of religion by religious institutions, or hearsay.

The fact that the cards contained questions gives me the idea that they are more likely to be genuine inquiry, which is wrongly accused as being insulting and "hurting" to Muslims. This is because Muslims regard such reverence to the Prophet that his actions become unquestionable, and any question, genuine or otherwise, is considered an "insult".

Paul the Predicting Octopus?

[Posted by blog co-author]

With the recent World Cup, there had been a lot of hype going on about the divine precognitive powers of the seafood prophet - Paul the Octopus.

It is highly unlikely that this octopus can understand anything about the World Cup, soccer, countries or even the biology behind mussels. So how is it that Paul predicted 4 out of 6 matches correctly in Euro 2008, and a bewildering 8 out of 8 matches in the World Cup 2010? Surely there must be a supernatural force guiding the tentacles of Paul to reach out for the correct flag. Never mind the two times this force tricked his Cephalopod intelligence.

Lets see if we can find other possible explanations without involving the supernatural.

The Stoning of Soraya M.

Have you watched the movie The Stoning of Soraya M.? The depth of the story and the detail of it can make anyone cry. And I did. I started crying right before her stoning (knowing well it was coming) till after the movie ended.

As I watched her stoning, I couldn't help but think of my fate if my husband hadn't saved me. When they gave Soraya's father the stones to take the first hit, I couldn't help but think that it was my father, standing there, accusing me and throwing the first hit while I'm tied, buried half deep in the ground. The pain was not from the blows, but from heartache. Soraya's heart died when they made her own sons hit her! I cried watching how the children were made to participate. How the village leaders said that with each stone, the honor of the family and of the village is restored.

I cried as much, scarring my heart deeper, watching Soraya's slow death. Every part of my body, every piece of my mind felt like it was me being stoned. It reminded myself what was fated for me if I ever return to my parents' home, if I ever start communicating with them.

I love my parents wholeheartedly. In my eyes, their doings have become the doings of love for me. This movie reminded me of the truth. When Soraya's father stated that she's not her daughter and he's no longer her father; telling everyone to finish it and screaming to kill his own flesh and blood, I realized. Where was love? Where was the thought of 'flesh and blood'? There's only the thought of 'honor' and 'love for Islam!' Nothing will compare to religion; nothing.

Soraya's death: stoned and her bloody body eaten away by dogs. A honorable mother who strived to protect her children, she was - till death. But a fool she was too. The same fool, I am. When Soraya's aunt came running to let her know that the men are plotting something against her, and to advise her that she should stop working, she denied and refused to hear it, neglecting the fore-warning. There's no difference between me and her. Despite everything I went through, pain, sorrow and agony, I still miss, wish and yearn for my parents, innocently failing to realize that this feeling can cause only one thing - my death.

If not for my husband, I might have gone back to my grave. Even if they keep me alive, I'm sure it will be triple the agony I already went through. Physically my parents may not have tortured me, but mentally they did. It is only because of Singapore's law that I was safe from physical harm - this I was made clear by my own mother, a woman herself.

So what else am I expecting for? What else am I waiting for? Why does my heart despite seeing all the agony in detail, the proof that is thrown before me, still yearn for them, for their love, for their affection? It's only because of the way they brought me and the way I spent years thinking too positively about them that the negative truth is not digesting within me. And the only reason for all this is that I love them and am grateful for everything they did, and that I know they loved me. But they love their religion more than anything else in the world, including their only heir, their very own flesh and blood.

This is my story, and Soraya's. I can only ask one question: How many more people must suffer and die to bring the truth of Islam to you?

Different Perspectives of Dream Interpretation

Recently I had a close friend tell me about what she dreamt about me. As you can guess, this friend of mine is a Muslim and we were friends since I was started studying in my ‘madrasah’ (Islamic school).

Things of course changed between us after she was clear that I had left Islam, but nevertheless she was still friendly towards me. However, I maintained a distance between us, only allowing contact through the internet.

Anyway, she dreamt that I died. Actually, I was already aware that when she told me she had a horrible dream, it should be of my death.

As expected, it was definitely horrible, as well as unbelievable.

She dreamt that after I die, I took a sudden change into the figure of a dog. Of course, this is physically impossible to happen. I don’t think even magic can turn me into such creatures. Of course, unless you believe in Harry Potter.

Anyway, what she told me was that, my dog turned dead body was brought forward to my parents' home and my husband (yea, we got married!) was there as well.

While the ‘imam’ (Muslim priest) was praying upon me and some people were wrapping my body with kafan (white burial shroud), I suddenly started to writhe, and then I turned to the side and started wailing like a baby. Everyone around me went into an utter shock and were frightened. (Too much horror movie I presume. Did anyone think that maybe I went into a coma?)

I told my friend that I knew why I wailed. I told her sarcastically that I wailed because I would never ever wish to be buried as a Muslim, and then I laughed about it. (I know, it’s so cool, like a slap across her face.) Of course, she went, ‘nonsense!’.

My parents caused my depression

It is hard for me to walk through my life, now that I am free to do what I want. I’m happy, yes. I am extremely happy to be free but deep inside of me, I’m still caged. Caged from the pain I was force to go through and from the wounds that never heal inside of me. Pain from the blows of others and pain because of the blows I gave others.

I am a very simple girl that wishes everyone to be happy. Maybe inside of me I think that making others happy gives me a reason to be happy as well. It is true. I do feel a little happy for that but people don’t remember me for the times I make them smile, they remember me for the times I must have hurt them unintentionally or the times I made mistakes in my life.

Sometimes people expect me to be more than what I can and it pressurizes me.

My cousins and my aunts, people that I had once been close with, these people truly never cared about my happiness. Because the moment I make one mistake, they torment me. First they would scream hurtful things at me, then second they would make sure my parents know about it. The worst part is when my parents actually do listen to them and put me in a position to feel sorry for myself, even if it wasn’t my fault.

Everything I do when I was young, always get me wrong. I wanted to help someone but in the end I will end up being blamed for hurting or causing trouble. It has always been that way for me. Till I started thinking that it is 100% sure that every year I will definitely have a huge problem stick to me. Like for instance I’ve been imprisoned in my parents' house because they think I was wrong. Something like this always happens [when I live with my parents], at least once a year.

So it makes me think I’m doing something wrong, and yet I know I didn’t really do anything wrong except trying to be me. I can never be me; that’s what everything seems to conclude to.

My parents don’t bother about all the things I am going through. My mother, I always wished to hug her and cry on her shoulders and tell her my problems, but unfortunately I couldn’t. For one, she will definitely take me to be making some sort of mistake, and another she will actually scold me or punish me, which in result makes me wish I didn’t tell her anything at all.

I don’t know if I have ever talked to her about stuff before. I might have. But I don’t remember what happened. And in any case, I always refrain from talking to my parents regarding any personal problems I’m going through.

It’s hard to explain my childhood pain I went through. Most of them I forgot really but yet I feel the pain of it. The pain that it had caused me throughout my life. I don’t know why I feel the pain eventhough I don’t remember things. Maybe I have come to accept the fact that perhaps it’s better to let the images go so that it might be less painful? I don’t know. But it didn’t become any less painful… It hurts a lot.

They're always right. We're always wrong.

[Posted by blog co-author]

Can you imagine the irony in this?! The following news is from a Primary School in London. That's right, a primary school. And instead of questioning how children can have such hatred against Christians and Jews at such young age, they blame the teacher who is trying to find justice. What is happening to the world? Are everyone else bowing down to the muslims and licking their feet? What a shame!

Christian teacher 'forced out' after complaining Muslim pupils praised 9/11 hijackers 'as heroes'
By Lucy Ballinger
Last updated at 6:06 PM on 08th February 2010

A Christian teacher told today how he lost his job after complaining that Muslim pupils as young as eight hailed the September 11 hijackers as 'heroes'.

Nicholas Kafouris said he was forced from his £30,000-a-year post because he would not tolerate the 'racist' and 'anti-Semitic' behaviour of children.

He said the predominantly Muslim youngsters openly praised Islamic extremists in class, and hailed the terrorists of the 2001 atrocities as 'martyrs'.

Mr Kafouris, 40, told how one pupil said to him, ‘Don’t touch me, you’re a Christian’, when the teacher accidentally brushed against him with his arm.

Others said, ‘We want to be Islamic bombers when we grow up', and 'the Christians and Jews are our enemies, you too because you're a Christian', he added.

Mr Kafouris, who had taught at Bigland Green Primary School, in Tower Hamlets, East London, for 12 years, said there was a change in attitude of pupils at the school - where the majority of pupils are Muslim - after the World Trade Center attacks.

According to the most recent Ofsted report 'almost all' the 465 pupils at the school are from ethnic minorities and a vast proportion do not have English as their first language.

Mr Kafouris, a Greek Cypriot, said pupils told him, 'We hate the Christians' and, 'We hate the Jews', despite his attempts to stop them.

The teacher is now suing his former school, the headteacher, and the assistant head for racial discrimination after they failed to take action about the comments made by pupils to him.

He had filled out a 'Racist Incident Reporting Sheet' but claimed the headteacher Jill Hankey dismissed his concerns.

In a statement submitted to the Central London Employment Tribunal he said: 'Miss Hankey proceeded to excuse and justify the pupil's behaviour, conduct and remarks to me as if I had no right to be offended by the child's remarks and conduct.

Amongst Miss Hankey's justifications for the child's remarks, she said: 'If the child was older, say 15, I might take it more seriously, he's only nine, he's only doing it to wind you up.'

He added: 'I felt the head's behaviour and conduct towards me amounted to direct religious discrimination against me which I considered most offensive.

‘I was intimidated in the way she spoke to me which indicated, “Don't come back with such issues again”.'

Joke of the day

Eating with right hand:

It seems quite right that the Muslims claim that one should only eat using their right hand and never their left hand, as their left is supposedly used to clean us up after doing our business in the bathroom. At the same time Muslims claim that everything given to them by their 'Allah' is good and thus they should not claim it otherwise but yet still they prejudice their own hands negatively wrapping on the illusion regarding which hand is to be used to eat. The most ironic thing, they actually claim that  it is the 'Jinns' attitude to eat using its left hand.

Pitying Someone:

Do you know that a Muslim should not pity another person, be they believer or not? Muslims claim that pitying another's pain would result it upon them as they claim that one who is in pain deserves it cause it is their punishment from 'Allah' upon them for whatever sin they must have done. Thus pitying them will cast 'Allah's' wrath upon you. Oh and you may ask, what about the innocent children who suffer? Well these children actually suffer upon their parents sin. So Merciful He is indeed! How well Muhammad has done to kill human emotions of pity upon mankind. How pitiful they are indeed.

Bathing Naked:

One should bath with themselves covered up (private parts only) or the satan will caress their private parts and awaken stronger sexual desires within them. As desires are equal to evil. Ironically, within the hadith there is a part regarding Moses and his people bathing naked:

Volume 1, Book 5, Number 277:
Narrated Abu Huraira: 

The Prophet said, 'The (people of) Bani Israel used to take bath naked (all together) looking at each other. The Prophet Moses used to take a bath alone. They said, 'By Allah! Nothing prevents Moses from taking a bath with us except that he has a scrotal hernia.' So once Moses went out to take a bath and put his clothes over a stone and then that stone ran away with his clothes. Moses followed that stone saying, "My clothes, O stone! My clothes, O stone! till the people of Bani Israel saw him and said, 'By Allah, Moses has got no defect in his body. Moses took his clothes and began to beat the stone." Abu Huraira added, "By Allah! There are still six or seven marks present on the stone from that excessive beating."

Do not eat Halal food prepared by Chinese:

I don't know about other Muslims, but this is what my parents have been taught by their leader. This is some of the most ridiculous things they have been practicing. Chinese people are seen as unclean, as they eat pork and drink alcohol, and they have not clean their hands or legs in a proper way after touching 'haram' (unclean) things. Chinese are believed to be as you all know, they are unbelievers so which means, considered animals to their eyes, so of course a human can't eat what an animal cook, right? Unfortunately, they are blind. The believers have always been the animals. Haha!

Brazil Chicken or Village Chicken:

Another ridiculous thing taught by parents' leader. Somehow, some way, their leader got the idea that the non-believers are injecting pig fat into these fluttering creatures to make them grow fat and big so they have more flesh. God knows, if such things even exist, but well, village chickens are usually fresh and I don't know once again, where the leader get the idea that Brazil chicken is clean. Also, they forbid these, because the chickens were not slaughtered in any Islamic way, as in screaming 'Allahu Akhbar' before slitting its throat. Usually chickens go through machines, where they inject these chickens to make them barely conscious, or so they say. Whatever the reason is, I still question why only chicken, since all our other meat also goes through that process.

Coca Cola:

Also the same ridiculous crap from my parents' group somehow getting information that the company is actually donating some of their profit to some wine company. I still wonder, why would some wine company need donation when they might be making more money than some pathetic gassy can drink.

There's also something that Muslims found out about the way Coca Cola was written that when turned inverted, whichever way, it seems to sort of form an arabic sentence that says 'Laa Muhammad Laa Makkah', which means No Muhammad  No Mecca.  Here's the image:

Seems like the Coca Cola company got it right.

Jinn and Magic of Islam:

Alright, this is sort of an issue. Jinns are considered evil beings that are known as helpers of Satan, the acursed one. Muslim considered, all idols as Jinns taking form within the statue to be God. Since Jinns are made from fire, and goes against Allah, following a Jinn way is like following its way straight to HellFire. Ironically, they claimed that Jinns are also used to help heal people. Used to help solve magical problems. Like for example, if one is needed to become a spiritual healer, they have to have a Jinn as their Guardian. Doesn't mean they worship them, but it means they used or force such Jinn to do their biddings. Yet at the same time, they also become reliable upon that Jinn, as their healing powers come from it.

So if Allah, is that great, why does he not help these people to heal with the help of his power, instead using the power of their enemy. I mean doesn't this prove something is wrong with their Allah? Maybe he is just powerless, which I'm sure he is.

Sad.

Reason for baby crying at birth:

I'm not sure how many Muslims believe this,but this was what had been taught to me by my parents. As ridiculous as it is, I thought it was actually true, until I grew up and learn about science. Well my mother says that an infant in a mother's womb, is as innocent and as knowledgable. When the baby arrives, it lets out a scream and starts crying because it is crying to Allah as to why he/she was born into the world where sinners exist. Quite interesing and extremely funny to know this theory as anyone with common sense will know that a child coming out from the warmth heat of her/his mother's womb cries at the first hit of cold air. Muslims are great inventors of stories.

My parents' hatred stems from Islam

13 January 2010

Every day I keep hoping to see loving parents. Ones who love their daughter and want her to be happy. Every day that's what I wished for. But like a lightning bolt, it struck me so hard that just like all Muslims out there, my parents are the same. I'm nothing but a burden [to them]. Countless times they made me feel that way, throughout my life. Funny, but true. I've always thought they'd be better without me, because that's how they made me see it. They have never portrayed it by words, but as it is said, action speaks louder that words.

Every time I make a mistake, my parents would be sure to remind me again and again what I did in my past, even if it's something I wish to forget. They made me feel like I've done so much to have hurt them and that is why several times in a row I've been in and out of depression. I've come to the part where I even hate myself. My thoughts were, I'm not a perfect daughter, I do not deserve to be their daughter, and I always hurt them. But as I grew up and as I mixed around, I finally realised something. I realised that I've grown up in a negative way all my life. The mistakes I did was not really mistakes. They were actually stepping stones for me to learn from. Unfortunately, it only hurt me more than teach me anything.

Within years, I have been reduced to nothing and every freedom I demanded was not in my favour. It came till the point of choosing my own mate. When the word fell [on their ears], they were in full pretentious state until the right time approaches, and like I'm the animal, I was seized and held captive in the very place I called 'home'! The pain I went through, not physical but mental, was a torment. Even after I escaped it, the fear within me never recedes and those memories never subsided. Everywhere I go now, the moment I see a padlock, I shiver inside, remembering the huge padlock my father used to lock the main door's gate. I felt violated till now that I spent sleepless nights (like now, for example) crying to myself.

Is it wrong to wish for parents who love you and understand you? Islam never lets you go in peace. Never! It shook me more when my mother and uncle assaulted my fiancé and me. How can she claim she loves me? There it was, my fiancé getting beaten up and not letting me go, not even to run for help because he loves me and wants me safe [and doesn't want to lose me]! And there it was, the people claiming they love me but too blind to see the sacrifice that my fiancé is doing for me. People can say maybe perhaps my parents are afraid that my fiancé might hurt me and so they don't want me to marry him. But if he is willing to go through getting beaten for me, will he ever leave me?

If they really love me, they will want my happiness and not my pain. They have only inflicted pain in me and made it worse on the Christmas eve, 24th December 2009. I never knew they would stoop so low. Their focus was to get me! The reason was only clear. Honour of Islam! No child [born in Islam] deserve happiness if honour and Islam has to be traded. I am no longer a Muslim and that hurt them and killed them more than anything.

When I know there was no way they are going to accept my fiancé ever if he converts, I knew there was nothing else [for me] to stay for [in their house]. I was [at first] willing to sacrifice my freedom to get the man I love. But no, to them nothing was ever my choice. My mother said she'd rather kill me that let me be the way I was, which is equal to being free. No daughter would wish to hear her mother cursing her, calling her a prostitute and threatening her with death. But I'm hearing this. I'm going through all these! How hard it was for me to have to file a report against my parents, how hard it was for me to even file for a protection order. Oh God, how hard it was. Only I knew how many times I've cried (without my fiancé's knowledge).

That day I knew, there was no love towards me. In the end, Islam won my parents' hearts than their only daughter, their flesh and blood's love. No daughter would wish to run away. It's only due to their parents that they do. I wish I've had a normal life. I always did. But it is too late. I've been fed with fears. Fear of allah, fear of judgement day, fear of their leader, fear of them (my parents) till the extend when I argued with them that 'love' is the one that will make children respect parents, they [strongly] insisted that 'fear' brings respect. I should've known then. I should've realised, but I was too young to understand, even though I didn't agree with what they said.

Fear was everything to them. Fear = Islam. I am nothing but a burden and shame [to them].

Apostasy in Islam

[Posted by blog co-author]

Qur'an (Chapter:Verse)

2:217: They ask thee concerning fighting in the Prohibited Month. Say: "Fighting therein is a grave (offence); but graver is it in the sight of Allah to prevent access to the path of Allah, to deny Him, to prevent access to the Sacred Mosque, and drive out its members." Tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter. Nor will they cease fighting you until they turn you back from your faith if they can. And if any of you Turn back from their faith and die in unbelief, their works will bear no fruit in this life and in the Hereafter; they will be companions of the Fire and will abide therein.

3:90-91: Lo! those who disbelieve after their (profession of) belief, and afterward grow violent in disbelief: their repentance will not be accepted. And such are those who are astray. Lo! those who disbelieve, and die in disbelief, the (whole) earth full of gold would not be accepted from such an one if it were offered as a ransom (for his soul). Theirs will be a painful doom and they will have no helpers.

4:89 (Translation by Yusuf Ali): They but wish that ye should reject Faith, as they do, and thus be on the same footing (as they): But take not friends from their ranks until they flee in the way of Allah (From what is forbidden). But if they turn renegades, seize them and slay them wherever ye find them; and (in any case) take no friends or helpers from their ranks;-

4:89 (Translation by Pickthal): They long that ye should disbelieve even as they disbelieve, that ye may be upon a level (with them). So choose not friends from them till they forsake their homes in the way of Allah; if they turn back (to enmity) then take them and kill them wherever ye find them, and choose no friend nor helper from among them,

4:89 (Translation by Shakir): They desire that you should disbelieve as they have disbelieved, so that you might be (all) alike; therefore take not from among them friends until they fly (their homes) in Allah's way; but if they turn back, then seize them and kill them wherever you find them, and take not from among them a friend or a helper.

5:54: O ye who believe! if any from among you turn back from his Faith, soon will Allah produce a people whom He will love as they will love Him,- lowly with the believers, mighty against the rejecters, fighting in the way of Allah, and never afraid of the reproaches of such as find fault. That is the grace of Allah, which He will bestow on whom He pleaseth. And Allah encompasseth all, and He knoweth all things.

9:11-12: But if they repent and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, they are your brethren in faith; and We make the communications clear for a people who know. And if they break their oaths after their agreement and (openly) revile your religion, then fight the leaders of unbelief-- surely their oaths are nothing-- so that they may desist.

9:66: Make ye no excuses: ye have rejected Faith after ye had accepted it. If We pardon some of you, We will punish others amongst you, for that they are in sin.

9:73-74: O Prophet! Strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites! Be harsh with them. Their ultimate abode is hell, a hapless journey's end. They swear by Allah that they said nothing (wrong), yet they did say the word of disbelief, and did disbelieve after their Surrender (to Allah). And they purposed that which they could not attain, and they sought revenge only that Allah by His messenger should enrich them of His bounty. If they repent it will be better for them; and if they turn away, Allah will afflict them with a painful doom in the world and the Hereafter, and they have no protecting friend nor helper in the earth.

88:21-24: Therefore do remind, for you are only a reminder. You are not a watcher over them; But whoever turns back and disbelieves, Allah will chastise him with the greatest chastisement.

Hadith (Volume:Book:Number)

Sahih Bukhari 4:52:260: Narrated Ikrima: Ali burnt some people and this news reached Ibn 'Abbas, who said, "Had I been in his place I would not have burnt them, as the Prophet said, 'Don't punish (anybody) with Allah's Punishment.' No doubt, I would have killed them, for the Prophet said, 'If somebody (a Muslim) discards his religion, kill him.' "

Sahih Bukhari 5:59:632: Narrated Abu Burda: That the Prophet sent his (i.e. Abu Burda's) grandfather, Abu Musa and Mu'adh to Yemen and said to both of them "Facilitate things for the people (Be kind and lenient) and do not make things difficult (for people), and give them good tidings, and do not repulse them and both of you should obey each other." Abu Musa said, "O Allah's Prophet! In our land there is an alcoholic drink (prepared) from barley called Al-Mizr, and another (prepared) from honey, called Al-Bit"' The Prophet said, "All intoxicants are prohibited." Then both of them proceeded and Mu'adh asked Abu Musa, "How do you recite the Quran?" Abu Musa replied, "I recite it while I am standing, sitting or riding my riding animals, at intervals and piecemeal." Muadh said, "But I sleep and then get up. I sleep and hope for Allah's Reward for my sleep as I seek His Reward for my night prayer." Then he (i.e. Muadh) pitched a tent and they started visiting each other. Once Muadh paid a visit to Abu Musa and saw a chained man. Muadh asked, "What is this?" Abu Musa said, "(He was) a Jew who embraced Islam and has now turned apostate." Muadh said, "I will surely chop off his neck!"

Sahih Bukhari 9:83:17: Narrated 'Abdullah: Allah's Apostle said, "The blood of a Muslim who confesses that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that I am His Apostle, cannot be shed except in three cases: In Qisas for murder, a married person who commits illegal sexual intercourse and the one who reverts from Islam (apostate) and leaves the Muslims."

Sahih Bukhari 9:83:37: Narrated Abu Qilaba:

Once 'Umar bin 'Abdul 'Aziz sat on his throne in the courtyard of his house so that the people might gather before him. Then he admitted them and (when they came in), he said, "What do you think of Al-Qasama?" They said, "We say that it is lawful to depend on Al-Qasama in Qisas, as the previous Muslim Caliphs carried out Qisas depending on it." Then he said to me, "O Abu Qilaba! What do you say about it?" He let me appear before the people and I said, "O Chief of the Believers! You have the chiefs of the army staff and the nobles of the Arabs. If fifty of them testified that a married man had committed illegal sexual intercourse in Damascus but they had not seen him (doing so), would you stone him?" He said, "No." I said, "If fifty of them testified that a man had committed theft in Hums, would you cut off his hand though they did not see him?" He replied, "No." I said, "By Allah, Allah's Apostle never killed anyone except in one of the following three situations: (1) A person who killed somebody unjustly, was killed (in Qisas,) (2) a married person who committed illegal sexual intercourse and (3) a man who fought against Allah and His Apostle and deserted Islam and became an apostate." Then the people said, "Didn't Anas bin Malik narrate that Allah's Apostle cut off the hands of the thieves, branded their eyes and then, threw them in the sun?" I said, "I shall tell you the narration of Anas. Anas said: "Eight persons from the tribe of 'Ukl came to Allah's Apostle and gave the Pledge of allegiance for Islam (became Muslim). The climate of the place (Medina) did not suit them, so they became sick and complained about that to Allah's Apostle. He said (to them ), "Won't you go out with the shepherd of our camels and drink of the camels' milk and urine (as medicine)?" They said, "Yes." So they went out and drank the camels' milk and urine, and after they became healthy, they killed the shepherd of Allah's Apostle and took away all the camels. This news reached Allah's Apostle , so he sent (men) to follow their traces and they were captured and brought (to the Prophet). He then ordered to cut their hands and feet, and their eyes were branded with heated pieces of iron, and then he threw them in the sun till they died." I said, "What can be worse than what those people did? They deserted Islam, committed murder and theft."

Sahih Bukhari 9:84:57: Narrated 'Ikrima: Some Zanadiqa (atheists) were brought to 'Ali and he burnt them. The news of this event, reached Ibn 'Abbas who said, "If I had been in his place, I would not have burnt them, as Allah's Apostle forbade it, saying, 'Do not punish anybody with Allah's punishment (fire).' I would have killed them according to the statement of Allah's Apostle, 'Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him.'"

Sahih Bukhari 9:84:58: Narrated Abu Burda: Abu Musa said, "I came to the Prophet along with two men (from the tribe) of Ash'ariyin, one on my right and the other on my left, while Allah's Apostle was brushing his teeth (with a Siwak), and both men asked him for some employment. The Prophet said, 'O Abu Musa (O 'Abdullah bin Qais!).' I said, 'By Him Who sent you with the Truth, these two men did not tell me what was in their hearts and I did not feel (realize) that they were seeking employment.' As if I were looking now at his Siwak being drawn to a corner under his lips, and he said, 'We never (or, we do not) appoint for our affairs anyone who seeks to be employed. But O Abu Musa! (or 'Abdullah bin Qais!) Go to Yemen.'" The Prophet then sent Mu'adh bin Jabal after him and when Mu'adh reached him, he spread out a cushion for him and requested him to get down (and sit on the cushion). Behold: There was a fettered man beside Abu Muisa. Mu'adh asked, "Who is this (man)?" Abu Muisa said, "He was a Jew and became a Muslim and then reverted back to Judaism." Then Abu Muisa requested Mu'adh to sit down but Mu'adh said, "I will not sit down till he has been killed. This is the judgment of Allah and His Apostle (for such cases) and repeated it thrice. Then Abu Musa ordered that the man be killed, and he was killed. Abu Musa added, "Then we discussed the night prayers and one of us said, 'I pray and sleep, and I hope that Allah will reward me for my sleep as well as for my prayers.'"

Sahih Bukhari 9:84:59: Narrated Abu Huraira: When the Prophet died and Abu Bakr became his successor and some of the Arabs reverted to disbelief, 'Umar said, "O Abu Bakr! How can you fight these people although 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 whoever said, 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah', Allah will save his property and his life from me, unless (he does something for which he receives legal punishment) justly, and his account will be with Allah?' "Abu Bakr said, "By Allah! I will fight whoever differentiates between prayers and Zakat as Zakat is the right to be taken from property (according to Allah's Orders). By Allah! If they refused to pay me even a kid they used to pay to Allah's Apostle, I would fight with them for withholding it." 'Umar said, "By Allah: It was nothing, but I noticed that Allah opened Abu Bakr's chest towards the decision to fight, therefore I realized that his decision was right."

Sahih Bukhari 9:84:64: Narrated 'Ali: Whenever I tell you a narration from Allah's Apostle, by Allah, I would rather fall down from the sky than ascribe a false statement to him, but if I tell you something between me and you (not a Hadith) then it was indeed a trick (i.e., I may say things just to cheat my enemy). No doubt I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "During the last days there will appear some young foolish people who will say the best words but their faith will not go beyond their throats (i.e. they will have no faith) and will go out from (leave) their religion as an arrow goes out of the game. So, where-ever you find them, kill them, for who-ever kills them shall have reward on the Day of Resurrection."

Sahih Bukhari 9:89:271: Narrated Abu Musa: A man embraced Islam and then reverted back to Judaism. Mu'adh bin Jabal came and saw the man with Abu Musa. Mu'adh asked, "What is wrong with this (man)?" Abu Musa replied, "He embraced Islam and then reverted back to Judaism." Mu'adh said, "I will not sit down unless you kill him (as it is) the verdict of Allah and His Apostle

Sahih Muslim 16:4152: 'Abdullah (b. Mas'ud) reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: It is not permissible to take the life of a Muslim who bears testimony (to the fact that there is no god but Allah, and I am the Messenger of Allah, but in one of the three cases: the married adulterer, a life for life, and the deserter of his Din (Islam), abandoning the community.

Sahih Muslim 16:4154: 'Abdullah (b. Mas'ud) reported: Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) stood up and said: By Him besides Whom there is no god but He, the blood of a Muslim who bears the testimony that there is no god but Allah, and I am His Messenger, may be lawfully shed only in case of three persons: the one who abandons Islam, and deserts the community, and the married adulterer, and life for life.

Sahih Muslim 20:4490: It has been reported on the authority of Abu Musa who said: I went to the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him) and with me were two men from the Ash'ari tribe. One of them was on my right hand and the other on my left. Both of them made a request for a position (of authority) while the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him) was brushing his teeth with a tooth-stick. He said (to me): Abu Musa (or 'Abdullah b. Qais), what do you say (about the request they have made)? I said: By God Who sent thee on thy mission with truth, they did not disclose to me what they had in their minds, and I did not know that they would ask for a position. The narrator says (while recalling this hadith): I visualise as if I were looking at the miswak of the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him) between his lips. He (the Holy Prophet) said: We shall not or shall never appoint to the public offices (in our State) those who with to have them, but you may go, Abu Musa (or Abdullah b. Qais) (to take up your assignment). He sent him to Yemen as governor. then he sent Mu'adh b. jabal in his wake (to help him in the discharge of duties). When Mu'adh reached the camp of Abu Musa, the latter (received him and) said: Please get yourself down; and he spread for him a mattress, while there was a man bound hand and foot as a prisoner. Mu'adh said: Who is this? Abu Musa said: He was a Jew. He embraced Islam. Then he reverted to his false religion and became a Jew. Mu'adh said: I won't sit until he is killed according to the decree of Allah and His Apostle (may peace be upon him) (in this case). Abu Musa said: Be seated. It will be done. He said: I won't sit unless he is killed in accordance with the decree of Allah and His Apostle (may peace be upon him). He repeated these words thrice. Then Abu Musa ordered him (to be killed) and he was killed. Then the two talked of standing in prayer at night. One of them, i.e. Mu'adh, said: I sleep (for a part of the night) and stand in prayer (for a part) and I hope that I shall get the same reward for steeping as I shall get for standing (in prayer).

Scholars

Note: Both sources are reputed Islamic websites.

Group of Muftis: Speaking of the authority of the punishment and its being genuine and based on the authentic sources of Islam, Sheikh `Attiyah Saqr, former Head of Al-Azhar Fatwa Committee, states:

"It is not right to deny the punishment of apostasy claiming that it has not been reported in the Qur'an, because it has been recorded in the mutawatir (Hadith which has been reported by at least four of the Companions in different times and places in a way that make a person sure that such Hadith is not fabricated) and the non-mutawatir Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him). Hudud (Islamic punishment specified for certain crimes) may, of course, be based on the non-mutawatir Sunnah."

Detailing the issue and showing some of the evidence for the punishment of apostasy, the prominent Muslim scholar Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, states:

"All Muslim jurists agree that the apostate is to be punished. However, they differ regarding the punishment itself. The majority of them go for killing; meaning that an apostate is to be sentenced to death.

Many authentic Hadiths have been reported in this regard. Ibn `Abbas reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Whoever changes his religion, you kill him." (Reported by all the group except Muslim, and at-Tabarani also reported it with a sound chain of narrators. Also recorded in Majma` Az-Zawa'id by Al-Haythamiy.)

There is also the Hadith of Ibn Mas`ud that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "The blood of a Muslim individual who bears witness that there is no god but Allah and that I am the Messenger of Allah, is not to be shed except in three cases: in retaliation (in murder crimes), married adulterers (and adulteresses), and the one who abandons his religion and forsakes the Muslim community." (Reported by the Group)

The actual example of one of the greatest Companions, `Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) gives credit to this also. He himself carried out the punishment on some people who had deified him. He gave them three days respite to repent and go back to their senses. When they proved adamant, he put them to fire.”

Source of the Punishment for Apostasy - IslamOnline.net

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid: This is the ruling of Allaah and His Messenger, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever changes his religion, kill him." (reported by al-Bukhaari, al-Fath, no. 3017).

(2) The one who has known the religion which Allaah revealed, entered it and practised it, then rejected it, despised it and left it, is a person who does not deserve to live on the earth of Allaah and eat from the provision of Allaah.

(3) By leaving Islaam, the apostate opens the way for everyone who wants to leave the faith, thus spreading apostasy and encouraging it.

(4) The apostate is not to be killed without warning. Even though his crime is so great, he is given a last chance, a respite of three days in which to repent. If he repents, he will be left alone; if he does not repent, then he will be killed.

(5) If the punishment for murder and espionage (also known as high treason) is death, then what should be the punishment for the one who disbelieves in the Lord of mankind and despises and rejects His religion? Is espionage or shedding blood worse than leaving the religion of the Lord of mankind and rejecting it?

(6) None of those who bleat about personal freedom and freedom of belief would put up with a neighbour’s child hitting their child or justify this as "personal freedom," so how can they justify leaving the true religion and rejecting the sharee’ah which Allaah revealed to teach mankind about His unity and bring justice and fairness to all?

Why death is the punishment for Apostasy - Islamqa.com

Islamic Justice: Muslim "Militants" Stone Man to Death for Adultery

[Posted by blog co-author]

Source: Islamic Justice: Muslim "Militants" Stone Man to Death for Adultery - Atlas Shrugs

This is sharia. This is Islamic law. This is what Obama demands you respect. Never forget this.

So enamored is the State department of this community, they are importing whole Somali Muslim communities into this country.

Pictured: Islamic militants stone man to death for adultery in Somalia as villagers are forced to watch Daily Mail (hat tip Armaros)

This barbaric scene belongs in the Dark Ages, but pictures emerged today of a group of Islamic militants who forced villagers to watch as they stoned a man to death for adultery.

Mohamed Abukar Ibrahim, a 48-year-old, was buried in a hole up to his chest and pelted with rocks until he died.

The group responsible, Hizbul Islam, also shot dead a man they claimed was a murderer.

Begging for his life: Mohamed Ibrahim appeals to Islamic militants not to carry out the execution as he is buried in the ground as his villagers are forced to watch

But the verdict was so shocking that it prompted a gun battle between rivals within the group that left three militants dead, witnesses said.

The executions took place yesterday in Afgoye, some 20 miles south-west of the capital of Mogadishu.

Hizbul Islam fighters ordered hundreds of residents to a field, where a rebel judge announced that the two men had confessed to murder and adultery.

No mercy: The militants bury Ibrahim in the ground in a village south-west of lawless Mogadishu, Somalia

A woman who had confessed to fornication had been sentenced to 100 lashes, he added.

'This is their day of justice,' the judge, Osman Siidow Hasan, told the crowd. 'We investigated and they confessed.'

But when some Hizbul Islam fighters wanted to delay the executions, a bloody gun battle broke out between the two factions, shocked residents said.

Gruesome end: Hizbul Islam group members pelt Ibrahim until his face is a bloody mess and he dies. His face has been pixellated on grounds of taste

Picture source: Somalia: man stoned per Islamic sharia law (pics) « Creeping Sharia

Source: Islamic Justice: Muslim "Militants" Stone Man to Death for Adultery - Atlas Shrugs

Awesome! Next stop, mosques.

[Posted by blog co-author]

People are finally starting to wake up, and respond to the evil of Islam silently creeping into their homes. Once enough people realize the danger they are facing from the fundamentalist political system (wolf) dressed up in the clothes of religion (sheep), a war will ensue. Lives may be lost, but just as war against Nazism, against Communism, and against all other political evils have been won in history, giving us democratic and secular freedom, war against Islam will also be won, bringing us back the freedom it has been taking away.

Exit Polls: Swiss Ban Minarets, Muslim Extremism Feared

Published: 11/29/09, 5:12 PM / Last Update: 11/29/09, 5:31 PM
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Source: Exit Polls: Swiss Ban Minarets, Muslim Extremism Feared - Defense/Middle East - Israel News - Israel National News

(IsraelNN.com) Voters in Switzerland favored a national referendum vote Sunday to ban minarets on mosques, according to exit polls. Early indications are that both a majority of voters and majority of cantons backed the referendum proposal. Local media called the apparent prohibition a “slap in the face” to the government, which opposed the ban.

One of the arguments by those against the ban is that it will provoke Muslim extremism, a religious boycott by wealthy Muslims, as well as Muslim protest violence. These are similar to the consequences two years ago after a Dutch cartoonist published a caricature of the Muslim prophet Mohammed with a bomb in his turban.

Projections a week ago showed that less than 40 percent favored a minaret ban, but exit polls revealed that nearly 60 percent of the voters supported it. Backers of the ban said the minarets are a symbol of militant Islam. Muslims comprise approximately five percent of the country’s population, more than double the number in the 1990s.

Although the minarets towers on Switzerland’s 160 mosques do not broadcast calls to prayer, Ulrich Schlueer, one of the organizations of the referendum, said, "Forced marriages and other things like cemeteries separating the pure and impure — we don't have that in Switzerland, and we do not want to introduce it.”

The campaign against the minarets featured a poster showing a woman in a burka, the Muslim dress that covers the body from neck to toe, with a background of minarets in the shape of missiles.

Swiss Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, who opposed the ban, told the Swissinfro.ch website, “Its supporters say they are against minarets. But they want to fight what they consider creeping Islamicization and Sharia law.”

Source: Exit Polls: Swiss Ban Minarets, Muslim Extremism Feared - Defense/Middle East - Israel News - Israel National News

Further Reading:

• VICTORY! SWISS BAN MOSQUE MINARETS IN A LANDSLIDE VOTE - Atlas Shrugs
• Small Town Fights Islamic Expansionism: Says No to mosque Growth - Atlas Shrugs

Moderate Muslim? Think again!

[Posted by blog co-author]

The following is a testimony by a German apostate of Islam. It exposes three things:

1. The consequences of becoming extremely religious and pious and the impact it will have on one's children. It does not matter whether it is Islam, Christianity or Hare Krsna. Becoming religious and pious, and then forcing your religiosity onto your children will distance them from you as a parent, and created immense hatred and remorse in them towards you. Everyone should have the freedom of religion, and that includes your own children. You may teach them your religion but if they don't wish to follow it, let them find what they want.
   
   
2. Islam is a religion of brainwashing and deception. You are started with easy to digest milk and baby foods, which consist of nice and peaceful verses and the "beautiful" version of Islam. Finding them sweet and yummy, you subscribe to the deception by becoming a Muslim. Then you are fed more solid foods which are not so sweet, but "good for you." These include the harsher parts of everyday Islam. At first you will detest them, but soon you will excuse yourself into consuming them. Later on, you will reach a point where you will be fed the real Islam (which you once called fundamentalism, but now call true submission to Allah).
   
   
3. Do not be fooled by the term "moderate Muslim." A so-called moderate Muslim is only being so to blend in with the non-Muslim world for the benefit of Islam. A Muslim is always under obligation to spread Islam and follow the teachings of the prophet, who was never a moderate. But in doing so, he is also required to use tactics (for example, "taqiyya") to maximise his impact on humankind in any Muslim activity he chooses to do. Hence being moderate is simply another one among the Muslims' tactics to spread Islam. Always remember that a moderate Muslim can become a fundamentalist any time in blink of an eye.

Islam was my Nightmare

By Jutta

2005/04/26

Source: Islam was my Nightmare | Islam | FaithFreedom

I was born to a very pious Catholic family in Berlin . Nothing presaged that I would become a Muslim one day. On the contrary, everyone expected me to be a faithful Catholic throughout my life and pass down my faith to my children.

However, I had a very rebellious character and, like many adolescents, abominated everything my parents liked. I set a goal for myself to find a liberating religion different from that of my parents. I was convinced that nothing could be worse than Christianity with its oppressive teachings on women.

The religious atmosphere in my family was getting on my nerves. I was having heated arguments with my parents all the time because of my disagreement with some Christian teachings. They pressed me to be a better Christian; I rebelled and did the opposite.

Soon after my graduation from university, I met a young Muslim man of Turkish origin. We fell in love and soon got married. He was not a religious fanatic - he was absolutely secular, although he did observe some Islamic obligations (he fasted and prayed). He didn’t ask me to convert to his religion but he made it clear that he would like his children to be Muslims. I myself took great interest in his religion and customs. I expressed willingness to learn more about Islam.

He brought me some deceptive (as I know understand) books about the glory of Islam and benefits of being a Muslim woman. I read the books and grasped the “beauty” of this religion.

I was taught by my Christian parents that a woman had to submit to her husband and thus find God. My Muslim husband seemed to be so close to God without any help from priests and I was told that I didn’t have to get married and submit to my husband to find peace of mind and faith in God. I looked at my husband and blindly believed all those lies because he was such a nice man who was the living example of a decent Muslim man. When I prayed behind him, I felt I was getting closer to God and Heaven.

Looking back on those days, I see that I was just a stupid kid who drummed into herself that Islam was an ideal religion for all humankind. Perhaps I simply wanted to vex my pious parents whom I considered to be repressive monsters.

After I had converted, I was given some other books that were not as wonderful as previous ones. I learnt that I could be beaten by my husband, if he wasn’t satisfied with me. But in my addled mind I tried to find justifications for that commandment. Moreover, I was sure that my husband was incapable of hitting a woman.

I gave birth to our children who were sent to a kind of a kindergarten for Muslim children. I kept on working and didn’t want to give up my job. My husband supported me and told me that Islam actually encouraged women to work and have their own lives. I can’t understand how I could believe such downright lies.

A few years later he decided to perform Hajj. I was very excited and proud of him because, in fact, I was much more religious than my secular husband.

Hanged for being a Christian in Iran

[Posting and emphases by blog co-author]

Hanged for being a Christian in Iran
Eighteen years ago, Rashin Soodmand's father was hanged in Iran for converting to Christianity. Now her brother is in a Mashad jail, and expects to be executed under new religious laws brought in this summer. Alasdair Palmer reports.

Published: 6:17PM BST 11 Oct 2008
Source: Hanged for being a Christian in Iran - Telegraph

A month ago, the Iranian parliament voted in favour of a draft bill, entitled "Islamic Penal Code", which would codify the death penalty for any male Iranian who leaves his Islamic faith. Women would get life imprisonment. The majority in favour of the new law was overwhelming: 196 votes for, with just seven against.

Imposing the death penalty for changing religion blatantly violates one of the most fundamental of all human rights. The right to freedom of religion is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and in the European Convention of Human Rights. It is even enshrined as Article 23 of Iran's own constitution, which states that no one may be molested simply for his beliefs.

And yet few politicians or clerics in Iran see any contradiction between a law mandating the death penalty for changing religion and Iran's constitution. There has been no public protest in Iran against it.

David Miliband, Britain's Foreign Secretary, stands out as one of the few politicians from any Western country who has put on record his opposition to making apostasy a crime punishable by death. The protest from the EU has been distinctly muted; meanwhile, Germany, Iran's largest foreign trading partner, has just increased its business deals with Iran by more than half. Characteristically, the United Nations has said nothing.

It is a sign of how little interest there is in Iran's intention to launch a campaign of religious persecution that its parliamentary vote has still not been reported in the mainstream media.

For one woman living in London, however, the Iranian parliamentary vote cannot be brushed aside. Rashin Soodmand is a 29-year-old Iranian Christian. Her father, Hossein Soodmand, was the last man to be executed in Iran for apostasy, the "crime" of abandoning one's religion. He had converted from Islam to Christianity in 1960, when he was 13 years old. Thirty years later, he was hanged by the Iranian authorities for that decision.

Hossein Soodmand (left), Rashin's father, 
was the last man to be executed in Iran for 
apostasy. Her brother Mashad is now 
in death row awaiting the same fate.

Today, Rashin's brother, Ramtin, is also held in a prison cell in Mashad, Iran's holiest city. He was arrested on August 21. He has not been charged but he is a Christian. And Rashin fears that, just as her father was the last man to be executed for apostasy in Iran, her brother may become one of the first to be killed under Iran's new law.

Not surprisingly, Rashin is desperately worried. "I am terribly anxious about him," she explains. "Even though my brother is not an apostate, because he has never been a Muslim – my father raised us all as Christians – I don't think he is safe. They assume that if you are Iranian, you must be Muslim."

Her brother's situation has ominous echoes of her father's fate. Rashin was 14 when her father was arrested. "He was held in prison for one month," she remembers. "Then the religious police released him without explanation and without apology. We were overjoyed. We thought his ordeal was over."

But six months later, the police came back and took her father away again. This time, they offered him a choice: he could denounce his Christian faith, and the church in which he was a pastor – or he would be killed. "Of course, my father refused to give up his faith," Rashid recalls proudly. "He could not renounce his God. His belief in Christ was his life – it was his deepest conviction." So two weeks later, Hossein Soodmand was taken by guards to the prison gallows and hanged.

Life for Rashin Soodmand, her siblings and 

her mother became extremely difficult after her 

father was executed in Iran for the 'crime' of 

abandoning his religion Photo: PAUL GROVER

Life for Rashin, her siblings and her mother became extremely difficult. Some Muslims are extremely hostile to people of any other religion, never mind to those who they consider apostates: Ayatollah Khomeini declared that "non-Muslims are impure", insisting that for Muslims to wash the clothes of non-Muslims, or to eat food with non-Muslims, or even to use utensils touched by non-Muslims, would spoil their purity.

The family was supported with financial and other help from a Christian church based in Iran. That support became even more critical as Rashin's mother began to lose her sight. Rashin herself was eventually able to leave Iran. She now lives in London, married to a fellow Christian from Iran who successfully applied for asylum in Germany.

It took years for Rashin to understand how her father could have been legally executed simply for becoming a Christian. In 1990, there was no parliamentary law mandating the death for apostates. What, then, was the legal basis for Hossein Soodmand's execution?

"After the revolution of 1979, Iran's rulers wanted to turn Iran into an Islamic state, and to abolish the secular laws of the Shah," explains Alexa Papadouris of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, a human rights organisation that specialises in freedom of religion. "So the clerics instituted a mandate for judges presiding over criminal cases: if the existing penal code did not include legislation on whether a certain kind of behaviour is an offence, then the judges should refer to traditional Islamic jurisprudence." In other words: sharia law.

"That automatically created problems" says Mr Papadouris, "because Islamic jurisprudence is not codified law: it is a series of formulations developed across generations by scholars and clerics. Depending on the Islamic school or historical era, these formulations can differ and even contradict each other."

On one subject, however, sharia law is unequivocal: men who change their religion from Islam must be punished with death. So when the judge heard the case of Rashid's father, he could refer to sharia and reach a straightforward decision: the death penalty. There was no procedure for appeal.

Nevertheless, in the 18 years since Hossein Soodmand's execution, there have been no judicially sanctioned killings of apostates in Iran, although there have been many reports of disappearances and even murders. "As the number of converts from Islam grows," notes Ms Papadouris, "apostasy has again become a serious concern for the Iranian government." In addition to 10,000 Christian converts living in Iran, there are several hundred thousand Baha'is who are deemed apostates.

There is another factor: President Ahmadinejad. "The President didn't initiate the law mandating the death penalty for apostates," says Papadouris, "but he has been lobbying for it. It is an effective form of playing populist politics. The Iranian economy is doing very badly, and the country is in a mess: Ahmadinejad may be calculating that he can gain support, and deflect attention from Iran's problems, by persecuting apostates."

The new law is not yet in force in Iran: it requires another vote in parliament, and then the signature of the Ayatollah. But that could happen within a matter of weeks. "Or," says Papadouris, "it could conceivably be allowed to drop, were there a powerful enough international outcry".

Time may be running out for Rashin's brother. She believes that the new law will be applied in an arbitrary fashion, with individuals selected for death being chosen to frighten others into submission. That is why she fears for her brother. "We just don't know what will happen to him. We only know that if they want to kill him, they will."

Source: Hanged for being a Christian in Iran - Telegraph

Say No to Sharia (or Shariah, or Syariah)

[Posting and underlined emphasis by blog co-author]

November 21 a successful day against Sharia and religious laws
Source: Successful rally against Sharia law in UK – 21 Nov 2009 - One law for all

Several hundred joined a rally in London’s Hyde Park organised by One Law for All to show their opposition to Sharia and religious-based laws in Britain and elsewhere and to demand universal rights and secularism.

At the rally, over 20 speakers and performers exposed the discriminatory and brutal nature of religious laws. They included Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain’s Asad Abbas; International Humanist and Ethical Union’s Roy Brown; Secularist Ismail Einashe; Philosopher AC Grayling; Southall Black Sisters’ Rahila Gupta; MP Evan Harris; Organisation of Women’s Freedom in Iraq’s Houzan Mahmoud; Lawyer Rony Miah; Campaigner Maryam Namazie; British Humanist Association’s Naomi Phillips; European Humanist Federation’s David Pollock; National Secular Society’s Terry Sanderson; Activist Muriel Seltman; Equal Rights Now’s Sohaila Sharifi; Organisation for the Defence of Secularism and Civil Rights in Iraq’s Issam Shukri; Iran Solidarity’s Bahar Milani; Human Rights Campaigner Peter Tatchell; National Secular Society’s Keith Porteous Wood and the rally’s Master of Ceremonies, Iranian Secular Society’s Fariborz Pooya.

The rally heard from people with direct experiences of Sharia law, including Iranian-born activist Sohaila Sharifi and Somali-born secularist Ismail Einashe. Einashe spoke of his cousin who had been forced to remain in a violent marriage by the sham courts here in Britain. He said: ‘I wanted to tell you my cousin’s story to highlight that whatever the pro-Sharia lobby say, we know that there are women out there being abused, and sadly all too-often too afraid to come forward. The only ‘choice’ my cousin was given, was either to be separated from her children or remain in a violent marriage. She chose to stay in the marriage for the sake of her children… I don’t think this is a ‘choice’ – how can it be?’

Maryam Namazie, the One Law for All Spokesperson, also gave several examples of the legal compulsion involved in the decisions of the Muslim Arbitration Tribunals and Sharia Councils, particularly with regards [to] forced marriages, divorce and child custody. She went on to say that it was scandalous that countless women were relegated to kangaroo courts with lesser rights here in Britain and elsewhere.

Campaigner Peter Tatchell said: ‘Sharia law is a form of religious dogma and tyranny. It is homophobic, sexist and anti-democratic.’ Terry Sanderson of the National Secular Society went on to say that: ‘Sharia law does not develop, it is fixed and immutable, but its interpretation is unpredictable, unregulated and subject to the whims and prejudices of individual practitioners.’

Many of the speakers spoke of the brutalities of Sharia in other countries. Issam Shukri from Iraq told the rally how Islamic militias linked to the cleric and MP Muqtada al-Sadr had executed dozens of women who they deemed to be improperly dressed because they were not fully covered head-to-toe in Iraq. Examples were also given of rights violations under Sharia in Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Sudan, Somalia and elsewhere.

Activist Muriel Seltman condemned the cultural relativism that allows for religious laws to go unchallenged. She said: ‘What can be more racist than laying down different standards for different people in different societies? This is what is racist[,] not the criticism of barbaric practices.’

Many speakers criticised the right of religion to special status to undermine fundamental human rights. David Pollock of the European Humanist Federation said: ‘Sharia courts seek to provide a parallel legal system… Arguments for Sharia law are based on the concept of group rights. And group rights are inherently hostile to human rights.’ MP Evan Harris condemned the government for giving privileged advisory status on policy and legislation to often unrepresentative faith leaders. Lawyer Rony Miah said: ‘Having separate systems of law for different communities are no different from separate faith schools; it will only lead to a fragmenting of communities – not cohesion.’

Rahila Gupta of Southall Black Sisters added: ‘accommodating alternative systems of justice is not about choice or tolerance in a pluralistic society; it is not about Muslim women’s autonomy. These demands emerge from fundamentalist politics however they are dressed up.’

Roy Brown of the International Humanist and Ethical Union spoke about how Islamic states are behind the demand for more religious laws and the banning of any criticism of Islam. He said: Sharia law [in Britain] is but a small part of a worldwide campaign to replace international law with Islamic law… The acceptance of Sharia law for the settlement of family disputes in Britain is just one small part of a global problem.’

Maryam Namazie said that Sharia courts and councils were extensions of the political Islamic movement – not the demand of Muslims or those labelled as such – and resistance to it was global as well. She told the crowd: ‘Sharia adversely affects the rights, lives and freedoms of countless human beings across the world. Opposing Sharia law is a crucial step in defending universal equal rights and secularism, and showing real solidarity with people living under and resisting Sharia.’ Fariborz Pooya added that ‘people living under Sharia law are the first victims and at the same time the first line of resistance against it and must be defended.’

Writer AC Grayling went on to say: ‘The principle of one law for all, with everyone equal before the law, is a vital one for a genuine democracy. The One Law For All campaign is doing an urgently needed job of protecting those who, hidden behind the veil of Sharia or other religious ‘courts’, risk injustice, abuse, and deprivation of rights.’

During the rally, Bahar Milani and Richard Francis of Iran Solidarity led an act against child executions. The Islamic Republic of Iran is the only state that continues to execute minors. At least 130 juveniles are on death row in Iran, including for homosexuality, apostasy, sex outside of marriage and involvement in school or street fights that have resulted in murder.

Throughout the event, there were performances from poets AK47, Lilith and Christine from the Anti-Injustice Movement and Selina Jus1jam from Yorkshire as well as musician Fari B and singer/songwriter David Fisher.

On the day, many others took part in simultaneous acts of solidarity with the rally and its demands in 23 countries across the globe, namely Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Hungary, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Kenya, France, Germany, Mexico, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Serbia and Montenegro, Sweden, Switzerland and USA. In Serbia and Montenegro, Women in Black held a number of film events in support of women’s rights in Afghanistan. In Baghdad, 500 leaflets were distributed in defence of secularism and universal rights. In Canada, several acts took place, including a rally and a column written in a local paper. The Secular Humanist League of Brazil, The Peace and Freedom Party of San Francisco and the Brussels Humanist Society amongst others issued press releases and an artist in the Netherlands contributed their artwork to the campaign. In Ibadan, Nigeria, leaflets saying ‘no to faith-based laws’ were distributed on the streets and at markets. In Pakistan, those trying to take part in an act were brutally beaten.

The protest was covered by several media outlets including on BBC Radio 4’s Sunday programme. To hear the report, click here BBC Radio 4 about Rally

Peter Tatchell also wrote a piece entitled Just say no to Sharia in Guardian’s Comment is Free on the rally published Nov 20.

One Law for All will continue to push for an end to Sharia and religious laws in Britain. In the coming year, the campaign aims to conduct a survey of women who have been to Sharia courts here, will hold a fundraiser dinner on January 28, 2010 to raise money for the campaign; will host a March 8, 2010 seminar with legislators, lawyers and campaigners to recommend the legal and legislative avenues to ban Sharia and religious courts in Britain; will organise a June 20, 2010 rally against Sharia law; and will hold an October 10, 2010 conference on Sharia Law and Apostasy amongst other activities.

To support the campaign, please send a cheque made payable to One Law for All or donate via Paypal via our website. Photos and video footage of the rally speeches and performances as well as media coverage can be be seen on the website.

Source: Successful rally against Sharia law in UK – 21 Nov 2009 - One law for all